Chapter 6
“Miss, isn’t it possible to go around to the side where there is no river? Even if it takes some time, I think that would be safer.”
At those words, Chloe unfolded the map to check once more, then shook her head after confirming the river drawn on it like a long worm.
“According to the map, the river stretches across entirely. If we want to cross into Northfort, we must inevitably cut across this river.”
“Don’t we need to search for an area where the current is weak, the depth is shallow, and the width is narrow? The instructors must have passed through in a military vehicle, right? So there is certainly an area where a vehicle can pass through.”
The weakest-voiced among them, who had done nothing but complain about wine the whole way, spoke in a sharp and decisive tone as if she had transformed into a different person. Even her pale gaze was now gleaming strangely.
“What is the matter? What is with her all of a sudden? Did you eat something rotten?”
“The fruits I picked from the tree we passed a little while ago tasted like wine. I haven’t drunk in a while, so it affected me. I wasn’t complaining for no reason.”
The red-haired woman snatched the plump fruits that the weakest one was carrying and smelled them, then immediately threw them on the ground.
“Are you crazy? These are on the verge of rotting! The smell… My God, it’s so acidic it smells like alcohol! How many of these did you eat?”
“That is not what’s important now. What I mean is that there must be an area we can cross with our bodies.”
It seemed the fruit was fermented. The even greater surprise was that she became rational when she was drunk. What a paradox.
It was clear that everyone preferred finding a shallow area as the weakest one suggested, rather than facing this torrential river.
But Chloe, who valued efficiency above all else, could not accept such a weak idea.
“I don’t understand. Why waste time searching for such a place and prolong the return time?”
“Then what do you suggest? Crossing this place, and with all this gear, is a mad move. Even if you are confident in yourself, not every one of us is capable of crossing this current by their own strength alone.”
Upon the weakest one’s logical and clear objection, Chloe pulled a rope from her bag.
The rope was long enough… roughly the length of the river’s width. There was another rope in another bag they had obtained from the bandits.
“We can cross this place using these two ropes, so why retreat? I will not allow your cowardice to prevent me from choosing the shortest path and the shortest time.”
Everyone looked at her as if she were insane, but she remained steadfast.
Chloe tied the ropes around the waists of the group members tightly, tying the knot in a way that was impossible to unravel, then explained to them how to secure the rope to the rope stretched across the river.
“Tie the rope around your waist like this, then hold onto the rope that I will secure across the river. Do not all move at once so the rope doesn’t break under the weight. You must cross one by one.”
This was in preparation for any case where someone might lose their grip on the rope.
“But someone must swim to the other side to secure the rope there.”
Before the only boy among them could step forward, Chloe smiled confidently and waved the rope in her hand.
“The one who proposes the solution… is the one who executes it.”
They had nothing to say, especially since she was willing to take on the hardest part herself.
And since their bodies were extremely exhausted, it influenced their decision, as no one wanted anything anymore except to return to Northfort as quickly as possible.
“Let’s try the Miss’s method. We don’t know if the shallow area is upstream or downstream, and we don’t even know if it actually exists.”
“I agree too! What courage!”
“Let’s finish this quickly. We probably won’t die.”
Everyone agreed to Chloe’s plan except the weakest one, but she was forced to follow the majority.
After the theoretical explanation was finished… it was time for application.
Chloe drove a thick branch into the ground and secured the rope around it tightly, then grabbed the other end of the rope and jumped into the river without hesitation.
When she stood, her feet did not reach the bottom, which meant the depth was significant.
Water spray rose high as it crashed against the rock faces. The sight of Chloe holding the rope with one hand and cutting through the water with the other was an admirable scene.
Her pink hair was clearly visible above the water, making it easy for the group to track her position.
Her strong arms and shoulders cut through the current with prominent movements that no one could emulate.
‘I’ve been tossed into Raging Seas before… this is much easier.’
Chloe reached the other bank safely and, without taking a rest, wrapped the rope around a tree three times and pulled it taut.
When everyone saw that she had arrived safely, they breathed a sigh of relief.
At a slight signal from Chloe as she moved the rope, the red-haired woman hooked her waist rope to the rope stretched over the river and started first.
With the most determined and serious face they had seen from her, she gripped the rope with all her might and began the crossing.
“Damn you, old man! If I graduate from Northfort, I’ll make you regret it! I’ll build a casino in the name of the Louvlin family!”
After her, everyone began crossing one by one.
“Father…! I know I brought shame to you, but throwing a cute girl like me into this prison full of monsters who hit people with their fists is too much!”
“Damn you, brother! How quietly I lived for fear of bothering you! Is being the daughter of the second wife a crime? Is it a crime?!”
While facing the strong current that nearly swept them away, their complaints spilled out spontaneously, directed at those who had sent them to Northfort.
As for the last one to cross, whom everyone unanimously chose because she was the least capable of facing the current, it was the weakest one.
She tied the rope around her waist tightly as she was told earlier, then…
“Don’t be terrified! Just jump!”
“No, tell her to relax her body.”
She jumped after hearing the red-haired woman’s scream, and as soon as she fell into the water, the other four pulled the rope and dragged her to the shore.
“I will never do this again…”
She said in a faint voice while vomiting the water that had entered her nose and mouth. It seemed the cold water had cleared the effect of the alcohol from her head, as the dazed glint returned to her eyes.
While she was wringing the water out of her hair, the red-haired woman turned toward Chloe and asked her:
“What exactly were you before this?! You are skilled at everything! Digging, swimming, first aid… Did you live in a forest? Are your family lands in the jungle?”
“Hmmmm… Since you are a skilled swimmer, are you from the South? But you adapted to the desert… maybe from the North? Whatever the case… you are certainly not from the capital.”
The only young man among them added, trying to discover her reality, but they were all far from the truth.
Chloe was not born in the capital, but she had spent most of her life there, and these skills of hers were not because of her birthplace, but because of a harsh, merciless training.
In a dreamy voice, the woman with very short hair whispered:
“Guys… just crossing the river has made the distance between us much closer.”
And now… Northfort was only one step away.
* * *
Inside the Northfort courtyard.
“I wonder… what is the fastest time this batch will record?”
“According to Instructor Garissel, who left them in the desert… this batch is the worst he’s seen. I think they’ll need 43 hours.”
“That’s overly optimistic. I bet on 46 hours.”
Students from previous batches were chattering mockingly, unable to remember their own days of suffering.
Suddenly, the instructor who was watching the gate opened his eyes in shock and shouted after confirming he wasn’t seeing a mirage.
“…They are coming… someone is coming!”
“What? Now? Are you sure? Are they the newcomers?”
“Yes! They are wearing the supply gear! It’s certain!”
The one-eyed instructor looked at his watch, astonishment evident on his face, then ran toward the gate.
From a distance, five shadows appeared piercing through the dust and approaching.
Finally… the first students of the 87th batch entered the gates of Northfort.
Because crossing the river had washed away the desert dust, Chloe’s group entered with a relatively neat appearance.
Chloe stood before the one-eyed instructor who had previously thrown them into the desert, and saluted him with a sharp military salute, stating her name and rank.
“Trainee Chloe Winsalet.”
The others followed with a confused salute:
“Trainee Roselyn Louvlin!”
“Trainee Marielle Versailles….”
“Trainee Finny Sutton.”
“Trainee Lucian Valentine.”
After they had all finished, Chloe concluded:
“The aforementioned, five individuals… we report our return to Northfort.”
After a flawless report, the instructor looked at his watch and then shouted with a voice that shook the courtyard:
“The first to return! Recorded time: 24 hours, 1 minute, and 13 seconds!”
It was the fastest number recorded since the founding of Northfort.