Episode 110. Survival Exam (3)

About two to three hours have passed since the exam began.

I am currently heading upstream along the riverbank, looking for a spot suitable for pitching a tent. Since it’s better to find a good spot for continued use.

“Why is it so hot? Aagh.”

I don’t know the island’s exact location, but it seems to be near the equator. The sunlight is blazing, and it’s humid, making for unpleasant weather.

“I’m hungry, so should I eat something?”

Besides meals, I had brought plenty of snacks with me. I sat down on a large rock nearby and opened a bag of potato chips.

Nyam.

Indeed, it was a good thing I brought snacks.

“…What is that?”

While I was resting and eating chips, I saw something golden in a corner of my vision. Looking closer, a blonde female student was floating down upstream from the riverbank.

“Is that… Alice?”

Her face was submerged as she floated down, so I couldn’t see her face, but I recognized her familiar build and hair length. I jumped up, threw my chips aside, and dashed to the riverbank. Whatever had happened, being unconscious and submerged in water wasn’t normal. It was possible her life was in danger.

I pulled Alice out of the water. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like too much time had passed, as she was still breathing. Students with a Status Window don’t die that easily. Once they awaken their Status Window and raise their stats, their bodies become completely different from ordinary people. Of course, it was incredibly fortunate that I found her. While their bodies aren’t prone to dying just from swallowing some water, that doesn’t mean they’re invincible. In that state, if she had been left for another 30 minutes, her life would have been in danger.

“…I guess I’ll set up camp here for now.”

Taking a soaking wet Alice would be difficult, so I decided to just set up camp here. Just in case, I scanned Alice’s body with my mana. Her internal condition seemed fine. To prevent hypothermia, I just needed to dry her clothes. Even if it wasn’t hypothermia, wet clothes are just uncomfortable.

I gathered wood suitable for firewood, and started a fire. Then, I took off Alice’s student uniform. It would be most effective to dry everything, including her underwear, but in my current state of low favorability, attempting such a thing might actually provoke her into trying to kill me.

Tadadak- Ttak-ttak-

Listening to the crackling fire, I spread Alice’s outer clothes on the rocks nearby.

“…Since there’s nothing else to do, I might as well eat.”

Until Alice regains consciousness, I need to watch over her. I placed the frying pan I’d brought over the firewood and started grilling smoked duck.

“I’m glad I packed everything.”

The greasy smell, which whetted my appetite, wafted through the air.

‘Come to think of it, some girls might come looking when they smell this.’

Well, if it’s a heroine, I can share, and if it’s a stranger, I can just take their points. For now, the students probably aren’t feeling hunger properly yet. It’ll probably be tonight or tomorrow morning when they truly realize what survival means. Of course, I’ll be sleeping in my warm tent.

“Wow, that looks delicious.”

As I was plating the golden-brown smoked duck and preparing my meal, I heard a rustling sound.

“Ughh…”

Alice stirred and groaned. I had laid her near the fire to dry her clothes as much as possible, and it seemed the warmth was helping her regain consciousness. I continued preparing my food while observing Alice.

“Gggnnnh… Haa, haa…”

After a moment, Alice took deep breaths and pushed herself up. She felt around her body with her hands, scanning her surroundings, seemingly recalling the memory of falling into the water.

“Are you okay?”

“Eek?”

Startled by my voice from behind, Alice turned around. For the record, I was heating up a microwave meal while eating the smoked duck.

“I saw you floating down the river, so I pulled you out. Your clothes are drying over here.”

To avoid any misunderstanding, I pointed at the rocks with my index finger as I spoke.

“…Haa, thank you. I’m leaving then.”

Alice grabbed her still-damp uniform and tried to leave immediately.

“Your clothes aren’t dry yet. Why don’t you stay and eat something while they finish drying?”

“What’s your angle? Are you going to share your food?”

“What angle? We’re both from the Student Council’s PR department. Besides, I have more than enough food to give you some and still have plenty left.”

I bought it specifically to share with the heroines, so why is she refusing?

“…No thanks.”

Alice glanced at the meat and turned away.

“Fine. If you get hungry, contact me. I’ll share my location.”

The uninhabited island where the special exam is held has no communication network, so you can’t contact anyone except the professors. However, students who have encountered each other once can contact each other if they wish. Perhaps as a feature for forming alliances, the system allows location sharing, so while Alice was unconscious earlier, I set it all up.

“What are you thinking? Why are you sharing your location with me?”

“No, it’s just… we’re in the same PR department. And friends.”

I couldn’t say, ‘It’s to seduce you,’ so I blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.

“…Haa.”

Alice seemed too annoyed to even reply, letting out a sigh as she left. Her negativity was so strong, it seemed she had definitely investigated me… but since I wasn’t sure how much she knew, I couldn’t push things further. Anyway, no matter how tough the exam gets, Alice won’t give up. The expectations from her home country are quite high. Whether it’s the title of France’s representative prodigy or the title of Iris Guild’s daughter, both carry significant pressure. Especially because of her inferiority complex towards her older sister, I know she’ll never give up. If she struggles, she’ll find her way back eventually. Sharing a little food and gaining favorability points would be a huge gain. If she doesn’t come, then so be it. I’ll just have to wait for the next opportunity.

‘Come to think of it, where did I hide the spare magic stones?’

They weren’t in my outer pocket earlier, did I hide them inside my clothes?

*

“…”

Alice wandered through the tropical rainforest, frowning. Her wet clothes were not only clammy, but also inconvenient and uncomfortable, and the swarming insects were irritating. Although it was starting to get dark, Alice hadn’t found anything edible. Mushrooms grew sporadically on the ground, but after eating a mushroom that looked edible earlier and getting a stomachache, she wasn’t even looking at them anymore.

‘Should I have taken the food earlier…?’

The smoked duck Lee Hoyeon was eating flashed before her eyes.

“No, absolutely not.”

Rescuing her was truly appreciated, but Alice knew it was just a ploy to get close to her body. Thanks to Sebastian’s reports, she knew Lee Hoyeon met a different woman every day. He was even maintaining scandalous relationships with the academy’s professors.

‘The Saintess and Professor Im Sol… I’m so disappointed in both of them.’

Of all people, the two professors she considered the most upright in the academy turned out to be like that; Alice couldn’t hide her disappointment. And her disappointment in Lee Hoyeon was also immense.

‘I really wanted to become friends.’

Despite having the same magic disorder, his efforts were so admirable; I never imagined things would turn out this twisted. Anyway, by refusing Lee Hoyeon’s help, she had preserved her pride, but her stomach was growling. To make matters worse, she didn’t even have her magic stone, leaving her unsure of what to do.

Alice discreetly checked Lee Hoyeon’s location on her smartwatch. Lee Hoyeon wasn’t in the exact same spot as yesterday, but he was still stationary near the river. He seemed to still be asleep.

“I need to get at least a magic stone.”

Since Lee Hoyeon also has a magic disorder, he must have a lot of magic stones.

‘I should have paid closer attention during the belongings check earlier.’

Alice regretted it belatedly, but there was nothing she could do now. He must have brought plenty of magic stones, considering how much luggage he packed. Pride is fleeting. As long as he doesn’t ask for anything physical, it should be fine.

Grrrroooowl-

Alice rationalized her decision, and stumbled towards the glowing coordinates on her smartwatch.

*

The special exam’s dedicated app also showed the current number of survivors.

“There are already eliminations.”

The special exam app updates the number of remaining students at midnight, when the day changes. Out of over 200 students, about 40 had been eliminated.

“Just camping out would get them halfway there. They’re all idiots.”

Honestly, even just hiding until the last day would put them in the upper ranks. Since 1/5 disappeared on the first day, just surviving the first day without doing anything would already get them out of the bottom ranks.

“But why haven’t I run into anyone? Am I not moving around enough?”

Of course, not all 40 were eliminated through combat. Most likely, they voluntarily withdrew. Surviving in this environment without preparation isn’t easy. There are probably students who just don’t care about their grades and quickly give up.

Starting today, it’s a competition among those who are serious. To get supply drops from the sky, hidden treasures, and boss monsters that give lots of points, they’ll undoubtedly fight fiercely. Some students will likely conserve their energy watching the chaos, then ambush those who’ve earned points.

Ultimately, it’s a game of wits. Making a move too early could make you a target and get you killed, while waiting too long for the perfect opportunity might mean getting nothing at all.

“I don’t know~. Figure it out yourselves.”

In the end, the winner is the one who survives. And just now, I found a great spot. After Alice left, I finished eating and rested, so this spot is the result of my efforts until nightfall. It wasn’t a cave, but it had a mountain right behind it and a river flowing beside it.

As I was setting up my tent and preparing the barrier for sleep, I heard a rustling sound in the bushes.

“Who’s there?”

I immediately conjured a flame in my hand and cautiously watched the direction of the sound.

“H-Hoyeon-ssi…”

Trembling from my warning, the person who pushed through the bushes was… Lumi.