The Island's Ruler

"Oh?"

Minhyuk whooped at the message window floating over his head.

What was the Safe Zone, anyway? On this sprawling deserted island, it was the only shelter where he could rest with his whole body. A measly three pyeong of bare sand, true, with nothing on it worth the name—but right now it was the precious scrap of ground guaranteeing his survival.

And that place was expanding.

Minhyuk hurried through the last of his cucumber gathering and made for the beach. A new message window hung over the Safe Zone.

Huh? Hold on. Select the area?

"It doesn't expand on its own?"

Minhyuk cocked his head at the Safe Zone. At once, green dotted lines flickered out to either side of the existing square, and four virtual spaces of three pyeong each took shape—east, west, south, and north. He was meant to choose one of them.

Customization? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He turned it over carefully.

North, for a start... I don't need it.

Push the space north and the Safe Zone would only draw closer to the sea. Being nearer the water did him no good. He couldn't drink seawater, and for the moment he had no way to gather food from the ocean either.

East and west are the same.

Stretch out to either side and all he'd gain was more room. No practical use in it.

Which leaves...

South. Where the jungle was.

A green aurora sank into the ground with a soft shimmer, and the Safe Zone—square a moment ago—upgraded into a rectangle.

"Ooh..."

From three pyeong to six. In a blink, the Safe Zone had doubled. Better still, it had drawn a step closer to the jungle... huh?

"What is this?"

His eyes caught on a new effect, tacked on at the very bottom of the status window.

A perk that had appeared when the Safe Zone leveled up.

And then—a chime.

A quest window, newly risen. For a moment Minhyuk's mouth hung open.

"I have to clear a quest... to get out?"

This whole vast island? Every last bit of it, Safe Zone? He'd only just made it to six pyeong.

"......No. That isn't what matters right now."

His head swam, but he forced a shake out of it and grabbed hold of his nerves. Eating and staying alive were the more urgent problems. So if he really had to weigh it...

...this was the side that pulled at his eyes.

I can grow crops no matter the terrain?

That meant cucumbers could grow even on this barren beach. He wouldn't have to stake his life on walking into the jungle just to gather them. Not gathering—growing them in safety, and then harvesting.

The problem is drinking water...

Water, the one thing life couldn't do without. Cucumbers alone kept Minhyuk hydrated well enough, but he could hardly force them on crops that were supposed to grow lush and strong. Nor could he wander defenseless into the deep jungle, hunting for fresh water. That was far too dangerous.

"Hmm..."

He muttered, still turning it over.

"For now... I'll just keep expanding the Safe Zone."

Keep pushing it until it touched the jungle's edge. Then gathering cucumbers would be easier, and he could explore the outer jungle without fear. Water for a farm ought to be simple enough to find.

And if the Safe Zone reached all the way inside the jungle? He could wander it as freely as his own room. Keep gathering cucumbers, keep widening the zone. It would take a good while, but if he covered the entire island the way the quest window demanded, couldn't he get off this deserted island? And upgrade the quality of castaway life while he was at it.

"Mm. A perfect plan."

Minhyuk nodded, satisfied.

Day three of being stranded. A blueprint had finally been sketched over an island life that, until now, had been nothing but a blank wall.

Day Four.

"Hwaaaah—"

Minhyuk woke from a deep sleep, stretched lightly, and started the day's work.

Tok—

Straight to the cucumbers.

Just twenty again today. Part of him wanted to haul off a hundred, but he didn't have the hands for it. And if a magical beast came bursting out of the jungle, he'd have to drop the lot and run anyway. Cling to more than he could carry, and all he'd do was block his own view.

Get greedy, and I could get myself killed. No rushing. Safety first, as far as it would go.

"Whew. Today's work is done."

Back in the Safe Zone again. All that remained was rest. He sat on the sand, taking in the emerald sweep of the shore at his leisure, when he suddenly tilted his head.

"Tch... something still feels off..."

The nagging sense that he'd forgotten something extremely important.

"Oh. Right."

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠found the source of the itch a moment later, raised one index finger, and drew in the sand. Poke, poke, sweep—

Wilson, finished in a heartbeat.

"You're back, Wilson."

He welcomed home the Wilson who had walked out on him.

"I made it back safe from that terrifying jungle, too."

Wilson only smiled, silent as ever. After a moment's thought, Minhyuk reached for the food cache in the sand.

"Yeah, I'm feeling generous! You have one too, Wilson."

Thunk. A cucumber jammed into the corner of Wilson's smiling mouth. Pleased with himself, Minhyuk took one of his own and bit in. Crunch, crunch—

Day four of being stranded. He had found his lost friend again.

Day Seven.

"Oh!"

Sure as ever, he was out gathering cucumbers when good news rose in front of his eyes.

Another level-up. And another perk to go with it.

"Nice!"

He finished the gathering in a rush and scurried back to his nest.

As planned, he stretched it long toward the south, where the jungle lay.

Next came the new perk.

Dun-dun-dun-dun—

Eyes bright with expectation, Minhyuk checked the status window.

"......Huh?"

A question mark popped up at once.

Humidity... control?

Doesn't seem bad, exactly...

True to the sales pitch, it was a perk he badly needed. The spot sat right on the beach, so the air was miserably damp, and the season he hated most in the world was the muggy height of the summer rains. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was humidity. Even so, he couldn't help feeling a little let down.

A breather stage... is that the vibe?

He clicked his tongue, tucked the day's cucumbers into the sand cache, and stretched out for a proper rest.

Haaah— Thanks to Humidity Removal, the air did feel a notch fresher. The briny sting of the sea at the tip of his nose was gone completely.

This...

Maybe it was a better perk than he'd thought.

Day Ten.

"Hmm..."

A problem had come up. For one thing, the Safe Zone wasn't expanding nearly as fast as he'd hoped. Day ten of being stranded, and it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still level 3. He'd strung the nine pyeong out like a long shipping container, but the jungle's edge was still a long way off.

Keep on like this and it'll take a month at least.

And the more serious matter was this.

The Jungle's Edge. More precisely, the cucumbers along its outermost fringe were slowly running dry.

"Haa..."

Minhyuk let out a regretful sigh at the vines, barer now than when he'd first found them. It felt like watching a once-thick head of hair thin out in real time.

I can count them by sight now.

He still hadn't found water for farming. Growing his own crops inside the Safe Zone was impossible, of course. And the cucumbers that grew wild were running out. His food was running out.

He couldn't very well starve, so he'd have to grit his teeth and push deeper into the jungle.

But that's too dangerous...

Every step took him farther from the Safe Zone. His Agility had been climbing steadily as he kept eating cucumbers, true. Even so, he didn't trust himself to outrun a magical beast in a sprint.

Isn't there some better way...?

He was turning that worry over, quietly picking the cucumbers he'd eat today, when it happened.

Rustle. The branches overhead shivered, a few leaves drifted down, and then—

Thud!

Something fell out of the tree.

He threw an arm out on reflex and caught the creature, and his face went white in a flash.

What is this...?

His reflexes were good enough that his hand had shot out and grabbed it before he knew what he was doing, and that only made it worse. The feel of the thing was ominous.

It's... long? A snake? A viper? A centipede? A giant earthworm?

Minhyuk swallowed hard and slowly turned his head to look.

Krrt?

Some scruffy little furball hung limp in his grip.

Minhyuk blinked, vacant, and muttered.

"M-meat..."

Protein had fallen out of the sky.

Cucumbers? They were plenty tasty. The crisp bite was good, the cool rush of moisture was good, and so was the faint sweetness that spread over the tongue.

But a person could not live on cucumbers alone.

A healthy man like Minhyuk, especially, needed meat.

And yet. On this terrifying deserted island. Out of the sky, no less. Fresh meat had dropped—tok—right into his hand, as if his ancestors had bestowed it? A creature he could overpower without any trouble, at that?

This was a chance at protein he absolutely could not miss.

Even so...

Could he really bring himself to eat this tiny, scraggly baby meerkat? Minhyuk's brow knotted.

It's too small...

Exactly the size of a cucumber. Eat it and it wouldn't even touch the sides. And it was, strictly speaking, a baby.

Even fishing, the unwritten rule is you throw the fry back...

His conscience wouldn't allow it. But if not now, he had no idea when he'd next get to eat meat.

Aaah... to eat, or not to eat. That is the question...

Up against the greatest dilemma of his life, Minhyuk heaved a deep sigh—and looked at the baby meerkat again.

Krrt...

Damn it. Eye contact.

Krrt-krrt...

The baby meerkat was gazing up at him with pitiful, glistening eyes, like Puss in Boots. As if begging him, please, not to eat it.

Damn it... those eyes are way too kind!

Eat a little thing like this and heaven would smite him. He'd die young. He just knew it.

"You want to live?"

Krrt!

The baby meerkat nodded. Minhyuk was softer-hearted than he looked.

"......Go. Don't let me catch sight of you again."

He set it gently on the ground, then turned his back so it could flee and counted to ten.

Tch. What business does meat have with a fate like mine? Cucumbers it is.

......Eight, nine, ten.

At last his private countdown ended, and he turned back toward the vines.

Krrt!

The baby meerkat was standing there, proud as anything, short arms flung wide.

What's its problem?

"I said go."

He even turned its body around for it himself and gave its back a few pats with his palm, but—

Krrt-krrt!

The meerkat whirled right back around and stretched its short arms out again. Look closer, and it was reaching for a cucumber on the vine.

"You want a cucumber?"

Krrt!

The baby meerkat nodded.

Grrrgle...

A rumble rose from that small, fluffy belly. No doubt about it.

"You're hungry, aren't you?"

Yeah. Nobody knew that better than he did. When the hunger hit, nothing beat a cucumber.

Tok—

Minhyuk picked one himself and held it out. It looked too big, so he split it in half first.

Chomp, chomp, chomp— The baby meerkat worked away at the cucumber with its tiny mouth.

"Heh. Cute."

He stroked its little head, settled onto a nearby rock, and picked the worry back up where he'd left it.

No matter how I look at it, I need water for farming...

He couldn't depend forever on cucumbers that grew wild. What mattered was providing for himself. In other words, he had to farm. The trouble was that finding water was the most dangerous part of all.

Pitter-pat!

Just then, cucumber finished, the baby meerkat scrambled nimbly up onto his rock. It poked its head up, put on a gallant expression, and scanned the surroundings this way and that.

And what is this one doing now...

Ooh!

Right... a meerkat's specialty was standing on two legs and keeping watch, wasn't it? Good thing he hadn't eaten it.

"Good meerkat, aren't you? Come on up here."

He patted his shoulder, and the baby meerkat raced up his arm and stood there.

"You've got to keep a careful watch for any scary monsters around, all right?"

Krrt!

The baby meerkat nodded with great dignity, as if telling him to leave it all in its care.

"Good! Let's go find water for the farm!"

Baby meerkat equipped on his shoulder, Minhyuk stepped carefully into the jungle.

Soft steps. Soft steps.

Day ten of being stranded. He had acquired an ultra-compact radar detector (eco-friendly).