Kizen Year 1, total students: 961. All students successfully teleported.
And just like that, the Island Survival officially began.
"Kyaaaa! Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!"
"Why the hell would you poke a beehive, you idiots?!"
"Can I eat this? Why am I breaking out in hives?!"
Chaos erupted everywhere.
Nearly seventy percent of the first-year students were high-ranking nobles. Most of them had never stepped into a jungle or an island before, and some had barely even left their own carefully maintained estates.
Now, those sheltered flowers had been thrown straight into a tropical rainforest.
Panic was inevitable.
They had prepared themselves, at least mentally.
Prepared to sleep outdoors.
Prepared to go without washing.
Prepared to eat monster meat.
But—
"Snake! It's a snake!"
"I got bitten by something!"
"The mushrooms are moving!"
The moment they actually set foot in the jungle, reality far exceeded their expectations.
"…Haa."
About thirty minutes had passed since the start of the survival test. Meilyn stood frozen, her body tense.
Compared to the others, she believed she had done relatively well in preparing. Thanks to Rick, she had gotten the information early and even spent time learning survival basics from Hong Feng over the weekend.
At least, that was what she thought.
Sssk—
As she carefully stepped forward, the grass beneath her foot shifted, and a swarm of ants poured out.
"Eeek!"
She screamed and stumbled back in panic. As the ants scattered, a group of centipedes suddenly emerged and began devouring them.
Meilyn froze on the spot.
…I—I seriously can't move.
It was not something she could simply overcome. The instincts rooted in her upbringing held her in place.
And then, just moments before she would notice the fire ants climbing up her shoulder after backing into a tree—
"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!"
It wasn't just her.
The situation across the island was just as bad.
Of course, it wasn't that the students hadn't prepared at all.
The Island Survival was a well-known annual event at Kizen, and most students had assumed the core of the test would revolve around hunting monsters and fighting other students.
So naturally, they had focused on improving their combat abilities.
It did not take long for them to realize how wrong that assumption was.
In these harsh conditions, the students began to act on instinct.
"Let's stick together!"
"We're making it to the end, no matter what!"
They started forming groups.
No one wanted to be alone, so they gathered together without hesitation.
Since everyone started with zero points, betrayal was not an immediate concern.
Groups formed quickly, and students began pooling their knowledge to survive. In many cases, if a commoner was present, they naturally became the leader, simply because they were more familiar with this kind of environment.
"…What are you all doing?"
Someone from Class B, a commoner, stood with her hands on her hips, looking completely unimpressed.
Behind her, several noble boys were huddled together, practically glued to a tree.
In front of them, a single earthworm wriggled harmlessly across the ground.
"S-Someone get rid of that thing already!"
"Nanny! Nanny!"
Some of the young masters had already started calling for their caretakers.
The unfamiliar environment, the heat, the humidity, the insects, and the looming threat of monsters quickly drained their stamina.
Kizen, already anticipating this, began deploying supply drops.
A magic circle opened high in the sky, and crates began descending one after another.
"Over there!"
"Move!"
The moment the students spotted it, they rushed toward the location all at once.
"Huff… huff… we made it!"
"We're first…!"
But as they pushed through the dense jungle and climbed up an open hill—
"…!"
More than twenty students were already there, all staring at the falling supplies with wary expressions.
What the hell is this…?
This competition is insane.
"Get lost."
A large figure stepped forward, his presence immediately dominating the area.
"If you don't want to die."
It was Hector Moore from Class A.
The moment his name carried weight, several students hesitated and began backing away.
Then, a voice came from the side.
"Look at this guy, acting tough. What, are you some young master from the Moore family or something?"
A thin boy with dyed yellow hair covering one eye leaned lazily against a rock, holding a long, unusual staff.
Hector's expression darkened.
"Special Admission Number 10. Malcolm Randolph."
Malcolm scoffed.
"Oh, give it a rest already. It's been over a month and you're still bringing up that special admission ranking?"
"A bug that slipped in last minute sure talks a lot."
Malcolm's eyebrow twitched.
Special Admission was limited to ten people, and the last slot was often mocked behind the scenes as the "last train" or "straggler."
No one usually dared say it out loud.
"You're from Class A, right?"
Malcolm stood up and spat on the ground.
"Don't you guys have those famous Special Entry Number 1s? I heard you didn't just lose to one of them, you lost to both, hahaha! I mean, losing to that 'White Devil' Knox Aznable is understandable, but losing to that country bumpkin-looking guy, Simon Polentia… pfft!"
This time, Hector's eyebrow twitched.
"Screw the supplies. I'll deal with you first."
"Oooh, scary~ Go ahead and try, tough guy."
Both of them activated their cores and charged at each other.
With two well-known students clashing right from the start, the sound of their battle echoed across the island.
And this was not the only place.
Similar fights were breaking out all over the island as students competed for the supply drops.
Although the crates sometimes contained random artifacts, the main reason for the clashes was much simpler.
Food.
"I'm hungry."
"…Should we actually try grilling a monster or something?"
However, quite a number of students began to feel confused.
Wasn't this island supposed to be filled with monsters and beasts to hunt for points?
Then where were they?
Why did everything feel so… empty?
Could it be that Kizen actually intended for them to hunt each other instead, turning this into some kind of battle royale?
Meanwhile, inside the control room where the staff monitored the entire island, several of them could only stare at the screens in silence, some even pressing their hands against their foreheads.
The reason was simple.
Someone had gotten a little too excited while hunting.
"This feeling! Hahaha! How nostalgic! It really reminds me of when I used to play Monster Hunter!" Knox exclaimed, his face full of excitement.
Even while talking, his hands never stopped moving.
Right now, Knox was wielding dual blades, his attacks flowing continuously as he slashed left and right, leaving streaks of white flashes in the air.
To anyone watching, it would look like he was completely immersed in the fight, almost like a battle maniac.
Of course, Knox wasn't actually a battle maniac.
At least, not like a certain toy seller from Snezhnaya.
Childe: I will become king of toy seller!
And so, Day One of the Island Survival passed.
***
Day Two of the Island Survival.
While most students were still struggling to get up after a sleepless night, dealing with the harsh reality of island survival—
There was one person who woke up without a single problem.
Stretching lazily on his makeshift bed, he looked perfectly relaxed.
"Phew… I slept well!"
While most students were still struggling to find food—
There was one person who already had an abundance of ingredients, casually cooking while humming to himself.
"Delicious!"
After finishing his meal, he even had access to a clean and comfortable water source, enough to take a proper bath.
And of course, that person was Knox.
"Alright, day one was for hunting monsters and beasts. Now for day two… should I start adding students to my hunting list as well?"
Knox said, resting his hand on his chin.
No one knew that a white devil had already begun considering them as prey, like someone from Douluo World hunting for a spirit ring.
"Putting aside the hunting for now, today's main events should be the clash between Simon and Meilyn, and the appearance of Bigkrum."
Knox quietly retraced the flow of the original story in his mind.
"Alright, my schedule is pretty tight. Shall we begin the hunt~?"
With that, Knox left his base and headed deeper toward the main area of the island.
On his way, a few… unlucky students suddenly spotted a white-haired figure approaching.
"Look! It's a bird!"
"No, it's a spirit!"
"No, it's Knox Aznable! Run!"
Then—
Well, of course there was no "then."
They were immediately obliterated.
Not far from that one-sided "encounter," another group of students was watching from a distance.
At the front stood a girl wearing a large admiral-style coat draped over her shoulders, her red twin-tail hair swaying slightly as she observed the scene.
Behind her, several students gathered, clearly following her lead.
She was—
Special Entry No. 7: Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
...
Author's Note: Ahem. Sparkle, stop editing my script.
Special Entry No. 7: Elisa Celin.
As the daughter of the Prime Minister of Dresden, combined with her status as Special Entry No. 7, it was only natural that many students chose to follow her.
And Elisa accepted them.
After all, they strengthened her influence, and more importantly, this kind of support could further elevate her position in the political world.
She was, at her core, a thorough politician.
Most of her actions were calculated, either for political gain or to meet her father's expectations.
But there were always exceptions.
And right now, that exception stood before her.
Knox Aznable.
Her gaze remained fixed on him, wary.
"…..Should we try to sneak attack?" one of the male students behind her suggested cautiously.
Hearing that, Elisa immediately shot the idea down without hesitation.
"Are you crazy?!"