Chapter 23
Heh heh.
After finishing the meal, I looked at the newly acquired machete and smiled in satisfaction.
As expected.
A knife is an essential survival item.
Just looking at the big, imposing machete was enough to send a tingle through my lower stomach.
'Now this is a real work of art.'
Those smooth, sleek lines.
The satisfying heft and the handle that fit perfectly in my hand.
The curve that narrowed ever so slightly toward the tip.
That ridiculously thick blade.
I stared at the light glinting off the blade with a look of pure rapture.
Even the slightly forward-weighted balance, perfect for chopping, was flawless!
Excited, I gave the air a few test slashes.
Whoosh.
I loved the sharp sound of it slicing through the air.
"Damn."
It was seriously cool.
Watching me, Yerin made an iffy face.
"...Rils."
"Yep."
"The look on your face right now is exactly like some pervy old man."
"When you see something this beautiful, awe just comes naturally."
"This is my first time hearing someone call a machete beautiful."
I shook my head.
"That's only because you don't know this knife's true value, Yerin-nim."
"And what's its true value?"
"We can finally make use of the bamboo."
With a strange look on her face, Yerin subtly edged back behind me.
"What are you trying to do now...?"
"We ate our fill, so now it's time to work."
I pointed a finger at the leftover bamboo from when I made the water containers.
They all looked different. Some were long and slender, while others were thicker than the rest.
Tapping a few of them with my hand, I said,
"Pick one."
"Pick what?"
"Whatever one you like from here."
"...?"
"It needs to feel good in your hand."
The unease on Yerin's face quickly hardened.
"Wait."
"Yep."
"Why are you telling me to pick one of these?"
"You need a weapon too, Yerin-nim."
At the word weapon, Yerin's eyes rounded.
"...A weapon?"
I picked up a piece of bamboo about the right size and shaved down the end with a few quick strokes.
Scrape.
The sharp blade smoothly peeled away the outer surface of the bamboo.
It cuts so well.
I love it!
Humans really do need tools.
I shaved the end of the bamboo into a slanted point.
Shhk, shhk.
The tip gradually sharpened into shape.
"A spear is incredibly useful in the jungle."
"Why?"
"You can use it to check bushes and stuff."
"...."
"And if you run into some scary animal, you can stab it."
"...I see."
I held the finished spear tip up to the light.
Mm. This should do.
Then I pushed the remaining bamboo toward Yerin.
"Try holding them and pick the one you like best."
@
[Yerin became a spear h*e]
Posted by: (195.32)
(GIF of Yerin holding a bamboo spear and thrusting it through the air)
She's Spear Girl now.
ㄴYou insane bastard, even as a joke, 'spear h*e' is fucking wild lol
ㄴMoron, delete this post. You'll get booked for sexual harassment
ㄴFor real lol, is this guy stupid as hell? You got two lives or what?
ㄴDon't drag down the average level of the streamer gallery
ㄴThe head mod's blood pressure is about to spike again
ㄴBut Yerin low-key kind of has the form down?
ㄴYerin of the Spear Arts lol
ㄴStanding next to Rils is turning her into a primitive human little by little
ㄴFor real, she freaked out over bugs on day one, and now she's carrying a spear
ㄴThe instant they got a knife, the tech tree started advancing crazy fast
ㄴNah, Rils is just busted
ㄴThe second our board queen got a knife in her hand, the Industrial Revolution started ㄷㄷ
ㄴSo what are they making next?
ㄴShe'll probably make a bow too lol
ㄴIt seriously feels like I'm watching a survival expert's stream, so it's fun as hell
ㄴWhy is Yerin checking the grip so funny lol
ㄴThis low-key kind of feels right? <- already corrupted
ㄴShe's probably gonna be eating caterpillars just fine before long
ㄴThat's a little terrifying, fuck lol
[Is Yerin the vanguard?]
Posted by: Nongnongnongnongnong
Party roles are the most important thing, after all.
ㄴAs if a 300k girl streamer is built to tank hits up front
ㄴTank Yerin (Class: Girl Streamer) lmfao
ㄴNo but why did actual combat training start for real?
ㄴRils: survival expert / crafter / scout
ㄴYerin: vanguard tank / reaction specialist
ㄴBaby: the real ace
ㄴFact is, plenty of contestants are worse than a lizard lol
ㄴJust having one spear somehow makes them look way more reliable
ㄴRils basically forcing her through training right now is hilarious lol
@
Yerin let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
'No, seriously, is this right? It's not like I'm some Amazon warrior.'
What she was holding in her hand right now wasn't makeup, a compact mirror, or a selfie stick.
It was a bamboo spear with a sharpened tip.
And it actually looked pretty convincing.
What was even more absurd was
Rils squatting beside her and seriously coaching her through it.
"You can't stab like that all limp."
"...."
"You have to go stab! Like that."
"How?"
"Don't you know a one-point thrust? Focus, gather your strength, and drive it into one spot!"
Thrust!
With all the enthusiasm of a hostage, Yerin stabbed at the air again.
"Like this?"
"No."
"...."
"You have to use your waist too."
How on earth had she ended up learning spear forms in her fifth year as a girl streamer?
Still holding the spear, Yerin asked with a drained expression,
"...Do I really have to learn this?"
"Yep."
"Why...?"
"What if you run into a boar or something by bad luck? You have to fight back. Those things have nasty tempers, and the second they see you, they come in headfirst."
Haaa....
Yerin's original plan had been to shoot a pretty deserted-island vlog.
Take selfies under the palm trees.
Make thumbnails with the emerald sea in the background.
That was what she'd imagined before coming here, but she'd never expected Mystery Rich to confiscate all the participants' phones.
But.
Instead, here she was in a cave, pretending to be a primitive warrior with a bamboo spear.
Ha ha. This was seriously absurd.
Meanwhile, Rils, crouched down and making something, looked like she was having the time of her life.
Still grinning, she was using the machete to shave the remaining bamboo into very thin strips.
Shhk, shhk.
Thin, long strips of bamboo kept piling up in neat layers.
Yerin watched her with curious eyes.
"...What are you making this time?"
"Cord."
"Out of bamboo?"
"Yep."
With a proud look, Rils shook the thin strips of shaved bamboo.
"They're surprisingly tough."
"...."
"You can even make traps with these."
"...."
"You can use them for tying things too."
"...."
"And if you're handy, you can even make baskets."
In the end, Yerin couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Puhaha. Rils, you're seriously amazing. Watching you from the side is so ridiculous it's unbelievable."
"I'm sure all the other contestants can do at least this much too."
No way!
Forcing back the words that were about to burst out, Yerin pressed hard on her throbbing temple with a finger.
Rils had no idea how incredible she was.
She was just
giving off this whole, 'Doesn't everyone do at least this much?' kind of vibe.
Whether she was just humble by nature or wildly overestimating the other contestants, Yerin couldn't tell.
But she clearly had no idea how hopeless streamers as a species really were.
To begin with, the money they made was different from normal people.
They earned massive amounts at a young age,
decked themselves out in luxury brands,
and drove around in supercars.
People like that keeping normal daily habits was rarer than you'd think.
Having their days and nights flipped around was standard,
and then there were delivery food, energy drinks, and zero exercise.
Once their streams ended, some of them even went out clubbing and drank until dawn.
Yerin wasn't really in a position to talk.
Until she ended up on this deserted island and met Rils, she had been no different from them.
So if people like that got thrown onto a deserted island out of nowhere?
The outcome was obvious.
They'd go looking for water, give up because it was too hard, and buy some through the API.
Yerin glanced ahead.
Rils was still shaving bamboo with a serious face.
Shhk, shhk.
With that small body of hers, she was nimbly making cord all by herself.
Baby sat quietly on her lap, watching the whole thing.
Anyway, that kid was seriously amazing.
Yerin thrust the spear forward hard one more time.
Thrust.
And suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
'I wonder how many people have dropped out by now.'
It might be more than she expected.
There were definitely streamers who reached the deserted island and never even ventured into the jungle.
Some were probably just holding out near the beach like they were waiting for rescue.
There were probably people crying because bugs scared them too.
As she was thinking that, Rils, who had been making cord, suddenly looked up.
"Yerin-nim."
"Why."
"That last thrust was good. I'll give you one praise sticker."
"...."
Yerin let out a small laugh before she knew it.
She had no idea why praise like that made her feel so good.
Maybe she had finally lost her mind.
@
The contestants hung on stubbornly. After all, this was Mystery Rich's content.
Just making a strong impression on him made it far from a losing deal.
But.
By the third day, the atmosphere began to change noticeably.
If they had gritted their teeth and forced themselves through days one and two,
then from day three onward, the exhaustion of deserted-island life began hitting them in earnest.
The scorching sunlight.
The humidity that made everything miserable.
Bugs flying everywhere.
Too little sleep.
People aren't as mentally resilient as you might think.
In the end, more and more contestants started giving up.
"I'm sorry... I can't do this anymore."
"Please send me home...."
"I really feel like I'm going to die."
On the cruise ship's deck,
the streamers who had declared they were quitting sat collapsed there with haggard faces.
Some had grown gaunt, while others scratched at their bug bites.
Looking at those contestants, Mystery Rich spoke calmly.
"You all worked hard. Now go home and get some rest. Thank you for participating."
He didn't try to force them to stay.
Instead, he warmly patted them on the back and said,
"You've lasted more than long enough."
"...."
"Survival was never meant to be easy."
The streamers who gave up went inside the cruise ship with relieved expressions.
One staff member, who had been watching, carefully spoke up.
"We currently have five dropouts."
"Hmm."
Mystery Rich slowly nodded. Then he looked at the contestant status displayed on the monitor.
At first, viewers had flung donations like crazy at the streamers they were rooting for.
But even that was gradually starting to taper off.
No matter how rich the fans were, everyone had their limits eventually.
Especially after the contestants had spent the past two days shamelessly fishing for donations.
The staffer asked,
"Should we put up a dropout notice?"
"Yes. Put it up right away."
Resting his chin on his hand, Mystery Rich spoke in the same calm tone.
"Current dropouts: 5."
"...."
"Survivors: 15."
"Understood."