LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 13: King Of Bullshit
Brian stood at the entrance of the tent, his arms folded across his bandaged chest, watching the flickering campfires in the distance.
Students sat on the ground in small groups, chatting, laughing, and eating their rations. Their carefree energy gnawed at him.
It was surreal — more than two weeks stranded on an uncharted island, yet they were managing to carve out a semblance of normalcy.
He had been gone for days, lost in the forest, watching his fellow classmates fall one by one to the unseen dangers lurking in the trees.
And now, seeing them like this, so… content — it filled him with a strange mix of emotions.
He envied them.
They hadn't seen what he had seen.
The momentary peace they had built here at the shore was an illusion.
And illusions didn't last.
A soft voice startled him.
"You shouldn't be standing yet."
Brian turned his head sharply, his body instinctively tensing.
The school nurse stood beside him, arms crossed, her brown eyes scanning him critically. He hadn't even heard her approach.
"I'm fine," he muttered.
"You're not," she countered, tilting her head slightly. "You lost a lot of blood. You were running on nothing but adrenaline when you collapsed. It's a miracle you made it out of that forest alive."
Brian gritted his teeth but said nothing. He had made it out, sure — but only because he had run like hell while the others screamed behind him.
The nurse sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I wanted to speak to you about your eye."
His remaining good eye flicked to her, sharp with suspicion.
She hesitated, as if choosing her words carefully. "It…won't heal. The damage to the socket is too severe."
Brian felt something inside him sink.
Deep down, he already knew.
His left eye had been swollen shut from the moment he'd stumbled back onto the beach, the pain a dull throb beneath layers of bandages.
But hearing it confirmed aloud made it real.
A permanent loss.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he gave a slow, stiff nod. "I figured."
The nurse didn't offer any empty condolences or sugarcoated words. She just nodded back, letting the silence stretch between them.
After a moment, Brian exhaled, his gaze returning to the campfires.
"They look happy," he murmured, almost to himself.
The nurse followed his line of sight. Students sat around in circles, eating fish, tossing jokes at one another.
Even the teachers were engaged in light conversation. The tension from the past two weeks had momentarily lifted.
"They're trying," she said simply. "They need to hold onto something, even if it's just a routine."
Brian scoffed. "Routine won't stop them from getting picked off one by one."
His words came out harsher than he intended, but the nurse didn't react.
"You asked me earlier about what measures we'll take against the animals," she said after a moment.
Brian turned his gaze to her, his expression serious.
She shrugged. "We don't know yet."
Silence.
That wasn't the answer he wanted.
No barriers? No weapons? No plans?
The silence stretched longer, both of them staring at the dimly lit camp ahead.
"...Then they're all sitting ducks," Brian said bitterly.
The nurse sighed. "We have people thinking about it. But there are limits to what we can do. We don't have guns. We don't even know what we're dealing with."
Brian didn't reply. He had seen what they were dealing with.
Large creatures with glowing eyes, lurking just beyond the trees. Silent but ever-present.
The others — his classmates — hadn't been so lucky.
And it was only a matter of time before the creatures came closer.
He needed to get stronger.
The camp wasn't safe.
And he wasn't going to die like the others had.
Brian pushed off the tent entrance, glancing at the nurse one last time.
"I need to rest," he muttered, stepping back inside.
The nurse gave a small nod, watching as he disappeared into the tent.
Outside, the campfires flickered. The ocean waves crashed steadily against the shore.
#####
Lucas leaned back on his hands, flashing Mia his signature smirk as the two of them sat near one of the smaller campfires.
The evening breeze carried the scent of roasted fish, mingling with the salty ocean air.
Around them, the other students were either chatting, eating, or settling into their tents for the night, but Lucas was only focused on one thing — Mia.
And damn, she was cute.
Her wavy black hair cascaded down her back, catching the flickering light of the fire, and when she smiled at him, he swore his heart skipped a beat. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud.
"So," she said, tilting her head. "What exactly do you think is going to happen to us? You think we'll be stuck here forever?"
Lucas shrugged, stretching his legs out. "Nah, I doubt it. I mean, worst case scenario? We start a new civilization. I call dibs on being king."
Mia snorted, rolling her eyes. "You? A king? That's rich."
Lucas grinned, nudging her playfully. "Why not? I've got the charm, the looks, and let's be honest — I'd make a great ruler. 'King Lucas' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Mia giggled, shaking her head. "More like 'King of Bullshit'."
Lucas placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded. "Ouch, Mia. That cut deep."
She laughed again, and for a brief moment, Lucas found himself just watching her.
The way her lips curled, the way her eyes lit up when she laughed — it was easy to forget that they were stranded on a dangerous island.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone.
Brian.
The older boy stood at the entrance of the teacher's tent, his arms folded as he spoke to the school nurse.
Lucas furrowed his brows. Brian had been missing for weeks, and now he was back, standing there with his entire body covered in bandages like some kind of war survivor.
He looked different. Colder. And the way he kept glancing toward the camp made Lucas feel… uneasy.
And then there was the nurse.
Lucas's eyes flicked toward her just in time to get a good look at her curves before she disappeared back inside the tent.
'Damn.'
He had to admit, for a school nurse, she was stacked!
"Lucas?"
A hand waved in front of his face, snapping him back to reality.
"Huh?" He blinked, turning back to Mia.
She gave him a deadpan look. "Were you just staring at the nurse?"
"What? No! I was — uh — deep in thought," Lucas said quickly, coughing into his fist.
Mia squinted at him, clearly not convinced, but she let it slide.
They kept talking, and as they did, Lucas noticed something strange.
Mia's Affection bar was rising.
Not by a lot, just a few points here and there, but it was climbing.
And then something else caught his attention.
Her Lust stat?
It had been at 10 or 15 before, he didn't remember. But now? It was at 22.
Lucas raised a brow.
'Huh. That's new.'
He had been paying close attention to Affection and Trust so far, but Lust? That was the first time he had noticed it actively increase.
And as if on cue, the System sent him a notification.
[System Alert!]
[A woman whose Affection and Trust both reach 70 is in love with you!]
[If a woman's Lust reaches 50, she will be ready for… intimate activities.]
Lucas nearly choked on his spit.
'WHAT?!'