I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

Zombies and skeletons.

A staple presence in fantasy novels or apocalypse stories, like the comedic relief. Especially with zombies, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know what they are unless they’re living on some deserted island.

And no one knows them better than me.

My island life kicked off with brawling against those creatures.

Just thinking back gives me chills. I tried to create a temporary shelter, hoping to catch some rest, only for a bunch of zombies to start braaaains all night long, climbing the trees to take snoozes. And when I woke up, there they were, clinging to the tree like a zombie parade. It still haunts my dreams.

Luckily, a bear wiped them out before I got stuck in that mess.

Even the bear wouldn’t touch the zombies, though.

Anyway, these zombies aren’t the modern trend of running undead. If they had run, what would ten years mean? They’d be dead in ten seconds! They’re strong, sure, but why? I don’t even know.

Old zombies seemed slow but strong too.

Skeletons are pretty quick, but they’re not as fast as a person. Maybe a child’s running speed?

That’s why they occupy the early monster positions on this island. What’s annoying is that killing them doesn’t give me much benefit. What am I going to do with rotten human corpses and bones? But they might be useful now, you never know.

They might be dumb, weak, and slow, but their sheer numbers cannot be underestimated.

“Ugh, so many!”

With all the bear cubs wiped out, it was expected, but the area around the dungeon was swarming with zombies and skeletons. The snakes seemed to have given up too, with the numbers getting ridiculous. Usually, the bears take care of these guys, so it’s good for me. I need those monster goodies for my plans.

I hid behind a nearby tree, rummaging through my leather pouch. What I’m about to do is very risky and complicated. One mistake, and I’d be the one doing the zombie dance. There’s no Jackson here using his heavenly skills to help, so I’d rather have a Hydra swallow me whole.

“First, let’s go over the plan.”

It’s a spur-of-the-moment plan, but some organization is needed. I sat behind the tree and drew a rough outline of my operation in the dirt with a stick. It’s just a few stick figures and lines, but it’s my own plan to execute. As long as my thoughts are clear, it doesn’t matter.

I organized my plan while doodling like a grade schooler. It didn’t take long; the basics were simple. It’s more about my physique than my brain in this operation.

With my thoughts sorted, I sprang to my feet. I need to move quickly to wrap up my plan to fool the snakes. I pulled out my shovel right away.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

I stepped out from behind the tree. As soon as I revealed myself, the skeletons and zombies meandering in front of the dungeon all focused on me in unison. It was a pretty terrifying sight, but at this point, what am I scared of? When you’ve wrestled with a bear, zombies and skeletons feel like mere minions.

But no slacking; I need to get this right.

I slammed the shovel into the ground. The distance to the zombies was about 20 meters—far yet close enough. I pictured what I wanted to create in my mind and activated my skill.

“Crafting.”

A wall made of hardened mud rose from the ground, not dirt. Two meters tall, three meters wide, and ten centimeters thick. It’s not as strong as concrete, but those weaklings can’t even scratch it.

“Ugh…”

I hear the sound of them banging against the wall. To them, it must look like I just disappeared. They’ve got the intelligence of a rock. Wait, do they even have intelligence? Their brains are either rotten or non-existent!

“Crafting, crafting, crafting, crafting…”

I kept making walls to trap the zombies. After using my skill so much my neck hurt, I managed to create a passage leading from the dungeon entrance. For now, it looks like I just put walls where I needed to pass, but the zombies’ thud thud against the walls echoed. But that’s all they can do.

“Reminds me of playing RollerCoaster Tycoon.”

That was fun back then! Who knew I’d be doing it for real? My skills feel pretty nifty at times like this.

I tuned out the sounds of the trapped zombies and glanced towards the pond. I had roughly calculated the distance, but I better double-check it.

You usually have to be meticulous with stuff like this. I guess. The only planning I’ve done was when building with dirt blocks in Minecraft. If I’d known I’d be doing this in reality, I would’ve worked way harder.

“I’ll have to use my skill over a hundred times.”

But if I can trick those snake bastards, nothing is more rewarding. I could endure this hardship just to screw with them.

I donned the bear leather I had prepared and sprinkled anti-snake powder all over myself. Luckily, it’s harmless to humans. If it were harmful, I wouldn’t be able to pull this off.

Ugh, the smell.

Even so, I can’t get used to the stench of socks soaked in sweat. But it’s my lifeline, so I’ll bear it.

I checked the direction of the pond again, then started walking while making walls.

“Crafting, crafting, crafting, crafting, crafting, crafting, crafting, crafting…”

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Ugh, my neck hurts.

I need to drink some pond water.

I scoop up some clear pond water, feeling like a mountain spirit might pop out. Drinking the water clears my head.

Water knows the answer. It spoke to this poor castaway. “Go eat the snakes.”

I wiped my mouth and looked back at the results of my crazy labor. The dirt wall stretching in a straight line looked epic, like something out of a survival crafting game.

Is it an exaggeration to call it the Great Wall? I took some jerky from my pouch, chewing on it while taking a breather.

“Don’t see any snakes…”

I butchered the crazed ones on the way here. Did I kill too many to scare them off? If they smell the stench, they better run. Still, there are enough brave idiots who rush in, and those are the ones who end up getting chopped. They’re out of luck if they charge before I use my skill. The big ones were blocked out completely by my walls.

Even snakes can’t scale a wall directly. But it was really a tough time. Is it lucky or unfortunate that the Hydra hasn’t shown up? It’s no surprise—such a devious creature wouldn’t reveal itself easily. Just seeing a few bigger anacondas making their presence felt shows they think I’m a joke. Given that attitude, they wouldn’t personally come to snatch me.

Anyway, it’s time to head back. To the dungeon.

The sun’s passing noon, slowly setting, but that’s fine. If it’s to slaughter a snake, I could pull an all-nighter. If I don’t deal with those guys quickly, it’ll just get more troublesome.

I started walking briskly back to the dungeon. I could hear the nasty hiss of snakes around me, but I brushed it off. Half of them got filtered out by the smell. Half of those who can’t climb over my dirt wall, and half of those who could get through would end up being my prey. A big, dumb snake like an anaconda can’t catch me.

And they can’t break the wall I built either. Can snakes charge into the ground? If they head-butt it, their heads will shatter first!

“Ugh, the noise pollution is no joke.”

Back in front of the dungeon, I felt annoyance at the combined moaning of zombies—like a lagging computer with glitches. Hearing that through just one wall is damaging to my mental health.

“Alright, you bastards, I’ll let you out, so hold on. Dismantle.”

The wall blocking me and the zombies collapsed into a heap. Have the zombies respawned from the dungeon? The wall was soon filled with zombies stumbling toward me. If I were just some helpless human, I might have lost it right there.

But now, they’re my sturdy allies, ready to fool the snakes alongside me.

“Let’s go!”

I took a hearty leap from the ground. It’s time to charge towards the pond!

And so, I led the mass of zombies and skeletons toward the pond. The path to the pond was smooth sailing. Even if zombies and skeletons are weak, getting swarmed in the hundreds makes it tough to mess with. Ultimately, I reached the clear, pristine pond without any interruptions.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I jumped up and slammed against the wall. The zombies, trying to catch me, reached out once they saw me suddenly vanish. Keep doing that, pals.

My comrades.

It sucked to meet you and let’s never meet again.

I swung off the edge and used my skill.

“Dismantle.”

The last wall I built came crashing down into a pile of dirt. The zombies and skeletons, trained like those in RollerCoaster Tycoon, were now unleashed into the snakes’ territory. The zombies began to fall into the pond as the gravy train.

Ahh, what satisfaction. This is revenge.

With this, my territory should be safe for a while. The zombie and skeleton rush won’t dare attack me for now.

I returned, feeling light-hearted and full of accomplishment.

Today was a rewarding day.

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