Aira had swapped her deck shoes back for her cream high heels,, though she walked a bit more carefully as they made their way back down the ramp and onto the docks. The quiet atmosphere of the early evening was gone. It was now peak time at the port, and the area was swarming with people. Dozens of luxury cars were pulling in, and well-dressed couples were chatting loudly as they headed toward the various floating restaurants.As they approached Aira's car, Adrian reached into his pocket for the keys. He was feeling relaxed, his mind already thinking about the next steps for his business ventures and his life outside the college walls.However, as they got within a few feet of the vehicle, a high-pitched, judgmental voice cut through the sound of the ocean waves.A young girl, dressed in a bright neon dress that screamed for attention, was clinging to her boyfriend's arm like a koala. She pointed a manicured finger directly at Aira's car and let out a loud, mocking giggle."Babe, loo

Aira felt a surge of joy. She hadn't expected him to be so on board with the idea. "You're serious? You don't mind the bugs and the hard ground?""We can just use repellents for bugs but when it comes to hard ground, I honestly don’t mind." Adrian replied with a slight smile."We leave right now. You pack up whatever you need and I’ll rent a semi truck or a van." Adrian decided. "It’s gonna be a nice and long drive in the night."Aira nodded with a big smile. Adrian drove her back to her dorms. It was not curfew time yet, so she was able to run inside. She came back out after a few minutes. She had changed her clothes. Now, she was wearing a tight T-shirt with a thick jacket over it. She had on long jeans and strong boots made for walking in the woods.While she was getting ready, Adrian left her car in the parking lot. He went out to find a vehicle for their trip. Aira thought he would come back with a big van or a pickup truck. She was very surprised when she saw him again.Adrian d

She looked incredibly proud of herself, her face flushed with excitement.“Okay, so I’ve been thinking about what we actually need to survive if things get real,” she said, pointing to the items at the bottom of the cart. “First, I got this Ferro rod. I saw a video about it. You just scrape it with this metal striker and it throws sparks like a firework. It’s way cooler than a lighter, and it works even if it gets wet! And just in case I’m bad at it, I got these emergency fire starters. They’re like little wax cubes that burn for ten minutes. Even I can’t mess that up.”She then pulled out a pair of survival knives with black sheaths. “I got these for us. One for you, one for me. We’ll need them for... you know, cutting branches or whatever survivalists do. And look!” She held up a massive, heavy spool of neon orange paracord. “I got a hundred feet of this. It’s super strong. We can use it to hang our bags from trees so bears don’t get our food, or.. or… for something! We’ll get creat

They drove for a long time until the road ended and turned into a wide dirt trail. Adrian steered the truck carefully through the trees until they heard the sound of rushing water. He pulled over and stopped the engine right near a beautiful riverbank.It was still early, around 9 am. The air was cool and smelled like pine trees and fresh water. Adrian stepped out of the truck and stretched his arms."I am going to walk along the river for a bit," Adrian said. "I want to find the perfect spot for us to stay for the week. It needs to be flat and close to the water but safe from any rising tide."Aira nodded. "Go ahead. I will start moving the gear."While Adrian walked away to scout the area, Aira got to work. She wanted to show him that she could handle the survival life too. She opened the back of the truck and started grabbing the bags.She left the really heavy things for later, like the big cooler, the solar battery system, the packs of lime soda, and the ice maker. But everything

Aira saw the look on Adrian’s face and let out a bright chuckle. She held up the rod like a trophy while the fish continued to flop in the grass."My grandpa always used to do this back in my village whenever I visited him," she explained, still grinning. "I used to watch him sit by the pond for hours. He would just toss in a bit of noodles or bread, and the fish would all swim to that one spot like they were invited to a party. Then he would just cast his hook right there and—voila! A fish."She looked down at the large fish she had just caught and shook her head. "I wanted to try it for a long time, but honestly, even I am surprised that it worked so fast. I guess the fish in this river really like ramen."Adrian let out a long, slow sigh. He looked at the fish and then at the leftover bits of noodle in her pot. He had to accept the fact that her grandpa was some kind of secret fishing expert.He thought about his own Hunter skill. The System had given him plenty of abilities, and h