Survival Test (10)
"If we go with bare skin... it's more effective, right?" Alice held my hand on her shoulder, peering into my eyes as she tossed out the idea.
"Uh... Hold on..."
Her out-of-the-blue bombshell caught me off guard, and I had to admit, it got me more flustered than I thought.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Alice]
[Affection: 38]
[Lust: 59]
[Appetite: 40]
[Fatigue: 61]
Current Status: I can't live like this forever.
"Um..."
I might've stepped into a zone I shouldn't have.
Pride runs deep within Alice. Hindered by her innate mana deficiency, she struggles to showcase her talents entirely, all while striving not to let down her homeland. In France, Alice is acknowledged as a promising figure in the Iris Guild.
She consequently puts in even more effort to navigate this situation. She attempted to conceal her condition, desperately seeking a way to overcome it and becoming stronger quickly. Despite pouring astronomical sums of money into searching for a cure over the years, all attempts have failed.
In this scenario, I happened to bring in a supposed cure. It's a lie, of course, but as long as Alice senses her mana circuits expanding when I infuse mana, she's left with no option but to believe in me. That's why she took my impromptu massages seriously.
"Let's save that for nightfall. It's... too bright now."
"Okay."
If she's that nonchalant, it just adds to my embarrassment... Regardless, it's too bright at the moment, and even if Alice is fine with it, I'm not. I'd rather not have anyone passing by see.
"Um... how about we have some food for now?" I tossed in the food card to lighten the mood. When in doubt, turn to food.
"Sure." Alice, showing no emotion, trailed behind as I guided the way. Her persistent nonchalance put me in an awkward spot.
Is there a change in her mindset?
We returned to the tent where we had spent the previous night and prepared our meal. While boiling water and heating instant rice, I checked my accumulated points. There are still 130 surviving students. After tonight passes and transitions into tomorrow, the count will be refreshed.
"350 points... If I continue like this, I might get first place."
I racked up quite a few points from monsters, a boss monster, fellow surviving students, and treasures. In the original narrative, the top spot fluctuates depending on the chosen route, but more often than not, it's claimed by the protagonist. My score on the final day hovered around an average of 700 points.
This should be enough to sail smoothly.
"350 points... Will it be enough? And there's Nam Daeun too."
"Nam Daeun? No, she probably gave up."
Alice warned me about Nam Daeun, but there's no need to worry about her.
The midterm exam comprises three subjects: a written test, a practical test, and a special test. The special test often factors in various elements beyond pure combat ability, making luck a significant player. It doesn't influence the conditions for achieving first place in the practical test, so she doesn't care. In the original story, Nam Daeun forfeits the special test on the first night to talk to her younger sister. It's likely to happen again in this exam.
"Well... She doesn't really care about anything other than the practical test."
"Yes, you're right."
Nam Daeun's surrender is an event that occurs in all routes. It's likely to happen unless there are special circumstances.
We settled for lunch with hot rice and smoked pork belly. I should have bought a more diverse set of side dishes. I bought a lot of smoked products, fearing they might go bad, but it turned out to be a needless worry.
"Oh? Isn't that a supply box over there?" As I stretched and loosened up after eating, I noticed a supply box dropping a bit far from here.
"It's a bit far, but if we run, we should have enough time... Want to go?"
"Yeah. But I need to infuse mana into you before we go."
"Okay."
I held Alice's shoulder and infused mana. By now, the sensation of infusing mana had become familiar.
I could try stimulating the inside of the mana circuits.
During the process of infusing mana, there's a sensation of stimulation within the mana circuits. If I can induce that feeling, I might be able to adjust the therapeutic effect Alice perceives. Of course, there's no real therapeutic effect, but if I'm pulling a trick, might as well make it a nice one for her.
"Let's go." After pumping in just the right amount of mana, we sprinted towards the supply box. Lucky for us, we got there without bumping into any other students. With excitement, inside the supply box were beef jerky and a blanket.
"Oh, darn... no luck."
"Okay! Hold on!"
Kim Younghan was monopolizing the scanning of supply boxes. The Survival Test app updated randomly when scanning the code. The added abilities from the update didn't overlap. Once you gained an ability, it wouldn't appear again. Discovering this, Kim Younghan requested others to give him the codes.
[Designated Student Location Tracking Voucher added.]
[Once every 24 hours. Provides the coordinates of the desired student's location.]
"Finally, it's here."
The ability to target Lee Hoyeon has finally emerged.
"I can have a revenge duel one-on-one with the handsome guy."
"Younghan, didn't you say you were just doing it for fun?"
When a nearby student questioned with disbelief, Kim Younghan shrugged again.
"It's for fun, indeed."
"Wait, someone is coming this way."
Hearing the student's words, Kim Younghan also looked in that direction. An attractive woman with sculpted features and sharp eyes, walking as if she had carved her path.
Nam Daeun was approaching.
She still had the same indifferent expression, seemingly uninterested in anyone. Even with over 30 people gathered, she appeared completely disinterested, not sparing a hint of attention.
"What should I do...? Should I act friendly for now?"
"Yeah, we have more than 30 people; there's no need to be intimidated."
Normally, Kim Younghan would have ignored and let her go, but with Alice and Lee Hoyeon joining forces, his side also needed a strong force.
"Nam Daeun, hi there!" Kim Younghan confidently stood in front of her.
"...?" Nam Daeun looked at him with skepticism.
"Well, do you want to join our team? There are already more than 30 of us."
"No."
"Yeah... Figured." Kim Younghan gracefully stepped back at the expected response. Forcing an uncontrollable person into the group wasn't an option.
"But I have a question." However, Nam Daeun, who was expected to just leave, posed a question.
"What?"
"Where is Lee Hoyeon... do you know?"
"..."
Kim Younghan thought that if he handled it well, he might be able to bring Nam Daeun along.
***
As night fell, we located a familiar spot to set up the tent.
"Here looks good."
The pop-up tent was deployed, and I carefully set up the sleeping bag and pillow inside. The two of us never actually slept side by side in the tent; we took turns keeping watch at the fire. Sure, we shared the pillow and sleeping bag, but let's chalk that up to survival tactics.
But that's not the critical part.
Rustle, rustle.
Inside the tent, Alice was in the process of undressing.
She likely won't strip entirely, will she?
I'm not entirely sure about the extent of Alice's exposure, but there's a good chance it won't be much. In that case, what's the plan?
I need to make the effect clear.
I must ensure the massage on bare skin feels even more potent.
"Come in..."
I nervously swallowed and stepped into the tent. Her bare back caught my eye. The straps of the loosened bra dangled from both sides. Alice, with her student uniform and bra covering her stomach and chest, only revealed her back to me.
"Hurry up." Alice spoke with a voice unlike her usual self.
Looks like she's feeling a bit self-conscious. I absolutely must excel at this. If there's no difference, well, I'm royally screwed.
Vision Enhancement.
My eyes tinged with a golden hue, and I focused mana on the tips of my fingers.