Chapter 47: Lakeshore (2)
Y9zmNOAs I went down following the river, I didn’t run into any dangerous animals.ZZP
lFGdNormally, all kinds of animals come to rivers, but I don’t know if it was because of the strong current or the golden frog, there weren’t any to be seen.oa2lY
4Ain4YtThat doesn’t mean I didn’t encounter animals at all. Small animals would appear from time to time.Bga
J854zTitle) This is a lizard, right?aIi
GS4WildGrills (photo of a huge lizard)oZThP2
aL3NKlWhat species is this? Isn’t it too big?nt2Oa1
GlnnZsrOf course, small by the standards of the Forest of Four Seasons.UO1lyVD
6gsJAs soon as the lizard saw me, it ran away at full speed.TwI50z
sQQKxIt’s fine to avoid fights, but curiosity is curiosity, so I asked in the gallery.l8t
FDOㄴHeavenlyDemon) It’s a giant lizard. How about catching it and eating it?GSEN
gh21ㄴWildGrills) It’s a good idea, but it ran away.5iOW
DN8zㄴHeavenlyDemon) Hmm. It seems it instinctively knew you are strong and fled.Y22Jz6
YgIIPPtㄴWildGrills) I don’t think that’s it haha…10ph8V
D3CC0ㄴAllFather) Judging by its appearance, it’s an iguana. Since this is the Forest of Four Seasons, it seems to have grown a lot.G4r
x77KㄴWildGrills) Is it herbivorous?VSq
2qElㄴAllFather) Yes. It’s herbivorous, so you don’t need to fear it. Even so, be careful because of its size.Lfm
tqhㄴWildGrills) And the taste?PzonM
akqwoㄴAllFather) It should taste like normal meat.cRV
eKOSQGWhat a waste. I should have caught it instead of taking a photo.eHT
x3eaZBQBut regretting it early or late is the same. I left the disappointment behind and kept walking.ES0
14LCDGurgle—mohP
dqQfh93As I moved further downstream, the current slowed.Wg6s
bBYThe width of the river also became quite large. This is probably the lower part.vUzykbd
x6hfAlong the way, there were no spatial distortions or sudden environmental changes.WEzB
9vswwBzzzzzz—FeM
ARq8kBut the problem was the giant mosquitoes.XPU
oWqsgAt first, I thought it was just a matter of perspective.rrRPX
oYS4But when that thing threatened me with its sharp stinger, I understood it was a monster.fSYa
oQhhfClang!YPWbCr
0HYHIn panic, I managed to block it with my shield.aj6ppd
pgURMy golden shield is dented from the muscular mushroom, but it’s still useful.51U1rD
HkfAs soon as I blocked it, I immediately drew the sword at my left side.LyXHO
KNhxSlash!ONIrhs
VU9pe9UAnd I struck the mosquito, which was the size of my head.VZMRpV2
pSQbHv5Because of its size, it was cleanly cut in two.tmLg
YI8KWSeeing it twitch on the ground, I was left speechless.D2ZmeVL
71w‘Did I fall into a dark fantasy world?’V9t
P6BFav2I shook my head. It’s better to believe that this forest is the one that’s messed up.BuQcwgn
z9ljBut there’s something worrying. That giant mosquito.2Qhl4j
hrfIuThen what about bees?bIZNj
Rho7GFIf those colony-living insects were also huge…iWXL1Er
TGySYGUImagining swarms the size of my head attacking me is terrifying.hFH8u
Q0o‘Good thing there are no hives near the cave.’OKzzFAC
9AFJ98Thinking that, I left the mosquito’s corpse behind.47NVHl
axDYAfter taking a few steps, I heard a sound behind me.YbN
CEZEWgUShasha—TtYQ
Xi0bmSince I couldn’t ignore even the slightest noise, I turned around startled.Hau5
Q4xSSNot forgetting to raise my shield at the same time.6ecVEmM
xTuTap tap tap!bdP
9VqFJCBThe iguana I saw earlier was running away with the mosquito in its mouth.PQmDt7t
1eJGI stared at it, stunned, as it disappeared at great speed.92DB9MT
3965ZxThis place is impossible to process.ewOvgOp
9imca‘There must be even stranger things than that.’5n3
XYicvHow many more will I have to see? How exciting.BBf
3syI continued moving silently downstream.UMz4l
DMNXIH2Now I carried the sword in my hand, ready to react at any moment.ABFRDnt
dpXI don’t know how long I walked. Maybe an hour.c3h48o
S59oSVBut there was nothing really remarkable.BlPJpXN
JWUSNVSplash!S6cJDJ
KA7The only remarkable thing were the fish.OaZQ401
U34From time to time, huge fish leapt out of the water.j98TVw0
WxARViMaybe it’s my imagination, but they seem much bigger than the ones I’ve caught.KR0z
N7ySince this is the lower part of the river, not the upper, there should be more fish.qZZ7d
4oD83PW‘I could place the trap here…’MWk
yKxD8XSplashhh!yuUT
fElXYdJust as I thought that, something shot out from the river.zpqcU
fXW1It was smaller than a whale, but far too big to be a fish.oma4JSH
1hRfkJIts black body was imposing just to look at.DRn7
fyble6Splash!HwtgY
7qgEfnQWhen it submerged again, it splashed a large amount of water.2bhs2M
KfXI stood there staring, unable to react.3JbJYAE
VoOn‘…Are there whales in rivers?’cZp
ZzaO4I felt a strong urge to go back.0YllkW
4uQSI can deal with normal animals, but not that.JOb
TTmvEven so, I wanted to see the end of the river. I couldn’t give up.g9J
HDGqSo, with my heart tense, I kept moving downstream.KPWqp
I4w4Then—vYUwK8W
fmLgLq8“Ha… damn.”CQh25
OPx0OoI let out an exclamation from deep within.HjhJftv
VB7nVdMore than a curse, it was a sigh of disbelief.J10H3Jv
64q8“Is this a sea or a lake?”ldFMNH
xp2wkivAt the end of the river, a huge lake stretched out.UyKq9
VRW9MLAlthough calling it a lake is strange, since it was very shallow.9auw
cWbQtThe water was so clear that the bottom could be seen perfectly.TXS0
zVr‘This is like it’s telling me I can’t get out.’S9WlSqU
Yp2R29I felt my spirits starting to break.dGiF
3GJI sighed and posted in the gallery.9Fid
ut1WwEI wanted to see some reactions to cheer myself up a bit.i2C0
SBLCTitle) I found a nice lakeLtbUm
hpTa4F5WildGrills (photo of the huge lake)pWWPWWk
hVjULFollowing the river I reached a lake. Nice, right?zqqHUV
6gU39SKHow am I supposed to escape hahac3iy
wojsmgㄴHeavenlyDemon) It’s a beautiful landscape. I’d like to take a boat and recite a poem.rjB2unt
fH4jGㄴWildGrills) Huh?sdhdBmG
AQCLwUㄴHeavenlyDemon) Is there a problem?Y00ws
2kuxRrㄴSwordmaster) Read the situation. Do you think Grills has the leisure to go boating?d69ete
OwX8FFㄴHeavenlyDemon) Hmm. You’re right. I apologize. I was distracted by the scenery.SSwkWft
zl9SㄴWildGrills) It’s fine…bto4LZ
YT8rㄴBut it really is nice hahaObiW
H8TㄴI’m going to draw that.gDW
8EayeKㄴThere are quite a lot of rocks in the lake.l9y
dC8XHWㄴDoesn’t it look like the depth is very shallow?E5jf9P
Vc3ㄴHey. What’s that blurry thing in the back? It looks huge.bCQNW3
LtEZyㄴIsn’t it just a rock?6KzW4
lGOZG1jㄴGrills, it’s hot, just jump in and dive already.lRyA
CT32ㄴWildGrills) It’s shallow, if I dive I’ll crack my head;;oXm2z58
YL2WㄴA lake and it’s shallow? Are you sure it’s a lake?EOSs
4AH9dv4ㄴWildGrills) No idea. It’s too big to be a pond, but too shallow to be a lake.bxFa4Gp
Za1uㄴNormally that would be a swamp.cNW
NNnF1ㄴWildGrills) There are many rocks, so it’s not a swamp.agmJsX
vezㄴDwarfPassingBy) Do you have good footwear? To pass through there you absolutely need military boots.xVSQ
WZQ5d2IㄴWildGrills) That’s why I’m hesitating. I wanted to ask you, but I feel like I’ve already asked too much, so I’ll ask someone else.FTqMyb
PyNZNMnㄴDwarfPassingBy) Yeah, I’m not good with shoes either. I don’t know about my people, but among humans there are many better than me.ev6Agwv
wqlRtㄴWildGrills) I’ll have to get shoes later.OUq
As8Thinking about it, I focused on getting clothes, but completely neglected shoes.cIKSS5E
JjDgFPFor someone who has to walk for long periods, shoes are very important.QNm
dosI wanted to ask the dwarf, but as he himself said, it already feels like I depend on him too much, so I’ll pass.Pa3vgp
XTqaCyEven the dwarf advised that, at least for shoes, it’s better to ask someone else.VPiCIlU
PzFDeA‘I thought military boots were only used by reservists.’6dfm
2yEWho would have thought I’d end up looking for them here. Life really goes in circles.jAX
dNWBut more than boots, in this case what matters is that they’re waterproof.06ICJ3o
wp4P7fcIf I wear wet shoes for a long time, not only will I get sick, but my skin will swell.PNah94
zB4‘Isn’t there rubber in the auction house…? There isn’t. Should I just endure today?’yypgFau
XNdI’m hesitating between enduring today or going back.QSH
AGARI could return, but it feels like a waste.0umcwwU
2cftUIt’s not like I’ve reached a dead end—I can’t give up so quickly.CLM
3PwTZfK‘Yeah. I can also make a raft. I’ll explore a bit more.’S6NG5TK
cwrENIf the depth increases even a little, I’ll go back immediately.h9p
ZLJkToI nodded and started moving through the shallowest areas.Rib4146
z4iurUIt felt like I was going around the lake, but I was still making progress.aYJ
IZyz5IP‘If I keep this up, I might be able to cross the lake.’djJ3k
UliIt seems I can reach the other side without needing a raft.p8i
woM3cDThough there are puddles along the way, so getting my shoes wet is unavoidable.3C9Yl
fg55qiAs I walked carefully, alert to my surroundings—ZJG
dkMsY“Grrrk.”Zjx
tBInU“Grrk. Grrk.”dNSoCo
jOEwu“Huh?”qFw
jydkc63I heard a strange sound. Right in front of me.WPV
Yky2X8When I looked, I saw a bunch of large “rocks” gathered together.J4mestq
dNGFMIt didn’t take long to realize they weren’t rocks, but living beings.ZJJN7A
zywe9a3‘Crabs? Why are there crabs?’fBAM
wVj99They were crabs. Walking sideways.CPREm
VPM7uxAnd they weren’t normal—they were much bigger than a lobster.mS1j
mbXFnRoughly the size of my torso.haUY3FH
JwYThey moved their pincers while their antenna-like eyes swayed.0OO
beh62CI approached carefully.PRu0fE
jQQdIZcEven as I got closer, they didn’t seem to have any sense of alertness. They just kept moving their pincers.hqxQ
naSMg“……Fish?”iWL
5GBp9kyYes, fish.sGdVFup
byWhThe crabs were eating fish corpses.75NMEzA
c2NGL1iI had heard that crabs play the role of scavengers.vHOC
SS1EJBut even so, I don’t understand why there are fish corpses here.IUrxO
cm6Wf‘With how shallow it is, they shouldn’t even be able to swim properly did they just have bad luck?’p3Ssi
HVfvsFirst, I’ll take a photo to identify the species.STD3nx
CxH6CI took a photo of the crabs calmly eating and uploaded it to the gallery.pDXaaLC
WaAlyyTitle) Does anyone know what species this is?qAlmOOB
MY6M(Photo of crabs eating)Bxd
3QttI was walking along the lake shore and saw crabs eating.iCVVkn
l3YThey’re about the size of my torso. Does anyone know what species they are?Ignz7IC
jzUㄴAre there crabs in lakes?4BF7DD
qmYOㄴYes. They’re experts at adapting. They live wherever there’s water.1YOc
QgJkaTVㄴThey say crab is quite tasty.v1fKDgw
ZADkBwsㄴFrom how it looks, you could roast it and eat it.bKUN
CspEㄴAllFather) It’s a Gafers crab, suitable for consumption. Normally they’re the size of a fist.OsWJJ
gOQd6NDㄴWildGrills) Don’t they have parasites or something?KVyO
CBOQㄴAllFather) There’s nothing that fire can’t kill.tR2
xPlgNzSo as long as I don’t eat it raw, it’s fine. Perfect.B4rke
rjrdWhen I go back, I should take one with me.LSAV
Jfv2Zv‘It won’t be too hard, right?’H41iPX
BiZQKQSJust in case, I stabbed it with HeavenlyDemon’s sword.pe4LD
1Dt5Crunch!h6D
Vwh9TWith a satisfying sound, the shell was pierced.O69
plVboThe crab, skewered by the sword, flailed its legs and pincers.9zV3VA
rgyPUThe other crabs didn’t react and kept eating fish.Xhj9D
ishmO‘As expected of HeavenlyDemon’s sword. No need to doubt it.’4rX425a
whg5urVI shook the sword and dropped the crab.MRcH
sDUThe crab, with its shell pierced, flipped over and trembled for a while.bvAFT
p7AyvGI felt a bit of guilt, but only for a moment.NSuc
2r7Z“Grrrk.”DI8sGy
Q1kIfl“Grrk. Grrk.”udT9
IepSS2Other crabs began to approach. Toward the injured one.1IQV
diu3BI watched to see what they would do.ucUWzdP
pjwMsmVThen, the crabs surrounding it raised their large pincers.XkQ6
QqyB9ogCrunch! Crunch!2jKL
8yQ7FThey struck the overturned crab.QdE48
zpOzVEach blow caused the shell to break into pieces.UFYXjx
zRXYEventually, it stopped trembling. It died.9oJNDo
tFEAnd the dead crab became food for the others.fqo
pUfgK“……”qG8M5nx
MkuGJcNature is cruel.qy3bi
7SYmI shook my head and kept walking.ZhV7BjM
I6MRNAlong the lake shore, there were countless crabs.oxgFh
ZJiAlmost all the same.bAF7suj
ImMNormally, a lake has a diversity of life, so this was strange.YoL6
mKo‘How did crabs dominate the entire shore?’i42FWO
lk9G1Their pincers are strong, but they’re still weak creatures.Xlmzjn
mUBsXBWith that question in mind, I came across a huge rock.MNW6Ke
pHAMuch bigger than me.ZWNZr
U9vXowIt was strange for a rock to stick out like that out of nowhere, but I could go around it.8PncpS
DjJf“Grrk.”HsRjTH
3c3dAtI“Huh?”05Bh
Qx89Vl4But the rock made a strange sound.acP
QPXThe same sound the crabs made.eND
waPLDI frowned and stared at it.BmdfJHd
rwcWU8cRumble—AWYL2W
PbjvWith a slight vibration, several legs emerged from beneath the “rock.”ENlxC
MLYBX0And on both sides, enormous pincers appeared.LLI
jLoIt was already a large rock, but now it seemed much bigger than before.RAE8U6w
qUt9Us1So big that I had to fully raise my head to look at it.UKxGzPT
Lj8Dh“Grrk. Grrrk.”2BQA934
oQk2A“……”LEke
mD0WLeEyes, like antennae, stared directly at me.qYca
ryxMMSeeing that, I had no choice but to slowly step back.JDnUt
VoIJ0ZzThe rock—no, the enormous crab—watched me for a moment and then moved its legs.efO
r0QeAmFortunately, it didn’t approach me, but turned its body instead. It seemed to have lost interest.cFI
JRJxy‘…Wait a second.’ZxXwu
RqZdzDon’t crabs move sideways?edLQDVI
Hm8sTNJust as I thought that—SwpqboR
pu1scWhoosh!DvYQpd
oddAA massive pincer came down toward my head.9gV
XDv9And to repeat, crabs fulfill the role of “cleaners.”nIKK
mxdYxlBooom!3GC84
E7f“Ahhh!”DzK1cU
LP9rZnRThat means they’re omnivores.LyQt7oR
bQau0 c4M9A
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