Chapter 82
Simon’s timing in crossing to the center was impeccable.
As the day brightened and students began resuming their activities in earnest, the four bridges leading to the central Kera Island turned into brutal war zones.
Students who had their own way of crossing the river could avoid conflict, but otherwise, they had no choice but to use the bridges.
"Only 50 points for safe passage!"
In particular, on the western island, a faction formed around special admission number 7 student, Elisa, and the students of Class E, took over the bridge. They used the Tongue Pad’s point transfer function to collect points like toll fees.
Thanks to that, students starting from the western island were temporarily stranded on the island, unable to proceed.
Eventually, a large-scale alliance formed on the western island with the goal of defeating Elisa’s faction, and Elisa swiftly retreated from the bridge, sensing the shift.
While battles were unfolding rapidly all over the island without a moment to breathe, Simon, who had arrived early on central Kera Island, was leisurely devoting himself to searching for Viccrum.
In Simon’s case, locating and making a contract with Viccrum was more important than ranking high in the Island Survival challenge.
"Phew, but it’s really hard to find any trace, Feer."
Simon said as he parted the bushes.
[Can’t be helped. That guy doesn’t usually leave any traces behind.]
Feer’s avatar, clinging to Simon’s school uniform, responded.
[Still, once the Keyzen students start fighting in the central island, Viccrum is likely to be provoked and show himself!]
"Let’s hope so."
According to Feer’s information, Viccrum usually looks so small it could be mistaken for a mushroom growing naturally on the ground.
But when threatened or angered, its body gradually grows, and at full size, its body length easily exceeds 20 meters.
Once it gets that big, it will definitely stand out. Rather than aimlessly searching, Simon thought it might be better to wait in a conflict zone in case Viccrum appears.
As he continued walking toward the center, he saw a sheer cliff in the distance.
Looking down on Kera Island from above, the center rose like a towering mountain, and the slope became steeper and steeper until this very point.
‘It’s definitely high.’
To reach the final destination of this Island Survival challenge, the Mansion, one had to cross this canyon no matter what.
Climbing it directly was difficult without relevant skills. It was also highly visible, making one vulnerable to long-range attacks from the ground.
Of course, there were still more ordinary paths up.
As Simon followed the canyon, he came upon a terrain shaped like a staircase of hills. It resembled a stepped highland farm, with shabby tents and huts densely packed together.
And from those huts, small dwarf-like beings were swarming around.
‘……Woah, there’s a ton of them.’
Grade 2 monster, Kera Tribe.
This is why the island was called Kera Island.
The Kera Tribe looked similar to ‘goblins’ seen all over the continent, but they were even smaller, skinnier, and weaker-looking. Even as adults, they were said to resemble human children aged 6 to 9.
Still, being monsters, their reproductive ability was immense, and thanks to their use of weapons and excellent cooperation, they were the dominant force effectively ruling the island.
This large colony of Kera Tribe monsters was spread out at the best route to climb up the canyon.
‘I came late on purpose, thinking someone else might’ve cleared them already……’
There were signs that huts had been burned and destroyed in places.
But considering the size of this massive colony, that was like a drop in the ocean. In the end, he would have to break through with his own strength.
Rustle.
As Simon was briefly distracted by the colony, he heard a presence from the bushes behind him.
He quickly turned around and raised Darkness. The skeletons clattered defensively as well.
"Wait! I’m not here to fight."
A male student in a Keyzen uniform came out of the bushes with both hands raised. He had neatly combed-back gray hair.
"……Who are you?"
"I’m Vincent Werly from Class C."
Vincent smiled gently and continued.
"You’re thinking of crossing through that Kera Tribe stronghold too, right?"
"……Yeah, that’s right."
"Then let’s team up! Honestly, with that scale, trying to break through alone is suicide."
"‘We’?"
Vincent smiled subtly and pointed behind him.
"I didn’t bring them in case you’d be cautious, but there are eight more behind me."
Eight people.
Simon thought it was impressive that he had gathered that many and said,
"I’m planning to go alone."
"……Seriously? That’s clearly a team-play challenge course! Going alone is nuts."
He wasn’t wrong. Vincent’s suggestion to join forces sounded reasonable.
But—
"I’ve got another method in mind. Sorry."
Simon still couldn’t trust Vincent. He had a way to break through alone, and it wasn’t urgent enough to take on the risk of joining a team.
With just those words, Simon turned his back and disappeared into the forest.
In the end, Vincent trudged back to his comrades alone. They were lounging and chatting casually in a suitable spot.
"What’d he say?"
One of them asked. Vincent shrugged.
"He says he’s going alone."
"Pfft!"
"Look at him putting on airs. He hasn’t had his head cracked open yet."
Vincent’s team was in high spirits. And since they had entered Kera Island on the second day, it was fair to say each of them had skill.
"Want to go after him and drag him back?"
One teammate asked. Vincent shook his head.
"Forget it. Waste of time. Let’s focus on our task."
"If he comes begging to be let in later, we can beat him up and take his points."
"Hahaha!"
Vincent’s team moved in high spirits.
It didn’t take long to reach the Kera Tribe stronghold. On the terraced hill above, dwarf-like Kera Tribesmen were wandering about.
"Alright, this is all about speed."
Vincent addressed his teammates.
"More important than killing monsters is moving just one step further up. As Keyzen students, we won’t fall to the Kera Tribe, but once you slow down, you might end up having to fight the whole stronghold."
Everyone nodded seriously.
"Then take the positions we discussed, and let’s move."
"Okay!"
"Mm."
They immediately formed a breakthrough formation. Two Magical Combat students took the lead, followed by students of Darkness Dynamics, Katarology, and Haematology.
Vincent, as the leader, stood in the center of the formation.
"Let’s go!"
The eight team members began ascending the hill in unison.
Kerrrk!
Kerrrk!
The surrounding Kera Tribesmen noticed them and charged. Since the emergency alert hadn’t been triggered yet, only a few were pouring out of the huts for now.
"Kera Tribe? Please."
The front-line Magical Combat students gathered Darkness into their fists and swung.
Crack!
With just a light punch, the Kera Tribesmen’s heads snapped back and they flew dozens of meters.
With the follow-up firepower from the students in the rear, the area was thoroughly swept clean.
"This way! This is the fastest path up!"
Vincent led his teammates, and everyone moved as one, breaking through with terrifying momentum. As the monsters began swarming in more aggressively, the group barely managed to climb halfway up the slope.
"We’re already halfway! Just a little more to go!"
Vincent clapped his hands to encourage his team. The students, drenched in sweat, only now started to think that something felt off.
‘W-We’re only halfway up?’
Climbing the hill while fighting turned out to be much more exhausting than expected.
On top of that, hunting down those quick little monsters, whose bodies were only the size of a human’s lower half, wasn’t easy.
But with monsters constantly pouring in from behind, there was no other choice. Everyone gritted their teeth and ran.
"Aaaargh!"
While forcing their way through, a problem finally occurred.
One team member, rushing forward, seemed to twist his ankle and was now rolling on the ground clutching his leg.
Everyone turned around in shock.
"What’s wrong?"
"Uuuuugh! M-My ankle!"
Vincent was the first to run over and support him by the shoulder.
"We can’t leave you behind like this! Hang in there!"
"……T-Thanks."
With an injured member, their already slow pace was cut nearly in half.
The Magical Combat student at the front knocked down monsters, but couldn't shake a bitter feeling.
‘Am I being selfish? If we take the injured guy with us, all of us could be wiped out because of him.’
It’s not like they would actually die, once the barrier gauge hits 0%, the emergency shield would activate and teleport the student to safety.
Even now, with everyone still intact, they couldn’t guarantee they could break through the stronghold.
He began to feel like there was no need to bring the injured guy along.
The other students felt the same. Though they didn’t say anything out loud due to the strong team spirit, their thoughts mirrored his.
"Ten more up ahead!"
"They just keep coming!"
As their speed decreased, the number of monsters they had to deal with increased.
Now they were at their limits, both physically and magically. Just when everyone was on the verge of giving up—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, a thunderous sound shook the ground.
Everyone turned their gaze. Cutting straight through the dense terrain packed with Kera Tribe members like a swarm of ants, a monster was charging forward on foot.
"A g-golem! That’s a golem, right?"
"There’s someone riding it!"
Simon, riding on a Mud Golem, grinned as the wind blew coolly across his face. Feer’s avatar, beneath him, bellowed with laughter.
[Kahahahaha! Go! Keep going!]
To the small Kera Tribe, the golem was literally a giant.
No other weapon was necessary. Just the golem running was enough to crush and trample countless Kera Tribesmen to death.
Was there ever such a brute-force method to break through a monster camp?
But it was undeniably effective. The once-aggressive Kera Tribesmen were now scrambling to flee. The golem was like a wolf among sheep.
"That’s the guy who said he’d go alone earlier, right?"
"He’s insane. Wow, he’s really gonna solo this all the way up."
Vincent’s team watched Simon with a mix of awe and envy.
It felt a little hypocritical, considering they had mocked him earlier, but some students began hoping, maybe he’d save them too?
However, Simon and the golem simply passed them by, not even noticing.
Then it happened.
-Kerrrk! (What’s going on?)
Hearing the commotion, a Kera Tribesman adorned with ornate decorations stepped out of a hut.
-Kerrrk! Kerrrrk! (Humans have invaded!)
-Kerrrrrk! (Leave it to me!)
He was the chief of the Kera Tribe.
Just his appearance alone significantly boosted the Kera Tribesmen’s morale. The nearby Kera raised their arms and began cheering.
Fwoosh!
As the chief raised his staff, flames began to rapidly gather and ignite.
He was none other than the only Kera Tribe member capable of using magic!
As he aimed his staff to cast a spell—
Snap!
—he was instantly killed by a strike from the charging golem’s foot.
Simon, looking elsewhere, didn’t even notice.
‘Huh, what was that? Did we bump into something?’
That was the extent of his reaction.
But the consequences of Simon unintentionally eliminating the boss were enormous.
With the death of their leader and commander, the Kera Tribe fell into chaos, flailing in confusion.
"What’s going on? Why aren’t they charging anymore?"
Vincent’s teammates noticed the change as well. Vincent bit his lip and stepped forward with a tense expression.
"Something’s changed! For now, everyone catch your breath—!"
-Kerrrk!
-Kerrrrrk!
But then, a few Kera Tribesmen nearby began kneeling on one knee before Vincent.
As Vincent stepped back in confusion, a sword suddenly pointed at his neck.
"Gah! W-What are you doing?!"
"I thought something was off."
A male student pointed his sword at Vincent and spoke coldly.
"You're the only one whose barrier gauge is still at 100%, aren’t you? Why haven’t any monsters attacked you?"
"……!"
"100%? For real?"
The other students began murmuring, finally realizing something was wrong.
"You led us in circles to drain our stamina, insisted on dragging along an injured person to slow us down with some fake drama, it's all too clear. You didn’t…"
The male student grabbed the necklace hanging around Vincent’s neck and yanked it off.
Vincent reached out in a panic, but the student blocked him by pressing the blade closer to his neck and closely examined the necklace.
"This looks like the same one those Kera Tribesmen are wearing. This is an artifact from the ‘supply drop’, right?"
The supply drops falling from the sky didn’t just contain food, they also held various artifacts helpful for Island Survival.
This one likely either made the Kera think of the wearer as an ally or granted them a respectful status that prevented attacks.
He tossed the necklace to a nearby female student. She put it on and cautiously approached the Kera Tribe.
The surrounding Kera Tribesmen flinched and backed away, then knelt on one knee before her.
The girl gave Vincent a look of disbelief.
"You really fooled us, didn’t you, Vincent?"
"N-No! Everyone calm down! Just hear me out!"
The mood turned icy in an instant.
"You planned to let us all get wiped out and collect the points afterward."
"No wonder he had so many points."
"Are we the only victims, or were there others too?"
Once suspicion began, it spread uncontrollably. The girl with the necklace gestured with her hand, signaling the others.
"No need to say another word. Goodbye."
The sword pointed at Vincent’s neck sliced forward.
Superb.