Surviving on a Deserted Island (1)
“Nana, you okay?” Han Yeoreum asked, tugging on my sleeve. Instead of the academy uniform she usually wore, she had on a pure-white sundress and a straw hat perched on her head. She looked exactly like someone heading off on a summer vacation. Which, technically, it was. Just the hellish kind.
“I’m fine, so stop asking. I think I’ve heard it five times already.”
“But I’m excited! Do I look pretty?”
“You really that desperate to hear it? Fine. You’re pretty. Insanely pretty.”
“You don’t get it. Being called pretty never gets old. It’s always fresh and thrilling.”
“If you say so.”
“Hehehe....”
Han Yeoreum covered her mouth and grinned. With that white dress and straw hat combo, she really did look cute, so it wasn’t a lie. I wondered why she was so worked up, then remembered she’d never once been overseas. She was used to military transport planes by now, but she’d never even been on a normal passenger jet. According to the evaluation rules, we were supposed to fly commercial to Okinawa first.
“You know what?”
“What?”
Han Yeoreum tilted her head.
“You have to take your shoes off on a plane.”
Whoosh— A fist came flying at me. The outfit said innocent; the punch said otherwise. I casually twisted aside and dodged.
“Damn it, why are you so good at dodging lately? You think I’m an idiot?”
“Result of training.”
“I wanna do that too.”
“Learn Intent first, would you?”
“No matter what I do, I can’t get it. Can’t I just pour in a ton of inner energy and smash everything? Or use raw strength. There’s that saying, right? Overwhelming power...!”
...I had nothing to say to that.
“You need Intent to reach the next realm, so stop talking nonsense.”
“I need real combat. Life-or-death combat.”
“You sound ridiculous. Don’t even think about doing anything stupid.”
“Oh, she’s here.”
Han Yeoreum waved at someone. Seomun Yerin stepped out of the women’s dorm area, silver hair and red eyes, carrying a square suitcase with both hands. She gave a small bow.
She met my eyes and dipped her head slightly in greeting. I waved back. Seomun Yerin. After the joint practical in the Erosion Zone, Han Yeoreum had aggressively pursued her, and it looked like they’d finally become close enough to travel together.
The commercial flight we needed to catch was at Incheon Airport—an academy-exclusive plane. The class difference was real. We’d be riding in a Seomun Clan car to the airport. A luxurious limousine soon pulled up behind Seomun Yerin.
“Oh...!”
She still couldn’t master Intent, but she’d become an expert at weird stuff like this—sending messages and talking at the same time whenever she got bored.
I let out a small sigh and climbed into the limousine. Once inside, I ended up sitting directly across from Seomun Yerin.
Seomun Yerin sat perfectly still, doll-like. Han Yeoreum was right—she didn’t feel human. More like a beautifully crafted porcelain doll. The silver hair and red eyes only added to the otherworldly feeling.
“Thanks for the ride. I’ve heard a lot about you from her, but this is the first time we’re actually together.”
I broke the awkward silence first. Seomun Yerin nodded at me.
“Nice to meet you.”
And that was the end of the conversation.
...Now I understood why Han Yeoreum had complained so much back at the dorm. This girl was impossible to keep a conversation going with.
“Yerin, want some?”
Han Yeoreum, already munching on something beside me, held out a bag.
“Yeah.”
Seomun Yerin reached in with an elegant motion, took out a chocolate cookie, and chewed quietly.
“Want iced tea?”
“Yeah.”
While the two of them busily exchanged snacks, the massive shape of Incheon Bridge came into view.
“It’s a little different from what I heard.”
Seomun Yerin, who had been staring at me, spoke up.
“Hey, what the hell did you tell her?”
I immediately turned on Han Yeoreum.
“I told her the truth.”
Han Yeoreum avoided my eyes. That uncertain tone and expression made it obvious she’d said something ridiculous.
“Whatever you said, it’s a misunderstanding. She likes to exaggerate.”
“I didn’t exaggeraaate.”
“Sure you didn’t. It’s written all over your face.”
...I wanted to strangle her. No wonder Seomun Yerin had been so careful about keeping her distance. She must have painted me as some kind of pervert.
“Haa....”
In the end, I let out a deep sigh and stared out the window. The airport was coming into view. We were really going.
I’d assumed “private jet” meant one of those small celebrity planes. Even that would’ve been impressive enough. The reality was the complete opposite. The plane in front of us was absurdly huge. This world really did love making everything oversized. Made sense, with cheat items like magic stones around. Whether it was giant cannons, massive ships, or enormous planes—humans always dreamed big. Still, even for an academy-exclusive aircraft, this felt like it crossed a line.
The biggest plane I knew of was the Mriya (An-225), now in heaven. This one looked even bigger.
“Hey, um....”
Right before boarding, Han Yeoreum whispered in my ear.
“What are you hesitating for?”
“Is that what we’re riding?”
“Yeah. I told you earlier.”
“Do normal planes get that big?”
“No, that one’s the weird one. Look at the other planes next to it.”
There were a few other airliners of similar size, but still.
“True, but....”
Pfft. I barely managed to suppress the laugh and put on a serious face.
“How am I supposed to handle this pure-hearted Han Yeoreum?”
I placed a hand on her head and shook it lightly.
“Keep teasing me and you’re dead.”
That clenched fist wasn’t scary at all.
“Wungya.”
From the side, it probably looked like we were having the strangest conversation. I was getting used to switching between talking and texting so naturally now.
After the tedious boarding process, we finally climbed aboard. The two-story plane had the cadet section on the second floor.
“Way too flashy.”
Just like Han Yeoreum said, the interior was nothing like a normal plane. It felt like someone had taken an entire hotel and crammed it inside. Even on a private jet, takeoff meant sitting in assigned seats. Once we were buckled in, the usual safety announcements played and the plane took off. When the noise died down and the seatbelt sign went off, a large display screen lit up at the front.
“As I mentioned earlier, this plane will land directly at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. From there, we’ll divide into groups, distribute survival kits, and head straight to the deserted islands.”
Professor Cheongha stepped forward from the back and began the briefing.
“Personal belongings are restricted except for clothing. There will be a luggage inspection before boarding the transport plane, so please be careful.”
As expected, most electronics were banned. High-tech items were heavily restricted; only things like lamp batteries were allowed.
“The total duration is twenty-one days. Any method is fine. Just survive until then. If you want to give up midway, fire the signal flare you’ve been given. Additionally, if the professors judge the situation too dangerous, you may be eliminated immediately.”
“I have a question!”
One of the massive Hwangbo brothers raised his hand and shouted.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“We just have to survive? That seems too easy!”
Professor Cheongha’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
“You won’t know if it’s easy or hard until you try, will you? First of all, fighting between cadets is prohibited.”
That was only natural. If they let hot-blooded first-years fight, someone would probably die. They still lacked proper control over their strength.
“Some of you might think that’s not enough.”
A monster resembling a coconut crab appeared on the display.
“This is a variant monster called Tamatoma. It has a docile nature and only counterattacks minimally, so it’s relatively safe. Being herbivorous, it doesn’t see humans as prey. Naturally, it won’t attack first.”
A herbivorous monster with vicious-looking claws. The mismatch between appearance and behavior felt strange.
“That said, it’s not an easy opponent. It’s timid, so it flees at incredible speed before you can even approach, and its hard shell nullifies most attacks. Tamatoma also possess magic stones. The more Tamatoma stones you collect, the more bonus points you’ll receive, so feel free to try if you’re interested.”
After scanning us for a moment, Professor Cheongha smiled faintly and spoke again.
“Of course, only if you can manage it. I’ll say it once more—don’t push yourselves. Surviving is already impressive enough. Besides, if you overdo it, the professors will eliminate you anyway.”
Her smile felt almost like a provocation. From the way she spoke, it sounded like they had some kind of safety net prepared for emergencies.
“Cheon Hayeon, I’m counting on you.”
After the briefing ended, I met eyes with Cheon Hayeon sitting beside me.
“As long as you’re within my range, it should be fine. I can’t make any guarantees, though. I hear the island is quite large.”
“Just watch over us as much as you can.”
“Understood. Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on you to the best of my ability.”
At least we had one extra safety measure in place. The plane began its descent, and the emerald sea came into view outside the window.