I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

There were three major sources of drinking water on this island.

One was the well I dug myself.

Another was a large pond in the Bears’ Territory.

And the last one was a pond in the Snakes’ Territory.

These three locations were strategic points for sourcing drinking water on this island. That’s why I had been so dedicated to securing drinking water over the years. Sadly, the snake bastards released poison, rendering it unusable. It should neutralize over time, but until then, I have to endure by securing water by any means necessary.

Damn those little bastards.

I’ll burn that Hydra to death alive.

I gritted my teeth and quickened my pace.

Of course, it was to head to the Snakes’ pond.

Yeah, a pond. There’s no way there could be a lake on such a small island. It’s pretty large for a pond, but still, it is what it is. The snakes, who hold relatively fertile land, are the dominant force on this island. The bears aren’t weak either, but they’re fewer in number, simple-minded, and busy eating and shitting, so they have little interest in expanding their territory.

Both groups don’t get along with me much, but if you think about it, I’m just an unwelcome presence caught between the two territories. Now it’s down to just the snakes, and the dynamics have turned into a three-way struggle between the snakes, the dungeon, and me. Whether that’s good or bad, I don’t know.

Both the bears and the snakes, not to mention the dungeon, are nuisances.

Anyway, I postponed dealing with the snakes for now, but to escape the island, I’ll have to tackle the dungeon. There’s no concrete evidence, but it seems that’s the only way to remove the mysterious whirlpool surrounding this island.

So once Renny is fully healed, or at least recovered enough to fight, I plan to attack the dungeon no matter what. The undead will be sorted out by Karina, and the future looks grimly busy, which is annoying.

Living on this island forever might not be too bad.

But can I adapt to life outside?

I’ve already gotten used to living alone, haven’t I? I want to smell the scent of civilization, but in the end, this isn’t the world I knew. There are cars, airplanes, and computers—none of which exist here. What difference would it make if I entered such a world? Even if I leave this island, it would be the start of a tearful adjustment period.

Moreover, the endings of the Survival Academy are filled with bad endings devoid of dreams or hope. How many bad endings were there? Twenty? Around five for the main story, and a couple for each heroine. There are also some comedic bad endings.

If I don’t escape this island, maybe I won’t get caught up in those bad endings. Even if the world crumbles, this island will remain peaceful. Until one day I hang myself and die.

Anyway, I never got to see the true ending. When the true ending part was released as DLC, I got possessed immediately after buying it. In this already difficult game, what kind of mess would I find out there if I didn’t even know the requirements for the true ending? Even if I do nothing, the protagonist would handle it, but there’s only one opportunity. I’m curious about who that protagonist is.

My thoughts drifted. First, I need to take care of the snake bastards. After all, I have to take them down before anything can happen.

I hurried along toward the Snakes’ Territory as I formulated my plan. My goal is the pond located in the Snakes’ Territory. According to the great Code of Hammurabi, didn’t it say “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”? So, I was thinking of terrorizing the snakes, following the Code of Hammurabi.

In simple terms, it’s an operation called “If I can’t drink, neither can you.”

The grudge over the ruined water is deep. Now that the bear bastards are gone, it’s time to fight. Cowardly little snakes. This is no different than declaring war. Those who mess with the water need to face the consequences.

As I gritted my teeth and walked, the boundary line began to come into view. A boundary line littered with things snakes hate. How did I cross it? I must have passed through the traps laid in the Bears’ Territory. I need to sprinkle snake repellent there too. I could either dismantle the traps or reinforce the walls. Now that all the bears are gone, there’s no need for them.

Wait, no, let’s hold off on dismantling the traps for now, since there’s still a dungeon. If zombi… thud thud… zombies start banging on the walls at night, I’ll get annoyed. I have no idea why zombies keep popping up from the dungeon.

“…It’s quiet.”

Is it because there are no bears? The news of their complete massacre must have reached the snakes. That’s why they’re bold enough to pull this off. Seriously, look at how cowardly they are…

Standing at the boundary, I took out a pouch filled with powder from the leather pouch on my shoulder and gently sprinkled it along the boundary. As the powder fell, a swoosh swoosh sound echoed, and snakes revealed themselves.

So they were lying in ambush at the boundary. That Hydra must know I’m coming. If I walk in openly, dozens of snakes will greet me—it’s obvious, predictable.

I slowly poured the powder along the boundary as I moved toward the closest spot to where the pond should be. Because of the powder, the snakes couldn’t even attempt to attack me and could only hiss angrily. That hissing sound was grating on my ears, but I could endure it since I wouldn’t be hearing it for long.

“Is it around here?”

It was hard to guess with trees surrounding it densely, but recalling my past memories, this should be the right spot. I stood there, looking toward where the pond should be. There were so many trees. I almost felt like burning them down. If I actually set the forest on fire, I could easily eliminate the snakes, but that would leave me dead too, so it was frustrating that I couldn’t do it.

Thus, the plan B was to destroy the pond. If I ruin the pond’s water, the snakes won’t be able to hydrate and will suffer. And it might slow down their advance a bit. It’s too far to attack the source in the Bears’ Territory, and doing that would mean I’d have to confront the monsters in the dungeon.

No matter how venomous the snakes are, they wouldn’t be able to hurt skeletons or zombies.

Oh, wait.

An interesting idea just popped into my head.

I shifted my gaze from the direction of the pond to where the dungeon was located. Monsters must still be spawning in the dungeon right now. Perhaps I could make use of that.

I turned and headed straight for the dungeon.

I was mulling over how to efficiently execute the plan I just came up with.

————–

“Ugh…”

“Renny?! Are you awake?”

“Karina… where is… this…”

In a hazy and dizzy state, Renny spotted the flickering pink hair in one corner of her swaying vision. The color she had longed to see. The only pink hair in the world shimmered in her sight. She wanted to grab it immediately, but her body wouldn’t move.

‘What a failed bodyguard.’

A bodyguard being nursed by the very person they were protecting would surely be laughed at by others. Still, Renny was happy.

As long as she was alive, it was a blessing. Renny couldn’t decide whether to thank Kalon for not letting her die and for their reunion with Karina, or just deem it good luck.

Renny wanted to share this joy and moved her lips.

She wanted to speak, but couldn’t. It was only then that Renny realized the severity of her body condition. With the little movement she had, she tried to turn her eyes to look at Karina’s face. But alas, her eyes, too tired from prolonged movement, just wouldn’t work. She wasn’t blind, but she would have to endure living in a haze until her body healed.

“Renny… you don’t need to push yourself. Just rest now. It hasn’t been long since you purified the poison…”

‘…Poison?’

Did I get poisoned? Renny tried to ignore the pain coursing through her body and focused on recalling her memories. What had happened to me? The memories were hazy. She had woken up on the beach, beaten a bear, eaten mushrooms because she was hungry, and then…

“Ugh…!”

“Renny?! Are you okay?!”

Karina looked as if she would burst into tears at any moment as she checked Renny’s condition. She scanned Renny’s body with concern, fearing that she might have re-injured something, but thankfully there were no fresh injuries. Karina let out a sigh of relief. Her body was drenched in cold sweat.

Renny fainted again from the agonizing pain that spread throughout her body.

‘I’ve used up all my mana to purify the venom that has filled my entire body… I’m dizzy. I need to rest a bit too.’

The poison that filled Renny’s body was utterly vile. Hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, along with poison tainting her blood, dissolving her insides, and wounds all over her body. It was hard to tell if this was a corpse or a living person. Even those who had undergone long-term black magician experiments wouldn’t have experienced this much.

‘Still, after about a week of treatment…’

Though a full recovery wouldn’t be feasible, at least she might recover enough to move slightly. Karina was grateful once again for being a Saint. If it weren’t for the powerful sacred magic only a Saint could use, Renny would have been buried in the ground the day she was carried on Johann’s back.

With all her limbs severed.

“I wonder when Johann will return…”

Muttering to herself, no one could hear, Karina closed her eyes.

Just for a moment, just a brief moment, she would rest.

Next to the crackling firewood, a tranquil breath joined the silence.

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