Chapter 106: Survival Hero
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106: Survival Hero
Survival Hero
"But if we lose the good spots, we'll be at a disadvantage..."
"It's fine. The island is big."
I led the still-dazed Eom Soo-hyun and the flustered Anna Gyeom toward the MC.
The MC looked at us with curiosity, seeing as we were still taking our time even though every other team had already departed.
"Is the game only held here?"
"No. This area is for storing broadcasting equipment and supplies. The games take place at various locations scattered across the island."
"I see. Thank you."
That was enough information.
If the game locations kept changing, it would be best to stay near the center of the island, but...
I looked at Anna Gyeom, who was watching my every move, and Eom Soo-hyun, who had finally come to her senses and was now scowling.
"What? Do you have something to say?"
"No. Have either of you ever had your mana suppressed before?"
Eom Soo-hyun, looking at me with dissatisfied eyes, naturally said she hadn't.
Neither of them had any experience with it.
Well, in this world, having your mana suppressed usually meant you’d been kidnapped or arrested.
Since heroes never had their mana blocked when fighting monsters, they didn't train for such scenarios.
I guess these kinds of problems arise because it's a peaceful world where nations don't go to war.
If they lacked experience, they shouldn't be wasting their physical strength unnecessarily.
"Let's go. We need to set up a temporary shelter."
As I started walking ahead, Anna Gyeom hesitated before following, and Eom Soo-hyun eventually caught up, chattering away.
"Wait a minute. Why are you acting like the leader?"
"Huh? Can't I be the leader?"
"No, you can't. Let's have a democratic vote."
The result of the vote was one for Eom Soo-hyun and two for me.
Anna Gyeom, who had raised her hand for me, couldn't meet Eom Soo-hyun's eyes and turned her head away.
"No... Master is going to scold me..."
Having lost the leadership, Eom Soo-hyun muttered in despair.
Master? Is that what they call the heroes who teach them?
"I'll take the lead for now. If you don't like my directions, we can vote again later."
Despite my words, Eom Soo-hyun followed behind with her shoulders slumped in dejection.
"Where are we going?"
"We have to find water. Water is the source of life, after all."
That probably wasn't the answer she was looking for, but I gave a vague response as I walked along the beach, sticking to the shade.
As I walked, picking up useful-looking sticks, Eom Soo-hyun, who had been following quietly, asked, "You're not about to say something like we should distill seawater, are you?"
"No. Even if you distill seawater, trace amounts of salt remain. And without proper equipment, the yield is pathetic."
"Then why are we walking along the beach right now?"
"Ah, it's this way. We can head inside now."
When I suggested heading inland at the perfect moment, Eom Soo-hyun shot me a suspicious look.
Anna Gyeom also looked uneasy, glancing between us.
"I'm starting to want that re-vote right now."
"Shall we?"
"No. Once a decision is made, we should trust it and follow through. If you keep changing the captain, you never know where the ship will drift."
Eom Soo-hyun shut her mouth after saying that.
See? She's a sensible kid. I just don't know why she dislikes me so much.
I headed toward a spot where I'd sensed water while surveying the terrain before the handcuffs were put on. Soon, a sound reached us.
Even though they were back to being ordinary humans, the sound of trickling water was clear enough that both of them turned their heads, searching for the source.
"It's this way."
As I led the way, the two followed closely behind.
"How did you know?"
When we found a small stream, Anna Gyeom looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
"When we were coming in on the yacht, we circled about half the island to find a place to dock. I mapped out the terrain in my head then."
"Whoa—"
That's a lie. I actually read the terrain using Presence Detection.
Since the drones were constantly following and filming us, I added some survival trivia about how mammalian droppings increase near water sources to make my explanation more convincing.
"You're very knowledgeable, Yeon-woo."
"Not really. I just crammed some studying before coming here."
Anna Gyeom gave a shy smile and praised me.
"That's impressive. I'll give you that."
"Wait, don't drink that."
I stopped Eom Soo-hyun, who was cupping her hands to scoop up water with a look of indignation.
It's easy to get the wrong idea from movies where protagonists find water after being stranded and drink it frantically, but just because water looks clean doesn't mean it's safe to drink.
Water in nature isn't the same as water from a purifier.
Countless animals and insects pass over it, and it could be contaminated with things like excrement.
If it were an emergency, we'd have to drink it, but we weren't in any rush.
After I explained, Eom Soo-hyun looked at the stream with a grimace.
"Now that I'm thinking about poop being mixed in, I don't want to drink it anymore."
"All the water we drink was mixed with dirty things before being purified."
"Aaaagh! Stop talking about gross stuff!"
She's the one who said 'poop' first, so why is she snapping at me?
Eom Soo-hyun stared at the stream with a look of disgust, as if she couldn't stand the mental image.
"Are we setting up our shelter here?"
"No. We're going to head back and set up camp halfway between here and the beach."
"It's not exactly... safe, but we've secured a water source. Is there a reason to move away from it?"
"It's a reasonable walking distance. Besides, there aren't many flat spots here, so it'll be hard to secure enough space."
When I told them to head back, the two looked at the stream regretfully for a moment before following me.
Once we arrived at the spot I'd scouted earlier, I surveyed the surroundings.
"How old are you two?"
Since we'd be seeing each other's faces for the next three days, I struck up a conversation to lighten the mood.
It turned out they were the same age, both one year older than me.
"Then I'll call you Noona. Please, feel free to be comfortable with me."
"Noona..."
What could be better than a handsome guy calling you "Noona" and acting friendly?
When I called her Noona, Eom Soo-hyun muttered the word blankly.
She tried hard to maintain a poker face, but she couldn't stop her lips from twitching.
"I'm only D-rank, though..."
"Does rank matter? Let's just get along. Come on, try calling me by my name comfortably."
"Ye-Yeon-woo..."
Anna Gyeom, who called my name awkwardly, looked away in embarrassment.
Satisfied with that for a first step, I looked at Eom Soo-hyun. She was still making a strange face, trying to act nonchalant.
"Hmph. Don't think this means we're close."
"Sure. Let's take it slow, Noona."
When I spoke with a smile, Eom Soo-hyun turned her head away.
Ah, this is bliss. People like me just for acting nice and smiling.
"Then I'll head to the beach and try to catch some fish. You two gather materials for the shelter and... can either of you start a fire?"
"What do you take me for? Something like that is simple."
Though she grumbled, Eom Soo-hyun couldn't even meet my eyes, looking like a shy schoolgirl.
I caught Anna Gyeom's eye and shrugged.
After instructing them on what materials to gather—leaves for the floor and roof, and sticks for the pillars—I stood up.
"Don't wander too far. You see these markings on the trees? They're hard to see, but I've been marking the path all the way from the beach to the stream. Please stay along these trees."
"Are you going to... hunt alone?"
At Anna Gyeom's still-awkward question, I nodded, told them not to worry, and headed out.
Since the group was full of people who knew nothing, I figured the show would probably hand out food as game rewards, but there was no chance we'd win, right?
Given that Han Byeong-sin's meddling would be all over this, I didn't expect anything from the game rewards in the first place.
I picked up a long stick and a stone as I headed toward the beach.
I smashed the stone against a boulder until it broke into sharp pieces, then threw a larger stone on top of one to create a stone knife.
Using the stone knife, I split the end of the stick into three prongs to make a harpoon and smoothed out the handle.
In reality, I should have built the shelter and a makeshift water filter first, but I intended to make my teammates rely on me.
I wasn't about to do charity work for free.
They think they can start a fire without tools?
They probably looked up how to start a fire on the internet, but there's a reason it took primitive humans ages to discover fire with their bare hands.
They were probably rubbing sticks together until their hands were raw.
Once my hunting gear was ready, I took off my shirt and entered the ocean.
I wanted to take off my pants too, because the salt would be uncomfortable once they dried, but the PD had strictly forbidden the male heroes from doing so, saying it had to stay "rated for all ages."
They told us never to take off our pants where the cameras were rolling.
So I can take them off where they aren't rolling, right?
Even if it was a survival show, they couldn't explicitly show heroes using the bathroom or bathing.
There were "Private Zones" scattered across the island where there were no cameras, allowing for personal business like bathing or using the toilet.
Well, as long as the drones weren't around, it was impossible to cover the entire island no matter how many fixed cameras they installed.
People would be doing all sorts of things off-camera.
I repeatedly dove into the water, catching fish hiding near rocks or coral.
The water was clear, so the visibility was great.
After catching one last large fish about the size of two forearms, I emerged from the sea. The camera crew, having assessed the situation via drone, had set up at a distance to film me.
I brushed back the wet bangs clinging to my face, waved at the camera, and gave a bright smile while showing off the fish.
Fan service is over. Let's go see if my teammates did what I asked.
I wiped myself dry with my T-shirt, tied the sleeves together, and used it as a bag to carry the fish.
Near our campsite, observation cameras had already been installed—likely by a crew that had come and gone—and the girls were huddled together on one side.
"Uuuuugh!!"
"I-I'll try."
Glancing over, I saw Eom Soo-hyun's face was beet red as she rubbed her hands together with all her might.
Seeing her grow exhausted, Anna Gyeom took over, placing a thin stick between her palms and rubbing vigorously.
Exactly as I expected.
I watched them take deep breaths and give it their all before approaching. Hearing the rustle of leaves, the two turned their heads.
"Whoa—!"
Why?
As soon as they saw me, they snapped their heads away and held out their hands.
"How can you just walk out half-naked like that?"
Oh, is that it?
But surely being shirtless isn't a big deal?
Even at the ship party, the men at the pool were only covered from the waist down, just like in the previous world.
"What's the big deal?"
"No, still..."
"It's a survival situation, so please understand even if you don't want to see it."
"It's not that I don't want to see it, but..."
Eom Soo-hyun trailed off, her eyes widening when she saw the fish I'd set down.
"You caught those?"
"Yeah. There are tons of fish in the sea. It's practically half-water, half-fish."
I spoke with a deliberate, innocent smile. The two, who had failed their mission to start a fire, looked delighted for a moment before becoming self-conscious.
Eom Soo-hyun shifted slightly, using her body to hide the wood she'd been rubbing until her face turned red.
"Don't these fish look delicious? Let's hurry up and grill them. Is the fire ready?"
When I asked innocently, the two looked down and fell silent, as if they'd committed a mortal sin.
"Uh... the fire... well..."
"It's okay. We can just make it now."
I smiled and brushed off their failure.
Passing by Eom Soo-hyun, who looked even more embarrassed by my smile, I looked at the wood they'd been working on.
"They said this was how to do it... but it's not working well..."
I wanted to pat Eom Soo-hyun's head as she muttered like a scolded child, but I held back and took out my stone knife to peel the bark.
The most common mistake is trying to rub wood together without using easily combustible tinder.
No matter how much you rub with your hands, you can't create fire with just friction heat alone.
"The stick is really bumpy. Your hands must hurt. Are you okay?"
As I shaved off the rough exterior of the stick they'd been using and expressed my concern, the two fell silent again and avoided my gaze.
Good. This should be enough to make them listen to me.
I stopped the subtle teasing and started the fire.
I finely crushed some dry bark, gathered some tinder, and started rubbing. Before long, smoke began to rise.
"Oh! It's working! It's working!"
Eom Soo-hyun rejoiced like a child at the sight of the smoke.
When I asked her to blow on it, she lay flat on the ground and carefully blew—hoo, hoo—which was actually quite cute.
Once a small flame caught, I added more kindling and gathered dry branches to build the fire.
"Then I'm going to go wash up. The salt is making me feel really gross."
The two nodded vigorously and began placing stones around the fire.
Now that I'd made the fire for them, they were following orders well.
Satisfied, I went to the stream to rinse off.
I only needed to get the salt off, so there was no need to go all the way to a Private Zone for a shower.
I needed to firmly establish our base before the signal flare went off; I couldn't afford to waste time.
Pshhhhh—!
Eh? Already? I looked up at the sudden signal flare rising into the sky.
Were they watching us on camera and timed it like this on purpose?
I immediately stood up and ran back to the shelter.
They said the game would provide advantages on a first-come, first-served basis, so it was better to get there fast.
"Did you see the signal... Ack! What are you doing?"
"If we go to the game now, we won't be able to maintain the fire anyway."
Eom Soo-hyun was shocked when I extinguished the fire as soon as I arrived.
"Let's save the feast for later and go right now."
As we headed toward the location of the signal flare, Im Jin-ah, who had already arrived, looked at me and smirked.
You're first, huh? You must have been close by.
Let's see if you're still smiling when this show is over.