Chapter 246

Chapter 246

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 246 Survival Competition (2)

400 students fell into the forest.

Despite spreading out widely and falling apart, eliminations were happening shortly after the competition started.

“Ugh... my stomach, it hurts too much. Wasn’t it that fruit I ate earlier?”

“Wheuk! Wheeeeuk! Cough! I drank stagnant water in that hole earlier, and now I’m vomiting...”

“Aaah! It hurts! Something bit me! My eyes are swollen!”

The designated map for the competition, ‘Red and Black Mountain Range,’ was harsh in itself.

Poisonous mushrooms or fruits, contaminated water, bugs armed with toxins sticking to them, the oppressive atmosphere, heavy humidity, and all sorts of vines and leaves that could cut, stab, or shoot were making it impossible for students to endure even for a few hours.

Sweat dripped just from standing still.

Even simply enduring the bugs attached to their bodies was difficult.

Moreover, rapid dehydration symptoms, fatigue, and hunger meant that eating something would either lead to poisoning or food poisoning.

HP was melting away like butter on a hot frying pan.

This HP, accumulated in specially-made suits, was linked to the wearer’s health and stress levels, increasing or decreasing accordingly.

In other words, students had to do their best to survive without letting the HP of their suits reach zero.

If the HP reached zero, they would be forcibly teleported back to the waiting room.

Meanwhile,

“...Huff, huff, huff.”

Granola de Reviadon of the Colosseo Academy’s Hot Department was breathing heavily with sweat dripping like a waterfall.

The recorded value in his HP suit was 74%.

Since landing in this forest, he hadn’t fought anyone, yet 26% of his HP had already evaporated.

“This is insane. Is this forest really hell? Does such a jungle actually exist in reality?”

But no matter how much he complained, nothing changed.

Granola stared at the collected rainwater in the hollow of a tree.

At first glance, it looked like drinkable water, but bringing his nose closer revealed a foul smell emanating from inside.

Straining his eyes, he saw small centipedes wriggling below the surface.

“Ugh!”

Granola recoiled, holding back nausea.

Drinking something like that due to thirst would cause him to become a Forbidden chocolate fountain

And through diarrhea, he would lose a significant amount of fluids.

‘If that happens, my HP will reach zero. I’ll be eliminated without doing anything.’

Granola turned his head with a tired expression.

Looking down at his waist, he saw the fish he caught earlier.

Despite trying to dry it by scaling it immediately, it remained damp, probably due to the high humidity.

Bringing his nose to it, he smelled a rotten, unpleasant odor.

“Ugh, I can’t drink water, all the food is spoiled. What am I supposed to do?”

Granola began to understand why seniors considered the Red and Black Mountain Range the worst map.

The successor of the Reviadon clan, Granola, found the actual wilderness to be terrifying to the point of being overwhelmed. The poisonous mushrooms and plants depicted in the guidebook looked slightly different in reality. Whether they were larger or smaller, flipped over, torn, inverted, dried, in darkness, or in light, their appearance changed instantly. Many variations, subspecies, and new species were not even mentioned in the guidebook.

“Ugh, that’s right. Even someone like me, who is well-versed in various poisons, is struggling. I wonder how other insignificant individuals are faring.”

Wiping off cold sweat, Granola turned his head, wanting to see how his fellow team members were enduring.

Granola devoured a bowl of the spicy soup on the spot, hiding his delight like a cat burying its waste. Watching him, Vikir calmly added more mushrooms, fish, and a few dried bugs(?) to the pot, letting it simmer for a while.

Granola, still entranced by what he had just eaten, shyly spoke up.

“Uh, excuse me...”

“Eat more. There’s plenty.”

“Th-thank you...”

Avoiding eye contact, Granola coughed a few times and then tilted the coconut bowl to pour more broth.

Slurp slurp slurp...

Granola managed to consume fifteen more bowls, and eventually, he let out a long sigh as if declaring his survival.

His HP, which had dropped to 41%, had now risen to 92%.

Granola gently touched his bulging stomach. Despite eating so much, there was still a considerable amount of spicy soup left in the large coconut.

Granola grinned and asked Vikir, “Hey, commoner... Vikir.”

When Vikir turned his head, Granola cautiously inquired about something he was curious about.

“About this red fish stew. Why did you make so much? It seems like you don’t eat that much yourself.”

HighBro, MiddleBro, and LowBro also turned their attention in this direction, though they hadn’t said anything; they seemed curious too.

“...”

Vikir remained silent for a moment, closed his eyes, and then slowly raised his eyebrows while answering.

“Fishing.”

At this, everyone, including Granola, tilted their heads curiously.

Fishing for more fish after making a spicy soup with the fish you just caught?

Vikir unusually decided to provide additional clarification.

“The prey will soon be baited.”

With this explanation, everyone, including Granola, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Fishing for more fish with the fish caught through fishing?

Vikir, with unprecedented kindness, continued to stir the pot with the broad leaf, letting the enticing aroma of the spicy soup spread. It mingled with the faint light from the embers and slowly expanded over the entire disaster area.

And then, in no time...

...Rustle!

Drawn by the warm heat and delicious aroma, the prey fell into the trap.

Swoosh!

HighBro, MiddleBro, and LowBro half-drew their waist knives. Granola, who had put away his magic book and wand, also showed a tense expression on his face.

“...”

Only Vikir remained calmly hidden behind the thicket, keeping an eye on the campfire.

Gradually...

...Crunch!

Someone, lured by the scent, pushed through the bushes and revealed themselves. They looked exhausted and worn-out, with torn clothes covered in leaves and ashes.

Upon seeing the visitor’s face, the expressions of HighBro, MiddleBro, LowBro, and Granola turned into astonishment. Even Vikir, too, was surprised.

And then...

The voice that came from beyond the thicket, though tinged with fatigue, still retained a youthful innocence.

“Hmm... What’s this smell?”

It was Dolores.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]