Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Survival Event (3)
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Ken's first day participating in the survival event.
As the sun set and night fell at the end of the day.
Under the darkened sky, Rafne lay on her bed after spending a lonely day she couldn't even remember the last time she'd had one like it.
The meals she'd eaten alone since sending Ken off that morning.
Times that would normally have been filled with pleasant chit-chat with him.
Rafne had spent them picking at her food by herself.
And now.
Lying on the bed, Rafne clutched a pillow to her chest and sobbed quietly.
"Hic... K-Ken."
It was so lonely.
This day without Ken somehow felt lonelier than the year she'd spent entirely alone back then.
The present, after learning the happiness that was Ken following a time when she knew no joy at all, hurt even more.
That's why tears streamed down Rafne's cheeks.
"Sob... sniff... Come back soon, Ken... Hic."
Rafne buried her face in the pillow she was holding.
The pillow was dressed in clothes.
It was the shirt Ken usually wore.
Sensing Ken's scent from that shirt, Rafne spent the lonely night by herself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'I wonder if Rafne's sleeping okay.'
As I stared blankly at the bonfire I'd built, thoughts of Rafne alone drifted into my mind.
'It's only the first day, so she should be fine, right?'
I worried it might be too soon to fret, but Rafne did get lonely easily.
I wondered if the shirt I'd reluctantly let her take before leaving would help even a little.
No, I shouldn't overthink it.
She'll definitely be okay.
After all, if she was already struggling on day one, there's no way she'd last the full five days.
With that, I calmed myself and pulled out today's haul from my subspace pouch.
Five badges resting on the palm of my hand.
'Easier than I expected.'
This survival event was mostly one-on-one fights.
So my strategy had been simple.
When I encountered someone, I'd use Calorie Burn for a quick finish.
Of course, I approached while staying wary of the most dangerous unique skills for me—those without magic.
Luckily, none of the people I met today had debuff-type unique skills.
The problem was the food consumption after using Calorie Burn.
I'd stocked up as much as I could in my subspace pouch.
But I had no idea how many battles this event would throw at me.
And if I ran into someone with a movement-restricting unique skill in a fight, I'd be in trouble.
I did have countermeasures... but still.
I couldn't let myself get stuck immobile past the time limit like some idiot and die.
Anyway, five badges earned cautiously—that wasn't bad for a first day focused on scouting.
I put the badges back in my pouch and tossed some twigs onto the bonfire.
'Tomorrow's the real challenge: how to find people...'
Without any search-type skills, I had no choice but to wander around hoping to bump into someone.
But that could backfire if they spotted me first and turned me into prey, so I needed a smarter approach.
As I pondered various ideas while gazing into the bonfire.
Rustle.
Something moved nearby.
'...Who's there?'
I instantly went on high alert.
Staring in the direction of the sound.
Someone wandering around at night?
The forest after sunset was pitch-black beyond imagination. Without a torch, moving would be tough.
In the game, nights during survival were rest periods with no combat.
'But this is reality...'
On second thought, someone moving at night wasn't impossible.
I'd overlooked it because of the darkness...
I swallowed dryly, tense, and watched the black underbrush.
Even considering it might be a beast or monster.
And then.
"Taa-dah! Guided by the light of the bright flames, Alicia makes her entrance!"
"Ah, Alicia?"
The one who burst from the bushes striking a dramatic pose was Alicia.
"W-Wah! S-Senior, wait! I'm not here to fight! I surrender! S-Surrender!"
As I drew my main sword at her sudden appearance, Alicia flailed her hands in panic.
What? Not here to fight?
I hadn't expected Alicia at all, but her presence here meant she was in the survival event too.
If not to fight, then why...?
"Seriously, what if you jump out like that all of a sudden!"
And then someone else appeared.
Her familiar voice belonged to the girl walking up behind Alicia, holding a small light spell in her hand.
"Emily too...?"
"Hey, Ken. Like Alicia said, we're really not here to fight, so don't be so on guard."
An unexpected encounter in the dark of night.
"...So you came to check who was nearby?"
Emily and Alicia had set up camp nearby and were scouting the area when they spotted my bonfire light. They'd snuck closer to investigate.
"You have to know who's around your campsite. And lucky us, it was Ken..."
"I jumped out confidently because this has to be fate!"
"Sorry. I meant to approach more stealthily, but we ended up startling you."
Emily apologized on behalf of the bold Alicia.
They'd apparently teamed up after bumping into each other during the day.
Emily had found Alicia lost and crying in the woods.
A team, huh.
In the game, survival events were strictly solo.
But in reality, groups cooperating made sense.
With prizes for the top three, teaming up was often smarter than going alone.
"She helped me out before, and I figured we'd be stronger together."
"Ehehe, I'm thrilled to be with Senior Emily too. I love you, Senior!"
Alicia clung to Emily's arm, acting cute.
Emily didn't seem to mind, gently patting her head.
They looked like sisters.
A well-matched pair.
Emily wasn't strong in direct combat, nor was Alicia.
But both had abilities to inflict debilitating debuffs on foes.
Together, they'd have a solid win rate.
"So, here's the thing. Want to team up with us, Ken?"
"Huh? You mean..."
Mid-conversation, Emily proposed an alliance.
"Prizes go to three people, right? With you, we'd make the perfect trio. Two girls feels a bit shaky..."
"Sob, d-does that mean you're not satisfied with just me? Sniff, am I just Senior's boredom cure after all... Gulp!"
"Don't mess around while we're talking."
"Sorryyy..."
Emily's offer wasn't bad.
No, it was actually an opportunity for me.
My burst power was momentary, leaving me vulnerable in solo fights with too many variables.
But with Emily's sealing skill and Alicia's hypnosis.
'If I play this right, even Adrian...'
Thinking of the biggest wildcard in this event, I considered strategies for the Emily-Alicia combo.
Emily seemed to mistake my contemplation for hesitation and added,
"Look, I know you're strong, and we might seem like dead weight... But I have something to offer you too, Ken!"
Emily held out her subspace pouch.
"Funny story... I happened to bring a ton of food. Y'know, since you need a lot to eat?"
She glanced at me slyly as she showed the pouch.
Sure enough, Emily had planned to team up with me before the event even started.
Her bargaining chip: a massive stockpile of food.
A smart move for someone like her, who shone more in teams than solo power.
"Sounds good. No reason to say no. Let's do our best, Emily."
I smiled and offered my hand.
Emily's anxious face broke into a bright grin at my positive reply.
"Yeah! We'll win this together for sure!"
She took my hand firmly.
"Heh heh hew... Nothing's more fun to watch than some fresh young love~."
"Q-Quiet!"
"Eek!"
Alicia, grinning slyly, yelped from Emily's knuckle rap.
Teaming up with Emily got me thinking.
If we're cooperating...
Others probably were too.
'Gotta rethink strategies for team fights...'
And so the first night of what I'd expected to be a lonely survival event passed in lively fashion.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Somewhere in the darkened forest.
In a wide clearing carved out artificially, several people lay collapsed.
Only two remained, facing off and glaring at each other.
One side: a space shrouded in bone-chilling cold and frost.
The other: an area blazing with soul-melting heat and flames.
The two forces claimed half the clearing each, neither yielding an inch.
Mary Heidi stared sharply at her opponent.
Adrian Faraday met her gaze with a relaxed smile.
"Quite violent for a lady, Mary."
Mary was dumbfounded by his words.
These people scattered around.
Most had been taken down by Adrian, not her.
"Didn't expect to run into you this soon, Adrian."
For Mary, Adrian was the one to watch most in this survival.
Adrian Faraday wielded the polar opposite of her frost magic—flames—without incantation.
She had confidence in her skills, but no guarantee of victory against him.
She'd wanted to put off fighting him until the very last resort.
Yet here they were, on the first night.
"Don't glare like that. I don't want to fight you."
"...What do you mean?"
A solo competition where everyone chased their own prizes.
As badges accumulated, strong players would hoard them.
Then it'd turn into a hunter-vs-hunted chase.
Before that hassle, you'd want to nip threats in the bud.
But no fight?
Was he planning to run?
Adrian? Even against a powerhouse like Mary, he wouldn't flee without a fight.
As if answering her doubts.
Adrian casually waved his hand.
The motion evoked a conductor's baton, gathering the surrounding flames into his palm.
"I'm not interested in the restaurant voucher."
Soon, the flames covering half the clearing shrank to a small clump in his hand.
He clenched his fist to extinguish it, then smiled and spoke.
"So, Mary. How about an alliance with me?"
A proposal as sweet as his smile.