A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 59

Thankfully, it seems like I arrived just in time. Both Grace and Lee Yeonju are completely unscathed.

While they have the ability to protect themselves to some extent, their balance isn’t particularly great.

Grace is a mage who values distance, while Lee Yeonju is a thief vulnerable to head-on confrontation.

Moreover, Lee Yeonju rarely reveals her true abilities unless absolutely necessary.

Even when I arrived, she was pretending to tremble as part of her act.

“Ten people? Did you take down all of them and then come to us?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re even more amazing than I thought, Mr. Sivar. I heard Ms. Luna was with you too.”

After I roughly explained the situation, Grace reacted with admiration. Lee Yeonju’s response was similar.

In truth, Luna hadn’t participated in the fight and had only left behind some strange, confession-like words, but I didn’t bother to mention it.

The professors were probably watching everything anyway, so there was no need for me to bring it up.

I’m worried that strange rumors might start circulating soon. I just hope Luna handles it well.

‘It seems certain that Luna saw the mural.’

If others overheard, it would sound like a confession or a date proposal. But the likelihood of that is extremely low.

She’s never shown any such intentions toward me before and has always subtly expressed suspicion.

It seems she’s been doubting my existence since seeing the mural and was waiting for an opportunity to be alone with me.

However, with so many eyes watching me, the chance never came easily.

So, she must have used this practical training as an opportunity to convey her intentions clearly.

‘How should I respond? She’s the protagonist, so I can trust her, but…’

I pondered this as I entered the safe zone with my team members. If I end up alone with Luna, she’ll definitely ask about the mural.

If she asks whether I know the future after seeing it, I’m not sure if I should confirm or deny it.

Or perhaps I should shamelessly counter by asking what she means by “future.” If it comes to that, she’ll definitely grow more suspicious about my identity.

‘No, wait. She’s already suspicious of my identity.’

It’s a different kind of suspicion—thinking I’m extraordinary from birth, rather than a soul from another world.

Still, since she’s the protagonist, it’s probably best to cooperate with her. Hiding things will only make her more suspicious.

Besides, even if I reveal the secret, the likelihood of Luna exposing it is extremely low. She didn’t even mention the mural’s existence to Rod.

While demons are a tangible threat and require assistance, there’s nothing certain about me.

“Mr. Sivar.”

“?”

As I was deep in thought, moving toward the safe zone, Grace called out to me from behind.

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to look back at her, though my legs kept moving.

“That thing you showed earlier? Where you took down people one by one by throwing stones?”

Grace asked with a face full of curiosity. Her sharp eyes remained the same, but her expression had softened slightly.

Hearing her question, I blinked and mimicked the motion of throwing something.

“This?”

“Yes. Throwing stones at people to knock them out—where did you learn that?”

I didn’t learn it; I taught myself. But since I didn’t know the word for “self-taught,” I could only give a fragmented answer.

“Alone.”

“Alone? Don’t tell me you taught yourself?”

“Yeah.”

Grace looked surprised at my answer, while Lee Yeonju beside her appeared intrigued.

Honestly, it’s not that surprising. To survive in the wilderness, I had to make the most of human strengths.

Among all animals, humans have the best throwing ability. Our shoulder structure is optimized for it.

Even apes, which are physically stronger than humans, fall far short in throwing ability. Maybe that’s why throwing was the first skill I mastered.

“Th-then, what about suppressing your presence? I couldn’t sense you at all when you came right next to me…”

This time, it was Lee Yeonju’s question. Though she was acting, she was originally a highly skilled assassin.

For someone like her to genuinely fail to sense my presence and be surprised, it’s only natural she’d be curious.

“Survival.”

“Survival…?”

“Detection. Death. Survival. Essential.”

My extremely brief explanation left Lee Yeonju blinking. The tear mole beneath her left eye stood out.

If it were Kara, she would have interpreted it easily, but for them, it takes some time.

“Hmm… Since Mr. Sivar lived in the forest, there must’ve been many dangerous animals, so he learned to suppress his presence to survive. Is that it?”

“Ah! That makes sense! If that’s the case, I think I understand why you’ve mastered ambush techniques.”

“Ambush? Is suppressing one’s presence called ambush? I don’t really know.”

“Ambush refers to suppressing one’s presence and even killing the opponent.”

“Ah… I see.”

Lee Yeonju spoke of killing in a calm tone. Grace, perhaps sensing an inexplicable unease, responded awkwardly.

Occasionally, she says things that create a subtle sense of disharmony. I remember it being portrayed in the game as well.

“By the way, it’s getting dark. While there are fewer groups left, making it somewhat safer…”

In the strange atmosphere, Grace hurriedly changed the subject. Hearing her words, I looked up at the sky.

Just as she said, the sky had noticeably darkened. The denser the forest, the faster the sun sets.

Considering I eliminated at least five groups, there should be about ten people left. Maybe even fewer.

But the forest is always dangerous. You never know when or where a threat might appear.

In the forest, animals are more dangerous than people. Snakes, in particular, are the most annoying.

“We should first decide on a place to rest. Once it’s completely dark, it’ll be hard to move around.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah.”

Following Grace’s lead, we searched for a suitable resting spot. Fortunately, we soon found terrain perfect for camping outdoors.

There, we could set up a simple tent and prepare a meal. We still had some smoked wild boar meat left from lunch.

“What if we use this moss to make the ground softer?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

While I was roughly constructing a tent out of wood, Grace and Lee Yeonju almost did something ridiculous.

Without any prior knowledge, they suggested using moss to make the ground softer.

Hearing that, I was horrified and quickly stopped them. Even leaves are crawling with bugs, and moss is far worse.

It might work for sealing gaps in the roof, but using it as a mattress would lead to illness.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“Bugs. Too many.”

“…”

When I firmly pointed it out, Grace slowly backed away from the moss. At times like this, she listens to me quite well.

“Th-then, what about the ground? We don’t have anything to lay down and sleep on…”

“Just sleep.”

“We really have to?”

“Yeah.”

“The hard ground makes it impossible to sleep, though…”

Grace pouted, her lips sticking out. Like the young lady she is, she seems unable to sleep without a soft surface.

Honestly, I’d prefer a soft bed too. Adaptation is scary; I already miss a comfortable mattress.

Just for today, we’ll have to endure. Leaving the grumbling Grace behind, I focused on pitching the tent.

When living in the forest, I used caves as hideouts, but I still have a rough idea of how to construct a shelter.

“Wow. This should keep us safe even if it rains.”

“It’s small, but it’ll do for a night.”

I made it spacious enough for at least two people to sleep, excluding the night watch.

A roof is essential—not to keep out tiny bugs, but at least to block snakes.

Besides, I don’t actually need to sleep. Thanks to my wild instincts, even when I do sleep, my consciousness remains alert.

So, I plan to let Grace and Lee Yeonju rest fully. Even on a hard surface, their fatigue will put them to sleep.

“We’ll have to make do with smoked wild boar meat for dinner, right?”

“Yes. We can’t always rely on Mr. Sivar. Honestly, even this is a great stroke of luck for us.”

Dinner was resolved with smoked wild boar meat. It was too dark to go hunting.

To prepare for such situations, I had pre-made smoked meat. Thanks to the smoking process, it tasted surprisingly good.

Although the wild boar’s naturally tough texture is a drawback, it’s more than enough to fill our stomachs.

Crackle!

Eventually, a campfire was lit, and a temporary camp was set up. Even though it’s summer and the weather is hot, a campfire is essential for survival.

Not only does it keep animals from approaching easily, but it can also serve as a weapon in unexpected situations.

Of course, it increases the likelihood of being discovered by other survivors. Even the smallest cigarette light is highly visible in a forest shrouded in darkness.

There’s a reason behind the proverb that says you shouldn’t even smoke during wartime. But for survival, there’s no other choice.

‘Even if they discover us, we’ll notice them first.’

As I added firewood to the campfire, I glanced up at the sky. After preparing the tent and finishing dinner, it was already dark.

By the time, it was probably around 9 PM. It’s about time to sleep and start the night watch.

“I can’t fall asleep.”

“Me neither.”

Grace and Lee Yeonju, lying in the simple tent, were chatting with each other. Most of their conversation revolved around how they couldn’t sleep.

Considering the eventful day we had, they should be tired enough to fall asleep. This must be a case of being too tense to sleep.

When people are placed in an extremely tense state, they tend to forget about fatigue entirely. I spoke to them.

“Sleep.”

“…What?”

“I’ll keep watch.”

When I said it, implying that I’d protect them so they could sleep peacefully, Grace widened her eyes in surprise.

I had already planned for the night watch. So, after a few hours, I’d have to wake her up.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to sleep?”

“Yes.”

“…You’re really reliable, Mr. Sivar.”

Grace chuckled. Her expression clearly conveyed a sense of reassurance.

Afterward, she slowly lay down on the hard ground. She seemed too exhausted from the day to care about her dirty clothes.

I moved to a spot where Grace could feel at ease. It was right in front of the tent where the two were trying to sleep.

Soon, I felt movement from behind as they shifted their positions, but before long, everything became as quiet as a mouse.

Once their tension eased, their bodies relaxed, and fatigue took over, leading them to sleep.

“Snore…”

“… …”

She must have been really tired. Grace’s snoring was far from elegant.

Still, it wasn’t too loud and was relatively quiet. I added more branches to the campfire to keep it from going out.

Chirp-chirp—chirp-chirp—

Only the sounds of grass insects and crackling firewood reached my ears. It reminded me of the time I lived in the forest.

The only difference now was the presence of people, but not much else had changed.

If there was anything, it would be the food supplies. I used to have plenty stored, but today, they were completely depleted.

Crunch—crunch—

So, I picked up bugs crawling on the ground and ate them like snacks. Thanks to the campfire, there were plenty of flying insects around.

Since they were all protein, I ate as much as I could. Thinking of it as eating chocolate made it easier.

Rustle—

That’s when it happened. I sensed movement in the thicket across from me.

In truth, I had already felt a presence earlier but stayed still, not expecting it to come here.

But not anymore. The moment I saw the thicket rustling, I quietly grabbed the Ragnarok strapped to my back.

If it were an animal, it would already be aware of our presence and wouldn’t approach easily—unless it was a beast.

‘Or perhaps a survivor.’

Honestly, the likelihood of it being a survivor was high. The presence felt distinctly different from that of an animal.

They didn’t seem to harbor any hostility either, as there was no intention to fight. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

Rustle—rustle—

The rustling in the thicket grew more frequent, and soon, someone emerged from within.

“…Sivar?”

“… …”

An entirely unexpected person appeared. It was Kara.

The moment I saw her, I let go of the Ragnarok I was holding.

If it had been anyone else, I would have remained on guard, but things were different with Kara.

Even in the Soul World, she chose survival over fighting. Unless provoked, there was no reason to fight her.

“Hello.”

Still, greetings were necessary. I waved my hand gently to welcome her.

Kara, initially dumbfounded by my calm greeting, soon chuckled.

“Yeah, hello.”

Kara smiled warmly, as if amused, and raised her hand in response.

She glanced at the simple tent set up behind me and then asked,

“Can I sit next to you?”

I answered by scooting over slightly.