Chapter 1119: Welcome to Alaska (5)

The surprises didn't stop there.

Nick, the survival expert, stared blankly as NewBlack built their base camp.

"...?"

Ri Hyuk, now wearing his glasses, was directing construction.

Nick couldn't understand a single word of Korean, but every time the members moved according to Ri Hyuk's instructions, he found himself growing more impressed.

"No way..."

The frame of the base camp was incredibly solid.

It was sturdy enough to withstand almost any wind or rainstorm, and evergreen branches had been layered across the top.

They're insulating it... and creating natural water runoff.

The branches would keep heat from escaping while absorbing rainwater before it seeped inside.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Junghyun swung his hatchet, shaping logs with practiced precision.

Wooju fitted each piece neatly into place.

With the stronger members handling the heavy work, the camp came together flawlessly.

Already?

Within an astonishingly short time, NewBlack had finished building what looked like a proper shelter.

They immediately gathered together.

Ri Hyuk, wearing the leader's armband, said something, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Full marks for the base camp. Next they'll probably work on starting a fire.

Nick watched with interest.

That won't be easy.

If building a shelter ranked as "easy" on the survival difficulty scale, making a fire ranked at the very top.

The reason was simple.

They were in one of Alaska's rainforests, famous for heavy rainfall.

Everything around them was covered in moss, and even fallen logs were soaked to the point of rotting.

Finding dry firewood was incredibly difficult.

Let's see how they handle—

Whoosh!

"Huh?"

Nick rubbed his eyes.

They already started a fire?

Junghyun and Wooju were crouched beside the flames.

Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

Junghyun used his hatchet °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to shave away the wet outer layers of the wood.

He carved the dry inner core into thin curls.

Meanwhile, Wooju struck flint against steel, igniting the tinder.

M-maximum score. Good grief.

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer after watching them make fire so effortlessly, Nick finally spoke.

Technically, a guide was only supposed to intervene in dangerous situations.

But he simply had to ask.

"Coach, would you like some tea?"

Biju smiled, raising a tin cup.

They had boiled river water and steeped a handful of leaves and flowers inside.

"Junghyun knows quite a bit about edible plants, so we tried making some tea."

"..."

Nick accepted the fragrant cup and blinked as he sat beside the campfire.

"Huh? This chair..."

"Junghyun made it."

"..."

It was a proper wooden chair carved from logs.

Nick took a sip before asking,

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you do survival activities regularly? How are you adapting so well?"

"We have a MyTube series called History Expedition."

One of the members explained.

"It covers Korean history from before civilization up through modern times."

"We experienced everything from the Paleolithic Age to the Bronze Age."

"We started fires with sticks."

"Made comb-pattern pottery."

"Caught fish with primitive nets."

"Stuff like that."

"So... you reenacted prehistoric life?"

"Exactly."

Ri Hyuk smiled mysteriously.

"They were the trials we had to overcome in order to succeed... Hehehe."

Nick had absolutely no idea why success in entertainment required Paleolithic survival training.

But somehow...

It explained everything.

Just then, while NewBlack enjoyed a peaceful morning tea...

Grrrrrr...

The youngest member's stomach growled loudly.

Jiho laughed awkwardly.

The older members immediately stood.

Their expressions practically screamed—

Our youngest must not go hungry!

"Going to look for food?"

"Yep."

Nick smiled as he watched them head out confidently.

This is where things get difficult.

Building shelter.

Making fire.

Finding clean drinking water.

The next challenge was one of the hardest of all.

Obtaining food.

Most visitors to survival camps were ordinary people.

Unlike what television often portrayed, hunting and fishing without specialized equipment was incredibly difficult.

Arrows fired by beginners rarely hit wild animals.

Even if they somehow managed to kill one, few people knew how to butcher it.

Fishing was somewhat easier.

But catching fish without proper bait was nearly impossible.

Most people eventually gave up and approached the coaches.

"Can we have some food?"𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

They'd accept the point deduction in exchange for emergency rations.

Let's see what happens.

Curious whether NewBlack would finally run into trouble, Nick followed behind them.

Soon he saw the members crouching beside the riverbank.

Dark-shelled shellfish.

They're probably trying to decide.

Are they poisonous?

Can they even be eaten?

Nick knew the answer.

He quietly smiled as he watched.

Then—

Grab.

Grab.

Grab.

The NewBlack members immediately began gathering the shellfish by the handful.

At the same time, Korean voices reached his ears.

"Hey, these are mussels!"

"Jackpot! There are tons of them!"

"Guys, hurry! Grab them before someone else does!"

Of course.

To Koreans...

Mussels were an extremely familiar ingredient.

The pot bubbled merrily.

The unmistakable aroma of mussel soup drifted through the camp.

Everyone sighed happily.

Jiho giggled.

"Wow... This is amazing. Mussel soup in Alaska... I never would've imagined this. How are we this lucky?"

Everyone nodded.

Meanwhile, Biju stirred the pot with a ladle.

After carefully sorting and cleaning the mussels, he'd cooked them using nothing more than the salt and simple seasonings provided by the camp.

Even so...

The aroma was extraordinary.

Unfortunately, not everyone could eat the same meal.

"All right."

Ri Hyuk clapped his hands.

"Time to split into groups."

At his words, everyone paired off.

Biju.

Ri Hyuk.

Jiho.

The three of them formed one group.

Junghyun and I became the other.

Jiho looked at us enviously.

"Grilled fish sounds really good too..."

Beside the bubbling mussel soup, fish skewered on branches slowly roasted over the fire.

Junghyun had caught them using a spear he'd fashioned from one of the arrows.

There was a reason Ri Hyuk had divided everyone into groups.

"If we all eat exactly the same thing, we could all get sick at once."

He spoke matter-of-factly.

"If something goes wrong, we need at least one healthy group that can respond."

I nodded while chewing on my fish.

The skin had gotten a little burnt, giving it a slightly bitter taste.

But Biju's seasoning was so good that it still tasted delicious.

The only problem...

Crunch.

Crunch.

...was the cameramen eating nearby.

"Our Director Kim~ Open wide~"

"Ahhh~"

"Good, isn't it? So delicious~"

The directors deliberately acted lovey-dovey loud enough for us to hear.

They were eating microwave rice topped with canned spicy tuna.

Each bite was wrapped in seasoned seaweed.

To make matters worse...

They were happily crunching into young radish kimchi they'd bought at a Korean grocery store.

"..."

"..."

We desperately tried not to pay attention.

Still...

Getting some protein into our systems made all of us feel noticeably more energetic.

Junghyun chewed thoughtfully before asking,

"So... what do we do now?"

"Good question..."

We'd already completed every assignment for the first day.

Build a base camp.

Start a fire.

Secure drinking water.

Find food.

Everyone scratched their heads before looking at me.

"Ri Hyuk's the leader today."

"Oh."

Feeling everyone's gaze, Ri Hyuk stroked his chin.

"Maybe we should improve the house."

"The base camp still feels a little lacking if we're actually going to live here."

"Should we?"

"I read a book recently about building simple wooden cabins."

"Oooooh..."

With that, everyone stood.

As Jiho stretched enthusiastically, he asked,

"I wonder how Moonlight's doing."

"...They're probably doing fine."

As expected...

Moonlight really was doing well.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Their base camp was a little rough around the edges.

But perfectly respectable.

Colin wiped away sweat with a satisfied grin.

"This'll do."

"Nice work."

They exchanged high-fives, wiping sweat away with gloved hands.

The Moonlight members, who usually focused on looking effortlessly attractive in front of cameras, smiled proudly.

Just as I thought... My body still remembers.

North American teenagers generally had decent survival skills.

Many grew up in organizations like the Boy Scouts or attended countless summer camps.

Learning wilderness survival was practically part of growing up.

Moonlight's members had similar experience.

This was certainly their first challenge on this scale.

Still...

We're doing just fine.

Not that everything had gone smoothly.

Hunter, the biggest member of the group, desperately struggled to light a fire.

"Why... won't... this... light?!"

"Move. I'll try."

Patrick, the Asian member, tried.

Everyone took turns.

Nothing worked.

The wood was simply too wet.

The flint couldn't generate enough heat to dry it.

"..."

"..."

In the end, they pulled cotton from the medical kit and even tore strips from their clothes to use as tinder.

It took them an entire hour to start one fire.

After quenching their thirst with fresh water from a nearby stream...

Hunger began setting in.

"Should we... look for food?"

"Yeah."

Unlike the previous challenges...

Finding food proved genuinely difficult.

Hunting wild animals with bows they'd never used before was impossible.

"Maybe we can catch fish."

They tried fishing with the provided line.

Not a single bite.

They found mushrooms that looked edible.

A coach immediately stopped them.

Point deduction.

Nothing else.

Grrrrrr...

The Moonlight members wandered around clutching their empty stomachs.

The cheerful jokes from earlier gradually disappeared.

Their expressions grew darker and darker.

...At this rate, are we seriously not going to eat anything?

They could simply ask a coach for emergency food.

But none of them wanted to give up.

They kept searching.

There has to be something...

Nothing.

Nothing but endless moss.

Jacob groaned.

"I think something's wrong with my eyes."

"That moss is starting to look like salad."

"...Should we try eating it? It probably won't kill us..."

For teenage boys and young men in their twenties...

Skipping meals was absolute torture.

Stomach acid burned their throats.

Their stomachs twisted painfully.

Everyone stared blankly ahead.

Then Colin spoke.

"At least we're doing better than NewBlack."

"I agree."

"They're probably digging up weird weeds or something."

Even North American teenagers with years of survival experience were struggling.

Surely Koreans would be having an even harder time.

Just as they comforted themselves with that thought—

Sniff.

Jacob froze.

"...Wait."

"Does anyone else smell that?"

"It's grilled fish!"

The aroma was irresistible.

Freshly grilled fish...

With a faint hint of lemon.

Almost hypnotic.

"What is that? Where's it coming from?"

Following the smell and the rising smoke...

Colin suddenly tripped.

Thud!

"Colin!"

"What happened?"

Everyone looked down.

"A snare?"

His ankle was caught.

A trap disguised beneath branches had snagged him.

Fortunately, it was crudely built and easy to escape.

As they untangled him—

"That's far enough."

A voice came from above.

Everyone looked up.

A figure wearing a dark windbreaker stood atop a hill.

"...!"

"...!!"

Backlit by the sun...

The silhouette looked strangely ominous.

Jiho.

Bow in hand.

Watching them carefully.

For some reason...

He looked exactly like someone straight out of The Hunger Games.

The Moonlight members instinctively raised both hands.

Jiho's eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?"

"This is our territory."

"..."

"We didn't know."

"Sorry."

"What business do you have here?"

"..."

No one could bring themselves to admit—

We followed the smell of grilled fish.

Just then—

Grrrrrr...

Someone's stomach growled loudly.

Jiho narrowed his eyes.

Then lowered his bow.

With a light jump, he landed in front of them.

"This way."

...Was he always like this?

Normally Jiho laughed brightly with carefree innocence.

Now...

He looked completely different.

Like a lone survivor who'd spent years living in the forest.

Like a young wolf.

The Moonlight members followed him through a concealed entrance.

Then stopped cold.

"...?!"

"...?!"

There was a cabin.

No...

Calling it a newly built cabin wasn't quite right.

It resembled an old abandoned hunting lodge.

Colin stared.

There was an abandoned cabin out here?

Feeling as though they'd wandered into a rival tribe's village, they tensed.

Around them...

NewBlack's members paused their work.

Some had been weaving nets.

Others were carving spears.

Everyone looked toward the visitors.

Moonlight approached Wooju, who sat beside the campfire like the chief of a village.

"Hey."

Wooju waved cheerfully.

Both television crews eagerly captured the moment.

When Wooju asked what had brought them there...

Jiho quietly whispered something into his ear.

"Ohooooo..."

Wooju's smile widened from ear to ear.

For the first time...

Colin genuinely wanted to turn around and run away.

Instead, he changed the subject.

"By the way... how did you find this place?"

"Find what?"

"The cabin."

"I mean... this old house."

"You were lucky enough to discover it."

"We built it."

"..."

Looking more closely...

It was indeed newly built.

Large enough for eight people to sleep comfortably.

Even at a glance...

It looked warm.

"So..."

Wooju smiled at all of them.

"You came because you were hungry, right?"

"Perfect timing."

"Come sit down."

At first...

Moonlight hesitated.

Despite always smiling...

Wooju somehow felt like the most intimidating member of NewBlack.

He handed each of them a grilled fish.

"Here."

"Eat one."

"..."

They wanted to refuse.

They really did.

But...

The temptation was overwhelming.

The Moonlight members exchanged conflicted looks.

They had no official leader.

Everyone usually acted independently.

Even so...

This required consensus.

Should we?

I don't know.

Let's just eat.

Jacob surrendered first.

He devoured his fish.

The others quickly followed.

Tyron's eyes widened.

"This is amazing!"

"Of course it is."

"Our Chef Biju made a special seasoning."

"Take your time."

Biju smiled warmly as he poured tea into each of their cups.

The fragrant pine-scented tea.

The grilled fish.

Little by little...

Moonlight's expressions softened.

They're good people.

NewBlack... they're genuinely wonderful.

Yeah.

People are supposed to help each other.

Maybe this is what humanity is all about.

A few of them even felt tears welling in their eyes.

And we never realized...

Despite everything...

Despite Moonlight's attitude...

NewBlack had welcomed them with kindness.

It felt impossibly generous.

By the time they finished chatting happily around the fire...

The Moonlight members stood to leave.

"...Thanks."

Colin smiled for the first time.

"If we ever get the chance..."

"We'll return the favor."

"We'll help you if you ever need anything."

They turned to go.

"Wait."

Wooju's voice stopped them.

"...?"

"You're just leaving?"

"..."

Creak.

An ominous feeling crawled up their spines.

They slowly turned around.

Wooju smiled.

"You still need to pay for the meal."

"...It wasn't free?"

"You thought it was free?"

"Really~?"

The NewBlack members all blinked innocently.

Moonlight swallowed hard.

Then...

The members of NewBlack began walking toward them with cheerful smiles.

"...!"

"...!"

For some reason...

Every instinct screamed that something very frightening was about to happen.

Survival Camp Headquarters.

Alex Corbin smiled contentedly while eating microwave-heated lasagna inside his cabin.

Civilization is the greatest.

Watching satellite television while enjoying his meal, he glanced at the clock.

About time they checked in.

He requested progress reports from each coach.

The replies arrived almost immediately.

[Moonlight: Currently providing manual labor to NewBlack in exchange for food.]

[NewBlack: Building a village.]

"...???"