Chapter 30: Internal Core (1)
qnYiThanks to the help of the fast-sloth, I was able to reach the riverbank safely.R4NWIKr
KDc7tThe first thing I did upon arriving was check the hose.qrDSku
0WkhJust in case it had caught another fish like before, I looked inside and, as expected, it had.i49pw
FufPZWHSplash! Splash!iG3
uxSpdH6“It caught another one again.”ydK44
ngWUbIn that short time it had already caught another.h9M
vckL2This one was also red.vaMWm
IeIrIts size was more or less similar to the previous fish.WOLIQ
npUcjWFrom what it seems, that must be the average size of the fish that live in this river.RRr
ABo‘I will fish this one later.’NJXNw
SMDNow what matters is the Golden Frog.5qO
YvYoFirst is the exchange with AllFather.T6gdkuW
1bHOZBut for that I would first have to get the fast-sloth off my back.YdNS5z
NTw4I lightly tapped its back and asked,oKfY8
L3GmZua“Can you get down for a moment? It is urgent.”XGOD
GnCXw“……”ncYd18b
4VcVN5Crawling… crawling…clCuC8
aGC60As if it understood my words, it slowly got down.8lmb4
Iu5Then it stared at me with that face that looks a bit dumb.D11
LsYIt gives the feeling that it is urging me to hurry.q8ow
1iag5MJIt is probably just my imagination.VQej
fIOD6RL‘I have to call the Golden Frog.’Oih
6q3yBefore, the individual that seemed like the leader would come out as soon as I put my hand in the river.Za9s
hcDN5Will it be the same with the others?8lq4
bQD6uAHI carefully put my hand into the water.CU9d
MlIT3oAbout three seconds passed.X1x
apcRbSplash!S1VnG
zeIu1A sound was heard from the middle of the river.T7F1gU
ERLYHI“Croak.”67k
n7QrP8gIt was a Golden Frog.fLu5fC
pwDKnThe Golden Frog climbed onto a rock that stuck out in the middle of the river.JWsoq4
RUvsVTnIt was smaller than the one I saw before, but still quite large.VClp2jh
dIxxXFAs soon as it appeared, I quickly stepped back without thinking.bF4bU
MUITl3I also did not forget to raise the shield just in case.iEl2B
eMIg2“Kyaaak!”8rxfP
cXDiZThe Golden Frog’s head tilted backward.cbn4W0
0xEThe sound was like it was building up phlegm.eY0cTM
wUqbiyIt seems it was going to spit poison.hMzA8
gp5seBut I was already far away.IkQJiSE
oYXExcept for the fast-sloth, which was still sitting calmly in its place.rbSvTu3
ro8“Hey! What are you…!”O4New1C
5cllynD“Ptooey!”HcZmLhg
w3dmqBZBefore I could shout, the Golden Frog spat poison.oDcm6
VwxU4xFA purple liquid shot out at great speed.ycBv
imkSEThe target was exactly the fast-sloth.uxY1pz8
o0LayBWThe fast-sloth stared at the approaching purple poison and then slightly tilted its head.xxjcGy
UXZsTFwoosh—yoxWi
e217nwThe poison passed brushing past its face.kpjF
zpByfThe liquid hit a tree and began to melt the bark.MCJ
TRVZOAs I expected, its agility is incredible.YR8ARn
0Jl‘Now.’BKK3S
QWAWhile the Golden Frog was focused on the fast-sloth, I prepared the crossbow.2IY
udnI loaded a harpoon-type arrow and aimed at the Golden Frog.VxZU9TO
u1gNFB“Kyaaak!”I39
MxLI“Kyaak!”GdI6oG
1QKz“Kuuk!”2fDNs
RUgT8bMeanwhile, other Golden Frogs climbed onto the rock.mMP0
L1QwsnhI had already hidden, but the fast-sloth was still there calmly.Ba0Q
lt66Even if it is the fast-sloth, dodging consecutive attacks should be diffic—qJNcV9g
WT9y“Ptooey!”QxiO
q0CV“Ptoo!”eqsFFW
8UL2z7“Ptoo!”8Ptxq8
vdGoTOWhoosh— Whoosh—Zdt3eF
2cq…It was not.L91s
jJcnFEven though it remained sitting in the same place, it simply turned its body slightly and dodged everything.v7BWt6i
HQlEven its expression remained relaxed.JrZ
aZyEeBwIt looked like a hidden master.Hmbitr
JJ0yTNB‘Does that bastard have Observation Haki or what?’Ex9Tav9
mBCJiEqOtherwise it does not make sense.WRKADv1
6m2B8PI let out a mental sigh.nDMHEA
NnfmldfBut that is one thing and this is another.k8QB
rVinLAI had already finished preparing.qoUDaWr
a0JByUI aimed at one of the Golden Frogs and pulled the trigger.MNG
CPVYvFiuu—isJ
Stks9ISThunk!ZXq0I
f4bThe harpoon pierced the Golden Frog perfectly and fell into the fast-flowing river.Q7bER
zO1j5yHImmediately I pulled the rope.GRNFivr
BfsBYDuring that time the other Golden Frogs did not attack me.gpIUe2w
2W3They seemed too shocked by what happened to their companion.pi6b
iSrAlthough saying they were shocked is just my assumption.FQ9
zlDStcDBut the fact that they all stopped attacking at the same time suggests that they at least perceived it.t7l2
B4wThe creatures that live in the Forest of the Four Seasons are extraordinary.8sxQ5S
iSDLSplash!zwxPKX
xQd9FThe group of Golden Frogs jumped into the river.KcD
GcUKgkThey probably will not be a threat for now.cjCAGQ1
wmiAll that remains is to deal with the rest.dKd
68igwUI pulled hard on the rope connected to the harpoon.18XT
ugEVBefore it was like struggling in a tug-of-war, but now I only needed to apply a bit of strength.V94hR
c22ZXU“Hup!”uMwh41W
MTaklhThe Golden Frog I pulled out of the water was quite large.ToVh
D4JLNot as big as the previous one, but about the size of a small puppy.BGvEl
CeUrI7yNow only the exchange with AllFather remains, but first I must take care of the fish.dvZE
i6N5i‘I will hang it on my waist first.’X1rB
7ubrJibIt is knowledge that AllFather taught me.9VCVT
6aBIf purple liquid starts to come out, it means the poison sac broke.nWzZ8eG
dspNow no purple liquid was coming out.Yufp
jy5BnUQThat means it is safe.9VSqw2
4SQ0qEtI have already finished hunting the frog.9QCRr
rni7IeNow only the fish remains.WVCj
anxcuBI do not know what it ate to grow like that, but it was quite big.l5Qg
740Ak‘Today I am having luck.’o9TG7Br
18pWith this I already have lunch and dinner solved.zjcy
saA44I lifted the fish that was still thrashing strongly.gUeKr
8gFTjB‘I would not be able to catch this with a fishing rod.’k0uUoCA
ShVYIt is so strong that it still tries to hit my face with its fins.lZd
rq7I held it firmly with both arms so it would not escape.sK0AK
oh3V9pIf I had not become stronger, I would have already lost it.BV2
tYeZhFDCrawling… crawling…afMD09L
7w6iXZhWith the fast-sloth hanging on my back, I finished preparing to return.7wNh
CxZPgk‘I hope it tastes good, although I am probably being too optimistic.’aav
pg8K6Taste does not matter to me.cfeZuCA
oNk11LIn my situation, taste is a luxury.GXq6
ic38Besides, I can buy seasonings at the auction house.LiIYH
Zh4eSplash.v33T
UThaWhen I returned to the cave, I put the fish into the iron container.mPY4a8b
y9fIt still had a lot of strength, because the container moved slightly.1Ov
kOnwCII had better forget about catching this with a rod.9olJa6
eAIolIf I am not careful, instead of catching it, the fish will catch me.8EfOhPY
ACTYAUsing traps or fish baskets seems safer.M2P
N85RqJiJust seeing that I had two huge fish already made me happy.R8VK7Ae
bnD1Ov‘Time to trade with AllFather.’FGO
aweW7After organizing my things, I posted a message in the gallery.Rxs
XWXA message asking AllFather to initiate the trade if he was present.tQQ
wW1XDmQ[AllFather has requested a trade. Do you wish to accept?]5HOg
EjwB6dIt did not take long before AllFather initiated the trade.lPWCNSh
Lhh0FQI gave a fasting pill to the fast-sloth and accepted.OEYS
X9V[AllFather: Hello. I saw your post and requested the trade.]pI0r
5LFs[WildGrills: Hello. I will upload the item right away. The poison sac did not break.]Qnq
Oi1Xje[AllFather: Thank you. Thanks to this the research will be easier.]vG0TnUa
xjd[WildGrills: I am glad. Ah, and I have a question.]3peQQ
Y2j4ZT[AllFather: Go ahead.]7WwQO
Remno[WildGrills: The fast-sloth climbed onto me and will not get down. Do you know why?]EYoRe
8zEs5[AllFather: Do you mean the sloth that even caught an arrow?]Oxf5BZI
ebz[WildGrills: Yes. As unbelievable as it sounds, that one.]YZLU0
5V94R[AllFather: To be honest, I do not know either. Something like that has never been reported in the academy.]GyS5E
JhAyPPA species that even AllFather does not know?GxjatzK
B93What kind of place is the Forest of the Four Seasons?ar4
USv8gKWhile sighing to myself, AllFather presented his hypothesis.nx9e
Z0EjZ[AllFather: But I can make a guess. According to your post, did you say it took money from you?]J30yqAi
EhQlG[WildGrills: Not money. It took a fasting pill from me.]W9sDHPM
BM86ub[AllFather: It may have mistaken you for a tree.]zU3mlI6
Zhc3F[WildGrills: A tree?]dYPNp
qkAOgL[AllFather: Yes. A tree that gives it food.]dB2Nh
SPX[WildGrills: That sounds…]odtIwkA
WZh3oBy[AllFather: …like a stupid but reasonable theory. I think so too.]lxCiZz
FFHtAllFather said it just like that.Ad4884a
PdlmMtIt seems even he was not very convinced.GQWq
nF3But even so it was the most logical explanation he had.1uIjGJA
L7Q[AllFather: Is it still hanging on you?]HzI
CZk9De[WildGrills: Yes. It does not seem to want to get down.]V3iv
o5Sz[AllFather: Since it is not hostile, it might not be a bad idea to raise it.]U4pqM
WgkAgWJ[WildGrills: It does not bother me that much. Today a snake almost bit me and it helped me.]Ds46R3z
oUlAfter talking a bit more with AllFather, we exchanged the items.d3JOdP
1f04cpI gave him the corpse of the Golden Frog.D1uJOu
qxvN0oAllFather gave me a pill that grants resistance to poison.7U1P8pr
Nxi[AllFather: Preferably take it after eating. It is better if digestion is complete.]f3VP3l6
w5tp[WildGrills: Would it be good to absorb this also with the breathing technique?]jJAFcwI
YqP[AllFather: Yes. You can consider it as a kind of internal core.]2aVkFf2
Dw2aOeKAn internal core.JT1f
GD2FxOpI remembered HeavenlyDemon’s explanation.BUUvfZy
ZFwA crystal that forms when qi accumulates inside the body of a spiritual creature.z08ql9g
bGjWhen the internal core was mentioned, I suddenly became curious and asked AllFather.2QMW
s9VoY[WildGrills: AllFather, have you ever consumed an internal core?]B0d9ie
xkb[AllFather: I have not consumed an internal core, but I have ingested a Dragon Heart.]mjU8
jqakF[WildGrills: And what is that?]x3A0
5iIPb0S[AllFather: Literally the heart of a dragon. It contains an enormous amount of mana.]PAqK
8qz0gI more or less know what kind of creature a dragon is.6er5d
kQqYmThey are sometimes mentioned in the gallery.juhMtN
9faEBThey are powerful enough to treat humanity as if it were worthless, although they are not absolutely invincible beings either.95BOuK
rTSEThAbove all, I have heard that their number is extremely low and that is why they are considered an endangered species.pmoa5
aQKPB1q‘Would they also exist in the Forest of the Four Seasons?’0TwUhm1
foDKgbeIf they did, it would be a total disaster.3SPRq6
x6YI am an extremely weak human.b4LAiu
NB7kAVoHow am I supposed to capture something that flies freely through the sky and spits fire from its mouth?CKXj
zKNWe[AllFather: Thank you as always for the good transactions. If you find any interesting animal, do not hesitate to ask me.]E182x7
whbGL[WildGrills: I also saw something that looked like a mix between a chameleon and a snake.]YHZQCw
ZPkpqa[AllFather: And what is that?]MhnX
faR[WildGrills: I thought it was a branch, but it was a snake. It changed the color of its body instantly.]sxkuSF
ckN62[AllFather: Oh. That place really is full of fascinating things!]9dcG
Wki[WildGrills: Do you want to come?]c9snU
JjeP[AllFather: This old man no longer has good knees. I will have to decline the invitation.]IMsG
O3tt[WildGrills: ㅠㅠ]kRFcB
oqldThe conversation ended like that.1BEAKDb
y99FC1Even AllFather seems to avoid the Forest of the Four Seasons.HJJk
xlhLAnd for good reason.kytWbQY
RPGhWho would want to come to a hell like this?1HWqao
1LLjmKLAt least I am lucky.TllWfNI
7cvxVtThe others cannot even use the gallery.0B0
rUxiXWU“Hmm.”H8T
LNQrUXI looked at the pill that was on my palm.phC2Mvt
P4XRA round pill of light purple color.PGt
2F5GTPVI obtained it in the exchange with AllFather.f8k8A
P3sGxAIf I take it, according to his explanation, I will gain resistance to poison.6JoT
Zt5N‘First I will eat lunch.’2XsXE2F
8bCGZQI put the pill in my pocket and approached the iron container where the fish was.cilkA2
S8IThere are only two fish and even so the container is completely full.gXt
K9Sgdh4‘How am I going to cook this?’nvBQ
bHb4c0When I lived at home, since I lived alone, I at least knew how to cook.TAp
Zj8BYyUBut I always used pre-prepared ingredients.scy
KSX86cPreparing fish myself is another story.coMDkI7
lB9BZXAt times like this there is only one thing to do.VrsDf
pBNGdR2Ask in the gallery.brGAd
i9f5E9eIt is better to gain at least some knowledge than to do it blindly.tYQ
btygBCTitle) I am going to clean a fish, help!PWxU
DoFoWildGrillsSpd
Kd37WIF(photo of the fish inside the iron container)4zt1BcY
9PmCan anyone give some advice?6t68ul
mmkIt is huge.tLY6a
FeNUXㄴExperts kill the fish instantly by stabbing a knife or spike into the brain. If you are not an expert, just cut it whole.dPAF
mllBXXㄴBefore cutting it, hit its head with the back of the knife to stun it. That is the best moment.NPztcx
SrUxgㄴRemoving the entrails is easy. Just open the belly.JUue54Y
yNcmNSince I am not an expert, I decided to use the method of hitting the head.mFliF6
J1anKLBAnyway I am going to roast it immediately, so I do not need any aging.nc7m
8xr4nr“Kyuu.”noJ
8xhky“Wonmo, wait a moment.”FuPuAf
3UIyCf6As soon as lunchtime came, Wonmo woke up immediately.icSFC4
OJD4mLook at those bright eyes asking for food.8sG69G
1mOnIf it were up to me, I would throw him a piece of meat right away, but first I have to clean it.XXBL6
UL0fI took the fish out of the container holding it with both arms.H3GXJ
wnmTc4AFlap! Flap!YAdA9s
LV5EThe fish struggled as if demanding that I let it go.NZI
bTUfLFNo way.9T7O
jXGHFzUI placed the fish on a flat stone that I had prepared.wPMI
uNS8It was so big that even the stone, which was quite wide, seemed small.aVy
HjCixpT‘They said to hit the head hard.’dUPqLY
sCLxIt is too big to do it properly with a normal knife.yz7kYK
ABKqIn moments like this, HeavenlyDemon’s sword is useful.1s3
37bnSince I am not going to use the blade, I brought it down hard without worrying.mSDO
bkxbBang!TiW
7BZc9ZBang!cYHp7e
4q0wtSBang!iVSZCD
gurear8After hitting it about three times, there was a reaction.oxbGw6
qVOJust as they said in the gallery comments, the mouth and gills opened completely.CvGR8TZ
537XIt took the hit directly.fov
unbnkJI immediately started cleaning it.qC7Bjft
AJWw7CJust in case I could cut myself, I used a normal dagger instead of HeavenlyDemon’s sword.LnKf
h4QsThe dagger was well sharpened and opened the fish’s flesh easily.3oIa
gbxb0jL“Wonmo, do you want this?”tk9a
o9B3Y“Kyuu!”ZjZiy
fYZLwT5I cut off the head and gave it to Wonmo.H2SJw
Q12dK65He devoured it eagerly.mI6
VXxbvKThey say they even eat rotting corpses, so a fish head is easy for him.oQVC
o3mThe fast-sloth is more interested in fasting pills than in fish, so there is no need to worry.8Dp40O
Uyi‘Now I open the belly.’77PFp
EXytDFrom time to time blood came out, so I washed it with water.IZpTtQV
yKcPOmI slowly opened the belly of the fish, which was already motionless.Mne
6WXStlOThe feeling on my fingers was not very pleasant, but I will have to get used to it.9R0U
c26G‘Can the entrails be eaten?’UAlN
jRCFKBWhen I opened the belly I saw that it was full of organs.Szw
QC9You just have to take them out and wash them with water.UPhx5Dm
FkB06nWhen I put my hand in to remove the entrailsgB7bET
s8Hp“Hm?”LBqn17C
c8pHLSomething was felt in my hand.ZM3M
wnv5wHAt first I thought it was the heart.Mbk
HuLBut it was too hard to be that.gwKhY
ZqW4UTjI moved my fingers and finally took it out.YZy
d9b4kyBIt was a small sphere the size of the first phalanx of a finger.GAOa
4q5Its color was also red, like the fish.i7LhC
jP7XZFB‘What is this? Could it really be an internal core?’RXxFMTe
vnTR1K3Probably not.BTQbB
IQiSpiritual creatures with internal cores are not that common.Gl6x
5aKBut considering that there are adult mandrakes everywhere made me doubt.hMvPujP
divtDGAlso, the first thing I found here was a New Moon Spirit Herb.QM4LRs2
6OFl“Hmm…”3Qj
qgJW5vYI stared at the red sphere before making a decision.z8M1Q
qUEEyThese kinds of things are better to ask in the gallery.9z0m
nPAawAnd more specifically, to an expert.bTQW
lvPV3IAnd if we talk about experts, obviously it is HeavenlyDemon.UUTla
TPSPFxThe first person who mentioned internal cores.GRV6teM
oFbkBesides, she does not seem like someone who would keep something like that to herself.foA
kxdcMXWTitle) HeavenlyDemon, I have a questionep044T
KftFvhWildGrillsQdv
R546(photo of the red sphere)6bDGcyy
6KfGI found this while cleaning a fish.sEB6Q
XPMCRdXIt looks like the internal core you mentioned before.Sk9I
L9uxPmCan it be identified?vbz7Ncw
Ou1If you are not sure, I can send it to you through trade.xBw
qp0ZㄴHeavenlyDemon) Did it come out of a fish?oVzsOwe
PPXShe replied just three seconds after posting the message.tHv
yd7A terrifying speed.4yF
LxBㄴWildGrills) Yes. I found it while removing the entrails.nBa
sWJXㄴHeavenlyDemon) Hmm. From the photo I cannot be sure. It could simply be a pearl.FFbp
PsQsㄴWildGrills) Can fish produce pearls?kJX5NJN
T9HㄴHeavenlyDemon) That is what I understand.vKgn
EebasqㄴSwordTasteMaster) Do pearls not come from oysters and not from fish?ERw3
cJtPㄴExactly. What ignorance to say that so confidently hahahaUnTL
b6gㄴEven if she is old, that is too much…EbJ7ANf
iHRvㄴIs she not just dumb?mh7
OHbrNdOㄴSmartMind) Sigh even I feel embarrassed seeing this.nWQelPY
D8yoSuddenly they began to criticize HeavenlyDemon’s lack of knowledge.2prF
cBwGThat made me a bit nervous.YlHA
UaNnzBut she was the one who taught me the breathing technique, so I decided to trust her.shO
OKd1wR1ㄴWildGrills) I will start the trade. Just confirm whether it is an internal core or not.SYfzT
q7JㄴHeavenlyDemon) If it really were an internal core, what do you plan to do?1U8L
fgImㄴWildGrills) Eat it. They said it is good for the body.PPq
1eCiㄴHeavenlyDemon) I do not recommend it. As I said before, your internal energy is already saturated. If you are not careful, a problem could occur.G0JBg
yWVkpI nodded after hearing her advice.4vt
22YNdEIt is true, everything in excess is bad.q6fvCDW
SjwSFIf I consume an internal core in this state, it could be dangerous.ay7
ajsThen there is only one option left.fAVKQ
uo3uzsbGive it to HeavenlyDemon.THhh3hp
8vULSwordTasteMaster would probably reject it saying she does not want to become healthier.5dP
DsrㄴWildGrills) Then do you want to eat it, HeavenlyDemon?V4zBTNM
7dLSiㄴHeavenlyDemon) Internal cores no longer increase my level. That stage is far behind.PMaCfh
bocSWㄴWildGrills) Then what do we do?YOKG
N1uQW3iㄴHeavenlyDemon) It is simple.3GlcaED
1RkHeavenlyDemon’s answer was simple.GfQKsAt
DzmhPㄴHeavenlyDemon) Why do you not put it up in the auction house?XZ0scF
ZSvtxJKIt was an overly carefree answer.YnpD
aKZZJ‘Would that be a good idea?’NPWLOJ
guZ2kZfAnd little by little I began to lean toward that option.nGx2
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