Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Sudden Change
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"Kang Hye-rin."
The ponytail girl, who had slumped down in the shade to rest, lifted her head and turned toward the voice calling her.
Once she saw it was Park Jimin, she scowled deeply and dropped her head again.
"Kang Hye-rin."
"......"
Kang Hye-rin ignored her without a word. But—
"Hey, baby mama over there, sis. Inverted nipples."
"Ah, seriously!"
Kang Hye-rin shot to her feet and grabbed Park Jimin by the collar.
"Why why why why why! Fuck, why!"
"This."
"What is th... Huh?"
Kang Hye-rin blinked. What was dangling in front of her was a two-liter bottle of water.
Park Jimin firmly placed it in Kang Hye-rin's hand.
"You're thirsty, right? I brought it for you."
"Is this really water?"
"Yeah."
"You're trying to screw me over, aren't you."
"Who knows. But the water itself is clean. It's brand new, unopened."
Now that she heard Park Jimin say it, there really wasn't a trace of the cap being twisted off.
"Why...?"
Kang Hye-rin couldn't understand.
She didn't have a grudge against Park Jimin, but they weren't close either.
If anything, lately there had only been bad blood between them.
Park Jimin had secretly used her cosmetics, leading to a full-on fight.
In the midst of it, Park Jimin had gotten her ass handed to her by Yoo Hana in front of everyone and even apologized to her.
In front of everyone, no less.
"Psycho. What's this mean? What's your angle?"
"Pfft. Kang Hye-rin, you still don't get me? I'm Daehan International High's psycho bitch. You've never seen me act according to some grand plan, have you?"
"......"
"Maybe you're still pissy about the cosmetics thing, but I don't hold any grudges about it. I was just walking by with the water, saw you, and thought it'd be nice to share with you. Take a sip first and pass it over. I want some too."
Kang Hye-rin wore a conflicted expression but soon let out a deep sigh, scratched her head, and gulped down some water.
The water tasted surprisingly good. Maybe because she hadn't had clean drinking water comfortably in a while.
"Here."
"Thanks."
Park Jimin took several gulps and let out a refreshing "Kyaah!"
Then she handed it back to Kang Hye-rin.
"Here. Drink more."
"...Thanks."
Only after confirming Park Jimin drinking did Kang Hye-rin finally let go of her lingering tension and chug the rest.
"Ahaha. Pace yourself, girl. You can have it all. I won't snatch it back."
She must have been pretty parched, as the water quickly hit the bottom.
Park Jimin watched with a bright smile.
'Kang Hye-rin. I've had my eye on you for our boss.'
The reason she'd looked out for her wasn't revenge, as she'd just said.
Nor was it part of some massive scheme.
Park Jimin was just quick on the uptake. And impulsive.
'It's obvious our boss is banging his way through the girls.'
It had started as a hunch, but seeing Jung Seo-hee recently confirmed it.
The innocent virgin vibe Jung Seo-hee had been giving off had completely changed.
To Park Jimin, telling if a girl was a virgin or not was child's play.
Virgins and non-virgins just had that subtly different aura.
'No escaping getting eaten by the boss anyway.'
The water Kang Hye-rin was drinking now, or the fruit she'd shared with the others—that was proof.
They'd all get devoured in the end. She had a strong gut feeling.
'So better pull her under me first. Letting her wander hungry will just get her snatched up faster.'
Keep her close and establish the hierarchy early.
Who was on top, who was below.
Feed her steadily and tame her thoroughly.
Then even if she hooked up with the boss later, she'd still be under Park Jimin.
'Same for the others.'
She planned to subtly sharpen her knives against Kim Jaejun's crew while gradually absorbing her classmates under her wing.
Once she seized control—
'Bam! Offer up our entire kingdom to the boss.'
How about that? Fun just thinking about it, right?
Park Jimin shivered with excitement, clenching her thighs tight. Just imagining what was to come made her tingle.
Of course, this was pure fantasy.
Just a fun whim mixed with her impulsive nature.
The plan vanished from Park Jimin's mind as quickly as it came, replaced by a single floating thought.
'Ah, I miss our boss.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Sudden event has occurred.]
[In 5 days, a typhoon will strike the island.]
'A typhoon's coming?'
What was a typhoon?
A fierce natural disaster accompanied by storms, right?
Pouring down thick sheets of rain causing floods, whipping up winds strong enough to hurl everything from grains of sand to entire houses—a terrifying catastrophe.
Especially on a coastal spot like this, massive waves posed another deadly threat.
On an island without even a seawall, those waves might reach deep inland.
I was still dumbfounded by the out-of-the-blue event when another alert rang out.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Quest has been generated.]
📜 NEW QUEST 📜
[Survive the Typhoon]
📍 Description: Survive in the typhoon for 5 days.
⏰ Life Allowance: Quest rewards increase 5x during typhoon.
🎁 Reward: ???
Reward unknown.
But one part jumped out immediately.
'Quest rewards x5.'
Meaning, during the typhoon, it'd pay out five times the usual rewards.
My current daily haul added up to:
0.3 Stamina.
55 points.
Five times that.
And that was just the start.
I still had the main quest too. If I chipped away at it in spare time, I could rack up even more points.
'This is a huge opportunity.'
Crisis and opportunity go hand in hand.
If I hustled now while the tide was rising, I could claim mastery of this island even faster.
Unlocking the shop window alone would give me ways to kneel the class rep's crew effortlessly.
'Of course, typhoon prep comes first.'
Five times.
Rewards jumping fivefold, with "life allowance" attached—it meant the incoming typhoon was no joke.
'First, gauge the typhoon's scale.'
But how? This was my first time here.
Even if it wasn't, no two typhoons were the same.
'Think of the best plan I can. Start by picking an evacuation spot.'
But when it came to spots, nothing came to mind.
No obvious shelter in sight.
Low ground risked flooding.
Hunkering on the rocky mountain? Even on this clear day, fierce winds whipped the peak.
No telling how brutal it'd get in a typhoon.
'Headache. Knowing it's coming but no clue what to do.'
I gazed down at the island and the classmates with a heavy heart.
We'd been dragged here out of nowhere.
Forced to survive.
'Wait. We're not the first.'
I jumped up.
"Master?"
Kim Yeonju, who had been binoculars-gazing the kids beside me, tilted her head up at me.
"Where are you going, Master!"
I bolted down the slope toward the entrance snaking up the rocky mountain.
Then peered into the shaded nook inside the rocks by the entrance.
『...Don't get complacent just because you've adapted to this island. What you see isn't everything. Prepare for the dangers ahead.』
Someone's crooked Hangul scribble.
I dug into the sand in front of the rock with my hands. The rock's base emerged, revealing more text.
『Most disasters strike without warning, like someone's pulling strings. But after a few times, you learn. They come in cycles. Spring, summer, fall, winter. Repeating like seasons.』
Lots of stories, but nothing useful right now.
'Typhoon. Anything on typhoons?'
Digging lower was tough, so I scraped sideways.
Luckily, I found typhoon info.
『No safe spot from typhoons. Well, one: island center, mountain summit. The crater-like depression. It's calm even in the storm. But the path is treacherous...』
Constant gusts make approach hard, steep incline.
To avoid wind, crawl a water-cut channel like swimming for 5 hours, but currents too strong—physically impossible.
『Next safest is the forest. Snakes all flee before it hits, seawater floods inward to 1m deep. Sharks stay out, luckily.』
According to the writer, rocky mountain wasn't safe either.
Gale winds, flash floods.
Get caught in currents, swept off cliffs straight to the distant sea.
Five comrades died that way.
"To survive, pack food, head to forest center, cling desperately to sturdy palms, shivering for 5 days."
『Keep moving to stay warm, better with company. Share body heat. Yeah, that's the only way.』
'...Or die of hypothermia.'
Got it.
Neat summary.
Simply: flee cascading waters on rocky mountain and raging coastal waves—hole up in forest heart unconditionally.
'Problem is hypothermia prep.'
Conveniently, an expert was nearby.
I climbed the rocky mountain, leaped under the waterfall, and beckoned the scientist.
She'd been eyeing fish, waiting to raise her net—now they all scattered because of me. She yelled.
"Hey! What the hell! Can't you see I'm working hard? Even shit duty shows up with some tact!"
True to form for a divorcee—mouth like a rag. Shit duty? What the fuck.
"Got something urgent to discuss."
"Discuss?"
I put on a serious face, and the scientist approached, pouty but eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"What's up. Never came to me for advice in 3 years."
"Had to be you, Jeong Mina-ssi."
The scientist puffed up, nose in the air, adjusting horn-rims, waggling fingers: spill it.
"So, what's this discussion?"
"In 5 days, a typhoon hits this island."
"Typhoon?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
How to explain? I just bought an orange from the shop and handed it over.
The scientist stared blankly at the fruit in her hand.
"Anyway, need a way to beat hypothermia. Island floods completely."
She blinked at me a few times, then muttered low.
"We're fucked."
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