Chapter 21

We arrived at the island training site as scheduled. The starting point was somewhere in the middle of the forest.

The start location varied for each student. For some, it might be the top of a cliff, while for others, it could be the shoreline where they take their first step.

I was relatively lucky, falling into the more average category.

“The things I have with me are….”

I opened the duffel bag provided as part of the provisions.

Inside, there was an extra jersey, some underwear, a single bottle of water, and some beef jerky I’d sneakily packed. That was all.

It’ll be tough to last five days with just this. I guess I’ll have to secure enough food and water.

Next, I activated my smartwatch and confirmed the current number of participants.

[Survivors: 499/499]

Moon Shin-chung had already given up even before the training started, leaving us with a total of 499 participants this time. I’m sure everyone is frantically searching for provision boxes right now.

BOOM―!

BOOM―!

Just then, distant explosions echoed across the island. Has it already started?

[Survivors: 496/499]

Three participants have already been eliminated. They’ll be stuck on the island until the end of the training, only allowed to clean up the place.

And because they didn’t last even until the minimum qualification period of three days, they’ll have to undergo additional training later.

As far as I’m concerned, I really want to avoid that extra training. I don’t want to suffer twice for nothing.

“Hmm.”

It seems the only way to survive is to endure without getting into unnecessary fights. That’s definitely the safest option.

But I can’t just stay still forever. Even endurance requires having enough food and water.

Damn. If only I were an awakener like Arna, I wouldn’t have to think about this at all. I could just go out, fight without hesitation, and secure the supply crates—end of story.

“Hold on.”

Arna?

Right. That method could work.

If I can’t be like Arna, I could simply have Arna by my side.

Why didn’t I think of that earlier?

I’ll call Arna right away. A peaceful agreement begins with a meeting. It’s not too late to talk face-to-face.

Clack. Clack.

I climbed onto a nearby tree. The sense of climbing an apricot tree from childhood still felt familiar.

“Hmmm…”

From the top of the tree, I took a deep breath, surveying the entire island.

I shouldn’t call her in a normal way; she might ignore me. So, I need to say something that guarantees she’ll come.

With that in mind, I used all my strength to shout:

“Arnaaaaaaaa!”

“Get over here immediatelyaaaaaaa!”

“If not, I’ll reveal all the secrets in your closet to everyoneaaaaaaa!”

The echo spread across the island.

Moments later,

BOOOOOOOM!

An incredible sound of footsteps resounded, making even Jurassic Park envious. Arna had taken the bait.

I quickly hopped down from the tree, preparing to greet Arna.

Puff–!

“Huff…huff…”

The milk-monster arrives. She came in such a rush that her hair and clothes were covered in leaves.

“What, what, what, what is it? How could you possibly know about the secrets in my closet…!”

“I’ve always said it; when it comes to you, Arna, I know more than anyone…”

“Shut uuuup!”

Swish–!

Arna’s face turned bright red as she boldly pulled out her sword, emitting an intense killing aura.

“I’ll eliminate you right here and now! No, I’ll bury you so deep in the ground, you can never speak again!”

“Just calm down first.”

Arna was clearly losing her cool. If this continues, there will be no way to have a conversation.

She needs to cool down a bit.

“Arna, your hobby isn’t something to be ashamed of. I also enjoy rice cake manga regularly.”

“Ri, ri, ri, rice cake manga? No! It’s not rice cake manga; it’s purely a romance manga that I watch!”

“Is it? These days, romance mangas are all about dramatic rice-cake scenes right from the first chapter. The trend seems to have shifted.”

“IIIIIEEEEEEEK…!”

Steam began to rise from Arna’s head. I might have made her even angrier.

“Clearly, this can’t work. Now that I know your secrets, I have no choice but to silence you here on this island. Nobody would even notice a single extra grave here, right?”

I raised my hands above my head immediately.

“Arna, I don’t want to fight you. I just want to talk. So can you please lower your sword?”

“I don’t negotiate with terrorists…!”

Terrorist? That’s too much. Did my reputation degrade that much?

Fine. Since I’m already branded a terrorist, I might as well live up to the title.

“If that’s your decision…”

I moved both my hands towards my pants. And declared to Arna:

“If you take another step, I’ll immediately take off my pants.”

“W-W-What? Are you some kind of exhibitionist?”

“Exhibitionist? I like that. Now, come on. Let me give you a show and take these pants off, shall we?”

“H-H-Hold on! Consider my eyes too! Stop! STOOOP!”

Arna immediately lowered her sword. People don’t understand words, but they understand actions.

“Huff…so what do you really want to say?”

I called her with a shout loud enough to resonate. She must be curious about why.

I reached out my hand.

“Arna, would you like to join a party with me?”

“Party? Are you suggesting an alliance?”

“That’s right. Let’s establish a coalition until the end of this training.”

“Hmm…”

Arna tilted her chin and thought for a moment.

After calculating, she spoke to me.

“I don’t know…it doesn’t really spark much interest.”

“Why not?”

“You’ll betray me later anyway.”

Exposed! Not that…

Do I really lack that much trust? From a terrorist to now a traitor. How much does she despise me?

“There will be no betrayal. I swear on the life of my mother.”

“Didn’t you say you were an orphanage kid?”

“…”

Seems like there’s no room for excuses.

No choice but to bring out the hidden ace.

I pulled out a pack from the duffel bag.

“Here, take it. Consider it a down payment.”

“B-Beef jerky…?”

Arna’s eyes widened. On this island, food is more valuable than gold.

Especially not crumbs or biscuits, but meat—delectable jerky that’s unmatched in flavor. I had just handed this incredible item to Arna.

“Sniff… how did you get such a valuable thing? Didn’t we just check our stuff earlier?”

“I found a way.”

I hid it inside my underwear. I managed to barely save this one piece.

“I promise you. I’ll do my best to help you during this training. We’ll survive until the end together.”

“…”

“With this spoon in my possession, I believe I can provide significant assistance.”

It won’t be a loss. Anything is safer with two people than alone. Moreover, with Arna by my side, my spoon might wield even greater power.

Arna must understand this point.

“Alright, fine. I’ll trust you this one time.”

Alliance successful. Arna swiped the pack of jerky I offered.

Rip–

Immediately, she started tearing open the bag and shoved the jerky into her mouth.

“Mmm… mmm…”

“…”

Just moments ago, this jerky was hidden in my underwear. She is now chewing it without any suspicion.

It feels strangely peculiar.

I wonder how she would react if I ever revealed this truth. Maybe I wouldn’t remain alive in this world if I did so.

“The taste is…actually quite good.”

Well, given it was in a wrapped package, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue… right?

*

“Aaaaaah! I’m starving! Where is the supply box hidden! So annoying!”

Night fell, marking the end of the first day of training. These three participants were still wandering through the forest, having found no food.

“Hey, Lee Sang-hoon! Don’t you have a bow? Do something with that!”

Even in the midst of the training, makeup was not neglected. With a thick foundation layer on her face, Baek Joo-hee loudly scolded.

“Go hunting? And then what? Where will we get the fire from?”

A boy with sharp eyes. Lee Sang-hoon calmly walked along, checking the arrow points despite the situation.

“Kick kick… I’m… so hungry…”

Lastly, struggling in the back was Han Ba-ram, clutching his stomach with difficulty. Accompanied by a disconcerting laugh, he forced himself to take another step.

“There are supposed to be supplies too, right? When will they arrive?”

Back in the lobby, Instructor Kim Dong-hak mentioned that in addition to the hidden crates on the island, there would also be supplies distributed.

But all day long, there was no sign of any provisions.

“At this rate, we’ll end up eating grass… If we get constipated, who will take responsibility?”

“Wait, something’s moving.”

“What? Where? Where?”

That was when Lee Sang-hoon pointed to the sky. A drone was passing overhead, carrying a large box.

“Supplies! Is that not the supply box?”

The Baek Joo-hee, who had been complaining non-stop moments ago, now eagerly opened her face upon hearing the news of the supply drop.

“Hey Han Ba-ram, you’re the fastest among us. Go and get it before someone else snatches it!”

“Kick kick… I… want… food…”

Han Ba-ram crouched his body, starting to channel magical power into his legs.

However,

Whoosh–!

Before Han Ba-ram could move, the supply box was snatched by someone else.

Precisely, a large spoon had stolen the supply box even before it had fully landed.

“What, what’s with that spoon? Isn’t that cheating? Hijacking in the middle? That was ours!”

“A spoon… It means Shin Yoon-seong must be nearby.”

Lee Sang-hoon readied his bow. From there, he aimed to intercept the spoon.

Swoosh–!

“Huh…?”

The aim was precise, yet the arrow deflected off. The spoon had slightly twisted its course as the arrow approached.

“No way… does this spoon have eyes or something…?”

Thinking it might be a fluke, Lee Sang-hoon fired another arrow.

Swoosh–!

Once again, the arrow went off course. The spoon had perfectly anticipated the arrow’s path and twisted out of its way.

Lee Sang-hoon gave up on firing the bow.

“Let’s follow that spoon first. After all, our opponent is Shin Yoon-seong.”

“Kick kick… I’ll… pillage… the box…”

It’s not fully out of reach yet. If we follow the spoon, we’ll find Shin Yoon-seong, from whom we can take the box back.

We’re dealing with only one person, ranked at C-class as an awakener. The food practically already belongs to us.

The starving students immediately decided to chase after the spoon.

“Only until here.”

However, another figure stood in their way.

Through the dark night, the golden hair still shone brilliantly, belonging to the person everyone should avoid during this training.

The top of the Han-yul Military Academy, Arna Kristin Dotir, blocked their way.

“I won’t let you follow that spoon. That supply belongs to my late-night snack.”