Fishing spree!

The low growl that unexpectedly startled Ace came from nowhere else than his own stomach. The entire fish he had previously eaten was completely digested after he had trained and rested, and now he was hungry once again.

After inspecting the fishing rod he used the weird and scary innards he had previously put to the side as bait and began fishing again.

Either he was luckier this time or the mushy insides of the fish was better bait than some wood soaked in sub-par human blood without a hint of energy within. It didn't take nearly as long for a fish of seemingly similar caliber to take the bait.

Ace used the same method for this fish as the previous, yanking it up in short bursts before knocking it out with the pod's hatch, then dissecting it before cooking it over the fire he prepared beforehand. It seemed the energy fusing with his muscles had truly made him stronger and increased his endurance since hauling up one fish was just enough to make him winded.

While grilling the first one he used a part of the remaining bait to continue fishing.

Repeating this process it didn't take long for him to gather a pile of fish remains. Since he had a lot of meat now he prepared a large box in the pod with the AC to keep the air fresh. He decided to put both raw fish and cooked to see if there were any differences in how long it could last. Usually cooked meat lasts longer but if the energy within it prevents decay and cooking the meat ruins it's energy-retention then it would be easier storing the fish uncooked.

With how much Ace would be eating now that he's begun training intensely, he doubted anything would need to be stored for that long. He didn't have enough storage space to stock so much food it would spoil before he could eat it to begin with.

In any case he would be roasting a lot of fish considering he almost had a small mountain of it, and for that he would need some firewood.

With his surplus of sharp fish fins Ace didn't need to worry about blunting the edge of his current blade when shaving sheets of bark. He decided to finish a lap around the tree he had already begun peeling it. As he got to the tree he noticed that where he had previously cut, the tree had secreted a very clear, viscous fluid in small droplets. Since it was from the same kind of tree he had sucked on earlier to stave off hunger he used a piece of fish skin to collect it after scraping it together with his knife.

As he filled a small pouch's worth of the liquid it emitted a faint sweet smell. Ace stuck his finger in it and as he moved his finger to his mouth to taste, a string of shimmering sap followed. The taste that follow his finger in his mouth was divine, it was like the taste of sunshine in late spring, after a heavy rain, the grass is still wet, there's a rainbow and the water on the trees are reflecting the sunlight. Everything is bright and filled with the vibrancy of an earthly paradise.

Ace slowly came back to his senses after being released from the overwhelming sensation that a single drop of that sap came with. He was slightly startled that such a small volume could put him in such a state and even dampen his hunger a significant amount. It wouldn't stop him from eating a bunch of fish but it would be great if he would ever be in a position where he can't refill his storage. Not to mention the taste, if he marinated the fish in the sap before he cooked it, wouldn't he ascend right away, due to the divine taste. It could also be used as a condiment on the already grilled fish if it doesn't taste good being heated.

Using a needlelike fishbone and som grass to sew a more proper pouch of the fish skin after he brought it back to the campsite Ace wondered if it would begin tasting like fish if it stayed in the small bag made of untreated skin. Or if there were any residual bacteria that wasn't washed away when he rinsed the bits and pieces of fish he would use or eat in the future.

Ace decided to gamble on the quality of the sap and that it wouldn't let itself be contaminated by something inferior. For almost the same reason he decided to not sprinkle it on the fire. With how rich it is in energy it might put out the fire with a single drop, or even worse explode and obliterate his campfire, taking the almost cooked fish with it. But he did put a few pieces of fish in a bowl with only a few drops of the liquid so as not to overwhelm the fish's taste.

With the first round of grilling and eating complete, Ace, having nothing else to do decided to try and control the fish's energy while training. The blood rushing through his veins had already warmed him up and softened his muscles so he could hardly feel the aches from the previous session.

Although he struggled a bit getting into the first position due to his rampant blood, as soon as it was settled Ace could feel his muscles burning. After finishing the first move he was, instead of slightly drained or beginning to feel a strain in his muscles, fired up and ready to fight a bear in the forest. Almost forgetting to check on his roasting fish he immediately got into the second position.

Ace felt like he was rushing through the moves as he had already completed the fourth when the next round of fishes were ready for consumption. Quickly shoveling all four skewers down his throat before continuing Ace almost felt worried. Were things really supposed to be this easy. A training regime he hadn't made a breakthrough in for several months was blown away simply by him eating a random fish.

Since he hadn't learned the sixth move yet he had to reference the downloaded manual from the chip before continuing. But since every moment he was out of position the energy surging through his blood continued to wreak havoc to his veins he decided to use the same breathing techniques he used previously to calm it down and learn the next positions while not juiced up on fish. Ace still hadn't eaten his fill though so he continued grilling, eating and meditating for several hours.

Improving his body also increased the body's need for energy and how much he could eat. Thankfully he had nothing better to do than what he was currently doing. No tight schedule to follow or any annoying missions to complete.

Ace had never truly felt peace like he did now, not necessarily relaxing but taking things slow, trying new things, eating delicious food and all in a calm stress free environment. If he ignored the size of everything he had encountered so far and the possibility of being trampled in his sleep by a weird animal the size of a space-ship. There was also the uncertainty of a completely unknown habitat and the nature of things.

He had been stranded on the planet for almost eighty hours but it hardly felt like the sun had moved in the sky, Ace was also worried about the possibility of there being different seasons or extreme weather that could endanger him. With the unknown energy permeating the atmosphere who knew what kind of effects there would be.