Chapter 98: Firewood (1)
YdrgUwZThere exists a word called “bait.”12DT
ecq8djNormally, it refers to the bait used to attract fish.IHr1M7
fQWAnd precisely because of that characteristic of attracting fish, the word is often used with other meanings as well.rC3
YxGAccThe gallery was no different.ots
ex2GIf you threw out a big bait, fish would swarm in masses.lCA
mPBTqyFThe bigger the bait, the more fish appeared, and every now and then you even ended up catching a huge one.NyT7e
QRMKTitle) Give an upvote if the Holy Kingdom is finished hahahajNqVm
Nvz└Even the Immortal King seems pitiful.ew1t
WrZ└The real Demon King was Eldorado hahahaLC6KktR
HOtT└Demon Kings are not born.jOHDj
7B42└When is the Holy Kingdom going to respond?ykgbVC
3F2z‘When the hell is this going to calm down?’s2on
nS2CY0ATime had passed, and it was already dinner time.1ifr
dMJi3While watching the gallery still burning over the Immortal King topic, a doubt crossed my mind.Wi3nBN
QkZL0I didn’t know whether it was because it had been a relatively recent event or because the truth about the Holy Kingdom was too horrifying.FYXDIq
10U8IThe only thing certain was that it didn’t look like it would die down anytime soon.ZNM88
Pj0AkeI think I now understand a little of the disaster I caused.hhp
nky0e‘As long as they release a proper public statement tomorrow, it’ll be fine.’iex13K
OhhGaI closed the gallery.DtYIJMI
9nwAZLIt was already time to head to the river.QP1Bf
CQJtThe problems outside were problems of the outside world.WQex
Mpd80I just had to keep surviving in my own way.VF1J
vrhfoZLIrresponsible pleasure?LrLa
PcFqEven if I wanted to take responsibility, I simply couldn’t.VkXuE
oDc2DYAnd to begin with, it couldn’t even be called pleasure.dZAjI
tGaOitI had uploaded all of that solely to increase my chances of survival, even if only a little.Dco9OH
5FCpOI never imagined things like the Immortal King or the corruption of the world were hidden there.zPsx
mJqQz‘Though even if I had known, I still would’ve uploaded it anyway.’C18x
NF3UC0VWhat did I know about this world?VgyFd
XRl2I woke up directly inside the Forest of Four Seasons before even learning anything.IMv
ARtcEven with the gallery, you don’t learn about the world through an online community.uKL0b0
dTQ9BWr‘Will I get into trouble when I leave this place?’1JqrY
DS1rVVThough even that depended on something.IOW
x8gMnIWhether the head moderator revealed my real-time location.jdije
cHM9Otherwise, finding me would be impossible.Q0d
CqzhH‘Ah, whatever. Thinking about this is pointless.’vClRzx
ThpIt was better to just wait and see what the Holy Kingdom said tomorrow.YeG8NxI
VM8I sighed inwardly as I arrived at the river.Ggy
gyi6xRThere were exactly two fish caught in the trap.ICpQ
xwUPbOnce again, it would be a feast.HEAfKz
NXKEWSatisfied, I lifted the trap.aER
kNtcEUSquirm— Squirm—sBYM1M
Vmu“Hmm?”gcXtWy
ynQuG0cThere weren’t only fish inside.YhIhnjn
aP6LThere was also an octopus that I had no idea where the hell it came from.QyF
GvA9It wasn’t glowing blue like it was poisonous either.mf89i
U1XIt was just a normal octopus.FP4s
0BlAnd it didn’t look monstrously huge like the octopus I saw that time on the sandy beach.oSiPjI9
QMZ‘Is it because the sea overflowed into the river?’NwicNFN
uaWAfter that torrential storm, it seemed all kinds of creatures were ending up caught here.wEAq
SFSXZ4Well, from my point of view, it was great.7yo78M
KdUBtMore food.y5jV
2TJWBesides, it was my first time eating octopus in this forest, so it didn’t sound bad.DZg19b
R5OyO‘Though were octopus tentacles supposed to be this thin? Maybe it’s a small squid.’40HpWGS
5iObEither way, I carried the entire trap back.H0Fki1A
7hJaIt was small, so I planned to eat it immediately.nCJ
y5qThe preparation would probably be boiling it or stir-frying it.1v9IjX
hZf8gdRWhether it was an octopus or not, it would become my dinner.S6AuE6
v1nEPThat part wouldn’t change.rSCPa7
11zfvtpWhen I finally returned to the cave and was about to store the caught food inside the container—4d0RPD
77CShhk!9WY
SJ8YTc“Eh?”svgH9YG
wLpzodThe octopus or whatever it was wrapped itself around my arm.H2tj
BuUaIt moved so fast that I froze for a moment.UJOy
PvFThen its tentacles started wrapping around another part of my body.M7giM
SroCT7Squeeze!TmpR
uow“Guh! Ggh!”EqQJqQ
n9o9hENMy neck.PhwrD
lpr9JjgI couldn’t breathe.TMc
2YpJDesperately, I tried to tear off the tentacles strangling me.xi7
crSrY1But they were absurdly strong.msRC
ZmaAnd I could also feel something sticking to my skin.icHPUwl
AEw5nodThe suckers had attached themselves to my neck.oWvy
gCfX“Ggh…! Gghhk…!”sYpru
AITYdHIf this kept going, I would end up suffocating to death.N2Fivyx
G9j8yAs my consciousness started growing hazy, I desperately moved my hand.ecVNPZm
bzPjThe dagger I had prepared for cooking.4gRIiD
RX3My fingers managed to reach it.LyqjmhO
iSuIvSlash— Slash— Slash— Slash!W96f
bpHiiI frantically cut the tentacles, and finally the pressure around my neck disappeared.7VE
z1IvBut the octopus didn’t seem willing to give up.9DY
Ymf1cWith its remaining tentacles, it started squeezing me even harder.YQ46v
VAHRMy vision was starting to darken.yZhPD
fK4b8WI circulated even the mana inside my body while continuing to cut the tentacles.VKsYa
hFiMnUhCrack! Riiip!VsLRS
WppqNFI managed to cut off all the tentacles strangling me.Nbmw
hLQ6Lastly, I grabbed the head with my hand and forcibly ripped it off.f8PczY
Bag0The octopus was still desperately trying to kill me, but it no longer had any tentacles left.3Uu7tI
N1K“Cough! Cough! Hah… Ngh.”svSy
Kd4TTWhile coughing, I stared at the octopus in my hand.3b3I38
dAlIt only had one tentacle left.M8TIm
iUruoAnd even then, it was still squirming, trying to slash at my neck.NuBO
W3iIt was ridiculous.4umz
ZWnCrack!eRiPB
QfjtkI had no mercy for animals trying to kill me.9fWb2
cNkbaI executed it immediately.P7rrXA
ERSHQI threw the octopus onto the cutting board and stabbed the dagger straight into its head.tMAt96M
cQFZWLooks like I hit the vital point, because the octopus quickly turned white and then went completely limp.I4s
MVTc4iz“Ugh. Seriously.”bfNm1R
tQGPop! Pop!aLuy
NBjuvI peeled off the tentacles still stuck to my neck.PJO
idJ9The suckers were attached so tightly it felt like ripping tape off my skin.MdsdJc
RNPHStX“Fuuu……”MSrfX
7js37fSWhen I placed the tentacles on the cutting board, they were still writhing.CF1
Vz4Just looking at them was disgusting.QSMLp
7J7fI wanted to get rid of them as quickly as possible.PgqlgdU
ZCj‘What kind of octopus tries to strangle me?’x3mP
G19Since it didn’t release ink, maybe it really was a small squid.4YCTVH
xPrGZCHEither way, it had been a dangerous moment.k9cCE2d
AOyqoPNI definitely couldn’t let my guard down just because something was small.TkkeA
tzOq6‘You, I’m going to chew you up real slow.’8pen2H
Hy50bEven though those tentacles had been around my neck, it didn’t matter.ODLIj4
Jp2Such “trivial” hygiene was no longer an issue here.3t1ZN
eovmAnd while I was at it, I could write information about this octopus in my diary.tAQVU
PqjGDlToday I had really obtained a lot of things.fOw
jaANySizzleeeee—eXboe
lc5wEating it raw didn’t appeal to me much, so I decided to cook it in the pan.g2k
StOThere was such a thing as spicy stir-fried octopus, but I had no sauce or seasonings.4imUsU
Xx1Br1So simply cooking it together with the fish was enough.a9Sqj0Q
LAzrGsGMunch— Munch—agVLJ
NVu“Mmm. It’s good.”xW9G1rl
iTkAqWgIt had that characteristic smell of sea creatures, but the savory flavor covered everything.XO4e
1n0VAnd on top of that, it was paired with fish.Xed7j
nKYThe umami of the fish meat blended perfectly and made my taste buds happy.7LeoaWA
a8We5“Wonmo. You eat the head.”vA2jso
EM81Rw“Kyuu!”eJPRiMg
aiX1I gave the head to Wonmo.m02F
we18Of course, I cut it properly and cooked it so he wouldn’t choke.1avZ
Tz5By the way, the sloth flatly refused to try it.TBv
vT0LWell, he was a herbivore, so it was understandable.vfo
OKnbI also finished today’s dinner completely satisfied.3BhK
nOLThough there had been a dangerous moment in the middle, it seemed I managed to overcome it well.iJ0ymSQ
N0f‘Here, the smaller something is, the more dangerous it becomes.’WOJr
ykVcUntil now, I had mainly been threatened by enormous monsters.Kq7C
v3waoBut now that I thought about it, large creatures seemed to be at a disadvantage when it came to survival.Aaz9sz
LxCadEven the sloth was smaller than me and yet absurdly strong.dmXl
gHc1Especially the saber-toothed tiger that possessed a Dragon Heart.plO
fdRL6z6It had monstrous regeneration, yes, but being so large left too many openings.MmfQ7
CXlyThe same went for the Orichalcon Guardian.JmS8
47hJIeThe small ones were more dangerous.NLzfhy
WA4YsHx‘……Though let’s exclude crabs and lobsters from that.’HOw
ghyzThose definitely fit perfectly into the category of “giant monsters.”Nnyfq
43UAfter finishing cleaning everything up, I entered the cave once again.sKa
dQR7rwI needed to write in my diary.giOX
muujajScratch scratch—af3dli
WSLwMore important than the corpse was the octopus.nhl
uojTI wrote down in detail all the information related to it.ZAU
lsQAfter the beating I received today, it was less likely I’d fall for a similar attack again.Eria
F7tEven so, recording everything was essential.vkd1
qIMNgWho knew if someday I might hit my head and lose my memory.MKevM
rNFt‘I finished the diary, now it’s time to practice the circulation technique.’rZNjY
zjskmLittle by little, I was getting used to it.yOUq8g
yvq8nOJust by closing my eyes and concentrating a bit, I could clearly feel the mana inside my body.9pUo
8o4iFyKMaybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I’ll start consuming Internal Cores.S2oc
nPSEJust one at first.gch
HqDh2CNAfter finishing all my training, I opened the gallery.PG4qR9
PwyWctcI wanted to see whether the Immortal King topic was still burning.AfOqE
Hom‘It’s still exactly the same.’98qn
m8fHUHiNot much had changed.LMKzYZ
UBDWCZThe gallery was still burning just the same.wzI7
scbmyIt was even surprising that it had stayed this heated for so long without anyone continuing to add fuel to the fire.0Fi
fef1QLAnd not even the head moderator was intervening.orK
DHXiDjThat was strange, considering that according to the rules, posts encouraging conflicts between countries were prohibited.LvVjA3w
vzm8py‘Could it be because this involves a conflict between nations?’zXJhU
z7QPSThe countries being mentioned right now were the Holy Kingdom of Eldorado and the Valkhan Kingdom.jPqFs
m42oNBut the Valkhan Kingdom had disappeared a very long time ago.udPEX
LDlfFA real conflict between them couldn’t exist.RP3ebs
UeYl2Sometimes Mephisto, the country of demons where the “Demon King” existed, was also mentioned, but only slightly.QOPp
QnkMost of the posts were criticisms and insults directed at Eldorado.orAGF
hjp‘Just in case, I should ask the head moderator and HeavenlyDemon.’Cpwo4ZX
4KTUIt wasn’t that I was worried about Eldorado.XWLxU
HzPI simply didn’t care.YO6uD
mBx7But just how horrible did the kingdom’s public image have to be for everyone to seize the opportunity to insult it?AxXOW6V
0rADhbEven so, if posts like this kept appearing nonstop, the ones who would end up exhausted were the moderators.DrOUL
cjdI wasn’t worried about Eldorado.J4k1
wRb3aI was worried about them, who would have to handle the chaos.9awm
TKf[WildGrills: HeavenlyDemon. Are you around?]t4fBaEB
HXiS[HeavenlyDemon: This lady is always waiting to speak with you.]p6zjykU
Er5LThe first to respond was HeavenlyDemon.68v
ZDLuThe head moderator sometimes disappeared, so I planned to ask him later.q95ZPUu
EE1qp[WildGrills: I think the gallery ended up becoming a disaster because of me. I don’t know if you’re busy……]neL
wc6O[HeavenlyDemon: I understand what you mean.]TlJ2yDZ
sth0m[HeavenlyDemon: But you don’t need to worry so much. Things like this happen frequently.]jWXPAt
EbVv[WildGrills: Frequently?]rJYb
Ehy[HeavenlyDemon: Yes. Whenever something big happens in the world, the gallery usually catches fire like this.]LGQd
H6Mw[HeavenlyDemon: Sometimes the problems even reach the real world, but that is extremely rare.]R23n
lFP6Ly[WildGrills: So if I just stay quiet, sooner or later it’ll die down on its own.]91ApG
QYGHA[HeavenlyDemon: As long as the Holy Kingdom doesn’t keep adding more fuel to the fire.]gMU
gxtIn the end, that meant we would have to wait until tomorrow to know what would happen.Ca1
htgHI had already expected something like this, so I wasn’t too worried.oKw7
LH4z[WildGrills: And what if the Holy Kingdom gives some weird explanation?]mswLBP
BfnPBm[HeavenlyDemon: Then it will burn even more.]HpZM
IrD[HeavenlyDemon: And from that point onward, we really will be busy.]dkKo3oJ
Yql1aK[WildGrills: I hope something like that doesn’t happen.]vj4
eDnWbD[HeavenlyDemon: Are you worried?]TyeV
uQxxn[WildGrills: Of course. My posts could end up buried.]F9SmVuf
i8DGIS8[HeavenlyDemon: Hm. That truly is a serious matter.]OYK3
GbkAEmThe posting speed was completely out of control.xuj
L164MYJust closing and reopening the gallery was enough for one or two pages to already pass by.Vbl2
hkTUQzFor someone like me, who depended heavily on the gallery, it was quite a serious situation.bQE
MQj46Thankfully, private exchanges between people could still be made.kkokq
8AbOtherwise, it really would have been a huge problem.XpOm
PEj5Xa[HeavenlyDemon: Don’t worry. Even if I have to search for them personally, I’ll read your posts.]PNtOEIc
Khor[HeavenlyDemon: This lady will always support you.]s1z
jqO[WildGrills: Thank you.]al8j4ad
UKEQMAfter receiving comfort from HeavenlyDemon, I decided to contact the head moderator, HeroDontThrowAway.pFWMiEE
QCGmXpHe was probably the one with the biggest headache right now.Kvin3L
IlJ2u0bAnd on top of that, he was the one who gave me special permissions, so I felt even guiltier.K9lAtN
QmM[WildGrills: Head moderator. Are you there?]8io
8Rao9uG[HeroDontThrowAway: Yes! I’m here!]JJk5v
Hr5IVlU[HeroDontThrowAway: Is something wrong?!]GI0
RfHlThankfully, he seemed to be connected to the gallery.bhC
CWqI thought for a moment about what to say before asking about the current situation.Htqoy
8km[WildGrills: Head moderator, you’ve already gone through situations like this many times, right?]4S8
CEIUo[HeroDontThrowAway: It happens pretty often!]PqAzI
wKVZMwZ[HeroDontThrowAway: And they’re always extremely annoying situations!]GY3
3LwialI felt a stab of guilt thinking that I had caused exactly that kind of problem.ywnR
so06[WildGrills: I also never imagined this would end up like this. I’m sorry.]tXfifx
JKW[HeroDontThrowAway: You don’t have to apologize!]p7KEcX
AjQg[HeroDontThrowAway: I don’t think you uploaded those posts with bad intentions!]tCIqA
QGgZrkP[WildGrills: Thank you. But when all this calms down, what will happen to me?]gY7tLd
0xB9Guu[HeroDontThrowAway: Unless there was malicious intent, since you didn’t act with malice, there won’t be any problem.]DeIwao
iURIj[WildGrills: What a relief.]X8t2ITY
WPh5im[HeroDontThrowAway: Besides, if we deleted the posts now, the gallery would probably burn even more!]l9cHR5a
8nGJIHe was definitely right.z9wmK
y4oOzI had heard about things like that before.PVni5
nEaWhen you try to hide something, you end up causing even more interest.get
7ZJOQGIn the end, everything would depend on what happened tomorrow.wgoy
L99Whether the issue would die down or not.sJx
lZA[WildGrills: Without meaning to, I ended up causing you problems. I really want to apologize again.]zolU
dokAA[HeroDontThrowAway: It’s fine!]aLJT
WXoyBft[HeroDontThrowAway: If the Holy Kingdom did something wrong, then it did something wrong! And if it didn’t, then it didn’t!]GZb072T
A0J[WildGrills: Head moderator, are you from the Holy Kingdom?]8a94a
RYeZ[HeroDontThrowAway: Yes!]uiJoyUo
74HHIIK[HeroDontThrowAway: It is a nation blessed by the gods, especially by the Goddess!]9waX3Qs
s1rHHis patriotism was practically overflowing.iajC
vJOl0Me[WildGrills: If all those atrocities ended up being true, wouldn’t you lose affection for your country?]7ba
v9Ilub[HeroDontThrowAway: But you really don’t need to apologize, Mr. Grills! Surely there’s some kind of misunderstanding!]NZPuT0
JLN[WildGrills: I hope so.]i3PP
Cv8NgGmHopefully they would give a good explanation.tnGz
S2dThat way my posts wouldn’t get buried.kDe8
Qy3uI finished the conversation with the head moderator and continued browsing the gallery.NBnByjU
0kiyLMost of the posts were still about the Immortal King, so there was nothing fun.X0v4SdA
cpOtlNEvery now and then, some people tried to take advantage of the chaos to post other things, but they were quickly deleted.EmYD
w0pRv‘Until bedtime, I guess I’ll practice aura.’1Ti5Ea
92MSince the gallery was boring, I practiced aura control.CFocg
08fUvThe more time passed, the harder it became to control because the aura kept increasing on its own, but I still had to keep practicing.Bm0lF
BFKfwkI poured mana into HeavenlyDemon’s sword and generated aura.tYbwM
FjKfiPThen a wavering aura appeared, like a mirage.kzOa
zv9hNPxThe first task was to give it a sharp form.oOqtym
YGfk‘…….’gqUvy
NyUIt definitely wasn’t easy.ax4a
Lu0qdPuIt seemed to be something related to talent.7Idjuts
SSGeXqI extinguished the aura and started checking my equipment.KHIGis
etTyS‘Without the gallery, there really isn’t much to do.’alDVK
l7smrEspecially before sleeping.psqCPE8
oW59sEven training too much ended up being harmful.Ao6d
j8f‘And I only smoke cigarettes when the situation is really bad. Better practice the internal technique.’sIh4T
Bq7JUntil I found some decent hobby, I would probably have to kill time practicing internal circulation.kYvX9
jcFAnd so that chaotic day passed.2vmhevk
1i8bxAnd finally, the next morning arrived.CDrO
4JhCNow that it was a new day, the topic in the gallery surely would have calmed down a little.1sM8NT
4oAEUnless someone kept adding fuel to the fire, it should have cooled off at least somewhat.VDR7v
hBQZmTitle) Holy Kingdom of Eldorado: This is the truth.duA
SwHLP“?”W4o27UP
78GkRight from the start, I had a bad feeling about this.BwSF9
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