Chapter 36
“What is that?”
I looked at Yerin with a dumbfounded expression.
She'd been putting on airs, saying she'd teach me how to become a streamer.
What kind of lesson was that supposed to be?
What a quack.
Yerin pointed at herself, sounding exasperated, and said,
“Reels. You seriously don't believe me? I'm Yerin, a female streamer with 300,000 followers.”
Yup.
Judging by everything you've done so far, I can't believe you at all.
When I looked at Yerin with suspicious eyes, she gave an incredulous snort.
“I'm serious. Reels, you can just stream exactly as you are right now. Just go live when this content is over. Why are you so lacking in confidence?!”
“Well... obviously...”
Before I appeared on Mr. Rich's content,
I'd tried turning on my own stream a few times out of curiosity, partly just to pad out my hours. But the results had been disastrous.
Two viewers.
And those were just my phone and computer logged in, so if we're being technical, that meant zero.
Even when someone did drop in, they'd just type, 'What kind of stream is this? Wow, holy shit, no cam, no mic, and they've been doing nothing but building a house for an hour,' then leave.
Maybe I just don't have any talent for streaming.
“I've streamed before too... but I always had zero viewers....”
Yerin tilted her head. She looked like she was thinking, 'That can't be right.'
“What kind of stream did you do, Reels?”
“Game streams.”
“What game?”
“Survival games.”
Thwack.
Yerin smacked her forehead and muttered to herself.
“Ah. Survival games definitely aren't easy.... Still, for someone like Reels, there's no way you'd end up with zero viewers.”
Then she asked with a doubtful look on her face,
“Reels.”
“Yup.”
“You did turn on your cam and mic, right...?”
I shook my head.
“Nope.”
The moment she heard that, shock spread across Yerin's face. Then she clenched her teeth and said,
“...So, Reels... why would someone who's streaming not turn on the cam and mic? Ha ha....”
“Because it's embarrassing. Letting random strangers see my face and hear my voice.”
“....”
“It's really embarrassing.”
Yerin stared at me blankly, like she genuinely couldn't understand.
“Then.”
“...?”
“Why did you apply for Mr. Rich's content?”
Yerin immediately pointed up at the ceiling with her finger.
More precisely, at the drone flying over the cave and filming us.
“Your face and voice are going out live right now too, Reels.”
“That's....”
“That's?”
“I really wanted to go to a deserted island.”
Yerin's jaw dropped. Then her tone rose a little.
“So you didn't want to go on the content and blow up, make your stream succeed, get famous, none of that? You only applied because you wanted to go to a deserted island?”
I slowly nodded.
“Yup.”
In the first place, the reason I'd subscribed to Mr. Rich's YouTube channel was because he sometimes did survival content like this.
Otherwise, I never would've subscribed.
All I wanted was to spend two weeks on a deserted island, make fire with my own hands, spear fish, and try hunting animals.
Honestly, the streaming was just a bonus.
Yerin stared at me in a daze for a while. Then she slowly covered her face with her hand.
“...This is driving me crazy. Seriously.”
What's with her?
Kim Woong, who'd been listening beside us, nodded fiercely.
“As expected of my benefactor...!”
“...?”
“So you came to this deserted island to pursue your pure dream rather than out of greed! As expected, you're on a whole different level from ordinary people.”
No.
It gets burdensome when you put it that grandly.
Yerin started muttering to herself like a young monk who'd attained enlightenment.
“No, wait. Is this why Reels is doing so well...? How could an ordinary person teach a genius? I should just focus on my own stream....”
I really did just want to go to a deserted island.
This is so unfair.
@
Mr. Rich looked out over the rain-soaked deserted island and said,
“The contestants really can't move at all.”
On the screen, all the survivors were curled up inside their shelters, and the expert replied,
“According to the forecast, the rain probably won't stop until sometime after lunch.”
Mr. Rich watched the screen with his arms folded.
“Once the rain stops, everyone's going to start moving in a hurry.”
“Most likely.”
The expert calmly continued his explanation.
“The real problem is after the rain.”
“....”
“By now, the island is probably almost a mud pit.”
A rain-soaked jungle is far more dangerous than people imagine.
The ground gives way under your feet, and it's unbelievably slippery.
Just walking around would obviously drain a lot more stamina.
Looking at the jungle beyond the monitor, the expert went on,
“When it rains, most animals stop moving and take shelter from it.”
“I see.”
“But if you look at it the other way,”
The expert smiled meaningfully.
“the moment the rain stops, all those hungry animals start moving at once.”
Mr. Rich slowly nodded.
From that point on, the real competition begins.
Most of the contestants were already short on food.
Once the rain stopped, the gap would likely widen dramatically depending on who secured food first.
The expert continued.
“In the end, the team that can secure food consistently has the advantage.”
Mr. Rich's gaze naturally came to rest on one screen.
Reels Party.
Inside the cave, the three of them were sitting in a circle, handling something made from bamboo cord.
“What are they doing?”
“It looks like they're checking the traps they prepared in advance.”
The expert looked impressed.
“Looks like they're getting everything ready so they can set the traps immediately. Honestly, that party amazes me every time I see them.”
Mr. Rich let out a small chuckle.
“As expected. Even when that party rests, they don't just rest.”
@
The torrential rain that had been pouring hard enough to kick up a fine mist stopped as suddenly as if it had all been a lie.
Through the dark clouds blanketing the jungle, dazzling sunlight slowly began to peek through.
Whoooosh.
A crisp breeze blew, and the leaves heavy with rainwater glittered in the sunlight they were meeting again after so long.
The whole jungle was damp, as if it had just stepped out of a shower.
Yerin stepped out of the cave, looked around, and said,
“...Wow. If I had my phone, this would be perfect for posting on Stargram.”
After the downpour, the deserted island looked far livelier and more beautiful than it had before the rain.
I drew in a deep breath.
Damp air and the rich scent of greenery.
It felt like the whole jungle was alive and breathing again.
But.
This wasn't the time to relax and admire the view.
In survival, the most important thing is speed!
It was about time for the hungry animals to start actively moving around in search of food.
I immediately pointed deeper into the jungle.
“Let's go set the traps right away.”
@
The condition of the jungle floor was truly awful.
Squish, squelch.
Every time sticky mud clung to the bottoms of my shoes, it dragged my feet down with it.
It almost felt like I was trudging through a swamp.
It clung to my legs like a clingy ex and refused to let go.
Yerin already looked like half her soul had left her body.
“Reels... isn't there some easy way to walk through mud...?”
“There isn't.”
“My legs feel so heavy... at this rate, I'm going to end up with bulging calf muscles on my smooth calves.”
I lightly ignored her complaint and kept walking.
No matter what, we had to move first.
Securing food was what mattered most.
This time, we'd managed to hold out by eating the snake Baby had luckily caught, but if it rained again, there was no guarantee we'd get that lucky a second time.
Since the rain had just stopped, animal activity was likely to be at its peak, so we had to get ready in advance.
With the bamboo-fiber snares slung over my shoulder, I toddled along as fast as I could.
“We're almost there. Just a little farther.”
“...Ugh.”
A little later.
We arrived at the water source.
Clear water gurgled through the gaps between the rocks.
I immediately sat by the water, roughly rinsed the mud off my shoes, and took a drink.
Yerin took off her wrecked sneakers too and splashed water on her feet, looking like she'd finally come back to life.
I set the bamboo-fiber snare down on the ground and said,
“Now we just have to set the trap.”
The most important thing was choosing the location.
Just because you set a trap anywhere doesn't mean an animal will stupidly walk right into it.
They have intelligence too, after all.
In some ways, they're far superior to humans.
Their senses of smell and hearing, and their ability to detect a presence, are top-tier, so they're incredibly sensitive to change.
They didn't survive in the wild for nothing.
That's why traps had to be set mainly along routes animals used often.
And if you could camouflage it a little, even better.
As I looked around the area bit by bit, I found a decent spot.
A dirt path leading toward the water source.
Animal tracks were stamped all over the mud.
“This should do.”
I picked a branch about as thick as a human arm and pulled it hard downward.
Since my body had gotten smaller, it was less like I was bending it and more like I was just dangling from it.
Still, the springiness of the suspended branch was pretty good.
After all, it hadn't broken even with my full weight hanging from it.
To explain the principle of the trap simply, it's basically like a spring.
You precariously secure the bent branch with another branch or a stone so it won't snap back up right away,
then connect it to a snare made from bamboo fiber.
If an animal passes by and brushes the branch,
or steps into the snare,
the piece holding it in place comes loose, and the bent branch instantly snaps upward.
That force tightens the snare in an instant and captures the animal.
Holding my breath, I carefully fixed the bent branch in place with another small stick.
Finally, the trap I'd spent days struggling to prepare was set.
But.
A note of doubt kept rising from somewhere in the back of my mind.
'Will this thing really work?'
It'd be nice if I could test it somehow.
After agonizing over it for a while, I snuck a glance at Baby riding on my back.
'Just the right size for a test....'
Our eyes met.
Baby whipped its head away.
—Don't get any weird ideas, Master.
“Okay!”