Chapter 52

Night Raid (1)

The crabs I brought back were delicious, and I polished them off with my animal companions.

Maybe because they were grilled instead of steamed, they tasted good even when eaten shell and all.

Wonmo especially did a great job as our cleanup crew, so there was almost nothing left to throw away.

Even if there had been, I would’ve ground it up finely and tossed it into the river.

"Ahhh. I’m full."

"Kkyuu."

With our stomachs thoroughly filled, the animals and I all became completely sluggish.

Wonmo flopped onto his back while rubbing his swollen belly, while Namu-Ppareumbo sprawled out on his stomach.

The three of us—one human and two animals—had divided the food appropriately, so none of us had eaten so much that we couldn’t move.

’Wonmo ate a lot, though.’

I looked at Wonmo lying on the ground.

His round, stuffed belly was adorable.

When I poked it a few times, his body squirmed.

How could every little thing he did be so cute?

"Wonmo. Don’t sleep here. Go inside the cave."

"Kkyuu..."

Apparently, he was too full to move.

Well, he’d even eaten the shells, so I couldn’t really blame him.

I lightly picked up the bloated Wonmo and carried him into the cave.

Soon, he stretched out spread-eagle on the mat and started taking a nap.

He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

’He’s not going to turn into a pig at this rate, is he?’

He was still in the middle of growing, so everything he ate would probably go toward his development, but I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

Even if I didn’t take him exploring, it might not be a bad idea to have him wander around the nearby area with me.

I needed to teach him that outside the cave was dangerous.

’Wait. Wouldn’t he already know that from following his mother around?’

It felt strangely awkward considering I’d personally sent his mother straight to the afterlife.

What would Wonmo think if he ever found out?

He wouldn’t suddenly go, "You killed my mom!" and stab me, right?

After wasting a little time worrying about something pointless, I finished cleaning up.

I planned to use the charcoal left over from burning firewood to do my laundry.

’Charcoal is surprisingly useful.’

You can use it like soap.

You can use it as a deodorizer.

You can even use it to add aroma while cooking.

It was practically perfect.

If I had to name one downside, it would be that the heat could attract snakes.

But I’d been consistently applying snake repellent, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

Thwack! Thwack!

I turned on the hose and started washing my clothes.

Probably because I’d rolled around so much earlier, muddy water poured out of them.

I’d bought a laundry paddle from the auction house.

It made beating clothes clean much easier.

Once I finished washing them, I hung everything on my makeshift drying rack.

The drying rack itself was simple enough.

All I had to do was stick two branches into the ground and tie a line between them.

’I feel like I’ve already adapted to this place.’

I had absolutely no intention of living in the wilderness forever, yet somehow I was doing pretty well.

The Gallery kept me from getting bored, while Wonmo and Namu-Ppareumbo made me feel less lonely.

Whenever I had spare time, I diligently practiced my internal energy cultivation method, so my days were surprisingly busy.

’I’m getting way too comfortable, aren’t I?’

Still, my desire to escape this place hadn’t disappeared.

This forest was far too dangerous.

There was no telling when or where some dangerous animal might appear.

Especially that crab the size of a building I’d seen near the lakeside.

Even from far away, just looking at it had made me feel utterly powerless.

’Let’s stay away from the lake for a while. Even if I do go, I’ll just grab a crab and come straight back.’

It was a place where even giant crabs gathered in swarms.

The best option was to take only what I needed for the dwarf and return immediately.

If a bunch of giant crabs came charging toward me halfway through...

Well, I’d have to run like hell.

’I should check landmarks along the way. Places like where the lower reaches of the river begin.’

It was best to use the river as my primary reference point.

In a forest where even a compass didn’t work, it served as a natural landmark.

Or I could make my own trail markers.

It would take some effort, but I needed to prevent myself from getting lost.

Getting lost here?

My survival chances wouldn’t just hit rock bottom.

They’d smash straight through it.

I’d only found this cave through sheer luck in the first place, and it had even had a previous owner.

It only became my cave after I dealt with that owner.

Finding another suitable cave would be difficult.

’First, let’s mark everything on the map.’

I marked the river and drew the lakeside at the end of it.

I had no idea how large the lake actually was, so I drew it as small as possible.

After all, I’d heard that the Forest of Four Seasons alone was about the size of a small country.

’Now that the map’s updated, time for internal energy cultivation.’

Before practicing my cultivation method, I checked Heavenly Demon’s messages first.

They weren’t casual messages asking how I was doing.

I was looking at the messages above those.

They contained knowledge that formed the foundation and roots of internal energy cultivation.

I reread them carefully every time I practiced.

’Even if this knowledge is widespread on the Gallery, it’s better to learn from someone I can trust.’

The fundamentals themselves were available all over the Gallery.

As Heavenly Demon had said, they were the most basic of basics.

But the information wasn’t exactly objective.

Most people had mixed in their own personal tricks and experiences.

Heavenly Demon’s teachings, on the other hand, were plain and straightforward.

There were some difficult terms, but everything followed the orthodox method.

’What’s important when practicing an internal energy cultivation method is whether I can actually feel mana—meaning internal energy—flowing through the Ren and Du meridians.’

I couldn’t just circulate it blindly.

I slowly began operating the cultivation method.

Understand the principles behind the method and naturally accept them.

Breathe while allowing circulation to happen without consciously forcing it.

And finally, make ordinary everyday breathing produce the same effect as practicing the cultivation method.

Heavenly Demon had recommended gradually progressing through those three stages.

The more I thought about it, the more reasonable all of it sounded.

’Even the second stage is tough.’

My breathing and internal energy circulation still felt like two separate processes.

Heavenly Demon had taught me to make breathing and circulation occur simultaneously, then work toward doing both unconsciously.

According to her, even someone like me could achieve it with enough effort.

So every time I practiced, I concentrated as hard as possible so I wouldn’t disappoint her.

"Hooo."

But I wasn’t a genius.

I wasn’t even originally from this world.

No matter how many times I regulated my breathing, I didn’t seem to be making much progress.

’Breathing, huh... Would increasing my lung capacity improve efficiency?’

Since breathing was the foundation, lung capacity was probably closely related to it.

But the only exercise I could realistically do here was bodyweight training, and even that was mostly strength training.

Cardio?

Running around here was a perfect way to get lost.

For now, I had no choice but to substitute it by taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly for as long as possible.

’At least that’s what SwordMaster told me.’

Most of these useful little tips came from SwordMaster.

Things like making each breath longer rather than shortening the intervals, along with advice about aura and other topics.

Thanks to the combined guidance of Heavenly Demon and SwordMaster, I was making progress little by little.

It was slower than a turtle, but there was no need to rush.

’Time to go set up the fish trap. And catch another Golden Poison Frog.’

I’d finished my breathing practice, so it was time to get to work.

I strapped the crossbow across my back and called Namu-Ppareumbo over.

"Hey. Stop lying around and climb on."

At my instruction, Namu-Ppareumbo slowly climbed onto my back.

He positioned himself comfortably so he wouldn’t interfere with the crossbow.

Now all I had to do was bring the fish trap...

"Why is this thing so damn huge?"

I thought the same thing every time I looked at it, but the fish trap was seriously enormous.

It could easily fit two or three fish the size of the ones I’d caught before.

Just imagining having to set this thing up already made my head hurt.

But there was no helping it.

That way, I could keep going without having to worry about food from now on.

The fasting pills would become Namu-Ppareumbo’s exclusive food supply.

Rooooar!

When I arrived at the river, a sense of dread washed over me.

How long was it going to take me to set all this up?

On top of that, there was still the threat of the Golden Poison Frogs.

I needed to deal with that danger first.

"Hey. Get down. Let’s get ready."

At my instruction, Namu-Ppareumbo slowly climbed down.

Then, to lure the Golden Poison Frogs out, I stuck my hand into the river.

Splash! Splash!

"Ribbit."

"Ribbit. Ribbit."

Just as expected, a group of Golden Poison Frogs leapt out of the river.

There was only one thing left to do.

Thwack!

While Namu-Ppareumbo drew their attention, I fired the crossbow.

The first time had been difficult, but once I’d done it before, the second hunt was easy.

’Seriously amazing.’

Namu-Ppareumbo’s ability to dodge was genuinely incredible.

The Golden Poison Frogs carried poison that could kill you with a single hit, yet he stood there in plain sight and dodged every attack.

I’m too much of a coward to do something like that.

Only Namu-Ppareumbo could pull it off.

Splash! Splash!

Before long, the Golden Poison Frogs retreated back into the river.

Unlike before, they didn’t keep firing poison even after one of their companions was killed.

It seemed their poison wasn’t produced endlessly.

Apparently, it worked more like something that had to be recharged.

’They said animals like that consume other poisons and make them their own.’

In other words, if they didn’t eat poisonous plants or animals, they’d just be ordinary frogs.

Anyway, now that the Golden Poison Frogs had gone back into the river, all that remained was setting up the fish trap.

I could widen the area where I’d installed the hose and place the trap there.

The reason I’d hunted a Golden Poison Frog beforehand was because I had no choice but to put my feet in the river.

Since my footwear was basically just slippers, I could step into the water without hesitation.

’There’s no way some giant fish is going to swallow me whole, right?’

I kept glancing around nervously.

This place was too dangerous to ever let my guard down.

Fortunately, no giant fish appeared and swallowed me in one bite.

Once I finished setting up the fish trap, I immediately sent Allfather a trade request.

Apparently, Allfather happened to be logged into the Gallery, because he accepted right away.

[Allfather: Yes. That’s correct. Once the poison stored in its poison sac runs out, it loses its means of attack. To replenish it, the frog has to consume something poisonous.]

[Wild Grylls: Hello, Allfather. I caught a frog. Do you want it? The poison sac didn’t rupture.]

[Allfather: Oh. Thank you very much. I should be able to give you the medicine tomorrow.]

[Wild Grylls: Thank you. But can I ask you something?]

[Allfather: Ask anytime. What would you like to know?]

[Wild Grylls: The Golden Poison Frogs retreat after firing their poison for a while. Does their poison need to recharge?]

So my guess had been right.

That meant there had to be something around here carrying terrifying poison.

Probably some kind of venomous insect.

’I should keep applying the repellent regularly.’

I finished my trade with Allfather and returned to the cave.

Nothing else happened along the way.

Once I got back, I logged into the Gallery and checked the time.

Apparently, setting up the fish trap had taken quite a while, because it was already past three.

’I’ll practice swordsmanship until dinner... and dinner will be fasting pills.’

If I’d known this was going to happen, maybe I should’ve brought back one more crab.

It was a little disappointing, but what was done was done.

That didn’t mean I wanted to go back to the lakeside.

I planned to stay away from the lake at least until I received my new shoes.

That should help prevent another accident.

[Please save me. I woke up in the Forest of Four Seasons.]

"Huh?"

While browsing the Gallery, I spotted a title that was impossible to ignore.

A post claiming someone had fallen into the Forest of Four Seasons.

I hurriedly opened it.

"..."

Yeah.

As long as they’d gotten out of the Forest of Four Seasons, I guess that was all that mattered.

***

Title) Please save me. I woke up in the Forest of Four Seasons.

Third stall in the men’s public restroom on Menesil Street, Duchy of Danos.

Please.

There’s no toilet paper.

└ Hahahaha, that’s some insane bait. I rushed in the second I saw the title.

└ Same lololol. Thought we were getting a second Grylls.

└ Normally I’d ignore something like this, but Grylls made me click lololol.

└ Ah, right. The Gallery doesn’t normally work inside the Forest of Four Seasons lololol.

└ To the unknown hero who helped me, thank you so much. You saved my life. That restroom was the Forest of Four Seasons to me.

└ Fine, I’ll admit it as the Forest of Four Seasons lololol.

└ Can’t even argue with that ;;

└ Even Grylls would probably go, "Ah... yeah, fair enough."

Night in the forest was quiet.

Other than the chirping of insects and the distant howling of wolves, it was the perfect environment for closing one’s eyes and falling asleep.

At the same time, night in the forest was extremely dangerous.

Pitch-black darkness where you couldn’t see even a step ahead.

Beasts that could leap out from anywhere.

The wilderness was a place where even herbivores couldn’t sleep properly, constantly struggling to avoid the death that might come for them at any moment.

Crack—

The sound of a branch being stepped on.

At the same moment, the insects that had been chirping noisily fell silent.

It was an incredibly subtle change, but even the insects knew.

A dangerous predator was walking nearby.

And before long, that predator headed toward the cave where the campfire was just about to go out.

Even a tiny campfire was like sunlight in a world drowned in darkness.

Perhaps it was only natural that it had caught the predator’s attention.

"Grrrr..."

A low growl entered the perimeter.

It was barely audible.

But there was one animal sensitive enough to react even to that faint sound.

Not the human sleeping deeply.

Not the Owlbear cub still young enough to need protection.

It was the sloth, an animal that could be eaten at any time or place.

The sloth slowly opened its eyes.

The presence outside felt unusual.

The sloth—

No.

Namu-Ppareumbo slowly raised himself.

Crack!

This time, he heard it clearly.

The sound of a branch snapping.

Namu-Ppareumbo slowly turned his head.

The human was still wandering through dreamland.

He looked completely devoid of vigilance.

Namu-Ppareumbo found Grylls utterly pathetic for that, but a companion was still a companion.

So Namu-Ppareumbo raised one arm high to wake him.

Thwack!

"Urgh!"

Grylls jolted awake after suddenly being struck in the face.

Even deep sleep couldn’t block out pain.

Still half-asleep, he pushed himself upright.

"W-What? What happened?"

"..."

Without saying anything, Namu-Ppareumbo pointed outside the cave with one arm.

Following the direction of his gesture, Grylls turned his head with a still-dazed expression.

"Grrrrrr."

What the hell had he just heard?

Grylls stared blankly.

But it didn’t take him long to realize that the sound had come from an animal.

And not just any animal.

A dangerous predator.

’You’ve got to be fucking kidding me...!’

He cursed inwardly and hurriedly equipped his weapons.

Dangerous.

This was seriously dangerous.

That was all Grylls could think.

Once he was roughly armed, he slowly stepped outside the cave.

Namu-Ppareumbo climbed onto his back as well, ready to enter combat at any moment.

At last, something caught Grylls’s eye.

Flash!

From within the curtain of suffocating darkness—

A pair of ominously glowing eyes.