Chapter 151

Slave (1)

A bridge that would allow the survivors to cross the river with ease.

To properly understand its structure and underlying principles, I first built a miniature model out of twigs.

Seeing something once was better than hearing about it a hundred times, and doing it once was better than seeing it a hundred times.

Once I had a rough grasp of it, I began constructing the actual bridge.

"How am I supposed to do this?"

And I hit a wall the moment I started. Rather than being stuck, I simply felt overwhelmed.

It was all well and good that I’d figured out the structure and principles by making a model.

But once I began the real thing, every conceivable issue cropped up. It wasn’t as simple as planing a few pieces of wood.

I had to cut the felled trees into uniform sizes, and even using a plane was difficult since I had never done it before.

’Not being able to use aura properly is another problem.’

I still couldn’t control the cold very well, so I was avoiding using aura whenever possible.

Instead, I used mana only to reinforce my body and processed the wood without relying on aura as much as possible.

Scrape! Scrape! Scrape!

I split a felled tree cleanly in half, then split each half lengthwise again.

The trunks were so thick that sawing through them required an absurd amount of physical labor.

If I hadn’t even had a saw, I would have given up long ago.

’Whenever I do something like this, I gain even more respect for people from ancient times.’

I might have been able to grit my teeth and endure the sawing alone, but the clouds of sawdust made it even more miserable.

The dust made it hard to breathe, so I ultimately had no choice but to wear the mask I had received in preparation for the yellow dust.

Cutting a single tree, trimming it to the correct length, then using the plane to even out all the finer details...

"Ugh. When am I going to finish all this?"

I had barely finished processing one piece, and I nearly cursed aloud.

The sawing was exhausting, dust flew everywhere, and there was an enormous amount of wood to process.

I considered asking the raccoon family for help, but quickly abandoned the idea.

They only had a raccoon’s strength, and I was also worried they might accidentally start a fire.

’Isn’t there anyone around who can work?’

Doing everything alone was far more exhausting than I’d imagined.

I had only just started, yet I was already thinking that way.

I leaned against the pile of wood and drank a cup of water.

Even though it was still a chilly spring, sweat was pouring down my body.

’Processing the wood is one thing, but can I even erect the bridge?’

Worry was already beginning to creep into my mind.

What if I finished processing everything, only to encounter some other problem that made it impossible to build the bridge?

The thought that everything I had done so far might end up being meaningless crossed my mind.

Title: Please, just let one person come here.

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a fully processed piece of wood)

Processing wood is fucking exhausting. Please, somebody come here and help me.

└ Heavenly Demon: Is it still difficult for you to use sword energy?

└ Wild Grylls: Yes. It’ll be a pain if the wood freezes.

└ SwordMaster: It must be incredibly difficult to do it with raw physical strength. Still, wouldn’t it make for good exercise?

└ Wild Grylls: My back muscles are twitching.

└ SwordMaster: Splitting firewood is extremely effective for training your back muscles. You should also take this opportunity to improve your raw physical abilities instead of relying entirely on aura.

└ Wild Grylls: Understood.

└ This guy deliberately makes his own life harder every time I see him;;

└ He said he misses people. Let’s be understanding.

└ Isn’t he looking for a slave rather than a survivor?

└ You’re right, lol. He was subtly recruiting slaves all along, lmao.

└ What do you get if you take the job?

└ What do you think you’ll get? Lmao. You’ll just become a real-life forum mod.

└ Heavenly Demon: Hmm. Even I do not find that particularly appealing. That cannot even be called a way to pass the time.

└ Even the forum mod is refusing to become Grylls’s slave, lmao.

└ Passing Dwarf: Is woodworking that difficult? It looked easy when my friend did it, but I guess not.

└ Wild Grylls: Does that person use machinery?

└ Passing Dwarf: Of course he does in this day and age. Who does it all by hand? Lol.

└ Wild Grylls: Damn, I want a machine too.

└ Passing Dwarf: Do you even know how to use one? Would you be able to use it if somebody gave you one? Lol.

└ Wild Grylls: Sigh. Can’t a decent slave fall out of the sky somewhere?

└ Look at this shameless bastard, lmao. Earlier, he floored the accelerator the moment he saw another survivor, lmao.

└ Reality must have hit him hard. He wouldn’t have changed this much otherwise, lol.

└ Wild Grylls: If it’s this hard for me, how much harder must it be for ordinary people? I have newfound respect for them.

└ At least those people don’t do everything alone, Grylls...

└ It’s only like that because you’re alone.

└ What’s the point of humans having such a high ceiling when they’re ultimately strongest only when they work together? Lol.

└ Isn’t that also true for every other race?

└ Why don’t you make the raccoon family do it?

└ Papa Raccoon is already working. He gathers medicinal herbs.

└ What about Mama Raccoon and the baby? Try asking them.

└ You bastard, he’ll get arrested if he does that;;

└ There’s no one there to arrest him, though. Lol.

└ Oh, right. Grylls, let’s use the raccoon family as slaves. Problem solved.

└ Starlight Princess: You people are monsters. How could you even think of such a thing?

└ Wild Grylls: Honestly, I did consider it, but I discarded the idea because I was afraid they might get hurt.

└ Starlight Princess: ...I’m glad you possess at least some conscience.

└ It may be covered in fur, but he has one, lmao.

└ Grylls has a screw loose too whenever you look closely, lol.

I vented—not that it was much of a complaint—but everyone simply said whatever they wanted and left it at that.

I had only entered the Gallery to take a break anyway, so I didn’t think much of it.

└ Try asking the gorillas. Who knows? Maybe they’ll do it if you pay them with fasting pills.

└ What are they, migrant laborers? Lmao.

└ Not migrant laborers—local laborers, lol.

└ I hear beastfolk are excellent workers.

└ Should those things really be called beastfolk? Judging from how they behave, they’re closer to cavemen.

└ That’s what beastfolk are. What else would you call them?

└ Suspiciously: They’re not beastfolk, you bastards...

└ If they have fur, arms and legs, and can speak like humans, they’re beastfolk, lmao.

It wasn’t as if I had never considered hiring the gorillas in exchange for fasting pills.

However, the gorillas were Fast Sloth’s enemies.

They were full of mutual hostility, so there was no way in hell the gorillas would agree to help me.

’I have no choice but to do it myself.’

Grumbling inwardly, I resumed processing the wood.

I cut the logs crosswise, split them lengthwise, and finished by planing them.

Many a little made a mickle, and the number of finished timbers steadily grew as time passed.

’They’ll grow mold if I don’t dry them, but...’

I could fill them in with cement later or gradually replace the bridge with a stone one.

For now, I should focus solely on building the bridge.

"Phew."

After quite some time had passed, I had accumulated a sizable pile of processed timber.

Of course, I was still nowhere near having enough.

In preparation for rain, I moved the timber into the cave.

For a moment, I wondered whether I should build a separate drying room, since I might need a lot of lumber in the future.

Of course, that idea was soon rejected.

’That would require me to expand the cave again.’

Unless more survivors arrived, there would be no further expansion.

Even if someone did come, they might be a person whose profession had little to do with productive labor.

Ludwig was a paladin—in other words, a soldier.

Soldiers were famously far removed from productive occupations.

’At least the inside of the cave is dry.’

The weather was still cold enough for me to keep the fireplace burning. It provided a hot and dry environment.

Naturally, one or two days wouldn’t be enough to dry the lumber completely.

According to the dwarf, it was a process that took at least several months.

It would be easiest to simply think of the wood as a temporary framework.

"Wow. An entire day just disappeared."

I checked the time with an exclamation that was closer to a lament.

I had done nothing but work since lunch, yet evening was already approaching.

The sun was sinking toward the horizon, as though urging me to hurry up and stop working.

An entire day had vanished into the work, and I still wasn’t finished.

I wondered when I would ever complete it, but if I kept at it consistently, the end would eventually come into sight.

Before the sun completely set, I went up to the river. I needed to retrieve my fish traps and check the opposite bank while I was there.

’Hmm. That area is even more wretched.’

The environment across the river was even worse than the fog zone.

The ground looked as if it had absorbed a massive dose of radiation, because everything was green.

For the record, it wasn’t covered in grass. The ground itself was literally glowing green.

’What in the world happened over there to leave it in that state?’

I could only hope that whatever radioactive-looking substance it was wouldn’t affect this side of the river.

I carefully retrieved the fish caught in the traps.

Thanks to having installed two whole traps, I had caught an impressive total of five fish.

"Kyeng!"

Not long after I returned, Papa Raccoon came to see me.

He was holding an unfamiliar medicinal herb that resembled wild ginseng.

When I asked the Heavenly Demon, she said it was wild ginseng overflowing with internal energy. We decided to use it as an ingredient for the fasting pills.

Incidentally, the pills were nearly complete and would supposedly be ready by tomorrow morning.

I was happy, but Fast Sloth was the most excited. He certainly loved to eat.

"You’re unbelievably good at finding wild ginseng."

Since he had produced such great results, I had to reward him.

I cooked one of the fish until it looked delicious and presented it to the raccoon family.

The raccoons seemed to enjoy the grilled fish, because they devoured it without leaving a trace.

"Kiing."

"Kkiing! Kking!"

Mama Raccoon was the first to place a piece of fish into the baby raccoon’s mouth.

Seeing her feed her child before taking any for herself reminded me that they truly were a family.

’I’m a little jealous.’

Until just a few years ago, my own family and I had eaten together around the same table. A bitter smile naturally appeared on my face.

It still hurt, but I could finally cherish it as a memory. Otherwise, I would only keep tormenting myself.

After eating dinner with the raccoon family, I rested inside the warm cave.

Whoosh—

I didn’t forget to practice the cultivation technique meant to improve my control over the cold.

Although it hadn’t been long, all my effort had made controlling the cold much easier.

The mass of cold energy, which had been no larger than a grain of millet that morning, had grown to the size of a ping-pong ball.

Everything was difficult at first, but once I gained momentum, my progress accelerated rapidly.

’Simply condensing the cold isn’t enough.’

My goal was to use it whenever I wanted, not merely to separate it.

Still, my progress wasn’t bad. Only time was needed.

After finishing the cultivation technique, I connected to the Gallery.

’Nothing has changed.’

It was still ablaze with speculation and arguments about El Dorado.

People were saying that it had practically descended into civil war, but I didn’t pay much attention.

Unless Ludwig and I met and Ludwig dropped an earth-shattering revelation, this was probably as far as things would go.

’There isn’t anyone suitable to take the lead, either.’

Most importantly, there was no one willing and capable of shouldering the burden and becoming the focal point of a civil war.

Things might have been different if the Hero were present, but... Well, what did it matter?

I closed the Gallery and prepared for bed.

Wonmo was already sprawled out asleep, while Fast Sloth was once again staring blankly into the fire.

’Thinking about working again tomorrow is already suffocating.’

Couldn’t an excellent laborer fall from the heavens somewhere?

With yet another pointless thought in my mind, I slowly closed my eyes.

***

Time passed, and dawn drew near.

The crowing of roosters echoed from far away as most animals began preparing for the day.

However, because of the season, the sun had yet to fully rise.

The animals were each making their own preparations to become active.

But as the saying went, the early bird caught the worm.

While everyone else was still preparing, someone was already taking action.

Just like a certain animal staring intently at the sign installed beside the river.

"Grrr."

The sign was written in several languages, and the language upon which the animal was focused was none other than the language of the Central Plains.

The animal stared quietly at those words with blood-red eyes.

It then turned its head and looked toward the place from which smoke was rising.

It was smoke coming from my chimney after Fast Sloth had spent the entire night feeding fuel into the fire.

Unlike the other gorillas, however, this one had white fur and red eyes.

Its eyes weren’t the only part of it that was red.

"Ooh...!"

The gorilla’s palms were as crimson as blood.

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