Vrooom-

I felt a sense of dizziness as my body seemed to float in the air for a moment, and the scenery before my eyes changed in an instant.

Thud-

I lowered my body and landed on the ground.

“… .”

Slosh- Slosh-

The sound of waves in the quiet surroundings. It was still deep in the night, so the area was dark.

I slowly stood up and looked around.

I seemed to have landed on the beach, with the sea behind me and a forest in front of me.

The forest, in particular, was a dense thicket of tall trees, looking like a pitch-black cave that didn’t let in a single ray of light.

“Tsk, she dropped me off at the very edge.”

I clicked my tongue. It was a spiteful choice of location, as if Jammin’ was throwing a tantrum in a toy store.

‘I guess everyone will start moving when it gets light out.’

In reality, we had been dropped on the deserted island with no preparation or equipment.

Even for hunters, who had stronger bodies than the average person, wandering into the forest at night was not a good idea. Moreover, it was the time when nocturnal monsters were most active, so it was only natural to be extra cautious.

But I smiled, baring my teeth.

‘This is when my trait comes in handy.’

” Awakened Eye.”

It sounded like a fancy name, but in reality, it was just an average ability that allowed one to see in the dark.
However, thanks to it, I could clearly distinguish my surroundings despite the dim lighting.
This difference would create a gap between me and the other cadets, and as time went on, it would give me an even greater advantage.
Being able to function at night as if it were daytime was a huge benefit in a place like this.

I stretched my arms above my head with a yawn.

“First, I need to find the base camp.”

Without hesitation, I adjusted the sturdy backpack on my shoulders and took confident strides into the dark forest.

.

.

.

“Ugh, I’m so embarrassed,” Shin Se-hee muttered, her face flushed red, after being dropped onto the deserted island right after Jin Yuha.

It had all happened so suddenly that she hadn’t realized it, but she had just shown herself to him in such a disheveled state.
She tightly hugged the black puppy doll that had come with her.

“It’s so unfair,” she grumbled.

No matter how she looked at it, it was unfair.

While the other cadets were still dazed and confused, Jin Yuha alone remained calm and collected, with a large backpack on his shoulders, putting on an awkward act as if he were trying to fool someone.
Thinking of him made her lips pout involuntarily.

‘Jin Yuha must have known about this situation in advance and prepared accordingly, thanks to his ability to see the future!’

This was probably why characters in novels kept their identities as regressors a secret.
Even she, who trusted him the most and was closest to him, couldn’t help but feel resentful; how would others feel?

Of course, despite these thoughts, she understood why he hadn’t told her beforehand.
This was something that no one else should know about.

Even she, who had thoroughly researched how the mid-term evaluation was conducted the previous year, never imagined that the evaluation would suddenly begin in this manner.
If he had informed her in advance and allowed others to prepare as well, it might have revealed that he could see the future.
So it was only natural that he had to be cautious.

But she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that he hadn’t shared this information with her, at least.

‘Tsk. I could have pretended not to know even if you had told me.’

Really?

Her inner thoughts quickly shook their heads in denial.

No matter what, this was an exam with Jin Yuha.
There was no way she would have wanted to show him this raw, unprepared version of herself.

If she had known about this in advance,
…she wouldn’t have brought this black puppy body pillow that vaguely resembled Jin Yuha, nor would she have come without any makeup on.
She would have done her makeup to look natural yet polished.

Someone perceptive might have found her awkwardness suspicious.

“Maybe I should’ve just pretended to know from the start.”

Haa—

She sighed softly.

There was no use regretting what had already been done.
What was important now was how she conducted herself from this point on.

Shaking off thoughts of Jin Yuha, she focused on the evaluation at hand.

“The most important thing right now is the coins.”

On the chest of her swapped attire was a record of the number of coins she currently possessed.

[500 coins]

As a special position holder, she had been given a base of 500 coins.

‘I’m still lucky compared to some.’

She practiced summoning magic, which was a significant advantage considering that some special position holders had no offensive abilities.
Additionally, thanks to Jin Yuha’s relentless training sessions with the party members whenever he had free time, she was relatively confident in her physical strength as well.

Even so, casting spells still took time, and her low defense remained a constant weakness.
Forming a party with a tank or a dealer was not just a necessity but a requirement.

“Hmm, I’d like to team up with Jin Yuha if possible…”

There was no better option than partnering with him, who could see the future.
Having already experienced the thrill of riding in a vehicle driven by him, she couldn’t imagine anyone else taking his place.

“First, I’ll prioritize Jin Yuha as my top party member… Next, the shop.”

The existence of a shop where they could purchase necessities for their deserted island life was crucial to this mid-term evaluation; one could even say it was the most important factor.
However, blindly spending coins on items was not a wise strategy.

“After all, our final scores will be determined by the number of coins we have left at the end.”

In other words, they had to use their coins as efficiently as possible.
Calculating the most optimal use of resources was something she excelled at.

“So, the first thing I need to do is locate the shop and check the types of items available and their market prices. Hmm, but can we also exchange coins directly with other individuals?”

If that were possible, she could engage in some interesting schemes.
For example, she could monopolize a vital item and sell it at an inflated price.

Shin Se-hee’s eyes sparkled as she contemplated causing a stir, something she hadn’t done in a while.

However, all of this depended on finding the shop first.

Cuckoo—

Somewhere in the distance, a cuckoo bird called out.

“I can’t move right now…”

She was currently alone in the dark forest.

Despite the potential danger of nocturnal monsters, Shin Se-hee calmly sat down on the pillow she had placed on the ground.

“The initial summon location should be a safe zone. Otherwise, students with poor combat abilities would be at a disadvantage right from the start of the mid-term evaluation.”

And so, she sat on her pillow and waited for morning.

.

.

.

Ruffle—

‘…One of the three party members should be that guy, and I can fill the last spot with one of our kids.’

I thought to myself as I made my way through the dark bushes.

Our party members were likely to score high in this mid-term evaluation.

First, Soup is naturally adaptable to survival situations like this.
Familiar with making do with what she has, she is skilled at using natural materials to create things and is quite experienced with camping.

Shin Se-hee’s skill involves using fire for area-of-effect attacks, making her ideal for driving hunts in this forest.

And Puppy, to be honest, this mid-term evaluation seems tailor-made for Kang Do-hee; it’s incredibly advantageous for her.

While other dealers would have to spend coins to buy weapons from the shop, she doesn’t need any separate weapons since she uses her fists and feet.
In other words, she alone is exempt from the penalty that everyone else faces.

‘This is so overpowered…’

Honestly, even if I set Soup and Shin Se-hee aside, Kang Do-hee seems a bit too much.

‘Tsk, as long as I do well, it’ll be fine. Just me.’

Ssshh—

With my detection skill activated, I carefully silenced my footsteps and continued on my way.

‘…So it is possible to learn skills through training.’

To be honest, I had been half-doubting it.

“Dark Stride.”

The technique I had learned from Instructor Baek Seol-hee.
Back then, I had only managed to take a single successful step.
But now, I was effortlessly walking with the Dark Stride.

When I thought about it, it made sense.
During training, I had always practiced this technique while carrying a large chunk of iron on my back.
Now, I was carrying only a backpack that weighed a fraction of what I had endured then.
With my body feeling lighter than ever before, it would have been strange if I couldn’t run while using Dark Stride.

Just then—

─ Krrrr…

I heard the sound of a monster from a short distance away.
A harsh growl that it was trying to suppress for the hunt.

I quieted my presence and calmed my eyes.

Then, a monster with the appearance of a hairless little monkey but with purple skin came into view.

‘Gramble…’

A nimble and annoying monster.

But, in an instant.

I smiled with delight.

Because something it was holding caught my eye.

A small, old, and worn-out dagger.