7. Survival Rule #1: Don't Eat Anything You Pick Up (1)
7. Survival Rule #1: Don't Eat Anything You Pick Up (1)
One mistake would mean death.
That warning was etched into my frantically pounding heart.
I wasn't stupid enough to ignore it. I tore down the hill and pulled out my shovel the instant I reached the bottom.
Running wasn't an option. If that unidentified enemy got deep into my territory, I had no way of knowing what kind of catastrophe might follow.
Besides, the enemy was a monster that had wiped out every one of those bears, Alpha Bear included. Its raw power had to surpass even the leader of the snake-heads. I had no chance in a head-on fight. I knew my limits.
The kind of opponent you couldn't beat in a straight fight.
As always.
But since when had humans been creatures who won battles against predators in a straight fight? When quality was lacking, you made it up with quantity. When a head-on fight was impossible, you dug traps. When you were bare-handed, you picked up a rock, at the very least. That was what it meant to be human.
So for now, shaking that thing off came first. Even better if I could lead it toward the little snake bastards or the dungeon.
I had to shake it off until the conditions for fighting it were in place.
If I couldn't shake it, both Karina and I could meet horrible ends.
I wanted no part of that future. If I was going to die, I at least wanted to get off the island first.
Robinson Crusoe died after he got back home!
"Lately, my luck's been suspiciously good..."
On the chance that the enemy had a keen sense of smell, I stabbed a nearby corpse deeply enough to let its blood pool around the area, then drove my shovel into the ground.
The soft earth gave way mercilessly to my shoveling, scoop after scoop.
Someone might have wondered what the hell I was doing, but this was the best option available. Ten years of practice had honed my shoveling to mastery, and I could dig faster than anyone. I could make a hole large enough for a person with ease.
I couldn't be certain that digging a hole and crawling inside would keep me alive, but I hadn't survived this many crises by mindlessly digging my own grave either. This was my own method of survival.
"Craft."
Once I was inside the hole, I immediately used the Skill to seal the wide-open ceiling above me. From the outside, it looked like ordinary ground, but inside, the setup involved a solid block fitted into the entrance. Having camouflaged it perfectly as an untouched patch of dirt, I shortened the length of my shovel and drove it into the earthen wall in front of me, muttering.
"Craft."
As soon as I spoke, the dirt in front of my eyes began to compress. The packed soil formed thin plates that drove themselves into the earth, and the space gradually widened. I looked at the dark tunnel beginning to take shape and pulled a bear bone out of my pocket.
It was a piece of bone I'd processed into a convenient shape.
"Craft."
I drove the sharpened bone stake into the earth just beneath the ceiling so that even if someone found the hole, they would be injured. It was a cheap trick meant to slow the pursuit even slightly, but against anything other than the snakes, it wasn't entirely ineffective.
"Here's hoping I can get away with this."
Now that I was underground, the enemy was unlikely to find me immediately. I had to use that time to think of a countermeasure. I scattered all the powder that numbed the sense of smell and caused itching around the entrance.
An additional measure. Even if it didn't kill the pursuer, it would torment them for a while.
I moved through the underground burrow created by my Skill.
Using the Skill this much was exhausting, but it was still far better than dying. Most enemies would never imagine that I might travel underground.
First, I'd try to lose it... If that failed, I'd lure it toward the snakes' territory or the dungeon and then shake it off. Mm. Thinking up a plan was easy.
The questions were whether I could actually shake off this unidentified enemy and just how strong it was.
If, hypothetically... if it was strong enough to wipe out the snake bastards with power to spare, that would save me the trouble of dealing with them. The problem was that it could sweep through my territory just as easily.
In the end, the best move was either to kill it inside the bears' territory, or to lose it completely... but could I pull that off?
I wasn't an elephant, but I could feel vibrations shaking the earth with every step. I swallowed hard. For the moment, it probably couldn't pinpoint my location. I moved in the direction opposite the approaching tremors and mentally reviewed the contents of my pockets.
A few scraps of leather, my rapidly dwindling supply of bones, mushroom powders for various uses, and medicinal herbs for stopping bleeding in an emergency... I should have brought more.
Still, I couldn't have expected a monster capable of wiping out all the bears at once to appear. I'd packed these items with that sort of possibility somewhat in mind, but...
"...I should have put a fair distance between us by now, right?"
The shaking had noticeably diminished. I braced a hand against the ceiling and activated the Skill.
"Craft."
A convincing trapdoor appeared above my head. I opened it cautiously and stuck my head out. Forest. The trees were so dense that it was difficult to judge my exact location, but the cave at the edge of my vision confirmed that I'd reached the right place.
I'd moved to the right spot.
This was where the three territories collided. The most awkward place for any of them to make a move.
Ah, but if the snakes had already sniffed out that the bears were massacred, that might not hold true.
Maybe they'd already noticed. The ordinary snakes might not have, but their leader was a cunning bastard and fairly intelligent. If it had realized what had happened, it was probably gathering information on the new enemy by then.
"Looks like it didn't follow me..."
The vibrations were gone. Fortunately, I seemed to have escaped in one piece. The enemy was probably wandering around the hill searching for me and would keep at it for a while. That should buy me some time.
I had to deal with it before it could rampage any further.
I looked toward where the dungeon should be. I could see the dungeon itself, sitting on the ground with its maw gaping wide. Judging by the broken bones scattered all around its entrance, the snake-heads had cleaned up in front of the place.
"So the snakes are busy looking after their own business."
Then I supposed I'd better look after my own, too. I'd hold off on trying to lure the enemy toward the snakes for now. In a worst-case scenario, we could all end up getting slaughtered together. The information on the new enemy was still too sparse for me to hope both sides would wipe each other out. Right now, it was time to gather intel.
I listened carefully to the sounds around me and moved my steps toward my own territory. The scent pouch would keep the snakes from getting close easily. So as long as I stayed on guard for the nameless invader's approach, I could head back.
Fortunately, all I heard before reaching my territory were furious roars and earth-shaking booms.
It looked like the enemy had stepped right into the trap.
Still, it seemed I could buy at least a little time.
That small piece of good news eased my complicated mood a little.
First, I'd return and tell Karina what had happened. Sending her to safety before the fight would make it easier to commit myself.
And I needed to grab a few more essential items for the battle.
I busily formulated a plan in my head as I looked up at the sky, which was beginning to dim.
-------------------------
'...He was late. Nothing had happened to him, right?'
Karina, who had been stirring the greenish soup with a ladle, stared at the door that showed no sign of opening.
Her benefactor, Yohan, showed no sign of returning even as the day gradually drew toward nightfall.
"I hope he comes back safe..."
If something happened to him, there would be no one else left for her to rely on. She had been learning survival skills from Yohan little by little, but compared to him, she hadn't even learned to crawl. If she were left alone, she would eventually become a corpse with her hands clasped in prayer.
She shuddered at the thought of her corpse being treated as a holy relic and put on display in the temple. The Pope was exactly the sort of man who would do that if it attracted more believers.
Her face darkened as she recalled that avaricious Pope.
She shook her head desperately to drive away the unpleasant memories of the temple and turned her attention back to worrying about her lifesaver, Yohan Quartz. Even she couldn't understand the path her thoughts had taken, but she rationalized it as simply where her heart had led her.
'I wanted to go out and look for him, but... Yohan had told me not to wander around unless I had to.'
Karina immediately abandoned the idea of searching for Yohan. Her body hadn't fully recovered; she couldn't even run. Going out herself would obviously just be a burden. In the worst case, she might get lost herself, leading to a situation where Yohan had to find her.
Having spent much of her life under escort, she knew exactly how much of a nuisance that could be.
'Still, I was worried. I really hoped nothing had happened to him...'
Anxiety darkened Karina's face, but she didn't even realize how worried she looked. This strange, undefined relationship was new to her.
Her world had always consisted only of Reni, who'd always stayed by her side, a few priests, and high-ranking nobles and their children.
Relationships where you had no choice but to wear a mask and make shallow conversation.
Karina had always wanted to escape those relationships. She wanted the kind of friendships kids her age had—sharing silly chatter, going out together, and sometimes even fighting... She didn't want to live like a bird trapped in a cage, even if that was what everyone else wanted for her.
It wasn't that she didn't sincerely believe in Kalon, but she was still a girl who hadn't even come of age. The sort who'd be swayed by a small temptation.
She would have been in serious trouble if the Pope had known, but who was going to scold her for impious thoughts on a deserted island occupied by only two people and monsters? At worst, her conscience would poke her a few times. That was all.
Karina still hadn't noticed that the leash around her own neck was beginning, little by little, to loosen.
'I wanted to recover quickly and help Yohan.'
At least for then, that was her only thought. Entering the academy was special to her as well, but as long as they remained stranded on a deserted island, the academy was somewhere she could visit only in her dreams.
So what mattered most now was praying for Yohan Quartz's safe return.
That was the single most important thing.
'O Kalon, I beseech thee. Please grant Yohan your blessing so that he may return unharmed...'
And so she found herself offering an untimely prayer in front of the pot, when she heard faint footsteps.
A familiar rhythm.
Light dawned on her shadowed face. With a heart that felt strangely fluttery, she rose from her seat and stepped toward the door.
Creeeak—
Before she could reach for the handle, the door swung open.
Karina's gaze naturally went upward. The person she'd been so anxiously awaiting was taller than her, his head positioned somewhat above her own.
"You're back?"
Her soft voice traveled to him on the warm air.
He awkwardly shifted his gaze at her greeting, then nodded and opened his mouth.
"...I'm back."