Pop pop pop…
Red and black ink bullets sputtered out of the gatling gun before stopping entirely.
They dropped pathetically to the ground—hardly what you'd expect from a gun.
"Ugh… The moon and darkness within me are fading…"
"H-Hecate-nim?"
Click…
The impressive gatling gun reverted to a plain pen.
This island sucks up all mana.
Mana exhaustion is especially brutal for constellations.
"Kim Taeyang…! What did you do?!"
"Why you blaming me?! Ask your constellation!"
Hecate was leaking red ink like blood.
"This island has a power that drains mana… Child of darkness… Do something… I'm really dying here…"
Constellations don't die.
They just suffer.
So she's just whining.
"What should I do?!"
"Bring a gem that resembles the moon's eyes or an artifact studded with jewels…"
"What does that mean…?"
"Get a mana stone or an artifact with mana flow…! Urgh…"
A hero's body runs on mana but also follows biological principles.
No mana doesn't mean you're instantly paralyzed.
Constellations, though? Different story.
They move thanks to mana.
No mana, and they're out cold.
"Hey, isn't this a sight you can't see without tears? Lucky for you, I've got a spare artifact."
I pulled out a ring embedded with a mana stone.
Brought it just in case I needed mana.
My beach gear set is also a mana-infused artifact, but giving it to Hecate would get it wrecked, so no way.
"Hand it over!"
"?"
Lena lunged at me.
Does this chick not know how to ask nicely?
"Hey, hey! That's how you act when someone's helping?! You morally bankrupt sow…!"
"Helping? Don't make me laugh. Give it up!"
"What's with this freeloading free-pussy chick?! You think I'm your storage locker?! Huh?!!"
"If you don't wanna die, hand it over, you bastard!"
Looks like she's planning to snatch the ring.
Fair enough.
I must look like easy prey right now.
No decent weapon, no constellation by my side—left Pomi and Kkubburi behind since they'd get mana-drained too.
But this island doesn't just sap constellation mana.
It screws over hero mana too.
Whoosh-
Lena swung a punch.
It was slow and weak as hell.
Grab!
Her tiny fist got swallowed by my massive hand.
"This pathetic punch wouldn't even count as foreplay."
A hero's superior physical abilities come from mana.
On this island, raw physical strength is king…!
"You thought you could beat me with that twig-ass body?! You're hilarious!!"
"Urk?!"
I grabbed Lena and hoisted her up like I was lifting weights.
"L-Let me go! My skirt's flipping up…!"
"A freeloading free-pussy chick like you should show your panties for free!!"
Trying to steal my artifact?
I'll show her the terror of raw physical power!
"Yo!! Sow windmill spin!! Sow windmill!!!!"
I spun her body like a circus act.
"Aaah! I-I'm dizzy!!"
"So what?! Do something about it!!!"
"Let me down…! I'll pay any price…!!"
"Should've said that from the start…! Yo!!!"
I grabbed her waist and slammed her into the ground.
Her head sank into the soft sand with a thud!
"..."
Whether from pain or humiliation, Lena stayed there for a moment.
She finally pulled her head out, shaking off sand, and glared at me.
"You filthy bastard… Just tell me what you want!"
"That's obviously a sow declaration! Become a sow on camera!"
"You think I'm gonna be your toy again?!"
"Huh?"
'Again?'
So Lena and Kim Taeyang did have some history…
An ex-girlfriend, maybe?
"Hey! No sow declaration, no artifact!!"
Lena looked flustered by my demand.
"You… You'll need my help to get out of this dungeon too…!"
"What kinda nonsense is that? I'm already set!"
Can't resist showing off.
I pulled out my gear.
"A sleek jungle knife!"
Small but razor-sharp.
"A badass turbo lighter!"
Fire's a must.
"A sturdy water filter!"
Can't survive three days without water.
"Some wicked protein bars!"
Emergency food—total lifesaver.
"A fully charged power bank!"
My smartphone's already loaded with a deserted island survival guide.
Simple, but I'm ready for this island.
"Why the hell are you carrying all that…?"
"Huh? You a rookie patrol or something? You never know what dungeon you'll end up in! As a patrol member, this is basic prep! You're the idiot for patrolling without this kinda gear!!!"
On this island, I'm the boss.
If you've got a problem, get on your knees and apologize!
"..."
Lena finally shut up, realizing the situation.
But she still hadn't ditched her measly pride.
"Hecate-nim, I'll scout the area. Just hold on."
She's probably thinking she can survive without my help.
Choosing the hard way, huh?
"Urghhh… Mana stoooone…"
Lena doesn't seem to know something crucial.
A constellation's mana exhaustion tanks their rapport with their bound hero.
Leave it like this, and Lena's bond with Hecate will sour.
Good news for me.
***
'That bastard… He really forgot me?'
The more she thought about it, the angrier Lena got.
To think he didn't even recall "European sow."
Were those childhood memories hers alone?
Swallowing her frustration, Lena ventured into the forest.
"Child of darkness… This is too painful…"
"Just hold on."
"Go back to that man… Get a gem like the moon's eyes…"
"No way. We'll get out soon, so wait."
"Forget the past… Please…! Mmph!"
Lena stuffed the pen back in her pocket.
Hecate's voice became muffled noise.
'Clear the dungeon, and it's done.'
Lena was still a student, but she had tons of real-world experience.
More than she could count on her fingers and toes.
She'd already made a name for herself in the hero world alongside Seol Hajeong and Kuma, so her confidence in clearing this dungeon was natural.
In the student council party, Lena handled dungeon-clearing strategies.
She already had a plan to conquer this island.
'No mountains in sight. I'll climb a tall tree to check the island's size first.'
She stopped at a decent-sized tree.
A hero's body is superior, so climbing like a monkey should be easy, even without tools.
"Ack…!"
Except on this island, where mana was useless.
Lena, hands scraped for nothing, regrouped her thoughts.
'Stay calm… The island's size doesn't matter. To clear it, I'll need to search every inch. I'll mark trees with a rock and move methodically.'
She picked up a small rock and struck the tree.
Chip…!
Lena was slightly surprised by her own strength.
'So weak…!'
Lena's arms were soft and flabby.
Barely enough muscle for survival.
Even carving a mark into tree bark was a struggle.
'It's fine… My body's senses are still sharp, so I'll hunt a weak monster and farm an artifact. Put out the fire first.'
Monsters in dungeons sometimes carry artifacts.
If she could snag one, it'd shut Hecate's whining up.
If only this weren't a deserted island.
'No monsters?!'
Not even a single goblin in sight.
Of course—survival's the name of the game here.
Unaware of that, Lena reorganized her thoughts.
'Don't panic…! Find a chest. Yeah! No monsters means there's gotta be a chest! A golden chest will clear the dungeon! Even if it doesn't, it'll have survival gear!'
Lena wandered for about three hours.
Number of chests found?
'None!! There's nothing here!!!'
Zero.
She was starting to panic.
The weather was swelteringly unbearable, her uniform shirt already soaked with sweat.
'At this rate, I'll get dehydrated… Gotta find water…'
Sadly, there wasn't a single stream suitable for drinking.
There were some fruits, but eating unknowns could mean a stomachache, so she passed them by.
Then, finally, Lena spotted something suspicious.
'This is…?!'
About ten trees were toppled in one area,
As if hiding something beneath.
'A chest! There's definitely a chest under there!!'
Chests were often hidden in such obvious spots.
Excited, Lena started clearing the trees.
"Urgh…!"
Her frail body made moving them a nightmare.
'Who'd have thought I'd miss that gorilla Kuma…'
Tasks like this were usually Kuma's job.
For Lena now, it was like a massive construction project.
"Done…!"
Somehow, she managed to clear the trees.
She let out a triumphant cry.
But the satisfaction didn't last.
"This is… a doll…?"
Underneath was a sloth plushie with stuffing spilling out.
No, it looked like plain trash.
No mana signature—definitely trash.
"Arghhh!!!"
Thud!
Furious, Lena punched a tree.
The tree didn't budge.
Her fist, however, throbbed.
Grumble-
Exhaustion made her stomach growl.
"Damn it… If I'd just brought some tools…!"
She'd patrolled empty-handed, certain a dungeon phenomenon wouldn't happen.
That was her mistake.
She was starting to regret diving in instead of Seol Hajeong.
Rustle-
A white blob hopped out of the bushes.
A wild rabbit.
'Food!! Gotta catch it!!!'
Lena bolted after her dinner.
***
"Hey, hey!! You lewd tree bitch!! How many times have you been knocked up?! Your branches are loaded with juicy fruit!!!"
The Island's got plenty of fruit.
But only the sketchy-looking blue ones are edible.
I grabbed a few and headed for the treasure chest's location.
Hmm.
Finding a spot from game visuals is trickier than I thought…
But not impossible.
This place is packed with hidden chests—they just don't look like chests.
Take this sloth plushie that looks like trash.
Stick it on a tree branch, and—
Screeech-!
With a weird cry—
Pop!
A chest appears out of nowhere!
But this plushie was supposed to be buried under trees.
Did Lena clear them?
Whatever, lucky me!
"Wohoo~ Soft milk bread and sticky strawberry jam secured!!"
The chest spat out food.
Chest rewards are always top-quality, no spoilage worries.
Dinner's sorted.
Breakfast too, no problem.
Nearby, I found a stagnant pool.
Using a PET bottle from the beach and my purifier, I secured drinking water.
On my way back to base camp—
Hop!
Spotted a chubby rabbit, but I didn't bother chasing it.
In the game, choosing [Follow the rabbit] just burns stamina and fails the hunt.
With my hero stats gone, hunting wild animals is too inefficient.
"Yo!! Time for some YouTube-learned house-building!!"
I started constructing a lean-to using tricks I'd studied.
It was my first try, so it was rough, but knowing the method made it decent enough.
Covered the roof with palm leaves, laid out the floor…
"Kinda cozy, huh?! Hey!!! Was I born to build houses or what?! Sweating my ass off feels great!!!! Yo!!!!"
It was satisfying and fun.
Above all, living a simple, self-sufficient life felt… romantic, maybe?
Probably because I know I'm getting out in 30 days.
As I sprawled in my shelter, chomping on jam-slathered bread—
Sunset rolled in.
Trudge…
Lena returned, looking like hell.
Her stockings were torn, her jacket caked in dirt.
Her half-unbuttoned shirt was soaked with sweat.
She had scratches all over—probably from bushes or branches.
"Hey, hey! You rolling around like a rag?! No medicine out here, you know!!"
"Mind your own business…!"
No shelter, she crouched under a palm tree to rest.
Not even gonna build a place?
She'll freeze at night…
Well, if she's desperate, she'll come crawling.
Chomp chomp.
"Strawberry jam bread is delish!!!! Super delish!!!!!!"
As I tore into the bread, a thunderous sound echoed.
Grrrrumble- Grumble grumble-!
The source? Lena's stomach.
"Kek kek kek. What was that?"
"What?!"
"Don't play dumb! That roar scared the birds off the trees!"
"Shut up, you're pissing me off!"
"You sure you're a girl? How's a chick's stomach making that noise? Got a damn excavator in there or what? Kek kek kek. Do it again, that was hilarious. Kek kek kek."
Lena glared at me.
No… at the bread?
"Hey. Hungry? Dance something funny, and I might share a bite."
"Shut it. Tomorrow, I'll find a boss mob or a golden chest and get outta here."
Boss mob? Golden chest?
No such thing, Lena.
You're stuck here for 30 days~
Crunch-!
I stuffed the rest of the bread in my mouth.
"..."
Lena finally looked away.