I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years – Chapter 104

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Sif. Wake up.”

“E, embezzlement…? I, I don’t know anything about that, meow…”

Even in her sleep, she dreamed of money.

Waking someone up from a peaceful sleep felt wrong, but duty called.

I lightly pinched Sif’s soft cheek.

“Wake up.”

“Meow?!”

As expected, nothing worked better than a bit of pain to shake off drowsiness.

I turned away from Sif, who was clutching her cheek with teary eyes, and walked towards the direction where the trap had been triggered.

What had been caught?

An animal?

It was too quiet for an animal.

Besides, I hadn’t seen any animals while setting up camp, digging traps, and creating drainage ditches.

A person?

If it were a person, I would have heard screams by now.

At the very least, I should have heard a human voice.

However, the creature caught in the trap didn’t even scream, only emitting a strange gurgling sound.

…That left only monsters.

Judging by the sound of flesh being torn, it was safe to assume it belonged to the category of living creatures.

Or maybe…

“…Huh. Wrong genre, I think.”

Why was that here?

I never thought I’d see that mass of tentacles I encountered in the deserted island dungeon again.

It was slightly different, but the sight of countless tentacles attached to a large, beholder-like eyeball brought back memories of the tentacles from the deserted island.

No, looking at it now, it definitely seemed like they were related.

“Johann, wh, what’s been caught? Why that look on your face?”

“An island where things like that roam freely…”

The creature writhed, impaled by the sharp spikes I had densely laid out.

What the hell was that thing?

Just looking at it made my head hurt.

I wanted to sleep.

Sleepy. Sleepy. Sleepy. Sleepy.

“…Johann?”

“…I feel dizzy.”

The indescribable creature flailed its limbs, trying to escape from the pit.

To be precise, it wasn’t just its limbs, but its head as well.

“…What in the world did you create?”

“What is it that…”

Humanoid.

But where the head should be, a grotesque creature was attached.

It looked like a monster from those horror games I used to watch on internet streams before I possessed this body.

I could confidently say that I had never seen such a creature in “Survival Academy.”

I heard a sharp intake of breath from beside me.

I quickly covered Sif’s mouth before she could scream.

Why was this monster caught in the trap?

It was probably because it lacked intelligence, but it was safe to assume that it wasn’t the only one, so it was wise to avoid making noise.

“Sif, have you ever seen a monster like that?”

“No… never.”

A monster with a strange tentacled creature attached to where its head should be.

Naturally, my mind went to the worst-case scenario.

Monsters abandoning their hosts and moving on to new ones, a common sight in games and movies.

The terrifying image that filled my mind left me feeling utterly dreadful.

Wrong genre. Wrong genre.

I poured water from the canteen at my waist onto my head to clear my thoughts.

It was a waste of water, but I needed to cool my head right now.

As the cold water dripped down my hair, I felt a bit more clear-headed.

“The smoke you saw in the north might have been caused by those things.”

“…I don’t think they can make fire…”

“We can’t be sure they’re the only ones.”

There was a possibility that evolved or mutated versions of these monsters existed.

We couldn’t rule out the possibility that they possessed intelligence either.

The information gathered during our next reconnaissance mission would be crucial for conquering this rift.

“Sif, never get close to that thing.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’d never go near it.”

I ignored Sif’s answer and immediately grabbed my shovel and backpack.

We would set out in the morning, but additional work was needed to ensure our safety from those monsters.

“Sif, can you see well in the dark?”

“Of course! I doubt there’s a race with better night vision than ours.”

“I’ll leave the watch to you. Tell me immediately if you see those monsters approaching.”

“Got it.”

Her voice was unusually serious.

I looked at her face and saw that she was nodding with a rare serious expression.

It seemed she was taking her duty seriously and would focus on her task.

In the meantime, I would reinforce our camp.

I walked to the center of the camp, drove my shovel into the ground, and used my skill.

“Crafting.”

Walls, walls, walls, walls… curved walls rose up one by one around the perimeter of the camp.

The structure had no exit, but that could be addressed later.

I continuously used my skill to create an impregnable fortress.

I pulled soil with my skill, processed entire rocks into building materials, and repeatedly designed the structure for optimal defense.

Finally, I was able to create a fortress that could hardly be called a camp.

By the time I finished building the fortress and collapsed to the ground, the sun had already painted the island in shades of yellow.

“Here’s some water.”

“Thanks.”

I gulped down the water from the canteen that Sif offered.

It was a waste to drink like this since we had limited access to fresh water, but in the worst-case scenario, we could dig a well and extract groundwater.

I closed the almost empty canteen and handed it back to Sif.

“It’s unbelievable that a fortress like this could be built in just a few hours…”

“I’m exhausted, thanks to you.”

“How are we going to scout the area?”

“…Let’s eat breakfast, rest for a bit, and then go. How did the reconnaissance go?”

“…Five of those creatures, looking just like that one, got caught in the traps. One of them kept moving even though its body was mangled…”

Sif shivered as if recalling a horrifying scene.

I stared at her blankly, then looked up at the sky.

The weather was unbelievably beautiful, as if to mock the existence of those terrifying monsters.

“…Why the hell did things like that appear?”

Forget the true ending, at least fill this place with monsters from the game.

Don’t throw in some creepy, Lovecraftian abominations.

What was the hidden truth of this world that made those things appear?

My head throbbed.

When I encountered them on the deserted island, I assumed it was some kind of themed dungeon, but why were they here again?

I felt a knot in my stomach.

I pulled out a piece of dried meat from my backpack and put it in my mouth.

I had planned to have a hearty breakfast, but now I had no appetite.

“…Johann, how are we going to scout the area? You look exhausted, maybe tomorrow-”

“I’ll rest for a bit and then we’ll go.”

“…Are you sure you’re okay?”

“My body is fine. I’m just tired. I’ll be fine after a nap. Don’t worry.”

“Still, don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I know.”

I closed my eyes and pushed all the thoughts from my mind.

I had to do it.

I had to…

“Ugh, this is creepy. Why do they have human bodies…”

“Maybe there was some kind of cult ritual on this island.”

“That’s a terrifying thought…”

As the sun began to set, we continued our northward journey, occasionally splitting the heads of approaching grotesque creatures in half.

We were traveling light, so our pace was fast.

“Sif, how much further?”

“Not much further!”

“A long way to go, then.”

It was hard to stay optimistic.

I crushed the still-wriggling tentacle head with my foot and quickened my pace.

I wanted to get off this creepy island as soon as possible.

Fortunately, the closer we got to our destination, the fewer monsters we encountered.

It was strange, but I tried not to think about it.

My head was already aching enough.

“Is this it?”

Smoke…

“…This is beyond a campfire.”

An unfamiliar yet familiar, horrifying sight pierced through my optic nerves and into my brain.

“!()@##$(!&$(*$!!!”

A person was burning.

Tied to a tree.

It was a burning at the stake, as they called it.

The human, already half-burned and barely recognizable, was screaming as if they were still alive.

What was this? What was this rift trying to show me with this horrific sight?

“Johann…”

“Don’t say a word.”

I looked around.

Dozens of grotesque creatures surrounded the stake.

The sight of those monsters spreading their arms and dancing like they were playing a game was utterly bizarre.

It wouldn’t be surprising if someone fainted from fear just by seeing this.

After a long silence, I sighed and muttered to myself.

“…We need to clear this as soon as possible.”

Staying in this place for too long would drive us insane.

It was a warning from my intuition, which had helped me survive for ten years on the edge of a knife.

“Sif, let’s head back to camp and-”

“Let me go! Let me go!”

A scream?

I whipped my head towards the source of the sound.

In the distance, I could barely make out someone being dragged towards the stake.

A flash of blue amidst the crimson red.

“Johann, that…”

“This is driving me crazy.”

Should we save them, or abandon them?

The choice was already made.

“Sif, rescue the hostage while I distract them. Can you do it?”

“Ugh, I should get double the hazard pay for this…”

“I’ll pay you handsomely, so just get moving.”

“Really? You’re not lying, are you? I’ll definitely bring them back!”

Because the person screaming was Lady Perinne.

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