Chapter 132

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I had finally come to a realization.

This damned forest was the complete opposite of a children’s fairy tale.

Things that looked obviously dangerous—bears, tigers, and even the Guardian, for example—were actually manageable.

Their appearance instinctively warned you that they were dangerous and that your life would be at risk if you failed to respond.

But that wasn’t true of the little ones.

Things that looked ordinary—or were genuinely tiny—were far more dangerous.

It was the same in martial arts novels.

Beware of children, the elderly, and women.

Small creatures had survived in the Four Seasons Forest despite their diminutive size.

And what did that mean?

It meant they possessed at least two ways of utterly fucking up their opponents.

Why two instead of one?

One was a visible move meant to threaten the enemy.

The other was an unexpected trump card designed to catch the enemy completely off guard.

I had concluded that a creature needed both to survive in the Four Seasons Forest.

Until now, that had been closer to speculation.

But after what the porcupinefish had just done to me, I was certain.

’The saying "small peppers are the hottest" fits perfectly.’

Except this pepper wasn’t merely spicy. Eating it would literally melt my body.

At this rate, would a yellow rat that fired lightning appear someday?

Or perhaps a dinosaur that breathed fire would start roaming around.

Why was I suddenly saying all this?

"Wohmo..."

"Squeak?"

"Daddy’s bodeh won’t moof."

Because the porcupinefish’s poison had left my body half-crippled.

My slurred speech was the least of my problems. My body refused to move the way I wanted it to.

I kept dropping anything I tried to pick up, and I couldn’t even walk without staggering.

Fortunately, I had barely managed to keep my balance and return to the cave. Otherwise, I might have collapsed in the middle of the forest.

Rustle—

Fast Sloth had been silently watching me. Apparently realizing that my condition was serious, it handed me something.

It was an elixir filled with shimmering golden liquid.

I barely managed to take it and gulped it down.

That wasn’t all. I also drank the antidote I had prepared in advance.

Finally, I circulated my internal energy according to my cultivation method.

I did everything I possibly could.

"Ugh..."

As time passed, my body gradually returned to normal. Strength began flowing back into my limbs.

I let out a long sigh and reviewed what had just happened.

That had been an incredibly close call.

’If I hadn’t taken the medicine the All-Father gave me, I would’ve collapsed on the spot.’

My resistance to poison was the only reason it had been this mild. Without even that, I probably would have died instantly.

What was the name of pufferfish poison again?

It started with "tetra" or something.

Anyway, it was one of the deadliest poisons in the world.

And since the creature inhabited the Four Seasons Forest, its poison would have been even more vicious—certainly not weaker.

’This is a place where the smallest things are the scariest.’

Until now, I had consistently applied insect repellent to avoid being bitten.

What would happen if I were poisoned by some venomous bug or if a wound developed a secondary infection?

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

I carefully examined my body to ensure nothing was wrong and checked whether all my senses had properly returned.

Perhaps thanks to the combination of the elixir and antidote, I couldn’t feel anything particularly wrong.

My internal energy cultivation was proceeding smoothly too, so I appeared to have made a complete recovery.

Every Gallery user had agreed that there was no better way to assess one’s physical condition than by practicing an internal energy cultivation method.

’If I’d been missing even one of the things I had, my life would’ve been in danger. The Gallery really did save my life.’

This was a place where the slightest lapse in vigilance could send you straight to the grave.

You had to remain wary of everything if you wanted to survive.

’Putting that aside, should I build a proper door...?’

I stared at the iron gate blocking the entrance and remembered the siege from earlier that day.

The animals had presumably lost their homes in the torrential rain and attempted to force their way into mine.

Fortunately, I had easily stopped them with the aura I had honed thus far. But there was no telling what might come next time.

If a creature as strong as Fast Sloth threatened me and demanded that I hand over my home...

That would have been a little difficult.

’At the very least, I need to fortify this place whenever it rains.’

I planned to continue using the same tactic—using the iron gate as a shield while attacking through it.

If I installed an actual door, I would lose the ability to counterattack. More importantly, it would probably be smashed apart in no time.

A single charge from that boar could send the door I had worked so hard to build crashing down, just like my hopes and dreams.

’If I’m unlucky, I might have to defend against a monster wave once a week.’

Grumbling inwardly, I got to my feet.

My body had fully recovered, so I didn’t have time to sit around feeling sorry for myself.

Just as the shark giant had previously found its way to my shelter, there was no telling what kind of animal might visit this time.

I would have to remain vigilant and watch the surrounding area for at least a day or two.

Crackle! Pop!

The first thing I did was light a campfire to dry the surroundings, which had become damp from the rain.

After that, I returned to the riverbank to collect the fish flopping on the ground and inspected the drainage channels.

By the time I had finished everything, evening was approaching.

The sky was growing dark.

’Tomorrow will be Day Eighteen, right?’

I thought about it as I marked another line on the cave wall.

Roughly three days had passed since the expedition incident.

If a man named Ludwig had truly entered the Four Seasons Forest, his first day would be coming to an end around now.

Was he still alive and well?

Or was he dead?

Unlike me, he probably didn’t have any elixirs.

’If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve given him a bottle.’

"..."

Regret was still regret, no matter how quickly it came.

I prayed that Ludwig would safely reach the place where I was staying.

Honestly, if even this prayer went unanswered, then God would be something far beyond merely petty.

Rumble!

Or so I almost said, but there were some things in human affairs that simply couldn’t be helped.

I glanced outside.

Despite the thunder, no rain fell.

Could the heavens genuinely be listening to me?

’Nah. It must be a coincidence.’

Resolutely dismissing the idea, I accessed the Gallery.

I wondered what everyone had discussed while I had been cleaning up.

Normally, the Gallery would have been filled with all sorts of random shitposts. Recently, however, most of the discussions had revolved around the expedition.

That remained true now.

More than half the posts concerned El Dorado or the expedition.

Most topics quickly lost people’s interest, but this one seemed to have staying power because it was somewhat connected to reality.

’Nothing here particularly interests me.’

The only thing that could really be called a new topic was the Messiah Empire—more specifically, its emperor.

Apparently, the emperor, who had been sick and on the verge of death, had regained his health.

As for what kind of man he was, they said he had led the Messiah Empire to prosperity.

He had given his full support to Ash, who was now renowned as a Sword Master, and had also implemented policies that provided various benefits.

But that was as far as his talents went. His diplomacy was mediocre, so he was best described as an emperor suited strictly for domestic affairs.

Title: What happens to the Crown Prince now that the Emperor’s back on his feet?

Personally, I’d rather the throne still pass to Crown Prince Arnold. I fucking hate the emperor.

└ Why do you hate him?

└ The policies that emperor bastard implemented sent the prices of magic items through the roof.

└ Ah, kekekeke. I know exactly what you mean.

└ Aren’t the side effects still pretty bad?

└ Yeah. This is actually better than it used to be.

└ If he hadn’t pulled that bullshit, public opinion wouldn’t have gone down the drain, kekeke.

└ The current Messiah emperor seriously has no business handling diplomacy, kekeke.

└ AbsoluteSupremeArnoldRules: That was only true at the time. Didn’t things improve afterward? Policies are meant to be judged over the long term.

└ Fuck off. Do you even know how much we’re still paying to import magical goods from the Iris Kingdom?

└ This bastard’s probably a noble. That’s why he has no idea how hard life is for commoners.

└ AbsoluteSupremeArnoldRules: That’s not true. His Majesty was looking far into the future. I’m certain future generations will evaluate him favorably.

└ So what? We’re struggling to put food on the table right now, kekeke.

└ Besides, the average level of martial strength across the continent went up because of the posts Sword Master made, so those policies are fucking meaningless now, kekeke.

└ Can’t you just admit he’s fucking incompetent? Why all the excuses? Kek.

└ AbsoluteSupremeArnoldRules: You uneducated vermin. Do you have any idea who my father is?

└ Why? Did your mother never tell you?

└ Oh, kekekekeke.

└ Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying, kekekeke.

└ What does that mean?

└ He’s indirectly mocking him for growing up alone with his mother and not having a father, kekeke.

└ We really have to explain jokes like that now? Kekeke.

Well, it was the same Gallery as always—a place overflowing with every kind of joke imaginable.

But with nothing except political posts at the moment, it had become far less entertaining.

Judging by the fact that the head moderator wasn’t intervening, he seemed to be absent.

The Heavenly Demon only removed posts that went too far. Nothing more, nothing less.

’There’s a Cheonggu match tomorrow, so that’s a relief.’

Political discourse would obviously be swept away by the dopamine rush of every goal.

I wondered how many people would lose their minds tomorrow.

Would Cheonggu Princess avoid becoming one of them?

I planned to remain at the shelter tomorrow as well, so I could browse the Gallery without worrying.

If I wandered around unnecessarily, some strange creature might show up at my shelter while I was gone.

’I should stick to smoked food until tomorrow.’

There might be another creature like the shark giant that could track me by scent.

Of course, there was no guarantee that something like that would appear again. There was simply no harm in being prepared.

’But why does it feel so cold?’

Maybe it was because the rain had been a torrential downpour rather than an ordinary shower.

As the moisture evaporated, the temperature also dropped enough to make me shiver.

Thank goodness I had a campfire. Without it, I would already have been trembling uncontrollably.

The uniform Cheonggu Princess had given me also helped. Its long sleeves and trousers provided excellent insulation.

’I should use the hide as a blanket.’

I had originally been using the tiger hide as a carpet, but I planned to use it as a blanket tonight.

With the temperature dropping so suddenly, the campfire alone probably wouldn’t be enough.

The human body was fragile. I had to keep it warm by any means necessary.

One mistake, and I might ascend to heaven in my sleep.

Crackle! Pop!

I added more firewood to the campfire, raising the temperature inside the cave.

I could feel the chill gradually fading. The cave was becoming pleasantly warm.

"Squeak..."

My cave companions approached the campfire to warm themselves as well.

Wonmo lay down right beside it and even began dozing off.

’Why does he look so fat now?’

I had noticed him growing plumper as time passed, but... now he was completely round.

At this rate, he might soon start rolling across the floor, just like his name suggested.

Still, it was fine because he was cute.

Being round made him even cuter.

Besides, gaining weight in the wilderness meant he had accumulated plenty of energy reserves.

’He’s still young, so eating a lot should be good for him, right?’

Food was already scarce here. The fact that he could gain weight at all was a good thing.

Maybe it was because I practiced an internal energy cultivation method, but instead of gaining fat, I felt as though I was only putting on muscle.

As far as I knew, muscles—especially human muscles—weren’t particularly energy-efficient compared to those of other animals.

’It’s not like I can afford not to build muscle.’

With danger lurking everywhere, muscle was essential. It might not be very efficient, but I had no choice.

I posted in the Gallery that I was calling it a day, then lay down on the floor.

The chilly weather made me instinctively curl into myself.

"Fast Sloth, you should get under the blanket too. It’s cold."

I had already covered Wonmo separately, so I invited Fast Sloth next.

Fast Sloth merely stared at me without doing anything.

I spread open the blanket and invited it again.

"Come in here."

Fast Sloth slowly backed away.

Did it really dislike me that much?

’Wait a minute. Come to think of it, that bastard still hasn’t washed itself, has it?’

Its body was probably crawling with mold and insects. I had completely forgotten.

In the end, Fast Sloth went to sleep a short distance away.

It was near the campfire, so I wasn’t worried.

Before going to sleep, I quietly closed my eyes and circulated the mana within my body.

Rather than practicing a cultivation method, I simply wanted to feel the mana itself.

Even that could serve as a form of training.

’I still have no idea how to create an Aura Blade.’

Would I really be able to control the aura that kept increasing day and night?

I did my best to suppress my anxiety and drifted off to sleep.

The weather continued growing colder, but thanks to the campfire, I was able to endure it.

And so, that eventful day came to an end.

The following morning—

"B-B-B-Brrr..."

The biting cold woke me early.

Why was it so damn cold?

I couldn’t believe that a single torrential downpour had turned the weather into this mess.

’C-Campfire... I need to light the campfire first...’

Wrapping both arms around myself, I stepped outside.

And then—

"...Huh?"

A completely white forest greeted me.

Forgetting even the cold, I stared around at the snow-white landscape.

Everything was white, no matter where I looked.

White powder had piled atop both the oven and the furnace.

And that white substance was none other than—

"Don’t tell me it snowed?"

It was snow.

I muttered in disbelief.

This was why the place was called the Four Seasons Forest.

"...This is fucking ridiculous."

I felt as though I finally understood the reason.

"..."

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