Chapter 40: Hellscape Island (5)
In my previous life as Mikhail Reverk, I lived my entire existence amidst war.
I despised war, yet I shone brightest on the battlefield.
Now, in this new life, I lived as Evan Lafard, a minor count.
It was a life diametrically opposed to my past.
Of course, there were occasional crises, but they were mere stumbles over pebbles.
“Yawn~”
As a result, I felt not just peace but boredom with life itself.
That’s how much my soul was stained by war.
I craved peace, yet a fierce life suited me better.
‘They call this Hellscape? It’s nothing special. How’s it different from the Academy’s front yard?’
On the path from the coast to the fortress with the hired hands, the journey was calm, contrary to the instructors’ warnings.
I’d expected monsters to leap out, but nothing appeared.
“Uh, Instructor? No monsters?”
“Did you die to a monster in your past life or something? You’re so eager. Unfortunately, there aren’t any on this path. As I said earlier, this area is safely enclosed by a barrier.”
Far off the main road, I glimpsed a faint, transparent membrane.
“Oh… Then what about the fortress we’re heading to?”
“Same deal, obviously.”
At the news of no monsters, I spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“Then what are we cleaning up?”
“I mentioned earlier—monsters near the fortress’s barrier. Training happens beyond the barrier too, so we clear out anything too tough for the students to handle.”
“Oh!”
Excited at the prospect of a fight, a question soon struck me.
“But shouldn’t the students face those monsters instead? I thought Executors were veteran warriors who crossed countless life-or-death lines.”
The reason Jaina and the others were here was simple.
They came to surpass death’s threshold, grow stronger, and awaken the qualities of the kingdom’s elite Executors.
Yet what the instructors planned—eliminating dangers in advance—seemed contrary to that purpose.
“You’ve got a point. It’s a reasonable thought. But trials shouldn’t exceed their limits by too much. They need intensity that pushes them to the brink, not actual death.”
“Hmm…”
I agreed with Nell’s words but didn’t fully grasp them.
‘So they’re creating a controlled environment. Can that really unlock the kids’ potential?’
In my past life, the training I and my comrades endured was brutally cruel.
It was an environment where death was no surprise, and many did die.
Those few who survived became fearsome powerhouses, notorious across the continent.
In short, apex predators.
‘The kingdom must want collective strength from many, not just one powerhouse… Well, I’m not in the military anymore, so I’ll stay out of it.’
I wanted to meddle but held back.
It wasn’t my business, after all.
As long as it didn’t interfere with my life, I was fine.
A life balancing fun and peace—that was my goal.
“We’ll reach the fortress soon. While the hired hands unpack, we’ll climb the walls to scout the surroundings.”
“To check for dangerous creatures near the barrier?”
“Exactly.”
As Nell said, we reached the end of the path, where a fortress covered in vines came into view.
The gate was long gone, leaving no trace, and the place looked desolate, as if not even a rat lived here.
“Didn’t you say it was maintained?”
“Well, maintenance every few years is still maintenance…”
He said this, but the inside was no different from the outside.
‘They’re not making us pull these weeds, are they?’
The overgrown weeds made the fortress interior feel like a small forest.
It was as if elves might live here, and Nell, embarrassed, cleared his throat.
“Hmm, the grass has grown quite a bit.”
He then deliberately raised his voice to the hired hands.
“Place the luggage in that warehouse. Oh, and we instructors will stay in the spire over there. Put our gear there.”
He mentioned our lodging for my benefit, then approached the hired hands.
‘The spire’s our lodging for the training period? Not bad.’
If anything in the fortress was in decent shape, it was the towering spire.
Naturally, it was the instructors’ quarters, and I entered.
Claiming a room with a good view, I opened the window to air out the dampness.
—Creak.
The stiff window gave way, and a cool breeze brushed my face.
In the distance, I saw the island’s center, shrouded in dark clouds.
At the same time, a strange creature soared into the sky.
‘Oh! That’s a harpy!’
A half-human, half-beast flying monster, the harpy.
Then, a larger creature chased it—a wyvern, three times its size.
‘A wyvern too?’
The harpy, pursued by the wyvern, flew at full speed toward something.
‘Hm? That direction.’
It dove sharply, and the wyvern, unable to control its momentum, crashed into the transparent barrier.
—Boom!!!
I marveled at the barrier’s sturdiness, unshaken by the wyvern’s full-speed charge.
‘Wow, it’s fine even after that impact. That harpy’s clever, using the barrier to shake off a predator.’
Watching the harpy glide away, I fell into thought.
I’d seen plenty of wildlife ecosystems, but a monster ecosystem was new.
Caught up in this fascinating sight, I leaned halfway out the window, scanning for other monsters.
Then, Nell called from below the spire.
“Evan! Come down! It’s time to clear the barrier’s perimeter!”
The monster-hunting time Nell mentioned had arrived.
“Yes! Coming!”
Thrilled for real action over mere sightseeing, I descended the spire’s stairs.
I joined the instructors, who were preparing their weapons.
“Hunting time?”
“Not quite hunting. Just clear some out and drive the rest far off. Most monsters around here are weaker ones pushed out from survival competitions.”
“Can I kill them?”
“Of course. First, pick a weapon. You didn’t bring your own, so choose from these training weapons.”
At that, I carefully examined the arrayed weapons.
‘For hunting, this is it.’
I picked up something that caught my eye.
My choice was a bow.
“A bow. Solid choice. I was worried you’d jump to the front lines. If you support us from the rear, I’ll feel at ease.”
“…?”
I stared blankly at Nell, saying nothing.
“…You’re supporting from the rear, right?”
Why did he assume I’d stay back just because I chose a bow?
I genuinely couldn’t understand.
“No.”
***
While I and the instructors were busy clearing the barrier’s perimeter, Everhart was still drilling the students at the coast.
More precisely, he was tormenting them by keeping them submerged in seawater.
“Stay sharp! Let go of each other’s arms, and your comrade will drift away!”
“Argh!!!”
The students now screamed rather than responded, barely holding on.
Most had blue lips, shivering uncontrollably, their faces pale.
“Ugh…”
“Ah.”
Elliott was the first to pass out.
An instructor swiftly carried him out of the water.
Everhart ended the training and ordered the instructors to pull the students out.
“Dump them on the beach.”
Finally out of the water, the students shivered, trying to cover themselves with sand like a blanket.
But Everhart didn’t allow even that.
“Rise!”
While the unconscious Elliott was treated, the remaining conscious students stood.
“It’s the first day, so we’ll stop here. From now on, head to Bentram Fortress, your lodging. Move!”
“Argh!”
The promise of lodging was the happiest moment they’d had in a while.
But that joy was fleeting.
Everhart had no intention of letting them reach Bentram Fortress easily.
“Shoulder to shoulder, squat, and waddle to the fortress like ducks.”
Swallowing curses, the students gritted their teeth, draped their arms over each other’s shoulders, and squatted.
They inched forward.
“One, two.”
Without prompting, Jaina and I called out cadences, and they moved in rhythm.
Their steps didn’t align at first, but by the time they left the sinking sand, their timing synced.
“One, two.”
A ten-minute walk took over thirty minutes.
The cold shivers were forgotten as they clutched their burning thighs, sweating profusely.
“Huff… Huff…”
“One… ugh…”
When the fortress gate came into view, I shouted louder, rallying everyone.
“We’re here! One!”
Finally arriving, they saw a pile of monster corpses near the gate’s barrier.
Each had an arrow in its head.
“Huff.”
“Gross.”
Two instructors paced anxiously nearby.
Seeing this, Everhart felt a chill and approached them.
“What’s going on? Why are you scurrying like dogs needing to pee?”
“Well…”
Normally, they’d answer immediately, especially to the head instructor.
But they hesitated.
Everhart grew more anxious, pressing them.
“Why aren’t you speaking? Did something happen to the others who went ahead?”
“It’s not that…”
“Where are the other instructors? Evan? He’s not hurt, is he?”
Everhart’s concern lingered on me.
Despite my proven skills earning me an instructor role, I was still a student in his eyes—a person to protect.
“If he’s hurt, get a priest quickly…”
“That’s not it.”
The hesitant instructor finally spoke.
“Evan went off to hunt monsters.”
“What?”
“He cleared the fortress perimeter but slipped away, saying he’d go hunting.”
“And the other instructors?”
“Nell and the others went to catch him. We two stayed to wait.”
Hurt, my foot.
They had to worry about that troublemaker running wild.
“Bring that kid back now.”