Chapter 102

Territory (1)

I set aside the rumor that Allfather was actually Kadir...and finished what I had to do.

The newbie(?) with the outrageous role-play had taken up some of my time, but it had only been ten minutes.

It hadn’t affected my overall schedule. It was no different from browsing the Gallery.

’Today is Day Thirteen. In two more days, it’ll be exactly half a month.’

Time seemed to pass slowly yet quickly at the same time.

It would have flown by if my daily routine had simply repeated itself, but I was currently going through all sorts of hardships.

’A little hardship is fine, but this is too much.’

Grumbling inwardly, I began my training.

After cultivating my internal energy, it was time for swordsmanship practice.

Two days from now, once I reached the half-month mark, I planned to consume the inner core.

I had already told Heavenly Demon about it, so she had given me a more in-depth explanation.

[Heavenly Demon: It seems you have laid a sufficient foundation. You truly possess extraordinary talent.]

[Wild Grylls: How long does it normally take to finish laying the foundation?]

[Heavenly Demon: The beginning is difficult in all things. The time required to sense the internal energy within one’s dantian differs from person to person. It takes between a week and half a month on average, yet you sensed it in only a single day. You can truly be called a genius.]

[Wild Grylls: You’re embarrassing me.]

[Heavenly Demon: This is not something to be embarrassed about, but something you should take pride in. This lady is also delighted to have the opportunity to teach someone as talented as you.]

Hmm. Now this was what a true adult looked like.

She didn’t envy the achievements of someone beneath her(?) and instead praised them sincerely.

This was why, even if I resented the heavens, I didn’t want to resent humanity.

There might be bad people in the world, but there were also kind people like Heavenly Demon.

Smiling happily, I sent Heavenly Demon another message.

[Wild Grylls: I wouldn’t have made it this far without you either, Heavenly Demon. The mnemonic chant you taught me has been especially helpful whenever I’ve been in danger.]

[Heavenly Demon: A carp living in a lake grows larger than one living in a pond. However, even a carp living in a lake gains nothing if it fails to survive.]

[Wild Grylls: You’re saying the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the lake and I’m the carp, right?]

[Heavenly Demon: You understood immediately. How gratifying.]

The way she used poetic expressions confirmed that she was indeed fairly old.

She occasionally used strange expressions, but I could simply assume that the Gallery had corrupted her.

[Wild Grylls: When will you teach me the second mnemonic chant?]

[Heavenly Demon: You said you would consume the inner core soon, so I shall teach you then. If the first chant is about entrusting your body to the heavens, the second is about sensing the power of the heavens.]

[Wild Grylls: Entrusting myself to that power instead of controlling it?]

[Heavenly Demon: To control a power, you must first understand its true nature. Can you forcibly twist the course of a raging river?]

[Wild Grylls: That would be difficult.]

[Heavenly Demon: The heavens are no different. The closer you draw to them, the farther away they appear. This is a means of approaching the heavens, if only slightly.]

Her explanation was easy to understand.

I nodded as I listened to Heavenly Demon.

The eel I had eaten before.

I remembered all the side effects it had caused.

I had genuinely thought I was going to explode, but I had somehow managed to disperse its energy.

Perhaps consuming the inner core would proceed similarly.

It felt as though I had unintentionally studied the material in advance.

’That’s actually better.’

After receiving various pieces of fundamental knowledge from Heavenly Demon, I began circulating my internal energy.

As I gradually came to understand what the foundation entailed, the amount of time I spent cultivating also increased.

One might think the required time should decrease, but as Heavenly Demon had explained through her metaphor, the foundation was like a tree’s roots.

The deeper and wider the roots grew, the more water they required.

’The only way to increase its purity is to improve my lung capacity.’

That could only be achieved by continuously practicing my breathing.

My lung capacity would naturally increase while I cultivated my internal energy.

My goal was to breathe the same way I did while practicing my cultivation technique, even during my ordinary routine.

According to Heavenly Demon, this was less about laying a foundation and more about strengthening my roots.

In other words, I still had a very long way to go.

Nevertheless, it was entirely achievable if I put in the effort.

’Next is swordsmanship practice.’

Once I finished cultivating, it was time to practice swordsmanship.

I had been training step by step while following SwordMaster’s post, but there were parts where I had gotten stuck.

Other people claimed that merely reading the post was enough to turn anyone into a mass-produced(?) Swordmaster, but there was no one beside me to provide guidance.

Having a teacher was extremely important when learning something like martial arts. Since I was effectively trying to figure everything out from scratch, it was a little disheartening.

[SwordMaster: So, which part are you having trouble with?]

[Wild Grylls: It feels unstable. Like my sword keeps wavering?]

That was why I had decided to ask SwordMaster directly.

Previously, I could only ask questions by making a post, but now I could send private messages.

SwordMaster was just as excellent a teacher as Heavenly Demon, so I listened carefully.

[SwordMaster: I understand what you mean. However, that’s unavoidable as long as you wield your sword with one hand, Mr. Grylls. Naturally, using one hand is less stable than using both.]

[Wild Grylls: Is there no way to fix it?]

[SwordMaster: There are plenty of ways. One tip is to place the foot opposite your sword arm forward. Since you’re right-handed, Mr. Grylls, you should step forward with your left foot.]

[Wild Grylls: That’s what I’ve been doing.]

[SwordMaster: Were you doing it during training as well?]

[Wild Grylls: Oh.]

[SwordMaster: Here’s another tip: abandon the idea of cleaving your opponent in two. Stability is crucial when wielding a sword, but using it one-handed inevitably reduces stability while making you rely more heavily on brute force.]

[Wild Grylls: Are you saying I’ll eventually have to abandon my shield?]

[SwordMaster: That comes down to personal preference. You can compensate for the lack of cutting power with aura.]

[Wild Grylls: So practicing aura is ultimately my only path to survival.]

[SwordMaster: That’s right. If you work hard, your efforts will bear fruit someday. And one more tip—practice thrusting as much as possible!]

[Wild Grylls: Thank you!]

[SwordMaster: Please hurry up, become a fine man, and marry me!]

[Wild Grylls: Teacher?]

Hearing a joke so completely at odds with her character left my mind reeling.

Come to think of it, I had been neglecting thrusts.

I had gained a great deal from this conversation.

Following SwordMaster’s advice, I began training my swordsmanship and aura.

The training focused on improving my lack of stability and compensating with aura for the weaknesses I couldn’t eliminate.

’I should practice thrusting too.’

In addition to practicing thrusts, I needed to gradually adjust my fighting style.

Until now, my strategy had been to wait for an opportunity, restrict my opponent’s mobility, and then slowly whittle away its stamina.

Since most of the monsters I encountered were enormous, the method had proven surprisingly effective.

However, it was only possible because I possessed the Heavenly Demon’s Sword, an absurdly overpowered item.

I also needed to consider how I would fight animals that weren’t particularly large.

’What would happen if a fight dragged on?’

That probably wouldn’t happen often, but who knew?

This was the Forest of Four Seasons.

I was probably vulnerable in prolonged battles. There weren’t exactly many opportunities to build endurance here.

My lung capacity had at least improved the more I practiced my cultivation technique, but I still couldn’t be certain.

There might be animals in the Forest of Four Seasons with greater lung capacity than mine.

"...What are you doing?"

"Hoo."

When I asked Namu-Ppareumbo what it was doing, it exhaled deeply.

Rather than sighing, it seemed to be practicing its breathing.

The absurdity of it made me laugh.

Surely it wasn’t imitating the breathing method I had demonstrated before.

There was no way.

’I’d sooner believe that a gorilla had learned a breathing technique.’

A gorilla was an animal capable of literally tearing a person in half.

If an animal like that learned a breathing technique on top of its natural strength, it would be an unprecedented disaster.

Moreover, a breathing technique—or rather, an internal-energy cultivation technique—required a certain degree of intelligence.

Unless the Forest of Four Seasons had evolved its apes until they were as intelligent as humans, it would be difficult.

’Besides, no one would have taught them one in the first place.’

With that thought, I rose from my seat.

It was almost lunchtime.

Now that I had made the oven, I might as well use it. I could also collect the items from the dwarf.

"Wonmo, let’s go."

"Kkyuu!"

Wonmo happened to be awake, so I brought him along.

Naturally, I also carried Namu-Ppareumbo on my back.

I headed toward the river, eagerly wondering how many fish had been caught in the trap.

Splash! Splash!

"Now that’s what I’m talking about."

There were two again.

I couldn’t have been happier.

I pulled in the trap while imagining the feast I would have for lunch.

Rustle!

As I was dragging the trap back, I heard something brush against the undergrowth.

The moment I heard it, I assumed a defensive stance just as I had that morning.

However, no other sound followed.

’Am I overreacting?’

Perhaps I had suffered so many attacks lately that I was beginning to hear things.

I rubbed my face before glancing at Wonmo.

Wonmo was staring fixedly at something—specifically, the upper branches of a tree.

"Wonmo, was something there?"

"Kkyuu?"

"Never mind. Let’s go."

Worrying about it unnecessarily would only give me a headache.

Even if something launched a surprise attack, Namu-Ppareumbo was with me, so I felt somewhat reassured.

I placed the two fish caught in the trap inside the iron container and began preparing lunch.

[Passing Dwarf: Here’s the barricade and the tray you wanted. The tray is pretty heavy, so be careful.]

[Wild Grylls: Okay. I’ll give you some fish in a little while.]

[Passing Dwarf: My mouth is already watering. Kek.]

You too, huh?

Same here.

I installed the barricade I had received from the dwarf in the location I wanted.

Since my basic physical strength had increased tremendously, moving it wasn’t difficult.

Next was the appropriately sized steel tray.

I intended to place the fish on it before sliding it into the oven.

’He thoughtfully raised the edges so the oil wouldn’t spill.’

I repeatedly slid the tray into and out of the oven to test it.

Its weight was a slight drawback, but that was unavoidable.

Even so, it was excellent.

I could feel my quality of life gradually improving.

Crackle! Pop!

I lit a fire at the very bottom of the oven and slowly preheated it.

While the oven was heating, I prepared the fish. Using an oven didn’t change the preparation process itself.

However, I spread the fish open so it would cook evenly.

I didn’t forget to season it with salt either.

Slide—clunk!

Finally, all I had to do was place the fish inside the preheated oven.

The tray’s length and height fit perfectly.

The dwarf had given me an excellent gift.

’He said it would take around fifteen to twenty minutes, right?’

I could play with Wonmo until then.

It would also serve as training to improve Wonmo’s hunting skills.

Calling it training was a bit generous. All I had done was tie a rope to a branch and fasten a fish head to the other end.

It was more like playing with a cat.

The commonality was that they were both adorable.

This exercise might also help improve my reaction speed, even if only slightly.

"Kkyuu! Kkyuuuu!"

"That’s it! Good job!"

While the fish inside the oven cooked, Namu-Ppareumbo merely stared blankly at the trees.

Rustle!

Rustle! Swish!

Several beasts swiftly made their way through the trees.

Rather than traveling beneath them, they moved rapidly by lightly stepping from branch to branch.

At first glance, their bodies resembled those of humans. However, their long arms and the fur covering their entire bodies made it clear that they were not.

The beasts sped through the forest faster than any human could and eventually arrived in a particular area.

There, they found an ape lounging leisurely atop a tree.

Its overall appearance resembled a gorilla, but there was something unusual about its presence.

"Ooh! Ooh-ooh!"

"Ooh-ooh-ooh!"

The group of gorillas that had gone out to scout(?) began hooting as though they were reporting something.

The gorilla that had been lounging in the tree slowly rose.

Unlike its previously relaxed demeanor, its expression had turned deathly serious.

"Ooh?"

"Ooh-ooh-ooh!"

"Ooh...!"

A subtle breeze began to blow through the forest.