Episode 59: Desert Island Survival Training (6)
The flowing silence was subtle.
Wheww.
I stared at Leon with my hand on the rock. Leon still had that sad, kind-hearted smile on his face.
Even from his perspective, my appearance must have been sudden, but his face showed no sign of surprise. Then, my gaze slowly moved to the bladeless hilt that Leon was holding.
‘Found it.’
A weapon with contradictory attributes, being both a demon sword and a holy sword.
The Sword of Twilight, Balmung’s Handle.
The hilt of the sword, which had a pure silver sheen, was so shiny that it was blinding to the eyes, and a beautiful wave pattern covered the entire sword body.
But what stands out most is the blue jewel embedded in the center of the hilt.
‘Jewel of the Ether.’
It was originally a catalyst that neutralized Balmung, the world’s most evil sword, with divine power. Its value cannot be put into words.
It was a new experience to see it in person rather than just in the play area.
When I was a user, I swung it around like it was my basic weapon, and even though the blade part was still empty, it still had the coquettish appearance of the world’s strongest weapon.
To be honest, as a fellow swordsman, I do want it, but anyway, that Ego Sword won’t allow even a single finger to be touched without Leon’s unique protection.
‘… It’s cool.’
… But anyway, why is this guy here? As the distracting thoughts cleared, the child began to wonder.
This garden is located in the very center of Avalon Island. If I remember correctly, Balmung’s location is far outside of here.
Even I, who had prepared thoroughly before coming to the island, barely managed to get there after wandering around for two whole days.
Compared to me, who was left in a mess after passing through countless bushes, Leon’s journey seemed quite easy, judging by his neat appearance.
Well, given the island’s geography that changes frequently, there was a chance that he came here by chance…
I was so annoyed that I thought Leon had found the area by mere chance, after all the hard work I had put into it.
‘The main character’s buffs should also be moderate.’
As anger flashed in my eyes, Leon, who had been watching me, quickly pulled his hands away with a look of bewilderment. Then, he scratched his chin and spoke first.
“I saw the orb from afar and came running, but I guess our paths overlapped.”
Even while he was talking, his other hand was holding the ball of his foot.
It’s clearly a sign of caution. I think so too, because I’m not letting go of the sashimi I’m holding in my right hand.
I let out a short sigh and put the sashimi back in my pocket. Only then did Leon awkwardly shake his head.
Leron smiled awkwardly and seemed to be struggling to find something to say.
Then the silence that followed.
In fact, even though the island of Avalon is so vast, it’s still crowded with academy students, so it’s even more surprising that I haven’t met anyone.
‘… The problem is that I happened to meet Leon.’
The deserted island survival training is a very important event for the main character, and is a turning point in the early part of the scenario.
If things were as they were, this would be the time when Leon would have met Abel and their feelings would have started to blossom.
A story about a handsome man and a beautiful woman sitting in front of a campfire, confessing their hidden feelings and comforting each other’s wounds. Thinking about it, a thought suddenly came to mind.
‘Could it be that I unintentionally intercepted the time Leon was supposed to spend with Abel?’
Then the relationship between those two will be completely beyond my expectations.
‘shit.’
As I chewed my lips, Leon, who had been looking at me, carefully opened his mouth again.
“Hey, Geomma, did you find this orb too?”
I opened my eyes slightly to gauge Leon’s intentions. His face was clean and untainted, and there was no sign of a lie. It seemed like he didn’t come with the intention of offering protection.
From my perspective, it wouldn’t hurt to get the Orb as well, but my main goal was ‘Protection of Regeneration’.
Of course, an orb of this size would be valuable, but at least for me, it is nothing compared to a blessing.
But if I were to readily hand it over to Obman Leon, I would have to explain in detail why I came running so quickly.
‘There is no need or reason to convince anyone.’
If Leon is going to have suspicious thoughts about me, I’d rather seem like a philistine. I nodded, making up my mind.
“Oh, that’s right. I couldn’t find any orbs while I was on the island, but I happened to see one.”
“Oh, I see.”
Leon thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. He tilted his head a few times before muttering softly.
“Then, there’s nothing I can do.”
“… … ?”
As he said that, Leon took out the balm that he had been holding.
Kiiing.
The bladeless sword cried. The resonance was fleeting.
A pure white straight sword extending straight out from the top of the hilt.
Leon narrowed his eyes and pulled Balmung to his chest.
A halo formed along the guy’s face, caused by the light of the invisible blade.
“Beat me in sparring and take it.”
Leon, who looks like a paladin and speaks like a dungeon boss.
It was an unexpected situation. It would be ridiculous to fight over a single orb.
I wondered if Leon had such a worldly personality.
However, the guy’s eyes were filled with determination and fighting spirit. The prosecutor’s eyes were completely free of any sinister thoughts.
At first glance, Leon’s capricious reactions begin to make sense.
The orb is just an excuse, the guy wants to use me as a stepping stone for his growth. A sword to pickle himself.
The distrust I had harbored toward him until recently has subsided.
A hero who has overcome many hardships and trials before finally achieving his accomplishments. Perhaps the reason Leon was so disappointing up until now was because he was before Balmung chose him.
As if to prove it, Leon gave off a completely different, mad aura than before.
I chuckled, smiled proudly, and grabbed the hilt of the knife.
“The main character is the main character.”
However, apart from my virtual mindset, I had no intention of spending much time on it.
Considering the possible variables, it would be a waste of time to allocate painless protection time to such an event.
Besides, even if it’s a duel, if you get caught up in the atmosphere, you could end up getting your head cut off.
I took a step forward and pulled the blade out of its scabbard.
Kiiing.
Balmung and sashimi resonated together.
* * *
After a while.
The duel ended in an absurdly fleeting moment.
It didn’t even go beyond a second.
As the short sashimi brushed against the Holy Sword Balmung, the Balmung’s blade snapped like a piece of candy.
‘It’s too high.’
It was a level that seemed impossible to reach even after swinging a sword for decades. It was a sword skill that seemed to have evolved beyond what it had been during the midterm exam.
There was no way I could know how someone of the same age could use such a ghostly skill. I wouldn’t know even if I asked. It was not a skill, but rather an instinctive way of wielding a sword.
“haha.”
Leon stared blankly at the empty hilt of the sword, then burst into laughter.
Leon looked at Kanggeomma. He had put his weapon away and was examining the rock where the orb had been placed.
The sparring from earlier didn’t seem to have even a trace in Kanggeomma’s mind. He was only focused on the winner’s special reward.
‘… Kanggeomma, you should have been chosen instead.’
Leon spoke without moving his mouth. A subtle emotion from deep within filled his chest, making him feel suffocated.
Leon held back what he wanted to say and walked slowly toward the forest path without saying a word.
The shadows of the deepening sunset dyed the back hill.
* * *
“Oh, what? When did you go?”
While my eyes were briefly drawn to the engraved rock, Leon disappeared without a trace.
“Did I finish it too quickly… … .”
Even I thought the result was disappointing.
Perhaps it was because he was too determined not to waste 50 seconds, but the duel ended with a single swing of the sword.
As Sashimi ran over the red line drawn on the balmung, the invisible blade scattered into the air like dust.
I carefully hit the guy with only his feet so as not to cause any scars.
Even though it was only a sword handle, it was the strongest weapon in the world, but it disappeared without a trace. I reviewed the training for a moment and shook my head.
“Well, the final form of Balmung will be different.”
I picked up the orb that was resting on the rock. The crystal-like gem was about the size of a baseball.
“Still, I guess the grade reflection rate is high at this level.”
I stuffed the orb roughly into my backpack and approached the rock with the pattern engraved on it.
A soft light source flowed through the engraving of the fine pattern. I spread out my hand and put it close to the rock.
“… … .”
There is no response. Doesn’t this usually produce a flashing, glowing, and body-permeating effect?
Come to think of it, in the game, it was just obtained naturally when you got close to it and heard a mechanical sound.
I narrowed my eyes and scanned the rock up and down. I looked closely to see if there was anything unusual, but it was just a tree-shaped stone with a few lines of text engraved on it.
After standing there for a few minutes, absorbed in my thoughts, I started to feel annoyed.
I’ve worked hard to get here, so what are you doing when your goal is right in front of you?
Then, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. The memory of when I had coincidentally obtained the blessing of regeneration came flooding back to me. I muttered quietly as I lost myself in thought.
“…no way.”
I put down the backpack on my shoulder and took out a bag of sashimi.
And he gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and swung it with all his might.
Swish!
A rock that splits like butter the moment it touches my skin.
thud!
The fallen leaves flew up and scattered in the aftermath of the impact.
Soon, a welcome status window appeared on my retina.
Paat!
== ==
[NEW! Congratulations! You have acquired a new protection.]
[Protection of Rebirth]
It rapidly proliferates and repairs damaged cells.
[※ However, the detached body parts will not regenerate.]
== ==
Sashimi looked at the status window with his brows furrowed, put it back, and took out a machete from his bag.
“Let me just check.”
I lightly cut my arm with a machete. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it was enough to leave a scar if left untreated.
However, the blood that had been pooling on the skin stopped and the flesh stuck to it in an instant.
“Oh, the performance is certain.”
It’s the most intuitive and reliable performance I’ve ever achieved. I was going to check it out a bit more, but I stopped because it felt like I was messing with my precious body.
“Well, I’m glad I got what I wanted.”
I pushed my chin with my palm. There was a cracking sound as my joints released.
I felt refreshed.
There was an unexpected intervention by Leon in the middle, but compared to his previous actions, it was not even a nuisance.
Suddenly I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky.
The sun had completely set beyond the western horizon, and darkness quickly fell.
Gulp.
The ship’s engine thumped loudly.
“Come to think of it, all I ate today was beef jerky.”
There was no food left. We had been running around in the bushes all day, so we couldn’t hunt.
I was thinking of going out to look for wild animals even now, but the accumulated fatigue was rushing in and my eyelids were heavy.
‘Well, I’ve been running around for over five hours.’
I scratched my chin and looked around, hoping to find something edible. Then, a cluster of fruits hanging from a tree came into view.
“The fruit of life.”
The original smell was fragrant, but because I was hungry, saliva flowed down my chin. My sense of taste was revived and my appetite was stimulated.
“The scent of heaven, the taste of hell… … .”
In my experience as a chef, it is unlikely that a fruit with this kind of aroma would taste bad. I don’t know for sure, but it is probably a rumor that has been distorted from a bitter taste.
I picked a fruit and roughly wiped it on the hem of my clothes. The fruit’s surface was shiny. Then I took a big bite and left a tooth mark.
Crunchy.
“Kyaaaaak!”
The strong taste that enveloped my mouth made me shiver and phlegm boiled in my throat.
“Fuck! Thud, thud!”
It was a taste like hell, like I would lose my sense of taste if I ate more.
* * *
The next day, when the sun rose, we walked along the forest path for about two hours.
The bushes that were blocking the view were cut down with a machete.
“… Phew, it’s so stuffy.”
Sweat ran down my temples in the hot wind. Perhaps because the island is surrounded by the sea on all sides, the salty and humid sea breeze engulfed my entire body.
I unbuttoned the top two buttons and wiped the sweat with my sleeve. I took a short breath as the discomfort index rose to the top of my head.
My stomach hurts so much that it hurts. Maybe it’s because I ate the fruit of life yesterday, but my stomach hurts. This isn’t a metaphor, but when I woke up this morning, my stomach was in hell.
“Water, water.”
I desperately needed water to quickly rinse my torn insides and wash my body.
I flapping my sweat-soaked top, straining my senses to find a nearby stream.
There is no need to sit cross-legged with your hands on your knees like in the movies. Just standing still and closing your eyes is enough.
The senses that were refined by the protection of the swordsman were far superior to the original perception. The expanded field of vision projected the surrounding terrain into three dimensions into the mind.
The sound of grass swaying in the wind, the flow of seabirds flying across the sky, and soon the sound of water flowing like a stream reached my ears.
‘Found it.’
I pushed the snowball up and opened my eyes. The terrain changed quickly, so I had to get there before I lost it.
I put strength into my calves, kicked off the stone steps, and started running towards it. The scenery stretched out in front of me and scattered in a long line.
Perhaps because he had been training diligently, his feet were very fast even though he was carrying a heavy backpack.
‘Then how fast was that baby rabbit the day before yesterday?’
I don’t know for sure, but it seems like that guy wasn’t an ordinary beast. After running for about five minutes, a stream flowing at the end of the road came into view.
The damp wind blew in from the river, increasing the discomfort index, but one cold splash of water would wash it all away. All my nerves were already focused on that place.
The fragments of scenery that had been passing by began to take shape, and soon I reached a stream where I could wash off my sweat.
Shushu shuk―
A ray of light passes before your eyes like a flash.
“… … !”
I twisted my pelvis momentarily to avoid it, and soon, with a bang, the curved sword was lodged in the tree next to me. The branches shook violently due to the aftershock.
Before I could even begin to wonder what was happening, three identical curved swords came in, bending like boomerangs.
Shhh— shhh shhh shhh— shhh shhh—
Swords flying in as if staggering through the air.
At the same time, I stepped on the true ground, struck the ground, and then swept away the blades that were spinning around and dazzling the eyes.
However, due to the sudden surprise attack, he was unable to activate the swordsman’s protection, and so he was lightly scratched here and there on his body, and blood gushed out.
Following the swords that were immediately stuck in the old tree like an awl, with a thud.
Thud, thud.
The unpleasant sound of many footsteps.
“Wow, Captain. Is that kid really a cadet? This is awesome. How about we just scout him while we’re at it?”
“Be quiet, Parik.”
“yeah.”
Shadows began to appear one by one from the corner of my vision.
They appeared, led by a man with a forked tongue like a snake. Among them, the one who stood out was a woman standing in the middle of the men.
Because I know her.
Rayson.
The leader of the assassin group Undertaker, a half-man, half-horse who Leon Van Reinhardt later encounters for the first time.
