Chapter 162: Survival (3)

As the shimmering light enveloping my body faded, the first thing I noticed was the green foliage.

Realizing I was surrounded by greenery, I quickly crouched down to conceal myself. While being spotted wouldn’t cause any real issues, I wanted to remain hidden from both the Possessed and the other students for now.

‘Right… Marina told me to check the map.’

Following her advice, I pulled out the map. Amidst the sea of blue and red dots, a single black point stood out.

I didn’t need Marina to confirm that this black dot represented me. Its solitary nature and position over what appeared to be a thicket symbol made it pretty clear.

Still, there was no harm in double-checking. I took about ten steps to the side, and the black dot on the map subtly shifted accordingly.

While I wasn’t great at reading maps, this at least confirmed that the dot was indeed me.

‘But which one is Jessica and which is Euclid?’

The two were marked in red, unlike the other students, but there was no way to distinguish between them.

I was about to take a closer look at the map to decide which one to check on first when my communication device buzzed.

[Ian.]

Marina’s voice came through as I put the device to my ear.

[The map shows you’ve arrived safely. Is that correct?]

“I’m in some kind of thicket. All I can see are trees and leaves. Is this right?”

[You’ve arrived exactly where you should be. I thought it would be easier for you to move around if you were hidden. So, what’s your plan now?]

“For now, I’ll keep an eye on them from a distance.”

With no immediate threat from our enemies and no concrete countermeasures in place, watching over the two from afar was the best I could do for now.

I needed to set up my own camp, so I planned to wait until they found suitable spots and then establish my base somewhere between them.

[Who will you check on first?]

“I’ll start with whoever’s closest. I’ll contact you again if anything comes up.”

After ending the call, I checked the map. The nearest dot was to my right, moving slowly enough that I could easily catch up.

It would’ve been helpful if the map showed where food sources were, but the forest was too vast. Marking everything would’ve made the map cluttered and less accurate.

‘I’ve mostly memorized it anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem…’

Using the trees as stepping stones, I made quick progress. Soon enough, I spotted a familiar roll of hair.

Remembering my previous advice, Jessica was moving alone, unlike during the labyrinth incident. Her backpack seemed untouched, suggesting she hadn’t found a spot to set up camp yet.

‘She seems fine for now.’

It had only been about three hours since entering the forest, so this was to be expected. Still, seeing her safe was reassuring.

“Oh?”

Jessica suddenly bent down, and as I looked closer, I saw her hurriedly gathering mushrooms near a tree.

Picking wild mushrooms without expert knowledge was extremely dangerous, no matter how hungry you were. But in this forest, it was probably safe. The academy wouldn’t have planted any dangerous mushrooms that could harm students during the test.

‘Still, that pose is kind of tempting.’

Seeing her bent over with her backside out reminded me of a certain night, and I felt a mischievous urge.

Silently touching down on the ground, I stealthily approached Jessica.

Taking advantage of her distraction as she gathered mushrooms, I gave her protruding backside a solid smack.

“Eek!!”

Caught off guard by the sudden impact, Jessica tumbled forward. I gave her bottom a couple more quick rubs before swiftly retreating, feeling satisfied.

“Ugh!!”

As Jessica got up and looked around angrily, I was already gone.

While there was no evidence it was me, I was the only one in this forest likely to do such a thing. Jessica called out my name at the top of her lungs.

“Ian!!! I know it’s you!! Come out right now!!”

Of course, shouting at someone in hiding wouldn’t make them reveal themselves, but Jessica kept yelling my name.

After a while, when I didn’t appear, she seemed to tire out. Turning away, she muttered under her breath.

“Just wait till we get home…”

Oh boy, how scary…

After watching Jessica storm off down the path, I turned my attention to Euclid, following the map towards his location.

As I approached Euclid’s position, I spotted Nana in her full-body armor, which stood out even more in this forest setting.

Despite my efforts to move quietly, Nana noticed me hiding in the bushes and turned around.

As expected of someone entrusted with protecting a prince, her ability to sense others was top-notch.

[You’re here. Have you noticed anything suspicious?]

“I’ve been here less than 30 minutes. If something weird showed up that fast, we’d need to evacuate immediately. What are you two up to?”

Euclid was cradling an armful of what looked like mushrooms and wild plants, scanning the area for more edibles. He seemed to be in a hurry, as if being chased by something.

While it made sense to get this task done early, he appeared to be rushing unnecessarily.

[Well… it’s embarrassing, but His Highness is gathering food for my share as well, saying he can’t let me go hungry.]

“Ah…”

Nana’s voice was a mix of happiness and awkwardness. She seemed pleased that her master was looking out for her, but also embarrassed about causing trouble for Euclid.

“That’s just like Euclid. Want me to tell you where there’s a good concentration of food?”

[Even if you did, His Highness would refuse my advice, calling it cheating.]

“You could still guide him a bit, right? Like saying, ‘Mushrooms often grow in places like this.’ With two mouths to feed, a little advice seems fair, doesn’t it?”

[…Please.]

I gave Nana directions to one of the locations I remembered, and she immediately relayed it to Euclid.

Euclid hesitated at first, but after some persuasion from Nana, he nodded, seeming to find the logic acceptable.

“Um… Is this level of advice okay?” he asked.

“Your Highness has one more mouth to feed than others, so surely no one would complain,” Nana replied.

In an academy that valued authority above all else, it was unlikely anyone would dare complain about a royal’s actions anyway, but her point stood.

Easily convinced by Nana’s words, Euclid headed towards the spot I had indicated.

I waited until the pair was out of sight before emerging from the bushes.

‘Now, what should I do next…?’

Setting up a base and gathering food came to mind, but neither was urgent.

I needed to establish my camp close to Jessica’s and Euclid’s locations, so it wasn’t time for that yet. As for food, I still had what I’d brought with me.

‘Should I check on the other students? Or maybe take a look at those magical beasts Marina mentioned?’

Those guys knew me well.

They were aware that I didn’t care about family influence, so they probably wouldn’t bother taking regular students hostage.

That left me with one clear task: finding the magical beasts roaming this forest.

The map only showed student locations, not the beasts, but tracking them wasn’t difficult.

What looked like footprints – if you could call them that – clearly belonged to some kind of magic beast.

‘What the hell is this?’

The trail, soaked with some kind of viscous liquid, resembled the path of an enormous snake.

I knelt down to touch the ground, and a sticky, damp substance clung to my hand. It was so viscous that I struggled to wipe it off.

Keeping hidden in the bushes, I followed the trail in a straight line. It wasn’t long before I found the creature responsible.

‘A slime?’

I couldn’t hide my surprise at the sight of a giant slime, similar in size to the ice giants that had attacked me in the training ground. This was a magic beast that had never appeared in the original story.

Since Marina was unlikely to be a Possessed like me, this must have been her own creation, perhaps the result of some experimentation.

‘I can see why Marina told me not to engage with these.’

For a swordsman, an enemy that could regenerate or split when cut was indeed the worst possible opponent.

However, I doubted this slime would be much help against Ganryu.

While he hadn’t used any fire techniques when fighting me, Ganryu used a Japanese sword. If he wanted to, creating fire would probably be a simple matter for him.

Still, having the slime was better than nothing. But if that wizard I saw before came along too, there was a real risk of the slime being taken over and becoming a liability instead.

‘…This might be a disaster in the making.’