[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 147

[Have you tried this, Bangjang?]

“Of course, it’s my first time trying this. Where would I have tried it before?”

[Yeah, right lololol]

But the method is stuck in my head.

Rubbing the outer shell of a coconut you’ve eaten and peeled makes for good kindling.

Pick up a round piece of wood and split it with a knife.

Thwack!

Carve a groove next to where you’ll rub the wood to let air in.

When placing the wood piece on the ground, wedge something like a stone underneath to let air flow.

Finally, just rub with a carved wooden stick, and you’re done.

Scratch scratch!

Ssssscratch!

“Yah! 1st Circle Magic Fire!”

[Wow, Bangjang is a grand wizard]

[Fire (Physical)]

As you rub the stick with both palms, your hands gradually move downward.

When it doesn’t work, no matter how many hours you spend, it’s a hand drill, but they say success takes less than 2-3 minutes.

“Oh, oh!”

[Oh, it seems like it’s working?]

[Bangjang could survive alone in the jungle, huh?]

[Hahahaha]

As you keep rubbing, the end of the wood turns black, and smoke starts to rise.

Black ash keeps falling into the groove carved with the knife next to the rubbing spot.

Ssscratch! Ssscratch!

The ash keeps piling up on the leaves placed under the wood piece.

[Just a little more!]

[Isn’t the ember made?]

Ssssscratch!

I feel more focused than ever in my life.

In this sweltering weather, even a single drop of sweat could ruin everything.

“Seems like it’s done?”

It looks like a fair amount of black ash has gathered on the leaves.

Carefully lift the leaves and pour them into the pre-made coconut shell kindling, and you’re done.

“Hoo─ hoo─”

[Bangjang is rocking it like a baby]

[Blow gently, gently]

The smoke rises with the breath from your mouth.

It’s still a tiny ember. You need to keep feeding it oxygen.

“Hooooo─”

As you blow in more oxygen, the smoke grows fiercer, and the sound of crackling joins your breath.

[Just blow a little more!]

[Oh, it’s really working]

“Hoooo─────”

[Look at that lung capacity lololol]

[So funny lol]

Crackle!

“Cough! I inhaled smoke, cough!”

[Quick, transfer the fire!]

“Fire! Fire!”

[Fire!!]

The ember that kept spreading suddenly bursts into flames.

[Is he a seasoned caveman? Succeeded in one go lol]

You need to keep adding fuel to keep the fire burning before it goes out.

Luckily, since Nella secured a spot near the trees, there’s plenty of fallen wood for fuel.

Quickly gather some and place it on the burning coconut shell, and the fire grows.

“Kyaa.”

[Kya]

[This is it]

[This is so fun lololol]

“Seems like feeding oxygen is the most important part of fire-making.”

[Yup]

[True]

It feels like the fire won’t last long if it’s just on the bare ground.

Digging a pit for better air circulation would be ideal, but that’s not feasible right now.

No choice but to gather some stones and surround the campfire, making it look decent.

“Now that we’ve made fire, let’s make coconut oil.”

[How?]

[Why make that?]

“You can eat it, and it’s useful in many ways. First, let’s scrape out the flesh.”

Open the remaining coconut lid and pour the coconut water into the provided canteen.

Gather the rolling coconuts on the ground…

After scraping the coconut flesh onto a broad leaf, I used my coat as a makeshift cloth to squeeze it out, and that’s it.

“The only bucket we have is the one Nella brought.”

Since Baekseol found a water source, we don’t need to worry too much about water anymore.

After washing the seaweed, I poured out the water it was in and squeezed the coconut flesh into the empty bucket, and a white liquid started trickling out.

Drip, drip.

“This is coconut milk.”

[Whoa]

[Something’s definitely happening]

[For real, this is amazing]

“If you boil this and evaporate the water, that’s it. Then the oil will separate and come out.”

After balancing the bucket on a flat stone, it finally feels like a big task is done.

“Guys, let me know when it boils.”

[Got it]

[Just trust us]

I don’t trust them at all. I’ll have to check periodically.

“Friend, it’s done!”

After lighting a fire and wrestling with the coconut for quite some time, Nella came over waving her hand.

“What, you lit a fire?”

“Yeah. Did you finish preparing?”

Again, no answer, just a sly smile.

Nella put down the flat stone she was holding in her left hand and pulled out some fish flesh from a bursting non-woven bag.

“Nella, you worked hard.”

“Hehe. This is nothing.”

“In return, I’ll cook it deliciously.”

Nella grinned mischievously and wiggled two fingers near her mouth.

“Here.”

—Click, click.

“Whew— Thanks, friend.”

Nella, who lit the fire, handed over a pack of cigarettes.

“I’ll give you all of it.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow.”

She looks pretty happy.

On a deserted island, everything is precious.

For Nella, who seems to be quite a smoker, cigarettes must be the most precious thing on the island.

“Instead, could you find more buckets like this? We’re running short.”

“That was hard enough to find… I’ll look around. There’s some trash washed up on the shore.”

“Don’t push yourself. If there’s none, just come back. And take this.”

I handed Nella the coconut water I had saved in a canteen, and she happily accepted.

Gulp, gulp.

“Blech!”

[Hahahahahaha]

[Her reaction is priceless lol]

“Ga-eul!”

“The other participants are dying of thirst, and you’re wasting it. Drink it properly.”

“No, how can I…”

Nella, who was happy about the cigarettes, suddenly made a face.

Guess it really doesn’t suit her taste.

But there’s no other choice.

Beep!

<1034>

Pressing the device’s button, the displayed number decreased in real-time.

In the scorching, humid weather, occasional hot winds blow.

It’s an environment you can’t endure in your right mind.

“Nella. If you don’t want to die, drink it. No matter how much you’ve trained, you’re still human.”

It’s the kind of weather where you sweat just sitting still. If you skip the most important hydration, you could drop dead any moment.

As Nella pouted, a noise came from the bucket behind her.

“Nella, I’ll have a delicious meal ready. Hurry back.”

“Okay.”

“Drink regularly.”

“…Yeah.”

Leaving Nella behind, I looked into the bucket and saw transparent oil forming around the shrunken coconut milk.

“Oh, it’s done.”

[Wow, it’s really oil?]

[So freaking cool lol]

[It’s really amazing to make oil in the wild.]

Coconut oil can be put into a water bottle after cooling it down.

I moved the bucket filled with oil to the side and placed the stone slab Nella brought over the fire.

Since there’s no frying pan, we’ll have to use this.

Everything here is makeshift. If you don’t have teeth, you use your gums.

“Just spread the freshly squeezed oil on the stone slab like this.”

[Oh, so that’s how you use it.]

[This is insane lol.]

It was convenient to use coconut oil on leaves as a brush.

“Now we can put the fish flesh Nella brought on.”

The fish flesh I lifted looked like the belly part.

Removing the fish skin and the inner membrane makes the texture much better.

I waited until the stone slab heated up and placed the fish on it, and it made a sound just like a frying pan.

Sizzle!

[Wow, they’re grilling that.]

[What a waste.]

“Guys, it’s hard to breathe here right now. Eating raw fish in this weather is like asking for death.”

[Oh, I forgot I was watching this on broadcast.]

[That must be tough.]

Especially in this weather, fish spoils in real-time, so unless you eat it right after catching it, forget about sashimi.

While the fish was cooking, I shaved thin branches. This way, they can be used as skewers or chopsticks, making them versatile.

“Sprinkle a bit more oil and fry the surface for a better texture.”

Sizzle!

Using the wooden chopsticks I just made, I pressed down on one side of the fish, and it made a delicious sound.

[Ah, deserted island ASMR.]

[So romantic lol.]

Placing seaweed on the remaining part of the stone slab made it look somewhat presentable.

“Baekseol, let’s eat some fruit.”

“Yes!”

I handed over the leftover fruit pulp from making oil, and Baekseol ate it well.

“Let me know if you’re thirsty or hungry.”

“Yes!”

If there were a difficulty rating for raising animals, Baekseol would get the lowest score.

She clearly says when she’s hungry or sleepy.

Beep!

<1028>

In that short time, six people were eliminated.

Right now, they’re probably collapsing from heatstroke.

Or maybe they ate poisonous plants, got caught in ocean currents, or were bitten by sharks.

“Friend!”

“Yeah, you’re here?”

Nella came over carrying a bunch of stuff.

“You came back quickly?”

“I just grabbed whatever I saw.”

“Good job.”

She really must have taken everything in sight.

Nothing seems useful.

“Why did you bring a broken glass bottle?”

“Huh. Maybe it’ll be useful somewhere?”

Among the things Nella brought, the only useful item was a small iron bowl.

“Let’s eat first. It should be cooked by now.”

I wrapped a large grilled fish in a leaf and handed it to Nella, and her face lit up.

This is our first proper meal since arriving on the deserted island.

Considering how quickly we gathered ingredients, other teams are probably starving.

“Mmm! It’s so delicious! Ga-eul, you’re really good at cooking!”

“It’s just grilled, what’s the big deal?”

“Nope. It’s super nutty. Doesn’t seem like it’s just roasted.”

“I made oil from the coconut you got.”

Shaking the bucket, Nella nodded as she saw it.

“Ga-eul is a jack-of-all-trades. I should stick by her side.”

“Don’t mind, but you know we’re competitors, right?”

Spinning the knife I hadn’t let go of while prepping ingredients, Nella, who had been chewing fish vigorously, stopped for the first time.

While Nella was getting serious on her own, Baekseol was busy eating the flesh.

“Baekseol, try this too.”

Blowing on the seaweed fried in oil, I handed it to Baekseol, who immediately started munching.

“Delicious!”

Every time Baekseol moved her mouth, a squishy sound could be heard.

“Turtles like it too. Eat a lot.”

“Yes!”

“After eating, let’s go swimming.”

“Exciting!”

Since we got soaked in seawater, we need to wash off.

Probably, there will be a crowd near the water source.

“We need to arrange a place to sleep before sunset.”

“…..”

“Nella?”

“Huh? Oh, okay. Sleeping arrangements are important.”

What could she be worrying about?

The $5 million prize is a huge amount that could brighten up a life that’s been struggling for money.

When pushed to the extreme, you never know what humans might do.

The first night on the deserted island feels like it’s going to be a battlefield thick with the smell of blood.

***

“Here?”

“Yes!”

Following Baekseol, as expected, near a flowing stream, several people had set up camp.

Judging by their appearance, it seemed they had been surviving just by drinking water.

No remnants of defeat.

Ignoring the gazes, I approached the water, and whistles blew around me.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

A man with a dark beard approached from behind.

He blatantly looked me up and down with a sleazy smile.

“This is our territory.”

They’ve already formed a group.

“What are you gonna do, punk? Bring it on if you dare.”

“Ha. Feisty young lady. Join our group. Then you can use this place as much as you want. We can have some fun at night too.”

Click.

The sheath of the knife I pushed away fell to the ground.

“Do we have to wait until night? I can’t wait. Let’s have some fun right now.”

[Kyaaak!!]

[The crazy room master is at it again!!]