Chapter 13: Golden Poison Frog (3)
h67oJRealizing that even Allfather was close to being abnormal was only momentary.qWVE
wviASoon I went back to worrying about the problem of drinking water.vQSecon
KuGooIt’s not like I have resistance to poison, much less when the venom of the golden poison frog is so brutal.IQDFR
5MbiavSo brutal that it melts wood while crackling.bpvzDnf
tGWyieAIf it hits me, it’s over.ueHAJ
ifYKRI bought an antidote just in case, but I didn’t know if it would really work.qVtm
eBYi1cThat’s why I thought about asking Allfather for something else.brI
vil29XNot money, but something more valuable.nvEy27
IuK[WildGrills: Hello. You are Allfather, right?]Zfz
RQc[Allfather: Yes. I am Allfather. Thank you for requesting the transaction.]94yY5zu
qX5Smv8As soon as I sent him the trade request, he responded immediately.nkiPq1U
CHj9oHis way of speaking was much more polite than the others.15aNC
DQbHCDrFrom how he immediately recognized the golden poison frog and from his usual posts in the gallery, he seemed like an academic, almost like a professor.OafJzU
d96And on top of that, an absurdly rich one.Zi7Y
EpMSpending 20,000 gold on a single frog—I couldn’t even imagine what he did for a living.lvH
Kse[WildGrills: You need the frog, correct? I’ll register it right now.]sBvvqx
dS0W3[Allfather: Thank you. I will also register the 20,000 gold as promised. By the way, do you know that when trading more than 10,000 gold your location is sent to the moderator?]kaNWFV3
9B8KZaV[WildGrills: Yes. I know.]v6ctx
oOMzQTo prevent abuse, when trading an amount greater than 10,000 gold, the location is automatically sent to the moderator.iW30
htBv1DZIllegal money laundering, mass purchasing of war supplies, that kind of thing.IRhREA
ikLZ7XPAlthough gold loaded in the gallery cannot be withdrawn as cash, there are still many ways to abuse the system.JbA95
C3JqyVIn my case, being in the Forest of Four Seasons, it didn’t matter much either.cjC8k
TGBiEAnd if my location was sent, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.EsK5
hM9[WildGrills: Before that, could I ask you one more favor? If you agree, I’ll lower the price to 15,000 gold.]e6sIni6
HvhVJx[Allfather: Hm? What kind of favor is it?]MNAm3W
lq76j[WildGrills: I need a proper antidote for the venom of the golden poison frog. As you may have seen in my posts, it’s very difficult for me to obtain water.]rE3L
E06wqiThere might be other rivers nearby.PBhOeB
URR4But the closest one is that stream.YvTKpP
ZOo6UAs long as the golden poison frog remains there, forget about bathing—even getting drinking water is a problem.CAnUyVP
XjeINmSearching for another river could make me lose my bearings, and that would be hell.4Cf2UE
Jgr7gOv[Allfather: I more or less understand what you mean. I accept the favor. I actually wanted to investigate that as well.]VfTIzs
jILx4[WildGrills: Thank you very much. Then we’ll deduct 5,000 gold for the antidote. Would having more samples make the research easier?]sPqdL
ds4[Allfather: Of course. But the golden poison frog is a very scarce species, so be careful not to drive it to extinction.]lnMsp
csrgwHonestly, that didn’t matter to me much anymore.FCz
SeCTYmKNo matter how valuable the species was, was it more important than my life?jjck
t6QHtIf the antidote worked, good.itK
qeem5dFIf not, I would have to exterminate them.PG68OPR
81NyI had just realized how crucial a stable water supply was.YhB
N7vX7ovBesides, not being able to bathe was driving me to the brink of madness.lcRt2
7d3Rgff[Allfather: If you discover rare plants or animals, or something you have not seen before, please post about it. I will respond within the limits of my knowledge.]8e7h
dCzn[WildGrills: Thank you. We will see each other again.]RMjD2bF
xZ08XiQ[Allfather: It is rare to find someone in the gallery as polite as you, Mr. Grills. Please stay safe.]Aj4b
FsGmTrzThus ended the transaction with Allfather.32yJKd
6K8px7UAs soon as it finished, I checked the gold loaded in the gallery.FzyVT
XysOljAfter deducting a small commission, I had almost 15,000 gold.8EAqinJ
WSSZWith that, I could buy all kinds of things at the auction house.yQE
giaFI already knew what I needed.rBwW
FEW‘Before that, I should ask the moderator exactly where I am.’gVW9
9dIWhen trading more than 10,000 gold, the location is sent to the moderator.8kfk
A3hhIt is a rule to prevent abuse, but it could also be used the other way around.pFm
ZArI didn’t know how the moderator was chosen or under what criteria, but surely there had been others before.UFUTCc
3r2DFor a moment I became curious about the history of the gallery, but that wasn’t important now.nkS
I4FQ97iTitle) Moderator, can you see my location?SzmB
gg1pWildGrillsh5aJZ8
VFbI just traded with Allfather. Can you see where I am?cXdSK
XFPySㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Yes! It shows up as the Forest of Four Seasons. Right in the center!VaHEO8R
z79j1kㄴWildGrills) Ah, fuckWVpt
AfBㄴHahaA7JIpS
9shdOㄴHahahacv1mR
uqNhLZKㄴLolEDr76kp
jlC4uMrㄴAbandon all hope hahahaxpVn
41yBAㄴForest of Four Seasons certified by the moderator hahahaGku7kR
CSbmI shouldn’t have asked.hzb6h
CKeSlBFI suppressed the wave of despair that washed over me.BcK
OJEGPThe Forest of Four Seasons was supposed to block access to the gallery, but I was an exception.ivv1s
wEjSR6On top of that, my location was clearly marked.3xutH
Ef6QXWho the hell had made such a cruel joke?6TRV
3VctSI didn’t understand it at all.zE8Et0
vXdzㄴWildGrills) No lying, is it serious?bX3
yBBwDjMㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Yes! I swear it on my holy sword!Cxyb
DRk4P1JㄴGrills… it’s time to give up…goESP7
pIOFBkㄴYou’ll have to live theredigjDK
4tlnLIBastards.GTwsgqi
O4wepHJWasn’t escaping even an option?PyNY8c5
LDuAlIf even the moderator confirmed it, all I could do was sigh bitterly.qDtp
BpSjzpYEven the slightest hope had vanished.D55S
qvBnMicEscaping was also difficult because, even crossing the stream, the terrain kept constantly changing.hTPfAL
5yHbw6RMy range of movement was extremely limited.PKH5v
VWw‘Fine. I’ll survive here. And someday I’ll escape.’SPZas
RYgPEven if it takes years, I want to see civilization again.EOj
DT3fTI opened the gallery and wrote a new post.EFF
VPY44zNot to complain, but to ask what I would need from now on.2yLE
SMLJgXTitle) Survival experts, helpfFXLoP
km4X5WildGrillsxC6ex
MeJQYhjIt seems I’ll have to live in the forest.jmh9C9
LdnBI plan to buy things.1Tmmrtg
O0i5KBFor now I thought of an axe, knife, shovel, hammer, emergency rations, water, soap, medicines… Anything else I should get?fCyhtZO
7QewfyㄴIf you can, use unscented soap. The smell can attract bears.gbe
ivU2ㄴIf you know how to set traps, place them around. Although I don’t know if that will work in the Forest of Four Seasons.USNm
Gm7VㄴIt’s important to collect charcoal. It can be used to purify water or even to brush your teeth.ftEK
HvaㄴIt’s useful, but because of the temperature it could attract snakes.29R3KLN
2N22CㄴDo not eat mushrooms under any circumstances, unless it’s an emergency.9GXbPII
ayObJ1FThey weren’t saying it sarcastically; surprisingly, they were giving me very useful advice.TFb
vUJNl9cEspecially the part about charcoal—I didn’t know that.QRSS
3u2nThe snake issue could be solved with the repellent.aXcK
FJxsiNTThat’s what I had spent so much money on.5UgOkli
1CJg9tㄴNo one knows what’s in the Forest of Four Seasons, so anything could be dangerous2QCHi
qtDmJㄴIn that place, the best thing is to learn everything through direct experience, right?JvgPl
9xLdㄴYes, that’s correctwUYaM
RQKbInㄴWhen else are you going to have the chance to enter the Forest of Four Seasons? hahahaumj
lwbBut in the end, all of that was still just the most basic of the basics for normal wilderness living.aVXs
0mGUx2Living in the Forest of Four Seasons is something I am doing for the first time.6Uf2lI
5RKLdJust thinking about frogs the size of dogs makes it impossible to know what else might be out there.QqA50
Jw1That is the reality.phaXOe
CpW8qp‘Even so, first I have to buy what I need.’Qv3eBJD
sETUuq6I began buying the items the adventurers recommended one by one.TTNshSY
yAXCfOXIt’s best to use this cave as a base point.VDNae
H38Lastly, I bought large sheets of paper, a quill, and ink.NyLT
yLG7VYSince the compass doesn’t work, I plan to create a map using only my sense of direction.rd2wyWa
4oR‘I especially need to mark the areas where the terrain constantly changes.’Upuc
ZW5yIt’s very likely that not only the stream behaves that way.YZE3
7WWKnowing those zones will make moving around easier.ZAzK3
XQPhrJHIt’s also wise to mark areas where dangerous beasts appear.L6YAp
gEJZMore precisely, their territories.0Cp
konsEMaybe the reason other beasts hadn’t appeared until now was because this place was Mad Dogs territory.DFdI
9dW3But that won’t last long.uZL
QX5Last time, an Owlbear calmly ate the corpse of a Mad Dog.wLFE
2hwnThere’s no guarantee that Owlbear won’t appear again.Tfu3N
nBrDHZBSo I have to prepare.E60
e9GaQy4“Hmm……”LZGoBT2
gqgeNoI crossed my arms while looking at the items I had bought.kMW
JkhUsZCWhat should I do first?Za1XCoF
Bs1zdgThey say when you’re truly busy, there are so many things to do that you don’t even know where to start.yrPD8
4j8bdkrThat was exactly my case.DF78
c93ZvnsShould I build a fence first to secure the area, or explore the surroundings a bit more?esSxQg
JkzuThe first option takes too much time.IbBSS
FiCkAThe second is unsettling.LQxudkJ
Vj7Ei‘I don’t know how long it would take to build a fence.’ViOPv
ynnG7In situations like this, the best thing is to ask.Trvb
RzXZI opened the gallery and wrote a post.Nrz4
bQSCIf it turned out it would take too long, then I would explore around.pid
gCWQbTitle) I’m going to put up a fence near my house, give me advicep2iDXjf
rD2WildGrillsoxZJy9
RrP4I want to build a fence to keep out intruders, any advice?pjBSMX
2lZOkcㄴDwarfPassingBy) Do you know how to build a fence?hPbPB
z32WㄴWildGrills) Like, just boom boom?eoKfZnX
WtJ4ㄴDwarfPassingBy) …DZ66W
C8mWdmLㄴBoom boom hahahaKuwnIW
lfyㄴWhat a great answer hahaha3Je
T3bfy5ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Actually, what you’re thinking of isn’t a fence, but a wall. You said there’s an Owlbear nearby, right?cxTVtOz
cpjFㄴWildGrills) Yes, that’s right5xxVht
SysCWtmㄴDwarfPassingBy) Then it’s better to place traps near the entrance. For a wall, calculate at least one or two monthscZ0z3F
yPqszㄴWildGrills) One or two months? Even if it’s made of wood?qmbz
wys1OwㄴDwarfPassingBy) If you don’t believe me, try building one right nowNff
FhvㄴWildGrills) OK, waitEcMByo
ZsuZA9BReally?dnZCsTz
FbH3ZfEven though I looked at it suspiciously, I took action.T57L
h10TIn the end, more than words, facts matter.qi0suXS
cL2pThere are trees everywhere here, so getting materials is easy.tQX
8g55vEzI had also bought an axe for chopping.DUwu
nffUxO4‘The axe is heavier than I thought.’HHO
qR6u4Even holding it with both hands, it feels heavy.kja
LbNI stood in front of a suitably sized tree.4UjAQ
9KKOIt was a straight tree, perfectly vertical.Szg4
0XF6LIdeal for building a wall.ePe5B3Z
qBjCpacEven so, a month sounded exaggerated.hvOY0
GGBDConfidently, I swung the axe.D1Qy
mMfCrack!MaX1
mLTLF‘You can tell it’s a new axe, it cuts well.’9zVnyu
P0CHWith this, it shouldn’t take long.Qiav
i1HfwDwarfPassingBy was underestimating me.YRywI
dlxnXD“Pant… pant…”Qts
7kcKPUCorrection.mLWi
TIQSkaSHe wasn’t underestimating me. He was being completely objective.MQ0RJ
7IBe0JI looked at the tree while breathing heavily.faXmk
YVT2Despite striking it with all my strength, I hadn’t even cut halfway through.X0xma
NbQLThe surface was manageable, but the closer I got to the center, the harder the trunk felt.5FXZ
gugqF‘Now I understand why lumberjacks are so respectable.’bFeZ
YU6LzRThose lumberjacks who constantly appear in stories were truly incredible people.zCDaBl
BB7No wonder many of them had several children.ECK
GOlfI wiped the sweat off and looked at the half-cut tree.uz8n
qYaH5eIf cutting just one tree was already this exhausting, building a wall was out of the question.hC3cu8
D6fte6In the end, a human being, as an individual, is extremely weak.OwevF3
WXzI had no choice but to postpone building the wall.giR
Cn2YJust as DwarfPassingBy said, it’s better to set traps.CGBn7
UuLdQB1Title) Damn, why is the tree so hard?7OENE01
ra1BEVWildGrillsnjOzf
urx(Photo of a slightly cut tree)1lB1eSE
Vg8I’m dead tiredD7B
RklㄴNow that you tried it, do you see how hard it is?ohOyIpc
1lISfetㄴDid you think logging was a joke?C8rhM
pv3lㄴThanks to others doing the hard work, you lived comfortably, right? hahahaqtI
JGQukKㄴWildGrills) Sorry. I won’t act smart againp39
IvkeXIlㄴSwordTasteMaster) If you learn the mana training method, it will be a bit less tiringcT1N8X
ifJiㄴHeavenlyDemon) The one above is right. So start by practicing the meditation postureaGMUgJ
ty0s8hfㄴWildGrills) Yes… I willPvk2z4l
rVEbP4GㄴLooks like he lost all confidenceItJjnK4
lXoyrㄴBetter that than dying from trying to act brave2PfG71
XsACrㄴDwarfPassingBy) Don’t act smart again hahaBGveR0
nEMcXQㄴWildGrills) Yes, brotherXH4rK1D
40bCㄴHe became respectful hahahaPyf4jFw
thZx1ㄴTotally hahahaHDt
ettbxJJThanks to this, I was able to clearly decide the plan.eqKJwbZ
JHC0I’ll place traps near the entrance of the cave; only I will know where they are.X34tq9
XNUDrThe wall will come later, once I’ve trained in that internal method or whatever it is.SMUSlt
k9nRLRight now, the energy consumption is too high.sMfr
rOn7‘Digging also takes a huge amount of time.’lvznxHM
PnaVHaving done military service, I know very well how exhausting digging is.rzKL
uMtADY9For a single trench, it takes three or four people working all day.DhlWik
I2yygIIAnd considering the size of the Owlbear I saw before, I would have to dig a ditch much deeper than my own height.pxy6m
8AV‘This is really discouraging.’TvL8fu
Lxb18Nothing is easy.H7V
pOFU9SIn nature, human beings are far too powerless.vk0y
VR6y12sBut give up?7tuY
ty28WNever.a8Q2
CeiGrain by grain, a mountain is formed.UXJru
3YqIf I keep putting in effort little by little, someday I’ll see results.pRvC
O3Q‘First I’ll dig deeply only near the entrance. The rest later. I can also buy a tarp at the auction to camouflage it.’sAst5m9
FHdWkSsWhile thinking about traps, a good idea came to me.4sL
J3CNot just traps, but digging around the entrance and the cave.wKw3amJ
FOFDpmSLike the moats that surrounded ancient castles.ExK
BVixIf I can prevent external intrusions, that will be enough.IVU9w
72gGr0For now, the wall can just be made of earth.yQMlc
BgXd3Later, with time, I’ll reinforce it with wood.UCQ
4XRzmWV‘Good. Let’s do it now.’2trMaV
6nP7Planning is useless if you don’t act.NmQOs
v3VI designed the area around the cave entrance.dk3E
ffKhT7Where to dig the ditch, where to raise a temporary earthen wall, and finally, the access point where I would enter.NUwrK
cQmhXhdIt won’t be perfect, but at least it will protect me.sz2LFuR
d8VyClack!tHES
wc5touI began digging the soil with the shovel.BQbz
wM6Thanks to the rain at dawn, the ground was somewhat soft.RGku
6yShMaybe logging is hard, but digging is a bit easier.VnQug
n7QPElSAlthough it still takes a lot of time.Qbf
qCm8Gg‘Let’s go little by little.’BFzJa
WEUoO7xThe construction of the shelter, which I began with so much enthusiasm.LLr5pgy
k3L“My whole body hurts…”iFIb
Q2HybVDEnded the next day leaving me completely worn out.qGC
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