Sky-High Survival Shenanigans
“Kyaha! Cory, flap those wings harder!”
Kieeeek!
Tiabel had already named the beast Corast, and sure enough, it was beating its wings with all its might. I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief at the sight of a deer skeleton dangling from its talons, swirling through the air right in front of me.
Every flap of its wings sent nearby trees and animals tumbling down like dominoes. So this was the thrill of auto-farming. No wonder macro users swarmed games in my past life—I could kinda see why now. Once you got a taste of this, anyone would turn into a rice-munching bot.
“What do you think, Aren? Pretty reliable, right?”
“Super reliable, yeah. Feels a bit like cheating, though, so it’s kinda nagging at my conscience.”
Tiabel, floating high in the sky and gazing down at the ground with sparkling eyes, asked in a tone that practically begged for praise. It was great for me, sure, but that twinge of guilt lingered. Did this even count as a survival test anymore? We could probably lap the island once on this thing and wipe out most students without them putting up a fight.
Unless a powerhouse like Neriel or Silvena showed up, taking down Corast—and us on top—would be a tall order no matter what they tried.
“Milady, you don’t think the proctors will dock points for going off-script, do you?”
The disconnect was so huge even I, who usually let sleeping dogs lie, felt a flicker of worry. Tiabel, who was normally the anxious one, just replied leisurely.
“Pfft, who cares? The rules didn’t say anything about not befriending monsters, did they?”
“True, but…”
The academy was crawling with all sorts of prodigies and lunatics, but even the proctors probably hadn’t imagined a student bonding with a monster inside an hour. It’s like telling someone not to pull the trigger on a gun to their head—no law against it because no one sane would even consider it.
Whoooosh—hyooooh!
Before I could finish, Corast let out a booming cry of satisfaction that echoed across the open sky. Despite its fierce looks, it had a lively personality. Emboldened, Tiabel stroked its neck and thrust her hand forward.
“Alright, let’s go, Cory!”
“Where to?”
“To wherever other monsters and survivors are, duh! Time to stockpile mana crystals!”
“Ooh.”
Our lady didn’t mince means or methods when it suited her. I let out an admiring—or maybe exasperated—sigh as she unhesitatingly steered Corast’s head.
Hmm, something was bugging me, though. Walking through a monster-infested forest was risky enough, but charging ahead on a massive flying beast like this? We’d stick out like a sore thumb. Hell, we were practically yelling ‘Come get me!’ while soaring overhead—no way anyone would ignore that.
“Milady, what do you think the other students will say if they spot us?”
“Obviously…!”
Tiabel flashed a bright grin and threw up a peace sign.
“They’ll weep in awe and beg, ‘Spare me, just once!’”
“……”
“Or maybe they’ll be jealous? Cory’s just too cool!”
I was furrowing my brow in silence, at a loss for words, when—
Crunch!
As we skimmed low over the treetops, thick bushes below rustled violently.
“Up top!”
“Grab it!”
“Don’t let it escape!”
Three shadows burst out. Different faces from the group we’d fought earlier. Another teamed-up squad, huh?
“Nail that thing, and we’ll have crystals for days!”
“Can’t let it strut around like it owns the sky!”
“Damn right!”
Their eyes were bloodshot, locked not on me or Tiabel, but solely on Corast.
Hah, figures. No way the bold ones would just sit back.
I’d half-expected this. Gripping my sword on reflex, I turned my head.
“Milady, we’ve got ground-pounders targeting Corast below.”
“What? They’re after my friend?!”
She must not have heard them over the wind—she shifted toward the wings and peered down. Her eyes flashed in an instant.
Tiabel had always poured her heart into any spirit or animal she considered a friend. Monster or not, she wouldn’t tolerate anyone messing with hers.
“Lirua! Selphin!”
Blue and light-green spirits materialized at her side. The air chilled and shivered; leaves danced upward in unison.
“Aren, you’ll help, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
I flashed her a grin and raised my sword tip. Auto-hunt was comfy, but sitting idle without swinging felt stiff as hell.
“Grab it!”
“Take down Corast and…!”
Magic circles flared around the trio on the ground. But before they could finish prepping—
Whoosh!
I kicked off Corast’s wing and leaped down.
Kiiiu!
Selphin swooped in, wrapping my body in gentle winds. My descent didn’t slow, but trusting the spirit, I plunged toward their heads and slashed down.
Slaaash!
One aura-charged strike cleaved through their fireballs and lightning harmlessly. Landing lightly under Selphin’s guard, I planted myself in front of them.
“Urk! What the—?!”
“Shit, it’s Aren! Why’s he…!”
“He jumped from Corast! Was he riding it?!”
Oh, these guys. They hadn’t even realized we were aboard? From the ground, Corast’s bulk must’ve hidden us. Anyway, they threw the first punch.
“Cory, help Aren!”
Kieeeek!
Buoyed by my eager smirk, Corast flapped to sweep the ground clean—
Kiek?!
“C-Cory? What’s wrong?”
But instead of obeying, it froze mid-flap, ignoring Tiabel’s call. What the hell? Looking up, I saw it staring off into the distance with a terrified expression.
What was that reaction?
Kieeek!
Flap flap!
“Kyaaak?!”
“Milady!”
As unease hit me, Corast suddenly spun in place. The momentum flung Tiabel from its back toward the ground.
In the chaos, it didn’t give a damn about its “friend” falling—it just beat its wings furiously and vanished into the distant sky.
Grab!
I sheathed my sword in a flash, scrambled up a nearby tree, and leaped to snatch Tiabel mid-air, landing safely. She seemed unhurt, thankfully.
“Phew, thought I was done for… Thanks, Aren.”
“Save the thanks. What the hell got into that thing all of a sudden?”
“Beats me. It just let out this world-ending screech and bolted like it saw a ghost…”
“Hmm.”
Weird as hell. We hadn’t done anything to piss it off. Did Tiabel overwork it? Nah, too abrupt. Something nagged at me.
What’d it see?
That final panicked glance toward… the direction matching what Azela had said: stronger monsters deeper in, toward the coast.
“Um…”
“…Yeah?”
Lost in thought, a stranger’s voice snapped me out. Turning, I saw the trio who’d just magicked us, looking sheepish.
“S-Sorry. Didn’t know you guys were riding it. Catch you later!”
“Hold up.”
I verbally yanked back the girl trying to slink off with her crew. Suure, ‘catch you later’ after throwing the first shot?
“Before you go, show me your mana crystal haul. If it’s generous, I might let you live.”
Try me for round two if you’re pissed.
“Aren, doesn’t this make us the bad guys?”
“Nah, just your imagination.”
She’d been the biggest villain moments ago—what was this now? Still, diplomacy won: we each pocketed 300 crystals scot-free. Words bridge worlds between people.
That coastal direction Corast eyed still bugged me, though. Hopefully just paranoia, but my gut feelings had an annoying habit of being spot-on.
“Milady, sorry, but mind if I scout solo for a bit?”
“Solo? Where to?”
“Got a hunch. Just recon—I’ll be right back.”
I wanted to drop her off safe and check alone, but she grabbed my wrist with surprising strength, no intention of letting go.
“Nope. Then we go together.”
“It’s quick. Not heading anywhere dangerous.”
“Then there’s no reason I can’t tag along. Besides, where on this island isn’t dangerous?”
“……”
She never made it easy. In the end, I had no choice but to head coastward with her in tow. Not ideal, but… not a bad feeling either.