Chapter 56: Deserted Island Survival Training (3)

I cleaned the blood from the blade and glanced at the rabbit’s corpse out of the corner of my eye.

“…”

I had planned to let it go out of boredom, but in a burst of frustration and anger, I drew the sashimi blade, immediately chased after it, and slashed its neck. In a way, I had shortened its life on a whim, so I didn’t feel much about it.

After sheathing the sashimi blade, I pulled out the machete and began skinning the rabbit, separating the hide from the meat.

Although I had filleted fish before, I had never worked on a wild animal. Surprisingly, the flesh separated quite easily.

Once I finished the butchering, I gathered straw and firewood, lighting a fire with the matches I had brought.

I placed the pieces of meat over the flames, spread the hide over a log, and began tanning it.

Although the hide ended up with some punctures due to my lack of skill, the rabbit was so large that, even discarding the damaged parts, there was enough material to make a blanket.

The extracted blood was scattered far away to divert the attention of carnivores, and the rest I buried to avoid attracting predators. Then, a thought crossed my mind.

“…Why am I so good at this?”

Even though I had studied survival books, I didn’t expect to be this adept in a wild setting.

Maybe living in the wilderness suited me better than life at the academy…

Smiling faintly, I pondered this newly discovered side of myself.

‘When I have time, organizing a camping trip with the club members might be fun.’

However, I couldn’t stray from my priority here.

With the limited time I had, my plan was to explore the island the next day using the map I had prepared.

“…I need to find that blessing before heading back.”

Sizzle.

Meanwhile, the meat began to brown over the flames. I cut off the burnt edges, turned it over the fire, and let it cook evenly.

As I watched the flames, I lifted my gaze and saw the sky, once a bright blue, now tinged with the golden hues of sunset.

With the twilight, the majestic Yggdrasil seemed to reach its zenith, radiating infinite benevolence as it enveloped the island.

The landscape was so breathtaking that it felt like it disconnected me from reality. For a moment, I was lost in its grandeur, but I shook my head and refocused on the campfire.

When the condensed fat on the surface of the meat dripped onto the firewood, it produced smoke and a crackling sound. I wiped the saliva from my mouth with my sleeve.

‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen anyone since arriving on the island.’

As I recalled, Avalon Island was comparable in size to Jeju Island on Earth, with constantly shifting geography.

With that in mind, it wasn’t unusual not to have encountered anyone yet.

‘But I can’t let my guard down.’

Keeping my senses sharp, I carefully observed my surroundings.

If there was one thing experience had taught me, it was that unforeseen events always struck without warning.

Just in case, I kept two sashimi knives safely in my pocket, ready for any emergency.

I added more straw to the fire and stirred it with a stick. According to the books, wild animals had to be thoroughly cooked to avoid infections.

As I skewered the meat with the stick, hoping it would cook faster…

Rustle, rustle-

The sound of rustling leaves reached my ears. It wasn’t very close, but my heightened senses quickly picked up on its presence.

My head instinctively turned toward the direction of the sound. I gently set down the stick and machete, drawing the sashimi blade and gripping it tightly, ready to unsheathe it fully if necessary.

‘That’s not the presence of an animal.’

Rustle, rustle-

The source of the sound drew closer. With just a slight flick of my wrist, the sashimi blade was poised to unleash its azure edge.

As I took a step toward the source of the sound, the bushes rustled violently, and suddenly, a human figure emerged.

At that moment, just as I was about to unsheathe the sashimi blade, I stopped upon locking eyes with the intruder.

“Who are you…?”

It was Abel. Drenched from head to toe, she looked at me with a slightly flushed face.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment before opening her mouth to speak.

Growl―

But before she could say anything, an earsplitting roar echoed from her stomach.

***

When the sun, which had painted the sky in a ripe yellow, began to sink beyond the horizon, Kang Geom-Ma and Abel sat across from each other in front of a campfire.

“…”

A heavy silence hung between them. Seated opposite one another, neither dared to break the ice, instead awkwardly watching the dancing flames.

Kang Geom-Ma let out a quiet sigh as he stirred pieces of meat with a twig he was using as a utensil. The aroma—no, the tantalizing perfume of the meat—wafted through the air.

Grrrrumble.

A fierce growl erupted from Abel’s stomach, immediately followed by an intense blush that painted her cheeks red as tomatoes.

Her extreme embarrassment, coupled with the slight trembling of her shoulders, was almost too much to bear.

‘So embarrassing! This is so embarrassing!’

Since arriving on Avalon Island, she had thought the three-day, two-night training would be no big deal.

Now, she regretted her overconfidence and how she had underestimated the challenges she would face.

The problems began almost immediately, starting with the basics: finding food.

Although she had tried hunting wild animals to survive, the creatures on Avalon Island, nourished by the mystical “Fountain of Mimir,” were far too large and fast. Even the rabbits had sturdy bodies and quick feet that seemed impossible to track with the naked eye.

Despite using her Divine Blessing to try and catch one, the rabbits mocked her efforts, twitching their ears defiantly before escaping with grace.

To add insult to injury, the animals didn’t hesitate to tease her. When they managed to gain some distance, they wagged their tails provocatively, as if mocking her.

After hours of fruitless chasing, hunger became unbearable, and darkness began to fall over the mountains.

She knew the dangers of being caught in the mountains after nightfall, especially in Avalon, where the ever-changing terrain complicated navigation.

In the end, she decided to give up and spend the night on an empty stomach. But just as she was searching for a place to rest, she slipped and fell into a stream that had suddenly appeared due to the shifting ground.

Though she wasn’t seriously injured, she felt a sharp pain in her twisted ankle.

“For now, I need to find a place to stay for the night.”

Walking along a shadowy path in her soaked clothes, she spotted someone warming themselves by a campfire. The warm aroma wafting toward her was irresistible.

Though Avalon was an uninhabited island, it was clear that the person by the fire had to be someone from the academy.

Despite her bedraggled appearance after all her misfortunes, her growling stomach made it impossible to think clearly.

However, as the legitimate heir to the Nibelung family, she mustered all her strength to maintain her composure as she approached the fire.

The scent of roasted meat tickled her nose as she drew closer.

When she was about 50 meters away, she saw clearly who was tending the fire. Her eyes widened in shock.

‘It’s him…?’

It was Kang Geom-Ma. Before him, over the flames, large chunks of meat cooked slowly, while he, wrapped in an animal hide over his shoulders, gazed calmly at the fire.

Seeing him, reason returned to Abel like a bucket of cold water, and a bitter taste filled her mouth.

‘…Even here, Kang Geom-Ma surpasses me.’

He always seemed one step ahead, as if looking down on her from above.

The competitive spirit she once burned toward him had dwindled to smoldering ashes.

She shook her head to dispel those bitter thoughts and murmured to herself.

“…I’d better leave.”

But just as she was about to turn away, Kang Geom-Ma, sensing her presence, grabbed his knives and rushed toward her.

Startled, Abel stumbled and fell backward. Normally, she would have tried to escape, but her twisted ankle kept her rooted in place.

And so, the moment ended with both of them sitting silently in front of the campfire.

Kang Geom-Ma glanced sideways at Abel. She, for her part, avoided his gaze, visibly uncomfortable in his presence.

He was the last person she wanted to encounter, and now her stomach had decided to betray her with its noisy growls.

All she wanted was to run away, but the pain in her ankle and her paralyzing hunger made her unable to move.

Suddenly, Abel began to shiver. The cold night breeze wrapped around her, and her damp clothes only worsened the situation, quickly draining her body heat.

Her lips were losing their rosy color.

Kang Geom-Ma observed her for a moment before removing the animal hide from his shoulders and holding it out to her.

“Cover yourself with this.”

“…What?”

Abel looked at him with wide eyes, glancing between the hide and Kang Geom-Ma’s face. When he gestured insistently, she accepted it, pretending she had no choice.

‘It’s warm.’

The hide still held the warmth of Kang Geom-Ma’s body.

Then, unexpectedly, he removed one of her shoes, causing Abel to blush in confusion.

“Huh, what are you doing!?”

“If you leave your ankle like this, it could get worse while we’re here.”

Calmly, Kang Geom-Ma broke a piece of wood to fashion a makeshift splint and secured her ankle firmly using strips of cloth he had torn from his own clothing.

Once he ensured it was properly stabilized, he leaned back.

Abel’s eyes widened as she opened her mouth, struggling to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

“…Thank you.”

Kang Geom-Ma shrugged silently, as if it were nothing, and refocused on the meat.

Abel opened and closed her mouth several times, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

It was a completely foreign feeling for her, so unfamiliar that her lips couldn’t form the right sentences.

She had always been accustomed to wielding a sword, but these emotions were uncharted territory.

Instead of speaking, Abel looked at Kang Geom-Ma, whose figure was illuminated by the flames.

His face was sharper than before, his expression more mature. His dark eyes radiated an indescribable depth that made it impossible to look away.

At that moment, their gazes met. Abel, caught off guard, began to stammer, but Kang Geom-Ma handed her a piece of freshly cooked meat.

“It’s ready.”

The meat was perfectly cooked. Feeling his gaze, Abel instinctively took it.

As she watched Kang Geom-Ma carefully, accepting his favor, he spoke while pulling cooked meat off the bones.

“Eat it while it’s hot. Anyway, it’s too much for me to eat alone.”

“…Huh.”

Abel nodded slightly and took a large bite.

“Wow, what is this?”

Before she realized it, she had blurted out praise.

The taste was sublime—perfectly rendered fat, just the right seasoning, with none of the usual gamey smell of forest animals.

Kang Geom-Ma, who had maintained a neutral expression until then, smiled faintly and explained.

“Wild animals have a strong smell, so you can’t eat them as they are. Luckily, I found some laurel nearby and used the leaves to wrap the meat and remove the odor. Then I seasoned it with rock salt I gathered from a nearby stone.”

His eyes sparkled as he described the cooking process. However, after talking for a while, he scratched his chin awkwardly.

Abel, who had been watching him closely, couldn’t help but smile. Taking another big bite of the meat, she commented sincerely.

“It’s delicious.”

Kang Geom-Ma smiled again and said,

“Eat as much as you want.”