Episode 56
I wiped the blood off the blade and glanced down at the rabbit’s corpse.
“… … .”
I was going to spare his life because it was annoying, but in a fit of anger, I grabbed the sashimi and chased him away in one breath, cutting off his neck. I didn’t feel much emotion because it was basically shortening my own life.
After I put the sashimi back on the road, I took out my machete and started peeling the rabbit’s skin away from its flesh.
I’ve only ever used fish before, but this was my first time using wild game, and the flesh came off more smoothly than I expected.
After roughly finishing the digging, I gathered some hay and firewood and lit a fire with the matches I brought.
Then, they placed the meat on the fire and spread the hide on a wooden stick and began tanning it.
Even though there were a lot of holes in it due to the poor manufacturing process, it was large to begin with, so even if the damaged parts were removed, it was sufficient for use as a blanket.
The blood that was extracted was sprinkled far away to distract the attention of carnivores, and the rest was buried in the ground to block the smell. Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“… What the heck, why am I so good at this?”
Even though I had studied survival books in advance, I never thought my survival instinct would be this strong.
Maybe life in the wild is a better fit for me than the academy… … I thought, laughing out loud at the newfound side of myself.
‘It would be fun to go camping with the club members later when I have free time.’
However, the primary purpose here should not be reversed. Since there is not much time left, I plan to go around the island tomorrow based on the map I drew up.
“… I really want to find that protection and go back.”
Profit.
Meanwhile, the meat was getting cooked to a golden brown color. I cut off the charred parts and rolled it around over the fire.
After staring blankly for a moment, I raised my head and saw that the once blue sky was also turning yellow.
Yggdrasil, ripening with the sunset. Its boundless majesty seems to embrace the island.
The ecstasy that blows away all sense of reality will leave you lost in thought for a while.
If I kept looking at it, I felt like my soul would be stolen, so I lowered my head back and looked towards the campfire.
When the fat on the surface of the meat dripped onto the firewood, smoke rose with a sizzling sound. I wiped away the saliva that was rising with my sleeve.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen anyone since I landed on the island.’
From what I remember, the area of Avalon Island is similar to that of Jeju Island on Earth. And the island’s terrain changes from moment to moment.
If you think about it that way, it’s not so strange that you haven’t met anyone.
‘Still, you must not let your guard down.’
You have to constantly check your surroundings with your keen senses. Based on past experiences, variables come without warning.
In case any strange air currents were detected at any time, two sacks of sashimi were kept in his bosom.
I added the hay I had gathered and poked the campfire with a poker. I had told them to cook the wild animals thoroughly to prevent any possible infection.
At that time, I was poking the meat with the hope that it would cook quickly.
Sasa sasa sak―
The sound of something brushing against the bushes near my ear. It wasn’t close enough to be right next to me, but my keen senses quickly picked up on its presence.
My head instinctively turned toward that place. I quickly put down the poker and machete and took out the sashimi from my bosom and held it. I was planning on taking off the scabbard immediately if necessary.
‘It is not the spirit of a beast.’
Sasa sasa sak―
The unidentified object was getting closer. Sashimi was ready to scatter his bright blue sword light at any moment with just a flick of his wrist.
As I approached Batu, the bushes swayed violently and a shadow suddenly appeared. At the same time, Sashimi’s scabbard was about to slip.
As soon as my gaze met with that of the other person, my twitching wrist suddenly stopped.
“What are you… … .”
Abel, drenched in water, looked up at me with a flushed face. After hesitating for a while, when she was about to open her mouth.
Gulp –
A loud horn blew from Abel’s boat.
* * *
As the sun that had turned the sky yellow began to disappear beyond the horizon, Kanggeomma and Abel sat in front of a campfire.
“… … .”
A low, silent silence hangs over them. The man and woman stare awkwardly at each other’s burning fire, neither of them speaking first.
Kang Geum-ma let out a short sigh and stirred the meat with a small branch used as a kindling. The fragrant smell, no, the fragrance, lingered in his nostrils.
Gulp!
A fierce stomach growled repeatedly. Then, Abel’s cheeks began to ripen like tomatoes.
Her shoulders shook with embarrassment rising to the level of Jeongsu-ri.
‘You’re crazy, you’re crazy!’
Immediately after arriving at Avalon Island, I hated my past self for thinking that two nights and three days of training would be no big deal.
If only I hadn’t had such a complacent attitude, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad…
My heart, which had been vaguely filled with confidence, was momentarily shaken as I began to experience difficulties in obtaining food, the most basic necessity for survival.
They tried to hunt and kill any wild animals that caught their eye, but the beasts that grew up eating plants and trees that were rich in nutrients from the ‘Fountain of Mimir’, known as the Lake of Life…
Even if it was a rabbit, its body was monstrously large and its feet were so fast that it was difficult to track it with one’s eyes.
He even showed his guardian spirit and chased after a rabbit, but the rabbit twitched its ears and leisurely shook Abel off.
Once a certain distance was created, the butt-shaking ridicule was a bonus.
After running like that for several hours, darkness fell on the ridge and I started to feel hungry from running so long.
The darkness of the mountain is dangerous. The thick darkness makes you lose your sense of direction. In addition, the terrain of this place, Avalon Island, changes frequently, so the atmosphere is particularly
I had no choice but to spend the first day hungry, but soon I stumbled and fell into a stream that had suddenly appeared.
I looked around diligently, but my feet slipped in an instant as the maze-like terrain changed.
Fortunately, I wasn’t seriously hurt, but I felt a sharp pain in my sprained ankle.
“First, we need to find a campsite to spend the night.”
As she walked along the dark forest path with her wet body, she discovered someone warming herself by a campfire. A warm breeze wafted in, bringing a savory smell.
Avalon Island is an uninhabited island, so that person must be someone from the Academy. His own appearance was shabby due to a series of misfortunes, but his hunger was enough to paralyze his reason for a moment.
Still, as she was the direct descendant of the Nibelung family, she dressed as formally as possible and led her tired body towards the bonfire, savoring the smell of meat tickling her nose.
When he got about 50 meters closer, Abel’s eyes widened when he saw who it was.
‘That’s… … ?’
It was Ganggeomma. A large piece of meat was being cooked golden brown on the wood fire in front of him, and Ganggeomma was sitting by the fire with his fur draped over his shoulders, staring quietly into the flames.
At the sight, Abel’s paralyzed reason returned, and a bitter taste returned to his mouth.
‘… Even here, I lost to that strong swordsman.’
Even in the smallest details, he always goes ahead of her as if he were looking down on her from above.
Even the fighting spirit that had been burning brightly toward Kang Geum-ma until recently had now died down like a dead log. Soon, Abel shook his head and muttered bitterly as he pondered.
“…Let’s just go.”
As she tried to avoid the situation, Kang Geum-ma sensed her presence and approached her, holding sashimi in both hands.
Abel, panicked, fell to the ground with a thud. He would have run away quickly, but his sprained ankle held him back.
And then the next moment was this moment, sitting in silence in front of a campfire.
Kanggeomma glanced at Abel. She rolled her eyes and avoided eye contact.
This is someone I was trying to avoid anyway, but now that I’m blatantly screaming at them, I feel like I want to run away right now.
However, the situation was quite awkward for that to happen, and my feet felt heavy like wet cotton balls due to my injured ankle and hunger.
Then, Abel’s body suddenly began to tremble. The chilly night wind enveloped his wet clothes, rapidly cooling his body heat. His lips were slowly losing their pink color.
Kanggeomma stared at her for a moment, then took off the fur coat he was wearing and pushed it in.
“Cover this.”
“…uh?”
Abel looked back and forth between Kanggeomma’s hands and face with wide eyes. He shook his wrist holding the fur and tried to persuade him again, and Abel pretended to be defeated and accepted it.
‘It’s warm.’
The residual heat of the sword still remained on the fur. Then, he suddenly took off Abel’s shoes. A blush and embarrassment appeared on Abel’s face.
“Huh, huh?!”
“If you leave your ankle like this, it will fester while you’re here.”
Kang Geum-ma split a plank and used it as a splint to fix his ankle, then tore the clothes he had brought and tied them up.
He stepped back after making sure it was firmly tightened. Abel’s eyes grew round and he moved his mouth, suppressing his pounding heart.
“…thank you.”
Kanggeomma shrugged his shoulders and gave a silent reply before returning his gaze to the meat. Abel opened and closed his mouth a few times and then firmly shut it.
Her lips didn’t part easily due to this fluttering feeling. It was a very unfamiliar feeling to her, who had only held a sword her entire life.
Instead of talking about Abel, I looked at the figure of the strong swordsman glowing in the campfire. His face and impression were sharper than before.
The pitch-black eyes held something indescribable, making me stare at them endlessly. What had happened in the meantime? The thought kept circling through my head.
At that moment, their eyes met. As Abel was stammering with a look of confusion, Kanggeomma held out a handful of meat that he had torn off.
“It’s all ripe.”
The meat was cooked perfectly. Feeling the gaze of the swordsman, Abel accepted the meat without thinking.
Abel cautiously observed Kanggeomma’s expression as he continued to show kindness. Kanggeomma spoke as he peeled the cooked meat off the bones.
“Eat it while it’s warm. It’s too much to eat alone anyway.”
“…huh.”
Abel nodded slightly and took a big bite.
“Wow, what is this?”
Abel, who bursts out in admiration without realizing it.
The oil exquisitely coats the surface, and is salty and has not the slightest hint of the animal’s scent.
The market is said to be the best side dish, but even putting that aside, the taste was incredible. Then, Kang Geum-ma, whose expression had not changed until now, smiled faintly and began to speak.
“Wild animals have a strong gamey smell, so if you just grill them and eat them, they’re disgusting and inedible. Luckily, there was a laurel tree nearby, so I wrapped the meat in the leaves to get rid of the gamey smell. Finally, I seasoned it with rock salt from a nearby rock.”
Kang Geum-ma explained the cooking process with sparkling eyes. After talking for a while, Kang Geum-ma scratched his chin as if he felt embarrassed.
Abel stared at the sight for a while, and for some reason a smile appeared on his lips. As if responding, she took another big bite and pursed her lips.
“delicious.”
Kang Geum-ma laughed.
“Eat a lot.”
