Deserted Island Survival (1)

Time passed quickly, and before anyone knew it, it was late June.

A clear sky. The blazing summer sun shining down.

The deserted island survival test had begun.

—SPLAAASH!!

A massive ship cut through the calm sea as it advanced.

“All cadets! Attention, everyone!”

The senior instructor shouted from the broad deck.

“As you probably know, this test is practically real combat. On that deserted island, you’ll find all kinds of vicious poisonous insects and beasts, itching to tear you apart. If you let your guard down, you could really die. Everyone stay sharp and brace yourselves.”

Soon, the cadets would plunge into the wilds and experience true survival for themselves.

“Before we begin, I’ll go over the rules and precautions one last time. This will be your final explanation, so focus.”

The instructor explained the test rules and notes with precise diction.

“First, your goal is to survive on the deserted island for one week.”

The cadets had to use everything they’d learned at Sword Dragon Hall: their knowledge, skills, self-sufficiency for food and tools, and safe shelter—everything to survive.

“Second, various treasures are hidden on the deserted island.”

Finding treasures awarded bonus points.

Ten points for each magic orb. Two hundred points for each elixir.

Any treasures found could be kept by the cadet after the test ended.

You could use them yourself or sell them if you wanted, so they were rewards in their own right.

“Third, you are strictly forbidden to use aura for this exam.”

Artifacts, external medicines, and magic scrolls brought from outside were of course also prohibited.

Even the swords received during the Sword Selection Ceremony could not be used.

Cadets had to rely solely on their physical capabilities and knowledge for this survival test.

“If caught cheating, you’re immediately disqualified. And you will lose 5,000 points from your personal score.”

A 5,000-point penalty was enough to get you expelled from Sword Dragon Hall—it was a serious loss. The third rule had to be followed without exception.

“Fourth, cooperation and competition between cadets are both allowed.”

For this test, the social skills and leadership of each cadet would count toward their evaluation.

This gave a large advantage to young heirs of powerful families, but blending into those cliques and surviving was also considered a survival ability.

Of course, there was no limit on team size, even for cadets without powerful backgrounds. If you were skilled enough, you could even lead the entire cadet group yourself.

At the same time, competition was freely permitted.

“If you take another cadet’s badge, you’ll receive 200 bonus points for each one.”

A cadet who lost their badge would be disqualified from the test, having failed to survive, and be scored a zero.

Treasures and competition were important, but if you failed to survive, everything would be for naught.

If you went after bonus points and ended up with a zero, there’d be nothing more frustrating.

Above all, in this test, the most important thing was personal survival.

“Fifth, each of you will be given a single flare.”

If you became poisoned, gravely wounded, or isolated—any situation you absolutely could not handle on your own—you could use your flare at any time.

However, using the flare counted as failing to survive.

And since it meant giving up voluntarily, you’d be penalized 300 points from your personal score.

If your year-end grades at Sword Dragon Hall were lacking, you couldn’t move up to the next class and could be expelled, so using your flare should only be a very last resort.

“That’s all for the explanation.”

With that, the instructor’s briefing ended.

“We’ll begin immediately. Cadets number 1 to 10! Board the boats marked with your number. Move!”

The first ten cadets in line boarded separate rowboats.

Entry order had been determined by lottery.

It was advantageous to enter the island early, to secure good spots and treasures, so these ten were the lucky ones.

‘As for me…’

Ian’s entry number was 278.

‘Tsk.’

A very late slot.

‘Not my lucky day.’

—SPLASH! SPLASH!

Ten rowboats pulled away, heading for the deserted island.

Those cadets would land at different points and begin their own survival challenge the moment they made landfall.

‘… I’m worried about Sophia.’

Sophia’s number was 132.

She was much earlier than Ian.

“…”

Ian looked toward the front of the line, where Sophia was seated.

“Young master!”

Sophia made eye contact with Ian, clenching her fists and giving him a big smile.

“Fighting!”

“…”

Even though real-life training was important for improving ability, Ian didn’t want Sophia to get caught up with troublemakers or hurt herself picking the wrong wild plants.

And, above all else…

“Kehehehe…”

“Kuhehehe…”

Hector’s gang, looking at Ian from the very front of the line, snickering to themselves.

He was extremely concerned they might mess with Sophia.

Not only that, but somehow they’d all ended up with low entry numbers as if they’d gamed the lottery.

Had they bribed the person in charge of the draw?

Using the Gold Hound family’s influence?

They were always thuggish, but today that air was stronger than usual.

With the test starting, Ian was certain they’d go after Sophia, and when he reached the island, his first priority was to join her and eliminate them right away.

‘Might as well take this chance to teach those bastards a proper lesson, too.’

He had endured their nasty stares for months since the start of term.

If they had more openly picked a fight, he would have smashed them already, but as it was he’d just put up with it.

‘But for this test, I can finally hit them as much as I want.’

He figured Hector’s gang was thinking the same thing and were eager for a chance to beat Ian to a pulp.

They apparently still held a serious grudge from the entrance exam.

Now they seemed ready to drag Sophia, his childhood friend, into it as revenge against Ian.

‘Just the thought of it disgusts me.’

Ian planned to leave an indelible lesson all over Hector’s gang’s bodies this time.

Once they truly felt the difference, they’d keep to themselves.

Unless, that is, they wanted to get destroyed even worse in the next real combat test.

‘After I’m done schooling those guys, I’ll have to find Yuria.’

According to his memories from his previous life, nothing dangerous was supposed to happen to Yuria in this test; but with Aris as the new Sword Dragon Hall Lord, unexpected variables could appear at any time.

Aris was watching Ian from the ship, so he couldn’t openly show any collaboration with Yuria. But at least he could check if Yuria was making it through the exam safely.

‘But the biggest problem… is what kind of scheme Aris has set for this test.’

Aris had become Hall Lord solely out of her obsession with Ian.

She had even prepared the first-place reward for this test—a Millennium Golden Ginseng, exactly what Ian needed—to lure him here.

So, it was highly likely the deserted island was rigged with some scheme targeting Ian.

‘What could Aris have prepared? Monsters? Assassins? Magic traps? Kidnapping? There are way too many possibilities to guess. But—’

Whatever Aris had up her sleeve, Ian had a trump card that could overcome anything.

Spatial storage magic, engraved in his body over a month of projection training. And the Vladiark stored inside.

On top of that, Ian’s aura cultivation was now at the level of early-stage Swordmaster.

Even if a Grandmaster appeared right in front of him, Ian was confident his surprise attack would succeed.

‘Let’s do this.’

Ian’s gaze grew cold.

Whatever appeared on the island, he was set on destroying it all.

* * *

—SPLASH!

—SHHHHH!

The rowboat carrying Ian reached the shore of the deserted island.

“Get out now, cadet Ian.”

The instructor who had rowed him there wished him luck.

“Take care. See you in a week.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The instructor rowed the boat back toward the ship.

‘Alright… then.’

The first order of business was to find Sophia.

Yuria was basically the apex predator here, so she could be left alone for a bit. But leaving Sophia by herself, even briefly, with Hector’s gang around, felt far too risky.

Ian was about to set off in search of Sophia when—

—KWA-BOOOOM!!

The ground shook violently, almost like a boulder had exploded.

“IIIIIAAAAAANNN!!!”

At the same time, a gigantic mass surged across the sky, flying like a siege engine’s catapult shot.

“What the…?”

Ian stared blankly at the flying mass before instinctively rolling to the side.

—KABOOOM!!!

The lump crashed down exactly where Ian had just stood, making the sand erupt as if hit by a bomb.

“Cra—Crazy…!”

Barbarian Kuga.

The source was that mass, having leapt out of the forest.

“Ian! Warrior! The time has come! Let us settle this!”

“Haa…”

Ian looked around.

There was no other presence but Kuga.

“Don’t tell me… you’ve been waiting here this whole time?”

There was no way Kuga could have greeted him the moment he arrived otherwise.

“That’s right! I was watching from the tallest tree until you got here! I have waited for this day!”

“…”

The obsession of this muscle-bound giant…

It wasn’t a welcome sort of fixation.

‘And besides, I’m a bit busy right now.’

Ian did want to teach Kuga a lesson, but right now, the priority was to meet up with Sophia.

“Kuga. Do we really have to fight right now?”

“Of course! I won’t back down this time! Ian!”

“How about you come with me for now instead? I’ll fight you in a week.”

He figured he could teach Kuga a lot tagging along together.

“You need points, right? If you pass out or lose your badge in a fight, you’re scored zero.”

But Kuga shook his head.

“I refuse! The only thing I want is to compete with you! Right now!”

“… Stubborn, aren’t you.”

Ian smacked his lips with a bitter face.

“In that case, I guess it can’t be helped.”

—Flick.

Ian snapped his fingers.

“Come at me, then. Kuga.”

He’d just finish this quickly and go find Sophia.

“OOOOOOOHH!!! That’s just like you—WARRIOR! IAN!”

Kuga roared, swelling every muscle in his body.

—CRACK! CRACK!

A physique no one would believe came from a fourteen-year-old.

—TWITCH! TWITCH!

Veins rose on his muscles, writhing like serpents.

He was less like a human than a monster.

Kuga had the body of a barbarian capable of ripping apart bears.

‘As expected… Kuga is special even among Barbarians.’

Despite being only fourteen, his muscles rivaled most adult barbarians.

‘Tsk.’

In contrast, Ian’s body was still small and scrawny compared to Kuga.

He’d finally started to add some muscle from training, but next to Kuga’s brute frame, Ian looked like a toothpick.

‘Normally, there’s no way I’d win against him without aura or a sword.’

No fourteen-year-old, no matter how much they worked out, could beat a bear.

But—

─《Authority of Projection》─

◆Traits

[Orc’s Strength Lv.15], [Ghoul’s Strength Lv.28], [Gargoyle’s Strength Lv.36], [Abomination’s Strength Lv.57], [Barbarian Warlord’s Strength Lv.72]……

──────────

Thanks to the Authority of Projection, Ian had accumulated strength traits bit by bit.

He had already fully manifested all of them, so they were constantly active even without aura.

Moreover, Ian’s physique had been strengthened by the Darkan’s Heavenly Blood Pill—it was no ordinary boy’s body now.

‘Someone like Kuga… I could play with him like a teddy bear.’

Briefly, Ian wondered, ‘Did Aris set him up for me?’

Wanting to see how he’d handle a Barbarian without aura or Vladiark?

‘If that’s the case, this test will be extremely easy.’

Someone like Kuga, Ian could end instantly without even revealing anything.

If Aris ever asked how he defeated a barbarian with such a feeble body, he could just claim it was the elixir’s effect.

“I’ll fight with my life on the line!! IAN!!”

—KABOOOM!

Kuga charged, exploding the ground like a cannon.

“Alright. Let’s finish this quickly—no time to lose.”

—SWOOSH!

Ian also leaped toward Kuga, both feet launching off the earth.

—THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

Kuga barreled in with the force of a boulder tumbling down a mountain.

—STEP! STEP! STEP! STEP!

On the other hand, Ian’s steps were small and light.

Anyone watching would say Ian would be crushed in a head-on collision.

And yet—

—KABOOOOM!!!

The giant and the boy collided dead on with a thunderous boom.

“…”

“KU—KUHHHACK!!!”

The one utterly crushed and sent flying—was Kuga.

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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