I Realized It Was An Academy Game After 10 Years – Chapter 30

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Even looking at it like this, I don’t really know…”

It had been 10 minutes since I caught the zombies that were protesting on the other side of the wall, using them as test subjects for my new shovel, and cut off their limbs to immobilize them for observation.

I still didn’t know.

If these zombies were created by someone, I expected there would be some kind of mark or trace on their bodies, but unfortunately, no strange traces were found on their rotten and torn skin.

Ah, I really don’t want to dissect them.

Dissecting that horrible thing is self-torture.

If I cut open their stomachs, maggots might pour out, which is terrifying. Even though I’ve eaten insects and lived for 10 years, maggots are a completely different matter. What kind of crazy person would want to eat maggots that came out of a rotten corpse?

…But I still have to do it.

I wrapped a cloth around my face and used the shovel to cut open the stomach of the zombie whose limbs had been severed.

As expected, when I cut open the stomach, white maggots wriggled out from the intestines. It’s not like I haven’t seen this kind of sight a few times, but that doesn’t mean I can look at it without feeling anything.

Using the shovel to dig is a bit too much, is there a usable branch?

Ah, I can use this.

I brought a quite long branch from nearby and poked it into the zombie’s stomach. Every time I stabbed the stomach, a green liquid that seemed like it would take hours of showering to wash off the smell splattered out.

Was this liquid filling the intestines? I’m not a doctor, so I couldn’t identify what this green liquid was. At best, I could only tell that it was filled with this kind of thing.

Since it came out no matter where I stabbed, I had a reasonable suspicion that it might be blood. Blood is the only thing that comes out no matter where you stab. Of course, it could also be some kind of venom…

“…What am I doing?”

There’s no way anything will come out of cutting open the stomach and checking the contents with a branch.

You idiot.

I dug a hole in the ground with the shovel and rolled the zombie into it.

The zombie, which had been rotting and couldn’t even be used as fertilizer, made groaning sounds as if asking to be taken out, but I answered by putting dirt into its open mouth.

“Should I dissect other corpses too?”

I feel like I’m about to come up with an easier method.

An easier way… Ah.

I should just bring Karina and ask her. Since she’s a saint, if there’s some kind of chuunibyou-like power affecting the zombies, she’ll notice it right away. Then did I just do something pointless?

No, anyway, I finished testing the shovel’s performance, so I did what I had to do.

I let out a deep sigh and turned around.

For now, let’s go back home and bring Karina.

I immediately returned home, brought Karina and Renny, and went back to where I had thrown the zombie into the pit. Karina leaned over the pit I pointed at and immediately covered her mouth and stepped back.

“Ugh…”

“Lady Karina? Are you okay?”

As expected, it’s a bit too horrible to show Karina. It’s a bit much to show a corpse covered in green liquid that smells worse than food waste, with its intestines dug out and the surroundings stained.

It’s not even a normal corpse, but a corpse that looks more terrible than a drowned and bloated body, showing even the insides.

“You don’t have to look, but I’d like you to check one thing. Do you feel any strange energy?”

At my words, Karina nodded with a face that had turned pale.

“…Yes. I can feel an evil energy. The kind of energy that’s only felt from dark wizards…”

…Tsk. It seems there really is something in the dungeon. It’s strange to have zombies like this in a place without people in the first place. It’s too realistic to be a game-like world.

“…I don’t like it.”

The more I delved into the dungeon, the more questions piled up, and it felt very unpleasant.

What is the identity of this island, what is inside the dungeon, and what is the identity of the vortex surrounding this island?

Will all the questions be resolved if we reach the bottom of the dungeon?

If none of the questions are resolved,

If we can’t leave this island,

What should we do then?

With a complicated heart, I said to the two of them,

“For now, let’s go back.”

I used the shovel to fill in the pit. The zombie that had been struggling with its mouth stuffed with dirt quickly became buried and fell silent.

I walked back home with the two of them, who were looking at me with strange eyes.

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I transferred the food into the newly made pouch, sorting it by type. One pouch of dried fruits. One pouch of dried meat. Two pouches of hydra meat that was either a lump of salt or meat, cured in salt. This much alone was enough food for about a week.

Of course, that’s assuming we eat a set amount.

The reason I’m not bringing more is because we plan to explore the entrance of the dungeon as our goal.

For now, if we roughly estimate at the entrance, we’ll be able to check the amount of necessary supplies.

I also slyly added a plan to sweep the area around the dungeon and make a decent camp. We can’t keep going back and forth between home and the dungeon every time.

When exploring, you should set up a camp nearby and be able to move around comfortably.

Of course, the zombies will thoughtlessly rush out every night as if it’s Halloween and sing the Halloween special song “Thriller,” but we can confidently call out their names and that’s it.

Even if those bastards come charging in by the hundreds, we have our ultimate weapon, Karina.

We just need to shout, “What can you do! What can you do other than groaning and getting purified!”

“Jo, Johann?”

“What’s the matter… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Well, you’re saying everything out loud…”

Karina turned her gaze away with an awkward smile on her face. As soon as I heard Karina’s words, I also turned my gaze away with an embarrassed expression. Renny’s stare was piercing.

Ah, I can’t breathe.

The insanely awkward atmosphere surrounding us was jumping around, urging us to say something, which was quite painful.

But do I need to be like this? It’s not like I cursed at anyone in particular.

With newfound confidence, I gathered the pouches filled with food and put them into the hydra leather backpack I had made with great determination.

The backpack, made with materials that would make you wonder what kind of money-wasting it was if you put it out for sale, greedily swallowed the food and also swallowed the leather pouch filled with water.

This one is Renny’s.

“Renny, carry this bag.”

“What about you?”

“This is my bag.”

I pointed with my thumb at a bag the size of a Korean Army military backpack that I had to carry during marches.

Inside were household items to be placed in the camp, the newly made traps, and meticulously sealed poison powders. They were all extracted from mushrooms.

Although the poison might not work on zombies and skeletons, there was a possibility of other monsters existing, so it wouldn’t hurt to bring them.

“Johann. Isn’t my bag too small?”

Karina pointed to a bag that was about twice the size of a handbag and asked me. Her face had a hint of guilt and burden.

You don’t have to look so sorry.

Since you’ll have to continuously use magic once we enter the dungeon, it’s better to have a light load.

Actually, considering your role, you could even go empty-handed, but I deliberately packed a decent-looking bag so you wouldn’t feel sorry.

“It’s fine.”

“But…”

“You have an important role, so as long as you perform it well, that’s enough.”

“Okay… I’ll do my best!”

It’s so adorable how she clenches her fists and steels her resolve. Indeed, a beauty looks adorable and cute no matter what she does.

It’s fortunate that it was Karina who drifted to this island. If it had been a dark-skinned guy, I would have buried him by now.

Of course, even if I had really done that, I would have somehow saved him and used him as labor or something.

“Johann? That…”

Ah.

“…Let’s depart right away.”

I swiftly put on my backpack and stepped out the door.

I heard Karina and Renny’s voices hurriedly following me, saying to wait, but I coolly pretended not to hear them and kept walking forward.

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There are so damn many.

I wiped the sweat that had formed on my forehead as I used the shovel to blow off the head of the 59th zombie.

With the animal friends who used to take care of the zombies for us gone, it felt like the genre had changed from the animal kingdom to some cheap horror survival indie game.

Come to think of it, it’s quite similar.

There’s crafting, building construction, killing zombies, and something resembling a mine. If we wait a bit longer, suicide bombers might pop out.

“Johann! I think we’ve cleaned up this area now!”

“Got it! Keep an eye on the surroundings! I’ll make a camp!”

Let’s see, let’s quickly estimate.

I need to make a camp near the dungeon where zombies can’t enter, using the open space as the site.

If we make it a structure where you have to climb a ladder to get up, it will be easy to respond in case of an emergency, so I’ll set up pillars and make the camp on top…

“It’s too noisy to sleep.”

This is why you should build a house in a reverse-accessible area, not an accessible area.

It’s not for nothing that rich people gather and live in reverse-accessible areas.

“It would be better to completely block the dungeon entrance.”

If the noise prevents you from sleeping, the most ideal solution is to eliminate the source of the noise. I called Karina and had her use holy magic, the nemesis of all undead, and then piled up the materials near the pit in front of the dungeon entrance and waited.

“O Merciful Kalon…”

The effect is amazing.

As soon as Karina started reciting a prayer that would make you drowsy just by listening to it, the zombies immediately reacted.

The zombies were engulfed in white flames and turned into a handful of ashes, scattering in the wind.

If it was going to be like this, was there a need to move our bodies so busily? We could have just swept them away at once with holy magic as Karina said.

Maybe it was a mistake to be too sparing with the precious manpower.

Ah, whatever. Let’s start quickly and get some rest.

“Crafting.”

I build a bridge over the pit where the poison and zombies have disappeared thanks to the saint’s power.

The wood and soil piled up nearby wriggled and started to take shape, forming the appearance of a bridge.

I’m not familiar with architectural techniques like arch construction, so it’s just a sturdy stone bridge.

Anyway, we won’t be using it for a thousand or ten thousand years, and as long as it stays intact until the dungeon exploration is over, there’s no need to bother considering what technique to use.

“Crafting.”

I completely blocked the entrance with a wall made of soil and stone, leaving no way out… I made a door of a suitable size and inserted it into the space I had left empty between the walls.

This should keep the monsters from popping out of the dungeon and make it quiet, right?

As a test, I put my ear to the door and listened to the sound on the other side. Only very faint crying sounds could be heard from beyond the door.

Hmm. Good.

Now it’s time to make the camp.

I went back to the open space and placed the materials as I had estimated, then activated the skill.

“Crafting.”

The greatness of skills.

A two-story wooden building that would have taken several days for an ordinary person to build appeared in the middle of the open space.

Karina and Renny must have been impressed by my excellent construction skills, as they kept expressing their amazement while looking up at the building.

The first person to speak to me among the two who were only expressing their amazement was Karina.

Surely it will be a compliment…

“Johann. But how do we get up there?”

Ah.

I forgot the ladder.

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