On the next day, as the sun rose in the sky, a beautiful day had begun. The Night Wolves had returned to their dens to sleep, and the crater was in rare calmness.

Alex was also sleeping peacefully in his cave. Maybe cause he went on a lot of hunting trips and survival training, he can sleep virtually anywhere.

However, the silence was broken with the start of the flight classes. The whole crater was echoing with screeches of eagles. Alex once again woke up to the eagle's cries.

"For god's sake," Alex cursed.  He turned around and was about to go back to sleep.

Suddenly an anxious bird chirp came beside him. Alex jumped out of his bed in fright and looked around.

The little red bird on the pedestal was chirping anxiously. Alex's mind became clear. He almost forgot he had a roommate.

Why is this guy chirping instead of screeching? Alex thought.

At that same time, a huge Blue Eagle flew down and perched on a tree outside the cave.

The ugly little bird chirped while looking at the stone stove and pointing it with his wing.

It was probably hungry, Alex assumed.

"Wait a minute, it will take some time to prepare breakfast," said Alex while getting up lazily.

The bird still chirped as it pointed its wing to the outside cave. Alex looked at the entrance and could not see anything from the vines. But he heard the Eagles' cries echoing through the crater.

"Oh, you are going to be late for your classes.  Ok, then I will make it quick," said Alex, started making breakfast.

The bird soon calmed down as Alex quickly prepared the breakfast for two. The bird flew down to his side immediately and waited for his share.

"You can't wait, huh. That's good," said Alex while rubbing the little guy's head. The bird ducked it and pecked his hand while Alex laughed it off.

The little guy was already late for the flight class, so Alex let the bird eat first.

After completing its breakfast, the red bird once again chirped while waving its bandaged wing in front of him.

Alex removed his bandages. The wound was completely healed, and there was not even a scar left.

"Well, you are as good as new." Alex complemented.

The bird chirped happily and flew in the cave. It landed near the opening and pointed to the entrance.

"Ok, stay safe and come back when you are hungry," said Alex as he opened a small opening in the vines and let the bird fly away.

'It did not even say goodbye. It seems the experiment failed. Domesticating these magical creatures is very hard,' Alex thought.

To elevate his depressed mood, Alex ate a lavish breakfast. Soon, his whole body was hot, full of energy.  He was a little surprised.

In the beginning, when he entered this world, he did not have an ounce of Mana. So, a usual Yellow fruit with little Mana can increase his power. 

But now, after his strength improved and grown accustomed to Mana, Alex noticed that a large amount of meat was required to make his whole body hot and improve his strength.

Alex removed the distractions from his mind and focused on the current situation. As his body was about to burst due to excess Mana, Alex commenced his high-intensity exercise.

After exercise, Alex took a nap, and its already time for lunch. He made preparations to enter the Extreme state.

Alex made a sumptuous meal and sat in front of a vicious vine. He barely held the Vicious vines in his right hand, and the Mana started to drain slowly.

Alex focused on his hand tried to gain some control over his Mana. He used every ounce of his willpower to fight the suction of the Vicious Vine.

After a minute, a faint blue glow appeared around his right hand, and he can faintly control the Mana while stopping it from being drained.

This time he can endure for 5 minutes before his willpower collapsed and his Mana was about to be sucked clean. In the end, he had to cut the vine.

Five minutes is good compared to 2 minutes from yesterday.  Alex started to get the hang of it.

Now, Alex's willpower was totally spent, while his whole body was fatigued and hungry. He was devoid of strength.

It took some time before he ate the prepared meal.  But soon, the Mana in his body raged like a tide yet was quickly absorbed by his hungry cells.

He ate twice as much as usual until his body was about to burst. In the end, he once again had to exercise for the excess Mana to be absorbed. 

After exercise, Alex sat down, took out his Red book, and wrote down his discoveries.

This planet has strange ubiquitous energy, which may be the legendary Mana.  Just by breathing, Alex can absorb the Mana from the air, which can slightly increase his body's strength.

By eating fruits and meat, he can quicken the rate of absorption and quickly gain strength. But it does not end there.

Alex remembered the peculiar state he entered when he was confronted by the Redhog.

In the face of danger, Alex entered the Burst state. His whole strength burst out in an instant. Which increased his strength by few times.

At that time, his body was covered in a blue aura. Which may be due to the materialization of the Mana.

But the downside of Burst State is that his whole strength will be spent in a few seconds.

Alex had an Idea. If he can freely control the Mana, he can burst right before he hit the target. He can even cover only the fist with the Blue aura before he the target.

Alex tried to enter the burst state a few times but failed. He could not excite the Mana.  To successfully enter the burst state, one has to have total control over the Mana.

But controlling the Mana depends upon willpower. With Alex's willpower, only a part of the Mana can be controlled by him. So it will take a long time to enter the burst state freely as imagined.

Accordingly, Alex made a bold plan that will decrease the time. If he can enter the Extreme state more often, his willpower can increase dramatically. Which in turn increases his Mana control. It would also increase his strength and help him consume the meat faster.

But it has a side effect. Getting into an Extreme state may leave some hidden dangers.

In the end, it's not conducive to his future growth. So, He decided to enter the Extreme state only twice a day, during lunch and dinner.

Alex lamented and closed the Redbook. He wants to get stronger, but the path was ridden with thorns.

In the afternoon, he took a trip to the lake to get some fresh water and some fruits.

Alex was cautious the whole time and did not want to make the same mistake twice. Luckily he completed his trip successfully without meeting any predators.

In the evening, before he prepared the meal before entering the extreme state. This time his goal was to endure for eight minutes.

Alex held the vicious vine, and once again, the Mana was drained at a fast rate. He used all of his willpower to control the draining Mana.

In the end, he lasted for eight minutes. Alex was getting hold of it. If this continues in two to three weeks, he can completely control the Mana.

Alex ate dinner and started exercising. After all the work, the sun was already setting on the horizon.

Alex washed and was about to take some rest. Then he heard chirping outside of the cave. 

Alex instantly became vigilant. He took out his Glock and cautiously walked to the entrance. Then Alex made a small partition in the vines and peeked outside. To his surprise, He saw the little ugly bird flying.

Alex immediately parted the vines for the little bird to enter.

"Hey, that was a surprise. How was your school?"

The bird just sat on the pedestal, ignoring him.  Alex also found out some new wounds on the little guy's back.

"Hey, were you bullied?" asked Alex with some concern.

The bird remained silent, and Alex also could do nothing. If it were a regular school, he would call the principal or tell a teacher.

But something tells him the adult eagles would not appreciate his openness.

"I bought some fruits for you," said Alex taking the yellow fruits from his backpack. Yet, there was no response. After rummaging for anything helpful, he found the blue strawberries at the end of the bag.

Alex took out the bunch of strawberries to examine them. They were kept there for almost two days, but fortunately, they did not go bad. Suddenly he heard a swish, and the little red bird stood in front of him.

"You want this?" said Alex holding the bunch.

The little bird nodded. Alex fed him one while caressing it. He was careful not to touch his wounds, but he soon found the bruises on his body were healing fast.

Alex rubbed his eyes and watched again. The scabs began to fall, and only some scars were left.

"That's one powerful berry," said Alex as he fed another berry to completely heal its wounds. The little bird tried to eat another one, but Alex stopped it.

"Ok, that's enough for today. You can eat one, tomorrow" said Alex, as he quickly hid the blue strawberries in his backpack.

The little bird looked at him pitifully. Alex acted as if he did not see anything.

"Ok, now that you are alright, get some sleep," said Alex while caressing it. The little guy pecked him in response and went to his pedestal.

As the little guy slept, Alex sneakily took a blueberry from his backpack and ate it. He waited for two days cause he was worried it may be poisonous. But now, he slightly regrets it.

As the fruit entered his body, it quickly dissolved inside him. Soon, a cool energy washed over him, which made him completely relaxed.

The Mana in this single berry was much more bountiful and gentle than from those regular fruits. His whole body was energized.

That felt really great, Alex thought, as he watched the bunch of Blueberries with shining eyes.