Chapter 59: Night in the Forest (1)
Fortunately, it seems I've arrived not too late. Both Grace and Yeonhwa are unharmed and in one piece.
Theyre both capable of defending themselves adequately, but their balance as a team isn't great.
Grace is a mage whose strength lies in distance, and Yeonhwa is a rogue vulnerable to head-on confrontations.
Moreover, Yeonhwa doesn't tend to reveal her true abilities unless it's absolutely necessary.
She was even pretending to tremble and act scared when I arrived.
"10 of them? You took down all those people before coming to us?"
"Yeah."
Hearing a brief explanation of the situation, Grace couldn't help but be amazed. Yeonhwa's reaction was similar.
In truth, Luna hadn't fought but had left some strange confession-like words, though I didn't bother to mention that.
There was no need for me to say anything, especially since the professors must have been watching.
Soon, I worry that strange rumors might begin circulating. I'd better hope Luna handles it well.
It definitely seems Luna saw the mural.'
What she said could have been taken as a confession akin to a date proposal by anyone listening. But the chances of that being her intent are incredibly slim.
Shes never shown such a demeanor towards me before, and she's been subtly sending signals of suspicion.
It looks like she's suspected my existence all along, waiting for a moment alone with me to confirm her suspicions.
But with so many eyes watching me, it's been hard to find an opportunity.
So she used this exercise to communicate her clear intentions.
How should I respond? I can trust her as she is the protagonist.'
As I led the team towards the safety zone, I pondered. If I have a one-on-one with Luna, questions related to the mural are inevitable.
If asked whether I knew about the future, I'm unsure whether to confirm or deny.
Or should I brashly retort, asking what future she's talking about? That would surely sow doubts about my identity.
No, wait. Shes already suspicious of my identity.'
The suspicion is of a different kind. Not that I'm a soul from another world, but rather born extraordinary.
As a protagonist, mutual assistance seems best. Keeping secrets will only breed suspicion.
Even if I share secrets with Luna, the likelihood of her disclosing them is low. She hasn't even mentioned the existence of the mural to Rod.
With a demon as a real threat, I need assistance, but there's nothing certain about me.
"Sivar?"
"?",
Lost in thought while progressing toward the safe zone, Grace called out to me from behind.
I broke from my reverie to look back, although my legs kept moving forward.
"About what you did earlier, Sivar. Throwing stones to knock each person out."
Grace asked with a face full of curiosity. Her eyes were sharp as ever, but her expression was slightly relaxed.
I blinked at her question and casually made a throwing gesture.
"This?"
"Yes, that. Throwing stones to knock people out. Where did you learn that?"
I taught myself, but I didn't know the word for self-taught', so I responded haltingly.
"Alone."
"Alone? You mean you're self-taught?"
"Yeah."
Grace looked stunned at my admission of being self-taught, while Yeonhwa had a face of wonder.
Honestly, there's no reason to be surprised. To survive in the forest, you must utilize every long-term human capability.
Humans have the best throwing abilities among all animals. Our shoulders are even optimized for throwing.
Even primates stronger than humans fall short in this skill. That's why I mastered throwing first among my techniques.
"But, how do you suppress your presence? I couldn't feel you at all as you approached"
Now Yeonhwa had a question. Although she was acting before, Yeonhwa is an assassin with exceptional skills.
Because someone like her didn't notice my approach and was genuinely surprised, she became curious.
"Survival."
"Survival?"
"Being detected. Means death. Survival. Essential."
My explanation was exceedingly brief, which made Yeonhwa blink. The tear duct under her left eye was visible.
Kara would have grasped it instantly, but for these two, it takes a bit longer.
"Um Since Sivar lived in the forest, there would have been many dangerous animals, so to survive, you learned how to eliminate your presence. Is that right?"
"Ah! That sounds right! It makes sense why youd acquire the skill to ambush."
"Ambush? Is that what you call eliminating your presence? I don't really know much about it."
"When you silence your presence and include the act of killing the other person, it's called an ambush."
"Ah I see."
Yeonhwa calmly spoke of killing, which left Grace with an imperceptible unease and a marginally awkward reaction.
On and off, Yeonhwa drops such unsettling phrases. It's something also seen in the game, as far as I know.
"The day is starting to fade. While the eliminated teams make it somewhat safer"
Grace quickly changed the subject in an atmosphere that had become odd. I looked up at the sky at her words.
As she said, the sky was noticeably darkening. In a dense forest, the day ends quickly.
The teams I've eliminated amount to at least 5, so there are roughly 10 people left. Perhaps even fewer.
But the forest is always dangerous. You never know when and where a threat might emerge.
More than people, its the animals that are dangerous in the forest. Snakes are especially aggravating.
"We should find a place to rest first. The dark will hugely restrict our activities if night falls completely."
"Okay."
"Yeah."
Following Grace's command, we started looking for a suitable spot to rest. Luckily, we found terrain perfect for camping before long.
There, we set up a makeshift tent and prepared for a meal. We had some leftover smoked boar from lunch.
"Couldn't we use these mosses for a soft floor covering?"
"That sounds good."
As I was roughly building the tent out of wood, Grace and Yeonhwa almost started doing something foolish.
With no prior knowledge, they suggested padding the floor with moss to make it comfortable.
Hearing that, I panicked and quickly stopped them. Leaves are swarming with insects, and moss is even worse.
It might be used to plug gaps in the roof, but if we use it as a bed mat, we'll get sick.
"No way."
"Huh?"
"There are too many insects."
""
As I pointed out firmly, Grace backed away slowly from the moss. In times like these, she listens well to my words.
"Then what about the floor? We have nothing to lay down and sleep on"
"Just sleep."
"Do we have to?"
"Yeah."
"But I can't sleep on a hard floor"
Grace pouted and grumbled. Raised delicately, she needs a soft floor to sleep.
I'd like to sleep on a soft surface myself. Adaptation is frightening I'm already missing the comfort of a gentle bed.
But I just have to get through tonight. Ignoring Grace's complaints, I busied myself with the tent.
Back in the forest, I used caves as hideouts, but I roughly know how to make an adequate shelter.
"Wow, with this, we'll be fine even if it rains."
"It's a bit tight, but for one night it should be okay."
The space was generously constructed to hold more than two people, excluding the guard on watch.
If nothing else, a roof is mandatory. While it cant keep out small insects, it must block snakes at the very least.
Also, I don't need to sleep. Due to my instinct in the wild, even when I do sleep, my consciousness stays alert.
So I plan on letting Grace and Yeonhwa rest. Despite the hard floor, fatigue will pull them into sleep.
"We should have smoked boar meat for dinner, right?"
"Yes. We can't always depend on you, Sivar. In fact, it's quite lucky for us."
Dinner was settled with smoked boar meat. It was too dark for hunting.
This is why I prepped the smoked meat in advance. The smoked dish has a surprisingly good taste.
Although the tough texture of boar meat could be problematic, it was more than enough to satisfy our hunger.
Whoosh!
Eventually, a campfire was lit, and the makeshift camp was set up. Though the summer days were hot, a fire was essential for survival.
It not only deterred animals from approaching too close but could also serve as a weapon in unexpected situations.
Of course, there was a higher chance of other survivors detecting us. Even the smallest glow of a cigarette could be seen from a distance in the dark forest.
There's a reason why soldiers are advised not to smoke during the war. But for the sake of survival, it is a necessary risk.
Even if we're discovered, we'll be able to notice first from this side.
As I put more wood on the fire, I looked up at the sky. The preparations for the tent and dinner were finished, and it had already gotten quite dark.
By my estimation, it must be around 9 o'clock. It was time to think about sleeping and setting up a night watch.
"I can't seem to fall asleep."
"Me neither."
Grace and Yeonhwa, lying in the makeshift tent, were chatting with each other, mostly about how they couldn't sleep.
It had been such a hectic day that one would normally be tired enough to fall asleep; their restlessness was due to tension.
When people are in a state of extreme tension, they tend to forget about things like fatigue. I addressed them:
"Sleep."
"What?"
"I'll keep watch."
I told them to rest easy because I would keep watch. Understanding my intent, Grace's eyes widened.
We had scheduled the night watch during the planning. This meant I had to wake her up in a few hours.
"Is it really okay for me to sleep?"
"Yeah."
"You're reliable, Sivar."
Grace smiled wryly. A sign of trust was evident in her expression.
Afterward, she slowly lay down on the hard ground. Despite the day's fatigue, she didn't seem to care that her clothes were dirty.
To help Grace relax enough to sleep, I moved to a spot in front of the tent where both individuals were attempting to sleep.
Then I began to sense rustling from behind, and soon, all was as silent as death.
Their body relaxed from tension, overwhelmed with weariness, and began to fall into the slumber they had sought.
"Zzz zzz"
She must have been very tired. Grace's snoring was far from elegant.
But it wasn't too loud, rather quite the opposite. I added more branches to the fire to ensure it didn't go out.
Chirp-chirp, crackle-crackle
The sounds of insects and the crackling of burning wood were all I could hear. It reminded me of the time I lived in the forest.
The difference now was the presence of people, though not much else had changed.
If there was any difference, it was the supply of food. The storage I had prepared was empty today.
Crunch-crunch
So, I picked up insects crawling on the ground and ate them like snacks. Thanks to the fire, there was an abundance of flying bugs.
They were all protein, so I ate them up. Thinking of them as chocolate made it easier.
Rustle
That's when I sensed it. A disturbance in the bushes right in front of me.
I had felt the presence from before but hadn't known if it would come this way, so I had remained seated.
This time, it was different. As soon as the bushes shook, I surreptitiously grasped the Ragnarok that was slung on my back.
Animals, aware of our presence, would normally not approach so carelessly unless they were predators.
Or it could be another survivor.'
The possibility of it being another person was high since the presence felt too unusual to be an animal.
There didn't seem to be any hostility from the other side; they had no intention of fighting. Still, it never hurt to be prepared.
Rustle, rustle
The shaking of the bushes grew more frequent, and soon enough, someone emerged from within.
"Sivar?"
""
Someone entirely unexpected showed up. It was Kara.
Immediately upon seeing her, I relaxed my grip on Ragnarok.
I would have stayed on guard if it had been anyone else, but it's different with Kara.
Even in the Soul World, she chose survival over fighting. No need to fight unless she attacks first.
"Hello."
Still, a greeting was in order. I waved my hand gently, giving her a warm welcome.
Kara gave me a befuddled look at my calm greeting before she smiled wryly.
"Yeah. Hello."
Lifting her hand up as if to say cute', Kara then directed her gaze towards the makeshift tent behind me and asked,
"Can I sit next to you?"
In response, I subtly shifted to make room.
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