Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The Start of the Disaster (2)
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“Was your previous job something like a mountain ranger...? No, even a mountain ranger would usually take a step back in this kind of weather...?”
The local staffer asked, looking utterly baffled.
“Yeonwoo’s amazing, right? He brought us all the way here. Whew, if it weren’t for him...”
“It’s more than just amazing!”
“Huh?”
“Finding a shelter like this in a situation like ours is practically a miracle. It’s not just about having a good sense of direction. Honestly, that guide was incompetent, but that’s pretty normal. Would you believe me if I said I’ve been here a few times and gotten lost every single one?”
“Yeonwoo didn’t have any of that...”
“That’s what’s so incredible. Unless he’s some kind of druid straight out of nature, navigating like this is... And to top it off, it started raining just now. We could barely keep up following him.”
The local staffers, who were in pretty good shape physically.
Yet they looked dejected, recalling how they’d been useless and just scrambling to keep up with Yeonwoo.
“That impressive, huh?”
“Does he have some kind of satellite tracker or something...?”
“No way. He would’ve told us if he did.”
“But if not, this whole thing doesn’t make any sense. We should probably pray to him or something.”
With that, the local staffers closed their eyes.
It looked exactly like they were praying, making the other staffers murmur.
“We already knew, but we really survived thanks to Yeonwoo.”
“How do we even thank him...”
“I saw last time—he hates receiving anything. You know, that thing with the food truck at the shoot. He said something to the investors and agency.”
“Right, yeah. What do we do? And he’s not even materialistic.”
“Ugh... Let’s think about how to repay him once we get out of here.”
Even as they shivered from the cold, the remaining people huddled together seriously.
It was genuine, and they needed something—anything—to focus on to keep their spirits up.
*Ding!*
[Congratulations! You have secured a large amount of lifespan.]
[Would you like to harvest the corresponding lifespan?]
“...?”
Unaware of the sudden notification popping up for Yeonwoo.
* * *
The rain didn’t let up easily.
It had been pouring like mad for two full days already, trapping the actors and staff firmly in the cave.
The one silver lining was, ‘Adrian’s here.’
Going on three days now.
The staff had managed to hold out this long thanks entirely to Yeonwoo’s efforts.
More precisely, to Yeonwoo under Adrian’s coaching.
[We can collect rainwater for drinking. Water’s sorted for now.]
[Oh, we’ll need food too. Let’s see... Things we can eat around here...]
Water and food were crucial, of course.
But something even more vital came first.
Fire.
[Let’s start a fire first. Without fire, your body temperature drops, calories burn up, strength fades, stamina plummets, and eventually... you die.]
“Okay. Got it, so no more ominous talk. How do we start the fire?”
On the first day of being stranded.
Yeonwoo’s top priority had been building a fire.
Following the instructions of the seasoned assistant... no, survival expert to the letter,
[Look closely under those big rocks. Those spots are goldmines.]
[Whoa, what luck! Benefactor, let’s head there.]
[Move briskly! Survival demands diligence!]
Yeonwoo managed to gather a decent amount of kindling.
“But how do you plan to start a fire with that?”
Surely he wasn’t going to rub sticks together by hand?
When he asked just in case, Adrian replied as if it were the most obvious thing.
[With a lighter.]
“...?”
[What’s with that shocked face? Don’t tell me you don’t even have that civilized tool? Good lord. It’s been at least 50 years since I died?]
To be precise, this island was a remote, isolated spot.
A natural paradise untouched by civilization, with minimal human traffic.
But that didn’t mean the people who ventured here were cut off from modern life.
Adrian had lived in the modern world too.
“...”
The incredibly simple solution: just use a lighter.
And it wasn’t wrong.
Yeonwoo just hadn’t expected it in this situation.
Luckily, there was a smoker among the staff.
“Uh... I kinda... vapes don’t agree with me... But I didn’t smoke here. I swear, I only smoke in designated areas?”
The chain-smoker, who’d bought a lighter right upon arrival, desperately defended himself.
Either way, it spared him the survival expert’s pitying gaze.
[How to light wet wood?]
Adrian crossed his arms.
[There’s no such method.]
“...?”
[Burning wet wood in a cave like this could lead to suffocation.]
So what was the point of gathering it all so diligently?
As Yeonwoo shot him a frustrated look, Adrian lifted his chin.
[We’re not using the whole thing. Just the inside.]
The inside?
[It poured, but the rain didn’t hit these for long. At that thickness, the core should still be dry. Split them open, scrape out the inner part into sawdust, and it’ll be perfect tinder.]
“...”
[Start a spark with that, then use the dry stuff from under the rocks. It should burn for a good while. Judging by what you gathered... about half a day, easy.]
Adrian’s words were straightforward.
His methods just as bold and direct.
Yeonwoo had wondered what to do with wet logs.
Surprisingly, the fire-starting technique was dead simple.
‘...Simple in theory, anyway.’
The process itself wasn’t complicated at all. Basic, even.
Split, hollow out, ignite.
Done.
But in practice, it was ridiculously tough.
‘Split that?’
Yeonwoo glared at the log, thicker than his thigh.
[Oh dear. Don’t tell me you don’t even have a hand axe? How is that possible?]
The pro survival expert sighed.
[I thought the lighter was a good sign, but no hand axe...]
‘Isn’t carrying one around weirder?’
Who lugs around a weapon like that these days?
You’d get stopped at airport security.
Special permits required.
Like Adrian said, anyone carrying one casually—outside related professions—would probably be a psychopath.
Or an aspiring murderer.
‘But I can’t split it barehanded either...’
Honestly, he could.
Concentrate spiritual power with metallic energy, and he could wield cutting force without a blade.
But.
“Ughhh...”
“Hnnngh...”
The people, blue-lipped and trembling, too cold to speak.
The medical team hurriedly passed out Tylenol and such, but it was just a band-aid.
‘No choice.’
Yeonwoo scanned the surroundings.
“Anyone have any sharp tools?”
“Sharp tools?”
“Anything works. Ideally a knife...”
“Hold on, I’ve got one. This MacGyver knife... Will this do?”
A ‘MacGyver knife’ was a pocket tool with a small blade, screwdriver, bottle opener, tweezers, and more.
Commonly called a MacGyver knife, but properly a Swiss Army knife.
“Perfect.”
“What about an eyebrow knife?!”
“That’s...”
“Oh, it’s makeup gear, but I’ve got some sharp spatulas!”
The stylist rummaged in her bag and pulled out several art knife-style tools.
‘Not bad.’
No proper edge, but used right, they could pass for Swiss Army knife substitutes.
“But you’re not planning to cut that log with those...?”
One watching staffer asked.
The log was visibly thicker than anyone’s thigh.
Calling it a log felt generous; it was massive.
“Can’t we help with anything...?”
Even the local staffers, ashamed of their uselessness here, chimed in.
“It takes some skill, so I’ll start the fire alone first. Help after.”
“You sure you can do it by yourself...?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, just watch. I’ll have a fire going soon.”
What Yeonwoo held was a blade no longer than his finger.
How was he supposed to cut that thick log with it?
The shocking part came next.
“Gasp...?”
Crack!
The thick log split open with a sound, toppling to both sides right before their eyes.
The staffers’ pupils shook like there was an earthquake.
Shouldn’t that require an axe?
He hadn’t seemed to do much, yet it split. Unbelievable.
“It’s dry inside. Just need to scrape it out now. Hang tight.”
He pointed politely to the log’s interior, explaining kindly.
“Um... Yeonwoo? How’d you do that...?”
It was definitely a tiny blade in his hand, not an axe.
Yet the thick log had split?
“Oh. Simple.”
“...?”
“Dried-out logs naturally have cracks. Find one, wedge in something thin, apply leverage, and it splits along the warped grain.”
See? Easy.
That’s how it sounded to the staffers.
But with the guy who did it standing right there, they couldn’t deny it.
Whatever the staffers thought.
Shwick!
Shwick shwick!
Yeonwoo’s hands moved swiftly.
Each glint of the blade left fluffy sawdust piling up like fresh snow.
Doubts faded quickly.
Watching built growing anticipation in their hearts.
Warmth soon.
Yeonwoo’s actions proved his words.
The bone-chilling cold invading their marrow? Soon banished.
Expectations swelled.
But what truly set the staffers’ hearts racing wasn’t just the hope.
Shwick!
Shwick shwick!
Not content with hollowing the split log’s interior, crack! Crack! Yeonwoo split log after log—each twice a grown man’s thigh-thick—in rapid succession.
It was Yeonwoo himself.
* * *
‘I’m going nuts.’
The spiritual power he’d painstakingly rebuilt dwindled again.
[Ho. Spiritual power’s pretty useful. Sharper than most blades, I’d wager.]
Adrian marveled.
The reason Yeonwoo sliced through those thick logs like tofu.
It wasn’t superhuman strength or clever leverage.
‘Solidifying spiritual power into a blade—unfair to compare to real knives.’
He’d condensed spiritual power into a solid form, infusing it with metal attribute.
Of course it cut better than any average axe.
The issue: the massive energy cost.
Naturally so.
Materializing intangible spiritual power wasn’t easy.
Most shamans wouldn’t dare.
Even someone secluded in the mountains for decades, amassing pure energy, might barely manage.
Not something anyone could do.
The knife was a smokescreen.
Couldn’t just say,
-I’m about to chop logs barehanded, so don’t freak out.
‘Wasteful, but no helping it. Gotta rebuild. Lucky the spiritual energy recovers fast here, at least.’
His rebuilt spiritual power plummeted, but necessary.
‘Guided them this far—can’t let anything happen now.’
Spiritual power mattered, but so did lives.
Cold wouldn’t kill instantly, but minimize risks.
Who knew when danger might strike.
Plus, hadn’t he gained lifespan from them, however unintentionally?
‘Accepted it by accident, but gotta take responsibility for what you get.’
They wouldn’t even know they’d given it.
Still, taking without a thought to wipe his mouth clean? Not Yeonwoo’s style.
“O... Oh...!”
“Fire...! Real fire...!”
* * *
He gathered the bone-dry sawdust he’d shaved off and lit it.
Gasps of awe erupted from all sides.
And at the same time,
*Ding!*
[You have perfectly completed the deceased’s request!]
[Congratulations! You acquire additional acquirable ability points as a reward.]
Once more.
The familiar notification appeared.
[Reward: Making Fire with Limited Resources][A+]