## Chapter 30 – Rocky Mountain
‘It really is different.’
[Cash: ₩210,087]
That was the thought I had while looking at the accumulated amount.
It was definitely on a different level than running solo. Two is better than one, and three is better than two.
Thanks to that, earning cash was going very smoothly.
‘The quest has moved on to the next one too.’
+
[Survive on a Deserted Island 5]
Description: Catch 10 striped jackfish that are 20cm or longer. (0/10)
Reward: 5 points
+
The difficulty of the main quest suddenly felt like it had jumped up. Now I have to catch fish.
“Woojin, let’s just sleep here tonight and move tomorrow.”
As a result of running around to earn money, darkness had already fallen heavily on the surroundings.
“The kids next to you are dozing off too, Master.”
The twins walked while nodding off. Occasionally headbutting me with their heads.
I was lost in thought for a moment.
Actually, moving around at night was advantageous. Because it wasn’t as hot as during the day at this time.
But on the other hand, because it was so cool, it was also a time when you could get a good night’s sleep.
‘Moving diligently is important, but getting good sleep to recover from fatigue is also necessary.’
“Then let’s sleep and move tomorrow.”
We settled down and lay down on the ground.
I looked at the moon, which looked exactly like Earth’s, and quietly closed my eyes.
‘This is just the beginning. Let’s not be impatient.’
I hugged the twins with both arms. The twins put their cheeks on my chest and fell asleep, breathing softly.
***
“Master, is this really the right way? I don’t see any rocky mountain, just palm trees.”
Early in the morning, we bought a bunch of bananas and lightly filled our stomachs, then continued to move along the coast.
Our destination was the rocky mountain that the teachers and flight attendants had headed to.
However, similar terrain was not easily found. Only the endless white sandy beach greeted us.
“They didn’t seem like they were lying. It’ll probably show up.”
“But why are you going there anyway? You can get water even if it’s not there, right?”
“Because it’s a mountain.”
“Huh?”
In the video, there was clearly a mountain made of rocks standing tall.
Think about it.
Everywhere else is flat, but that place is a mountain?
Doesn’t that mean that place is close to the center of the island?
“If we climb to the top, we’ll be able to see the entire island. That’s why we’re going. We’re going to look for a way to climb up from near there.”
“Ah. You definitely said you were moving for that reason. But we’ve been walking for a while now, and nothing has changed.”
*Phew.* Kim Yeonju sighed.
I was frustrated too.
‘If it weren’t for that, I would have focused on clearing the quest.’
Still, moving while earning money with the twins, I was trying to comfort myself that it wasn’t just a waste of time.
*Ttong, ttong, ttong.*
I praised Yuri, who brought a seashell, and playfully smacked her butt.
Yejin grabbed my nipple and twisted it slightly.
The twins, in response to my teasing, smacked my butt and touched my nipples before running away.
‘Oh. They’ve improved quite a bit.’
After touching them continuously, I could see their nipples standing up straight through their swimsuits.
I felt like I could do a little more in the future.
I was feeling proud and expectant about that when Kim Yeonju pointed forward and shouted.
“Master, look over there!”
Suddenly, the coastline… that is, the place where the sea and land meet, curved sharply inward towards the island.
In other words, it was a terrain that was recessed in the middle, a change in terrain that could never be noticed from afar.
‘Because the palm trees are so tall, I couldn’t see it at all.’
At the end of the curved coastline, the rocky mountain was firmly in place.
Due to the nature of palm trees, which grow up to 20-30 meters, I hadn’t noticed the large rocky mountain or the recessed waterway until now.
“Wow! Is water really flowing down?”
And a very small stream of water was falling from the rock.
A thin stream of water flowed down between the large rocks, riding on the bedrock.
‘It looks like the teachers and flight attendants are doing well.’
Four people were doing something around the falling stream of water.
They looked busy, and because they were about 400 meters away, they hadn’t noticed our presence yet.
I stopped the group and said.
“Then you guys wait here.”
“Aren’t we all going?”
“Yeah. Only I’m going to move. I’m going into the forest.”
Looking at the rocky cliff where the water was falling, I couldn’t see any place to climb.
So I was going to go into the lush forest and see if there was a way to climb up there.
“It’s dangerous. There are snakes in the forest!”
“That’s right, Woojin. Let’s just give up on climbing up there.”
I shook my head.
I had to check at least once. To see what kind of shape this island we were wandering around in was roughly in.
“Then how about going in at night?”
“No. If we move at night, it’ll be dark and we might get lost.”
To grasp the terrain and find a way, we had to move now while the sun was up.
“Still…”
“Don’t worry. I have a way to avoid snakes.”
No one on this island is thinking of entering that forest right now, but I could.
“I’ll be back soon, so take a break.”
***
Using the [Danger Detection] ability, I carefully entered the forest.
In various places, reddish energy was crouching and flicking its tongue.
Roughly counting, there seemed to be at least hundreds of them.
‘But it’s not as dangerous as I thought. It’s doable.’
At first, I was so scared that my movements were slow, but as I continued to move, I realized that it wasn’t that dangerous.
At least for me, who has the [Danger Detection] ability.
Of course, it was a difficulty level that ordinary people would have a hard time surviving.
‘Is it this way?’
I frequently looked back at the rocky cliff and the location of the snakes, searching.
‘It’s not this way.’
The rocky mountain was rugged on all sides, and I couldn’t see a way to climb up.
‘But there must be a gentle section somewhere.’
I walked around the tall rocky mountain.
I moved carefully, holding the rocks with my hands, checking to see if there was anything I was missing.
How long had I been moving like that?
‘Hmm?’
When my whole body was soaked with sweat, I suddenly found a narrow path between the rocks.
The path moved here and there, but it was clearly connected to the top of the rocky mountain.
‘I found it. It’s the way up.’
But I couldn’t easily take a step.
At first glance, it seemed like a naturally formed path, but on the other hand, I felt like someone had touched it.
That sense of incongruity bothered me, so I carefully examined the rocks on the left and right.
And in one corner of the rock, I was able to find some writing. The crooked writing was written in Korean.
『…Don’t be relieved that you’ve adapted to this island. What you see right now isn’t everything. Prepare for the danger that’s coming.』
Were there other people who had fallen into this world besides us?
‘Prepare for the danger that’s coming…’
I habitually touched my neck. It was a behavior that came out when I was anxious.
Since the necklace was already gone, I repeatedly grabbed and released my clothes instead.
‘Let’s move for now. It’s not something that can be solved by worrying about it right now.’
I moved my foot into the huge crack in the rock. The path led me up in a zigzag pattern.
The shade darkened and the light brightened, how many times had that happened?
A cool breeze blew, shaking my hair and clothes.
‘I’ve climbed all the way up.’
And when I stood on top of the rocky mountain, the surrounding scenery spread out before my eyes.
It was like a green wave.
The tops of the palm trees came right up to my feet, swaying back and forth in the wind from around the rocky mountain to the far distance.
‘Is this about halfway up the mountain?’
When I turned my head back, the mountain continued on.
For a while, it was close to flat, but at some point, the altitude gradually increased.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t see the entire island.
I could only see the area around me, part of the island behind me, and the point where the plane crashed in the distance.
If I really wanted to look down on the entire island, it seemed like I would have to walk for about 7 hours or more to reach the summit.
‘Let’s postpone climbing to the top until next time.’
Anyway, my goal wasn’t that summit, nor was it this island.
My goal was already at my feet.
I looked around the island and then went back the way I came.
***
“Please go back.”
When I returned to the group, a guest had arrived.
The math teacher and the male flight attendant had come to my group and were talking enthusiastically.
“Ms. Sujeong. Don’t do that, let’s go together.”
The math teacher was passionately explaining to the homeroom teacher.
“We’ve fallen into this kind of remote area, so we should at least join forces.”
As he said that, the math teacher subtly grabbed the homeroom teacher’s hand.
‘Come to think of it, the math teacher liked the homeroom teacher.’
The math teacher was one of the many male faculty members who liked Lee Sujeong.
To the point where he would often make lewd jokes about the homeroom teacher behind her back.
But I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
‘Hey. You have a wife and two kids. Get a grip.’
Well, it’s not like I’m one to talk, since I’m sleeping with other people’s wives. But still, you have to think about the kids at home, right?
“I understand how you feel about Woojin, Ms. Sujeong, but if you’re thinking about the safety of your student, shouldn’t you stay in a place like that even more?”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right! Look closely. That place is a complete paradise? Hey, isn’t that right?”
The math teacher turned to the male flight attendant and asked for a response. The flight attendant nodded his head greatly, expressing his agreement.
“That’s right. You can’t find a better place than that.”
He continued, shining his eyes at the homeroom teacher.
“As you can see, we have everything we need to survive on this island. The water to drink is constantly falling from above, and the food is perfectly replaced by fish.”
I wondered what they were doing in the water earlier, but it seemed they were catching fish that were gathering in the falling stream of water.
Looking at the stream next to me, it was no joke, it was half water, half fish.
If you were to set up a net and push it through, you could catch at least a thousand fish.
They also seemed to be 20-30cm in size.
‘The conditions are definitely good.’
It had the best conditions of any place I had seen so far.
In particular, I was paying attention to the stream of water flowing down the rocks.
‘Even if I can buy water from the store window, the amount isn’t much.’
Just enough to solve the drinking water problem.
But humans don’t just use water for drinking. It can be used for various purposes. The most immediate need is to wash.
‘There’s a limit to washing in seawater. Washing in seawater not only makes your body itchy, but it also kills skin microorganisms and lowers your immunity.’
It is said to make you vulnerable to various diseases.
But you can’t just endure without washing.
I had heard a story that if modern people don’t wash their hands for just a week in the wild, they will get infected with bacteria and their hands will swell up.
In that respect, having fresh water to wash with was definitely a huge advantage.
“How is it? Do you feel like staying a little longer?”
The math teacher asked the homeroom teacher with anticipation.
“No.”
But the homeroom teacher’s answer was firm. Kim Yeonju also felt the same way.
“Hey. Don’t be annoying and just step back, okay?”
“Hey. Don’t do that. Come on. Everyone, try eating this. It’s really delicious, okay?”
As if doing a great favor, the math teacher handed the group a smoked fish skewered on a branch.
The savory smell that reached the tip of my nose was no joke.
But my group’s reaction was lukewarm.
“I’m okay.”
“Ms. Sujeong too? Me too. I had a hearty breakfast, so I don’t feel like it.”
“Ms. Sujeong. How delicious is this? The outside is a little burnt, but the taste is amazing.”
As he said that, the math teacher began to push.
The homeroom teacher had been refusing, so he was taking advantage of her indecisiveness.
But the homeroom teacher drew a firm line.
“I’m okay.”
Kim Yeonju immediately stepped in between the two and joined in.
“Yes, yes. Teacher, please eat a lot. Eat all of Ms. Sujeong’s and my share. All of it.”
“Hey, you get out of here! What are you doing, interfering! Can’t you see we’re talking?”
The math teacher pushed Kim Yeonju away and approached the homeroom teacher, but the homeroom teacher said coldly.
“Even if you bring me hundreds of those, my choice won’t change.”
“Why are you so obsessed with him? What’s so different about us?”
“There’s a lot that’s different. You guys don’t need to know.”
As she said that, the homeroom teacher and Kim Yeonju stared intently at the blackened fish.
Kim Yeonju didn’t stop there, but glanced at the math teacher’s lower body and shook her head.
The argument continued for a long time after that, but the result did not change.
They persuaded her for about an hour, and eventually the two men gave up and went back.
Leaving behind a very disappointed expression.
‘…The homeroom teacher is pretty, though.’
Honestly, Kim Yeonju is pretty too, but compared to the homeroom teacher, she was just an ordinary person.
The fact that the two men were only flirting with the homeroom teacher a little while ago was a clear indication of that.
I quietly stroked my chin.
‘That’s right, I should take care of them once.’