Chapter 99
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Uninhabited Island Survival (2)
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Following Instructor Kang Ju-young's orders, I entered the passage and set foot on the uninhabited island.
The sun was beating down, but with the relatively mild weather, survival itself didn't seem like it would be an issue.
"We have to stay here for a whole week?"
In stark contrast, my teammate Oh Ye-rin looked overwhelmed at the prospect of spending a full week here.
"We just have to survive, right?"
"What are you talking about? Surviving is the problem! We can't sleep on the bare ground. And it looks like there are tons of bugs everywhere too."
Oh Ye-rin vented her complaints, foreseeing a grim future ahead.
I wondered how she'd handle a gate if a mere deserted island was getting to her like this.
'Compared to her, Cheon Seo-yun seems totally unfazed, as always.'
Cheon Seo-yun just casually scanned her surroundings, as if it didn't matter whether this was a deserted island or not.
Park So-yul, meanwhile, was pondering our next move while shouldering a bulging backpack stuffed with who-knows-what supplies.
"Oh. What if we all stick together?"
At that moment, Oh Ye-rin suggested that our whole team travel as a group.
There'd be no issue sticking together under normal circumstances, but Lee Seojun shook his head, indicating that wouldn't work.
-If people gather, our scores will drop accordingly. Instructor Kang Ju-young will explain later.
Hearing Lee Seojun's telepathic message, I put off responding to Oh Ye-rin.
"Instructor Kang Ju-young said it's an individual competition, so let's hear the details first and decide."
"Oh... right. But there are 300 people here—do they really check everyone one by one?"
Oh Ye-rin sounded puzzled, but Lee Seojun replied again.
-It's that bastard U Yun-hak's innate ability. It lets him see everywhere in a given area.
U Yun-hak—the torture instructor and a Doomsday Cultist.
This was the first I'd heard that his innate ability allowed him to view every corner of an area.
'If he can see this island from the academy... that's practically clairvoyance.'
-The range is limited to this island, though. And he has to be nearby to use it.
Good thing it wasn't full-on clairvoyance, then.
Still, if he activated it from the academy, he could probably peek into my clubroom too.
'They don't even know I've formed the club yet, though.'
While I was lost in thought, the rest of the cadets entered one by one, looking around the island.
Everyone who had been living comfortably at the academy wore grim expressions at the thought of roughing it here.
"Looks like that's everyone."
Finally, Instructor Kang Ju-young and about a dozen other instructors entered, bringing things to a close.
Instructor Kang Ju-young swept her gaze over the grouped-up teams and began by explaining the purpose of this trip.
"This uninhabited island survival exercise is training to help you adapt to gates more easily. Needless to say, gate environments are far harsher than this."
After laying out the objective, Instructor Kang Ju-young added a few precautions.
"As I mentioned earlier, it'll be an individual competition. If you're within 10 meters of anyone else for one full hour, you'll lose 1 point."
The mention of points set the cadets murmuring among themselves.
And that 10-meter, one-hour rule seemed exploitable in several ways.
"For reference, you earn 10 points for every day you survive on the island. You can also score points by taking down the monsters roaming around."
"So there are monsters here too."
To be precise, they were summons, but Instructor Kang Ju-young had deliberately called them monsters.
In any case, Oh Ye-rin wrinkled her nose at the news and pondered her options.
"You can quit midway if you want. You'll lose half your points and get sent back to the academy... but I trust none of you cadets will do that."
With that, Instructor Kang Ju-young wrapped up her explanation.
"Alright, get started. One hour from now, anyone still near others will lose points."
Some cadets immediately put distance between themselves and others, but most were busy discussing their plans.
"Whoa, she didn't even say how to quit."
"She said 10 meters, so just stay that far apart and we're good, right?"
"No way, with monsters wandering around too?"
I tuned out the nonstop chatter from the other cadets and turned to my teammates to see what they'd do.
We still had plenty of time before the hour was up, so we could talk it over and move after.
"Lee Seongmin. What're you gonna do?"
Oh Ye-rin asked me first.
I didn't have any grand plan, so I answered honestly.
"Just find a decent spot and hole up."
"What about food?"
"Catch some fish from the sea."
"So casual. You didn't have any plan at all, did you?"
Oh Ye-rin picked up on my vagueness and called me out.
She wasn't wrong—I really had no plan—so I shrugged it off nonchalantly.
"No need to overplan it."
"...Fair enough. With you, even if you wander around, you'll just hunt monsters and rack up points anyway."
Oh Ye-rin sighed softly, referencing another way to score points.
Hardly any cadets had bought proper weapons, and Oh Ye-rin was no exception.
For reference, personal weapons had to be purchased with points, just like any other gear.
"If you're really stuck, ask Park So-yul. Looks like she stocked up on a ton of stuff."
"Park So-yul?"
At my mention of her, Oh Ye-rin finally glanced at Park So-yul's packed backpack.
I had no idea what was in there, but it was sure to be useful for island survival.
"Nah, we're teammates—I don't want to bother her. Besides, I brought my own stuff."
Oh Ye-rin might not have free meals thanks to my Collection Cuisine Summon, but she'd saved up some points for essentials, no doubt.
I nodded in understanding and decided it was time to get moving.
"Alright then. Everyone, watch out for monsters and find a safe spot to settle."
"Safe spot? Yeah, those'll be competitive, huh?"
"Probably. Might be smart to claim one early."
Oh Ye-rin nodded at my words and eyed the inland forest.
Truth be told, if I wanted, we could stick within 10 meters of each other without issue—but I wasn't going to.
'They need to grow on their own.'
Plus, with instructors watching the island, it was reasonably safe here.
I had no desire to coddle them and stunt their progress.
'No events until next month anyway.'
With that in mind, I resolved to take it easy on the island.
At that moment.
In a spot a short distance from Hero Officer Academy, dozens of people had gathered.
All members of the Villain Alliance, they planned to raid the academy today and satisfy their desires.
'But where the hell is Lorella, the key player?'
The Villain Alliance's top 20 were all S-rank.
Lorella, the Monster Queen, ranked 16th.
Without her, a raid on Hero Officer Academy was impossible.
"Hoo, when's that bitch showing up?"
As Della fumed internally, Jake grumbled the same thought aloud.
Storming the heavily guarded academy head-on required Lorella's power.
Click-clack—
Suddenly, the sound of unfamiliar heels echoed from one side.
Della turned toward it, her face lighting up as she greeted the arrival.
"You're here."
"I am. Didn't expect a call to this backwater country, though."
The woman responding to Della expressed her displeasure at being summoned here.
Her black hair cascaded in soft waves, and her haughty eyes looked down on everyone present.
Her balanced features, porcelain skin, and elegant dress suit were utterly out of place for today's raid.
"So? You called me for one specific person?"
Lorella kept it vague, mindful of the others nearby.
"Exactly. Which makes your role crucial."
"Lydia verified it, so it must be legit."
Lorella hadn't wanted to come originally, but hearing about the healer changed her mind.
Recruiting someone who could even revive the dead would surely benefit her.
"Just so we're clear: once we achieve our goal, you'll stick around here for a while."
This tied into Lorella's innate ability.
She could dominate a monster by making physical contact with it.
The catch: the stronger the monster, the longer the contact time required.
Which made the healer's revival power all the more essential.
"Makes sense. If it works out, it'll be huge for you."
Della nodded knowingly.
To dominate a monster, she first had to touch it—which often meant subduing it first.
But what if she dominated and revived it after killing?
Even if domination didn't work on corpses, it didn't matter.
She could restrain the body post-mortem, revive it, then dominate.
'And if Lorella dominates an S-rank gate boss...'
They'd given up on S-rank bosses before due to subduing difficulties, but with a healer, that changed.
Della finished her final checks, inwardly anticipating Lorella taming an S-rank boss, then gave the order to move out.
"Alright, we're heading out soon, so loosen up. I know you're itching, but hold it just a bit longer."