After brat 1 left to gather firewood. Brat 2 approached brat 3.
"Hey Kenji, you seem rather used to this. Have you gone camping before?"
"Yeah, back when I was still a cultivator, my master would often send me on errands far away. I had to make the journey on foot, so I had to pick up such skills up to survive."
"Do you ever miss it? The sect I mean?"
"Yeah, but not as much anymore. Thanks to the boss snoozing up there, I'm too busy to wallow in my own regret. Come to think of it! Didn't you have some sort of illness? You looked a lot paler a month ago."
"You think so? Now that you mention it, I don't think I would have survived a trip as long as this, a year ago."
"Maybe, those buckets of water really did help, and the boss just wasn't waterboarding you for fun? Haha."
"Don't joke about that, what if that crazy bastard wakes up and hears us. Do you really want to feel the pain of a thousand suns in the form of that stupid stick once more."
Brat nr 3 grew pale at the thought as they turned to look up at me. They both looked like they had seen a ghost when they could see one of my open eyes looking down at them, peeking out from under the shade of my straw hat.
*Bang*
Just then brat nr. 1 returned carrying a bundle of sticks and branches. Walking behind her was her mannequin golem carrying a small tree.
"Oh! Look! It is everyone's favorite classmate Aiko! How was it like, gathering firewood for the first time?" Brat 2 asked, while trying to smoothly inch behind brat nr.1 so he could use her as a meat shield against me.
"Hey, Aiko this isn't just firewood you gathered. And why did you bring back an entire tree?" Brat nr. 3 said as he tried to push away brat nr. 2 and take his place in front of the small girl.
"Can't we just chop it up and burn it? It's all wood anyway, right?" Brat nr. 1 asked.
"Ah! Well, no. You see my dear Aiko, freshly plucked branches and in this case, trees are not well suited to be burned, due to the moisture." Brat nr. 2 said as he moved behind brat nr. 3.
"That is right. Now, Shinji if you could take some of the drier branches and start a fire, while I'll go gather some more firewood." Brat nr. 3 said, before leaving the lineup of brats.
"OH NO YOU DON'T! I AM!"
Just then the two of them started fighting as they ran into the darkening forest while Aiko used a low tier fire spell to start a fire.
"What's up with them?" brat 1 asked as she looked at the arguing duo as they disappeared into the darkness.
"They caught me listening in on a conversation about me." I said as I snuck up next to brat nr. 1. Causing her to fall over in surprise.
"So, while we wait for those two to learn their lesson, do you want to talk about that geezer doll of yours."
"What? Oh, you mean little grandpa? There isn't much to tell really. My grandpa was a golem expert. When I was 6, he gave me this golem as a birthday gift, and I have had it with me ever since then."
"Your grandpa is dead right?"
"…"
"I see. You should hold onto that doll. It is more important than you know."
*rumble*
"Seems like you're hungry. Brat number 2 finished making some sandwiches right before you got back. So, help yourself." I said as I got back to the tree branch.
"Aren't you going to have any?"
"Part of this test is to see if you guys can make it on your own in the wild. That means you're all going to have to gather your own food and water. Which means you're going to struggle a hell of a lot later if I start mooching off you now."
…
The next day
"So, you learned your lesson yet?"
"WHAT LESSON COULD WE POSSIBLY BE LEARNING FROM THIS" Brat 3 yelled.
"To not wonder aimlessly into the forest at night." I said looking up at the duo of idiots.
What I was looking at was a pair of brats trapped inside a giant spider web. The two of them had wandered off in fear of me while searching for firewood before getting caught shortly after leaving camp. They had spent the whole night struggling to get out, but it only made them get more entangled on the web.
"FINE! YOU'RE RIGHT AND WE'RE WRONG! NOW COULD YOU GET US DOWN FROM HERE BEFORE THAT THING HATCHES!" Brat nr. 3 yelled.
The thing brat nr. 3 was referring to, was the giant silk cocoon situated further up the web. It was the egg of an 'Equestrian Man-eating Spider', and it looked like it was getting ready to hatch any minute now, as it was shaking and squirming.
"Nope!"
"HAHA! VERY FUNNY BOSS! NOW GET US DOWN FROM HERE!" Brat nr 2 said.
"It wasn't a joke."
"WHAT?!"
"As I explained to brat nr. 1 here yesterday. Part of the reason behind this field trip was to see how you'd fair on your own. And so far, I'm unimpressed."
"YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME! OH NO, IT'S COMING OUT!" Brat 3 yelled, as he saw the spider's legs poking out of the cocoon.
"AIKO! QUICK, USE YOUR GOLEM TO PULL US OUT!" Brat nr. 2 screamed.
"Can't."
"WHY THE HELL NOT!"
"It got stuck to." Brat 1 said as she pointed at the entangled mannequin to the side.
"YOU GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Brat 3 yelled, as an orange and black baby spider the size of a cow was crawling towards him.
*Sizzle*
Just as the spider was about to bite off brat nr. 3's head with its strangely shark-like teeth hidden behind its fangs. I pulled out my magic flintlock gun from spatial storage and launched a white beam of concentrated heat that burned right through it. Killing it instantly.
"YOU COULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT SOONER?! NOW GET US DOWN FROM HERE!" Brat nr. 3 yelled in what I am sure was gratitude.
"No."
"What do you mean, no?" Brat nr. 1 asked.
"As I said, the point of this trip is to watch you survive on your own. I won't step in unless you're about to die. So no, I am not helping you get down. No, I am not telling you how to get yourself down. And no, you can't have my sandwich." I said as I pulled out my rations for this trip right in front of the starving teens.
"Come on, we haven't eaten since yesterday, and Aiko said she already ate our portions for breakfast."
"There is a juicy dead spider baby right there if you're hungry." I said as I pointed at the spider I just killed, dangling of the web right below them.
"NO WAY IN HELL AM I EATING THAT!" Brat nr. 2 screamed.
"Ok, I'll share my food if you can do one thing for me?"
"ANYTHING!" Brat nr 3 begged.
"If you're hungry and you know it, clap your hands!♪" I started singing.
"…"
The two of them looked awkwardly at me as both their hands were bound by the web, preventing them from clapping their hands.
"If you're hungry and you know it, clap your hands!♪"
"Hey, that's not fair!"
"If you're hungry and you know it, then your hands will surely show it. If you're hungry and you know it, clap your hands!♪"
*Rumble*
"Cut it out!"
"You didn't clap your hands so you mustn't be that hungry."
"PLEASE BOSS! WE'RE BEGGING YOU!"
"Ok. I'll give you another chance." I said, as I was going to give these brats a second chance out of the kindness of my heart.
"If you're hungry and you know it, stomp your feet!♪" I sang.
"NOO!"
After a whole musical number, brat nr. 2 figured out the web was flammable and lit both the web, and themselves on fire, along with the rest of the forest which triggered a monster wave of man-eating spiders the size of buildings. The spiders chased the trio further up the mountain as they left their equipment behind.