.｡.:✧ Chapter 9 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Do you know what’s most important when obtaining food on a deserted island?

Not drinking seawater?

Preserving the hunted animals?

How to distinguish edible insects?

No.

The most important thing is not to eat mushrooms.

No matter how starving you are, don’t eat mushrooms. It’s better to dig up the ground and catch earthworms to eat.

It’s nearly impossible for an ordinary person, not a mushroom expert, to distinguish edible mushrooms.

Even if it looks like a button mushroom, it can be poisonous, and even if it looks like an enoki mushroom, it can be poisonous. It means never touch it, even if it looks 100% identical to the mushrooms we know.

Because it could be a poisonous mushroom that looks the same!

In the first place, what do you think the mushrooms that grow in a place with only monster tags like this feed on?

When I think about how I thoughtlessly picked and ate a mushroom that looked familiar in the early days of living on this deserted island and struggled on the verge of death for a week, my teeth still chatter, and I want to take revenge by harvesting all the mushrooms I see and extracting only the toxic components.

“It just ate all the mushrooms, whether they were poisonous or not…”

But what’s with this bastard? Why is it eating all the mushrooms? Is there a creature that takes poisonous mushrooms as its staple food? I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely a crazy bastard. There are countless mushrooms that grow naturally in this forest, and among them, there are mushrooms that can kill even bears if eaten incorrectly, and there are also mushrooms that cause hallucinations like drugs. It doesn’t seem like a creature that eats such things would be sane.

…It could also extract only the poison like me and use it.

It could be a smart type of monster that extracts only the toxins from the spores… but the possibility is nearly zero. Even bears, which have stronger detoxification abilities than humans, avoid poisonous mushrooms.

In the end, the thought that it might be a person suddenly came to my mind. It’s a sufficiently possible scenario. I don’t know why a person would roar and shake the entire forest, but if it’s someone like Renny, wouldn’t it be possible?

“…If it’s really Renny, couldn’t we resolve it through conversation?”

Unless it’s the betrayal route, depending on the route, he becomes an ally. If the identity of the invader is really Renny, things would become much easier. The problem is that all the mushrooms have been taken, so I thought I should first check the condition from a distance.

There’s no way a character that eats mushrooms and dies would be fine after eating mushrooms.

I arrived at the foot of the hill I had set as my final destination. The base of the hill was a complete mess. Corpse pieces scattered here and there. A huge crater about 20 meters in diameter, as if a meteorite had fallen. The scene of destruction, filled with nothing but violence, was starkly revealed.

At the edge of my vision, I could see the remnants of the traps I had made, but they were almost completely shattered, except for the tips of the bone spears. Did it create this crater trying to escape from the traps? It seemed the traps had been extremely effective. It wouldn’t have made such a crater unless it was really pissed off.

“…Enough sightseeing, time to go up.”

If I lingered in a place like this and encountered it, my life on this deserted island could come to an end that very day. I had managed to survive for 10 years, so I couldn’t end it with such a bad ending. At the very least, even if I die, I want to smell the scent of civilization before dying… I moved my steps, thoroughly vigilant of my surroundings. The goal was the top of the hill.

Fortunately, there were no obstacles.

It was only natural. What animal would dare to come near this area when there was a creature capable of creating such a crater? If there were any, they would be nothing but fools looking for a place to die. But it seemed they had already become corpses…

I reached the top of the hill, lowered my body, and slowly scanned beyond the hill. Likewise, the forest had collapsed in places and revealed a gruesome sight, and some tree roots had been dug up. It seemed to be pulling out mushrooms wherever they were.

I lay down on the grassy ground and held my breath. I planned to hide like this and wait until that bastard appeared. It would be a boring time, but that’s how survival is. You have to be more cowardly than anyone else and more courageous than anyone else to survive.

I lay there for 3 hours straight.

The lice are itchy.

But I can’t move.

Because a reckless action for a moment of comfort can take your life.

“Did it go far away…?”

Since it was digging for mushrooms, it might have gone to a place with more mushrooms. That would be a bit troublesome. Mushrooms are spread all over the island except for my territory, so I might have to enter the snakes’ territory if I’m not careful. It wouldn’t be a big deal to enter the snakes’ territory, but there’s always a possibility.

…It would also be a problem if things became much more complicated by accidentally encountering the Hydra.

They’re the type to rush in at a time like this.

Since there’s no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation, if I get caught, it’s a direct path to a dead end.

It was at that moment when I was pondering whether to move or not.

Something rose up from among the fallen trees. Something wearing silver-gleaming clothes. Judging by the patches of skin showing here and there, it didn’t seem to be in good condition. In its hand was a sword with a broken blade. A knight? The shimmering clothes looked like armor.

Its posture, with its arms hanging limply, was like a zombie, but it wasn’t a zombie.

Because its movements were too natural to be a zombie. Zombies’ movements were stiff like wooden dolls.

So, there was a high probability that it was a person. Even from a distance, it didn’t look fine.

“…I can’t identify who it is from this distance.”

Is it Renny? Even if I wanted to confirm, I couldn’t approach and check because I couldn’t be sure if the other party would be hostile to me or not. At least the hair color was the same as Renny’s in the game, but there’s always a possibility.

The figure, presumed to be Renny, stood limply for a while, then picked something up from the ground and shoved it into its mouth.

I couldn’t tell what it was eating because I was quite far away, but it was probably a mushroom. The fact that the figure was eating mushrooms meant that it might be addicted to them. There was a mushroom in the forest that caused a commotion like drugs before I was possessed. I still vividly remember taking a bite and regaining my senses a week later.

Could it be eating that?

Is it crazy? If it eats that mushroom, it will suffer from hallucinations for a week… No way?

…Did it go crazy after eating that and kill all the bears? What a lunatic.

It’s living up to its final boss name in an absurd way.

As if to prove my thoughts, the limp knight suddenly started swinging its broken sword at the trees. At the same time, a resounding voice echoed through the forest.

“…Where is Lady Karina! Tell me now!”

I knew it. Another innocent tree is going down.

And it seems to be Renny. If the setting I know is correct, Karina’s only escort was Renny alone. I couldn’t confirm the appearance properly because of the distance, but the hair color was the same light brown, so there was a 99% chance it was Renny.

If not, well… it can’t be helped.

Bang.

A giant tree, noticeable even from a distance, couldn’t withstand Renny’s merciless sword strikes and collapsed, scattering dirt.

I expressed my condolences to the newly fallen tree. Thanks to it, I was able to accurately identify Renny’s identity, so I had the presence of mind to pay my respects to the tree that had made a valuable sacrifice.

Anyway, now that I had confirmed that it was rampaging like this, it was time to come up with a plan.

I had no intention of approaching a human suffering from hallucinations without fear. They wouldn’t be in their right mind, so there was no way talking would work. I’d be lucky if I didn’t end up lying next to that tree.

Attempting a conversation is something you can do when they are rational.

“Mushrooms, mushrooms…”

I quietly stood up, recalling the mushrooms that had caused this incident. The other party was completely focused on chopping up the trees and paid no attention to this side, so I could safely withdraw.

“I need to set a trap.”

It was the conclusion I reached after much deliberation. What good would a trap be against such a monstrous knight? But having obtained all the necessary information, I was confident in capturing her with a trap. If she were in her right mind, it would be impossible, but Renny was not in her right mind now.

I swiftly traversed the forest. The location of the land where I would execute the plan to capture Renny with a trap was already set in my mind. The geography I had memorized while painstakingly traveling around this island was diligently producing answers in my head.

An open field on the outskirts of the forest. There were traces of the ground being dug up to harvest mushrooms here as well, but the condition of the field was favorable.
There were still some mushrooms left. This could be used effectively.

“I need to finish this quickly.”

First, I had to estimate.

I started drawing lines on the field with my shovel.

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“Lady Karina…”

Where are you?

You’re all I have.

These despicable ones are not opening their mouths. To think they wouldn’t say a word even after I used all the torture methods I know… They’re tough bastards.

But don’t worry, Lady Karina.

I, Renny, will find you even if it costs me my life and escape this island.

Because that’s what an escort knight is for.

So…

“I need… I need the drug…”

My head hurts.

I need the drug.

Drug, drug, drug… Where is it?

It’s itchy.

It’s itchy.

It’s itchy.

It’s itchy.

It’s itchy.

My throat hurts.

I need the drug.

Drug… drug…

Right, mushrooms.

The drug was mushrooms. Mushrooms… I have to eat mushrooms…

Mushrooms. It’s mushrooms.

Mushrooms flew to me. The mushrooms here even have wings. How fascinating.

Mushrooms…

It tastes bad. But it’s only natural since they say good medicine tastes bitter.

Mushrooms. More… more… give me…

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