25 – First Half of Training (7)
On the third day of training. It can be considered the most important day during this training period. Whether or not you can pass today determines your qualification.
Withstanding three days on this island is the minimum criteria for passing. If you can’t meet that, hellish supplementary training awaits.
That’s why the responsible parties have prepared diligently. They summoned a training monster right in the middle of the island.
Seems like they have no intention of making it easy to pass.
─Kuoooooo!
The monster let out a roar.
Its neck length, which easily surpassed the surrounding trees, was quite impressive. It felt as if I were watching a Brachiosaurus.
The guy’s name is Baja, a training monster created based on A-class monster data.
Of course, since it’s for training, it can’t inflict fatal injuries on people. At most, its attacks are like a taser, temporarily incapacitating the opponent.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a comforting presence. The moment you encounter Baja, there’s a risk of the number tag attached to its back being exposed.
Keep that in mind when dealing with it.
Thud! Thud!
“Of all times, it had to come this way.”
They must have targeted us from the beginning. After all, we’re the ones with the most supplies on this island.
In the eyes of those in charge, we’re likely to be the most bothersome.
“Arna, bring the duffel bag right now.”
“Why suddenly the duffel bag?”
I stuffed as much food as possible into the duffel bag. No need for household items, just filled it with food and water.
“Take this duffel bag and go.”
“Are you planning to run away? What about that monster? Can’t we just leave it alone?”
“We can’t leave it alone. We have to deal with it, of course.”
I can’t keep being chased by the monster for the rest of the training. The opponent must be defeated at some point.
Just as there’s a saying about grabbing the bull by the horns, there’s a need to subdue it as soon as it appears.
“When I tell you to fight with the duffel bag in hand, it doesn’t mean…?”
“Arna, you should be able to handle it.”
“It’s not possible! How can I fight with such a large sandbag!”
“Fine.”
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“Yaaah…!”
Thud! Thud!
The footsteps were getting closer. It was time to act quickly.
“Better let me handle it! I’ll fight, so you can eat! It’s more efficient that way!”
“No, I can’t have it. I have something else to do.”
“What else do you have to do? Are you trying to slack off on your own again!”
“I’m not the kind of person whose character has fallen to that extent. I’ll catch up soon. Promise.”
Arna, still suspicious, kept her eyes narrow.
“What else do you have to do…?”
“I plan to use the alley cats a bit.”
“Thieving Cat…?”
Thud! Thud!
There’s not much time left now. We can’t proceed with the plan to go like this.
I pushed Arna’s back along with the duffle pack.
“Arna, go now. You don’t have to fight the demon. Just lead them away enough. I’ll handle the rest behind.”
“Well, wait a moment…! Shouldn’t you explain properly before sending me off…!”
“Just trust me. That’s all there is to it.”
“Ah, really…!”
Arna reluctantly headed towards the demon with the duffle bag on her back.
No matter how heavy the duffle bag was, it would buy us some time.
In the meantime, I have to do my job.
“Now, where…?”
I looked around. It seems like it’s about time for them to appear.
Swoosh swoosh─
The bushes that had been eerily silent as Arna left began to shake vigorously. As if they were waiting for this moment, the students started to reveal themselves one by one.
“Uwaaa….”
They all had exhausted expressions, as if they hadn’t had a proper meal. Gathering like this, it felt like I was witnessing a horde of zombies.
“Hey… Shinyunseong… We should take some of that food supply…”
Naturally, what they were aiming for was the provisions I had. Behind me, there were numerous boxes piled up.
“Aren’t you cowardly, targeting the time when Arna is not around. Can you still call yourself a brave soldier and student of Hanyul Military Academy?”
“How dare you say such things…! You, who has been sucking up to Arna behind his back all this time during training…”
“Well, it’s a bitter truth. I admit it.”
“Ugh. You bastard.”
Slowly.
The students approached the boxes step by step. They seemed to be so hungry that even saliva was dripping from their mouths.
“Stop.”
I had to make them stop coming any closer.
I pulled out an enlarged spoon. And I poured all the alcohol I had received as supplies onto the spoon.
Splash splash─!
“This is the smell of alcohol…? What, they even have alcohol as supplies…?”
“Why do you think they distributed alcohol now?”
Continuing, he picked up the lighter. It was something Arna had rescued before.
Click─!
“Hey, hey! Shin Yoonsung! What are you doing!”
“Well. I’m planning to burn all these boxes from now on.”
“Wait… just a moment! Why burn perfectly good food…! If you’re going to do that, you might as well give it to us…!”
“Why should I do something nice for others? Especially to a competitor.”
Anyway, they are enemies. Rather than handing these boxes over nicely to the enemy, it’s better to just burn them.
That’s another aspect of the fun in the survival game.
“Hey, heartless bastard! Is it too much to throw us a piece of bread! Please, just spare us this once!”
The students kneeled in front of the spoons, begging desperately. They hoped for the wind to bring back the lighter.
“Well, if you beg so much, I can’t really refuse.”
“Really…?”
“Instead, if you want this food.”
It seems it’s time to put them at the negotiation table. I put down the lighter and pointed to where Marsu Bajah was far away.
“Go and defeat that Marsu right away.”
“What…? You want us to eliminate that Marsu…?”
“Why can’t you do it?”
It’s not such a bad proposal. Anyway, if they stay still, this food will soon be destined to burn. It’s better to go out and do something. Depending on the result, they might be able to get this food.
It’s worth a challenge.
“Are you really giving it to us…? If you talk nonsense later, it’s really going to be a stabbing.”
“There’s no reason not to keep a promise. Even if we don’t keep it, you won’t be staying still either.”
“Just wait! We’ll take care of it in 10 minutes… no, 5 minutes! Don’t run away in the middle!”
Woah─!
The thieves, who had just been staggering, gathered all their strength and rushed to the battlefield. It was the moment when the thieves transitioned to a mercenary group.
By the way, the accumulated food here won’t be enough to last until the end of the training. It’s enough to have the duffel bag that Arna took with her.
In that sense, hiring a mercenary group was the right answer. Arna, who is probably struggling by now, should be quite satisfied. After all, she doesn’t have to fight alone anymore.
“Hmm….”
If it continues like this, it might not be a dream to smoothly pass the third day of training.
If it keeps going like this, a luxury cruise ship might not be just a dream either.
“Instructor.”
Late evening, inside the passenger ship’s bridge. A woman approached Instructor Kim Dong-hak, who was busy preparing the daily balance sheet.
With a neatly cut bob, an expressionless face, and even graceful movements.
She was Cadet Seo Dan-ah, a cadet from the combat unit.
Click—
Seo Dan-ah saluted, controlling her prosthetic arm. Kim Dong-hak gestured for her to lower her arm.
“You don’t need to do that every time. This isn’t a youth military academy.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“So, what’s the matter?”
Seo Dan-ah took out a black USB from her pocket.
“I retrieved the black box planted in Bajah.”
“Oh, well done.”
Kim Dong-hak quickly plugged the USB into the laptop’s port. Then, he played the video file.
“I thought they could last at least half a day.”
“Yes, I was surprised too. Bajah was subdued in just two hours…”
The video was playing from Bajah’s perspective.
Students wielded weapons actively and coordinated with each other without hesitation.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen such good unity.”
It was truly fascinating.
This training was, after all, a survival game with the goal of individual survival. Normally, the flow would be for everyone to avoid Bajah and run around trying to escape.
But the video being played now depicted a situation that went against expectations.
They were all fully alert, putting in their full effort, as if there were grievances or alliances among them.
“And this is an additional USB I brought.”
“The black box from the reconnaissance drone?”
Seo Dan-ah nodded.
Kim Dong-hak proceeded to play the next video.
“Shin Yoon-sung.”
Even without a close look, it was easy to identify him. There was only one student in this Han Yul Academy who could walk around with a spoon.
“What is he up to?”
In the video, Shin Yoon-seong, with a supply box in front of him, was distributing rations to the students.
I figured out whom he was giving it to—it was the students who had just been fighting with Bak Ja-hu a moment ago.
“hehehehe, so that’s what it was.”
Through this video, I could see why the carefully prepared plan collapsed in just two hours.
Surely, he was trying to unite the students by using the rations he had. Originally, the supplies were items prepared for competition, encouraging students to compete against each other.
Moreover, not all students who receive rations necessarily follow Shin Yoon-seong quietly. Why bother listening to and obeying Shin Yoon-seong’s command sitting there? Just grab the supplies right there without difficulty.
Certainly, there must have been some negotiations in the middle. I’ll have to call Shin Yoon-seong separately later to ask what that method was.
“Sergeant.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“How many survivors are left?”
“At the current time, 22:41, precisely 134 students are alive.”
Now, after this night, the training will enter its fourth day. The fifth day is practically a meaningless day; if we manage to get through tomorrow somehow, we’ll complete this race.
The originally anticipated number of survivors on the third day was around 70. However, the current number of surviving students is a total of 134.
“To end it like this wouldn’t be fitting for my honor as an instructor.”
Kim Dong-hak, who was determined to reduce the number of survivors somehow, had no intention of easily giving up this luxurious cruise ship.
“Scream! If you’re going to play baseball like that, you bastards, rent a room in Busan!”
Meanwhile, in a corner of the bridge, combatants and instructor Geum Gye-jun were together. He was scratching his head while watching himself on TV.
It was the everyday life of a common baseball fan.
“Why is Instructor Geum acting like that again?”
“He apparently lost all three midweek games against the Daejeon Eagles. And that too at home.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Just disband them!”
Kim Dong-hak looked at the wailing Geum Gye-jun and stroked his chin. Soon, a good idea came to mind, and he smiled.
“Sergeant.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Seo Dan-ah stood at attention, her neck rigid. She silently waited for Kim Dong-hak’s command.
“As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, go to the island with Instructor Geum.”