<h4>Chapter 92</h4>


    Twenty-two students—including myself—were gathered on a white sandy beach, with clear seawater behind us.


    Following the instructions that were given, everyone was dressed infortable clothing instead of uniforms, and we had also been advised to wear long sleeves and pants. As a result, we all appeared somewhat simrly dressed.


    Of course, ss A and ss B were situated quite far apart from each other.


    Mr. Effenhauser stood in front of ss A.


    The students seemed perplexed by their arrival at such a location. The only one who wasn’t flustered was Ellen, as if she had been prepared for any kind of event to ur. Even Vertus seemed noticeably intimidated, even if it was just a little.


    Mr. Effenhauser began the briefing.


    “This ce is an uninhabited ind within the empire’s Kamsencha Archipgo. The size of this ind is about three times that of the Temple.”


    Though it was uninhabited, the ind was veryrge. It was covered in a tropical rainforest, so beyond the sandy beach in front of us was a huge jungle.


    “You all must survive on this ind for approximately five days, beginning today until Friday evening. Each of you will be given one bottle of drinking water. You may utilize themon supplies here for hunting or gathering. You must simply survive until Friday, by any means necessary.”


    Surviving for five days might have seemed like a brutal task, but it wasn’t impossible. All of the students stared nkly with their mouths wide open after Mr. Effenhauser made his announcement. The noble-born students, in particr, were the most appalled, questioning whether surviving in such a hostile environment was even possible.


    “I-Isn’t this dangerous? We don’t even know what’s out here... What if someone gets hurt or something happens...?” Harriet murmured, as if in a daze.


    “Exactly. It seems too irresponsible to just tell us to survive somehow,” said Heinrich von Schwartz, echoing her dissatisfaction.


    “This mission is by no means mandatory. If you want to give up, you can do so at any time. Just be aware that if you do so, you will fail this portion of the ss,” Mr. Effenhauser stated unequivocally.


    Naturally, telling noble-born students—or any student for that matter—to survive on a deserted ind for five days sounded insane. Not only was the group gathered here full of nobles, but they represented some of the empire’s best talents. That was why they received exceptionally favorable treatment in the Temple.


    However, with special treatment came special assessments.


    This mission had been assigned based on such logic.


    “You will all be issued one of these button-shaped artifacts.”


    Mr. Effenhauser pulled something that looked like a button from his pocket.


    “If you are in an emergency situation or wish to give up, use this. It will transport you immediately to a safe ce. But remember, if you use it, you will be considered to have withdrawn from this mission.”


    One could give up whenever they wanted, and there was a mechanism in ce to respond in case of any idents.


    There were students who already looked like they were going to press the button the moment they received it. However, if a student kept failing the group missions, they faced the possibility of being held back a year.


    No characters were held back a year in the original work, but with the changes in the storyline, anything could happen now. Mr. Effenhauser, as always, onlyid out the facts, with a detached and impartial attitude.


    —Kids, whatever you do, do not overdo things. While grades are indeed important, safety is the priority. While this ce is a lot safer than you guys think, if it gets too hard, use the artifact right away. Do you guys understand me?


    Meanwhile, a distance away, Ms. Mustang—whose personality was theplete opposite of Mr. Effenhauser’s—was briefing her students. Somehow, though, her words seemed more rming.


    “If you have any questions, speak up now,” Mr. Effenhauser said.


    Vertus raised his hand. “Are there any dangerous monsters here?”


    Vertus’s question belied his hope that such a risk hadn’t been overlooked before sending the students to this ce.


    “We do not provide information about the ind; that is the rule. However, I can tell you one thing,” Mr. Effenhauser stated calmly. “This mission has been designed to test what skills you can demonstrate in the face of a crisis, and to observe your behavior in a real-life situation.”


    Nothing about this ind was assured.


    We already possessed abilities. Now, it was a matter of seeing how we could utilize those abilities. The mission was designed to see whether we were selfish or cooperative, rational or irrational.


    “You are the Royal ss. You, who are privileged even within Temple, must prove yourselves much more than those in the regr sses.”


    While some with immense power might cry and copse, others, with less strength, would grit their teeth and strive to ovee. The group missions were devised in order to test this fact.


    Being in the Royal ss meant enjoying very powerful privileges. Therefore, it was logical that the students had to ovee tougher trials.


    The teacher did not even disclose to the students whether the ce was dangerous or not.


    “There’s no need for lengthy exnations. Press the button if you want to give up. If you think you can’tst until Friday, giving up early is also an option.”


    “<i>Just remember that in doing so, you will basically be admitting defeat.</i>”


    Everyone could easily guess what Mr. Effenhauser was implying.


    “One more thing.”


    It was time for Mr. Effenhauser to reveal the most crucial fact.


    “If certain conditions are met, the mission will end sooner than scheduled. Additionally, the ss that satisfies these conditions will receive bonus points.”


    A special mission...


    If certain conditions were met, the mission could end early, and the ss that met those conditions would earn extra points.


    “Of course, this is a bonus mission, and is not mandatory. With that, I have conveyed all necessary information.”


    Mr. Effenhauser then took out a button-shaped artifact simr to ours and disappeared via spatial transportation.


    He had vanished from our sight, but would be observing our situation from somewhere.


    “D-Did he... Did he really just leave?”


    “No way. How could he...?”


    “What should we do now?”


    The students were profoundly shocked by the fact that Mr. Effenhauser had really vanished.


    Then again, strictly speaking, wasn’t this basically neglect?


    It was only now, somewhat btedly, that I fully realized what kind of story I had written.


    <i>Whoosh</i>...


    From afar, the clear seawater crashed relentlessly against the shore.


    Quite literally, we were children left stranded on a beach.


    ***


    ss B, who were gathered a distance away, was soon left alone along the seaside as well after Ms. Mustang departed.


    Both ss A and ss B seemed equally stunned. Vertus was absorbed in thought, arms crossed. He must have known this was going to happen, yet seeing it first-hand made him realize just how absurd the situation really was.


    Almost everyone was bewildered. It would have been easier to find someone who was <i>not</i> in a daze.


    Aside from myself, Ellen, and the contemtive Vertus, everyone else seemed to have lost their wits, or were standing there dumbfounded.


    “What the heck is this? Why do we have to do this? How is this supposed to help us?” asked Connor Lint.


    “I know right? What are we supposed to do if they suddenly just drop us in the middle of nowhere...” muttered Kaier Vioden.


    Coming from amoner background did not make the situation any more desirable. The air was humid, and the sun was scorching. No one would be ustomed to such conditions.


    The noble-born students seemed to be filled with thoughts of giving up already. Everything seemed so incredulous, and they were at a loss for words.


    If this situation was unbearable for an ordinary person with amoner background, it would be a miracle if the nobles, who had been ustomed to fine clothes, delicious food, andfortable beds their whole lives, did not break down crying in these circumstances.


    In the original storyline, ss A—with its preponderance of nobles—somehow managed to survive the first day, after which most of them voluntarily gave up. One by one, they dropped out, leaving Ellen as the sole survivor who endured until the end.


    ss Bpleted the mission sessfully, under the direction of Ludwig.


    Now that events had deviated significantly from the original storyline, though, I couldn’t predict what would be of ss B. Thus, I had no intention of following the original ss A storyline either.


    First and foremost, I needed the achievement points, so I had to endure this mission through to the end. And since it was impossible to do it alone, I had to somehow drag these guys along.


    I opened themon supply box that Mr. Effenhauser had left behind after his departure.


    When I started to move, everyone began to stare at me intently. It was natural for them to whine and feel as though the situation was unbearable. If 17-year-olds could handle this situation nonchntly, that would be the real joke.


    I began to take out and organize themon supplies while all of the students watched me nkly.


    Inside the box were two machetes, a bow with ten arrows, a bundle of rope, three pots rge, medium, and small), three scale-covered throwing javelins, one axe, three small knives, one fire starter, eleven water bottles, and eleven button-shaped artifacts.


    The supplies were rather sufficient, and more than I had expected. They were basic, yes—but the supplies were appropriate enough, given that the students had been left to their own devices.


    The other students were watching what I was doing in a daze. I put the others out of my mind for a moment and looked at Ellen.


    “Hey, you’re not going to give up, right?” I asked.


    “No.” Ellen shook her head.


    “Vertus, you won’t give up either, will you?”


    Vertus shook his head as well, though his expression was grave.


    Unlike in the original work, Charlotte was now in ss B. That was why Vertus wasn’t going to give up.


    There were two people aside from myself who absolutely would not give up. I picked up a machete, then handed the bow and arrows to Ellen.


    “I’m going to head ind with Ellen. You take care of things here.”


    “Huh... go ind? You’re going in there?”


    “Yeah, we have to look for something.”


    “Do you think that’s safe, though? We don’t even know what’s in there.”


    “Come on, how dangerous can it be?”


    Vertus was clearly bewildered by my readiness to enter the jungle. It made much more sense to leave the overall leadership to Vertus. Though he seemed momentarily flustered, he quickly regained hisposure.


    “Okay, I got it, Reinhart. I’ll handle things here.”


    Even in this situation, Vertus was still Vertus. He didn’t want to be involved in the nasty, hands-on work. By stepping aside, I was essentially offering to take on that burden, while he could focus on theparatively simple task of controlling the other kids from a leadership position.


    Vertus, who had been raised infort, would find this situation as dreadful as anyone.


    “You,e with me.”


    “Okay.”


    I led the way, and Ellen followed quietly behind me.


    It turned out that Ellen and I were the odd ones out.


    ***


    Ellen was proficient with the bow, which was why I had her follow me; if any animals appeared, she would be in charge of hunting them.


    <i>Whack</i>! <i>Whack</i>!


    Ellen and I moved deeper ind, with me cutting through the dense vegetation with the machete.


    “Wow, it’s ridiculously hot,” I said.


    “Yeah, it is,” Ellen replied.


    Both Ellen and I were drenched in sweat. Ellen seemed annoyed by her long hair, and tied it up with a hair tie to keep it in ce. Beads of sweat glistened on her face and on the nape of her neck.


    At least we had the good fortune of not having to deal with the jungle’s worst viins—mosquitoes.


    This was a test, a mission. Even though Mr. Effenhauser hadn’t provided any information about the ind, I knew a lot about it.


    This ind was a controlled environment. Therefore, there were no mosquitoes that could carry life-threatening diseases, as they had been eradicated from the outset. Of course, this didn’t mean that there were no insects at all.


    There could definitely be unforeseen emergencies, but this wasn’t a fully-untamed wilderness.


    <i>p</i>, <i>p</i>!


    As I cleared the brush with the machete, the noise startled some birds into flight.


    “Hey, can’t you shoot down the birds that are flying away with the bow?”


    “... I’m not <i>that </i>good.”


    Ellen was proficient with the bow, but archery wasn’t her specialty. She wasn’t at the level of an expert marksman.


    I had no intention of going in too deep.


    Soon enough, I spotted what we were looking for.


    “Over there.”


    “What is that?”


    I smiled wryly and pointed towards a cluster of trees.


    “Have you never seen a coconut before?”


    The most clichéd element in a deserted-ind-survival story: coconuts.