119. Approaching Shadow (3)
119. Approaching Shadow (3)
In truth, it hadn't been like this from the start.
Lee Yu-ri had simply offered the other cadets efficient methods for surviving on the uninhabited island and set them on the right course.
How to deal with insects.
How to find drinking water.
How to harvest materials from nature.
How to make structures.
Cleanliness and sanitation.
How to tell what was edible from what wasn't, and so on.
She had only casually conveyed what she considered to be the most basic and obvious things.
But the current situation was, what should she call it...
'They've all lost their minds...!'
"Hooray!!!!!"
"Long live Shield Village!!!!!"
"Long live Chief Lee Yu-ri!!!!"
Beneath them lay the blood-soaked monster, a Rhino.
Atop the monster's corpse, cadets with wild appearances raised their primitive weapons and shouted hurrahs.
To be honest, the thing had tried hard.
Yeah, it did its best.
A body the size of a house and four sharp horns that could slice through buildings.
And its reckless charge, knowing no fear, certainly displayed the majesty of a giant monster to the fullest.
But, as they say, numbers beat strength.
Lee Yu-ri stepped forward and used her skills to draw aggro,
and behind her, the cadets—regardless of their roles—grabbed weapons and launched their attacks.
No matter how tough the creature was, it was helpless.
As Lee Yu-ri gazed at the fallen Rhino with eyes full of momentary pity,
"We have once again defended our village!"
The orange-haired cadet, Lee Min-young, began an address to the other cadets.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
"Waaaaaah!!!!!!"
The surrounding cadets stomped their feet and roared.
"...Crazy bitches."
Cadets, each and every one of them looking like primitives, were causing a ruckus.
Watching blankly, Lee Yu-ri couldn't stop the sigh boiling up inside her.
'How the hell did things end up like this...?'
The start, she thought, was probably when she took in that one orange-haired cadet.
─ Commander Lee Yu-ri, let's form a group.
─ Huh? A group...?
─ Yes. I believe you, Commander, deserve to get the top score in this Midterm Evaluation. Commander, do you want to lead us and come in first place?
The orange-haired cadet had spoken to her with earnest eyes.
─ Huh? Uh, yeah. Well, it'd be nice if we did, right?
At that, Lee Yu-ri had nodded, feeling a little nonplussed.
...Was saving her from nearly being killed by a monster really cause for all this?
Honestly, at the time, she'd accepted with a light heart.
She'd thought that there wasn't much even one cadet could do just by stepping up.
And if things happened to go well, she had a small hope that she might be able to offer a little help by forming a party later when she met Jin Yu-ha.
But she had underestimated the madness of the cadet named Lee Min-young.
Righteousness Freak Lee Min-young.
A stubborn fool who always pursued the righteous path without a hint of doubt, insisting on only the straight and narrow.
Frustrating, yet at the same time, a girl more heroic than anyone.
She had once been a woman of such strong principle.
But the truth was, after challenging Jin Yu-ha and losing in countless sparring sessions at the academy—
She had been broken a long time ago.
In other words, after countless attempts to beat Jin Yu-ha just once,
her noble spirit had been whittled away, and before she knew it, she'd become someone pursuing a Personal Way!
Whether this was a good thing or not, she still had basic decency.
She held the belief that, 'If you receive a favor, you repay it!'
But her methods were infinitely closer to a personal code.
From then on, Lee Min-young began gathering cadets who couldn't adapt to the Midterm Evaluation, one by one.
─ Hungry, can't sleep, it's tough, right? Here, at least have some water.
And she would find them and share water and food.
─ Hey, why don't we all just join forces for this exam? Honestly, we can't compete with monsters like Kang Do-hee, Shin Se-hee, or Jin Yu-ha anyway.
Because she had long since been broken and broken again by Jin Yu-ha, her voice held an odd persuasiveness.
─ If you throw your lot in with us, I'll make sure you can sleep, even if it isn't comfortable. I'll make sure you don't starve, even if you aren't full. And I'll make sure you don't go thirsty, even if it's not enough.
Lee Min-young gathered them and whispered in a sweet voice.
But in truth, her offer was terribly flimsy.
If they were going to do that, they could just join Shin Se-hee's camp and live safely, like civilized people.
So Lee Min-young thought.
What if we just turn this painful exam into a momentary game?
'If you let everything go, it gets easier. We can just do things our way.'
Never having beaten Jin Yu-ha in a duel even once, she knew that fact all too well.
─ Listen while you drink. Look, does this Midterm Evaluation really have to be this grueling? Can't we just think of it as a little trip to have fun?
─ A trip to have fun? Ha, but...! This exam is seriously important....
─ We can do well on the exam. Just follow our chief, Lee Yu-ri.
─ Lee Yu-ri is the chief? But, Lee Yu-ri is Utopia too.
─ Heh heh. Don't worry. The chief won't abandon us. She said she's going to take first place. With us.
─ Huh? Is that true?
─ Yeah. And when are we ever going to get to live on an uninhabited island like this, where civilization is tossed to the dogs? Let's just let go of everything. Then, you know, it's more fun than you'd think.
Abandon civilization and return to the primitive!
At first glance, Lee Min-young's proposal was insane.
But while one person doing it would be treated like a lunatic, if many people do it, it becomes a culture.
─ That's a really moronic idea... Let's do it right now!
Hunger, starvation, and the fear of monster attacks.
The fun of overcoming them—a thoroughly role-playing sort of experiment—spread like wildfire across a field in an instant.
That was the origin story of Shield Village, born from the chief, Lee Yu-ri.
But the problem, if you could call it that, was that Lee Yu-ri herself didn't understand any of this situation.
'There isn't a single sane one among them...!'
Now that the situation had grown far too large for her to control with her own hands, Lee Yu-ri's eyes shook.
Their territory had now expanded sufficiently, and they'd even managed to bring an entire shop within the zone.
So, by purchasing various goods, they could have led civilized lives—not quite as good as at the academy, but close enough.
But they used the shop only to cash in what they earned from hunting monsters for Coins.
Everything else, they were self-sufficient.
And they were using the methods she had taught them as their bible!
Therefore, while Shin Se-hee individually held the most Coins,
as a collective, Lee Yu-ri's Shield Village was overwhelming.
"Waaaaaaah! Long live Shield Village!!!!"
Leaving the cadets' cheers behind, Lee Min-young approached Lee Yu-ri, her face set hard.
"Chief."
She knelt on one knee.
"The promised time has now come."
"...Promised?"
"Yes. In two days, an unavoidable war will break out. You must prepare for that moment, starting now."
"...."
Lee Yu-ri swallowed a rising sigh and closed her eyes tightly.
* * *
Gulp.
The moment she'd thought something was wrong, she should have refused.
Sofia simmered with regret that was now all too late.
It had already been several days since she'd begun training under Jin Yu-ha.
Staying by Jin Yu-ha's side and watching over him was something she had absolutely no reason to refuse.
I mean, how common was a successful fan who got to share her favorite's every move while right at his side?
Originally, devoted fans who deeply loved one person secretly harbored a desire to throw away their own lives and follow their favorite's every schedule at any time.
Only because it was illegal and would upset their favorite did they keep it suppressed.
So, the hardship and adversity she experienced when she first landed on the uninhabited island
had all become a trial she was meant to endure after meeting Jin Yu-ha.
But even so, wasn't this a bit much?!
Her situation right now was like a mere fan getting to join their idol's schedule, receiving vocal training together, and appearing in CFs and premieres with them.
For heaven's sake, no matter how much she loved him, where on earth was there a fan who got to stand on stage with her idol!
And Jin Yu-ha wasn't just any celebrity; he was a hunter. A hunter who risked his life to fight monsters!
She had only meant to quietly support him, offering to be his doormat at his side. She'd never had any intention from the start of stepping forward like this and going through the exam with him.
Sofia's face crumpled.
'I said I'd do anything! I definitely said it with my own mouth!'
─ Grrrrrr...
Facing a horde of goblins, Sofia's pupils shook violently.
She clutched the arrowless bow that Jin Yu-ha had handed her like a lifeline,
but her trembling body couldn't help it.
'Aaaaah... I'm gonna die! I'm seriously gonna die...!!!'
Sofia looked up resentfully at Jin Yu-ha, who was watching from above.
But Jin Yu-ha only shouted with a nonchalant face.
"You can do it! Sofia! You've gone through all my training with me—you can handle them!"
At his words cheering her on, her face flushed bright red.
From the hellish training until now,
she was truly sick and tired of hearing that.
'...Huh? Is that so? If our Yu-ha says so, then it must be?'
Sofia was still so, so weak to Jin Yu-ha.