episode_0032

Demeia Academy’s comprehensive evaluation did not have a specific evaluation method. Sometimes, there were mock battles such as entrance mock battles, and other times, there were tournament sparring between cadets.

The evaluation method has changed each time because it is submitted by consensus among faculty members who have identified each grade’s current level and deficiencies. The gap in opinion between professors that arose in the process was narrowed through meetings, but it was not that easy.

Each professor had a different field of work, and because they were famous people in their field, there was never a consensus of opinion.

To be precise, it was rare for opinions to be narrowed down to one even through meetings, so usually several representative evaluation methods were selected and then the evaluation method was decided through voting.

The first comprehensive evaluation of freshmen thus decided was survival.

The majority of cadets who entered the Demeia Academy, a military educational institution, were nobles. Since one had to graduate from Demeia Academy to prove one’s blue blood, there were bound to be many cadets of noble status.

And inevitably, most of the noble cadets who grew up in good environments lacked the venom that was a prerequisite for war. It’s not that they were bad because they never struggled to get something, but that kind of mindset was not the type of talent that Demeia Academy wanted.

Of course, the same was true for commoner cadets. Although they were more venomous than the noble cadets, they were not worthy of Demeia Academy.

Therefore, the first comprehensive evaluation of freshmen was often determined as survival. The intention was to naturally teach them how to survive when left alone on the battlefield while filling them with the stamina they lacked.

The first comprehensive evaluation of new students by the faculty was based on the theme of survival, and they only used different evaluation methods within it.

Gilbert once again recalled the first comprehensive evaluation, commonly known as Chapter 1 of the main story. Survival, unfolding under the name of comprehensive evaluation, was like a graveyard for newbies.

Although Teacher Yan is said to be the gatekeeper, it was not at a level comparable to the first comprehensive evaluation. There were many cases where a team was eliminated due to a rear-end surprise attack at a near miss.

Survival Survival usually takes place on a large uninhabited island owned by Demeia Academy. Extreme hardcore rules were applied in which participants had to survive for a week without being eliminated in a dense forest.

Moreover, this time, Professor Alexander’s opinion was adopted and the giant soldier and magic weapon were hidden in a secret location. Cadets could use both to fight or cooperate.

In the end, survival to the end in an extreme, raining battlefield was the theme of this evaluation.

“Gilbert. What do you plan to do?”

Hans, who was looking at the large magic formation heading to the uninhabited island where the comprehensive evaluation was taking place, asked Gilbert, who was lost in thought.

He was deep in thought, and only then was he able to realize that Angelina and Hans had gathered by his side.

“We should focus on surviving as much as possible.”

“That’s not what I’m asking! Are you going to become a commander this time too?”

Hans, who had been shaking when he first saw Gilbert, was no longer there. As he got to know Gilbert little by little, he realized that Gilbert was different from the rumors, and was comfortable within the line that should not be crossed.

“Hans. Please be quiet. Because you make such a fuss, you get called uncultured.”

“Angelina came here to ask Gilbert that too!”

“But making a fuss like you do is uncivilized behavior.”

Gilbert chuckled as he looked at Angelina and Hans, who showed a strange combination. The two had a stark difference in social status, being nobles and commoners, but after they became united by the commonality of Gilbert, they became a casual relationship.

Of course, Hans, a commoner, was speaking highly of Angelina, a nobleman, but Angelina did not treat him rudely even though she was a commoner, so the relationship was established.

It was surprising to Gilbert that the two were more in harmony than expected, but it was actually a good news for him, who had planned to keep them as colleagues and go all the way to the end. There is nothing more troublesome than having bad relationships with colleagues.

“First of all, it would be good to form a team. However, it is different from the entrance mock competition.”

“Of course, right? Still, I think it will be okay if I’m with Gilbert.”

Seeing Hans with his fists clenched, Angelina shook her head and sighed deeply.

“Phew. Gilbert. Can’t we make a team without this idiot? I think it will be a pain in the ass.”

“Eck? Angelina! Isn’t that action too much?”

“So, show a bit of culture.”

Gilbert, who had been watching the two’s conversation a little longer, called them out as he felt that the comprehensive evaluation would soon begin.

“Angelina, Hans’ comprehensive evaluation begins and the first thing to do is join. You both know, right?”

“The question is where do they gather? When you land on a deserted island, it is difficult to pinpoint your location. Even Gilbert knows that.”

“Um… . It might be impossible to go in one direction.”

“That’s right. It may be impossible to get your bearings. Information about uninhabited islands is so limited that it is difficult to decide on a policy.”

Normally, it would be correct to think of the two as two people, but Gilbert was different. The place I went to when I was already bored while playing Tactical Combat was the island where the comprehensive evaluation was held. I had all the terrain in my head that could be the point of the island I had visited countless times.

However, since only the faculty knew information about the island, it was not possible to release information about it. So the method he came up with was a bit irresponsible.

“I don’t know how big the island might be, but seeing as it’s uninhabited, it’s probably an island. Then there is a high probability that there is a coast.”

“So, are you saying we should walk along one side of the coast?”

” Move to the southern coast and then move westward. ”

“Have you ever thought it was too absurd?”

“There will be no other alternative.”

Angelina closed her mouth. As Gilbert said, it was difficult to determine the exact meeting point unless there was a map of the area.

“Wouldn’t it be a bit problematic to continue going to the coast? The terrain is so open that I think I’ll be a target… .”

As Hans cautiously expressed his opinion, Gilbert and Angelina nodded simultaneously.

“It is best to move around the coast but prioritize hiding yourself.”

“There is no clear way, so let’s follow that policy first. But I think it would be better to set a period. It is judged that it is difficult to survive for a week if the only purpose is to join.”

The three reconciled their differences and decided on a policy. The joining time is between the second and fourth days after entering the island. Afterwards, it was agreed that if he was unable to join, he would survive alone. Because we had no idea how big the island would be, we decided to wait three days before joining.

“Attention all first year students.”

When the three, including Gilbert, decided on a policy, Professor Brianna appeared in front of the teleportation magic circle. She drew the attention of the clamoring first-year cadets and began a brief explanation.

“I think everyone heard the explanation from the professor in charge of each class. For the next week, the cadets just have to survive on an uninhabited island as best they can. Of course, the bracelets distributed to the cadets in advance are engraved with a magic circle that can be automatically sent here the moment the cadets’ lives are threatened. So don’t worry and just go for the evaluation. If a cadet wants to abstain, he or she can rip off his or her bracelet. Do you have any more questions?”

None of the cadets questioned Professor Brianna’s words. Professor Brianna slowly glanced at the cadets, found her student, and glanced at him for a moment.

Although he was not her student before, he was now Professor Brianna’s exclusive student in name and reality. Her pride did not allow her to hear that such a student could not go anywhere.

Of course, there was nothing to worry about in this evaluation since he was already a guy who showed signs of growth even before he became a student. Rather, I shouted to the first-year cadets with some anticipation of what kind of performance they would perform.

“Then, the first comprehensive evaluation begins. Climb onto the magic circle starting from level 1!”

Gilbert looked at the cadets climbing into the huge moving magic circle one by one. Among them was Ian, the protagonist of Tactical Combat, and Lily, who looked at him as if he was going to kill him.

After making up his mind, he followed Angelina and Hans and stood on the magic circle.

Eventually, blue magic began to flow, and my vision became dark.

***

When Gilbert’s darkened vision returned, what he saw was a dense forest. The uninhabited island where the comprehensive evaluation was conducted was a place with a forest lined with trees so large that they blocked the sky. Other than that, there was only the coast with an endless view of the sea.

To find out where he was, Gilbert first climbed the largest tree in sight.

His growth rate doubled thanks to the award badge he received at the entrance mock competition, and he had raised his physical abilities by 1 through training every day.

He had an insane ability score of 90 before entering the academy, and even if his ability score increased by 10,000, the effect was much more efficient than other people.

Considering that the upper limit of the ability score was 100 in the first place, an ability score of 90 meant that it was almost complete. In the meantime, the fact that his ability level increased by 1 was the same as saying that he had become a superhuman, far beyond an ordinary human being.

By climbing a tree with such a superhuman body, I was able to reach the top of the tree in an instant. Looking at the location from the top of the tree, I quickly realized that it was in the center of the island.

‘The joining date starts tomorrow, so I’ll have to get what I need to survive first.’

Gilbert set an order for what he had to do.

I brought out the survival knowledge I gained while serving in the military and the knowledge I gained from watching survival-related programs. Since all of these had been used numerous times in actual combat or tactical combat, I was able to make a quick decision.

The priorities for survival on an uninhabited island have always been shelter, devices for requesting rescue, and water and food. In the case of the hideout, anyone who can handle mana could easily create it, so it was put on the back burner.

There was no problem with the device for requesting rescue as it would naturally be summoned to the academy after a week, so the first thing to get was fresh water.

It would have been easy if he were a wizard who could use magic, but unfortunately, Gilbert did not have such magical abilities.

After climbing down the tree to the ground again, Gilbert began exploring the forest by carefully heading south.

I also didn’t forget to check to see if there was as much water trapped in the leaves as possible. There were puddles of water along the way, but I ignored them because I didn’t want to eat well and could get sick.

Despite his efforts, there were no trees with broad leaves around. He quickly gave up looking for stagnant water and instead pricked his ears and checked to see if there was any flowing river water nearby.

How long has it been since you first arrived on the island?

According to Gilbert’s experience, about an hour had passed when the sound of water flowing was heard through his sensitive hearing. Thinking that there was a river nearby, he quickly started moving to find the source of the sound of water.

After about 10 minutes, he was able to find a small stream just as he thought.

Gilbert’s expression brightened as he finally found drinking water. Even without water, a knight who could handle mana could survive, but mana was not infinite.

Worse still, using mana carelessly on a battlefield designed for open fighting could mean putting one’s life on the line. That’s why he tried to find drinking water.

Fortunately, there were no cadets near the stream that could become enemies. For this evaluation, there were no restrictions on bringing belongings other than magical items, so I took out the water bottle I had prepared in advance.

First, he quenched his thirst with the stream, filled a bucket with water, and then climbed the largest tree in front of him.

Now that we had water, it was time to get food. If this was a water source, there were bound to be animals coming to drink the water.

Gilbert climbed a tree to hunt such an animal, then rested and waited for the animal to approach him to drink water.

The most important virtue in this kind of survival was the will and persistence to survive. Since it was essential to not give up, Gilbert waited for the animals with a relaxed mind. In the meantime, a few cadets who had visited the stream came, but no one sensed his presence.

Not wanting to relax from day one, he just quietly watched the cadets pass by with their necks quenched. After hanging out on the tree for a while, Gilbert finally saw what he had been waiting for. It was an animal called Kelney, which looked similar to a deer with small horns on its head.

Gilbert held in his hand the small dagger he had prepared in advance. Even if it fell from the tree in an instant, it was difficult to pull out a long sword in this place with many trees, so it was an item prepared in advance.

He waited patiently until Kelney, who cautiously approached with a wary look, drank the water.

Usually, the moment an animal comes to the water’s edge is most lethargic when it comes to drinking water. Finally, the moment Kelney craned his neck to drink water, Gilbert jumped down from the tree like lightning and plunged his dagger into Kelney’s neck.

“Quek!”

Kelney died with a fatal heart attack. Gilbert, who had obtained his daily bread very easily, quickly wrapped his arms around Kelney and left the place. He quickly moved to a fairly distant place, looked around, put Kelney down, and sat down.

Carrying Kelney around like this was inefficient and, above all, there was a high possibility that the smell of blood would attract carnivores.

Gilbert drew his dagger once again and skillfully peeled off Kelney’s skin and removed the flesh. He cut off the legs to make it easier to carry around and used the twine he had to knit the four legs together.

It was a waste to throw away the body part, but Gilbert, satisfied with his four legs, once again climbed a nearby tree and checked the direction he had come from.

Since I was moving further east than I thought, I adjusted my direction again and moved south.

Even though the trees were tall enough to block the sky, it did not mean that day and night were indistinguishable. Gilbert, who noticed that it was starting to get darker, decided to stop moving at this point.

Walking around at night was reckless, and now was the time to eat.

Gilbert, who was lucky enough to find a cave that was suitable for camping, threw down the bundle of Kelney legs he was carrying around his shoulder and started a fire. Cadets could have come because they saw the lights or smoke, but that was because they didn’t want to eat Kelney’s legs raw.

After skillfully starting a fire with dry twigs, he picked up a large Kelney leg. I got a long, strong tree branch, cut it between the Achilles tendon and the leg, hung it on the branch, and placed it over the fire.

Just looking at the Kelney Bridge, which was starting to get golden brown, was enough to make my mouth water. The oil dripped and the meat finally began to cook enough to eat. Among them, I cut the ripe part with a dagger and tasted it.

It’s delicious as expected.

Satisfied with the juice spreading in his mouth, Gilbert removed the Kelney leg from the branch and began preparing to eat it in earnest. It was a lot to eat alone, but it was something I could eat before leaving tomorrow morning.

The moment he was about to eat the meat with ease, something caught Gilbert’s senses. When I saw a sign approaching this place, it was not an animal. In that case, the only ones left were cadets like him.

He grabbed the longsword that was next to him and waited for his opponent to approach. The sight gradually got closer and closer until it was right in front of us.

Rustle!

With the sound of grass blades being stepped on, Gilbert pulled out his long sword and aimed it at the other person.

“Ugh!”

The unidentified person who suddenly appeared fell on his butt, probably because he was startled by the sword that was suddenly thrust at him. When Gilbert saw the intruder’s face reflected in the flames, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Pink hair and overwhelming size.

It was Pingchang Lily.

“You…”

As soon as she realized that the person pointing the sword at her was Gilbert, Lily’s gaze became fierce. Lily gritted her teeth as she had to look ugly in front of her enemy.

“Is it Lily?”

Gilbert was equally embarrassed. Gilbert, whose relationship with Lily was inevitably strained, was not happy about meeting her.

Although she didn’t do it herself, the one-line setting she added without thinking left an indelible memory in her life.

That bothered him, but Gilbert couldn’t decide what to do with Lily. It was clear that a hasty apology would have offended her.

“Get eliminated.”

Lily said that while glaring at Gilbert as if he were going to kill him. Gilbert already had a long sword in his hand, and she had fallen and was defenseless. I felt better about getting off cleanly like this rather than needlessly earning his sympathy.

‘My head hurts.’

Gilbert wondered what to do about Lily’s treatment. If it weren’t for her, I would have dropped it mercilessly, but since I had committed a crime against her, I didn’t willingly let go.

As time passed, Gilbert had countless thoughts.

Grumble!

“Ugh!”

Lily’s stomach, which had not eaten anything all day, made an unconscious sound.

For Lily, this was the moment in her life when she wanted to die the most. I couldn’t believe it. There was no shame in saying such a thing in front of Gilbert, who was so horrible to look at.

Gilbert looked at Lily’s trembling body and thought that he was foolish for worrying so much. With a lighter heart, he put away his sword and pointed backwards with his thumb.

“I was going to eat too. Let’s finish eating first.”

“… .”

Lily wanted to refuse, but she thought it would be more pitiful, so she reluctantly nodded.