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“I’m tired. I’ll rest for a bit, you go ahead.”

What on earth is happening?

Gilbert, no, Kang Do-jun, watched his wingman bleeding profusely and dying right before his eyes, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He knew the mission was reckless, but seeing his closest friend dying made it all too real.

Do-jun’s own body wasn’t in great shape either, but he tried his hardest not to cry in front of his partner, who was cracking jokes even in his final moments.

“Stop talking nonsense and get up. We need to go.”

Even though he knew it was hopeless, he urged his partner to get up and return together.

Lying on the ground, Do-jun’s partner let out a weak laugh. Blood gushed out with his laughter, but he kept smiling foolishly. Do-jun, unable to hold back, cried even harder.

“Do-jun.”

“Speak, you idiot.”

His friend’s smile began to fade. It was hard to tell if his eyes were looking at Do-jun or just staring into the void. As he crossed the river of death, he grabbed Do-jun’s hand and pulled him close.

“Make sure you survive and return. By any means necessary.”

Even as he continued to vomit blood, his only concern was his friend’s safety. And so, he died in Do-jun’s arms.

Do-jun closed his partner’s eyes, which had been wide open with worry even in death. He vowed to return alive, just as his friend had wished.

But he promised himself that he would only return after completing the mission. He couldn’t let his best friend’s death be in vain.

Not long after, Do-jun fulfilled his promise. He completed the mission flawlessly and even managed to retrieve his friend’s body, an almost impossible feat.

Though his body was battered, he had no regrets.

His friend’s death wasn’t in vain, and he had returned with him. That was enough.

Back then, and even now, Do-jun truly believed that.

***

At dawn, Gilbert, who had been dozing off, frowned and got up. The memories of his military days resurfaced, leaving him in a sour mood. It had been a long time, but these memories still haunted him.

If he was going to think about the real world, at least it should be about women. Instead, he found himself grumbling about some random guy.

Gilbert stomped out the remaining embers of the campfire. He couldn’t afford to waste time today; he needed to reach the southern coast.

He slung the remaining bundle of Kenni legs over his shoulder and shook his canteen. It was almost empty, likely because he had shared it with Lily the day before.

Deciding to replenish his water supply, he began climbing trees to find a water source, just as he had done the day before. But luck wasn’t on his side this time. Hours passed, and he still hadn’t found a suitable source.

Frustrated, Gilbert took a small sip from his nearly empty canteen and continued on his way.

After walking for about an hour, he heard a sound that made him stop in his tracks.

Growl.

It was a rough, hungry growl. The sound of branches being trampled grew closer, and soon, a massive bear appeared, drooling and ready to pounce.

Gilbert sighed and turned his head toward the sound. As expected, a giant bear stood there, saliva dripping, looking like it was about to charge.

Gilbert pondered for a moment. Even if the bear attacked, it wouldn’t be a problem for him, as he could manipulate mana. But if he could avoid using his power, he preferred to do so.

He summoned his mana and released his aura. The bear, being a survivor of the wild, hesitated, sensing Gilbert’s overwhelming presence. If it weren’t so desperately hungry, it would have fled immediately.

Gilbert threw two of the Kenni legs toward the bear. The bear, still wary of Gilbert, hesitated but eventually gave in to its hunger and devoured the meat.

Watching the bear eat greedily, Gilbert wondered why such a large creature was so starved. It was strange that the king of the forest couldn’t find food. Even if it had fled from cadets, it shouldn’t have been this hungry after just a day.

Once the bear finished the Kenni meat, it seemed calmer, licking its lips. Gilbert, after some thought, cautiously approached the bear with the remaining legs.

“Stay still.”

It might have looked ridiculous to try to tame a bear with Kenni legs, but the bear, already subdued by Gilbert’s aura, allowed him to approach. Gilbert handed over the remaining legs and inspected the bear’s condition. He soon realized why the bear had been struggling to find food.

‘It’s badly injured.’

The wounds weren’t from a sword or anything sharp. They were claw marks and bite wounds, as if the bear had been in a territorial fight. Gilbert considered it a significant discovery that there was a creature in the forest capable of such brutality.

If giving away his food was a problem, it was a minor one. In this humid environment, meat spoiled quickly. He needed to find new food anyway, so gaining this information was worth it.

“Be careful. I’m leaving now.”

After patting the bear a few times, Gilbert left to find water and food. The bear let out a grateful growl as he walked away.

After parting ways with the bear, Gilbert hurried toward the southern coast, searching for water and food along the way. Fortunately, as if repaying him for helping the bear, he managed to find water and edible fruits. He ate his lunch in a tree and then continued toward the coast, finally arriving in the early afternoon.

Upon reaching the coast, Gilbert confirmed his location. He was roughly in the middle of the southern coast and began moving southwest along the shore. If all went well, he expected to reach the end of the coast by noon the next day.

Suddenly, he sensed movement ahead. So far, he had only encountered Lily, but the coast, being a place where food was easier to find, increased the chances of meeting other cadets.

“Hey!”

As expected, he saw five cadets gathered, trying to start a fire. Judging by their uniforms, they were from the third-grade class. Gilbert quickly assessed their belongings. They had a pile of freshly caught fish and edible fruits.

Gilbert, who needed dinner, smiled.

Before the third-grade cadets could react, Gilbert swiftly sent all five of them back to the academy in comfort.

Of course, their payment was the fish and fruits they had worked so hard to gather.

Gilbert picked up a fruit, wiped it on his sleeve, and took a bite.

Indeed, the best food was what you stole from others.

***

Ian hadn’t expected the General Assessment to take place on an uninhabited island. His original plan was to use Cook, a card he had prepared in advance, to interfere with Gilbert during the assessment.

It was a great plan, as it allowed him to act without exposing himself, using a third party. However, the assessment being held on an uninhabited island ruined his plans. Finding both Cook and Gilbert on such a large island was practically impossible.

Ian decided to postpone his plan to sabotage Gilbert and focus on the assessment instead. Though unexpected, the island survival challenge wasn’t a problem for him.

Before coming to the academy, Ian had been trained by experts in various survival skills, just in case he ever found himself in such a situation. He knew how to find water, gather food, and navigate through forests.

That training paid off during the assessment. He secured water, food, and a place to sleep. If it weren’t for his foresight, he might have been struggling like the other cadets.

With the essentials taken care of, Ian pondered his next move. His rival, Gilbert, had been making waves since the beginning of the semester, so Ian felt it was his turn to shine. The protagonist might rise through adversity, but that didn’t mean he had to stay in the background forever.

Exactly.

Ian decided to dominate the General Assessment with an overwhelming performance. He quickly formulated a plan. Though little information had been given about the island, one thing was clear: Colossal Mechs and Magic Weapons were hidden throughout the island.

That was exactly what Ian was after. If he could get his hands on a Colossal Mech, finishing the assessment in style would be a breeze.

After finalizing his plan, Ian set out the next day to search for the mechs. Along the way, he encountered cadets who tried to attack him, but he easily dealt with them and continued his search.

He occasionally found clues that might lead to a mech, but it wasn’t easy. He was essentially relying on his instincts to find one.

After searching for half a day, Ian took a break near a large tree. He pulled out some pre-cut fruit and roasted meat and began eating.

Finding a mech wasn’t going to be easy, but it was proving to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

He sighed and reached for his canteen to drink. But his sweaty hands and the wet surface of the canteen caused it to slip. He tried to catch it, but it fell to the ground.

‘Ugh…’ He frowned, realizing he’d have to find water again. He quickly grabbed the canteen, but half the water had already spilled. Still, there was some left, so he drank it. As he did, he noticed something strange about where the water had spilled. The water had seeped into the ground in an unusual pattern.

Ian closed the canteen and began digging around the area.

Thud!

As soon as he started digging, he hit something hard. He cleared away the dirt and found a flat, solid surface—a hatch of some sort.

Ian immediately realized what he had found.

He grinned and pulled open the hatch, revealing a ladder leading down into a well-lit passage.

Ian climbed down and closed the hatch behind him. It was surprising to find such a deep underground space on an uninhabited island, but it made sense if the Demia Empire Academy had prepared it.

As he walked through the underground passage, he soon arrived at a hangar.

There, just as he had expected, stood a standard Colossal Mech used by the academy.

Of course, the protagonist is different.

Ian nodded, satisfied with the hangar prepared for him. He felt that competing with Gilbert was no longer necessary.

Feeling more at ease, he found a comfortable spot, laid down, and prepared to catch up on the sleep he had missed the previous night due to being on guard.

First place in the General Assessment is mine.

Smirking as he drifted off to sleep, Ian fell into a deep slumber.

 

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