On the shores of Heart Lake, Cyan swung her demonic blade, splitting the Koopa Troopa shell right down the middle, scooping out the flesh and organs inside and tossing them aside.
While Cyan was processing the shell, Nishi and Toad weren't idling either; they had chopped down a few trees in the nearby forest. The rope Nishi had previously borrowed from Toad Town finally came in handy. They lashed the logs securely beneath the turtle shell to increase its buoyancy, and just like that, a makeshift turtle-shell boat was complete.
"Let's go."
Cyan pushed the makeshift boat into the lake and glanced at the time. There were less than fifty minutes left.
"Be careful of the Cheep Cheeps and Bloopers in the lake!" Toad warned, sitting in the boat with an oar in hand as he looked at Cyan.
Damn it, I'm pretty strong too! Why are you completely ignoring me?!
Ignored by Toad, Nishi resisted the strong urge to smack his mushroom head with her oar.
"Mm," Cyan responded, taking her oar and sitting at the very front of the boat.
The turtle-shell boat sped across Heart Lake. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the three, the boat didn't end up spinning in circles.
As they moved away from the shore, everything grew quiet, save for the rhythmic splashing of water against the hull. Suddenly, a plump, round fish leaped out of the water, hurtling straight toward the passengers.
"Watch out! It's a Cheep Cheep!"
Bam!
Cyan swung her oar, sending the Cheep Cheep flying.
Right after, even more Cheep Cheeps burst from the water, launching themselves at the boat like fish-shaped missiles.
"So many?!" Nishi cried out in surprise. Toad also stared at the aggressive Cheep Cheeps with a look of pure terror.
"Don't lose focus. Concentrate on rowing and go faster. Leave these fish to me."
Gripping an oar in each hand, Cyan stepped behind the two. Facing the incoming swarm of Cheep Cheeps, she swung the oars so fiercely they whipped up a howling gale. The incoming Cheep Cheeps were continuously batted away, knocking into those just leaping from the water, and even smashing into those that hadn't jumped yet.
Crack!
Cracks began to appear on the wood. The oars, hastily fashioned from fresh timber without any proper treatment, were naturally far less durable than manufactured ones. After striking an untold number of Cheep Cheeps, the wood groaned under the immense strain.
Hearing the crack, Cyan had no choice but to discard the oars and draw her demonic blade.
Under the sunlight, the dazzling silver flashes of her blade formed a protective veil around the turtle-shell boat. Any Cheep Cheep that charged in was instantly shredded, dyeing the lake's surface crimson. Faced with such a horrifying scene, Nishi and Toad didn't dare stop rowing, putting every ounce of their strength into the oars.
The fearless Cheep Cheeps in Heart Lake seemed endless, swarming relentlessly without any sign of thinning out. Soon, the thick scent of blood attracted the lake's most terrifying predator.
Thick, long tentacles lined with suckers surged from beneath the boat, wrapping tightly around Nishi and Toad.
"Ah! It's slimy and disgusting!" Nishi struggled violently.
"Oh no! It's a Blooper! We're... we're gonna get eaten!" Toad wailed, his eyes welling with tears, on the verge of sobbing.
What a pain.
Looking at the massive shadow beneath the boat, Cyan recalled a certain Amphioctopus that had once tried to bully her, only to get beaten to a pulp in return. However, the creature beneath their boat was clearly on a completely different level from that weakling.
"Keep rowing. Don't stop."
Cyan swung her blade and severed the tentacles, only to realize Toad had already fainted from sheer terror.
With no other choice, Cyan snatched the oar from his grip. Her lips parted slightly as she took a deep breath, channeling the Hamon energy throughout her entire body until she radiated a brilliant, golden light.
Hamon could conduct through liquids. Since the Blooper's attack had left the entire boat soaking wet, the energy easily surged through the hull and into the water.
Hamon Overdrive!
The water beneath the boat seemed to come alive, surging violently to propel the craft forward. Cyan rowed with incredible speed, her hands moving so fast they left a blur of afterimages that resembled a solid circle.
With the fierce wind whipping against her face, Nishi turned around. Seeing Cyan shrouded in a golden light that inspired hope and courage, she couldn't help but stare in awe. Her eyes widened further when she noticed the massive walls of spray kicked up on both sides of the boat by Cyan's insane rowing speed.
Master is incredible!
A crossing that should have taken twenty to thirty minutes was cleared in a matter of minutes by Cyan's near-manic exertion.
Reaching the shore at extreme speed, the turtle-shell boat struck a tree with a loud crash and became airborne. Cyan scooped up Nishi with her left arm, tucked the still-unconscious Toad under her right, and used the launching boat as a stepping stone to leap safely onto solid ground.
Thud!
The turtle-shell boat crashed heavily against a boulder, a massive hole ripping through its hull.
Breathing heavily, Cyan set Nishi and Toad down. She wiped the sweat from her face and looked toward the distant stone walls. That had to be the Castle of the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Master, are you okay?" Nishi asked, looking at the drenched, exhausted Cyan with a pang of guilt. She hadn't been of any help back there.
"I'm fine... just expended a lot of energy..." Cyan adjusted her breathing, grabbed the unconscious Toad by his collar, and began walking toward the castle. She cast one last glance back at Heart Lake.
I'll remember this...
A Blooper, huh?
Just you wait.
"Nishi, no time to rest. We'll rest once we reach the Mushroom Kingdom's castle," Cyan said, quickening her pace.
"Master, wait for me!" Seeing the sweat-soaked Cyan walking so fast despite her fatigue, Nishi quickly caught up and walked by her side.
As they neared the castle, the unconscious Mushroom citizen finally woke up. Staring at the castle right in front of him, he patted his own face.
"Am I dreaming?"
"What do you mean, dreaming?!" Walking beside him, Nishi saw the dazed expression on Toad's face and gave him a sharp smack on the back of his head.
"This is the castle, right?" Cyan let go of Toad and pointed to the gates nearby.
"Yes! That's the Mushroom Kingdom's castle! I really thought I was going to be eaten by that Blooper. I didn't know you were so powerful!" Toad excitedly grabbed Cyan's hands, temporarily at a loss for words to express his gratitude.
"Right, as a token of my appreciation, please take this Super Mushroom I've cherished for—" Toad froze mid-sentence, frantically rummaging through his pockets in a sudden panic. "Where is my Super Mushroom?! That was my most precious treasure!"
Cyan's gaze lingered on Nishi for a fraction of a second before she feigned ignorance. "We had business at the castle anyway. It was on our way."
The subtext was clear: no reward was necessary; they were merely traveling the same path.
Hearing this, the simple-minded Toad felt even worse. She had helped him so much without asking for anything in return, yet he had nothing left to offer as a thank-you gift.
"It's not as valuable as a Super Mushroom, but please take this." Toad pulled a vintage-style cape from somewhere and thrust it into Cyan's hands. As if terrified she might refuse, he immediately spun around and bolted toward the castle.
[Toad's Cape Feather]
[Type: Special Back Equipment]
[Function: Allows brief flight when falling from a high place, depending on the altitude. Controls allow the user to dive, fast-descend, or slow-descend.]
[Requirement: None]
[Note: A flying cape crafted by a Toad who yearned for the sky. After numerous trials, it only allows brief flight. In high winds, when you'll actually come down depends entirely on luck... This is a special back equipment. Once equipped, it will only manifest visually when in use.]
Cyan inspected the stats and equipped the item. Upon doing so, she felt a slight weight on her back, ready to manifest whenever she willed it.
"Let's go."
As Cyan walked toward the castle, Nishi kept pace beside her, wearing a sycophantic smile as she produced a red mushroom speckled with white dots.
"Master, this is for you."
[Super Mushroom]
[Type: Consumable Item]
[Function: Increases physical size by 100%. Boosts Strength, Agility, and Constitution by 200%. The effect vanishes upon taking damage once.]
[Note: Why do you think Mario can smash through solid bricks so easily? This item is exclusive to the Super Mario Bros. world and cannot be taken out of this world.]
Without that final restriction, it would have been an incredibly powerful item. However, the inability to take it out of this world severely diminished its long-term value.
"Keep it for yourself. Don't use Steal on anyone other than enemies in the future," Cyan said, returning the mushroom to Nishi. "If my size increases, I won't be able to wield my blade properly."
"Oh..." Nishi pocketed the Super Mushroom, looking at Cyan cautiously. "Master, you aren't mad, are you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I just feel like you're angry," Nishi voiced her intuition.
"I'm not. You're overthinking it."
When Cyan and Nishi reached the gates, they were halted by two guards. They bore a strong resemblance to Toad, holding weapons and looking at the newcomers with visible tension.
"They're not bad guys! They're the ones who protected me on the way here!" Toad ran over, quickly explaining the situation to the two guards.