Chapter 140

Combination (3)

I purchased some water from the auction house to properly test the effects of my aura.

One might ask why I didn’t simply melt the ice stored in the box, but if my theory proved wrong, I would have to go out and cut more ice.

I didn’t want to go through that hassle, so I decided to buy water just this once.

I poured the water into a metal bucket and submerged my sword in it.

All I had to do was manifest my aura as before and wait to see what happened.

Crackle!

The moment I manifested my aura, the water began cooling at a tremendous rate.

But the water wasn’t the only thing freezing solid. Ice started spreading across the entire metal bucket.

At this rate, I would lose the whole bucket, so I hurriedly put it away.

Apparently, the effect only applied to the area in contact with my aura, because the ice didn’t trap the sword.

’Can’t I control this?’

Freezing water was all well and good. I had obtained an incredible ability, after all.

But if I couldn’t control it, it would become a poison rather than a blessing.

I didn’t know whether my mana itself had changed, but this clearly required a thorough investigation.

’At least it seems like I can control the intensity by adjusting the amount of aura...’

Through experimentation, I discovered that I could regulate its strength by changing the amount of aura.

However, I had no idea how to turn the cold attribute on and off.

I didn’t even know whether this change was permanent or would eventually disappear.

After thinking it over repeatedly, I finally decided to ask the gallery.

Title: Let It Come...

Wild Grylls

(Video of a bucket of water freezing after an aura-coated sword is submerged in it)

My sword hungers.

Just kidding. Does anyone know why this is happening?

I froze an entire tree while logging, so I tested it and found out that my aura has gained a cold attribute.

I can’t turn it on or off at will, either. Anyone know how?

└ Heavenly Demon: What beautifully colored sword energy. It even sparkles. It is more beautiful than what those fellows from the North Sea use.

└ Wild Grylls: Do the people of the North Sea control cold energy?

└ Heavenly Demon: Most of them do. However, they control cold energy through martial arts. You know no martial art for controlling cold energy, do you?

└ Wild Grylls: No. I only know the mnemonic chants you taught me.

└ Heavenly Demon: How fascinating. Perhaps your internal energy itself has taken on the properties of cold.

└ SwordMaster: I agree with the Heavenly Demon. Elemental aura isn’t entirely unheard of, but it usually requires the user to master a special heart method. In your case, Mr. Grylls, it seems as though your mana itself has taken on the properties of cold.

└ Wild Grylls: Is there no way to turn it on and off?

└ Heavenly Demon: I do not know. As I said, even the North Sea Ice Palace produces cold energy through its martial arts.

└ SwordMaster: This is my first time seeing anything like it, so I don’t know either. I’ve seen people control fire and lightning, but I’ve never encountered mana that was itself elemental.

└ With performance like that, doesn’t he basically not need an ice storage house or anything else anymore?

└ For real. He wanted a refrigerator so badly that he became one himself, lol.

└ Why does this guy always get stronger in such bizarre ways?;;

└ The fact that he keeps getting stronger through such novel methods is ridiculous, lolol.

└ Starlight Princess: As the others said, it seems the essence blended with your mana and gave it the properties of cold. I never anticipated this either.

└ Wild Grylls: It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it?

└ Starlight Princess: If your body had been unable to withstand the cold, your mana would have frozen first. In the worst case, you could develop something similar to the Severed Meridian Syndrome I suffer from, so you should prepare for that possibility in advance.

└ Wild Grylls: I’ll keep that in mind.

└ All-Father: There have been a few recorded cases of mana acquiring the properties of a particular element later in life. They were mentioned in ancient texts.

└ Wild Grylls: Did those people undergo a process like mine?

└ All-Father: No. In most cases, the elemental essence was injected directly into their mana circuits. The results were not particularly favorable.

└ Wild Grylls: What do you mean, "not particularly favorable"?

└ All-Father: Those injected with cold essence had their organs freeze solid, as though they had contracted Severed Meridian Syndrome. Those injected with fire essence were unable to withstand the heat, and their mana circuits quickly melted.

└ Wild Grylls: Sh-Sh-Shiver me timbers...

└ All-Father: Just in case, it would be wise to obtain mature mandrake essence, as the Starlight Princess suggested.

└ Wild Grylls: Why didn’t you warn me about this before?

└ All-Father: Because you used an elixir alongside it. An elixir is hardly some common potion. It healed your body until it could absorb and adapt to the essence, making it an ideal safeguard. The cases I mentioned involved injecting pure essence alone.

So this ability wasn’t something I could celebrate unreservedly.

I had only been able to absorb it thanks to the mnemonic chant the Heavenly Demon had taught me. Without that, it could have been extremely dangerous.

Only time would tell, but side effects might appear later, so I needed to be prepared.

└ PraiseTheSun: With just one of those, you’d never have to worry about ice again. Can you give me one? I bet selling ice would be sweet.

└ Wild Grylls: Sorry, but I made this with the only Ice Blossom I had. Besides, I have no idea what side effects it might cause.

└ PraiseTheSun: I’m not going to eat it myself anyway, so I don’t care about the side effects. It’s a shame you don’t have another Ice Blossom.

└ Wild Grylls: Just who were you planning to feed it to?

└ PraiseTheSun: I have someone in mind. If you find another one later, would you be willing to trade?

└ Wild Grylls: Let’s talk after I find one. I still haven’t obtained the ability I wanted.

I might have gained the cold attribute, but I hadn’t acquired resistance to the cold.

Moreover, it could easily become an awkward, practically useless ability if I wasn’t careful, so training was essential.

Too much of anything was never good.

’But can I use this with my bare hands?’

Would the cold manifest if I channeled aura into my hand rather than a sword?

Curious, I shattered the ice inside the metal bucket with a hammer and filled it with water again.

Then I submerged my hand in the water.

Crackle!

As expected, the water froze solid.

It seemed I could use the ability perfectly well with my bare hands.

’This could come in handy when I don’t have a weapon.’

I was the type who relied heavily on weapons. I knew almost nothing about unarmed combat.

This ability might help me overcome a worst-case scenario.

Of course, as I had repeatedly mentioned, there was no telling what danger it might cause if I couldn’t properly control it.

’For the time being, I should focus on controlling it.’

Between practicing swordsmanship, circulating my heart method, and training this ability, I had a lot to do.

Was this why people said it was better to focus on mastering one discipline?

I thought it would be best to train the cold only until I could control it properly.

’It’s not like I’m planning to unleash an Ice Age.’

Even in a fantasy world, something on that scale should be impossible.

Well, there were people who could casually slice through mountains with their swords, but I was an exception.

After cleaning up, I resumed logging.

I couldn’t use my sword energy because of the cold attribute, so I had no choice but to do it with brute strength.

Still, my body had become sturdy enough that I could gather the wood without much difficulty.

’It’s about time for dinner.’

Was it because it was winter?

The sun seemed to set unusually early.

As far as I knew, the time of sunset was influenced by revolution rather than rotation.

If the sun truly was setting earlier, it meant the change was occurring on a planetary scale, not merely within this region.

’I’ve heard of the midnight sun, where daylight lasts all day.’

I wasn’t sure.

Since this was the Forest of the Four Seasons, I had no choice but to accept it and move on.

Afterward, I ate smoked tiger meat and warmed myself by adding more firewood to the fireplace.

Even after everything that had happened, our adorable Wonmo was still sleeping.

It seemed that once winter arrived, he spent all his time asleep to conserve energy.

’Well, he’s still a cub...’

The other animals had become less active anyway.

The only dangers I had encountered so far were the blizzard and avalanche.

Besides, while I had lacked experience, both of those disasters were things I could prepare for.

’I absolutely need an emergency exit... I should probably build it like the chimney.’

Considering the force of an avalanche, it would definitely need to be built from bricks.

The chimney had remained intact even when the avalanche struck. At the very least, it wouldn’t be swept away.

Still, some damage would be unavoidable, so I would have to inspect it periodically.

’What’s better than mud...? Cement, I suppose.’

Did cement exist in this world?

Or was there something different that served the same purpose?

Even on Earth, many ancient structures had remained standing for countless years.

Fortress walls in particular were so sturdy that they could barely be demolished even with cannon fire.

Despite the technological limitations of their era, people in ancient times built civilizations by using every resource available to them.

The same applied to me.

I would use everything at my disposal and survive until the very end.

’I should ask the dwarf... No, I should ask the entire gallery. This might not be his field of expertise.’

The dwarf mentioned that often. If something fell outside his field, even he wouldn’t know about it.

He had personally researched the things he had taught me so far.

Title: Anyone Know How to Bind Bricks More Firmly?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the chimney)

So far, I’ve just been slathering mud between the bricks to hold them in place. Does anyone know a better method?

I’m asking because I want to build it more sturdily if it collapses later. Mud seems like it has its limits.

└ Starlight Princess: From what I’ve heard, castles were built using a paste made by mixing lime and sand.

└ Passing Dwarf: Yeah, the verified user above is right. More precisely, there’s something called cement. Mix that with sand.

└ Wild Grylls: Cement? The same cement I know?

My eyes widened.

Cement existed in this world too?

I hadn’t used the word because I assumed it wouldn’t exist here, yet the dwarf brought it up immediately.

Even if the substance was the same, I had never imagined it would have the same name.

└ Wild Grylls: I never imagined it would exist here;; When was cement invented?

└ Passing Dwarf: Dunno. It’s been around for freaking ages. One thing’s for sure, though: we invented cement.

└ Wild Grylls: You’re not lying, are you?

└ Passing Dwarf: Wanna bet?

└ All-Father: He is not lying. It is said that the discovery of cement was one reason dwarven technology advanced so rapidly. Of the three necessities—food, clothing, and shelter—it made their shelters considerably sturdier.

└ Passing Dwarf: Ah, why’d you tell him? I could’ve squeezed something out of him.

└ Wild Grylls: You would’ve only asked me for alcohol anyway, lol.

└ All-Father: However, there are some suspicious aspects to its history. It was considered far beyond the technology of its era, so scholars debated the matter extensively. That is why I called it a discovery rather than an invention.

└ Wild Grylls: Are you saying it simply appeared out of nowhere?

└ All-Father: Yes. If you think about it, the gift I gave you is a similar case. It cannot be manufactured even with modern technology.

└ Passing Dwarf: What kind of cement are you thinking of?

└ Wild Grylls: Something you mix with other stuff and slather on. Then it hardens over time.

└ Passing Dwarf: You know exactly what it is. You’re loaded, so why haven’t you been using it all this time?

The gift All-Father had given me was the subspace backpack.

Although it couldn’t ignore mass, it completely disregarded spatial limitations.

It was an excellent tool that allowed me to save an enormous amount of space.

└ All-Father: Scholars hypothesize that an ancient artifact happened to survive in storage.

└ Wild Grylls: An ancient artifact?

└ All-Father: Yes. It dates back to the age when the gods still descended upon the mortal world—a civilization beyond the reach of even modern humanity.

Was he talking about the sort of ancient civilization commonly found in novels and comics?

Something like lost technology?

A civilization that had disappeared for some unknown reason, leaving only traces behind.

Earth had similar cases, so I wasn’t surprised that the same thing had happened in this world.

One needed to look no further than ancient Egypt. We still had no idea exactly how they had built the pyramids.

’Although once you’ve served in the military, you start believing humans really could have built them.’

Anyway, I set that aside and returned to the main topic.

Now that I knew cement existed, all I needed was the proper method.

The dwarf seemed to know the basics and explained them to me.

└ Passing Dwarf: If you’re spreading it between bricks, mix it with sand, not soil.

└ Wild Grylls: Why?

└ Passing Dwarf: Dunno. My father told me to do it that way.

└ Wild Grylls: Okay, lol.

└ For some reason, that sounds strangely trustworthy, lolol.

└ Isn’t that exactly the same as doing whatever your academy professor tells you?

└ Yep. Undergraduates just do what their professors tell them. Nobody knows the underlying principles, lol.

’Do I need to go downstream or to the sea?’

Everything around here was soil rather than sand.

I would only find sand downstream or at the seashore.

Even though it was winter, I wanted to avoid the sea if possible.

Going downstream would be much better.

I wasn’t going to build it immediately. I merely intended to start gathering the materials now.

’They don’t sell sand at the auction house.’

After briefly checking the auction house, I left another comment for the dwarf.

Putting cement aside, there was something else I wanted to ask him.

└ Wild Grylls: Hey. Are there weapons imbued with elemental properties?

└ Passing Dwarf: Yeah, they exist. Hammers with the lightning attribute, swords that blaze with fire, things like that. Why?

└ Wild Grylls: How are they normally created? Does it happen naturally?

└ Passing Dwarf: Usually, I guess? The Lightning Hammer gained its power after being struck by a bolt from the sky. Its original owner got struck too and died, though, lol.

└ Wild Grylls: What about the fire weapon? Did its owner burn to death?

└ Passing Dwarf: Nope. I heard it was a sword found embedded in the middle of a volcanic crater. Why are you asking?

└ Wild Grylls: I was wondering whether one could be made artificially. For example, by adding the essence I drank to a sword while it’s being forged.

└ Passing Dwarf: There you go talking nonsense again, lol. Find another Ice-Whatever-Blossom first, then we’ll talk.

└ A cold-attributed sword would be freaking awesome, though, lolol.

└ But even if you made one, it’s not like you’d sell it.

└ Wild Grylls: It’d just be for decoration, lol.

"Oh. There’s another one?"

While gathering wood, I discovered another Ice Blossom.

"There’s one here, and another one over there... Why are there so many?"

There wasn’t merely one. There were several.

I could find them simply by searching carefully between the trees.

’Are they like seasonal produce?’

What were they, wild spring greens?

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