The Survival Game
The sound of the training helicopter’s rotors hammered against their eardrums. "Is that it?" Yu-shin pointed with his chin toward a tiny speck in the distance.
"Where?" Park Hae-soo turned his head to follow Yu-shin’s gaze, but he couldn't see anything yet.
"Ah, I guess it’s still too far." A little while later, a fairly large island finally began to appear in Park Hae-soo’s vision.
"Found it, alright," Yu-shin muttered. The island that came into his view was covered entirely by a dense, lush forest. Beyond that, there was no sign of civilization to be found.
"Why did you choose this place for the training ground?" Worry clouded Park Hae-soo’s face. There were plenty of good places, so why this remote island?
Yu-shin chuckled and replied, "There are no prying eyes around here. None at all."
"Pardon? What are you planning to..."
"You'll know when you see it. Just watch." Cheon Yu-shin began to wear a devious smile.
The place where they stood was shaded by massive trees that blocked out the sky, and the sticky humidity clung to their skin like parasites. It was a gloomy, damp atmosphere that felt like an anaconda from the Amazon might crawl out at any moment.
Anxiety clouded the eyes of Baek Woo-hyun and the other hunters from the Hunter Management Department. They were standing on an uninhabited island. What kind of training could they possibly do in a place like this, devoid of even the most basic high-tech equipment?
Just then, Cheon Yu-shin and Park Hae-soo emerged from between the trees. What was peculiar was Cheon Yu-shin’s attire. He was wearing a flashy Hawaiian shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and sandals. To top it off, a colorful rubber tube was wrapped around his waist. He looked like he was ready to jump into the ocean at any second. To anyone else, he looked no different from a tourist on vacation.
But they were told this was training, right?
Just as confusion began to fill the hunters' faces, Yu-shin spoke.
"Hey, recruits. Are you ready for training? Ah! As the instructor for this session, I’ll be speaking informally. No complaints, right?"
Most of the hunters were older than Cheon Yu-shin. Their average age was around thirty. Only Joo Jo-woon was younger than him. But that was only if you counted their Earth years; if you added the time spent in the Abyss, the guys in front of him weren't even larvae yet. Regardless.
Cheon Yu-shin stood before them and said, "Then, assuming there are no complaints, we shall begin the main training."
Anxiety flickered in their eyes. They had asked him to make it tough, but they knew all too well just how extreme Cheon Yu-shin could be.
"Then, let's start with the preparations." At Yu-shin’s signal, Park Hae-soo rummaged through the luggage he had brought and pulled out white and blue flags. The hunters looked at them with suspicion as the flags were handed out to them. Each of them now held either a white or a blue flag.
"What is this?" Yoon Hye-won asked with a confused expression.
A smile spread across Cheon Yu-shin’s lips. It was a smile that felt both playful and dangerously ominous.
"I’m sure you’ve all experienced this before. It’s a Red-White match."
"A Red-White match?"
"It’s simple. To survive on this island, you have to eliminate each other. Ah! Of course, I don't mean actually killing anyone. The Blue Team has to steal the white flags, and the White Team has to steal the blue flags. Simple, right? Naturally, any means are allowed in the process of stealing the flags. Theft is fine, and taking them by force is fine too. Doesn't that sound fun?"
No, what kind of training is this?!
His words continued. "Every day at midnight, I’ll check the flags. Anyone without a flag will be subjected to my special training. Look forward to it. Oh! And just because you're on the same team doesn't mean you can't steal from your own side. If you can't get the enemy's flag, you can steal your own teammate's."
Yoon Hye-won said urgently, "Wait a minute. We didn't come here to fight among ourselves. We came to get stronger..."
Yu-shin cut her off. "You're doing this to get stronger. Are you stronger than me?"
Yoon Hye-won shut her mouth. Yu-shin grinned and continued.
"This is the way to make you stronger. Actually, getting stronger isn't a big deal. You just have to break through your limits."
"...Limits?"
I’ve broken through those limits hundreds of times, you brats.
"And food supplies will be provided every evening at 6:00 PM. The supplies will be delivered via drone." Yu-shin’s eyes twinkled with mischief. A dangerous glint shone in his gaze.
"Now, listen carefully. I’ll explain the food distribution." The hunters focused on Yu-shin’s mouth, tense.
"Every evening at 6:00 PM, drones will fly in from the sky. Those drones will deliver your daily bread. But there’s an important rule here. Each drone carries only one supply package. And that supply is for one person only."
...Only one person?
Anxiety flashed across the hunters' faces.
"What do I mean? It’s simple. You can't share the supplies. One person must claim one supply package entirely for themselves. Ah! If you have the ability, one person could even claim more than one package. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Baek Woo-hyun spoke up. "So, you mean we have to compete for the flags while also fighting each other for food?"
Cheon Yu-shin nodded. "Excellent! As expected of our raid leader. That’s exactly right. You have to engage in a fierce competition for flags during the day and for food in the evening. Some of you might unfortunately end up going hungry."
Cheon Yu-shin chuckled as if imagining the scene. Joo Jo-woon sighed.
"B-Brother! No, Hunter-nim. Isn't this too cruel?"
He understood the flag match. He could think of it as a type of training. But the food competition was different. These were the brothers he had been eating and living with. These were the people who had stayed behind because they loved the Hunter Management Department, even after everyone else had left. He was supposed to fight people like that over food?
"Cruel?" Cheon Yu-shin laughed cynically.
"In real combat, things even worse than this happen. Sometimes you have to risk your life just to fight over a monster's corpse. This is just a trial version."
"......"
The hunters couldn't understand where on earth one could experience such real combat. Cheon Yu-shin scanned them and said, "Remember, the day this training ends, you will be stronger. I guarantee it."
And just as he was about to turn around in a cool manner.
"Ah! I almost forgot. This is what happens when you get old."
Cheon Yu-shin raised his hand toward them. At that moment, the hunters felt their bodies become as heavy as lead. It was a change that left them bewildered, as they had been accustomed to the vitality that filled their bodies after becoming hunters. That wasn't all. They suddenly felt an intense, extreme hunger.
Yu-shin grinned at the sight.
"It wouldn't be fun if it were easy, right? It’s a High-Gravity Curse and a Void Curse. We’ll start the survival game in this state. Recruits. Hehehe."
In the silence they created, only Yu-shin’s chuckling filled their ears.
A breathless week passed. Under the pressure of Cheon Yu-shin’s High-Gravity Curse, the hunters continued their desperate fight for the flags. Their eyes were now filled with sharpness instead of the anxiety they had at the beginning.
Somewhere in the forest, Yoon Hye-won carefully scanned her surroundings. A blue flag was tucked into her back. That was when it happened. In the silence, she heard the sound of a branch snapping. It was Baek Woo-hyun. His once neat appearance was nowhere to be found.
"Hye-won, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to take that flag."
"C-Captain! How could you do this to me!" She wore a wounded expression, like a tragic heroine.
"Rules are rules. There are no personal feelings involved." Baek Woo-hyun’s expression remained unchanged. Yoon Hye-won pouted her lips.
"Tsk! That won't work on me. Captain, do you think I’ll just hand it over? Don't even dream of it." Yoon Hye-won took a defensive stance. At that moment, Baek Woo-hyun lunged at her.
Fists and kicks flew back and forth rapidly. It was a battle where they were both so sincere that getting hit even once would result in a knockout. That was when Joo Jo-woon appeared through the leaves like a ninja.
"Yahoo! The flags are mine!" The two flags that had been dropped on the ground during the fight were instantly snatched into Joo Jo-woon’s hands.
"Y-You rascal!"
"You little!" Baek Woo-hyun and Yoon Hye-won shouted in surprise, but it was already too late. With his small, agile movements, he had already disappeared into the bushes.
Just then, someone’s scream echoed from afar. It was likely that similar fights were breaking out in other places as well. Desperate battles for flags were continuing all over the forest.
Around sunset, a familiar sound reached the hunters' ears. Whirrr. It was the sound of drones appearing. All their gazes turned toward the sky.
"They’re here! It’s the drones!"
Madness burned in the eyes of the hunters, who had been suffering from hunger for days. Ten drones appeared, carrying food. There were 30 people here, but there were exactly 10 portions of food. In other words, only 10 out of the 30 could eat.
Yoon Hye-won bit her lip hard. She hadn't eaten anything for two days. All she had was the dew on the leaves. That wasn't enough. Not for an adult woman.
"I’ll definitely get it this time!"
But someone moved faster than her. It was Joo Jo-woon. Even under the High-Gravity Curse, his movements were faster than most track athletes.
"Move aside, brothers!"
"Yield this one to me!"
"It’s mine!"
"I won't let go even if I die!"
"Don't regret it if you get hurt, anyone who blocks my path!"
"I’m serious about my food!"
With desperate shouts, the physical struggle for food began. Fists flew, and feet became entangled. Someone fell while running but got right back up. Falling didn't mean it was over. If they didn't get food, they would have to spend the long night in hunger.
The moment the food bags dropped from the drones, a hellish chaos erupted. Yoon Hye-won reached out to grab a bag, but Baek Woo-hyun’s hand swatted her arm away. They both tried to grab the bag at the same time, but Joo Jo-woon grabbed Baek Woo-hyun’s leg and pulled, and another hunter stepped on Joo Jo-woon’s back to jump and snatch the bag. They were instantly tangled together. Painful groans mixed in from all sides.
However, there were always winners in such chaos. Those who finally held the bags in their hands began to run in all directions.
"No!"
"Catch that guy!"
"Seong-hyun! Look at this brother of yours! I haven't eaten anything since yesterday!"
Then, the hunter who was running away shouted, "I’m sorry, brother! I’ve been starving for three days! If I don't eat today, I’ll die! I’ll buy you pork belly when we get out!"
"You little!!!!"
But the hunter called Seong-hyun disappeared without even looking back. Their eyes were filled with hunger and despair. And standing tall at the top of a tree where they could be clearly seen, Cheon Yu-shin looked down at the entire scene and grinned.
"This is fun. Really fun."
It was better than a movie. Moreover, they were adapting faster than he thought. Even though only a week had passed, they were already perfectly immersed in this situation. In fact, hunters didn't have a problem even if they didn't eat for a week. It was the energy of mana that kept them moving. But after being hit with the Void Curse, they were tormented by an endless hunger, as if a gluttonous demon had taken up residence in their stomachs.
A dangerous light shone in Yu-shin’s eyes as he grinned.
"Still, it’s not enough yet. More extreme, more dangerous, more desperate... Hehehe."
Cheon Yu-shin began to plan the next stage as he watched them fall into frustration.
'Look forward to it. I’ll make it even more fun for you.'