The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

65. Extreme Cold Survival Training (5)

“…What are you doing here? Sion Illrayonheart and Lara Steelhyden.”

The instructor’s question made me stop fishing, and Lara Steelhyden stood up from her chair.

“We’re participating in the survival training.”

“Is this… a joke?”

The instructor looked around our camp, furrowed their brow, and said with a scrunched-up face, “Survival training is not a joke. Do you know how far I’ve come to find the two of you?”

Upon closer inspection, the instructor’s breath was visible up to their chin. I handed them the hot water I had prepared in advance before they could say anything more.

The instructor looked at the cup I offered with a gloomy face, eventually taking it and slowly sipping the hot water.

“The training was started with the intention of directly experiencing how difficult it is to live in extreme cold.”

“That’s the intention.”

When the hot water was half gone, I brought up the prepared conversation.

“Before we got dropped off, our instructor told us to utilize everything we could.”

I took a step back and showed them our makeshift camp.

“I just utilized an abandoned house that was here.”

“There was an abandoned house here?”

“As you can see.”

The instructor operated their watch, looking like they had lost their words.

It seemed like they were searching for regulations and discussing with their superiors, but even if they did, there wouldn’t be any particular issues.

‘Now what?’

We were told to use anything we could, and that’s exactly what I did.

To put it simply, Lara and I were lucky to discover a hidden tent and an abandoned hut, which had basic necessities, magic tools, and various miscellaneous items.

We hunted the beasts that were chasing Lara Steelhyden to obtain food, and used the power of the water spirit to procure water.

Everything started from my good luck in discovering the ‘abandoned camp’, and the fact that Lara Steelhyden’s contracted spirit was the ‘water spirit’, and that the discovered camp had various ‘living essentials’.

Anyway, it all boils down to being lucky.

Those who were unlucky and couldn’t find a decent shelter were eliminated and sent back, while those who were lucky like me got to survive longer.

Still, there probably aren’t any trainees who are safer than us.

Even if you have a place to spend the night, obtaining food and water is a separate issue.

“So, why did you come to find us?”

The instructor hesitated for a moment. He chose his words carefully, then suddenly clapped his hands together and began to applaud.

“Congratulations. Sion Illeonhart and Lara Steelhyden. You two have survived until the end of this training and have demonstrated stable living… skills, which is why you have been selected as the second-place winners.”

As he continued to applaud, I felt a bit surprised.

“…Second place?”

Then who was first?

“First place goes to Kyle Ivanstear, Elin Beonard, and Esil Silvergarden.”

“Kyle?”

“Yes.”

After the instructor finished speaking, the story he told was simple.

First, the team that survived the longest was Lara Steelhyden and I. If we only looked at the survival points, Lara and I would be in first place.

That’s why the instructors searched the entire Nilvania mountain range to find the remaining survivors, and because our camp was hidden behind a camouflage tent, it took them a while to discover us.

However, this training wasn’t just a simple survival game; it was a harsh environment survival training. This training didn’t just focus on who could survive the longest, but also the process itself was important.

I survived the most stably, but that was only considering the results. The process in between was somewhat skipped. We discovered a temporary camp that had already been set up, which was why we survived.

“Kyle Ivanstear and Elin Beonard encountered the Giant Leker.”

“…Yes?”

“Originally, the training should have been stopped immediately, but… they somehow managed to defeat it and the training resumed.”

Kyle Ivanstear, who I had worried about, encountered the Giant Leker, a wild beast, and used his wits to defeat it.

He received high points for that, and afterwards, Kyle’s group wandered around, living their daily lives… until they all dropped out due to hypothermia.

And in the end, the only team left was Lara Steelhyden and I.

We two were lucky to have found a camp and were able to continue our daily lives, and it was likely that we would have survived for over two weeks without the instructors’ intervention, which is why the training ended early.

In short, while I received a higher score in terms of judgment…

In terms of performance, Kyle’s group was far superior to mine. It was a very good thing.

“Then…”

“The training is now over. Congratulations to both of you.”

As the instructor congratulated us, I saw Lara Steelhyden holding Elphin, looking a bit disappointed. She didn’t say anything, but her expression seemed to be saying something.

It was a short time, but I wonder if we had developed some attachment to this temporary camp.

“The training is now over, and we will begin the debriefing process. Please check again to make sure you haven’t left anything behind.”

“I don’t have anything.”

From noble mtl dot com

“…Then, just a moment.”

Lara Steelhyden gave me a suspicious look at my response.

There were more useful magic tools in this camp than I thought. However, we couldn’t take everything. If we put them in our inventory, they would get mixed up, and there were items that couldn’t be carried in our bags. Moreover, we had accidentally discovered this abandoned temporary camp, so we felt sorry for the original owner (me).

… Except for one thing that I had personally abandoned a long time ago.

-You still have that, don’t you…?

-It’s dangerous, so get rid of it. If you get caught with that, you’ll be punished.

-It’s been so long since you threw it away, I didn’t know you still had it. You were pretending not to care, but you actually had lingering feelings, didn’t you?

It was an artifact that I had abandoned when I was with Camil at this place.

Back then, I couldn’t use it, so I threw it away, but now that time had passed, there was no reason not to take it.

***

Some time had passed since the harsh environment survival training had ended.

It’s been a while since I had a weekend off, and I planned to focus on reorganizing myself for the time being.

“First, let’s set up a plan for the future, including home training to improve my stats…”

…This isn’t it.

I ripped a page from my notebook and thought deeply, chin in hand.

It’s good to participate in the main quest and earn stats, but as I said before, I need a tremendous amount of power to clear the main quest. I’ve been relying on luck and talent to clear it so far, but I don’t know how long this will last.

One thing is certain.

If the flow of relying on talent and characteristics collapses, there’s a high probability that it will be the end.

We’re already halfway through the first act, and the enemies we’ll face from now on are of a different caliber from those we’ve faced so far.

Take the case of Onin, the “Devourer” demon I fought earlier. Since he was in a state of madness, I could take advantage of his weaknesses.

“…If he were in his right mind.”

The thought sent shivers down my spine.

If Onin had been in his right mind, he wouldn’t have recklessly charged at me and lost an arm, and he wouldn’t have let me gather my mana either.

Especially since he had a title, he was even more dangerous. Those with titles have special abilities that set them apart from ordinary demons.

Onin had the title “Devourer”, which seemed to allow him to absorb his opponents’ abilities and powers. If I hadn’t killed him before he could use his powers properly, Rebecca and I would have been the ones to get defeated.

In that sense, our previous demon hunt was a lucky break.

Everything went smoothly, from Rebecca joining me to our close-range ambush.

But from now on, we can’t expect our enemies to be as easy to handle as Onin, so we need to be more cautious and strategic.

“First things first… talent.”

The most important thing is to train my talent.

To survive in this harsh world of Arsene, I need to be strong, have great potential, or possess exceptional talent.

I’m the latter.

I have the unique talent “Naming”, which is why I chose the path of a marksman and was able to clear the main quest without a hitch.

I opened my status window and scratched my chin.

“…Even if I clear the main quest, I still need talent experience points.”

It’s almost like gambling, and I don’t know how long it will last.

This isn’t going to work in the long run.

Just look at Airi – she’s been training every day in the training hall. In my case, I need to go to the shooting range, but it’s better to go to the training hall to improve my stats and see the faces of the main characters.

“That’s more certain – hunting is.”

Secondly, I need to participate in actual combat.

With real combat experience, money, and sufficient power, there’s no reason not to do it.

They’re even encouraging students to participate in actual combat in Arsene, and since we’re already halfway through the first act, it will open soon.

“Wait a minute, come to think of it.”

I already have a promise to keep.

When I formed a party with Airi in the mock dungeon, I made a promise to accompany her on a request, which still stands.

When the request board opens, Airi will contact me first, and I’ll have to participate in whatever hunt she chooses, no matter what.

…Let’s set that aside for now.

“Thirdly, future plans.”

From the middle to the end of the first act, and beyond.

I drew a rough roadmap, marking small symbols at the key points where major events would occur.

And I underlined some parts. These were events that had disappeared or deviated from the main storyline.

First, there were the episodes related to Serin Anett and Kyle Evanstere’s manitto.

This was a case where Serin Anett became my manitto, and everything went awry from the start.

On the other hand, I became Airi’s manitto. If I were another student, it would have been troublesome, but since I was with Airi, my points kept accumulating.

Every time the main quest was given, I went with Airi, which was unintentional, but it just happened that way.

Additionally, there were the episodes of Rebecca and Kyle’s confrontation, and the daily lives of the main characters, including Esili Silvergarden and Kai Alma.

“…This part can be reviewed slowly, so pass.”

I added about four more underlines and closed my notebook, storing it in my subspace for easy access.

Finally, I cleaned the guesthouse room and organized the furniture. I had been busy lately and hadn’t slept well, so there was a lot of accumulated cleaning to do.

“…….”

I hung the broom in a corner of the wall. When I turned around, the interior looked quite tidy.

Since I had more time than I thought, I considered visiting the training room. But my body was quite tired, so I didn’t feel like going out again.

In fact, “reorganization” encompasses many things. It’s not just about managing physical resources. Strictly speaking, physical conditioning is also part of reorganization.

Eating well, sleeping well, and maintaining health are all forms of reorganization.

Therefore, managing my physical fatigue is also a form of reorganization.

As I rationalized and lay down on the bed, my watch vibrated, as if it had been waiting.

[Airi: (waving rabbit emoticon) The request board just opened!]

[Airi: It’s really crowded now! If we don’t go soon, we might have to wait until next week!]

[Airi: Si-on, don’t forget our promise! Remember?]

[Airi: Don’t just acknowledge it, reply!]

[Airi: (angry rabbit emoticon)]

Of course… I remembered.

I sent a simple emoticon as a reply and opened the door.

…As the saying goes, “sleep is like death.”

A proper rest was what I needed. Of course, this time it was my own fault.