A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 190: Chasing In Lava
Chapter 190: Chasing In Lava

As soon as Arix stepped onto the track, she felt like she’d been thrown into a furnace.

Inside her mecha’s cockpit, the heat seeped through. It was like being in a sauna, with the air itself burning hot.

Ahead of her, a sea of flames raged, with lava erupting and splashing everywhere. Arix swallowed hard and quickly activated her mecha’s energy shield, dodging stray lava bursts while keeping a close eye on Drexel in front of her.

Drexel moved through the lava like he was born for it, handling the intense environment with surprising grace.

’Man, he makes it look so easy,’ Arix thought, a mix of envy and admiration bubbling up. She tapped a few buttons, steering her mecha to leap over a sudden wave of molten rock.

As they progressed, the lava’s fury intensified, transforming from small streams into massive, fiery waves.

Even Drexel began to struggle, his mecha’s energy shield draining quickly under the relentless heat. The energy gauge on his screen was dropping fast.

Drexel was having a tough time, and Arix was really feeling the pressure. Her face flushed, breath heavy, sweat pouring down her skin—she felt like a Thanksgiving turkey.

”Arix, do you need help?” Sylvana, her fluffy companion, perched on her shoulder. Her voice sounds full of concern. The extreme heat was so intense that even within Arix’s psychic world, Sylvana felt it.

”No, it’s just training. I’m okay,” Arix insisted, shaking her head.

She knew if she relied on Sylvana now, it would defeat the purpose of the exercise. This was real combat training, and she had to push through it on her own to learn.

”Alright, but I’ll stay here with you. Call me if you need anything,” Sylvana said, refusing to leave her alone in such harsh conditions.

”Thanks,” Arix smiled, giving Sylvana a gentle pat before refocusing on her controls.

In the blazing, apocalyptic landscape, Arix and Drexel pushed their mechas to the limit, leaving trails intertwined and yet distinct.

Despite their best efforts to dodge, some lava still struck their mechas, leaving marks for the test evaluation.

But there was a silver lining: the finish line was in sight.

Both Arix and Drexel noticed it and pushed their machines harder, racing toward the end.

Just then, however, as Arix picked up speed, she failed to avoid a sudden burst of lava. It hit her cockpit directly, and the impact left her momentarily stunned.

Arix was engulfed in a wave of scorching heat, almost unbearable.

Despite quickly using her psychic power to shield herself, the temperature around her was like being trapped in an oven. The intensity was too much, and Arix’s consciousness faded for a moment.

In that brief lapse, her Comet Class mecha lost its pilot’s control and began to plummet toward the lava below.

”Arix!” Sylvana, glowing with golden light, sprang into action.

At the same moment, Drexel, having just turned back, saw Arix’s mecha descending dangerously close to the lava.

”Arix!” Drexel’s heart skipped a beat. He was right on the brink of crossing the finish line but immediately turned around to save her.

Luckily, they were close enough that he reached her just in time, grabbing her mecha and tossing it over the finish line with all his strength.

As Arix soared through the air, a whirlwind of emotions hit her. She felt guilty, like she was holding Drexel back, especially now when he could have won but instead came in second because of her.

For the first time, a deep urge to become stronger settled in her heart—not to surpass anyone, but to stop being a burden to Drexel.

This newfound resolve burned brightly within Arix as Drexel prepared to cross the finish line himself. But then, another cry for help rang out from behind.

Drexel glanced back and saw another unfortunate classmate teetering on the brink of falling into the lava. He gave a casual thumbs-up as encouragement and then crossed the finish line without hesitation.

The unlucky guy was frustrated.

Falling into the lava only meant a reset to the starting point; they’d learn and grow stronger from the experience, Drexel believed. But Arix was special; he cherished her deeply. He’d rather endure hardship themselves than let her suffer.

Feeling pleased with his actions, Drexel cracked a smile. If the situation had been different, he might have taken a moment to admire himself in a mirror.

’Today’s a good day to feel proud of myself,’ he smirked.

As Arix safely crossed the finish line, Sylvana finally felt relieved. Watching Drexel exit the lava track, Sylvana mused, ’When there’s no real danger, Drexel can be a handful, but when there is, he’s the most reliable.’

”Yeah, he’s always there when it counts,” Arix nodded, warmth spreading through her at the thought of Drexel’s concern.

She decided that once they got back, she’d find a way to show her appreciation for all he’d done.

Chapter 239 Magical Juice

”Arix, if there’s nothing else...” Sylvana said as she said goodbye.

”Alright, Sylvana, see you later,” Arix replied with a smile and a nod as Sylvana returned to the psychic world. Then, she opened the hatch and jumped out of the cockpit.

Arix reached for her Space Button, ready to store her mecha. Just then, someone handed her a glass of water.

”Thirsty? Have a drink,” Jonna said kindly, smiling.

Arix was so parched that she didn’t notice who gave her the drink. She took the glass without looking and drank it down.

Immediately, a strange taste hit her—numb, fishy, spicy, and bitter—all at once.

She felt like throwing up, but Jonna’s voice stopped her.

”This is my special nutritious juice made. Wasting it will cost you 10 credits and a thousand astrocredits,” Jonna said, still smiling, but with a cold tone that made Arix shiver.

Arix felt hopeless. She closed her eyes and swallowed the juice.

Jonna finally smiled in satisfaction, patting Arix on the shoulder. ”Not bad. You’re the first one out. Keep up the good work.”

Arix, still feeling queasy from the taste, looked at Jonna with a pitiful expression. ”Ma’am, why did I have to drink it just because I was the first out?”

Jonna blinked innocently. ”I know, but you didn’t refuse, so I thought you liked it.”

Arix was speechless. If Jonna weren’t her mentor, she would definitely argue with her.

”Okay, enough chatting, another one is coming out,” Jonna said, nervously touching her nose and making an excuse to leave.

Arix watched as Jonna went off with the juice, offering it to other unsuspecting students one by one. The trick was the same, but surprisingly effective; nearly every student drank the juice without hesitation.

As she watched her classmates holding their throats, trying not to vomit, Arix wondered if the fifth challenge involved fire because Jonna wanted everyone to be thirsty so that they couldn’t resist the drink.

She clicked her tongue in amazement at Jonna’s cunning.

When all the students were gathered, Jonna had managed to make the whole class miss their former mentor, Marlone.

Although Marlone trained them harshly, he never did anything as sneaky as making them drink weird juice.

Thinking about the juice’s taste, all the students in Class S shivered.

”Arix, did you drink it too?” a Class S student asked, looking hopeful.

Arix glanced at him, puzzled by the question. She nodded. ”Yes, I did. It didn’t taste good.”

”Really! Got it, thanks, Arix,” the student said, suddenly excited. He then went to chat with the others, looking like a wilted plant brought back to life.

Curious, Arix watched him for a while and noticed that he seemed to be saying something to each student.

After talking to him, each student also seemed to perk up.

Wondering what was going on, Arix decided to use her psychic power to secretly find out.