Chapter 12: Golden Poison Frog (2)

Sleeping in nature without any kind of protection is, generally speaking, extremely dangerous.

Without going any further, just yesterday I was on the verge of dying while sleeping after being attacked by a Mad Dog.

But if one stays awake through the night, the physical capabilities of the human body plummet.

If there is no choice but to sleep, the best thing to do is prepare every possible defense.

That’s why I invested a fortune in snake and insect repellents.

I blocked the cave entrance in a rudimentary way with wood and rocks, and just in case, I left the sword right beside me.

Thanks to that, I was able to spend a relatively safe night.

Title) Strong and powerful tomorrow!

WildGrills

(Photo of the cave slightly illuminated)

If you ask who I am, I’m WildGrills!

ㄴYou’re still alive, huh haha

ㄴLast time the Mad Dogs almost killed you

ㄴSo today is day 2?

ㄴWildGrills) Yes, but my mouth is twisted. I’m screwed

ㄴhahaha

ㄴhahahaha

ㄴSleeping on the cold ground does that hahaha

ㄴStay strong hahaha

ㄴWildGrills) Plus my whole body hurts;;

Maybe it was from sleeping on hard stone, or maybe because I didn’t have a pillow, but my whole body ached.

And not only that—even my mouth was twisted. Probably because of the cold at dawn, when dew forms.

I hurried to relight the firewood that had almost gone out. Heat was indispensable.

Good thing I used the clothes DemonPrincess gave me as a substitute blanket; otherwise, it would have been dangerous.

‘But isn’t it too cold?’

‘Did it rain at dawn?’

The day I was bitten by the Mad Dogs, it wasn’t this cold.

After warming up, I left the cave and confirmed that it had rained during the early morning.

‘Did the temperature drop this much just because it rained?’

On top of that, there was fog, which made visibility much worse. Shivering, I went back into the cave.

It was so cold that I even put on the uniform DemonPrincess gave me. It was surprisingly warm.

For now, I’ll stay inside until the fog clears. Then I’ll go hunt the golden frog.

‘It’s six. I woke up too early.’

In the forest, the sun sets early, and you end up sleeping early too.

Luckily, thanks to the gallery, I didn’t completely lose track of time.

First, I handled breakfast simply with a few fasting pills, and decided to wait until the weather fully improved.

‘Until then, I’ll practice the lotus posture.’

Even though my body hurt, it was just stiffness. With some stretching it should get better.

After stretching a bit, I sat down with effort in the lotus position. Surprisingly, it was much better than yesterday.

Yesterday the pain felt like my joints were being twisted; today it only hurt a little and that was it.

‘Not bad…’

Moreover, I felt my body full of energy.

Maybe it was because of the fasting pills HeavenlyDemon gave me. She said they were made with various herbs, so it made sense.

Grrrrr—

“Ah.”

On the other hand, my stomach kept hurting. And since it was stomach pain, the matter was serious.

Luckily, I had the toilet paper DwarfPassingBy gave me; otherwise, I would have gone through several crises.

I made sure to clean properly so the smell wouldn’t spread. Later, I’ll have to make a latrine.

‘Time to prepare.’

I gathered everything necessary to hunt the golden poison frog.

The crossbow, the sword of Heavenly demon, and the golden shield SunForEver gave me.

Could I carry all that? Yes.

I separated fibers from the trees and made an improvised rope.

‘It’s temporary, but sturdy.’

The shield would go on my back, the sword at my waist.

The crossbow, due to its size, I would carry in my hand.

With the antidote ready, I was prepared for any emergency.

‘I have to think about blocking with the shield.’

Before leaving, I posted a message in the gallery.

This hunt could be my end, so I had to leave a record.

Title) On the go!

WildGrills

(Photo holding the crossbow)

It’s 20,000 gold. Here I go.

ㄴOh, he’s finally going haha

ㄴWhat if there are no more updates after this?

ㄴThen he dies, right? Haha

ㄴAaah, dieee T_T

ㄴStarlightLady) Please, encourage him a little……

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) If the situation becomes dangerous, start a trade with me immediately

ㄴHe won’t even have time to trade haha

ㄴIf it hits him once, it’s over~

ㄴDo you really think they’ll give him 20,000 gold? Haha

That last comment was quite accurate.

Even if I hunted the golden frog, would Allfather really pay 20,000 gold?

Even if he didn’t, it didn’t matter too much. To get clean water, I had to hunt it no matter what.

If he pays, great.

If he plays dumb, I just won’t deal with him again.

‘Or I can give it to him as disposal.’

It has venom, so handling it will be complicated, like a pufferfish.

Risking my life for that isn’t worth it; I’d rather roast insects.

Besides, mishandling the corpse could affect both the water and me.

So giving it to Allfather serves to get rid of the problem and look good.

‘Right now, the important thing is staying alive.’

After briefly checking the comments, I cautiously left the cave.

The dawn dew had already dissipated and the sun was somewhat high.

Even so, I moved carefully in case another beast appeared.

‘When I can, I’ll have to build a fence.’

Blocking only the cave entrance isn’t enough. If an Owlbear destroys it, it’s over.

We’ll have to take advantage of the narrow passage, but if the entrance collapses, it will be too late.

The best thing is to gradually build a palisade with the nearby trees.

‘Then I’ll need an axe and a knife, not just the sword.’

If I’m going to settle here, I’ll need many tools.

Luckily, thanks to the gallery, buying isn’t difficult as long as you have money.

If I get those 20,000 gold, I plan to buy everything necessary.

‘Food is better hunted by myself.’

With those absurd commissions, buying food is a luxury.

And besides, the reliability is terrible.

If there were chicken or pizza, that would be different. But that doesn’t exist here.

I could buy ingredients, but almost no one sells them.

The market commissions are so brutal that no one lists products.

And the few that exist have very questionable expiration dates.

‘But salt I definitely have to buy.’

Even if it’s expensive, salt is indispensable for survival.

Someone once said that a measure of salt is worth the same as one of gold.

That’s how important it is.

On Earth, food already comes seasoned by default, so there’s no problem, but in this world it’s not like that.

Given the era that is perceived—somewhere between medieval and pre-modern—salt is an extremely valuable resource.

Ssshhh—

While I was thinking about all kinds of things to settle down, without realizing it I arrived at the stream.

Maybe because of the rain at dawn, or perhaps for some other reason, the current seemed stronger than yesterday.

Even so, the water was so clear that the bottom could be seen with total clarity.

‘How do I lure that frog?’

I had already arrived, but I wasn’t sure how to make the frog appear.

I couldn’t just wait forever.

Should I put my arm in the water like yesterday?

But then there would have been no point in bringing the crossbow.

Ideally, I should hunt it when it hasn’t detected me.

Since it’s a venomous creature, I have to be even more careful.

Splash!

While I hesitated, I heard something emerge from the stream.

I looked in that direction.

Something golden, the size of a dog, leaped high into the air.

It had in its mouth a fish almost as big as a salmon.

Shortly after, a completely golden frog landed on a rock in the middle of the stream.

The fact that the fish’s tail was still thrashing outside its mouth indicated that it had just hunted.

‘What luck.’

Just as Allfather said, it’s a creature active in the morning.

I hid among the bushes and silently aimed with the crossbow.

There was only one chance.

If I missed, who knew when another opportunity would present itself.

Holding my breath, I aimed carefully.

The distance was greater than during yesterday’s practice.

Even so, being a crossbow personally modified by a dwarf, it should hit if I aimed well.

Besides, the frog was almost the size of a dog, so there was no risk of missing.

“Croak.”

“……”

The moment it finished its meal, I held my breath.

Click!

I pulled the trigger.

The harpoon-shaped bolt shot out with force, and the rope connected to it stretched behind.

There was a slight wobble, but the harpoon flew straight toward the frog.

Thud! Splash!

The harpoon struck the frog’s body, and from the recoil it fell into the stream.

“Good…! Huh?”

My joy was short-lived.

The crossbow almost slipped from my hands.

I didn’t know if it was still alive or if it was because of the current, but the frog struggled with such force that I was about to let go.

Thus began the fishing session.

I dropped the crossbow and grabbed the rope connected to the harpoon, pulling with all my strength.

Good thing I was wearing gloves; if I had done it barehanded, I would have seriously cut myself.

“Graaah!”

I clenched my teeth and pulled hard.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the frog to come out of the water.

When I confirmed it was out, I brought both hands together.

They were burning like hell.

‘Ugh… good thing there are no wounds.’

When I took off the gloves, there were only deep marks, but no open wounds.

I massaged my palms repeatedly.

Then, I carefully pulled the rope to observe the frog pierced by the harpoon.

Its long tongue and the fish it had just eaten hung out of its mouth.

It wasn’t moving at all. It was dead, without a doubt.

“Hehehe.”

This dog-sized creature was worth 20,000 gold?

I twisted into a crooked smile.

20,000 gold equals about 200 million won.

No matter how abusive the market commissions were, with that amount you could do anything.

Even so, it was better to handle it carefully.

Even though I was wearing gloves, there was always the “just in case.”

“Croak.”

“Huh?”

Was it still alive?

I frowned at the sound of the golden frog croaking.

But when I checked it again, it was still dead, tongue out.

Besides, that sound didn’t come from it.

‘If it wasn’t this one…’

With a bad feeling, I turned my head toward the stream.

“Croak croak croak.”

“Croak. Croak.”

“Croak.”

And then I saw it clearly.

Several golden frogs sitting on the rocks.

If the one I hunted was the size of a small dog, those were the size of large toads.

The real problem was the number.

They looked like an entire family, there were quite a few.

‘…First, let’s take some pictures.’

Carefully backing away, I took photos.

It’s not that I was addicted to the gallery, I was simply curious to see what face Allfather would make when he saw this.

If I hunted those too, would he pay 20,000 gold for each one?

Or less?

Before that how was I going to get water from now on?

I hadn’t bathed in days already and felt disgusting.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Kaak!”

The golden frogs threw their heads back at the same time.

It was the signal that they were about to fire venom.

One alone would still be manageable, but several at once left no room to dodge.

I quickly pulled out the golden shield I was carrying on my back.

“Tuu!”

“Tu!”

“Pu!”

Jets of golden venom shot out.

Quickly stepping back, I blocked them with the shield.

Maybe because it wasn’t acid but only venom, the shield didn’t melt.

Or perhaps it was simply very high quality.

Later I’ll have to thank SunForEver.

For now, what mattered was getting back to the cave.

‘Damn it.’

I managed to return to the cave and let out a long sigh.

One problem after another.

Even so, it wasn’t a hunt in vain.

I had captured the golden poison frog that seemed to be the leader.

I’ll have to console myself thinking about those 20,000 gold.

The water problem will have to be solved calmly.

Title) What a pathetic creature

WildGrills

(Photo of the golden poison frog pierced by the harpoon)

Frog eliminated

ㄴDamn… look at that size lol