Chapter 98
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Uninhabited Island Survival (1)
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Flash!
Using Collection Cuisine Summon caused dishes to appear on the table amid a swirl of pure white light.
Hong Ju-a, who had been watching from behind, spoke up in fresh surprise now that she'd seen me actually summon food for real.
"It really is a Creation-type ability. I've only heard about them before—never seen one in action."
"You'll be seeing it plenty from now on. Stop standing there and come sit down."
After summoning the food and calling her over, Hong Ju-a nodded and took a seat.
She still seemed awkward about the whole situation and hesitated a bit, but the others didn't.
"I want chicken."
"That pasta from before was delicious. Could you pull that one out?"
Cheon Seo-yun and Joo Ha-yeon openly stated what they wanted to eat.
Collection Cuisine Summon pulled randomly from the dishes I'd collected, but it wasn't a big issue.
"Chicken and pasta? Got it."
The skill had no cooldown anyway.
In other words, I just had to keep summoning until I got what I wanted, so I triggered it a few more times.
Flash!
After exactly four summons, I got spicy braised chicken and carbonara, which I handed to Cheon Seo-yun and Joo Ha-yeon.
"......"
Hong Ju-a stared silently at the food now piled high on the table and even spilling onto the floor before turning to me.
"Is it okay to summon this much food?"
"It'll all vanish after six hours if we just leave it, so no problem."
"......Even for a Creation-type, this ability is just ridiculous."
Hong Ju-a looked at me enviously in response to my answer.
She seemed even more covetous of it than [Warlord's Weapon], which I'd used to beat Cheon Seo-yun at the entrance ceremony.
'I'd have wanted [Warlord's Weapon] more, personally.'
In any case, seeing the two of them like that helped Hong Ju-a relax a little and start eating.
"Oh. Lee Seongmin. Mind if I ask a favor?"
Hong Ju-a paused mid-bite as something occurred to her and said she had a request.
I nodded and gestured for her to go ahead.
She brought up points.
"If it's okay, could you give me two points each after the uninhabited island survival ends?"
"Uninhabited island survival?"
"Yeah. You need points to buy supplies for it, right?"
She meant she'd use her current points to buy necessities for the survival challenge.
Sure enough, she probably didn't have many left, so I nodded and told her to go ahead.
"Do that. But won't people just steal stuff you buy with points later?"
"They won't steal it unless they're ready to fight me to the death. They'll probably just ask to share instead."
Hong Ju-a said it with the clear intent that she'd kill anyone who tried taking her stuff.
The reason I'd asked was because Lee Seojun had told me that after three or four days, cadets would start fighting each other to steal points.
'If they steal points, what's to stop them from stealing items too?'
Plus, none of the others here knew about it, except me.
If I told them, they'd ask how I knew, and I didn't have a good answer ready.
'Saying I heard it from Instructor Kang Ju-young would just make them think I'm getting special treatment.'
Still, with the people here, I probably didn't need to say anything.
Cheon Seo-yun, Joo Ha-yeon, and Hong Ju-a had placed first, fourth, and seventh at entrance.
Unless other cadets dug traps or something, they'd be fine.
'Park So-yul's the problem.'
I didn't know how much she'd bought, but it had caught Hong Ju-a's eye, so it wasn't just one or two items.
My guess was that during survival, Park So-yul would end up treated like a walking treasure chest.
'Should I help her out?'
As I thought that over, Hong Ju-a finished eating and spoke up.
"Thanks for the meal. So, how do I get the massage?"
"You want a massage too?"
"I'm not paying the two points. Least you can do is massage me."
She didn't sound thrilled, but had no choice but to accept.
Hong Ju-a knew why I was giving massages, so I got it and pointed to the massage bed nearby.
"Lie down there."
"......Just to be sure, I don't have to take my clothes off, right?"
"If you do, I'll give you a way better massage."
Obviously, using +10 Massage Technique with tools maximized the effect.
Despite it being a chance for a real pro massage, Hong Ju-a shook her head immediately.
"No, clothed is fine."
Worried I might change my mind, she lay down quick as a flash.
'Doesn't matter.'
I'd expected her not to undress anyway, so no disappointment.
I approached Hong Ju-a, now ready for her massage, and started at the crown of her head like always.
'I'll keep it innocent at first.'
Then, once she got used to it, I could treat her like the others.
With that in mind, I placed my hand on her head and pressed gently with +10 Massage Technique.
The moment I did.
"Ahhn!"
"......?"
The instant my fingers pressed, a sultry moan escaped Hong Ju-a's lips.
She looked flustered herself, her face flushing beet red as she hurriedly made excuses.
"N-no, it's not that. I was just startled and it slipped out."
"Sure."
"Y-yeah. It really startled me."
I nodded and pressed her head gently again.
"Haaaahn!"
"......"
"......"
No sooner had I pressed than an even louder moan poured from her lips.
I stopped and looked down at her quietly.
Hong Ju-a flushed even deeper, unable to say a word.
"Her head must be an erogenous zone."
Park So-yul, watching from the side, even said her head was an erogenous zone.
Hearing that, Hong Ju-a glared at her and explained why.
"It's just...... my head felt so refreshingly cool that it slipped out. I'll hold it in this time."
"No worries. The soundproofing here's top-notch."
Meaning she could moan all she wanted.
Separately, I had a good idea why she was moaning.
Not because her head was an erogenous zone like Park So-yul said, but due to the massage's special effect.
【Special Effect 1: Relieves fatigue and stress alike.】
'Guess she's got a ton of stress built up.'
With all that stress melting away from my massage at once, she must have felt it intensely enough to moan.
"Go ahead and make all the noise you want."
I told her the clubroom's soundproofing was excellent, so let loose, then resumed the massage.
"W-wait a sec. Aaahn!"
Hong Ju-a sensed my hands moving and cried out to stop, only to let out another sultry moan.
Ignoring her, I kept going, easing both her body's tension and her stress in real time.
"Heut! Haaat!"
Whether head, face, or shoulders, she moaned with varying intensity no matter where I massaged.
Figuring she had more stress piled up than anyone else, I thought about Hong Ju-a.
'They used all sorts of torturous methods to force Acquired Abilities on her since she was a kid, and she's obsessed with her grades too.'
On top of that, I'd heard her family pushed even harder if she didn't rank in the top three at Hero Officer Academy.
'But is top three even possible for her?'
I had no idea what the exams were like, so I couldn't say if top three was feasible.
I'd have to ask Lee Seojun later.
For now, I slowly moved my hands down and kneaded her chest, about the same size as Joo Ha-yeon's.
"What are you doing......"
"Felt tense here too."
"Stop kneading......"
Hong Ju-a told me to stop, but the massage had left her limp with exhaustion, so her voice lacked strength.
I kneaded as I pleased, then gradually worked my way down and massaged the rest before finishing.
"Haa...... haa......"
Hong Ju-a breathed heavily like she was worn out, but her expression looked relieved.
With most of her stress gone, her mind must have cleared up too.
I told her it was done.
"All finished."
"Hang on...... let me just lie here a bit."
I looked at Hong Ju-a, who sounded like she didn't even have the energy to get up.
Just from a massage, she lay there disheveled and defenseless, breathing hard.
'Feels like Hong Ju-a might be as easy as Joo Ha-yeon.'
I figured if she got stressed again, she'd come to me first.
I'd wait for that.
"As I mentioned last week, starting today, you'll be spending a week on the uninhabited island."
Monday the following week, morning Combat Practice class was, predictably, about the uninhabited island.
Hearing Instructor Kang Ju-young say we'd spend a week there, I glanced around at the other cadets.
'Everyone's prepared decently.'
Very few lacked bags.
Assuming they'd packed necessities, I actually looked the weird one with nothing.
'Maybe I should've grabbed something.'
I had a little points left, enough for one or two items.
But until yesterday, I was far from 500, so I'd held off buying anything to save up.
"But why are we at the group training grounds?"
Then Oh Ye-rin next to me asked, puzzled.
Fair question, since we needed transport to the island.
-Getting to the island's instant. They connect a portal there.
'Portal?'
Right after Lee Seojun explained, Instructor Kang Ju-young called another instructor.
"Instructor Cha Serin."
"Yes."
It was Instructor Cha Serin, in charge of elemental magic.
The cold-faced, bespectacled instructor gave a curt reply and stepped forward, extending both hands.
Flash!
Shockingly, a circle big enough for three or four people formed.
And peering into it, you could see the island's interior on the other side—like it was really connected.
-Cha Serin has an Innate Ability to store her magic power in one spot. She's using that stored power to link a spatial passage to the island.
Even with Lee Seojun's simple explanation, it was impressive.
With a portal like that, moving everyone here would be easy.
'Just step through.'
Sure enough, Instructor Kang Ju-young had cadets enter one by one.
"Team 1, step forward for item inspection, then enter. Team 2, get ready."
Though uninhabited island survival was individual, she called teams for orderly entry.
After a short wait, Team 4—me and my teammates—went up for inspection too.
"Items? Nothing?"
"Yes."
"......"
Instructor Kang Ju-young stared at me for bringing nothing, then pointed to the portal.
"Go on in."