Plans Before the Hunt

After waking from their post-coital states and discussing the previous situation as well as what to do next, Liam and Mary set off.

With the items of her two former companions, they had artifacts to use in battle and enough food to keep them fed for three days.

With them curious to see what would happen if they repeated the dual cultivation experiment, they would soon find a safe cave to test it again!

...

On the third day of their journey together, Mary and Liam sat face to face with a fire between them, heating some water. They finished the last of their dried meat in silence, the flickering flames casting shadows on the dark cave walls.

As they ate, their minds drifted to what they had been doing for the past few days, particularly the time spent on the makeshift bed in the cave.

Fifty hours earlier, they had arrived here after a cautious journey from the site of her former companions' deaths, where Liam had initially found them. Since then, they had stayed here, meditating, talking about their traits, and deepening their strange relationship.

As they expected, continuous intimacy didn't yield the same exponential strength gains as their first encounter, but it still allowed them to improve steadily.

The dual cultivation seemed more beneficial for Liam than for Mary, though she also experienced growth, too.

Despite the diminishing returns, they had advanced again over the past two days: Liam reached 9-Star, and Mary achieved 8-Star of the first realm.

Mary stared into the flames, her thoughts mirroring their flicker. 'My progress is significant, but it doesn't feel as stable as traditional methods would have been.' She sighed inwardly. 'I also feel so drained after each session... It's like it's consuming my vitality.'

Mary looked at Liam, aware it wasn't the same for him, since she had been fighting him for the past two days as training. He seemed to get stronger and stronger—in a way she didn't think was the same as hers.

He always seemed to have a lot of energy after the intercourse, which showed he wasn't losing as much vitality as she was.

'Still, my situation isn't bad enough to refuse this opportunity.' She reasoned, unaffected by Liam's powers of seduction.

Looking at him, she felt her heart beat faster and the thoughts of everything they had already done sped up in her mind, making her breath faster and her body feel hotter. Still, when she was unaffected by his seductive aura, Mary was rational, even though she wanted him almost all the time.

'Demon Gate isn't easy. The rumors I've heard say they allow their disciples to fight each other freely, and it's not uncommon for newcomers to die in a fight. If I'm not strong enough when we enter the Demon Gate, I'll die in a few months.

I'll keep getting stronger, even if it means weakening my life force... Maybe the gains will be more positive than negative in the end.' 

While she was thinking about the negative consequences of dual cultivation, Liam wasn't worried about it.

As far as Mary was concerned, he didn't have the harm of dual cultivation to himself. His foundation was as strong as that of a Spirit Master who had cultivated hard, and his vitality had not diminished at all.

What he had in mind now was a boar hunt to get food for them, but also so that they could practice their arts together.

He looked into Mary's eyes and said. "Tonight I want to hunt boar to train our skills. If we're going to explore the possibilities on the Eternal Doom Island, sooner or later we're going to run into demons. We need to be as prepared as possible when that happens."

She pushed her thoughts aside and asked him. "Do you think you'll reach the second realm while we're on the island? It would be good for you to hunt a demon to be your fighting spirit. It would take away your disadvantage in battle and hide the truth about your first spirit."

Liam wasn't just an ally on the island for Mary. He could become important to her after they left this place. If she wanted to continue to strengthen herself with dual cultivation, it was imperative that he stay alive in the long run. 

Demon Gate was a big unknown to them, but she thought that without a tamed spirit to fight for him, her partner would have a problem even with strong cultivation.

Liam agreed and understood her thoughts. "Yes, I think I have a chance to reach the second realm. We've been in this hellhole for 47 days, so we're only halfway through the time they promised us. The remaining time should be enough for me to progress.

When I become a Spirit Lord, it'll be a good time to hunt down a good demon."

Liam's eyes glazed over as he couldn't help but think of some beings he had already deliberately led astray and how there shouldn't be any beings much stronger than him left on the island.

In his current situation, he was no longer so afraid of this place and felt he could choose the demon that best suited his needs when he became a Spirit Lord.

He said to Mary. "The main purpose of the island for the Demon Gate is to separate the recruits with a chance of awakening their powers. But it also serves as food for those who succeed. I'm going to use this to my advantage and get a spirit that can fight for me. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble when we leave here."

Mary smiled, imagining that she, too, could approach the 2nd realm in the little more than a month left before they left this place. But what reassured her was Liam's personality. Unlike her previous companions, he planned before he acted and wasn't arrogant.

"Sigh... How many of us are left? I wonder if we'll meet any survivors on our journey?" Changing the subject, she finished her meal and poured some tea into a coconut bowl.

"It's hard to say. But I believe that at least half of the 28 who entered the island have died by now. It's likely that those who will leave this place can be counted on the fingers of one hand."

She didn't disagree. "That's in keeping with Demon Gate's fame."

"Anyway, let's get ready. There are opportunities on this island that can help you improve the strength of your foundation and give me my long-awaited breakthrough faster.

Depending on our results from the boar hunt, we can risk a little more."

She agreed and quickly prepared to leave, picking up her weapon and putting out the fire.

He did the same, grabbing a dagger and an axe, while putting their things in his bag before leaving the cave.

As they moved on, he led the way, axe in hand, looking around carefully, ready to act if necessary.

She moved in behind him, ready to support him and to summon her demon spirit if they ran into trouble.

Mary's first spirit had two special abilities that were closely related. It could condense black smoke in the nearby area, making it difficult to see or feel things in the affected area. It could also launch mental attacks.

As she had told him earlier, her ability could be used in battle, but it wasn't the best in terms of offensive power.

However, it was better than what Liam could use today. Unable to command his first spirit in battle, Liam had to confront his targets directly, putting himself in danger and using less power than if he had been able to let his spirit fight for him.

The two had trained and agreed on how to fight opponents together, but they needed practical training.

Combined with his need to find food, he was soon "reading" the wet ground outside the previous cave, looking for signs of a large, strong boar.

After weeks of living on this hellish island, Liam had learned how to hunt these creatures. About 30 minutes into his search, he signaled to Mary to be more cautious, having found the tracks of an animal like the one he was looking for.

But when he saw the target he was looking for standing at the edge of a stream, quietly drinking water, Liam's expression changed as he saw a three meter tall boar, as big as a house.

'A boar at the peak of the first realm!'