Chapter 79

Rain (2)

The raccoon that had tried to steal and eat my fasting pills was dealt with by Namu-Ppareumbo.

Usually, it was Raccoon Man who did the dealing, but this time a sloth had dealt with the raccoon instead. How bizarre.

"Here, Wonmo. Drink this too."

"Kyuu?"

"The moment you catch rabies, your owner here is screwed."

Wonmo had eaten the raccoon that Namu-Ppareumbo had torn into bite-sized pieces.

I gently pried Wonmo’s beak open and poured some elixir into it.

It was the animal-use elixir Starlight Princess had given me before.

At first, Wonmo struggled, but after tasting a single drop, he drank it willingly.

In fact, he liked it so much that he tried to gulp down more, and I barely managed to restrain him.

’Elixirs are supposed to be bitter... Is this one sweet?’

Elixirs were basically medicine, so they were bitter by nature.

But apparently, animal-use elixirs tasted different. Judging by how crazy Wonmo was going over it, that had to be the case.

I disposed of the raccoon carcass I hadn’t gotten around to cleaning up and looked outside.

The rain had almost completely stopped, so it seemed like I could start moving around soon.

’Before that, I should check the river.’

Since it had rained, the river must have swollen considerably.

Even if it hadn’t, I planned to take one look and immediately back away.

River levels didn’t always rise gradually. Sometimes, the water came surging in like a tsunami.

’The ground isn’t too bad either, considering it rained all morning.’

Only the area around my cave, especially the places where I’d been working, had turned muddy. Everywhere else was fine.

Still, it looked like some construction work was needed—specifically, on the trench I’d dug beneath the barricade.

The trench had done an excellent job as a drainage channel, but it needed some maintenance.

’It’ll take forever for all this to dry, too...’

I would have to redirect the water somewhere else.

If water pooled here, it would start to stink, and there was a good chance it would attract insects.

A proper drainage channel was essential to prevent that.

I immediately got to work.

Checking the river could wait. Cleaning up the area around the cave came first.

Thud! Thud!

I diligently dug out the trench and worked on the drainage channel.

The end of the channel led behind the cave, toward an area thick with trees.

If I let the water collect there, the tree roots would probably absorb it on their own.

’For now, I’ll block it with dirt so the water doesn’t flow through.’

If I let the water flow right away, it would obviously become a hassle.

Its body was still moving, so it was definitely alive.

"Nom nom."

The earthworm that had greeted me so cheerfully ended up being devoured by Wonmo.

Earthworms were a high-protein food, so I didn’t bother stopping him.

"Phew..."

Once my pounding heart had calmed down somewhat, I let out a deep sigh.

I had a feeling that encountering that earthworm was going to leave me traumatized.

What if I couldn’t even shovel properly anymore because of this?

The thought only lasted for a moment, and I steadily continued the work I’d left unfinished.

Having Wonmo stand beside me like a bodyguard while I shoveled was incredibly reassuring.

"This should do it."

The drainage work was finished.

I wouldn’t have to worry about puddles anymore.

I made a temporary dirt wall and continued shoveling.

Thud!

As I dug, I came across some interesting things.

The most memorable among them was an earthworm.

It was huge, comparable to the giant gummy worms I’d eaten as an elementary schooler.

"KYAAAAAAAH!!!"

I was so startled that I fell flat on my back.

Who knew an earthworm buried in the dirt popping up as if to say, Hello? could be so terrifying?

I’d barely screamed at all since coming here, yet a single earthworm had managed to accomplish what countless monsters couldn’t.

"KyuUU?"

Startled by my scream, Wonmo came scampering over.

His expression seemed to ask what had happened.

I calmed my pounding heart as I stroked Wonmo’s head. Somehow, doing that helped settle me down.

Now all that remained was checking the river.

I equipped myself with the basics and headed toward it.

Since Wonmo was awake, I brought Namu-Ppareumbo along as well.

And then—

ROOOOOAR!!

"...Goddammit."

I couldn’t help but curse under my breath when I saw how enormously the river had swollen.

It hadn’t merely risen. The water was surging with the force of a tsunami.

The current, which had already been fast before, had become much faster, and the water level had visibly risen.

But there was an even bigger problem.

The fish trap I’d installed.

The rocks I’d originally used to secure the trap had been unable to withstand the current and had all been swept away.

Naturally, the fish trap secured between those rocks had been swept away as well.

All the effort I’d put in until now had been washed away in an instant by the rain.

Title) WHERE THE F* IS MY FISH TRAP!!!**

Wild Grylls

(Video of the rapidly flowing river)

This goddamn rain swept away my entire food supply.

Don’t tell me this is going to happen every time it rains. I’d be so sad if it did.

└ Heavenly Demon: The current is fierce. It would be best not to approach it.

└ SwordMaster: It looks terrifying just watching it. You weren’t hurt, were you?

└ Wild Grylls: I’m fine, aside from my broken heart.

└ Passing Dwarf: The fish trap I gave you wasn’t exactly flimsy either;; How the hell did everything get swept away?

└ Wild Grylls: The trap wasn’t the problem. All the rocks holding it in place collapsed.

└ Passing Dwarf: That’s basically a natural disaster. I’ll give you another fish trap later, so don’t worry.

└ Wild Grylls: Th-thanks;; Want some fish?

└ Passing Dwarf: Weren’t you giving me those with every trade anyway?

└ Wild Grylls: What the hell;;

└ Passing Dwarf: Got a problem with that?

└ Wild Grylls: Of course not. What color would you like this time?

└ Isn’t he basically a slave at this point?

└ He’s gone beyond slave territory.

└ He’s basically a sugar daddy who gives more than the owner does lol.

└ Grylls, don’t you feel like swimming in that? At least try surfing.

└ Looking at it, it actually seems fun.

└ Wild Grylls: You assholes come here and do it yourselves.

Most of the comments lamented the loss of my fish trap.

I was frustrated too, considering my only reliable food source had disappeared.

If this happened every time it rained, things were going to get a lot busier from now on.

Just as I was letting out a troubled sigh—

"GWOOOONG! GWOONG!"

"...Huh?"

A strange sound came from the river.

I turned my head and saw a pitch-black bear struggling in the water.

Apparently, it had been caught in the river and gotten swept away.

’Poor thing.’

I felt a little sorry for it.

Judging by its size, it seemed to be a fairly mature specimen.

Even if it had experience with the river, apparently it hadn’t anticipated the water rising this rapidly.

’...Wait. A bear?’

I looked upstream.

The bear had clearly been swept down from somewhere farther up.

Which meant bears and all sorts of other animals lived upstream.

Just how dangerous were the creatures living up there?

I was already getting worried.

’At least it was a normal-sized bear, so it should be fi—’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"GWOOOOOOOAAARGH!"

The instant I had that thought, a bear the size of a house swept past me in the blink of an eye.

It was enormous, comparable to the owlbear I’d seen before.

Apparently, the one being swept downriver was a cub, and the one that had just rushed past me was its mother.

If I went upstream, I might not only encounter that mother bear but end up having to fight her.

’You’d be better off dying downstream.’

There were whales and sharks farther down there too. I wondered what would happen.

Still, thanks to that, I realized a few things.

There were things living upstream that went far beyond anything I’d imagined.

Even around here, there was already a giant chicken that had claimed its own territory.

’Rain really does bring out all kinds of crazy situations.’

A random raccoon had wandered into my cave.

My fish trap had been swept away by the current.

And now I’d seen a gigantic bear.

Suppressing my unease, I headed back.

I planned to have the fish I’d caught yesterday for lunch.

’The voting should be wrapping up soon, right?’

The vote held yesterday on my trade cooldown was almost over.

Maybe because that thought occurred to me, I decided to wait until the vote ended before having lunch.

If the 24-hour trade cooldown was lifted, I planned to give a little fish to some of the others.

It was supposed to be my lunch, but giving away just a little would be fine. One fish alone was enough to fill me up anyway.

’I really hope the result is good.’

The Moderator was stubborn, rigid, and a stickler for rules.

He had a little flexibility, but he was the type who avoided breaking the rules whenever possible.

’Given the nature of the gallery, that might actually be better.’

I’d occasionally heard stories about the previous Moderators.

Every single one of them had abused the gallery and caused all sorts of nasty incidents.

The worst case involved someone cleverly exploiting the trading system and ruining an entire territory.

There had even been someone who used location tracking to stalk people, so it wasn’t hard to imagine just how powerful the system was.

’What would’ve happened to me if the Moderator had been a complete lunatic?’

Maybe he would’ve slapped a trade restriction on me and told me to go die, or even permanently banned me outright.

Apparently, the Moderator couldn’t be replaced except under certain circumstances, so I was lucky.

I hoped this Moderator stayed in charge for a long time.

That would make surviving a little easier for me.

’Once the trade restriction is lifted, I should give the Moderator some fish too.’

From what I’d seen, he seemed to be living a pretty miserable life, so giving him some wouldn’t hurt.

He occasionally mentioned being chased by someone, though with his personality, I couldn’t imagine him committing a crime.

Well, there were all kinds of people in the world. No point dwelling on it.

I was only repaying his goodwill anyway. It wasn’t as if I was doing it because of who he was as a person.

’Other than lifting the trade restriction, there’s nothing else I need to ask him for.’

There was the one-on-one chat feature, but private posts could substitute for that.

It was just a little inconvenient, that was all. Given my current situation, even having this much was something to be grateful for.

"Wonmo. Time to eat."

"Kyuu!"

I fed Wonmo and waited for the vote to end.

Trying to circulate my internal energy cultivation method wouldn’t be very efficient right now, so all I had to do was browse the gallery.

Since the poll had been posted yesterday, I’d been worried it might get buried.

’It’s in the announcements?’

But that concern turned out to be unfounded.

It was sitting prominently in the announcement section.

Since this was a matter that involved making an exception to the gallery’s rules, it seemed the Moderator had turned it into an announcement.

’He said only fixed-nickname users could vote... I wonder how many there are?’

Most gallery users were anonymous, but there were still plenty of fixed-nickname users.

Anyone who met the requirements could access the gallery.

I had no idea how many people there were across all these worlds, but statistically, there had to be a huge number.

’You can tell just by how fast new posts appear.’

Every time I refreshed, an entire page of new posts had appeared.

Sometimes two or even three pages’ worth.

’Who the hell created this gallery anyway?’

It was something I wondered about from time to time.

Structurally speaking, I’d heard it was some kind of magic.

But I knew absolutely nothing about magic, and I’d obtained access to the gallery the moment I arrived here.

That meant there had to be some other mechanism behind it.

I chuckled while watching funny videos, then checked the announcements again.

About three minutes remained before the poll closed.

I’d been fine until now, but with the deadline approaching, my palms were suddenly getting sweaty.

[Heavenly Demon: Sir, are you there by any chance?]

Title) Two Morons

(Video of two human men doing something stupid)

I can’t believe these idiots are my fucking friends kekekeke.

└ Kekekekekekeke.

└ What the hell is this now? Kekekekekeke.

"Hehehehe."

Whatever else could be said about the gallery, it was perfect for relieving stress.

As I waited patiently, Heavenly Demon sent me a message.

Was she waiting for the results of my poll too?

I immediately replied.

[Wild Grylls: Yes. I’m waiting for the voting results right now.]

[Heavenly Demon: Then you feel the same as this lady. Do not worry too much. This lady personally cast her vote in favor.]

[Wild Grylls: Thank you. If the result is good, would you like a little fish?]

[Heavenly Demon: Did you not say all your fish traps were swept away?]

[Wild Grylls: I still have one fish left from yesterday. I’ll give you a piece.]

[Heavenly Demon: This lady is fine. I have no desire to squeeze blood from a stone.]

[Wild Grylls: That’s one enormous stone. Even one piece is enough to fill you up.]

[Heavenly Demon: It remains a stone nonetheless.]

[Wild Grylls: I’m not giving you the whole thing. I just want you to have a taste.]

While I bickered with Heavenly Demon, the voting finally ended.

The instant the poll closed, I opened the post with anticipation.

In Favor: 95%

2. Against: 5%

"That’s what I’m talking about!!"

I clenched my fist and cheered.

The vote had passed by an overwhelming margin.

I was curious about who the 5% who voted against it were, but the voters’ usernames weren’t disclosed.

Still, the overwhelming support was more than enough.

Title) Vote to Lift Wild Grylls’s 24-Hour Trade Restriction!

Moderator

Fixed-nickname user Wild Grylls is currently struggling to survive in the Forest of Four Seasons!

Normally, we shouldn’t grant special treatment like this! However, not only has Wild Grylls provided verification, but he has also proven himself highly trustworthy, so we’re putting it to a vote!

Also, Wild Grylls has stated that he will relinquish this special privilege as soon as he escapes the Forest of Four Seasons, so please keep that in mind!

[Heavenly Demon: Congratulations. Your wish has been granted.]

[Wild Grylls: Your vote was a huge help, Heavenly Demon. Thank you!]

[Heavenly Demon: You know how to be grateful even for small things. This lady finds you more pleasing by the day.]

[Wild Grylls: They say every little bit adds up, right? Anyway, once the restriction is lifted, I’ll give you a piece of fish like I promised!]

Now all I had to do was quietly wait for the Moderator.

I was worried something might happen in the meantime.

[Moderator has requested a one-on-one conversation! Would you like to accept?]

But as if to prove that concern unfounded, a one-on-one chat request arrived from the Moderator.

I happily accepted it immediately.

[Wild Grylls: A bribe?]

[Moderator: Absolutely not!!]

[Wild Grylls: I’m kidding. I’ll give you an inner core as a token of appreciation for everything going forward. I’m benefiting from your consideration, after all, aren’t I?]

[Moderator: Hello! You’re Wild Grylls, right?!]

[Wild Grylls: Yes! That’s me!]

[Moderator: You received overwhelming support in the vote! As promised, I’ll lift your trade restriction! But if you show any signs of abusing this privilege, I’ll revoke it immediately, so please be careful!]

[Wild Grylls: Of course. I’m only going to focus on surviving.]

[Moderator: Mm! Excellent! I sincerely hope you survive safely!]

[Wild Grylls: Before that, Moderator. I’d like to give you a gift. Can we make a trade?]

[Moderator: Huh?! What kind of gift?!]

The way I was saying it made it sound like a bribe.

But I didn’t think the Moderator was the type to be swayed by something like that.

As I’d said before, he was stubborn and a stickler for rules.

This was simply an act of goodwill on my part.

Besides, I didn’t have anything else I could give him right now.

[Moderator: Isn’t that a bribe?!]

[Wild Grylls: It’s a gift filled with ’goodwill.’]

[Moderator: Why does it look like you’re emphasizing the word ’goodwill’?!]

[Wild Grylls: You’re imagining things. Still, please accept one. From what I’ve heard, your living situation isn’t exactly great.]

[Moderator: Hmm...! All right, then! You can register the trade item right here!]

[Wild Grylls: Moderators can do that too?]

[Moderator: Because I’m the Moderator! Also, now that your restriction has been lifted, you should be able to trade through one-on-one chats as well!]

Right.

Now that my trade restriction had been lifted, I should be able to trade through one-on-one chats without any limitations too.

I nodded and took one inner core out of an elixir bottle.

[Wild Grylls has registered a trade item.]

[Wild Grylls: Take this and keep your strength up. And thank you so much for accommodating me.]

[Moderator: There’s no need to thank me! And you call it accommodation, but this is only fair!]

[Wild Grylls: Technically, it’s equitable rather than equal, but anyway, thank you.]

[Moderator: Yes! May the Goddess bless your journey, Grylls!]

Come to think of it, hadn’t he said he had some kind of religious occupation?

I ended the conversation after receiving the Moderator’s final farewell.

’Finally...!’

The frustrating trade restriction had finally been lifted.