Survival Test (3)
It had been about two to three hours since the test began. I was currently strolling along the riverbank, searching for the perfect spot to set up a tent.
"Why's it gotta be so scorching hot, seriously... Ugh."
Though I couldn't pinpoint this island's exact location, it felt like we were near the equator. The sunlight was scorching, and the humid weather was far from pleasant.
"I'm hungry. Should I eat something?"
In addition to regular meals, I had brought plenty of snacks with me. I sat down on a large rock nearby and cracked open a bag of potato chips. It was a good idea to bring snacks, after all.
"Hmm... what's that over there?" As I munched away, I spotted something golden in the corner of my eye. On closer inspection, a blonde girl was drifting downstream along the river.
"Wait a sec... could that be Alice?"
I couldn't make out her face since it was submerged, but her familiar figure and hair length gave her away. Without missing a beat, I sprang to my feet, ditched the potato chips, and took a dive into the river. I wasn't sure what had happened, but an unconscious person in the water was far from ordinary; it could be a life-threatening situation.
I managed to fish Alice out of the water, and the good news was that not too much time had passed. She was still breathing, and people with a status window aren't the type to kick the bucket that easily. Once they awakened and improved their attributes, they became quite different from regular folks. Of course, I was lucky to have found her. While getting wet wouldn't necessarily lead to death, it didn't grant invincibility either. If she had been in that state for another 30 minutes, her life could have been at risk.
"I should set up camp here for now..."
With Alice wet as a fish and out cold, I decided to stay in this spot instead of wandering around. Just to be safe, I used my mana to check on her condition, and there appeared to be no internal issues. The main concern was getting her clothes dried to ward off hypothermia. Even if it wasn't hypothermia, wet clothes were far from comfortable.
I gathered some wood for a fire, sparked it up, and got to work stripping Alice of her school uniform. Ideally, I should've gone all the way and let everything air out, including her undies, but given her current disposition towards me, and the low affection stat, that might've led to her actually trying to kill me.
Crackle Crackle
As I listened to the crackling fire, I spread out Alice's clothes on some nearby rocks, letting them soak up the rays.
"There's not much else to do but eat." My primary concern was keeping an eye on Alice until she fully regained consciousness.
I set the frying pan I'd prepared onto the firewood and started grilling smoked duck. The enticing aroma of the sizzling, oily duck wafted through the air.
As expected, bringing all this food was a good idea. I wonder if anyone might be drawn in by this scent.
Well, if it's one of the heroines, I'll share, but if it's a stranger, I might as well take their points. These students probably haven't truly experienced hunger yet. Perhaps by tonight or tomorrow morning, they'll understand what survival truly means. Of course, I'll be cozy in my warm tent.
"This looks delicious." While I prepared the sizzling smoked duck, I heard a faint grumbling sound.
"Ugh... mmh..." Alice groaned, wriggling her body, gradually coming to her senses.
I'd laid her down by the fire to help dry her clothes, and the warmth must have roused her. I kept an eye on her while continuing to prepare the food.
"Ugh... Haah..." After a moment, Alice took a deep breath and slowly raised her upper body. She felt around her own body, as if searching for something, and glanced around. It appeared the memory of falling into the water was still fresh in her mind.
"You okay?"
"Eek?!" Startled by my voice from behind, Alice turned around. I was eating reheated rice and savoring the smoked duck.
"You were drifting down the river, so I pulled you out. Your clothes are drying over there." I pointed to the rocks nearby with my finger to avoid any misunderstandings.
"Thanks. I'll be going, then." Alice hastily grabbed her not-yet-dried school uniform and attempted to leave.
"Your clothes aren't completely dry yet. Hang around and have some food, at least."
"You're sharing your rations with me?"
"It's no big deal. We're both in the PR department team, and I've got plenty of supplies."
I'd stocked up, thinking I'd share with the heroines, so why's she turning it down?
"No, thanks." Alice briefly glanced at the meat and then turned away.
In the limited visibility of the night, Alice stumbled over a tree root but quickly regained her footing.
There's no time to rest, even if it hurts.
Thankfully, after a bit more walking, a cave appeared. Alice entered the cave to take cover.
Scuttle-scuttle, scuttle-scuttle...
The unpleasant sound of insects crawling on the ground tormented her ears, but the threat from the monsters was considerably reduced, bringing her some relief.
In the cave, Alice eventually drifted off to sleep.
***
"Ugh..." Alice stirred from her slumber, her entire body throbbing with pain. After a full day of wandering without food, falling asleep in an uncomfortable position had left her in agony.
"..."
No matter how she looked at it, this couldn't continue. Alice powered up her smartwatch and checked Lee Hoyeon's location. He wasn't exactly in the same place as yesterday, but he was still close to the riverbank, seemingly fast asleep.
"At the very least, I need to get some manastones."
Considering he also deals with mana deficiency, he's likely carrying a surplus of manastones.
I should've paid closer attention during the belongings inspection.
Alice regretted her inattentiveness, but there was no turning back. Hoyeon had managed to carry all that equipment with his subspace pouch, which meant there had to be a good number of manastones.
Gurgle...
My pride will only take a temporary hit, but as long as he's not after my body, I'll be fine.
Alice reasoned with herself as she headed towards the glowing coordinates on her smartwatch.
***
In the special test app, you could also keep track of how many survivors were left.
"Oh, we've got some dropouts."
The special test app did its midnight update on the remaining participants. Out of over 200 students, around 40 had already waved the white flag.
"Just preserving can land you in the top half. People are so clueless."
All you had to do was hide out until the last day to secure a decent ranking. With a whopping one-fifth of the pack vanishing on day one, just surviving that initial day already catapulted you out of the lower ranks.
"But where are the others? Did I not roam enough?"
Obviously, not all of those 40 were eliminated in battles. Most were likely students who bailed voluntarily. Trying to survive in this environment without any prep isn't a walk in the park. Some students might choose to tap out early, unconcerned about their scores.
Starting today, it's a showdown among the industrious bunch. It's a no-brainer that they'll have to wrestle fiercely for those supply boxes raining from the sky, well-hidden treasures, and boss monsters worth a lot of points.
While conserving their energy and observing those students who work hard to accumulate points, there will also be students who ambush the ones who have diligently earned points. In the end, it's a game of wits. Make the first move and become a target, risking your life. Wait too long, and you might miss out.
"I don't know, do whatever you like."
Ultimately, the last one standing will be the winner.
Anyway, I'd found a good spot. After Alice took off, I wrapped up my meal and rested until nightfall.
It wasn't a cave, but I had a mountain in the rear, a river on the side, and I was gearing up to erect a barrier for a peaceful night's sleep. That's when I heard a rustling sound, like the rustle of someone sneaking through the grass.
"Who's there?" Flames danced to life in my hand, and I kept my gaze fixed on that direction.
"Uh, Hoyeon...!" The person emerging from the thicket, trembling in response to my warning, was none other than... Lumi.