Chapter 11: Golden Poison Frog (1)

There is slang that says a disaster has broken out.

In other words, that everything turned into absolute chaos.

I had only posted to give thanks, but a few people jumped in and, in an instant, the comments exploded.

Starting with DemonPrincess, and then KingLeor appearing out of nowhere. On top of that, a bunch of anonymous users.

Each one throwing double insults, making comments about parents and so on.

Comment notifications kept going off nonstop.

‘Doesn’t the moderator sanction this?’

As far as I understand, if things get too heated, the moderator intervenes. There were even similar rules in the notices.

Even if they are fights between sports fans, once it turns into personal attacks, it can no longer be considered a sports issue.

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Enough already! If you keep spamming, I will proceed with a ban!

ㄴDemonPrincess) That idiot was the one who started looking for a fight! [1]

ㄴKingLeor) It’s because she’s talking pure nonsense.

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Even so, don’t fight in someone else’s post! I’ll open an arena—fight there!

ㄴDemonPrincess) Ok

ㄴKingLeor) Ok ok

Just when I thought that, the moderator appeared. The order was clear don’t fight in my post, go to the arena.

Everyone obeyed and disappeared. Finally, freed from the hell of notifications.

Shortly after, a post by the moderator appeared in the gallery.

[Arena: Which team has more tradition?]

With just one refresh, the comments started pouring in like an avalanche.

Going in there wouldn’t do me any good.

I had heard that posts that promoted conflicts between countries were grounds for a ban, but since this was sports, it seemed they let it slide.

Of course, if it got out of control, the moderator would intervene directly. At least they were doing their job properly.

‘I’d better do my own thing.’

Since I had already returned all the compasses, I started devising a method to deal with the golden poison frog.

First, the river where the golden poison frog lived was, by itself, a natural fortress.

The water was so absurdly clear that it was impossible to calculate the depth, and the current was fairly strong.

If I went in there, I’d die from a single spit. Therefore, a ranged attack was indispensable.

‘A bow…? Difficult. Would a crossbow be better?’

I don’t know how to use bows.

In comparison, a crossbow should be easier to handle.

The money currently stored in the gallery was about 650 gold. What I got from selling the Steel-Scaled Serpent.

I didn’t know if that would be enough to buy a crossbow, and on top of that, the type I wanted.

Better to post first.

Title) Question about crossbows
WildGrills

I plan to hunt a frog. Is there a harpoon-type crossbow?

So that the bolt is connected to the crossbow and, if it hits, I can drag the target.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) What do you need a crossbow for?

ㄴWildGrills) I need it to hunt a frog. The river is very deep and I can’t get close

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Can’t you just launch sword energy?

ㄴWildGrills) …

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Or you could walk on water

ㄴWildGrills) What?

Was this guy joking? I was so incredulous that I just let out a dry laugh.

Though, seeing how much serious fencing material he had posted, maybe he was serious from his point of view.

After emphasizing several times that I was a normal person, the matter more or less ended there.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) How about you completely master the internal technique this woman will teach you and then try?

ㄴWildGrills) I also have to drink water to live, master

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) If it’s water, this woman can give you as much as you want

ㄴWildGrills) Then I won’t be able to ask for help when I truly need it

As I said before, I planned to ask for help only when it was truly necessary.

It was like a wildcard.

Until then, I had to manage on my own. Or earn money and buy things at the auction.

Besides, a crossbow could be extremely useful in situations like this.

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) What you’re saying can be done if it’s modified.

ㄴWildGrills) About how much would it cost?

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) It’s dwarven-made, about 500 gold. Is that fine?

“What the hell…?”

Why so expensive? Does it have diamonds embedded or what?

It was a price that far exceeded my expectations.

If 300 gold was a commoner’s monthly expense, this surpassed it by a lot.

Maybe it was expensive because in novels dwarven stuff is always expensive, but I didn’t know if that also applied in this world.

ㄴWildGrills) Why so expensive;; is it gold-plated or what?

ㄴIt’s dwarven. Obviously it’s expensive

ㄴActually, isn’t it even cheap? It’s a crossbow

ㄴCrossbows vary a lot depending on the maker

ㄴAfter swords, crossbows are the worst in that regard

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Take into account the modification cost. It really is cheap. I’m telling you because I feel bad

ㄴWildGrills) And what do you feel bad about?

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) That earlier I told you to become fertilizer. I didn’t think it was that serious

ㄴWildGrills) Hmm. And how much does a normal crossbow cost?

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) I don’t know much about human ones

ㄴAbout 30 gold or so

ㄴYeah, normal bows are around 10

ㄴWildGrills) What kind of bullshit premium is that?

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) If you don’t like it, don’t buy it

ㄴWildGrills) Hey, hey. I never said I wasn’t going to buy it

ㄴHahaha look how his attitude changed

Either way, this was an opportunity.

Only DwarfPassingBy could give me the crossbow in the shape I wanted.

It was expensive, but since it was trusted dwarven craftsmanship, I could pay for it.

Even if it were a scam, it would be enough to just not buy from him again. In the worst case, I’d look for a crossbow from someone else.

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) More than a crossbow, the best option is still the bow. That’s proven even in the Watermelon Treaty of the World Tree

ㄴWhat’s with this elf?

ㄴHere he goes again with the Watermelon Treaty of the World Tree joke

ㄴHistorically speaking, he’s not wrong…

ㄴEverything is in the Watermelon Treaty of the World Tree, right?

ㄴWildGrills) I’m using a crossbow because it’s urgent. I don’t know how to use bows

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) I see. Then how about you take this chance to practice archery and understand the greatness of the elves?

ㄴGreatness my ass hahaha

ㄴThere are tons who shoot better than elves hahaha

ㄴHere the elves go again…

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) But in general terms, the symbol of the elf is the bow. Let me ask you the other way around when you think of bows, which race comes to mind?

ㄴDamn, it annoys me but it’s true, I have nothing to say

ㄴFemale elves do shoot well, that can’t be denied hahaha

ㄴAnd what good is that? If they don’t have a vanguard, they get wiped anyway hahaha

Unlike the imperialism that permeated everything, it seemed to be common knowledge that the bow was the symbol of the elves.

At least, that matched my own common sense. I left a comment on the already noisy post.

ㄴWildGrills) In my country too, they shot real bows very well

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Were your ancestors elves, perhaps?

ㄴWildGrills) No…

ㄴHahaha look at that zero prejudice

ㄴI don’t know if that’s good or bad hahaha

ㄴWildGrills) And in the world where I lived there were only humans

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Only humans in the world? That’s impossible!

ㄴHe said he came from another world. You have to understand him

ㄴPoor guy, let’s let it slide

ㄴIt’s a concept hahaha

It’s not a concept, it’s the truth, but they don’t believe me. Well, it doesn’t really matter that much.

Believe it or not, the only thing I need is to survive here.

ㄴBut humans shoot bows well, right?

ㄴWildGrills) Yes, they shoot very well. I don’t, though

ㄴAny reason? Something about racial traits or something?

ㄴWildGrills) Because there were many countries we wanted to shoot at from above and from below

ㄴHAHAHAHAHAHA

ㄴHAHAHAHAHAHA

ㄴIs this guy crazy or what? HAHAHAHAHAHA

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Hey. I finished the modification. Open the trade

While we were waiting, it seemed that DwarfPassingBy had finished modifying it.

I opened the trade immediately.

A crossbow made by dwarves.

How good would it be?

I hoped it was truly worth what it cost.

[DwarfPassingBy has registered an object for the trade.]

[DwarfPassingBy: I added the harpoon-type bolts you mentioned and also some normal bolts. But keep in mind that the harpoon-type bolts have a damn short range.]

[WildGrills: How short?]

[DwarfPassingBy: The maximum range is around 50 meters.]

About 50 meters.

Hearing that, I recalled the width of the stream where the golden poison frog lived.

It was narrow enough to call it a stream and not a river.

It wasn’t wide, just absurdly deep.

But considering the golden frog’s spit, the range was dangerously tight.

It would be best to hide and attack by surprise.

[WildGrills: Okay, then. I already put in the money.]

[DwarfPassingBy: Just in case, I also included some gloves.]

[WildGrills: How much are those? I’ll give you more money.]

[DwarfPassingBy: Don’t be an idiot and just accept them;;]

He had already given me even toilet paper, so I felt awkward accepting more things, and now gloves on top of that.

If I touched the frog wrong, it could end very badly, so they were quite appropriate.

Later, if I got good medicinal herbs, I should give them to him.

Or hides.

Being a blacksmith, he would probably prefer hides over herbs.

‘Let’s see he sent it in a box.’

When the trade ended, a box appeared.

I opened the lid of the perfectly square box.

Upon opening it, the first thing I saw was the crossbow along with the gloves.

Then there was a bottle stored inside, something I absolutely did not expect.

‘And what is this?’

It was a brown bottle with a cork stopper.

As soon as I saw it, I understood.

Alcohol.

I remembered that the dwarf had said earlier that he would give me alcohol so I wouldn’t kill myself.

Did he really give me alcohol?

Every time I saw him, he seemed softer-hearted than he appeared.

‘I’ll drink this later.’

Alcohol would later serve as an anesthetic or sedative.

Alcohol numbs pain, even if only a little.

I carefully placed the bottle against the wall so it wouldn’t break and checked the crossbow.

It was generally black, and being dwarven-made, the design was quite elegant.

‘It’s connected to the bolt.’

The harpoon-shaped bolt was connected to the crossbow by a thin rope.

I more or less understood how it was used.

It had to be tested.

The crossbow was difficult to manufacture, but using it shouldn’t be that complicated.

I placed my foot on the front part, on a sort of support.

That was how it was used.

Then I fixed the crossbow to the ground with my foot and pulled the string to load it.

Clack.

“Huh?”

But what’s with this?

I was a bit bewildered.

I pulled the string, but it didn’t move.

My body jerked sharply.

At first, I thought it was stuck on something.

But when I applied more force, the string slowly began to rise.

“Gaaaaaah!”

I had to shout and use maximum strength to load it completely.

I breathed heavily, completely incredulous.

What kind of crossbow was this that even loading it was so difficult?

Was this normal?

In a world where there are guys who destroy mountains with their fists, it wasn’t impossible.

I sighed and loaded the bolt.

First, the harpoon-type bolt.

The others had to be stored.

This one could be reused.

‘It has a stock, so aiming will be easy.’

It was also quite light for its size, which made aiming easier.

I left the cave and aimed at a tree some distance away.

Shooting at the rock wall could damage the harpoon, so a tree was best.

‘Hold your breath…’

Fwooom!

When I pulled the trigger, the air tore with a violent sound.

The tension was so strong that even my hair was stirred by the wind.

Thud!

The harpoon shot out and cleanly pierced the center of the trunk.

It didn’t lodge in.

It went straight through.

A terrifying power.

With this, that golden frog wouldn’t stand a chance.

It wouldn’t even know what hit it.

‘Now I understand why it was so expensive.’

I clicked my tongue at a power that exceeded all expectations

and retrieved the harpoon.

Thanks to the rope, retrieving it was easy.

‘Even so, I need to practice.’

I wanted to immediately go hunt the golden poison frog, but the more urgent something is, the slower you must proceed.

The reload speed was terribly slow.

I would only have one chance.

A single opportunity to cut off its breath.

If I missed, I would have to flee immediately.

The moment the venom reached me, I would be dead.

I had to prepare thoroughly if I wanted to drink water peacefully in the future.

It wasn’t that I had been blinded by AllFather’s 20,000 gold.

Not at all.

‘Even if it’s out of sheer disgust, tomorrow I’m taking a shower.’

I had gone two days without bathing and already felt repulsive.

At least the climate was mild.

If it had been humid and heavy, it would have been hell.

I kept practicing until dawn.

Pulling the string became a bit easier.

When night began to fall, I returned to the cave.

‘With the remaining money…’

After buying the crossbow, I had about 100 gold left.

With that, I would buy everything possible.

The most urgent thing was a snake or insect repellent.

So far I had been lucky, but I could wake up bitten by a viper or a venomous insect.

I also needed antidotes and medicine.

Especially antidotes.

Because of the frog, they were mandatory.

‘At the auction house there’s everything but it’s insanely expensive.’

The absurd commissions suffocated you.

Even without intermediaries, it was still too expensive.

Even so, I couldn’t not buy them.

Holding back tears, I bought a vial of antidote.

Just in case it was a scam, I read the reviews carefully.

‘I’ll buy this repellent.’

After buying several things, I only had 20 gold left.

It didn’t hurt.

It was the price of staying alive.

I sprayed the repellent at the entrance of the cave and near where I slept.

I didn’t know if it would work, but I had to believe it would.

I even read the reviews.

Crunch, crunch.

“Ugh… it tastes damn awful.”

I didn’t forget to have a few fasting pills for dinner.

The bitter taste of herbs spread through my mouth.

For now, I would have to survive on these pills.

Endure, there was no other option.

“Gnnng…”

After eating them, I tried to sit in the lotus position.

It still wasn’t time to sleep.

As soon as I adopted the posture, the pain in my joints was brutal, but I endured it.

According to the Heavenly Demon, that was how mana circulation and internal techniques were practiced.

She said she would teach me, so for now it was enough to practice the posture.

‘In a week will I get used to it?’

Flexibility doesn’t improve overnight.

I would have to put in effort for several days.

But since there was nothing better to do before sleeping, time was plentiful.

If I were at home, I would be playing video games nonstop.

‘Good thing the gallery exists.’

While practicing the lotus posture, I continued browsing the gallery.

The gallery played a huge role.

Human beings do not handle loneliness well.

That’s why they are called social animals.

Robinson Crusoe?

I remembered a novel about someone stranded on an island who treated a ball as if it were a person.

That proves how vital communication is.

Now, the gallery fulfilled that role.

‘It’s time to sleep.’

Time flew by while browsing the gallery.

I released the posture.

Curiously, while I was sitting, I had forgotten the pain.

But as soon as I became aware of it, it returned with full force.

I endured the joint pain and prepared the place to sleep.

During the day it was warm, but at night the temperature dropped.

Fire was indispensable.

Crackle, crackle.

I used the ignition stone the Heavenly Demon gave me and wood from outside.

The cave felt a little warmer.

On the first day I was so tired that I didn’t even feel the cold.

I almost died bitten by Mad Dogs, after all.

I added some more firewood and wrote a post in the gallery.

Title) End of day 1 of survival

WildGrills

(Photo of a line marked on the wall)

(Photo of a bonfire burning)

With this, day 1 of survival ends.

Now to sleep.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) You worked hard. Rest well.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Rest well.

ㄴIs this officially day 1?

ㄴSeems like it. If it gets cut off…

ㄴUgh;; bad feeling

ㄴStarlightLady) Let’s keep going together. I’ll wait for day 2.

ㄴMayfly life vs terminal illness

ㄴMy chest tightens, uff

ㄴThanks for supporting WildGrills until now

ㄴStarlightLady) You all are really awful

Yes.

What could I expect from those idiots?

Ah, just in case, I’m referring to the anonymous users, not the fixed IDs.

The fixed IDs usually encourage.

The anonymous ones no need to explain.

‘Well, it’s something.’

I smiled faintly and closed the gallery.

Then I lay down on the hard stone floor.

If tomorrow I hunted the golden frog, maybe I would buy a blanket.

Or a pillow.

I was so exhausted that even those thoughts didn’t last long.

Sleep enveloped me.

Slowly, my eyelids closed and the sounds of insects faded away.

‘I want to go home.’

With that desperate wish, my consciousness completely went out.

T/N:

(1): PrincessChangu I changed the name to DemonPrincess I will keep changing the names for better differentiation.