Chapter 24

The third survival test seems to be another high-difficulty challenge.

Surviving with Sigh. I was excited about this, but it seems that Sigh will only be a burden in this survival test.

This is because the content of the third step of training is to survive while protecting Sigh.

Sigh will apparently participate in this survival test without using any of her abilities, completely turned off.

Surviving while protecting the now weak and vulnerable Sigh.

Isn't this going to be quite tough?

When Sigh seems lethargic, it means she is experiencing the Earth's gravity normally.

Seeing the lethargic Sigh, who seemed to be already turned off, I couldn't help but sigh.

My body is getting heavier day by day due to the fatigue from training, and protecting Sigh while surviving seems too much.

I was foolish to think that she would protect me.

This is typical of Sigh's thinking. Nothing good ever comes from it.

"Survival will last for nine days.

I will be a complete burden, so you have to protect me."

"How much of a burden do you plan to be?"

"I intend to starve if you don't feed me and be eaten by monsters if they attack.

I will be a full-on burden."

Well... What is this person thinking?

Is she a baby?

Ignoring my shock, Sigh continued.

"In this survival test, you will have to think not only about yourself but also about me.

By expanding the scope of your concern, you will hone your concentration, reflexes, and dynamic vision."

"Uh... Isn't there a better way to do this?"

If that's the case, I'd rather just be tormented by Sigh continuously.

It would be tough, but if Sigh is going to be a burden, she must really intend to be one... I have no confidence in getting through this.

"Since you are putting your life on the line, it's only right that I do the same and accompany you in training, right?"

What kind of logic is that?

The whole point of training is to avoid death, yet there's a risk of dying during the training, which seems counterproductive...

Does this rehearsal even make sense?

...Of course, Sigh wouldn't listen to my complaints, and we had already arrived at the Northern Forest.

According to the illustrated guide, the Northern Forest is where aggressive creatures gather near the lake.

So I set up the tent a bit away from the shore.

It's a relatively large four-person tent. That's all the camp house had.

I thought Sigh wouldn't allow such luxury, but in exchange for carrying all the equipment myself, I was allowed to bring whatever I wanted.

The items I brought were the same set I brought before, as much portable food as I could carry, empty water bottles, a tent, and a sleeping bag.

On the way to the Northern Forest, I had to carry a total of 20 kg of bulky equipment, but it couldn't be helped.

Fortunately, or perhaps because I managed to avoid them, there were no encounters with monsters along the way.

Thanks to the effort, we won't run out of food for a while. This should last for five days.

I have my own plan for this survival test.

Food is fine. We can get water from the nearby spring.

And with my detection skills, I can easily sense the approach of monsters.

In other words, I can stay in the tent for five days.

So, I decided to keep Sigh inside the tent and first go to fetch water.

Holding the now tattered backpack I used for the first ten days, I left the tent.

I had already found the spring on the way here, so I easily reached it.

I could completely track the positions of the monsters by sound, so there was no chance of a surprise encounter.

After filling the empty water bottles, I returned to the tent.

All that was left was to stay in the tent for five days.

I planned to spend a leisurely five days inside the tent, chatting with Sigh and lazily eating portable food.

I'm not so serious as to do every life-threatening training honestly.

After all, this is survival.

Survive. Yes, survive.

Sigh didn't give me any specific tasks, so I can use any means to make this training easier.

I want to get stronger, of course.

But this time, it's Sigh's mistake in setting up the test.

It was a mistake to let me bring the tent and other equipment.

I thought it would be a difficult and devilish training, but it seems I can easily complete it this time.

While thinking about this, I returned to the tent, only to find Sigh scattered portable food everywhere.

"What are you doing!?"

"I was hungry, so I'm eating."

Near Sigh were about five or six empty cans.

No way! At this rate, the food won't last three days.

I glared at Sigh.

Sigh, frowning, stuffed more food from a can into her mouth.

This person... is eating on purpose...

Damn, she's trying to make things difficult for me. She doesn't intend to lower the difficulty of the training.

"Stop it, you'll get fat!"

"Don't compare me to ordinary women. I move."

Sigh's hand didn't stop.

This person...! All the food I worked so hard to bring!

I have to say something...!

I can't just let Sigh get away with this...!

I can at least say something mean.

"Hah, get fat, lazy fatso!"

Sigh reacted quickly to my insult.

I tried to run immediately, but I was caught.

Pinned down in the tent, Sigh straddled me.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I got carried away."

At this point, all I could do was apologize. I had forgotten that Sigh is still strong even without her abilities.

"I'm not fat."

A thud echoed in my head.

It was quite strong.

---

So, I decided to consider the food as already gone. Sigh will probably eat it all.

And Sigh doesn't seem to be staying in the tent.

She keeps leaving the tent for various reasons like wanting to breathe fresh air, drink fresh water, or bask in the sunlight.

It seems she is determined to hinder me.

When Sigh leaves the tent, I have to be extremely cautious.

A monster appeared earlier, and Sigh did absolutely nothing.

If I hadn't hurriedly driven it away with sound, Sigh would have been in the monster's stomach by now.

Seeing this, I finally understood that Sigh is seriously trying to hinder me.

I thought she would at least do the minimum to protect herself, but she is putting her life on the line to be a burden.

The enemy in this survival test is not the monsters lurking in the darkness, but Sigh.

How much can I focus on Sigh while protecting myself?

That seems to be my challenge.

Although the training has only just begun, I have apparently caused a lot of trouble for Roll.

Even in a simulated situation, I now understand the difficulty of being in a protective role.

It's tough to be aware of others besides yourself.

So far, the training is going well.

As long as I stay focused and drive away approaching monsters early, Sigh won't be harmed.

I have to stay alert for nine days, but this is still within my capabilities.

As long as Sigh doesn't do anything on her own, I have a plan.

I was too optimistic.

Sigh collapsed.

There is a bug called the Poison Butterfly.

If you inhale its toxic scales, you will develop a fever and die within a day.

I have been affected by this bug before.

Sigh inhaled the toxic scales of the Poison Butterfly.