10.1 - The Final Exams and School trip

The morning of the long-awaited field trip had finally arrived. Ever since I started my adventures in Rynn, my body has been resting longer, leaving me fully refreshed. Excitement and a hint of anxiety filled me as we prepared for our camping trip. The only downside to this journey was the absence of dreams, and my mother had started expressing concerns about my increased sleeping habits.

As was my routine, I packed my belongings and bid a proper farewell to my mother. Kendra and I headed out like we always did. As Kendra was always first up and waited inside my house. I was getting up earlier now, so I would often eat breakfast now. Unlike before when I would wake up last minute and eat on the way to school. hopped onto the bus that would take us to our destination. The ride to the campsite was pleasantly short as it was close by. Being in the mountains was one benefit of close distance to wildlife. President Midoriya went to Tokyo, which was a much longer ride from nearly walking distance.

Upon arrival, the students gathered eagerly under the watchful eye of our teacher. The campsite was a vast parking lot, devoid of any significant landmarks. Our teacher addressed us, emphasizing that this trip was all about survival and would be graded, with prizes for the top performers.

"Most importantly if you get top scores will add to my bonus," Yuki Sensei said. As was trying to prep us for an easy victory.

The class seemed taken aback by the announcement, but we understood that camping inherently involved challenges. Some students expressed their disappointment about the survival game aspect, deeming it unfavorable.

"Sensei, what kind of prizes are we talking about?" a curious student inquired.

"We will be engaging in small challenges that will test your outdoor skills. Winning will grant you perks or items," our teacher replied.

There were approximately 60 other Grade 11 students accompanied by five teachers. The rest of the students seemed more surprised and upset by the prospect of the trip compared to our class. We had grown accustomed to outdoor activities in Rynn, where quests and nights spent under the stars were a regular occurrence.

"I've already made the list of groups so when you hear your name group with your members" declared Yuki

"I don't want to be in assigned groups, Sensei. Can't we make our own?" some students from other classes complained.

Without wavering, our teacher announced the pre-determined groups, and as our names were called, we were to gather with our fellow group members.

"Sensei, can't we have more freedom in choosing our groups?" the students persisted. No change in that.

Group 1: Mackenzie, Sara, Zero, Sora, Haruka. Group 2: Yumi, Rino, Ryota, Kyle. Group 3: Kendra, Steef, Chad, Mel, Daiki.

There was discontent among the students regarding their assigned groups and the absence of close friends. Personally, I felt content as I didn't have anyone I disliked or found annoying. Spending the day with Chad or Kyle would surely irritate me, while Steef's constant ramblings would drive me crazy. Rino, in my opinion, would be of little use. Overall, I was satisfied with my group. However, Kendra seemed visibly upset about having Steef and Chad in her group. I knew I would hear about it later.

"Sensei, I'm hungry. Where's the food?" someone voiced their hunger.

"Let's discuss your first challenge then. You must travel to the base camp, which is two kilometers down this path. Set up your campsite: make your tent, start a fire, and find your food," the teacher explained.

"But Sensei, you said food would be provided," Daiki protested.

"Look around, Daiki. Food is all around us. Find your sustenance in the wilderness. Here are booklets on identifying edible and poisonous plants, fishing rods, and tents over there. You'll have to show us your foraged food for credit and scoring, and we'll let you know if it's edible or poisonous."

Perhaps I was a bit crazy, but this competition against other groups seemed rather enjoyable. I can finally test my survival skills versus other people. Only if I were on the same team as Kendra or Silica. We would have swept the floor even if it was just the three of us.

"Furthermore, if our class performs the best overall, I will receive a bonus. So do your best!" the teacher added.

At least Yuki-sensei was upfront about earning a little extra cash and didn't try to conceal it. As chatter among us, talking about Yumi's financial history. She told us a story back in Rynn, in their youth where she would buy many things to experiment with. Some things went out of hand. Even in Rynn, Silica lent or gave Yuki so much money for her to try experiments. In our defense, we had no choice but to laugh at the irony of it. We regrouped in our designated teams.

"Putting speed aside, we should proceed at our own pace and assign tasks," I suggested.

"Slow and steady wins the race," Zero chimed in.

"I'm good at cooking, so I can handle that," Haruka volunteered.

"I can build the tent," Sara interjected.

"Alright, great. I'll take care of building the fire," I said. "Sora, can you assist Sara in setting up the tent?"

"Count on me," Sora replied confidently.

"Now, all we need to do is find food. Zero, can you and Haruka locate and cook the food?" I assigned.

"Easy, I'll find the best food before anyone else," Zero declared.

It seemed like we were off to a good start. Sara and Sora were setting up the tent, Zero and Haruka were in charge of food, and I would handle the fire. The three of us took turns carrying the tent, finishing equipment, and other supplies along the two-kilometer walk. We were making good progress, although Sara was slowing down a bit. She wasn't as adventurous as the rest of us, but there was no rush, as I had mentioned earlier. There were many other groups way slower than us. We had a lead actually.

****

It took most of us about 20 minutes to reach the campground, which was spacious and dotted with various lots for tents and equipment. Despite the early hour, around 10 am, we wasted no time and began working on our assignments as soon as we arrived at our designated spot. Thankfully, there was already a fire pit in place, so I didn't need to dig a hole and arrange rocks. I ventured into the forest to gather wood, using a small knife from the supplies to pick, and cut branches.

Suddenly, Yumi emerged from the bushes. "Hey, Vice President! Come with me," she called out. Curiosity piqued, I followed her and soon found ourselves amidst animal tracks, not human ones. Yumi pointed towards a drove of hogs, wild boars to be precise.

"Should I take it down?" I pondered aloud.

"Are you sure?" Yumi questioned.

"Yeah, why not?" I replied confidently. I extended my palm, and a lime green circle materialized, followed by a gust of wind. Smack! Bang! The hog fell to the ground. We approached it, and I swiftly used my knife to end its suffering. "All done! I've done this many times in the world of Rynn regarding goblins and such. "Why don't we share this with both of our groups?" I suggested to Yumi.

"Are you sure? You did all the work," she remarked.

"But you're the one who found it," I reminded her. "Hehe, you're right. Let's share it."

The hog turned out to be quite heavy, around 80 pounds. Yumi and I struggled to carry it back to camp, eventually placing it at the base of our tent.

"Wow, you've got a pig already," Sara exclaimed.

"Yeah, Yumi found it, and we took it down. We're going to share it with her group as well," I explained.

I returned to the forest to collect more wood and then came back to camp to start a fire. It was a simple task of tossing the wood into the pit and igniting it. I gathered some brush and twigs, forming a small fire magic circle at the base, and it lit up right away. "All done," I announced as smoke began to rise from the fire.

Other students started to take notice and soon their attention was fixed on me. They looked in frustration at our group. Before long, even the teachers were looking in my direction. Thankfully, thanks to my role as Vice President, I had grown accustomed to being observed, so I didn't feel frightened or compelled to run away this time.

"Good job on the fire, Mac!" Sora complimented as he secured a beam in place.

"Thanks. Looks like you two are almost done with the tent," I replied with a smile.

Soon, Yuki-sensei hurried over with a concerned expression on her face. She whispered into my ear, making sure no one else would notice. "Hey, Mackenzie, what are you doing? Why did you make the fire so fast? You know we didn't provide you with any lighters in the supply box, right? You were supposed to use a method from the book to start a fire."

"I used magic. Isn't that the best way?" I questioned.

"Mackenzie, magic is a secret in this world, remember? You can't use it in public! And is that a hog? When did you get that?" she whispered in a louder tone.

"Uh, sorry, sensei. Yumi found a group of them, and we decided to get one for food."

"Did you use magic?" she pressed.

"Ah, yes. I used wind magic to knock it out," I admitted, realizing the mistake I had made. I used magic in public, and now they might find out about it.

"Well, I guess it's too late now. People have already seen the fire and the hog. Just don't mention magic. Think of a good excuse, okay?" Yuki-sensei shrugged and laughed, wearing a smile on her face. Then she hopped away, saying, "I'm going to win the bonus!"

I’m going to get into a lot of heat for this. I can already hear a lecture from Kendra and the president forming in my mind. I discussed it with Yumi, and we came up with a plan. Yumi would say she throw a knife and luckily hit a lucky spot on the boar. It was believable, as she showcased her knife-throwing skills by demonstrating multiple throws into a tree. I got lucky with that one since Yumi had been a hunter in the other world and happened to have trained with a knife. As for the fire, I simply said I used two stones rubbed together, which ignited quickly. The fire was a terrible lie as they looked at me puzzled. Thinking I used a lighter.

Once we regrouped with Haruka, Zero, Sora, and Sara, we had almost completed all our tasks. We just needed to organize the food that Haruka and Zero had found. They had quite a haul of yams, berries, mushrooms, and various herbs, some of which might not be suitable for consumption. We had our ingredients checked by Yuki-sensei, who pointed out that the mushrooms were poisonous and would give us bathroom troubles for the night. She was quite impressed by the variety of herbs we had gathered, not to mention the giant hog we had acquired with Yumi's help.

"It seems like the rest is edible. Your group is definitely going to win the first challenge. The bonus this year is mine," she giggled.

With Haruka taking charge as the chief, utilizing her family's restaurant background, our food turned out better than expected. We didn't have any seasonings, but she did her best, and it ended up being quite tasty.