Chapter 77: The Pleasure of Living (3)
vwDeXSince I finished maintaining Sloth’s claws, I went to look for Wonmo.CZVhB
DlDVBut seeing him sleeping so deeply, I felt bad about waking him up.XGC
0ehZCBesides, he was still a baby, so he probably didn’t need claw maintenance yet.Sypb5gn
cfW‘I already finished everything I had to do…’QA7
czFuI checked the time.B0Pz
CEkWIt was currently 4 in the afternoon.bDIhm
dDHBefore long, it would be time for dinner.In5BSF
rGJUntil then, I could spend my time carefully reading Swordmaster’s posts.Ywd
GrBIf I studied them properly and practiced a little too, it would probably already be dinner time.xKVeUW4
4uBeA90‘When will my fundamentals improve?’23z
ihL7vThe fight against the Guardian made me realize something very clearly.J43g
Ag6hsRZI’m surviving purely thanks to the power of my items.l89Jow
SkBbewIf I hadn’t had Heavenly Demon’s sword, I never would’ve been able to pierce the Guardian’s core.xMplKem
qYKDI’m not one of those manga swordsmen capable of splitting rocks barehanded.04Sd
XdDTBut this is a fantasy world.EYfqj6
z7OfV2Maybe some people really can cut stone without using mana.slj
ZwPCuriosity got the better of me, so I wrote a post in the gallery.83Hz2D
48tbkOlTitle) Is it possible to cut stone with a sword without using mana?wEPn
V3fIWildGrills8PZrT6
sBCtNormally mana strengthens the body.Z4snY
3n1tDThen if you don’t have mana, are you basically just a normal person?HJ6uvII
O5EsOBDA normal person can’t cut stone or split metal with a sword, right?Fopy
qQBYcnㄴHeavenlyDemon) It depends on the situation. If the dantian is completely destroyed, then yes, you would be no different from a normal person. But as long as the dantian remains intact, it’s possible to exert great strength even in a normal state.iJR3z
P01qmJ0ㄴWildGrills) But even then, proper technique is still necessary, right?BwzZT1
UzYHㄴHeavenlyDemon) Of course. Strength without technique only ends up dispersing. Technique exists to concentrate power into a single point.iTS8K
xLqdIE1ㄴWildGrills) Then can you do it, Heavenly Demon?DKKc
IbcRYUㄴHeavenlyDemon) Though I still haven’t perfected it, I can cut my enemies using only intent. That is called the mental sword.lgckg
fbUBeYㄴSwordmaster) Ignore that last part from that old murim woman. Anyway, someone who reaches a certain level can probably do it because even their bare body becomes a lethal weapon.bY1o60T
r4S7ihAㄴWildGrills) And what would be the standard for considering someone that strong?dcCOY
zdTㄴSwordmaster) A level where you can use Aura Blade unconsciously. A level where mana even affects the body and slows aging.HBE1hp4
3PG1ㄴWildGrills) Don’t tell me that’s already Swordmaster level.HHETNy
LNwㄴSwordmaster) Excluding mass-produced Swordmasters.cZj1o
fGYC8ㄴWhat do you mean by “mass-produced”? Hahaha. A Swordmaster is still a Swordmaster.O3cX
nlLㄴThis is all Ash’s fault. That woman made people call the other Swordmasters “mass-produced” JAJA.wNv
4VNGㄴWe’re talking about people responsible for an entire country’s military power and they still get called mass-produced hahaha.vlPjZ
UbGPㄴIf they were that common, anyone could become one;;HHfMu
65wㄴWildGrills) So it’s impossible with just basic fundamentals in the end?gJgJ
cVZrls5ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Considering your talent, it is not impossible. However, since you have no master to guide you, it will probably take quite a long time.q8Gy59
J2kㄴSwordmaster) Even so, if you keep constantly reading my posts, you’ll at least be able to master the fundamentals. That much I can guarantee.IJoy
jdCpDㄴWildGrills) So growing rapidly in the short term is impossible after all.SSljz
EPF2ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Not necessarily. Martial artists become stronger the more they fight. You are trapped in a deadly land, so as long as you survive the crises, you will advance quickly.jP4BSb
ZKtkVQjㄴSwordmaster) Heavenly Demon, that sounded more like “go and die” than advice;;vGfricv
0q6muGTㄴHeavenlyDemon) Everything depends on how it’s said. I honestly believe he will survive until the end.vEB
nd9ecㄴWildGrills) Uh… well, I guess that counts as support. Thanks.apV3
S0bOXㄴHeroDontThrowAway) There’s also another way to become strong quickly!o3c9
8VXWJLㄴWildGrills) Which one?tg02
raAㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Believe in the Goddess! In Aris, the Goddess of War and Wisdom!8gDMWK
hY7DrㄴWildGrills) I hate gods.VCOVESA
UbEXaㄴHeroDontThrowAway) W-What!? How can you say something so blasphemous?! Why do you hate them?!MGRs9q
Pa3XㄴWildGrills) I was living peacefully and my parents died in an accident. After that I desperately struggled to keep living and ended up falling into the Four Seasons Forest. Obviously I want to curse them.SeVX
2NIvㄴYou just keep on blaspheming;;1VpHUQS
nOqZ5VoㄴWhat a miserable life, damn. How can someone live like that? Hahaha.GLPQLQe
lOdfYㄴModerator, are you a paladin or something?LjSu43n
5QcㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Something like that! Though I was temporarily expelled because of a small misunderstanding!6Amoz
IcjKii6A god.47zgol
2ZOkDTuThe moderator’s words left me thinking.zJgQeU
4aXEbglI don’t follow any particular religion.V5HrcVi
qd0lJjoBut I’m not an atheist either.zv0gq
1TAEven before suddenly falling into the Four Seasons Forest, I did believe in the existence of gods.qxuFHS
SjmrTVBecause that way I could insult them freely.ZWRLQ
aJSNtXcIf I was going to hate someone, it was better to hate a god than a person.1ah
vrJGPghAnd if they punished me for insulting them? Then I’d insult them even more for being so sensitive.93ZD
vHOKz‘If nobody’s watching, people even insult the king.’mJc
SOQBelieving in gods so I could hate them.HdAd
1ZkhdIt was quite an ironic idea.luTa
YiIzGaTBut thanks to that mindset, I was still stubbornly surviving, so it wasn’t so bad.hpXyrFD
rnz‘For now, the only answer is training.’RKt
nPSI feel like my mana is constantly increasing, but I can’t grasp even the slightest clue about how to use Aura Blade.JWVd
ssyRather, it feels like I have too much mana and can’t control it properly.0gQPUO2
u4O0I9DI guess that’s because I’m someone who came from Earth.7DlkmB
MeMIf my origin is different, then maybe the training method should also be different.EPhnps
sgz2From the beginning, the mere fact that I could feel mana was already almost a miracle.0swg
49Z‘…This is going to take a long time.’tHTV
ONjT0If I want to escape the Four Seasons Forest, I need to become stronger.EVPlTa
AX028WyBut to reach that level, I at least need to learn how to use Aura Blade.3itVx
6iKNbAnd learning Aura Blade could take an incredibly long time.bEv5xZ
GLZ08TJTherefore, I’ll have to assume that I’ll be living in the Four Seasons Forest for a very long time.3GouXdt
h6cI‘As long as I manage to escape someday, that’s enough.’1ETH
BeOSsVI made that promise to myself while closing the gallery.9ao3uP
4KaIt seemed the moderator was still saying something to me, but I calmly ignored it.Vxby
uvKhqnCThat blaspheming was wrong, that no matter how hard life was I shouldn’t insult the gods, and so on.ChaUk
sMBJudging by the way he spoke, he seemed like a very devout believer. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought up the topic.RORBE
Ld7L7‘As if the gods are going to feed me.’EEQwkfC
YZo7GBesides, in this world there are far more things to worry about before worrying about gods.82RK
EeZAh, though that doesn’t mean I despise religious people.Qwg
ISHfCZQIn fact, I consider sincere believers to be some of the most admirable people there are.hivPC85
3eHJ853They are people full of sacrifice and devotion, so how could I hate them?P78xdPD
p5aSIP‘It’s not that I hate people.’nX63
GmGzbVMy parents were good people, and the people helping me now are too.R7T
9q6lOf course, every now and then some bastard appears, but I’m not someone who gets trampled on easily either.eKmzdZ6
5Gv‘Thinking about it that way, the gallery is strange too.’M6DcxT
iNROqOI know all too well the atrocities people can commit under the veil of anonymity.wXtSZ
xfb4Where I used to live, you could kill people not with weapons, but with words.iEkA
Td5P8And yet, even though the gallery is full of desires and personal interests, there are relatively few personal attacks.iy8
pWFUOSometimes some strange lady appears, but the other races simply let it slide. Only the dwarves react.Qvcpt9P
J6fIt’s similar with the beastkins.lBuuE
O6uld8When something is that extreme, it can only be seen as a difference in tastes.Wo148Ug
jHdNs‘I want to go home.’NpEo03H
HIenXI discreetly looked at the cave wall.ksHim
crHTomorrow would already be the tenth day.6Ej
ssVYe41I feel like I haven’t done much, but time flew by.3dEuO
EXbvI still haven’t explored very much, and on top of that beasts keep attacking me constantly, so my head hurts.Xz4va0
6ocr‘Where should I go tomorrow?’JSPRl
5QaiI turned my gaze to the side.4KWb
pGXsThere was a large hand-drawn map spread across a white sheet.bkqZ
LnvOThe river that was practically my lifeline.dUe
032The lakeshore connected to that river.Sdewf
jDVK6E8The area inhabited by the adult mandrakes.5UJ04tg
6PxyThe mushroom cave.cIBzT
c78DZSThe orichalcum cave and the rest.7Yz
UaKgQoiLooking at it this way, I really had explored quite a lot of places.muB8
OBfThough I discovered one of them purely by chance while searching for Wonmo after he ran away.bCK
hTE‘If I follow the river downstream, it all ends at the lake, so I should probably start from the source.’BfU
hGNzCI looked at the map while thinking carefully.S5Re
F0qcSIt was time to explore in a more organized way.voDrG5
ZuNh8If I was going to stay here for a long time, it would be best to examine everything thoroughly.Cva
CElgI would also need to place landmarks so I wouldn’t get lost.w68
pQMMoving around the lake was impossible.j9XT
d3YKkIf one of those giant crabs appeared, I’d die.L2226Z
Cos0q‘Or maybe I should follow the river upstream?’S5Nsu
dZih7X5That wasn’t a bad idea either.raH
Ojw548A river didn’t necessarily have to be a single stream.GYJXqmd
lbZAH2Even in the upper part of the river, it could split into two or even several branches.beb766O
wdGXO‘I should check what lies at the end of each river.’j53
kUBJAANDownstream was the lake.TXXAu
ltSYdBut I didn’t know what was upstream.1BCJ
mPF0BIt was better to follow a clear route rather than wandering around aimlessly.wK5Idp
Q7KAfter more or less organizing tomorrow’s plan, I checked the time.FjZa9J
fmQIt was almost five o’clock.M27ZSc9
3XLIt was probably time to head up to the river and check whether any fish had fallen into the trap.o85wT
n6YO“I’m heading out for a moment.”8xui
a6otq“…….”D6Pu
0HjXjI spoke to Sloth and left the cave.wY44G2
P4fAs always, I placed the metal gate there just in case.pmZO9pT
aZ2sAfter properly equipping myself, I headed toward the river.7w7RA
6cDBU8Just earlier today at noon, a pack of otters had appeared, so I needed to stay alert.Cn8
u7R3GguSplash. Splash.Gh1s1c
2ZA3g“What? Three?”XOgJIo
BsHVaLWhen I checked the trap, it had caught no less than three fish.ZIfThK
7GrWOne golden fish and two red fish.yIG1V
i6SIt was hard to believe that was possible in such a short time.Vf7U46c
Ac99un1‘Well, as long as it’s good, then better this way.’AZM
H3nfThe more food I had, the better.Z185
Vg6eV9bHumming cheerfully, I lifted the trap.cG1iol
9fYWhile pulling it out, I carefully watched the surroundings in case something attacked me.5Ly
NLmMaybe the otters had smelled the blood from the fight earlier and were coming back.3zf7
NgFIEJ‘It’s better to return quickly.’rudd
QNW5fAfter collecting the trap, I ran back to the cave.zWJjrys
qR6Mt7I even used mana because I was afraid something might chase me.Y0G2fHb
EevhC1Once inside, I threw the fish into the metal container.qH1Giw
e2USince there were three fish, the container ended up completely full.li6dLs
tuRVuV‘Tomorrow I can eat one for breakfast.’mAXS
L381If every day were like this.Jtn
Fd2No. What am I thinking?P9RpjI
QNYMhWhat matters is escaping quickly.wDyrsjH
RcpOEI shook my head firmly.ksmTxH1
ol3y‘Until I manage to escape.’SGt
mK8gHYes. That mindset was much more appropriate.MLIiI
5e4COddI went back to the river to place the trap again and then started preparing dinner.NsiS
X7YaWonmo, who had been napping, also seemed to notice that dinner time was approaching and slowly crawled out.Bpjl9
KdIN0ngWatching him approach with those sleepy eyes was far too adorable.Du83T
Q02YdgIt felt like my heart healed every time I saw him.x9AIn
7u97Sizzleee—5NywG
XvdELEKI gave one of the prepared fish to Wonmo and cooked the other one as usual.fkPO
5XAJust a little salt and done, a delicious fish dish!J87Wm
dPWNo matter how many times I eat it, I never get tired of it.83bA7Y
MOGmMore than fish, it feels like eating premium beef.3tW
EwKJWTa‘Why does it taste better than tiger meat?’cdcagc
k5FpCYCMaybe because the tiger meat had been smoked.NVupbl
APUGAfter dinner, I started practicing the breathing method.bpb
2HRcI also didn’t forget to take the medicine AllFather gave me.mitQ
0OXC“Come on, Wonmo. Catch it.”V5Bq
H5RzZ“Kyuuu! Kyuu!”NKDGuEo
wkZG4bwAfter finishing everything, I started playing with Wonmo.pK9mS
0JqbDQBasically, I tied a piece of cloth to a stick and moved it around.tpbs
SPd8XeI had seen many owners playing like this with their cats on YouTube.mLbus
jNZ32KtWonmo wasn’t a cat, but I heard games like this helped develop hunting skills.gMzog
T3FThunk!lmxEu
r9J“Kyua!”cSypAf
L6dX“Ugh!”9Pvchw
nM1mRXWell, sometimes little accidents happened and we ended up crashing into each other, but I could handle it.VlD
8TaTNxHe was still a tiny baby.fNV
My7AAlthough he had grown since the first time I saw him, he was still a baby.grj9c
YJPtuIt“Kyuuu! Kyuu!”eoPuL
nZMRmJ“Hehehe.”7e8U
jymQWOOI hugged Wonmo and rubbed against him before slowly letting him go.UGhD8C
4UB0vnKI think I finally understand why people keep pets.k915
5RDucfmIt felt like the loneliness became a little lighter.8Isu
65x‘I wonder what the gallery is doing.’qzFv1s
ZwyOutside, it was already beginning to get dark.bhcm
Fnd6GSo I entered the gallery again.k8vI82
ThGtJPAs always, it was full of useless posts and nonsense.3gSi
VvUVmdIt was probably the place where human warmth could be felt the most.Mrmv
jI6Of course, every now and then some strange lunatic appeared, but I didn’t really care anymore.thKBQ
g0p‘What do these people do in real life?’eRruE10
igAThe question appeared suddenly.9PVtQ9
L3jdOEspecially the registered users I had ended up interacting with.3tMEk
LzQFNone of them seemed remotely “normal.”1dR7VZl
S5h4Even HeavenlyDemon, whom they call an old murim woman, seemed like an important person to me. A real adult.TzQZqq
zlyI‘They’re good people.’XBzhIG
HuJh79Of course, I’m just curious. I don’t plan to dig too deeply.tOu6SGh
xAjRJust the fact that they help me already makes me owe them a lot.6Ddi7
yz8QkkHTitle) End of Day 9!tDkbS19
LK5hWildGrills6iiKSb
nR0pvEl(Photo of the campfire)zcCvd
f9b1End of an especially tough Day 9! Tomorrow begins Day 10!piQ
chA9See you tomorrow!i1aYnJ2
FU8ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Rest well. I’ll always be supporting you.rYnj
LjrㄴSwordmaster) You suffered especially a lot today. Stay strong.hbV
xFTOauUㄴStarlightPrincess) Fighting! I sincerely hope you don’t surpass my record!ZK1twd
XL53ㄴLooking at it now, it really does seem like he’ll surpass it.xXLL
VpsZh56ㄴThere’s no point even counting them. He’ll never be able to escape anyway hahaha.Hr0PBV
GJdQbBㄴStarlightPrincess) You people really are trash ^^QBA
m07NKㄴLetsPlantTrees) Thank you for giving me the core today! Thanks to it, my work became much easier!lnRlriG
S5SㄴWildGrills) I’m glad it was useful to you. I’m also making very good use of the gifts you gave me.PVkpVK
l6pㄴLetsPlantTrees) What do you think of them? They are the pride of Alvenheim!6TsM2Y6
UArjHㄴWildGrills) By any chance, are all elves smokers?hAus2
8qzxImEㄴLetsPlantTrees) Ah. Right.sNOMJGc
yjjdㄴLol.dde8L
Jt3fㄴWhat do you mean “ah, right”? Hahaha.21SJ8QI
dbwoXJㄴI think she forgot she gifted him tobacco hahaha.8lz
ojqmBCㄴHey, pointy ears. Do you smoke too?EsW08t9
vs9zHㄴLetsPlantTrees) No! I use them as incense.ihG8
LeIa7lYㄴThat’s pretty weird too;;fYl
4Aq5ㄴWho uses tobacco as incense?D1j
aB5LetsPlantTrees really was a strange person.3AV
zvUvWhat on earth was she doing with that core?a3oVo
M9hrKoStill, from my perspective, it was a great trade because I managed to get rid of something troublesome.0gIW0
r9GYD‘Tomorrow I’ll head upstream.’15yf3O
JcZmnhThere was still time before sleep.5KFvlo
dWCEsSo I continued practicing the breathing method.s032aA
BcKTLT8HeavenlyDemon said she wanted to teach me the next formula, but first I needed to strengthen my foundations.AX0GnF
JzE827I don’t know exactly what she considers “foundations,” but she said it would take at least two weeks.CTtwCS
NY57‘Then I’ll start eating the internal cores after that.’babVNy
jYlfLQThere were about four days left.BJSSMUA
AT3oCI slowly closed my eyes and began circulating mana.Fb8s3X
C8b3H3I could clearly feel the mana moving through my body.FAy1H
6kWi5Curiously, the more days passed, the more it felt like the amount of mana increased and its circulation speed improved as well.CmODfeR
1XKs‘Could it be because of the fish?’7Es6LG
WQku3Maybe it was because I was eating fish with internal cores every single day—no, practically every meal.vXU
NUxEven so, I could control it.mKu1i
mMk4If I couldn’t, my body would have exploded a long time ago.xhPvq
lHF7nxWithout interruption, I slowly began entering a deep state of concentration.7zFaNK
7SnQvLDAnd the next day.dsi91ZS
HApHyp6Shhhhhhhhhh!!O2fEW3d
j78“Ah, damn it.”rUY
jefUnI cursed as I looked at the torrential rain pouring down from the sky.EO8RH8I
DNR 50i4GP0
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