Harem Survival System: Stranded On An Island With Beautiful Women
Chapter 54: Movement (IV)

Chapter 54: Movement (IV)

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Pre-Author’s Note:

I apologize for the fakes but it fell under my Mass release for Harem Investment and I couldn’t juggle two at once, will be fixing them all up now!

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Lucas watched for a moment before rolling his shoulders and deciding to do the same.

He pulled his own shirt over his head and tossed it onto a fallen log.

Unlike the PE teacher, he didn’t have the body of a full-grown man, but he was toned, his muscles built from years of sports and training.

He caught a few glances from some of the other boys, but no one said anything — there was no time for that.

With renewed effort, he lifted his axe and swung again. The movement felt different now, smoother, and he put more power into each blow.

The afternoon wore on. Their hands blistered, their bodies ached, but they kept going.

Leo, despite his endless complaints, hadn’t stopped swinging.

His form was sloppy, but the determination in his expression was real. Oliver was sweating through his shirt, but his swings were steady.

Even the weaker boys were pushing through, gritting their teeth and hacking away at the tree.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the deep gash in the trunk reached its breaking point.

The PE teacher took a step back, wiped his brow, and gave a final swing with all his strength.

CRACK!

The sound echoed like a gunshot through the trees.

The trunk groaned as it started to lean.

The teacher’s voice rang out, powerful and commanding:

"TIMBER!"

The boys scrambled back as the tree gave one last, mighty creak before tipping over, crashing to the ground with a THUNDEROUS BOOM that sent a rush of wind through the clearing.

The earth trembled beneath their feet. Birds scattered from the treetops, their cries filling the air as the dust settled.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, Leo collapsed onto the ground, spreading his arms out dramatically. "Oh my God," he gasped, staring up at the sky. "I think I just died. Tell my mom I love her."

Lucas let out a breathless laugh, resting his hands on his knees. His muscles were screaming, but the sight of the fallen tree made every ounce of effort worth it.

The PE teacher clapped his hands together, nodding in approval. "Good work," he said. "Take a few minutes to catch your breath. Then, we’re dragging this thing back."

The boys slumped onto the ground, their bodies aching, their hands blistered and sore.

Sweat dripped from their brows, soaking into their shirts — or in the case of those who had discarded them, running in thin rivulets down their backs.

The axes, once heavy in their grips, now lay forgotten on the forest floor, blades dulled from hours of relentless chopping.

The small duffel bag that had once been filled with water cans was now empty, the last of it having been greedily downed during their previous break.

But even if there had been more, it wouldn’t have been enough to fully refresh them.

Their exhaustion went beyond thirst — it settled into their bones, weighing them down like stones.

Lucas flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulders back as he took deep breaths to steady himself. The sun was already starting to dip lower in the sky, casting the forest in deepening shadows.

If they didn’t move soon, night would catch up with them, and none of them wanted to be out here in the dark.

Still, for now, they rested. They deserved that much.

The PE teacher, ever the machine, didn’t sit down.

Instead, he picked up his axe again and moved toward the fallen tree, his sharp gaze scanning its length.

Without needing to say a word, Lucas followed suit, grabbing his own axe and stepping up beside him.

"Good work today," the teacher said after a moment, swinging his axe down in one clean motion, slicing through a thick branch.

Lucas nodded, wiping his brow before doing the same.

"Thanks." He hesitated for a second, then added, "Didn’t think it’d take this long, though."

The teacher let out a short chuckle. "Welcome to real work, kid."

Lucas smirked but didn’t argue.

He lifted his axe again, bringing it down onto another branch. The smaller ones weren’t needed — if anything, they were just extra weight that would slow them down.

Not to mention the very real concern that something alive could be hiding in them.

"Think we’ll run into snakes?" Lucas asked, casually scanning the brush.

"Possibly." The PE teacher didn’t sound too concerned. "That’s why we’re clearing it now. Don’t want to drag back any unexpected guests."

Lucas shuddered at the thought. He had no issue swinging an axe all day, but the idea of a snake slithering out mid-transport? Yeah, no thanks.

They continued hacking away at the branches, making quick work of the excess.

The other boys watched, some of them stretching their sore limbs, others simply lying on their backs, unmoving.

After a while, Leo groaned from where he sat on the ground. "I swear, man, if you tell me we gotta drag this whole thing back in one piece, I’m throwing hands."

Lucas glanced at the PE teacher. "We are breaking it down first, right?"

The teacher exhaled through his nose, scanning the sky. The sun was inching lower, shadows stretching longer.

"No time," he finally said. "We have to get it back before nightfall."

Leo let out a strangled sound of despair.

Lucas sighed, rolling out his shoulders. "Guess that means we’re all about to get a lot stronger."

"Or dead," Leo muttered.

With the tree stripped of its excess weight, it was time to move.

The teacher barked out instructions, and soon, the boys staggered to their feet, some slower than others. Each of them grabbed a part of the tree, fingers pressing into the rough bark as they braced themselves.

"One, two — lift!"

The first attempt was a disaster. The log barely budged, and someone in the back let out a strained grunt before losing their grip entirely, sending the whole thing crashing back down with a thud.

Lucas exhaled sharply, already feeling the tension in his arms.

"Again," the teacher ordered. "Put your backs into it."

They adjusted their grips, dug their heels into the dirt, and tried once more.

This time, the tree lifted — barely. It was agonizingly slow, but inch by inch, they began dragging it across the uneven forest floor.

Lucas clenched his jaw as his muscles protested, his already-aching arms screaming under the added strain.

Every step forward felt like a battle. The weight of the tree, combined with the exhaustion weighing on their bodies, made the progress painfully slow.

Leo, gritting his teeth, muttered between labored breaths, "I am never... complaining about gym class... again."

Lucas almost laughed, but he didn’t have the energy for it.

The forest around them was quiet except for the sound of their grunts and the scraping of wood against dirt.

Occasionally, twigs snapped beneath their feet, and leaves rustled as they trudged forward.

It felt endless.

But there was no turning back.

The rafts depended on this tree, and they would drag it out of this forest no matter what.

#####

It felt like they had been hauling this damn tree for an eternity.

Minutes? Hours? It was impossible to tell anymore. Lucas’s vision had begun to blur at the edges, his entire body aching in ways he hadn’t thought possible.

His fingers burned, rubbed raw from gripping the rough bark, and his arms felt like they would snap off at any moment.

His breath came in short, ragged gasps, each inhale a desperate attempt to keep himself moving.

They had to keep going.

The tree groaned and creaked as it was dragged across the uneven forest floor, its weight shifting unpredictably with every tug.

Some parts sagged lower than others, and Lucas could hear grunts of effort from his classmates, some of whom were barely managing to lift their share.

"Dude... this is insane... I think I’m actually dying," Leo groaned, his voice breathless as he struggled beside Lucas.

Lucas let out a weak, exhausted chuckle. "You say that every time we run laps in PE."

"This time, I mean it."

Despite Leo’s usual dramatics, Lucas knew he wasn’t exaggerating this time. They were all reaching their limit.

Even the stronger boys were starting to falter, their movements sluggish, their breaths labored. The sweat coating their skin made the dust stick to them, turning them into walking dirt sculptures.

But still, they didn’t stop.

The thick trees that had surrounded them for what felt like forever finally started to thin, patches of golden evening light breaking through the canopy.

The sight gave Lucas a jolt of hope. They were almost out.

A few agonizing steps later, they finally stumbled into the clearing.

The shift from suffocating forest to open air was jarring.

The light hit them full force, making Lucas squint as his tired eyes adjusted. But he didn’t get to enjoy the moment. They still had to finish the job.

From where they had been lounging on mats, the other students turned their heads at the sound of snapping branches and heavy footsteps.

Some had been eating, others chatting or just enjoying what little peace this island offered.

But now?

Gasps rippled through the crowd as the students took in the sight — sweaty, dirt-covered, utterly wrecked boys hauling a massive tree trunk, their faces strained with exhaustion.

A few girls put their hands over their mouths in shock. Others whispered among themselves, pointing.

Lucas barely had the energy to care about their reactions.

His muscles screamed in protest, every step feeling heavier than the last. His legs wanted to buckle, his arms to let go, but they were so close.

The teacher, still as steady as ever, led them toward a designated spot. It was a flat, cleared-out space near the center of camp, where the logs would later be cut down for raft-making.

And then — finally — the moment they had all been waiting for.

"Drop it!" the PE teacher barked.

Every single boy let go at once.