episode_0013

“It’s frustrating, really.”

Those were David’s first words after waking up, scratching his head.

“David, don’t use such vulgar language. It makes me feel degraded too.”

“I thought I was in trouble again, but when I opened my eyes, what can we do in the middle of the jungle?”

“True, but…”

Unfortunately, where we woke up seemed to be nothing but a jungle, or somewhere deep in the wilderness.

“Uncle, miss. Where are we?”

“Except for one missing person, Mia…”

“So, I can’t remember my name or even where I live?”

“Yes… Do you know me?”

“How could you know me if I don’t even know myself… This is driving me crazy.”

“Well, where are the parents who bring a child here in the first place?”

Amidst the escalating voices between the two, a child clung to the edge of my clothes, seeming anxious and teary.

“For now, let’s analyze this exam based on the information we have.”

“Is this inside the academy?”

“Probably. Our badges are intact, and from the academy’s perspective, it would be easier to create a jungle inside the academy rather than sending us out into nature to supervise the exam.”

“Would that be easier…”

After pondering for a long time with furrowed brows, the conclusion they reached was that this place was indeed inside the academy, and the girl accompanying us was the key point of this exam.

“First, let’s get out of here. We need to find a safe place, as well as food and water.”

“I’ll take the lead here!”

David swiftly cut down a nearby tree with his sword, then stooped to check the direction with his compass.

“Let’s see… North is…”

Seemingly not seeing clearly, he moved on to chop down another tree. However, it seemed he wasn’t satisfied as he continued cutting down trees.

“Oh, darn! Why is everything so chaotic!”

“David, the idea that moss grows on the north side of trees is just a myth.”

“What? Really? But it was clearly mentioned in adventure novels!”

“I really want to disappear right now…”

Seeing David’s pure expression akin to a child believing in a treasure island from a fairy tale, the girl, seemingly pitiful, poked him with a branch.

“Hey! Stop for a moment!”

“Yes?”

David grabbed the branch the girl was holding and examined it closely.

“This doesn’t seem like an ordinary branch…”

“What are you talking about? Stop embarrassing me in front of the kid.”

“No, look at this.”

He then swung the branch he was holding like a sword.

Clang!

Contrary to expectations of it breaking or being cut, the branch made a metallic sound as if it had struck metal.

“What is this! A level 999 branch or something!”

“Wait, let me try!”

“It’s fascinating…”

The fate of the branch being touched and examined by us three sadly ended with Selina comparing it to other branches around and concluding that it was no different from a regular branch.

“It suddenly broke!”

“While playing with it, I found something out. Surprisingly, that branch is no different from a normal one. The strength gradually decreased from when David first poked it, and eventually, it transformed into something with durability even lower than a regular branch.”

Selina paused for a moment before looking at the branch and the girl, then spoke.

“The only difference is that this girl touched it.”

***

“It seems like some of the things you touch get enhanced.”

Even after trying several things, some got stronger while others showed almost no change. It seemed that the ability couldn’t be manifested at will.

“Being able to activate enhancement magic at all times… Is mana emitted from the body being released in the form of enhancement?”

“Hey, kid, you’re quite something! You had the ability to survive on your own!”

“V.”

Continuing to explore the forest, what I felt was that the forest was so quiet that it made me wonder if there were creatures other than us.

“It feels like some kind of field trip experience…”

“Huh? What do you mean, Kidney?”

“Oh, like a picnic or something?”

“It’s a shame I was supposed to be the guide…”

As we chatted about this and that and moved forward, we heard a sound from the side.

“Frill Youngae! So, who will you go with!”

“I’m not sure.”

“Just trust me! Haha! I’m not bragging, but I’ve explored dungeons in Yeongji like eating rice!”

With an exasperated expression, Frill Youngae looked at us, especially me, and shouted.

“Oh! Kidney Youngsik! There you are!”

With a pleading expression as if asking to be saved, I decided to play along.

“You finally came. I’ve been waiting.”

“Hey Kidney, what’s going on?”

I approached Youngae, who was running towards us after stepping on oblivious David’s foot. But isn’t she coming too close…?

“Let’s go!”

“Just a moment…!”

I linked my arm with hers and had no choice but to follow Youngae, who seemed determined to run away.

Thanks to you, I survived. I will repay this favor later.

“No. When things are tough, you have to help each other.”

“…Yes. We should help each other when things are tough.”

I grabbed Frill Youngae, who seemed to be changing into a wistful expression, and asked,

“So, what happened?”

“When I opened my eyes, I was here, and as I wandered around, too many people stuck to me…”

“Hmph. You should choose who you hang out with more carefully, why us?”

“Yeah, do you have any information to share?”

Selina seemed dissatisfied with Frill Youngae, while David seemed indifferent.

“There’s nothing more dangerous than being with unreliable people in unreliable places.”

“Does that mean you find us reliable?”

Frill Youngae hesitated before speaking.

“At least there is someone more reliable than me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Anyway, what about the girl next to you? How did she get here..?”

“That’s…”

As we shared the facts we had learned so far, Frill Youngae’s face hardened even more.

“I met a suspicious kid among the Youngsiks who followed us earlier…”

“Hmm… It seems like there are more lost children than we thought.”

“And these kids seem to be the key to getting us out of here.”

Saying this, Frill Youngae knelt down, not caring that her clothes were dragging on the ground, and locked eyes with the child.

“Child, what’s your name?”

“I don’t know…”

“..Then, if you don’t mind, can I give you a name?”

“Okay! Pretty sister!”

“Just a moment! That’s rude!”

“It’s okay. Selina Youngae. Let’s see… Yes. Rike, how about Rike? It means ‘happiness.’”

“Rike.. Yes. Rike! I like it!”

Excitedly jumping around, Rike, and Frill Youngae watching him with a shadow of a smile. Seems like there’s something painful there.

“But, if there are many children like Rike, what happens if examinees pass by without rescuing them? What will happen to those children?”

“Well… Let’s try to take them with us for now.”

“Kids, look behind your brooches. They’re painted green.”

We gathered to look behind our brooches. In a circle divided into five parts, all four sections were lit up.

“This… seems to indicate the number of teammates we have.”

“Yes. I’m curious about what will happen when all 5 are filled.”

“Probably… it will provide clues to clear the test or give instructions. Forcing us to solve the test without any clues is unreasonable. It wouldn’t align with the academy’s intentions either.”

“We need to fill in one more person. Well, will they just fall from the sky?”

David, who was talking like that, got bored and threw a branch, making a sound as it hit something. Then, something really fell from the sky.

“Ugh… I was sleeping well.”

“What’s up, kid! Long time no see?”

“Muscles. You only pick rude things to do.”

It was none other than Erin.

***

“Long time no see?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, why did you disappear without a word!”

“I had things to do.”

Erin said that and subtly avoided eye contact.

“What’s the big deal. Just stick with us!”

“Well, uh, I’ll keep my distance in the future!”

“Hey, did you call her Erin Yeong-ae? Did you know these people originally..?”

“Yeah, we met over a meal last time.”

“Our relationship wasn’t just that short, kid!”

“Yeah! We still had a short but strong friendship!”

“Geez, isn’t it noisy?”

“Yeah. Those people are strange!”

While untying the brooch, I checked if there was any change, and as the empty flame came in, it seemed to point to some coordinates.

“Alright, let’s stop here and gather around.”

“Oh. Changed again?”

“It seems to be pointing somewhere.. What about those small stars next to it?”

“Well.. It seems like there’s a star attached to each of us too?”

“For now, reaching the destination directly is unrealistic, so let’s head in that direction and also towards the star area nearby. We need to find out what it is.”

“Okay. It’s better to start before sunset. It doesn’t seem like a test that will end in a day. It would be good to secure a place to stay overnight.”

“Yeah. I’ll look for fruits and herbs that we can eat on the way.”

“I’ll eat everything!”

“Me too.”

As more people gathered, it felt lively and bustling, giving off a sense of community living. It was almost like being in a good group project team atmosphere.

“Hey, there. Let Frillyoung-ae and the kid go and get lost.”

“If only we hadn’t encountered bandit-like figures.”