Cullen shook his head.
'It doesn't matter. All I need to do is follow the compass and keep my eyes open.'
After preparing himself, Cullen slowly took steps back into hell for the third time.
Hit with a familiar feeling, his body had already anticipated it and was prepared. Well, prepared isn't exactly how Cullen would describe it.
It still devastated Cullen, but he kept his eyes focused on the compass nevertheless.
After moving a bit more, he noticed something. Then, despite the unreal suffering, he smirked.
'I-I guess I was right. The pain… isn't decreasing… even when I move further from the core. The Abomination has completely given up on deceit, and is now trying to break me as a last effort to keep me here.'
But Cullen wouldn't let it have its way.
He focused on the compass, then his surroundings, then back to the compass. It seemed that if he looked at one thing for too long, it would start to distort and slightly change colors. For that reason, he had to shift his gaze while constantly keeping track of his direction.
The hardest part, though, was staying focused. The Abomination was doing everything it could to distract Cullen. One moment of confusion could flip him around and take him right back where he started.
Cullen had come here to train his biggest weakness, but ended up in a trap. But the motivation he received didn't come from regret. In fact, Cullen still regretted nothing. He did this to get stronger and succeeded in that.
From here on out, nothing would stop him from killing The Island.
Unbroken, Cullen felt all the pain disappear as a new scene appeared in front of him. The compass slipped from his grip as he fell to the ground, finally free from that torment.
Lying on the ground. Cullen wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there. The exhaustion of the Abomination's ability was already intense enough, but he had also spent most of his energy attacking the core.
But he still remained cautious and wouldn't close his eyes without knowing he was safe. He got up, confirmed that the closest Abomination was still the one he had escaped from, then found a protected spot to relax.
It was then that he allowed himself to drift off into sleep.
***
The next day, Cullen woke up with most of his body recovered. His knuckles were still a little bruised, but they would heal quickly due to his Gifted powers. He also had a new sense of what he should do to get stronger.
'Like other Gifted, I can increase my strength outside of battle to prepare for fights. However, my ability is currently less useful. While trying to destroy the core, I found that none of the objects I had created could help me. Gifted abilities are usually something they can always rely on, even more than their physical power. But without something I can kill, mine is wasted.'
Cullen couldn't change his ability, but he didn't want to anyway. He knew how special it was, so he just had to find the right way to work with it.
'Lucas mentioned that there should be a database at the center camp with The Islands' information. Sadly, I ran away before I had the time to check…'
Cullen sighed.
'It would be beneficial if I could access it, though. I've run into many of the same weaker Abominations on The Island because they grow rarer the stronger they are. That means there are probably more Abominations on The Island that I haven't seen yet. If I could see a list of them, I might be able to find one whose ability would be useful to me. Then, I can create a compass to track that specific one.'
The biggest problem with that plan was sneaking into the camp. Cullen had no way of knowing whether they were still searching for him, so it was a gamble to assume his Eye Amulet would hide him. However, succeeding could give him an object that will change everything.
After thinking it over, Cullen decided to sneak into the camp. It was unlikely that they would waste a powerful Gifted by having them stay put there searching for him. It had also been over a week since he left.
'Back when I was observing the camp, I believe I saw the building that stores The Island's data. Luckily, it wasn't guarded or required any authentication to enter. I guess there's not much point in keeping anything a secret here anyway, the only people who come to The Island are already approved by the government.'
Cullen took out the compass that led to the center and began traveling in that direction. He'd become quite skilled in triangulation due to the excessive use of these compasses, so he could gauge the distance with reasonable precision. After moving perpendicular to the compass, he determined that the trip to the center would take him around 30 minutes.
Since he had never been to school, Cullen didn't even think of this until Flora showed him how. While he never studied math, he caught on pretty quickly and surprised her.
Half an hour later, Cullen was sitting on a branch high up in a tree while observing the center camp. He was hard to spot, and he also wore the Eye Amulet to further conceal himself.
'There are a lot fewer people here now, so it's safe to assume that every survivor was brought back to the city. I count around thirty staff members, and three Gifted…'
When Cullen first entered the camp with Lucas, Flora, and Henry, they explained to him that all normal researchers wore white lab vests and had ID cards on a lanyard. Gifted soldiers who guarded the camp wore blue uniforms with yellow stripes… which Cullen thought was ugly.
He also knew better than anyone how dangerous the Abominations on The Island were, so these Gifted had to be strong enough to reliably protect the camp. With that said, he would stand no chance in a fight against all of them.
Not that he would attack a random Gifted, though. It wasn't clear how much they knew.
'The only way this will work is if I'm undetected. I have no clue what the Gifted abilities are, but they are most likely centered around fighting, since their job is to guard this place. Hopefully none of them have a power that will help them notice intruders…'
The target building was one floor and made of concrete, and the entrance was closer to the outskirts of the camp. In the span of ten minutes, he only saw two researchers enter, and one of them exited. The Gifted soldiers that Cullen saw were all on a watchtower near the center of the camp, with a practically obstructed view of the entrance.
'While they can still see the entrance, I should be able to slip in if I am careful. I just have to wait for that last researcher to exit, and hope there weren't any in there from before I got here.'
Sure enough, a researcher exited the building a few minutes later… however…
'That girl is different from the one who entered a while ago. That means there's still at least one person in there…"
Cullen sighed.
'If I do end up running into someone, I'd rather not attack them. Maybe I can just knock them out… but that would let them know someone had been in there. Also, I don't know if I can control my strength accurately enough not to hurt them too badly…'
Interrupting his thoughts, the person he had been waiting for finally walked out of the building.
'Here's my chance!'
Cullen dropped down from the tree and softly landed in a bush below, around 20 meters from the entrance. He quietly observed the watchtower, waiting for his moment to bolt.
The Gifted soldier facing his direction was a man in his thirties, with brown hair and a military hat. He appeared strong, but one could not tell a Gifted's strength by their looks.
His tired eyes scanned the area below, wanting to end his shift and do anything else. For a moment, he looked slightly to the side and closed his eyelids. Less than a second later, he reopened them and saw something out of the corner of his eye.
But as soon as his attention was provoked, it disappeared. He leaned over the rail, trying to get a closer look and discover what had made him look.
"Is something wrong?" his colleague asked.
"Nah, I think I just need to sleep. When's our break again?"
Cullen, who was pressed against the building's side, snuck a glance out to the watchtower to see the man talking with the other soldiers. Taking advantage of this moment, he quickly moved to the door and opened it. Jumping inside, he closed the door behind him quickly yet quietly.
"You see that?"
His partner looked at him worriedly.
"No? Are you losing it again?"
The man eagerly pointed to the entrance.
"I swear I just saw that door close!"
She skeptically glanced to where he was pointing, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.
"Are you sure you saw something… You know what—it doesn't matter. Rules say you gotta check it out anyway, so have fun."
The man, now regretting having said something out loud, grunted while slowly making his way down the tower.
"I gotta use the bathroom first, uh… I'll be right back."
She looked at the third Gifted strangely.
"Does he seem scared to you?"