With the original author likely observing, I had no intention of letting the original protagonist take off his blindfold and look around. Even if I did, Reysir wouldn’t be able to anyway.
‘If he takes off that blindfold in the mountains right now, information windows for every blade of grass and tree would flood his vision to the point where he wouldn’t even be able to see where he’s going!’
Even if stage 2 of the **[Truth-Reading Eye]** skill was unlocked, turning it into an active skill that only displayed information on desired targets, he would first have to discover a trap before its information window could appear.
‘In the original work, the trap-detection function was added to the **[Truth-Reading Eye]** only after the skill level reached 4.’
In the early stages of the story, Demonic Realms with traps didn’t even exist. Around the time traps began appearing, Reysir encountered Skadi and learned how to search for and disarm them.
However, since Reysir wasn’t a trap expert, it was impossible for him to find every single one. That was when Pret joined as a companion.
Although Pret wasn’t a proper combatant and was much weaker than Skadi, he could discover and disarm traps — and even use them to his advantage. In the original work, the only reason Reysir could turn Karbaldr’s traps against him was that he had learned the method from Pret.
“Traps?”
“I heard that some Demonic Realms contain traps, so I asked the Academy to bring in a trap expert to set some up. None of them are lethal, but some are slightly dangerous, so stay sharp.”
“Oh! I see!!”
Pret’s eyes sparkled. He clearly intended to use the traps to his advantage in this mock battle.
On the other hand, my team didn’t have a single person with knowledge of traps. Should I consider this balanced?
‘To think a Demonic Realm with traps has already appeared…’
I began to think that out of all the knowledge I had from the original work before the remake, only the character settings were still reliable.
“Now, here are the maps showing each team’s starting point. I’ll fire a signal flare in 30 minutes, so make sure you’re at your designated spots by then.”
Bjorn handed a piece of paper to both Fjodra and me. I unfolded it to find a purple circle drawn on a specific spot, but there was no information about the opposing team’s starting point.
‘Even so, it’s likely at a similar distance from our current location as our starting point. If one side is too far or too close, the time given for tactical meetings wouldn’t be equal.’
Thinking this, I folded the map and handed it to Reysir. Since he was the original protagonist, I figured it was better for him to lead the team and hold onto the map.
However, Reysir only checked the starting point before passing it to Svein. The map then went through Vigdis’s hands before returning to me. It seemed they interpreted my action as ‘everyone take a look at the map.’
‘Giving this back to Reysir now would look a bit strange, wouldn’t it…?’
Judging by the location on the map, we could reach it within 10 minutes. However, since we had to walk carefully to avoid traps, it would take longer.
Unlike us, who had inadvertently wasted time passing the map around, Fjodra had led her team away as soon as she checked the map. It wasn’t good to waste any more time, so I put the map in my **[Inventory]** and started moving.
“By the way, do you guys have anything to eat in your inventories?”
We had been walking carefully for about 5 minutes. Perhaps boredom was setting in since we hadn’t found anything, because Reysir suddenly spoke up.
“No, I don’t…”
“I… didn’t think of that either.”
Vigdis was the first to answer with an embarrassed expression, followed by Svein. Neither of them were the type to be meticulously prepared, so it was an expected response. Reysir didn’t seem to have high expectations for them either, as he simply nodded and turned to me.
“What about you, Karbaldr? You even packed an Ether Thermal Blanket and crampons, so you must have food, right?”
“I have things like this prepared.”
“Does this… taste good?”
“Does it look like it does?”
“No…”
When I pulled out a block of high-calorie combat rations from my **[Inventory]**, Reysir reacted with uncertainty. Well, one look at the crude packaging was enough to tell it tasted terrible.
“Why do you carry something like that?”
“It can’t be helped. Food doesn’t stop spoiling just because it’s in an inventory. If I’m going to leave something there when I don’t know when I’ll eat it, preserved food is the only answer. Since inventory capacity is limited, I have to choose combat rations with high caloric density.”
“I guess that’s true, but…”
“So, what do you have?”
Even after my explanation, the dissatisfaction on the face of the protagonist of another novel didn’t fade, so I threw the question back at him. I wanted to see what kind of delicious food he was carrying.
Reysir pulled out retort-pouch food and energy bars from a convenience store.
“Doesn’t that pouch food smell too strong when you open it? You won’t be able to eat that in Demonic Realms with monsters sensitive to smell. You should carry more energy bars or biscuits.”
“Got it. When that happens, we’ll eat what you brought. Otherwise, we’ll share mine.”
The protagonist of another novel spoke as if sharing our food was a given. It was so absurd that I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
Misinterpreting my reaction, Reysir made a startled face and quickly changed the subject.
“Ah! Of course, the best thing would be to win today’s game and have food from the Dining Hall delivered. I haven’t forgotten that, so don’t worry.”
I wasn’t worried about that at all. Because there was no way the author, Senna, would let Reysir lose a mere mock battle between students. Our team’s victory was a predetermined conclusion.
‘As long as I, who has slipped from the original author’s control, don’t make a series of mistakes!’
Speaking of which…
“The other team has Hailga. Do you really think we can win?”
“Well, we have you on our team, don’t we?”
“……?”
Does this body look that frail to Reysir? Does he think I’ll collapse if I’m not fed well? But Hailga didn’t exactly look like a powerhouse either.
When I made a confused face at his remark, Reysir suddenly burst out laughing.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s funny seeing a smart guy like you look so confused over something so obvious.”
“……”
“If I were to lose on purpose just because I was worried about Hailga, it would be a burden to you and the rest of the team. Besides, the professor wants us to compete fiercely, which is why he restricted proper meals to the winning team. Losing on purpose would go against his intentions.”
Hearing him, it really was quite obvious, and a wave of embarrassment washed over me. My face felt hot, so I had to quickly turn my head away.
“In case anyone is worried about the other team going hungry, I stuffed plenty of food into Hailga’s inventory too. So don’t lose heart, and let’s all do our best!”
‘Was it because Svein was with us?’ Reysir, who would usually tease me relentlessly, didn’t do so this time and instead encouraged the team.
Just as I felt a moment of relief…
“……!”
“*Mewl!!*”
Something suddenly snatched my ankle, and my body was hoisted into the air. By the time I realized I had stepped into a trap, I was already dangling upside down, my ankle bound by a rope.
I couldn’t tell if my face was red because the blood was rushing to my head or because the embarrassment I thought had faded had returned.
“Wh-Whoa… Kar, are you okay?!”
“……………I felt an impact as the weight hit my ankle, but thanks to my boots, the joint didn’t twist. I’ll have to check properly once I’m down, but it doesn’t feel like the ligaments are damaged.”
“Ah… that’s a relief. It really is, but… aren’t you being a bit too calm…?”
I guess Vigdis couldn’t see how humiliated I was. The calm one was the original protagonist, not me.
“Yor, go up and cut the rope. Don’t worry, I’ll catch your master from below.”
Reysir gave the instructions in a steady voice while pulling a dagger from his **[Inventory]** and handing it to Yor.
“Move aside. I can land on my own, so don’t get in my way.”
“How are you going to land on your own while dangling upside down?”
“This height is enough for me to flip my body the moment I fall. I’ll land from toe to heel in sequence and bend my legs at the right timing to disperse the impact.”
I had never actually tried it, but it was possible in theory. If I activated the **[Character Analysis]** skill to accelerate my thoughts, hitting the timing wouldn’t be that difficult.
Besides, since there might be other identical traps around, it was better to practice escaping on my own while I was already caught.
So, as I waited for Reysir to step back, I was debating what thoughts to focus on to trigger **[Character Analysis]**…
“Karbaldr. You don’t need to go that far to prove you’re a cat.”
The protagonist of another novel spouted nonsense with an exasperated expression. He was the one saying something ridiculous, so I didn’t know why he was making that face.
“Don’t say weird things and just move.”
“Didn’t you just say you weren’t sure if your ligaments were hurt or not? It’s safer if I catch you.”
‘Should I have kept my mouth shut about needing to check once I was down?’
The moment I regretted it, the weight on my ankle vanished, and my body plummeted. It happened as suddenly as when I was first pulled up, so I was completely unprepared.
As a result, I couldn’t flip my body, let alone land properly.
However, the protagonist of another novel waiting below seemed to have been perfectly prepared. Reysir caught me safely, just as he had promised.
He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and tucked the other under my knees. Because of the posture, my gaze naturally fell toward the sky, and I could see Yor floating next to the rope, holding the dagger in his small hands.
‘He was persuaded by Reysir’s claim that it would be safer…’
Yor had even let out a scream when I first got caught. I felt a pang of guilt, wondering if my stubbornness had only added to their worries.