Chapter 94: Tracks (3)
v46JHuman bones were fairly easy to distinguish compared to those of other animals.US0pO3
ecoLThey could even be differentiated from humanoid apes.wzsf
KgYuXVThey were simply easy to recognize.KYGFyhm
AhVThe rounded back of the skull.GOT
1epT9The square jaw.6blx
65IThis was definitely a human bone.xMq1F94
4PmeTkI could say it with certainty.kzlOr
c9a4zNTitle) I found human bonesEmKO
5X4pzCuWildGrills: (Photo of a human skull)QEUz4Pr
nX2WlWildGrills: I found this skull in a place that seems to have originally been an Owlbear cave. This really is a human bone, right?loNM0v
YiD└HeavenlyDemon: It appears to be a human skull. Aren’t there more bones around it?g0V
jty└WildGrills: There are too many bones nearby. It’s hard to distinguish them.eg4
tOCiPq└Swordmaster: I think it’s human too.9CplsT
cGO1Xp└Yeah. Definitely.sQDJfY
BmP└If that’s not a human bone, then what the hell would it be?DOTCAmz
JXMX└Judging by how it was reduced to bones, it seems an extremely long time has passed.sJyyb
4jb1└Were there people inside the Forest of Four Seasons??ARM6iwn
ExZiiub└Probably. They just ended up dead like those bones.NUL
uSK└What if that’s Grills’ future?hS3
jSsTC└The chances are absurdly high lmao.sIbX
efN└He’s a great senior. Why don’t you hurry up and show some respect?UomfR
DdezLo└Are you mentally ill? lmao.PCQ
fARw8o└Damn. Is that really something you say to someone? Haha.F8k3
zUNXT└Seriously, you destroy all motivation lol.i6rq
9jq└HahahahaZkmJ
UVE7k└Lol6IVy
dKcJo└StarlightPrincess: You people are truly horrible. How can you say something like that while calling yourselves human beings?w77L
WJAH└Be honest. You let out a little laugh too, didn’t you?3SU
mufrgDH└StarlightPrincess: My emotions are too dried out to laugh.niquj
ckRvKc8└Eh~ It was just a joke. You took it too seriously.x6acZWh
6QS4VYT└Fr. Your life must be so boring.g7l4l
U5oEven after asking the gallery, everyone agreed that they were human bones.q2Yu
dJBAnd very old bones at that.xiD92Uw
9CjgX4XJust looking at the fact that only the skeleton remained was enough.GPP
tgd‘It doesn’t seem like he died from a blow to the head.’qfFm
w3jThe skull was surprisingly intact.WP8
awmiROThere were no cracks or visible damage.KAObFA
Wa1BEqJJust in case, I started searching for other bones.Dmi
WBVtDpBut I quickly ended up giving up.Cd2LO
pY4HI’m not an archaeologist.kUZNZ
oFSKnHow was I supposed to distinguish human remains among such a mountain of bones?yy667DE
gzULYJOConfirming that there had once been people here was enough.rDCK6Y
KUBVDUV‘Did this guy get dragged here by the Owlbear?’xCqn8Gb
jOZLTI needed to explore further.Qy0tR
qvLTHnLI left the skull on the ground and continued exploring the cave.h9FWWc
6aNV9dThe cave was extremely large, so there was a lot to inspect.8cCKn
cMi“Here…”uAq
ikB6xBThen I found a place impossible to ignore.ZHD4z
ZunrA space right beside the nest.LNHLzj5
CYAHixWTwo raised walls.dhN315
M0apAnd behind them, a fairly wide area.EQ8Q6rl
ho5amiI slowly peeked my head over to look inside.W1w
Rr7xW“……”IWJaI
IqkCBones.qxmb
omOpeA human skeleton rested quietly against the wall.cN0pIZ
ALQmUnlike the bones devoured by the Owlbear, this one retained its complete shape.xYtx
bsLqM8dI entered the space and began examining it carefully.6U5
nw7uB“Oh…”96B
D8ejJIgThe area behind the walls was larger than I expected.pV5
OEWAnd cozy too.KiMgirw
BrsqEven though time had passed and there were cobwebs and dust everywhere, it still felt comfortable.VO4
O2ppqAnd what stood out the most were the furniture and tools spread throughout the place.qnnv9
DlxVGyMost were made of wood and had nearly completely rotted away.ZoR5Zu
5Xz48H5But some barely retained their shape.1HJ
TWwO‘Is this a stone axe?’kD7
ga9SVsUA tool made by combining wood and stone, both on the verge of crumbling apart.FLD7iIo
m7o2EIt seemed they had carefully sharpened the stone tip.nps
y8GDi8LAnd judging by how it was tied to the handle, they probably handcrafted fibers to secure it.H0YVDdD
NC1Unlike me, who had the gallery’s help, there were traces here of someone who had started completely from scratch.FyqNXgr
3lC‘But these marks…’lbHo
NLMI ran my hand over the “marks” carved into the ground.987b8
f8zThey were extremely familiar.k89M
xkFBecause they were exactly the same as the marks I made every day on the wall to record my survival.F0xKB
8c7GUyThough normally those kinds of marks are made on walls, not on the floor.Ibc
5gOSdoRConfused, I looked around.qEC7dd
DkU‘That wall is also full, and that one too…’1NvypBO
AlGThe walls completely surrounded the space.nkQQR
veVAnd they were covered with marks.Ewr
D2N4dHe probably ended up carving them into the floor because there was no free space left.hzwGB
9YLZwHThat showed just how long that person had survived.cvit
LXKJm2v“……”VwU
cc3EAn indescribable emotion hit me like a wave.GHUq8DX
wdVTEven after surviving that long, he still ended up as a pile of bones.DZUAGq
eHSMA2I had the gallery, yes.LLnQ0BC
Y0VBut could I really endure like this person did?O5M
25HwHe survived much longer than I have.0iybv
dxTTtAnd looking at all this, he was surely much stronger than me too.XAQoZio
dr7But he died.HuaQ0
NqZWithout anyone remembering him.rkk
xTahEl3Leaving behind only countless marks of survived days.ZMS5Z
FRZWutAlone.MWADT
ea9TGsCI thought that perhaps this would be my future.DyvnL6h
BcrD“Haah…”vo3
OXhI couldn’t express this feeling with words.FHdt
jyezI didn’t know whether to call it despair or enlightenment.nELbreV
BM8mtzlIf I had never seen this, maybe I would have continued clinging to hope until the end.JN13D9Y
dVaMrTBut after seeing it, everything became suffocating.Xb2
MgFQmsGWill I really be able to get out of here?sYqN
GtIsaWill I even be able to survive?AbRM0gb
CvFn6‘……I have to keep trying.’Mdrs5q
ZtLcJ7JThere were marks carved not only on the walls, but on the floor as well.CcF
vtTEHe probably survived more than two or three years.1ircyyj
r8WSFXI didn’t know how he died.PSQ
0mkSo I started searching for some clue about the cause of death.hPh1O
3k97wThe Forest of Four Seasons was a place that forced even someone completely ignorant like me to grow stronger.OpUcI
9iOpSomeone who survived here for years couldn’t have died without reason.4vv
lXgRH“Hmm?”QKia5
CkYWhile checking every corner, I found something unexpected.rHFb
t31Qy07A box placed at one end.wyIy
J05Despite the passage of time, it was still intact.KSvSN
EC6KK0And judging by the thick layer of dust on top, it seemed no insects had entered it.RawaKmg
MOr1J‘Still, just in case.’7yG
PabCZVI carefully pushed it with the tip of my sword.xWPe22
OZv7Because something might jump out from inside.2RjrHr0
oYj76PoFortunately, it only moved slightly without showing any strange reaction.X5ll5
kO4Jbiw‘What could be inside? Maybe he stored bottles like I do?’2M8gk
vzLWith strange anticipation, I slowly opened the box.aGCrr2
yCgMLgDust burst out and made me cough, but soon I could see the contents.ElKrqa
wWjtiY“……A book?”l1PM
wrDctvThere weren’t many things inside.p7JyfQz
osNfYJust a few books.XjphB
0q9Z4xSurprisingly, they seemed to have been preserved well, because the condition of the books was fairly good.F6q
J63bI carefully picked them up so as not to damage the worn covers.6zL
0cNThere were letters written on the cover.Iv17RL
d5H67‘As expected, I can’t understand any of it.’c2W
ZYB45I don’t know a single language from this world.3UUURk2
Z9nJudging by the writing style, it seemed similar to European languages.RmraP1
wL8WIn situations like this, the gallery was the best option.Cl3FRQM
nSC8I took detailed photos of the entire place.Xppx
OiBTitle) I found a survivor’s sheltericUte
tJqWildGrills: (Photo of a hidden space between walls)b9w
gkKDuqWildGrills: (Photo of a skeleton leaning against the wall)9t6
mjMDWildGrills: (Photo of survival day marks carved everywhere)0UO
5IHgBgwWildGrills: (Photo of stone and wooden tools that seem to belong to the survivor)AoX
j2K6QWildGrills: (Photo of a book with letters written on it)fKUcb
JpiyogWildGrills: (Photo of the box where the books were stored)mDCpv9
sYJThere was a hidden place beside the Owlbear’s nest, so I went inside.OMd
6aLGzIInside I found a skeleton and survival marks everywhere.muH68
7DI5But the most incredible thing is these books. Does anyone know what language these letters are?80dK3
S4mUoMw└HeavenlyDemon: Those are definitely not letters from the Central Plains.xXiM
5Bc└Swordmaster: They’re not from the Mesiah Empire either. It’s my first time seeing them.rDQa
bHWUpNm└DemonPrincess: They’re not letters from our country either.lUzVL6G
5dQc└SunForEver: Not from Setan either. Nor Alvenheim.zS8n9
gt7ii└That looks like an ancient language.PjFodf2
gvC└That photo isn’t enough. Upload more.kVMT
YCIxEveryone responded that they didn’t recognize it.6Jupf
3QcgA5tIt was strange.3vA
C24tBSince there weren’t that many countries, there shouldn’t have been that many languages either.xUYwmc
voBQI guess it was better to follow the anonymous user’s advice.gxHDeIb
KaHC6cTI turned the page of the book.em9PM
BHGcThe typical old, damp smell of books immediately came out, though it could still be opened without problems.Q4ydd
HeDARa7‘The pages are yellowed, but they can still be read.’zRczq
imP16RNow I just had to upload them to the gallery as they were.nzMjo
pRITitle) I wish someone could recognize them.NMhL0SG
RhhGftUploading more pages from the bookVRfQcOO
dMROQ(Photo of a page filled with text)bM8lb
oEeWzYyDoes this help?m3nzD
ppVTG8└HeavenlyDemon: It definitely doesn’t belong to the Central Plains either.BYEwPv
Gv3I8└Swordmaster: It’s not from the Mesiah Empire either. Could it be from the Iris Kingdom?pHFOW6z
5Yaiq└AllFather: It’s not writing from the Iris Kingdom either. Though I feel like I’ve seen it before. Please wait a moment.s7V7N6M
1WbH└StarlightPrincess: Could it be writing from the Holy Kingdom?tmp
Kqn7A└HeroDontThrowAway: I never learned letters like these!3QbGRc8
dPZX6└Suspiciously, it doesn’t seem to be a language used by beastmen either.NgVS
31gu2D└If nobody recognizes it, couldn’t it be from some ancient kingdom that disappeared?pob6Zgj
Wpu└The chances are pretty high. At the very least, it definitely belongs to a nation from more than 50 years ago. No countries have been destroyed in the last 50 years.pFIFAT5
somre└Grills, you found something incredible.0QJ
DDNnD└WildGrills: And what’s the point? Nobody can translate it. But this is important to me.RH1Pufy
40yx└Why is it important?Rct0zT
A6FgZJI└Because it’s a survival diary?q4S9oGr
z4I0Ncs└WildGrills: Yes. If it’s a survival diary, it could help me tremendously. I absolutely need to decipher it.hoR
4gUXGbBooks could become bridges between the past and the present.AEMDjg
jmkoAnd if that bridge was destroyed halfway through, there was a high chance that countless records and technologies would disappear along with it.0yu4S
6SF03It wasn’t for nothing that when people wanted to erase history, the first thing they did was burn books.RPRzNlD
2zabbq‘If it’s an ancient language, it’ll be even harder to decipher.’w8cqQk
gKkIn every country, things change with time.z1XE6R
h4rKiWHAnd language was no exception.vj1pBje
SehPAncient and modern language always end up becoming different.3ot
L6jIt was natural.yiq
Ms2Nobody knows what kind of history might happen in between.3ydrE32
jDiEven Korea suffered linguistic distortions during the Japanese occupation.99aR
eXlAnd if you compared the Hunminjeongeum created by King Sejong with modern Korean, the differences were obvious.KHJTUOW
ZrmrI0B‘There are quite a lot of books here.’I2e
jdhwAs I flipped through pages, I checked the rest of the books.O8fti
xLeAPAll of them were equally well preserved.n6NxX
YfdvvHAnd all of them were filled with unfamiliar letters.d9FW
SZUG0WHow great would it be if I could decipher them.aerHS3a
hqtZUzThey would undoubtedly help me tremendously.TjD
AvbqIp‘It’s better if I upload everything.’wnhgsO
CYlvZNAnyway, the only possible translation method was through the gallery.1gq
vXHBOYRSo it was more practical to upload them completely.BHU4
ORRMI carefully stored the books back in the box so they wouldn’t get damaged.7hyarI
B4kThen I put the entire box into the spatial bag.HRy6PZ
uxa1Afterward, I continued searching to see if there was anything useful, but I found nothing else.DTPqP
dhbS‘I guess the only notable thing is that necklace on the skeleton.’NMky
XHUThe skeleton was wearing a necklace.d2h7
fvaMore precisely, a pendant.5qS
TXa8xIt had a red gemstone embedded in it that looked fairly expensive.EYmXBa0
NS8GThough even if I took it, it didn’t seem like it would be of much use to me.LkA
40MwyfSo I left it where it was.1W5dK
a1yXT‘This person must have missed other human beings too.’jbGNMWW
wsrI looked at the skeleton sadly leaning against the wall.590Cd
J7U9PMore than loneliness, it conveyed misery.PYWAOv
7yTudHe surely wanted to get out of here too.UnSNNw
GPxuBut he never managed to fulfill that wish.gPA
IRr‘They say prisoners have their eyes gouged out before being sent here, but this person even wrote books.’8Ea
E7hHe was probably someone who ended up lost here.JPNqIT
D7JsSOr someone with another story behind him.GdCA
EjVI silently looked at the skeleton and then opened the gallery.4il
jZ05WAfterward, I bought a proper sack and carefully began collecting the bones.k5PsuK
fSNeFa‘Please endure a little longer while I move you.’fg4
wSOqS8Maybe it was because I always held memorial ceremonies for my parents.p7m4N2
I6hkxq3Or maybe it was simply part of my personality.i761UA
bERlNiBut leaving him abandoned like this didn’t feel right.IkmSHU
xe8ItyBThe bones that were probably devoured by the Owlbear couldn’t be recovered.7aFqnZ
VC7twyBut this skeleton was still complete.3jiLaeq
ZVWI put the bones into the sack and left the hidden space.vIkfnAY
rvzOutside, Wonmo was playing with a butterfly near the nest.ZxD
qsS7Ov“Wonmo. Let’s go.”H1D
HoVW“Kyuu!”NpC4Q
iF8DThe exploration ended here for today.zzfK9qN
4BnpT6GI needed to return to the cave and start uploading photos of the books.6RDe6D
gdBrVThe sooner we managed to decipher the contents, the more information I would obtain.8Ec9
jrT‘And while I’m at it, I’ll also hold a ceremony.’vuDr
JcAJCRI don’t know if the concept of ancestral funerals exists here, but I still had to do it.j1EQv
VrxgnNEMaybe this man would become my future.3BY0E
3qnGD5FBut like they said in the gallery, he’s also my great senior.b8aHz
DLeoAnd the legacy he left behind would surely become a huge resource for me.00d
Ib7QPQIAfter some time, I returned to my cave.fLsN
q8qbI organized the luggage and then looked around the area.qyJL
xozI was searching for an appropriate place to use as a grave.Se79S
03fHi‘I’ll bury him there.’veSR3V
Y7KBPThough not right now.HDtN
L9ZFpKFirst I planned to upload the books to the gallery.Y5nd
6FAe1UI took out the box full of books and arranged it in a corner.D1zRUI
NSC6D‘Did the gallery discover something?’8MkmpQA
ShXonsSome time had already passed since I uploaded the pages.cuHQO
hMkSurely by now they had some idea what language it was.TFpheJ
TOMberThinking that, I entered the gallery.cJbr
od8└AllFather: Could you quickly upload more pages? This old man is so excited that the lower half refuses to calm down!3c7FIkG
deBc└Sir… ;;jWet
8FNdu└This old man becomes vulgar every time he sees something interesting.e9I23
S7AIyES└What the hell is so special about that?GtImW
vT8wZV└It seems it was written by the Immortal King’s brother. He was probably someone from the Valkhan Kingdom.fCrG5hM
Nxhp└What the fuck? Why the hell would that be there?VjqNE
Q87X1iF└Damn it. If that’s real, scholars all over the world are going to go crazy.6fKiGJE
qrg6└Historians excited and academy students crying lmao.Hy9Q1F
B1JEIt seemed that AllFather had managed to decipher it.BkZ
UiXpO zFVTC
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