Surviving on a Deserted Island (7)
The sound of something being sliced apart echoed through the air as I swung my blade, channeling my inner energy into a single, sweeping strike that carved out a massive chunk of the surrounding jungle. It would’ve been so much easier if I were a swordsman. Building the shelter had been child’s play compared to this. I knew intellectually that clearing a path through dense rainforest wouldn’t be easy, but the reality far exceeded my expectations. On top of that, any trail I cut now would be completely overgrown again in just a few days, leaving me with a strange sense of futility. Was this how soldiers felt when they spent all day clearing weeds?
Maybe I should just burn it all down.
The tree trunks were heavy with moisture and wouldn’t catch fire easily, but the Blood Demon Arts weren’t ordinary flames. The real problem was something else. There was a chance I wouldn’t be able to control the hellfire-like spread of the Blood Demon Arts, so I hesitated to actually try it.
The deeper I ventured into the interior, the more I realized how lucky I’d been so far. Every source of water was either stagnant or muddy, and there were snakes of unknown species slithering about. I could probably eat them if I removed the fangs, but… I decided against it. There was no reason to eat fishy snake meat when I could catch regular fish.
I moved forward carefully, marking specific points on my map as I went. Without using any lightness techniques, walking at a normal pace, it took roughly half a day to reach this distance. For now, this was enough. I widened the path I’d already cleared a little more before turning back toward the shelter.
After working hard on what felt like a one-man deserted island road maintenance project, I eventually arrived near the house. Beneath a sky painted with burning red sunset peeking through lead-colored clouds, Han Yeoreum was huffing and puffing as she hauled chunks of ice and fish.
“You don’t have to catch that much.”
“I’m starving…”
Her voice had zero strength left in it.
“Is there still more?”
“Nope. This is the last of it.”
Thud.
Han Yeoreum set down the block of ice and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
“Go wash up first. We’ll eat by the stream.”
“Mmmkay.”
I had no idea how hard she’d been using the Lesser Water Demon Arts, but even in this heat, the ice chunks were still radiating cold. Just like how my fire wasn’t ordinary fire, the ice created by her Lesser Water Demon Arts was equally special. The clear, transparent ice that looked like it had frozen the ocean itself had an oddly mystical quality.
That aside, I picked up the properly prepared fish and ice and carried them toward the stream.
Crackle, crackle—
I gathered wood from the surroundings and lit a fire first. I picked up a large flat stone, washed it in the stream, sterilized it with heat, and dried it. It seemed like a simple task, but it actually required quite a bit of caution. If you heated a moisture-filled stone too rapidly, the internal water could cause it to explode. I’d seen several cases where people grabbed random stones for stone-plate grilling in valleys only for the rocks to burst and cause total disasters. In serious cases, people could get badly hurt.
Of course, my current durability meant I wouldn’t even get a scratch if an exploding stone hit me dead-on, but it was a matter of principle. I sterilized the cooking tools the same way, washed the freshwater fish thoroughly, and prepared them neatly. After removing the scales, I made shallow cuts so the seasoning would penetrate well, then finished by sprinkling salt made from evaporated seawater.
I didn’t know the exact species, but from its appearance, it looked like some kind of sea bream. Most of the fish Han Yeoreum had caught were this type. They probably lived in large numbers near this beach.
“Uwaaa—”
Han Yeoreum shook out her wet hair as she walked over.
“Just sit down.”
“Isn’t there anything I can help with?”
“Nope. Just rest.”
“Hehe… It’s warm.”
She held her hands out toward the campfire and sat down on a rock I’d placed like a chair. Maybe because she’d overused the Lesser Water Demon Arts, a constant chill kept escaping from her lips. Even though the sun had set, the outside was still like a steam bath, yet Han Yeoreum looked like she was actually feeling cold.
After switching places with her, I quickly washed myself as well. I stacked dry stones near the campfire to make a simple stove and began grilling shellfish on top of it. The bubbling sounds and rich ocean aroma stimulated my hunger.
“I wanna eat it already~”
“Just wait a little longer.”
I took the thin bamboo skewers I’d already cut and sterilized, skewered the fish as if piercing them through, and placed them one by one near the fire. Grilled over open flames was definitely better than using a stone plate. It was hard to give up the temptation of that charcoal aroma. Whether it was bad for the body or not, my mighty inner energy would take care of everything anyway.
The firm flesh unique to ocean fish fortunately kept its shape nicely even as it cooked.
“There’s bamboo here too?”
“Bamboo is invincible and godlike in survival situations. Remember that.”
It couldn’t match coconut, of course, but bamboo was still incredibly useful. And while we weren’t eating it right now, if you timed it right, you could even chew on bamboo shoots.
“Looks like it.”
Han Yeoreum, who had been silently watching me cook, nodded.
“Here.”
I handed her a perfectly cooked, split-open shellfish along with ‘bamboo chopsticks.’
“Hooa…”
She blew on the steaming shellfish before eating it and let out a sigh of admiration.
“Is it edible?”
“It’s amazing.”
“Good.”
I picked up a well-cooked shellfish myself and popped it straight into my mouth. The tender clam meat and savory juices burst inside my mouth.
“Khh… This makes me crave alcohol.”
The quiet moonlight shimmered on the surface of the stream. The crackling of the campfire mixed with the chirping of insects created something that stirred the emotions.
“So this is why people go camping.”
Han Yeoreum must have felt something similar. She tilted her head slightly and gazed up at the star-filled sky.
“Next course.”
I removed the fish flesh, placed it in a ‘bamboo bowl,’ and handed it to her. If you split bamboo properly, apply a little heat, wash it, and dry it, it made an excellent container.
“…Your obsession with bamboo is something else.”
“Just be grateful.”
I spoke in a strict, solemn, and serious tone. It was several times more convenient than carving wooden bowls. Plus, since bamboo grew so fast, if there was a grove nearby, you could cut as much as you wanted without feeling guilty.
“Well, you’ve always been an extreme efficiency freak.”
“Only in games. Not in real life.”
If I really had been an extreme efficiency freak, I probably wouldn’t have become the worst kind of demonic practitioner. My nickname would’ve been something horrific like Blood Demon or whatever.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Just eat already.”
While diligently removing flesh for Han Yeoreum, I also ate hot pieces of fish myself. The rich smoky flavor combined with a salty yet savory taste was something you’d only get from a fairly high-quality fish species.
Before long, Han Yeoreum, who had moved to sit right beside me, was staring with wide eyes as she frantically stuffed fish into her mouth.
“Is it good?”
“Mmm.”
Since I’d prepared plenty, I kept grilling more. It felt like a proper meal for the first time in a while. Still, the craving for carbohydrates was unavoidable. Even after advancing half a day’s distance, I hadn’t found anything ‘tasty’ that could replenish carbs. I thought there might at least be wild sweet potatoes.
“Cough, cough…!”
Han Yeoreum, who had been eating vigorously, pounded on her chest. She must have choked from eating too fast.
“Hey, eat slowly.”
I handed her water, and she gulped it down urgently.
“Khh, that hit the spot.”
Wiping her mouth, Han Yeoreum frowned.
“You sounded like a total old man just now.”
“You’re the old man here.”
“Then you’re a kid.”
“Does that mean I’m young? Being young is good. Our dear Kim Mugong got rejuvenated too, didn’t you?”
“Think whatever you want.”
I let out a deep sigh and shook my head. By now, only disassembled fish bones were scattered all around us. The satisfying feeling of fullness I hadn’t felt in a long time. Overcome by the creeping drowsiness, I moved over and lay down on the smooth pebbles by the stream. Han Yeoreum came and lay down right next to me.
It was a hard stone floor, but it felt like a massage and wasn’t too bad.
…Except for the occasional bugs crawling around.
“I think I have a food baby.”
Han Yeoreum stared at her own belly and said. When I naturally reached my hand toward it, she swatted it away.
“Where do you think you’re touching a maiden’s belly?”
“It doesn’t look like it’s sticking out.”
“No, it is.”
“Even 1mm counts as sticking out.”
Pat, pat.
Han Yeoreum lightly tapped her own stomach.
“They say you shouldn’t lie down right after eating.”
“Who cares. It’s not like we lie down all the time.”
“That’s true.”
We stared at the starlight pouring down for a while.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Suddenly raindrops began falling on our faces as clouds started covering the sky.
“Rain?”
“Let’s get up.”
“Ugh.”
Han Yeoreum brushed herself off and stood. I straightened up too and quickly gathered our tools. The increasingly heavy rain seemed like it was about to pour down in earnest.
“Let’s get inside quickly.”
“Yeah.”
We covered our heads and dashed into the shelter. Soon after, heavy raindrops began hammering the roof.
“Good thing we reinforced it.”
“Right. This won’t collapse, will it?”
“It’s fine. This much is okay.”
Even though tropical showers were fierce, I had built the foundation solidly and set up supports with that in mind.
“It’s so humid.”
“Blow some air around.”
“Why? Got something you wanna do once it gets all nice and dry?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“What is it?”
Han Yeoreum covered her mouth and grinned mischievously. It was obvious from her tone that she was expecting something, but no way.
“Sleep.”
“You’re not being honest. Are you really going to sleep?”
“I’m tired.”
“Liar.”
“Okay, it is a lie. But are you okay?”
“Umm…”
Unlike before, the intervals between needing Yin-Yang Harmony were gradually getting longer. It seemed our internal energies were slowly stabilizing.
“You looked a bit swollen down there yesterday.”
“If you knew, you should’ve handled me more gently. You were like a beast, seriously.”
Han Yeoreum pouted and gave me a sideways glare.
“Next time, don’t try to hold out and just surrender quickly.”
“…I will.”
Apparently that habit of competing over wins and losses applied to sex too. She really hated losing even once. Though in the end she still lost anyway. I had to give her credit for her tenacity.
When I gave her a suspicious look, Han Yeoreum glared back sharply.
“What’s with that look?”
“Just wait and see.”
“Aren’t you tired of saying that?”
“I’m going to train and make you cum in ten seconds flat.”
“Even now it hurts a bit when you squeeze hard, so please don’t.”
If I were still my old ordinary self, it wouldn’t have been strange if I got snapped in half or suffered a micro-fracture instead of just ejaculating. That’s how powerful Han Yeoreum’s ‘grip’ was. I felt like I’d accidentally learned a secret I didn’t need to know about why martial artists married other martial artists.
“So you admit it’s a grip?”
“It is, so stop. Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“You don’t look embarrassed either.”
Grinning brightly, she stealthily moved closer and poked my lower region with her finger.
“…This kind of talk makes it hard to hold back. It’s turning me on.”
“I’m turned on too, so don’t hold back. Who told you to hold it in?”
“You’ll regret it.”
“Hmph.”
I grabbed Han Yeoreum’s shoulders as she turned her head away and immediately pushed her down. It seemed like I needed to make her clearly understand who was on top this time.
And so, a week passed.
“I’m dying…”
Han Yeoreum grabbed her trembling legs with both hands and forced herself up. Her record was zero wins. However, because we’d devoured each other like absolute beasts, there was a bit of embarrassment mixed in. I didn’t understand why, despite that, she absolutely refused to let me finish inside her until the very end.
Anyway, Han Yeoreum had enthusiastically practiced being on top every night, moving her hips like crazy, which resulted in her looking like this every single morning. It was a relief that it rained often at night so the sounds were masked, and no one came near. If we’d been caught while going at it hard… I would’ve seriously wanted to quit everything.
Even during all that, our plans progressed steadily. We’d now mapped out a decent route toward the center of the island, and most importantly, we’d discovered a ‘bread tree.’ We were starting to get tired of fish, so it was perfect timing.
Bread tree fruit. When roasted over fire, it gave off a strangely bread-like aroma. The taste was somewhere between sweet potato and potato. It wasn’t incredibly delicious, but it was more than enough to satisfy our carbohydrate cravings.
It was about time to head toward the center of the island and aim for the Tamatoma. Since other students might have already reached it, we needed to prepare carefully.