Chapter 24: Water (2)

I have already finished all the preparations to bring water from the river, but there is still one problem left.

The first thing is how to somehow avoid the golden frogs. That is the biggest obstacle.

They are creatures that jump the very instant you put your hand in the water, so they are a real headache.

The second problem is the depth of the river.

It is so deep that my arm can go in more than halfway.

That means it is not easy to fix things with stones.

I checked the objects the dwarf gave me.

‘Here I have to place the mesh and connect it to the hose…’

I looked alternately at the shiny funnel and the mesh that had to cover it.

Connecting the funnel to the hose is easy, but fixing it in place is the difficult part.

‘Will I have to dig a little with the shovel?’

There is probably no other option.

First I left the objects near the river and went to get the shovel.

Fortunately, while going back and forth I did not encounter any dangerous beasts.

The pack of Mad Dog had already died long ago and the owlbear was recently sold in the auction house.

For now, no high-level predator should appear.

And honestly, insects like ticks are more frightening than predators.

Ssshhhh—

When I returned with the shovel, all the preparations were ready.

I looked at the river, or rather the fast-flowing stream, and began to move.

First I took the shovel and began digging carefully at the edge.

Splashhhh!

Fortunately the frogs did not jump.

Even so, just in case, while digging I did not forget to look around from time to time.

Splaaash!

Finally a space appeared where I could place the funnel.

To increase the force of the current, I also placed stones around the hole I dug.

The current was strong enough.

Now all that remained was to connect the hose.

I placed the mesh over the funnel and connected it with the hose.

The connected parts I did not secure with plastic ties, but with iron ties.

Since plastic does not exist yet in this world, it seems they use iron instead.

‘But this must not be easy to manufacture either.’

The hose is made of natural rubber, so it is normal that it is expensive.

But it seems to me that these iron ties must be even more expensive.

‘Maybe it is because they are dwarves? Well, whatever.’

After confirming that everything was firmly secured, I moved to the next point.

The hose is not just one.

Since the distance is long, you have to keep connecting other hoses in between.

“¡Ssshhh!”

Just as the dwarf taught me, I sucked strongly on the end of the hose.

Then I lowered it carefully and the water began to flow with much more force than before.

I connected that hose with another and secured it with iron ties.

After repeating that process several times, I finally reached the shelter.

Lastly I connected the end of the hose to the valve.

With that, the work was finished.

Gushhhhh!

“Good. Very good.”

The water was coming out perfectly.

Just seeing it filled me with satisfaction.

But I still had not completely finished.

As I always say, this is nature.

An animal could bite the hose at any moment, so covering it with soil was mandatory.

After approximately two hours of work, everything was finished.

I felt truly proud knowing that I would no longer have to worry about water.

“Kyuu?”

“Ah. Did you wake up?”

Right at that moment Wonmo also woke up.

He looked at me with his characteristic bright eyes.

I wanted to hug him, but his body is full of ticks.

‘First I have to bathe him.’

While I am at it I also need to wash myself.

I bought a large iron container at the auction house and filled it with water.

I rinsed it several times to make sure it had no dirt and then filled it completely.

Underneath I lit a fire to heat the water.

‘I will also have to give him dewormer.’

I also have to wash the clothes.

Right now I am quite busy.

Since I am at it, I should also build a clothesline.

Just being able to have water available at any moment means there are many more things I can do.

While the water was heating, I posted a post in the gallery.

Title) Now I am rich

WildGrills

(video of the hose drawing water)

Now I am rich in water.

ㄴOh. Did it work?

ㄴCongratulations

ㄴNow you can bathe

ㄴWildGrills) First I have to wash Wonmo. He had a lot of ticks;;

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) You did it faster than I expected. Everything alright?

ㄴWildGrills) Yes. Do you want me to give you a mandrake later?

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Oh. Thanks. I will use it to make liquor.

ㄴWildGrills) No way I am giving it to you.

ㄴHaha

ㄴLol

ㄴThat guy wants to make liquor with such an expensive mandrake;;

ㄴWhat kind of dwarf is that hahaha

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) If you already obtained water, what do you plan to do now?

ㄴWildGrills) I do not know. If the dwarf gets the wall, there really will not be much to do. Maybe cut trees or explore the surroundings.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Then you could learn my internal cultivation method.

ㄴWildGrills) Of course, I would love to. First I will wash Wonmo and then I will contact you.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) I will be waiting. I am also curious.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) The internal method is fine, but are you practicing swordsmanship?

ㄴWildGrills) Yes. I review it constantly. Although I still only know the basics.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Excellent. Become strong quickly and then marry me.

ㄴWildGrills) Master?

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) I am joking.

ㄴIt did not seem like a joke

ㄴSometimes that person lets their true thoughts slip out

ㄴDoes she have some trauma with marriage? hahaha

Hmm, this gallery is definitely full of strange people.

But it is also true that thanks to SwordTasteMaster I am becoming stronger every day.

When I fought the owlbear I remembered one of her posts.

If it had not been for that, I probably would have died.

“Mmm. With this it should be enough. Wonmo?”

“Kyuu?”

The water in the container was already hot enough.

It was not boiling, but considering the temperature of the forest, it was enough.

I dragged the container to where Wonmo was.

Since the container is wide from side to side and not from top to bottom, it fit perfectly with his size.

“Get in here. It is time to bathe.”

“Kyuuu.”

Does he really understand what I say?

Wonmo looked at the container with his bright eyes and then carefully put one paw inside.

It was probably the first time he had touched hot water, because at first he was startled.

But when he realized it was not dangerous, he carefully submerged his furry body.

“Kyuuuu…”

“It feels good, right?”

Now he even closed his eyes and relaxed.

I smiled slightly and began washing his body everywhere.

While doing that, I also applied insect repellent to several areas and removed all the ticks.

‘But if he goes wandering around again, all this will be useless.’

Well, I will have to accept it.

I even used soap and scrubbed him well.

Wonmo seemed to enjoy it and kept his eyes closed.

Although that meant the water became incredibly dirty.

But that is inevitable in nature.

It is something I have to accept.

‘But I cannot resist taking a photo.’

I uploaded a photo of Wonmo’s bath to the gallery.

Only his head could be seen sticking out of the water.

It was incredibly adorable.

Title) Bathing Wonmo

WildGrills

(video of Wonmo bathing)

Isn’t he adorable? If you think he is cute, give it a like.

ㄴHis face is a trap;;

ㄴWill that little one become a tyrant in the future?

ㄴJust seeing him relaxes me

ㄴUgh, how dirty

ㄴYour face is dirtier

ㄴI was talking about the water, is your face dirty?

ㄴYour mom

How is it possible that even in such an adorable post twisted guys appear?

But since I uploaded it just to show off, I did not care too much.

Just when I was finishing washing Wonmo.

“Kyuuuuuu!”

Brrrr—

Wonmo, who seemed to be enjoying it a lot, suddenly started trembling.

It was so sudden that I was very surprised.

“Wonmo? Is something wrong?”

“Kyuuu…”

“No? Then…”

What is happening?

Just when I thought that.

Floating—

Something appeared on the dirty water.

It was round, dark brown, almost black…

“…Wonmo. Did you just poop?”

“Kyuu!”

“Aaaah! Get out of there right now! Quickly!”

It seems the next thing I will have to teach him is how to do his business.

***

After bathing Wonmo I realized something.

Both with people and animals, washing another being is incredibly exhausting.

So much dirty water came out that I had to change the bath water several times.

By the time it was my turn to bathe, the sun was already beginning to set.

“Nom nom, chomp chomp.”

“Is it good?”

“Chomp chomp chomp.”

After finishing washing Wonmo, I dried the water from him with a towel as best as I could.

It would be great to have a dryer, but since I do not have one, I will have to use the campfire.

I also gave him deworming medicine.

Like a proper owlbear that eats anything, he swallowed it without any problem.

‘Some eat meat and others only eat fasting pills.’

Wonmo’s food I got from the auction house.

Just like in the morning, monster meat.

It turns out that the cheapest thing was precisely monster meat.

Since it has almost no use, it did not even cost 10 gold.

I put a bitter fasting pill into my mouth and frowned.

No matter how many times I eat it, it is still horrible.

‘Besides my stomach always hurts after eating this.’

The training for Wonmo to do his business is simple.

Inside the cave he must never do it.

And if he needs to do it, he must warn me first. Then I will watch him nearby.

Curiously, I do not know if it is because the puppy is intelligent or if owlbears are like this by nature, but he understood everything.

That thing about their loyalty being high if you give them good food was not a lie.

‘I already ate something, so what remains is learning the internal cultivation method.’

The lotus position no longer hurt.

Not even a week had passed, but I felt that my flexibility had improved tremendously.

I did not know if that was possible, but I decided not to think about it too much.

Even if I thought deeply about it, I would not find an answer.

Title) HeavenlyDemon. Are you there?

WildGrills

I want to start learning the internal cultivation method. Are you there?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) I have been waiting.

ㄴWildGrills) ???

ㄴThe post was uploaded 10 seconds ago and the comment is from 2 seconds ago;;;

ㄴThat already looks like stalking

ㄴHonestly it is a bit scary;;

I was also surprised.

How is it possible to comment immediately after the post is published?

HeavenlyDemon had commented first several times before, but this fast was the first time.

‘Eh… could she be very bored?’

Rather it seems she wants to repay the favor she owes me.

It is like when a veteran finds a newbie.

Thinking about it like that made me feel calmer.

ㄴWildGrills) Then you were there. As I said before, please comment privately.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Alright. First adopt the lotus position.

I followed her instructions and sat in the lotus position.

I still felt a little discomfort, but it was already tolerable.

Three days ago I even screamed like a girl from the pain, but now it had improved a lot.

‘Then now will I be able to use mana or internal energy?’

I am really excited.

Being able to use an energy that only appears in fantasy or martial arts novels.

I hope that one day I can launch energy attacks.

Since forever those attacks work perfectly for fighting at a distance.

ㄴWildGrills) If I train will I be able to launch energy attacks?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Why do you ask that?

ㄴWildGrills) To attack at a distance.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Do not do it. Only idiots do that.

ㄴWildGrills) Understood…

ㄴHe got depressed hahaha

ㄴBut launching energy attacks is the dream…

ㄴMany died chasing that dream

ㄴBut how could you not want to do it!

ㄴIt is not an energy attack, idiot

ㄴThen HeavenlyDemon can do it?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Of course. It is not a simple energy attack. From my hand a tornado can explode.

ㄴHahaha what a braggart

ㄴBetter say you are a mage hahaha

Suddenly a fight in the comments started, but I ignored it completely.

What mattered now was HeavenlyDemon’s teaching.

Perhaps she knew it too, because she wrote another comment.

As expected, it was a private comment.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) If you are already in the lotus position, start with dantian breathing.

ㄴWildGrills) What is dantian breathing?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Ah. You said you did not even know what the lotus position was. I will explain it little by little.

Fortunately HeavenlyDemon explained the concept of dantian breathing to me.

The dantian is below the navel, that is, in the lower abdomen.

Every time you breathe, you must concentrate the force there.

Sometimes people say that shouts or strength come from the dantian.

It is something like that.

She also explained that the middle dantian is the heart and the upper one is the brain, but she said that was not important for now.

‘Focus only on the lower abdomen.’

I closed my eyes and followed her instructions.

As she said, I concentrated only on the lower abdomen.

“Shhh… huu…”

After repeating it several times, I began to feel something in the dantian.

At first it was a tingling, then I felt as if the lower abdomen filled completely.

I thought that was normal.

But then something unexpected happened.

Shhhhh—

‘Eh…?’

The energy that had accumulated in the dantian scattered in all directions.

As if the container could not contain it and it overflowed.

I had not even breathed many times, so I got scared.

‘What do I do?’

The energy rose from the dantian, passed through the heart and the brain, and then spread throughout the entire body.

This is dangerous.

Very dangerous.

My instinct screamed.

I am an absolute beginner, so I did not know what to do.

Fortunately, after going around the body once, everything calmed down.

“Ha… ha…”

I opened my eyes suddenly.

I felt chills throughout my whole body.

What had that been?

While breathing with difficulty, I realized something.

I was covered in cold sweat.

Especially on my nose, so I touched it without thinking.

“…Blood?”

It was blood.

And moreover black blood.

Worried, I quickly opened the gallery.

ㄴWildGrills) HeavenlyDemon. I followed your instructions and blood came out of my nose.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) What?!

Even through the comment her surprise was noticeable.

She was so surprised that she wrote another comment immediately.

It was not even private.

Everyone could see it.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Apart from the blood, do you have any other problem? Dizziness or stomach pain?

ㄴWildGrills) I do not feel anything like that. Only the nosebleed.

Besides the bleeding stopped quickly.

I thought HeavenlyDemon was exaggerating, but other comments began to explain.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Is that not an initial symptom of qi deviation?

ㄴYes, it seems like that. It could have been dangerous.

ㄴJust from doing dantian breathing?

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Sometimes it happens. When you were breathing, did you feel that the energy accumulated in the dantian spread throughout the whole body?

ㄴWildGrills) Yes, exactly. How do you know?

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Because the same thing happened to me. You had too much energy accumulated in the dantian, and when you breathed an enormous amount entered.

ㄴWildGrills) But I have not accumulated energy.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Have you not recently taken some elixir?

Elixir?

I have only taken the fasting pills that HeavenlyDemon gave me.

HeavenlyDemon seemed to realize it.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) How many fasting pills do you eat per day?

ㄴWildGrills) Just in case, three at each meal…

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Wait a moment. I will ask one of my subordinates.

ㄴNow his dick will explode

ㄴBoom! hahaha

ㄴWildGrills) You are crazy.

ㄴBut why were you eating so many? One per meal is enough.

ㄴWildGrills) I thought there were missing nutrients…

ㄴBut you said it was like an elixir. How could nutrients be missing?

ㄴDid you not trust HeavenlyDemon?

ㄴWildGrills) It is not that. It is just that I did not know how potent it was.

ㄴHe was just an idiot hahaha

ㄴAirhead hahaha

ㄴStarLightLady) The adult mandrake you gave me was also elixir level. Compare it with that.

ㄴWildGrills) But apart from the fasting pills I cannot eat anything. I am in nature and spend many calories.

ㄴStarLightLady) That makes sense.

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Come on, repeat three times, I am an idiot.

ㄴWildGrills) And you what?

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) What?

ㄴWildGrills) I will make a poem with you. Give me the first word.

ㄴLol

ㄴHaha

I thought elixir level only meant that it had many nutrients.

But it seems that was not it.

What an absurd feeling.

At least I discovered it before a bigger disaster happened.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) I already received the answer from my subordinate.

ㄴWildGrills) What did he say?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Too much of something good is also bad.

ㄴWildGrills) …

ㄴHahahaha

ㄴShe hit him with the truth

ㄴThat is what HeavenlyDemon meant

I only felt like crying.

But at least my dick will not explode.

They said that only happens with trained people.

If I had eaten more than ten a day, not only that would explode, but my whole body.

They also said that instead of dantian breathing it would be better to practice energy circulation.

The problem is that I do not know how to do it.

Dantian breathing is the most basic thing, and energy circulation is the next level.

And I do not even master the basics.

Just when I was thinking about what to do.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Do you want to use my breathing method? I was similar to you too.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) I already decided to teach him myself. Step back.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) I think my method would be better for him. I also went through that.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Your method is a mana training technique.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Yes. Is there any problem?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Western mana techniques are much less profound than the internal cultivation method.

ㄴWildGrills) Hello?

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Better that than not being able to start.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) A well must be dug deeply.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) If I keep digging the well I will die of thirst.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

ㄴWildGrills) Hello? Are you listening? Can you hear me?