I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

I prefer not to face things head-on.

Of course. Facing monsters directly was no different from protesting for death. Those bears, capable of tearing a person apart with a single swipe, and snakes that could easily swallow a grown man whole.

Dealing with such creatures up close was only something superhumans could manage.

Not a mere castaway like me, struggling to survive.

But that didn’t mean I had only relied on traps and poison to get by so far. One couldn’t survive on just traps and poison in a deserted island with no dreams or hope. At the very least, one had to have some minimal defense in a place filled with cunning schemes.

So, this time, it was my turn to act.

“…Aren’t you coming?”

Maybe the drug mushrooms had messed with her head, but was a warrior a warrior after all? Renny, standing about ten steps away, leaned slightly forward and raised her fists. She looked like she could collapse at any moment, but her spirit was that of a seasoned warrior.

Under the scorching sun, a dull yet perilous standoff continued.

I had no intention of losing this endless test of patience. Ultimately, time was on my side. The strong anesthetic dart had hit her neck, after all. Eventually, she would collapse on her own.

Continuing this stalemate wasn’t a bad option for me.

So, it meant I wouldn’t be the one taking the initiative.

The ground trembles. Is it a beast or a human? Dust obscures my view. With the force of a home run, I swung my shovel with full power. The sound of slicing through the air struck the shadow in the dust.

A heavy impact landed in my palm. The sound of metal clashing. The dust cleared, revealing Renny.

My shovel was stopped against her knuckles. I tried to yank it back, but no matter how hard I pulled, the shovel wouldn’t budge. I took two steps back.

Fortunately, Renny didn’t seem to have the energy to rush at me immediately; she merely stood there, catching her breath.

“…Karina… where…”

I got chills from her gaze, which seemed to promise she could collapse at any moment as she glared at me. How was she managing to hold on in such a broken state with anesthetic coursing through her body?

Was this the power of someone whose body felt heavy, mind dizzy, and sight blurry?

I tightened my grip on the weapon. Sweat flooded my hands. It was confirmed that this would not be an easy fight, and I tilted the edge of the shovel.

Should I stab, swing, or chop?

My choice was—

I aimed the shovel toward Renny’s chest. She instinctively brought her hands together to grab the shovel, but I slyly redirected the blade to hit the sharp edge against her palm instead of the flat side. If this were an ordinary shovel, it would have crumpled under her strength.

But my shovel was anything but ordinary.

Forged from bone harder than steel, acquired through countless broken shovels. It wouldn’t bend even if a bear leader crushed it with tons of weight. No matter how much strength Renny had, this shovel wouldn’t bend.

And it was evident as Renny’s palm was stained with blood. Of course, it was natural since she had placed her hand in harm’s way. I struck her chest, breaking through her armor. Even in this state, her monstrous reflexes allowed her to twist away to minimize damage.

“…If she were fine, she would have definitely died.”

The sight of the final boss at death’s door sent shivers down my spine. If she were in perfect condition, not even a mistake would have given me time to blink before her upper and lower body separated. Holding back the creeping fear of death, I gripped the shovel once more.

“Karina… please…”

Even with her palms shredded and blood dripping, Renny clenched her fists. Was she unable to feel pain because of the anesthetic? Being a tough human like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster, maybe she didn’t care about such things.

But I felt I had set the stage for possible persuasion. She would at least realize I wasn’t an easy target.

After a moment’s hesitation, I finally spoke.

“Karina is with me. If you want to see her, behave—”

“You bastard…!”

A voice filled with rage was directed at me. Why? Did I do something wrong? Before I could solve my confusion, Renny lunged at me like a tiger charging.

She charged in with a curve. It was a simple motion, but if I collided with her head-on, I’d become pulp. Instinctively, I rolled out of the way of Renny’s charge and swung the shovel upside down, striking her ankle with the handle.

There was a heavy impact as the handle hit her ankle. Did I break it?

I couldn’t know since there was no reaction. She staggered a little, but that wasn’t enough proof that her ankle had broken.

So I took advantage of her hesitation and struck again. I hit her ankle before she could retaliate. Maybe because the effects of the anesthetic were amplifying, Renny’s responses were getting slower.

“Return Karina to me…”

Nevertheless, Renny’s counters were fierce. She swung her arms, trying to smash my head, and repeatedly attempted to pummel my face with her fists. But even with her slowing down to about 10% of her usual strength, I could easily block her attacks.

Block with the shovel and strike.

When she tried to take the shovel, I held on and twisted her wrist. Just that was enough to shatter Renny’s resistance effortlessly.

In the end, I found myself dealing one-sided blows, but my opponent wasn’t an ordinary human.

One couldn’t gauge when a wild beast might spring back to life and tear me apart, so if I let my guard down, I’d be dead.

Slightly excessive, but I still managed to finish the choking bloodbath by knocking Renny unconscious with my shovel.

She wasn’t dead; she was merely unconscious.

This wasn’t revenge for that astonishing game difficulty of 72 turns.

“I… should say I brought her back after fighting the bear leader.”

…But I didn’t have the guts to tell Karina the truth.

——————————–

And now, one more patient had been added to my deserted island life.

It was regrettable that there were no healthy people here. Both Karina and Renny could do their part if they were fit. Until then, I’d have to carry on this grueling deserted island life alone.

…Should I strip off the armor? It was heavy because of it.

The dented armor jabbing into my back was uncomfortable. I might end up with wounds on my back by the time I get home. Saying that I got scratched by the armor while carrying someone would feel a bit shameful.

“Karina…”

How pitiful. Even on the brink of death, I sought out Karina. Upon reflection, Renny had a backstory of vowing loyalty after having her life saved by Karina. I remembered seeing such stories in an X-tube compilation video.

Whether good or bad, Renny was a popular character.

She was also one of the few female bosses at the Survival Academy. She had made a name for herself with her brutal difficulty.

As I walked, pondering with a lighter heart, my home slowly came into view.

I planned to lay Renny down on the bed and then head off to fetch Karina. It would be better to have a house for nursing than a shelter with nowhere to lie her down.

“I guess I’ll be gathering caterpillars for a while… huh?”

In the corner of my view, an unfamiliar shape faintly appeared. I quickly turned to look at the strange figure.

A snake.

It was a snake.

But with two heads.

About the size of a rattlesnake, but its brown and yellow color made it stand out. The two-headed snake met my gaze and quickly turned to flee.

Scouting, perhaps.

With the power dynamics of the deserted island rapidly changing, it might be trying to assess the situation. What sort of new trick would that cunning creature come up with? I needed to buy at least a fortnight.

Even with Karina’s healing magic, it didn’t seem Renny would recover quickly.

This was all the bears’ fault. Either way, they should have offered Renny something since they’re living for themselves. Can’t they tell strong foes apart? This is why they get wiped out.

Ugh, such pitiful creatures.

Let’s hurry home.

I hastily made my way back home. I opened the door and laid Renny down on the bed.

Seeing her again, I felt guilt.

But I could at least say this was the best we could do. As long as we survived, that was all that mattered.

Turning back, I headed to the shelter, opened the door, and looked down. The warm air welcomed me. The heat of the firewood-poked air felt nice on my body. It was like returning home.

“Karina! Come out!”

“Yes! Just a moment!”

Karina quickly came up, holding a few items. She looked at me with a warm smile but then gazed worriedly at my wounds.

“You’re not badly hurt, are you…?”

“I’m fine. And there’s a patient.”

“A patient?”

I nodded and pointed towards the house in the distance. Following my finger, Karina’s gaze shifted to the house before returning to me. Her professionalism shone through with concern for the patient.

“Let’s hurry and go.”

We both headed straight for the house. As soon as we arrived, Karina gasped at the sight of Renny lying in bed.

“Renny!”

Ah, what a touching reunion.

I watched Karina’s trembling back and thought.

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