Chapter 92: Tracks (1)
eV2bCI think I’ll have to correct what I said about eel.1i2OkS
wczQrIt was literally a natural physical strength enhancer.DSqb
KcCZtS4That description fit it perfectly.salYXR
KhRkdvzOf course, it had the small no, enormous problem of side effects, but even so, it was manageable.4DM
0IZwAnd most importantly, it wasn’t temporary like a normal drug.gxkynE
lALWThere was a high probability that it was permanent.Nztw6
vsRY‘That whole thing about improving male vitality and all that basically means it increases stamina overall.’AiB3
d4LPBpPeople exaggerate the rumors a lot, but in reality, eel is good for anyone, regardless of sex or age.3OctQ3R
nKRC2NIt would be strange if something good for men were bad for women.OneK
ZIe2The best way to think of it was as a simple energy supplement.yWO
sJktemDThough in the Forest of Four Seasons, it didn’t just increase energy, but physical abilities overall.ltr
8Xpt‘If I hadn’t learned the Inner Cultivation Method, it would’ve been a disaster.’DHzU
AC1KZDHBut anything the body can’t process eventually causes problems.V3gxO5d
QMeIf HeavenlyDemon hadn’t taught me the Inner Cultivation Method.gcPntjJ
VrPIf she hadn’t taught me the breathing formulas.aNYZS
ETGThat thing probably would’ve exploded.JO4js
iaT‘Training the Inner Cultivation Method really has no drawbacks at all.’37TF
SF5mIt reduces fatigue.FAnR4
rbP9Increases mana.0UGK
bexZAnd every time my body develops some abnormality, it also corrects it.7ttv
s7iIt was practically perfect.L8Bz
ZTXnYAyI definitely needed to train it even more.l3I
BTh7JNd“Uup.”8zrHa
CZzBCaI started repositioning the barricades one by one.9Krdu
hr5OtJvThanks to my increased strength, I was able to save far more time than before.YaTKlh
NFEfy‘I’ll place the barricades the dwarf gave me here.’ZKulhA
tVGAfter reorganizing them, I returned to the cave and started on other tasks.QISA4Br
3sbmThe first was updating the map.mzqw
dZxI marked the location of the ocean.3w2VBwZ
xcs1And not only was there a sea, but also several rivers where the water flowed backward inland.QBV
dirRSince I still didn’t know exactly where those rivers led, I left large blank spaces on the map.t6pcUV
VfqB4B‘Even that river split into two separate currents at the end.’Il1Ak
7hWZnThe problem was that the place where it flowed seemed pretty terrifying.Op0fO5s
xWhGIvFrom there, I could hear sounds like “Uuuh! Uuuh!” as if a group of monkeys lived nearby.wzhful
PrjI would rather avoid that place if possible, but I’d probably end up going there sooner or later.pVNEDM
no75‘How could monkeys have evolved?’Ibq
owWThe first thing that changed in most animals was their size.jFZPWaH
0OHAlmost every creature I had seen so far was enormous.oHmm
mM1872So what kind of monsters would monkeys, animals famous for their intelligence, become?PmUctTd
fITNSI had imagined it before, but please.cVw
L5rgihIDon’t let them end up deformed like that humanoid shark.id8y
oQq8FYK‘First I’ll go upstream.’wBg
YivI had already finished reorganizing the barricades, so I went to check how many fish had fallen into the traps.zB2
drTz7During the night, I caught a total of three fish.zdG5vR
2XsFvuiQuite a plentiful amount.wtbfz
Onu0DbqAnd on top of that, unexpected food like the turtle egg appeared from time to time, so little by little my supplies were piling up.uGL
83xeJNq‘I’ll have turtle egg for breakfast.’bP3tjT
ka8VIf I left it too long, it could spoil.6KVlh
ALjBThings like this were better consumed quickly.g4lk60
qcspfAnd besides, the egg was as large as an ostrich egg.ILiW6
5GcpI’d definitely end up completely full.H96g
ZGpUS5‘I guess I’ll have to cook it half-done.’tQGSm
9x0Even though I had a spatula, the problem was that the egg was too large to flip over.WEr
jLhi7After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to cook it that way.0Y2X
PoGHalf-cooked egg tasted good too.SHT4Pu
cWNaoJjSo I poured a bit of oil into a huge iron pan and heated it over the campfire.2F2q9c
FpaOnce it was hot enough, I cracked the egg.IflzPS
lpicPAITap! Tap-tap! Thud!cE5K
OiI8“Hm?”LbtQ
YKMCBut unexpectedly, it didn’t crack properly.IbiMuER
u2086ilIt was pretty hard.Wf57Atp
7gidJzI guess because of the size, the shell was also much thicker.jiUyAhG
CNBwcsAfraid the oil would splatter everywhere, I quickly went to get a hammer.Zkufhc
evP43DIClang! Clang! Clang!4bRlWZx
zgy“No fucking way…”G1SQp
bxDNot even the hammer could crack it properly.1bbYLT
WyQcWThe shell was as hard as metal.iw872
9ozEven when I increased the force of the blows, it still showed no signs of breaking.EZLn
NRaDrIRIt seemed it had evolved that way so beasts wouldn’t easily break it while the mother was away.bGuVao
olMly‘Then how the hell do the hatchlings come out?’7Oa3Vg
remDo only the strongest survive?0Idn
B6IWhat a hellish race from birth.oE9lP
WT2In the end, I even had to use aura to open the egg.GBpyJWY
KoIfjSizzleeeee!L3cnBN
LLvBut at least the effort was worth it.8r3v
pWD841The egg started cooking perfectly.XXZHrM
zhtHZkThe amount was so enormous that it filled the entire pan.CpylhY
OD0AI sprinkled salt over it.JsHCsnA
npDThat would definitely make the flavor even better.GQQ1n
ppSmgSalt was a divine gift.GZXqm
4XVxCu‘Maybe I should’ve brought another egg.’mbiDAn
e9EdThough I probably wouldn’t have been able to carry it anyway.DZR1yh
7EFI let out a small laugh and, once the egg was ready, removed the pan from the fire.e52y
f5RiKaIt was too big even to transfer onto a plate.IZhxFJ
DwwG0aI had no choice but to cut it like a steak.VO2a
uVUZI prepared a knife and fork, then cut off one corner.zOF6
JWhJWThe key was cooking the edges thoroughly until they were almost fried.cti
79i5liXCrunch.WpQ
d88VyTjThe crispy texture of the edges combined with the softness typical of egg white.Rckq
ZouHi0And on top of that, the salty flavor from the salt.UPe
jXeObjectively speaking, the fish tasted better.UOsPAva
zKc7uuBut eggs had something special.3TxhJ
f6MkWEspecially because this one didn’t come from the auction house, but because I had obtained it directly in the wild.5T65
fH9d7VfPop!Rgi
LIgWI broke the perfectly placed yolk in the center.0nctW
ngzCZTiThen I used it as sauce while devouring the egg white.G76UvDR
4HZQYThe yolk also had no strong smell.I8bXRG
nocz3bIt had a strange but incredibly addictive flavor.qLbY
53KgC“Woah. This is delicious.”WUGN
9CDTI ended up devouring the entire pan of egg.FlxR
3mdAnd afterward, I wiped my mouth with a napkin.Xah
JmcpLJcIt wasn’t on the level of a steak, but it had a flavor similar to bacon.3Tnu0Wm
1F1oC1It was absurdly delicious.Ymc7w
pthRf4yBoth the eel and most foods from the Forest of Four Seasons tasted unbelievably good.20iZPu
Icf8‘Though a huge part of the credit goes to the salt.’IZdJf
yv6q7In reality, salt was way too overpowered.UlxMt
LMlCNMWithout it, none of this would probably taste nearly as good.jVondb
VRIMoments like these made me appreciate the existence of the gallery even more.k8yu
cSYIf the gallery didn’t exist, even obtaining salt would’ve been a monstrous task.pBW
ygOuIZG‘Or maybe I’d already be dead.’ow2K
CY8I finished cleaning everything and checked the time.hgE
QL7Since I had reorganized the barricades first, it was only around nine in the morning.3xxV6
F6zMUI usually considered eight o’clock the official start of the day.Cbc
DXRMwBa‘There’s still plenty of time left, and I also need to receive something. I’ll use the morning to train.’rZZ34Km
Zuw6jwRThere was still one item I hadn’t received yesterday.GLd
f5JpwThe special container SmartMind said could store Internal Cores.lT3zBC
Cy3I wasn’t sure something like that really existed, but since he promised to give it to me, I intended to accept it.4ZF
YsqVyD‘And if he tries to scam me, I’ll just stop trading with him.’sn4Mf
aKmhXInternal Cores were plentiful.tGfzG5
ILkNpxEvery time I gutted a fish, I found one.4Kc2x
eNhq8uJust the ones I had accumulated so far were already close to ten.gw0gnJ
bmTGiving one away wouldn’t be a problem.JpMpFe1
tUvTitle) WildGrills: SmartMind, requesting trade.o11NI
5IkOIf you see this message, please accept the trade. I was busy yesterday.Fg0
U0rcAbout five minutes after posting that, I finally received a message.ysm
w03pFLI had also been waiting for SmartMind, so I accepted without hesitation.ovmi
8ce[SmartMind: Greetings, Mr. Grills. First, I would like to express my gratitude for accepting this trade.]Q3R
Oyuvv[WildGrills: Isn’t the way you speak in private completely different from your comments?]aCsR
9wpLi9z[SmartMind: My philosophy is to always show respect toward those who provide resources.]XgxNG
jgRA[WildGrills: I have no intention of becoming anyone’s supplier.]U7Zb
i5ECiF[SmartMind: Considering the value of Internal Cores, you have more than enough qualifications to be one.]an5wQz
wECexRWhat a strange mindset this guy has.QnT0LxH
inrgC0Though maybe he’s just genuinely polite.eEkdSd9
TOazo1After all, the gallery was full of all kinds of people.yZtaR
w8E5This wasn’t even that strange.Gre31B
wQlJust look at HeavenlyDemon.BPuNboS
rpWTqThough honestly, this overly respectful way of speaking was actually more comfortable.a44nKf
jvyasX2At the very least, he had already earned some points with me.zdD1
FUpdYz[WildGrills: So, what exactly is this container for storing Internal Cores?]EgU
KzPV6C[SmartMind: It is a bottle that generates cold when energy is injected into it.]prgAlpc
kQqM12[SmartMind: You may think of it as a miniature refrigerator.]46hxU2
uXcV[WildGrills: If it runs on mana, wouldn’t it be better to just buy a refrigerator…]UTle8qN
k4zHE[SmartMind: The amount of energy required is vastly lower.]6HF
UW3iAB[SmartMind: Furthermore, manufacturing it is complicated, which is why it is normally only used for storing important objects.]8SvZ
9KJe[WildGrills: And you still plan to give me something like that?]6Nn0
Pq8QAVm[SmartMind: Things like this can be obtained with money, but Internal Cores are difficult to obtain even with money.]QY5I9l1
XvMpsWFI more or less understood.EFgpi
lQMpcdvIt was because of rarity.maEaC
BxLCvEarlier, KingLeor had given me a crystal sphere enchanted with light magic.BkG02Zj
iYFConSo it wasn’t that strange for containers that emitted cold to exist.jAaUA9o
yPJAfter all, this was fantasy.kdsee
HIPThe best thing was to just accept it without overthinking.vkMakPN
zaoIf I started analyzing every single thing, I’d only end up with a headache.ewdj
3taaaER[WildGrills: Understood.]2exUy
LY1h3j[WildGrills: But it won’t break or anything like that, right?]qscR
t006Y[SmartMind: The chances are extremely low, but if it does become damaged, please inform me immediately.]W1l
j3YUy[SmartMind: I will repair it myself.]1gHq
ato1[WildGrills: Thank you very much.]Mqqns
XJei6[WildGrills: I’ll give you the Internal Core I obtained today, so I hope it’ll be a fair trade.]LlFt
rJx[SmartMind: The honor is mine.]ZvgRcE
4QcLIt really wasn’t that serious.xIq
GjMwj7I finished the exchange with SmartMind, who maintained impeccable manners until the very end.TrDfMi9
QP0VgShortly afterward, I received the bottle he had mentioned.wPn6Ymn
hFOE‘What kind of letters are these?’B3KDws
EipYxThe bottle had completely unfamiliar characters engraved on it.BvSJ63
5vTJl6rIt was much smaller than an elixir bottle and barely the size of my pinky finger.hLN
ZqxzxtThough it was thick enough to store an Internal Core, it didn’t emit any cold from the outside.AojWxp
6iPl‘Did he scam me?’ae9ZZ
Fdq2i2I started getting a little worried, so I immediately tested how it worked.dVUCE
slm59VWhen I removed the cork sealing the bottle, a cold current slowly began to flow out.04Tv
1uaEven so, I thought maybe he had simply trapped cold air inside, so I waited quietly for thirty seconds.rOq
G3p6But even after that time, the bottle continued releasing a constant coldness.GlysFne
SxbmH9V‘How curious.’nU5WSs
waYKfAMini refrigerators didn’t exist, but things like this did.7gP4
6mgn4SsEven if he said it was because of mana consumption, honestly, I didn’t understand any of it.0IIeBuw
4y1Well, as long as it worked, it didn’t matter.Hi4jZt
wCms5frI placed all the Internal Cores I had gathered so far inside it.OjI5J6
8eylzy4The moment I stored them, the surface of the bottle turned white as if covered in frost.vab
JPb‘Could it be because the mana from the Internal Cores is increasing the cold?’lXW5
5s1hgdI guess it’s something like that.Q5FB
9OYrPAs long as they were preserved properly, it didn’t matter.fBPiPu
Mzc2Now that their storage duration had increased, I stood up and started training.nXRz
SyWyQNAs always, the training consisted of sword and shield practice.JReGY0
5SixqnFrom now on, I planned to do it once a day.d8nzO
1idGbk‘More specifically, while Wonmo is asleep.’mhA
gymuWMAt that moment, Wonmo was completely sprawled out on the ground, fast asleep with his belly exposed.cyoxZW
ZKi8c9I didn’t know whether it was because I was beside him or because he still didn’t understand the dangers of the wild.Ge1MlY
6HTFaX2‘Though he’s adorable.’8Nmai6
T8UTWonmo was a baby.EE9EAPK
UgxcAnd babies should be protected.P4X3SIg
HyioPBesides, I had killed his mother.AY59US
5P7avHEven if his mother had tried to kill me first.IFU6C2m
JU1ACIf I had decided to raise him, then I needed to take responsibility.PQmIdTR
rHSkOO‘Training is fine, but how the hell am I supposed to improve my reaction speed?’plnn
bW4bWhile practicing, I glanced off to the side.91D6KC
jEqlfToward the sloth.wJ4vBc
yrfzxI didn’t expect to reach that guy’s monstrous agility, dynamic vision, or reflexes.EWzc
sam9But at the very least, I wanted to develop enough reaction speed to respond.2V71U2
9YY‘Snakes are the biggest problem.’bmlSz3
3YntXNSnakes were fast.qZ8L
RHpAnd stealthy.9Se7c
FsjXqEven if they were still slower than the sloth, I still needed to prepare for them.kKJQUW
tOetk1DBesides, improving reaction speed would never be a disadvantage.T1b
aAL38It meant gaining opportunities to counterattack.ank7
SiPSo I decided to ask the gallery.UGs4k
RvDfbRHow exactly was I supposed to improve my reflexes?r7reyks
FEwTitle) Exercises to improve reaction speed?VIcm
xMRWildGrills08y
RgrI want to improve my reflexes. Are there any good exercises for that?Rg28
pRL1ww└HeavenlyDemon: Don’t you have the sloth?ZEZx
YH18└WildGrills: And what about him?meCHS
4Eb└HeavenlyDemon: I thought if you trained against him, your reflexes would naturally improve.EIwpN
QNHWvj└WildGrills: If I do that, there’s a high probability I’ll die;;rdTZ3
o1CJ└Swordmaster: Exercises to improve reflexes are simple. You only need to train by constantly stimulating the nerves.ljER81Y
Bav└WildGrills: I don’t understand what that means.VLLuchY
tF2└Swordmaster: Throw a highly bouncy ball against a wall with all your strength. If you repeatedly catch it, your reflexes will naturally improve.MJhNP9
8RZS└WildGrills: And what if the ball ends up hitting me?llYL6X2
M7n└Swordmaster: Then it hits you. That’s all.Etindkb
IJv└WildGrills: Huh?;;jjHWW1
jiP└Swordmaster: But I’m not lying. That truly is one of the best methods.Z7EWh
PHB└StarlightPrincess: I can’t think of anything else. I think, for you, that’s the best method possible, Mr. Grills.HfT
zvWgCNN└DemonPrincess: I can give you a baaall.aiX7
bcnIio└DwarfPassingBy: You have elixir anyway, don’t you? Even if it hits your face, you should be fine.tMi
LhH└WildGrills: Then let it hit you instead.jlUP
Gd9jVa└DwarfPassingBy: Has a rock ever fallen on top of you?pgke84
7UZ326l└WildGrills: Sorry.ScSOYrI
NdD8xWIn the end, I decided to follow Swordmaster’s advice and use a ball against the wall.rLTBeFL
TjGo6AMDemonPrincess also gave me the ball.gLY
nCBqIt was a little smaller than a baseball.ZJYk93
eAk‘Wait—what if I make the sloth throw it instead?’iPvL3J
qI7KUCIf the ball started bouncing all over the place, it might end up hitting Wonmo while he slept peacefully.aUfFHi
NyhFU8So I handed the ball to the sloth.VkD
4pv6dh1“Alright, sloth. I have something I need you to do.”2RMcUU
ohCp“……”sWh3s
MmGpw“You just need to throw this at me without warning. But fast. Understood?”zwy
mHjTOIIWhy would I have to do that?QOLgh
lJzvT5That seemed to be what he was asking with his eyes.i46
xipaSo I gave him a pretty reasonable explanation.RiOe
TQ5“Because the tree that gives food will become stronger. Isn’t that beneficial for you too?”JR0p
goV“……”r5Dxy
OBJXAnd then he nodded.Cemqmnj
vQCSKI truly didn’t understand how communication with this guy was even possible.PtyIEm
LcRAnyway, we went outside the cave and started training.k4Z
xxE9UIThis guy was so absurdly slow even when leaving the cave that I had to carry him myself.P4rM
15vK“Alright. Throw it.”UUgIuFd
U6bje87“……”3L9
3Ax9zIKAt my words, the sloth slowly began pulling his arm back.yaz
iqj7Slow.Zc2
iHnwpPRidiculously slow.IajfAQP
xRjS0So slow it was frustrating to watch.uVyMoS
HqiBut I endured patiently.vLmw8
xPOQjBecause I didn’t know when he would throw the ball.3yKh8
HOvz“Ah, damn it…”KalL
oSSBut even the throwing motion itself remained absurdly slow, so I ended up cursing.dF3
9nTjbAnd just as, irritated, I slightly moved my foot—LBA2r
YqGwWhoosh!VYJNVhc
ME7XVQjThe sloth swung his arm at such absurd speed that it looked like it happened in a split second.TvXyJ
7SQYMSmack!iB32NNd
zjim“Gugh!”f2On
6PFThe ball hit me directly in the face.Lw2
zdbtqA tragedy caused by lowering my guard and my poor reaction speed.zqd
Us6y25kFor a moment, I felt my blood boiling, but it had also been my fault, so I didn’t get angry.FgWIsd
sRGlz“Ha… one more time…”JlN
vxsPnJx“……”QKl
o1hv“Just one more time. But throw it a little softer this time.”jdQT
4IUDzTo survive.5gcekz
EAyTo escape.J7ErEgD
K18lE9pThere are moments when a person must live with absolute determination.BYv
JeYveIhAnd that moment was now.WYNOQ
o4dgFThud!jfM
sHanEuP“Uggh!”J8kC3
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