I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

“Stay hidden in the shelter.”

“Yes!”

I was a bit surprised by Karina’s response; it was too natural. Don’t you usually ask for reasons first? I asked her while she vigorously nodded.

“…Aren’t you going to ask why?”

“Sir Johann wouldn’t say that casually, right? Plus, it must be related to that previous incident…”

Well, she had probably guessed my intent right away since it was pretty obvious why I wanted to send her to the shelter. I didn’t have the confidence to explain it all, but who knew she would be such a quick-witted one? This would make things a bit easier.

I recalled the location of several items I had at home and headed toward the storage room inside. Things salvaged from the wreck and various items I had crafted as a hobby.

Among them, the ones I needed to gather were the poisons I had collected so far.

The powder made from crushed poisonous herbs, the spore powder extracted from mushrooms, and the poisons extracted from the occasional venomous snakes that wandered into my territory and became barbecue. To survive in the wild, one always has to keep a card up their sleeve.

It’s not the strongest who survive; it’s those who manage to endure, after all.

“Should I have brought some poop bombs?”

Sure, they smell terrible, but they’re great for scaring off monsters.

Disgusting? Well, who cares!

A weak human has to work hard to survive alone in the wild. If you’re picky about warm rice or cold rice, you’ll end up as lukewarm meat for a meal; that’s just the reality of the wild. No one is foolish enough to be choosy. Besides, while human poop is utterly useless, animal poop can be quite handy.

You could use it to scatter the scent of predators, as fuel for drying, or even as fertilizer—even if that last one is rather pointless. I don’t know why human poop can’t be useful, but it certainly has its uses. If this were a desert instead of a deserted island, I’d be stuffing the storage with camel dung. They say camel dung burns quite well.

Speaking of, I wonder when I can speak a bit more freely.

If she were just an ordinary-looking woman, it might be easier to strike up a conversation. But her overwhelming beauty makes it feel like there’s a burden just starting a conversation. She feels like one of those people I’d never have a chance with, making it hard to bridge that gap.

But I can’t just live my whole life like this… no wait, after escaping, we’ll probably go our separate ways anyway.

After all, Karina is a saint, and I’m just a castaway without any connection to her. So, there’s no need to get any closer. I’m no protagonist anyway.

“…By the way, who’s the protagonist of the Survival Academy?”

I remember that if I don’t set anything, it starts with the basic settings, but that part is a bit hazy. It’s been a decade since then, and I’ve never seen the basic settings in action, so all I know are the rumors. I do know, however, that whoever it is will go through all sorts of hell before graduating.

But that’s not my concern right now. What I need to focus on is how to deal with this impending crisis that has approached without any warning. Even if I mobilize all the resources I have now, I can’t be sure if I’ll come out alive.

I have no idea about its identity, nor its weaknesses. Nothing is more deadly than that.

The only advantage I have is that I’ve been everywhere on this deserted island. Knowing the terrain is as crucial as anything in a battle. This island is teeming with creatures that could crush humans like popped cans.

“…I think I might have picked up a telescope among the things I gathered…”

As I rummaged through the random junk, hoping to find a telescope, unfortunately, none were in sight. Do I have to make one myself? But I don’t know how to make tools like that.

Even if I have crafting skills, if I don’t know how to make something, it’s of no use. I think I learned how to make a telescope from a comic book I read long ago, but I’d need lenses for that… and to make lenses… I’d need glass, right?

Lenses—do I have any?

After rummaging through the storage for a while, I regrettably found no lenses. In the end, it meant I had to check things with my bare eyes.

I nearly bit the dust when I inadvertently encountered snakes and bear cubs before, but now I have to take risks again? Can’t life cut me some slack?

“I’d rather make some items necessary for ambush.”

Since I can’t dream of a telescope, making disguises to avoid detection from the newly arrived intruder is the better option.

Disguising is just a bonus.

“Life…”

It was such a hassle applying camouflage cream in the army, and now I find myself in the position of having to cover myself completely with it here.

“…Tomorrow’s going to be one hell of a day.”

—————-

“Please be careful.”

“…Stay safe.”

I quietly closed the door of the shelter. It wouldn’t open for a while.

At least, that’s what I hope. If someone else opens it or a monster breaks in… let’s not dwell on such ominous thoughts.

I stepped forward, carrying my leather pouch, heavy as my military gear.

My destination, of course, was the Bears’ Territory, where that mysterious enemy likely was. I wasn’t sure how many days it would take, but I had to see it through.

As always, time is not on my side.

The longer I wait and the more I hesitate to act, the closer to doom that newfound menace would creep up on me. So from now on, I need to gather information, set traps, and lure and eliminate the enemy.

“I hope the poison works.”

If I can take it down easily with poison, that would be the most convenient method. Luckily, I had collected enough poison to pour over my traps. Still, I want to resolve this peacefully if possible…

But that’s unlikely.

Based on my ten years of experience on this deserted island, that creature’s eyes were filled only with murderous intent. Could I possibly have a peaceful conversation with something that has such eyes? At least, I don’t think so. If that were the case, would I have gone to the trouble of covering my territory in traps?

We’d probably just be shouting “We’re all friends!” and working together.

Sigh. If my skills were more about crafting instead of druidic magic, life on this deserted island would have been easier. If I could just get along with the bears, my castaway adventure would drop down to easy mode.

People might choose hard mode for games but want the easy mode in life, right? Ah, this isn’t the time for such thoughts. I need to focus; I’m about to head back into that perilous place again.

“…What the hell is wreaking havoc in this forest?”

As soon as I stepped into the territory, I saw broken trees and the frequent evidence of disturbed earth, which led me to think. Is it behaving like a herbivore despite such violent actions? Why is it tearing up the ground? Is it eating roots or something? Or maybe…

“…I need to disguise myself first.”

I pulled out my shovel and dug into the slightly damp earth. The rich scent of nature wafted from the mud coming closer to my face. A smell that I had grown sick of, but today it was even more nauseating. I smeared mud all over my upper body. Brown mud clung thickly to me.

It’s been years since I did this. When I first got stranded on the deserted island, I did all sorts of crazy things to survive. Smearing mud all over was just a cute gesture; at times, I’d even smear bear dung if necessary… I thought I wouldn’t do this again.

“Life, damn…”

Cursing under my breath, I looked down at my mud-covered body and lowered myself to inspect the disturbed area. The hole wasn’t very large. It looked like it had been dug up haphazardly by human hands. When I took a little dig at the area with my shovel, a white lump gradually revealed itself among the dirt.

Something about the size of my fingernail.

I cautiously used the shovel blade to scoop it out.

“…A mushroom?”

It felt soft and appetizing. It looked like a mushroom.

Eating mushrooms? On this deserted island? Shouldn’t it be full of poisonous mushrooms? Does it have some tolerance for poison? Or could it be that…

“!@ㅑ#ㅛ#!&(!#!)!”

“My ears…”

I reflexively covered my ears, but I couldn’t block the shock transmitted through my ear drums to my brain. The world around me shook. I felt like I was seeing mirages before my eyes. I hid behind a tree and pulled out some herbs from my pouch, munching on them whole.

Bitter.

Tastes terrible.

But I have to eat.

I held my nose and swallowed the herbs whole, slowly regaining my clarity as my vision started to stabilize. It was obvious who the owner of that roar was.

“…Phew. Still, I have to do what I must.”

I rose to my feet. The fact that someone had let out a roar likely meant something was happening.

My head hurts. But when has it not? Living on this deserted island is a continuous series of headaches. This too is just another headache. Besides, I can’t keep running away on this tiny deserted island forever.

So, let’s see who this morning’s shouter is.

Of course, from a very far distance.

The brave coward that I am, I made my way toward the unknown adversary.

---