Sometimes in life, completely unexpected situations occur.
In most cases, people deal with them through improvisation or by relying on past experience.
But what if something happens that goes far beyond that realm? What should you do then?
What else? You scramble to find a way, using whatever means necessary.
"Fuck. What the hell is this?"
A harsh curse naturally burst from my mouth at the sight before my eyes. And understandably so, given the situation I found myself in.
Forest in front. Forest behind. Forest to the right, forest to the left. It was trees in every single direction.
Giant trees towered so high they even blocked out the sun.
Where was I, and why was I here? I couldn’t wrap my head around the situation at all.
[Welcome to the Continental Integrated Gallery.]
"Ah, shit. You scared me."
Just as my mind went blank, a strange message floated right in front of my eyes. It hovered in midair like a hologram.
My surprise was short-lived, as the message soon shifted into another form.
[Day 114 of praying for a full recovery.] [1]
[imgoingcrazyimgoingcrazyimgoingcrazyimgoingcrazy] [12]
[NEVER CLICK THE POST BELOW!!!] [52]
[Today, it’s this one!] [105]
[Is this,,, the Continental Gallery,,, right,,,?] [8]
[I started dating my childhood friend! Ask me anything!!] [10]
[Is there no one to have a deep conversation with this one? It is a grave matter.] [2]
In the form of the most terrifying chaos in the world.
Did I drink too much yesterday? The moment I woke up, I was seeing things.
However, no matter how many times I rubbed my eyes, the floating window remained. It was enough to drive me insane.
"Am I... dreaming right now?"
I didn’t have the slightest clue what was happening. Feeling half-entranced, I moved my finger.
Could I even click on these? It looked strikingly similar to the online imageboards I used to frequent on the internet.
I tapped on the post with the highest reply count among the pure chaos.
[The post does not exist or has been deleted.]
"...?"
It left me with a question mark even bigger than the chaos itself. If I knew, I would’ve clicked faster.
Still, thanks to that, I realized what kind of interface I was dealing with. I crossed my arms and browsed through the Gallery.
I wasn’t a heavy forum user, but I had browsed them a few times to get information.
Even though it appeared as a hologram, using it was ridiculously simple. Whether I gestured with my hands or glanced with my eyes, it moved exactly as I wanted.
Title) Day 114 of praying for a full recovery
Starlight Lady
Day 114 of praying for a full recovery
ㄴ Hang in there.
Picking a post with the fewest comments yielded only a brief post and a brief reply.
It was hard to judge anything from just this. But before that, I needed to check if the place I was in was safe.
’I don’t really know what’s going on, but I should be careful.’
I had no idea what might pop out of the forest. If a bear or something jumped out, I’d be screwed.
Fortunately, dappled sunlight broke through, allowing me to see ahead. I moved my legs.
"Hmm?"
Then, I caught sight of a striking plant. Dense trees enclosed the area, but they couldn’t hide its shimmering glow.
I happened to need a place to hide anyway. I crept forward and settled between the trees.
’It looks so weird.’
It looked like an ordinary weed at first glance, but its petals were shaped exactly like crescent moons.
Even without light reaching it, it sparkled like a crescent moon in the night sky. It was a truly beautiful flower.
’Usually, pretty things are poisonous.’
So I didn’t touch it. It was one of those things you never mess with in a forest like this.
If you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it. Especially mushrooms. You’re better off catching bugs or insects to eat.
I hoped I wouldn’t reach the absolute worst-case scenario, but considering my current plight, I had to keep it in mind.
’Wait, are there rules?’
I raised my head and opened the Gallery. It popped up automatically just by thinking about it in my head.
Looking at the very top post, a pinned notice was clearly displayed.
Title) Notice
Don’t Abandon the Hero (Orange Badge)
Posts causing discomfort or disgust to others are prohibited!
Obscene photos and videos are prohibited!
Posts stirring international tension are prohibited!
Excessive clique behavior and ostracizing newcomers are prohibited!
Violation of the above rules will result in a ban!
Let’s maintain the peace of the Gallery!
The Hero is harmless! Please don’t abandon her! (MOST IMPORTANT!)
ㄴ I don’t know about the rest, but what’s up with the last one lmfao
ㄴ What is the Hero doing right now? Sleeping?
ㄴ Idk, there are plenty of talks saying she’s useless now that the world is at peace
ㄴ Rumor has it the Empire sent an assassination squad for her lol
ㄴ Bullshit, that’s so sad lmfao
I remembered hearing that the orange badge designated someone like an administrator.
The rules were straightforward enough; as long as you didn’t cross the line, there was no reason to get banned.
The Gallery’s user interface was extremely simple yet convenient.
You could take and upload photos and videos, and users could even trade with each other.
However, direct trades between users—outside of auctions—were restricted to registered accounts. Something about preventing illegal transactions.
Above all, to prevent excessive socializing, direct messaging during active trades was capped at three minutes.
’Trading between users is possible?’
If nothing else, this was the best part. I didn’t even know where I was right now.
Forget money; survival supplies were what mattered immediately. It was tough even to get food.
Besides that, weapons to defend myself, tools to make fire, and so on. I needed a lot of things.
However, trading often tended to be one-sided. Especially when one party was desperate.
After much deliberation, I created a registered handle. Before trading, I needed to figure out where the hell I was.
Title) Woke up in a forest. Where am I?
Wild Grylls
I drank yesterday and woke up here;; Anyone know where this is?
I posted a thread in the Gallery first. By now, I realized at least that this was a different world.
The problem was where in that world I was. I didn’t even have time to ponder why I ended up here.
I had to survive first before I could take my time to think. Dying makes everything useless.
ㄴ ? What is this guy doing
ㄴ Feels like a guy who posts a picture of only a human leg and asks people to guess who it is lol
ㄴ Want me to post my leg? Try guessing who I am
ㄴ GTFO
ㄴ I’m a girl though
ㄴ Do it do it
ㄴ Actually I’m a guy lol
ㄴ You motherfucker
Mm. Only fucking useless comments. Bastards.
Still, thanks to them, I realized one thing. I had acted like a dumbass.
Admittedly, just uploading a lone picture of a forest would make it hard for anyone to identify which forest it was.
I realized that the fact they even replied meant they were somewhat decent bastards. So I posted another thread.
What’s the most famous forest on the continent?
Wild Grylls
Title says it all
ㄴ Let’s Grow Trees) Obviously it’s Alfheim!
ㄴ Elves GTFO
ㄴ Let’s Grow Trees) Elves? We are simply stating facts!
ㄴ You damn elves destroyed your own forest and now you’re invading other people’s territories
ㄴ Let’s Grow Trees) Mother Nature said: Every forest is Alfheim!
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Fuck, those bastards took all our firewood SB
ㄴ Elves butt in everywhere, such a nuisance
ㄴ Didn’t they invade the underground 100 years ago saying they wanted to grow World Tree roots? lol
ㄴ Lately those bastards are worse than demons lmfao
"..."
You bastards. Can’t you leave some normal comments for once?
I thought the handle ’Let’s Grow Trees’ might be useful, but nope.
Every forest is Alfheim. And Alfheim is elf territory.
Therefore, every forest is elf territory. He was spreading this absurd logic.
’What is this, imperialism?’
Weren’t elves supposed to be a nature-loving race? Aside from the existence of non-human races, that mindset was shocking.
One thing was for sure: getting involved with that race was bad news. I asked another question.
ㄴ Wild Grylls) Are there any forests that elves hate?
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Yeah, there is. It’s called the Forest of the Four Seasons, famous for being fucking crazy.
ㄴ Wild Grylls) What kind of place is it?
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Is your head an anvil? Did you get hit by a hammer?
Hey. This bastard is cursing at me out of nowhere.
Granted, drinking so much yesterday made my head thrum like it got hit by a hammer. But I didn’t actually get hit.
ㄴ Wild Grylls) Yeah, I said I woke up in a forest;; Given how my head hurts, guess you’re right...
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) ;;;
ㄴ Boo! Trash!
ㄴ Still, OP is pitiful. What the hell did you even do?
ㄴ Wild Grylls) Just drank alcohol, but I drank a bit too much
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Fuck, it’s your own fault then;; Dumbass can’t even find his way home
ㄴ An alcoholic getting cursed out by a dwarf, damn lmfao
Is that so? But I woke up in another world, what do you expect me to do?
Fortunately, ’Passing Dwarf’ kindly explained about the Forest of the Four Seasons.
The Forest of the Four Seasons was the most dangerous forest on the continent, containing spring, summer, autumn, and winter just as its name implied.
At first I wondered what the hell that meant, but soon I understood why it was named that.
’Each zone has its own season? What kind of bullshit...’
That wasn’t all. Mana was so abundant that all kinds of dangerous monsters lurked everywhere.
Even one’s sense of direction was completely lost, making it impossible to escape once you entered.
That’s why criminals were often shoved into the Forest of the Four Seasons. Not a single person had ever made it out alive.
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) On the flip side, there are plenty of spiritual medicines and herbs.
ㄴ Wild Grylls) I don’t even know what herbs these are though?
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Then just die lmao Go eat a mushroom and die
ㄴ Wild Grylls) Fuck off, bastard
"Phew..."
A frustrated sigh broke out. I prayed that this wasn’t the Forest of the Four Seasons.
If it really was the Forest of the Four Seasons... I didn’t know. Since they said there were plenty of herbs, I’d have to make a living off them.
Returning home could wait until after getting out of the forest. Sitting ducks here wouldn’t accomplish anything.
’Then....’
I glanced down between my legs. To be precise, lower down.
The weed with striking crescent-moon-shaped petals. Could this be a medicinal herb too?
Since I didn’t know this world well, posting it on the Gallery was a decent idea.
Imageboards were useful when posting questions before. Even more so if it was the Continental Integrated Gallery.
Does anyone know what this herb is?
Wild Grylls
(Picture of crescent-moon-shaped plant)
I don’t know what kind of herb this is, does anyone know?
Not even three seconds after posting:
ㄴ Heavenly Demon) By any chance, does noble sir have any intention to trade with this one? It is an urgent matter.
A user with the registered handle ’Heavenly Demon’ replied instantly. Isn’t Heavenly Demon a title that only appears in Murim novels?
I immediately checked that person’s post history. If it was some lunatic, I had no intention of accepting a trade.
[Heavenly Demon]
[Posts: 2,548] [Comments: 3,817]
[Is there no one to have a deep conversation with this one? It is a grave matter.] - 10 mins ago
[My body grows heavier.] - 30 mins ago
[The sky is the sky, and the earth is the earth. To think I failed to realize such a simple truth.] - 1 hr ago
It was just filled with ordinary shitposts. There weren’t even many replies on those posts.
’What’s this? A roleplayer?’
The speech tone was lofty as hell, yet she was shitposting on a forum. It felt mismatched.
Still, I should hear her out. First, I checked the replies on my post.
ㄴ Holy fuck, is that by any chance the Crescent Moon Spirit Herb? Why is that there?
ㄴ Give it to me give it to me give it to me give it to me
ㄴ How much money do you need? Name your price
ㄴ Sword Matstar) Is that something good?
ㄴ Starlight Lady) That herb is useless to me... I need the energy of the sun...
ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Look here. Do you not need a sword crafted personally by a dwarf?
"..."
Oh my. What in the world is happening?
After taking a brief look at Heavenly Demon’s history, a staggering number of comments had piled up on my post.
Even Passing Dwarf, who was prickly just a moment ago, became polite. I wondered if this plant was really that big of a deal.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon) Begone! This one reserved it first, yet your hearts are filled with greed!!
ㄴ Yeah, meaningless~
ㄴ What reservation lmfao Whoever the seller likes gets it first
ㄴ Move aside, boomer~
Heavenly Demon, who replied first, got buried in an instant. Even when trying to assert presence, it was drowned out.
Since user-to-user trading was enabled, astronomical sums occasionally caught my eye in the comments.
Of course, I didn’t know the currency value of this world, but one thing was certain.
’I should pick the person who looks most desperate.’
Among them, one user was steadfastly making her presence known—as expected, Heavenly Demon.
Whether she was truly desperate, she posted comments at a terrifying speed. Seeing that made me feel pity.
’Judging by her posts, is she actually sick?’
Starlight Lady also seemed sick, but she had already drawn the line saying she didn’t need this herb.
After deliberating over and over, I decided to choose Heavenly Demon.
Although I had already received countless trade requests, I ignored them all and singled out Heavenly Demon.
Reserving something first only to have it snatched away—I knew all too well how dirty and hopeless that felt.
[Would you like to request a trade with Heavenly Demon-nim?]
All chat contents are visible to the administrator and may lead to a permanent ban depending on severity.
Looks like the administrator’s power is bigger than expected. Or maybe they are just that wary of illegal trading and cliquishness.
Since I wasn’t doing either right now, I sent the request without hesitation. What I needed right now were survival supplies.
’What will she give me?’
I held onto anticipation.
[Heavenly Demon-nim has accepted the request.]