I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

The deserted island, fittingly full of monsters, seemed to burst with incidents just when you thought it was quiet.

Among the monsters that shared this island, two chaotic critters I dubbed “the beasts” occasionally played mind games, causing the local wildlife to flee in terror, and skeletal buckets or goblins from the dungeon would wander into the fray.

Or nature might decide it’s time for a renovation, showing no mercy in demolishing homes.

Living alone on a deserted island means having to neighbor those things. I just hope nothing too crazy happens this time. I’d settle for the monsters merely encroaching adorably into my territory. Sure, they taste terrible, but their hide is useful…

Before anything else, I should at least mention what’s happening. Grabbing the doorknob, I hesitated and gave the door a knock instead.

I could hear fabric rustling beyond the door. It seemed someone was hurriedly dressing after a wash. Not the time for that! I pushed down my impatience and waited until the noise stopped.

When it finally ceased, I opened the door and spoke.

“There’s been an incident. We have to go.”

“What… what is it? And where are we going?!”

Karina asked, her face a picture of confusion, but right now, getting her to safety was my priority. Without further ado, I scooped her up and dashed out of the house.

I had an already prepared shelter for these types of assaults. First, I planned to drop her off there and investigate the source of the disturbance.

“Please explain!”

“I don’t know myself. But it’s dangerous.”

“Where exactly are we going?”

“I have a shelter. Just wait there.”

To my kind reply, Karina nodded and snuggled into my arms. Was her face a bit red? Probably just my imagination! Now’s not the time to worry about that. I sprinted roughly 200 steps from my home. It wasn’t far for a shelter; it was merely a temporary housing set up in case my house ever crumbled.

“Where are we…?”

“The shelter.”

The shelter was a dugout crafted into a small hill. Usually covered with dirt to remain hidden, being underground made it relatively safe from monsters. Most importantly, sitting on higher ground gave decent protection against disasters like tsunamis.

I kicked away some soil near the door and opened it. The creaking of the hinges signaled my entrance into the shelter. I realized I had no light inside. I hadn’t set up anything specific for that purpose. I had stored some firewood, so as long as I had an ember, it would work.

“Can you start a fire?”

“Well… I’m afraid I can’t.”

Her magic was sacred, so I didn’t expect much, but there it was. I descended into the dark shelter, placed her on a makeshift bed, grabbed a piece of firewood, and activated my skill.

“Crafting.”

With a snap, the crudely cut firewood transformed into finely-crafted pieces and fell into my hands as a brazier. The wood dried out all the moisture. I selected a well-shaped stick from the batch and began rubbing it against dry wood to create an ember.

A method everyone’s seen at least once. It was primitive, but if it could be done, it was among the easiest ways to start a fire. Of course, it would be simplest to bring an ember or use a lighter or matches, but where on this deserted island would you find such luxuries?

Heck, I couldn’t even conjure fire with magic. So the only solution was to sweat a bit. I could craft a lantern to carry a flame later. Once this crisis passes, I’ll make a few.

“That…”

“Just rest.”

“…Be careful.”

“…Alright.”

Now there’s a fresh sentiment I could hold onto.

——————

The first place I needed to check was the outskirts of my territory where I had set traps. Years of laying down all kinds of traps had made my territory’s perimeter impenetrable for quite some time.

After several years of trial and error studying smells monsters despised, leather toughness, and physical weaknesses, I built these traps. Initially, monsters stormed in with gusto, but after a few harsh lessons, they avoided even glancing my way.

But this vibration…

Sometimes monsters would move along the boundary, but this time the vibrations felt prolonged. Things had been quiet lately, so it seemed something was about to happen, but where could it be?

The snake’s end or the bear’s head…

Odds likely pointed towards the bears being the source of this ruckus. The snakes wouldn’t shake the ground unless their leader moved, and their underhanded behaviors meant they wouldn’t act openly.

“Northwest, then.”

I focused to trace the vibrations. A skill honed through experience. It’s hard to explain, but having watched bears rampage for a decade trained my instincts for survival. If I hadn’t learned, I’d probably be a trophy in a monster’s collection.

In any case, my territory was to the south. The bear’s area was to the northwest, and the snake’s was to the northeast. As suspected, the bears seemed the cause of the current stir. I set off towards the northwest. As I passed the beach and entered the forest, a disquieting atmosphere greeted me.

This air felt different from usual.

It was strange.

For a disturbance, it was too quiet.

What on earth had happened?

I cautiously moved further in, scanning the surroundings. Just how long had I walked? As I neared my territory’s boundary, an unpleasant stench assaulted my nose.

Familiar smells. The rancid scent I had grown tired of on this island.

Bordering the area was filled with a strong aroma of blood. I climbed a nearby lookout I had constructed to survey the traps I had laid. I saw several bear carcasses impaled on the sharp wooden stakes. While it occasionally happened that one or two managed to unwittingly fall into my traps,

“That’s too many…”

One, two, three, four… eight bears had become pincushions.

This was clearly abnormal.

While monsters weren’t particularly intelligent, they had a remarkable survival instinct; they sensed danger and avoided it. Sure, a few foolish beasts here and there sometimes became a trap’s casualty… but that meant those cases were rare occurrences in any territory setup.

And that was precisely the reason for the delicate eye game I played with the monsters.

When a fight broke out, a zero-casualty victory was impossible; the remaining party would surely eat the spoils. Thus, it was better not to engage in battle to begin with.

Yet it seemed something had occurred within the bear’s territory. I remembered there being around thirty of them, and to lose eight would signify quite a panic had struck those bears, rushing into traps.

What the heck happened?

A generation replacement? Or a natural disaster? Or perhaps… the little hydra with its dirty head finally caused trouble?

I felt dizzy. Without clear evidence, there were too many possibilities for speculation.

I would likely have to infiltrate the bears’ territory soon.

At present, the only information I had was that something had happened within the bears’ domain. Without knowing precisely what had occurred, I couldn’t prepare for any threats. But right now, clearing away these corpses and repairing the traps took precedence.

If my defensive line fell while I was scouting, it would be a complete disaster. I needed to ensure my territory’s safety to scout or do anything.

Thud, thud, thud…

The vibrations were dying down. I noticed this from my lookout. Once the vibrations completely ceased, I could head down.

Finally, when the vibrations faded entirely, I descended from the watchtower and carefully walked between the traps.

Each careful step brought me closer to the bears’ plight caught in the traps.

They were cold and lifeless, all but one.

“They’re tough.”

Must be because it’s a bear. The one still alive with his kin’s bones piercing through him gazed at me with half-closed eyes. No emotions showed in the bear’s gaze. They might have already lost their sight. Its fur was soaked in blood, and it would take quite a while to drain it entirely.

“Farewell.”

I raised my shovel and drove the blade into the bear’s neck. A familiar recoil resonated through my grip, and the bear’s eyes rolled back.

“I’ll take the body… and rewire those traps.”

The bears’ remains had plenty of uses.

Their tough hides could become leather armor or new bedding, and while the meat isn’t much for taste, it could be diced for fish bait or buried appropriately.

Bones served well for tools or traps. These bears on this island were larger and stronger than usual, so their bones made excellent materials for crafting.

“Crafting.”

I pulled out a bone wedged in one trap and softly exclaimed. The bone that had just punctured a bear’s kin was now a carving knife ready to strip flesh from bone.

And thus, I began the laborious task of dismantling corpses, preparing for whatever unexpected guests might come next, working swiftly and accurately.

By the time the sun began to set, a pile of stripped flesh and bones appeared before me.

As for the traps…

“Repair.”

Most of the bones piled high were gone, and the traps regained their original forms.

The reason I could maintain so many traps so efficiently was that as long as they were structures and tools I created, I could utilize them, given I had the necessary materials — an incredibly useful skill, if I do say so myself.

“…How the heck am I supposed to carry all this?”

Thinking about moving it more than once felt tedious.

But what could I do?

If I want to survive, I needed to. I couldn’t just leave valuable resources lying around.

I began to shoulder the bones and hides, moving them back into my territory.

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