I have no thoughts.
Because I am thinking nothing at all.
Ever since returning to the cave, I’ve just been zoning out blankly.
The reality I was facing was so unbelievable. I desperately wished it were all just a dream.
Yet no matter how much time passed, nothing changed. This damn place was the Forest of the Four Seasons, and this was where I had opened my eyes.
There was simply no way to keep my mental sanity intact. Thanks to that, I spent the entire day writing shitposts full of despair and sorrow on the Gallery.
Live Five Stages of Grief
[Bullshit. I’m gonna look around some more.]
Denial
[Why me? Fucking hell, what did I do wrong?]
Anger
[Anyone wanna come pick me up? I’ll be your slave for life.]
Bargaining
[Send me home. I wanna eat the leftover kimchi stew from yesterday.]
Depression
Those are the posts Grylls wrote in real-time, fr fr
All that’s left now is Acceptance
└ LMAOOOO
└ LMAOOO
└ Pure science lol
└ What’s kimchi stew?
└ Dun?no
└ Starlight Lady) How pitiful... Living on borrowed time, just like me....
└ Not quite borrowed time, though
└ Starlight Lady) Then what?
└ A fly’s life?
└ LMAO
└ Ain’t that the truth lmao
└ Starlight Lady) You are truly mean
Some user had kindly documented the entire timeline. Seeing that actually made me chuckle.
To be honest, I was already thinking of moving on to the Acceptance stage. Moping around like this wasn’t going to help anything.
I had no idea why I had to suffer here, but I couldn’t just escape reality forever.
’There’s no way there isn’t... any way out, right? Surely not.’
The Gallery had informed me: the entire region of the Forest of the Four Seasons was a barrier.
Even if you broke through a barrier, another one would appear, and the one you breached would restore itself in a different pattern at any moment.
This applied not only to the surface, but also underground and in the sky. That was the reason why once you entered, you could never leave.
’First, I need to check the perimeter of the forest where I’m at.’
Just in case I had to settle down here, it was best to properly scout the surroundings.
If I got lost when the cave was right in front of my nose, there would be no greater farce.
The problem was that such farces happened all too often. I needed to be careful.
’Let’s go to the river first. Better make sure if it’s drinkable water.’
I hadn’t been able to check it yesterday because my mental state had shattered. I had been so overwhelmed I just wanted to cry.
Water in the forest should generally be drinkable. What I wanted to check was what lived in that water.
In a place crawling with anomalous monsters like anaconda-sized snakes or bears as big as houses, could the waterside really be safe?
It wouldn’t be strange if there were man-eating fish. I could literally die while taking a sip of water.
’As long as it’s drinkable, I can make this cave my base.’
Two days had passed, and aside from its original owner, the Mad Dog, nothing else had come by.
Although an Owlbear had come nearby, let’s overlook that. I had run away swiftly.
Moreover, it was a well-defensible spot, so I’d most likely stay here if possible.
’Should I just endure while eating Fasting Pills?’
That gave me some pause. After pondering for a moment, I rose to my feet.
For now, my plan was to go to the river first. I could ponder after coming back.
Or maybe I’d put up a poll on the Gallery. For the record, I was going to set it so only registered users could vote.
There were way too many people who went "Not my problem, who gives a fuck?" unless it involved them. It wasn’t collective intelligence, it was collective idiocy.
Hwiiiing—
"Whoa. What the hell is this?"
And the moment I arrived at the stream I had eyed yesterday, I couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.
Was there a dangerous beast? No.
Were there man-eating fish? Not that either.
It was nothing other than the scenery across the stream. Just yesterday, it had clearly been a desert.
Title) Guys. Look at this.
Wild Grylls
(Photo of snowy mountains seen across the stream)
Yesterday it was a desert, but today it’s snowy mountains :3
What will it be tomorrow? Haha
└ Forest of the Four Seasons confirmed! Case closed!
└ Wait;; what the heck is that?;;
└ Wow... what are you even supposed to say at times like this?
└ Starlight Lady) You just need to cheer him on
└ Sword Matstar) Excuse me, but you’re not a criminal, right?
└ Wild Grylls) Dipping into my mom’s wallet when I was a kid?
└ Sword Matstar) Didn’t you say you were an orphan?
└ Wild Grylls) I had parents back then...
└ Sword Matstar) ;;; I’m so sorry
└ Wild Grylls) It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m used to it
└ Sword Matstar) Stealing from the wallet is something I did too haha;;
└ Wild Grylls) Why aren’t you coming quickly, what are you doing?
└ Sword Matstar) I’m busy with work
└ Wild Grylls) What kind of work?
└ Sword Matstar) Home security guard haha
└ You’re just unemployed lol
└ LMAOOO
└ What are we seriously gonna do with Grylls?
└ Even I have no idea anymore lol
└ Survive on your own
└ Shouldn’t we give him disaster relief funds? lol
└ Heavenly Demon) The mountains are pretty
└ Princess Chaenggu Indeed~ Just like my face haha
└ Heavenly Demon) ?
└ ?
└ ?
└ ?
└ Princess Chaenggu What, fuck, if you got a problem let’s fight~
└ Heavenly Demon) Where do you live?
Now they’re even making it official. I let out a dry laugh.
Across the stream, which had been a desert just yesterday, was now a snowy mountain range. And covered in pure white snow, no less.
I wondered if I had come to the wrong place, but that made no sense either. Snowy mountains right next to a desert?
The boundary was crystal clear, too. It didn’t gradually transition; the environment itself completely changed with the stream as the dividing line.
’Is someone fucking with me?’
I let out a sigh and approached the stream. Seeing that there were plenty of minnows, the water quality seemed good.
A silver lining in the misfortune. I should bring the water bottle Heavenly Demon gave me later.
Still, just to be safe, I had to check first. I started by checking the depth.
Cheombong—
The moment I dipped my hand in, doubt arose before the sensation of coolness. For a second, I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me.
However, the further I reached, the deeper my arm went. My hand couldn’t touch the bottom.
Because the water was far too clear, it appeared to be much deeper than what met the eye.
’This should be enough.’
Even so, it wasn’t exceedingly deep. It was deep enough that one could cross if they wanted to.
Of course, since the other side was a snowy mountain, there was no reason to cross. Unless I had a death wish, that is.
"Gaegol."
"Huh?"
It happened when I pulled my arm out of the river. A strange sound reached my ears.
Given how close it sounded, it had to be nearby. With that, I turned my head in the direction of the sound.
"Gaegol."
"...A frog?"
A frog, and a golden-hued one at that. The frog was sitting atop a boulder situated in the middle of the river.
If nothing else, the fact that its entire body glittered golden made it feel all the more dangerous.
Creatures with such vivid colors like that almost always possess ’poison’.
It’d be best to back away. Whatever else happened, poison was something I definitely had to avoid.
Even setting aside venom, its size was like that of a small dog, making it revolting.
"Khaaaaak!"
"Huh? Uh, wait?"
Just as I was about to leave, the Golden Frog acted unpredictably.
Not only did it stand proudly on its two long legs, but it even tilted its head back.
In that posture, it made a sound like a human hawking up phlegm, and soon, its tilted head snapped forward.
"Ptooey!!"
Piiiing!
Sticky liquid shot out of the frog’s mouth like a bullet. Aimed right at my face.
Startled out of my wits, I barely managed to move my body. The sticky golden liquid grazed past me by a hair’s breadth.
Before long, the golden liquid struck the center of the tree behind me.
Chiiiiik!!
"Whoa. Holy fuck."
I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of the tree melting down. Was it acid rather than deadly venom?
However, there was no time to be amazed. Because the frog was tilting its head back and reloading once again.
Getting out of here took priority right now. I scrambled away in a hurry before the bastard could spit again.
"Ptoo!"
"Gah!"
It missed narrowly this time as well. If I hadn’t ducked my head, it would’ve struck the back of my skull.
Fortunately, the frog didn’t pursue. It seemed to consider the river its territory.
"Huff... huff...."
After fleeing for dear life back to the cave, I gasped for breath. I had no idea why I had to go through such misery.
To think I finally found clean water only to have to walk on eggshells around some damn frog. Utterly ridiculous.
’The river is deep, so I can’t even get close...’
It’d be nice if I had a bow, but fat chance. I didn’t even know how to use one in the first place.
That bastard was definitely nowhere in sight yesterday. Could it be because I dipped my hand in the water today?
I doubted whether I could drink water properly. In the worst-case scenario, that frog might spit right into the river.
Title) Guys, I found a Golden Frog.
Wild Grylls
No pic cuz I was running away
This bastard spits acid spit, anyone know what the hell it is?
└ A frog that spits acid spit? What kind of frog is that lol
└ Even if it’s the Forest of the Four Seasons, that’s capping too hard lol
└ No pic means 99% fake, fr fr
└ Allfather Did you happen to find that in a river?
Amidst all the useless comments flooding in, one registered user left a question. It was Allfather.
Allfather was a registered user who would only drop a comment once in a blue moon before disappearing. He rarely made posts of his own either.
If any, they were posts related to magic or alchemy. Most were mixed with technical terminology, so I usually ignored them.
You could say he had a professor-like vibe. Since he mostly spoke politely, I responded with polite speech as well.
└ Wild Grylls) Yes. I found it in the river. The moment I dipped my hand into the river, it spat spit at me.
└ Allfather How large is its size?
└ Wild Grylls) It was about the size of a puppy.
└ Allfather It seems its build grew larger due to being in the Forest of the Four Seasons. It is normally about the size of a finger joint.
└ Wild Grylls) Do you know what it is?
└ Allfather Yes. Its official scientific name is the Golden Poison Frog. It is a rare species that only appears in clean water, and its venom is so potent that many have died attempting to capture it. Please exercise caution.
└ Wild Grylls) It’s poison, not acid spit?;;
└ Allfather It is because the poison is exceptionally potent.
There really are all sorts of bizarre animals out there. A frog that spits venom so potent it compares to acid.
Furthermore, the entire river was practically a natural fortress for that bastard.
It was on par with an archer firing arrows from atop castle ramparts.
’Whatever else happens, I at least want to drink water safely...’
If I showed my face often, that bastard might even wait for me out in the open. That would be extremely troublesome.
Even while I was pondering, notifications rang wildly. Lately, it felt like all sorts of comments flooded in every time I posted.
└ Allfather If you capture the Golden Poison Frog, I will pay you 20,000 gold. I would like to conduct research on it.
└ Isn’t that just a roundabout way of telling him to go die?
└ Fr fr lol
└ If you catch that, I’ll give you 50,000 gold lol
└ Wild Grylls) I do need to catch it though... Otherwise I can’t drink water... Could you give any other advice?
└ Allfather I apologize, but because it is such a rare species, little is known about it in academia. I only know that it is mainly active in the morning. You might need an antidote.
└ Then just go drink water in the evening fr
└ Wild Grylls) Evening is more dangerous;;
└ What comes out?
└ Wild Grylls) It’s dangerous precisely because I don’t know what will come out
There was no viable strategy guide in this situation. In the end, I had no choice but to solve it myself.
It was a hurdle to secure drinking water. To overcome it, I would have to make thorough preparations.
’Before that, I should return the compasses.’
Except for the compass Heavenly Demon gave me, I planned to return all of them to their original owners.
First, after posting a message for everyone to see, I initiated trade requests five minutes later.
I first requested a trade with the registered user Starlight Lady.
Perhaps because she lived on the Gallery all day, she accepted immediately upon my request.
[Wild Grylls: Hello. I sent the request to return your compass.]
[Starlight Lady: Ah. Yes! You really didn’t have to return it, though... The one Heavenly Demon-nim gave you is enough.]
[Wild Grylls: Carrying the rest around is tough, that’s why.]
[Starlight Lady: I understand. Let’s both hang in there.]
[Wild Grylls: Thank you. Wishing you a speedy recovery.]
[Wild Grylls: Hello. I opened a trade to return the compass.]
[Praise the Sun: Keep it.]
[Wild Grylls: Still, I have a conscience, so I should return it.]
[Praise the Sun: I don’t take such chump change, though?]
[Wild Grylls: ;;;]
He was so cool about it that it was almost embarrassing. Still, since he helped me, it was only right to repay the favor.
When I said I’d repay him later if I got something good, an intriguing reply came back.
[Praise the Sun: I like you. Need anything else? Looking at you, seems like you need a shield?]
[Wild Grylls: I do need one, but I’ll buy that with money.]
[Wild Grylls: I sold that Steel-Scale Serpent or whatever it was called, you see.]
[Praise the Sun: I don’t take such chump change.]
[Wild Grylls: Wait;; you’re a Dark Elf, right?]
[Praise the Sun: Yeah.]
[Wild Grylls: Are all Dark Elves rich?]
The Dark Elves I knew were a race polar opposite to elves. A race with the same roots, but entirely different temperaments.
Unlike the peace-loving elves, they wouldn’t shy away from dirty tricks, but they wouldn’t cross the line either.
Their philosophy was closer to cultivating strength for the sake of peace. Perhaps because of that, however, they were somewhat lacking in social skills.
Of course, the above story was merely what I knew. I shouldn’t superimpose my standards onto this world.
After all, even the elves were far from peaceful here, weren’t they? They were steeped in imperialism.
[Praise the Sun: There are a lot of rich people, sure. Gold and resources overflow in Setan. Isn’t that common knowledge?]
[Wild Grylls: I came from another world, so I don’t know much.]
[Praise the Sun: Wasn’t that just a roleplay concept?]
[Wild Grylls: It’s real though...]
Whether he believed me or not didn’t matter. Since I was cooped up in the forest unable to meet anyone anyway, my origin held no meaning.
Praise the Sun seemed to recognize this as well, brushing it off coolly.
[Praise the Sun: Anyway, Dark Elves are a gentler and kinder race than those crazy boomer elves. Okay?]
[Wild Grylls: Feels like you’re emphasizing that, was it different in the past?]
[Praise the Sun: In the past, it was the opposite. But after settling in the desert and getting loaded with cash, people grew generous. Back then, we only faced discrimination, so our tempers were nasty.]
[Wild Grylls: That sounds realistic.]
[Praise the Sun: Don’t underestimate us, though. Because we had to survive in the desert, our combat skills are insanely top-notch.]
[Wild Grylls: I have no intention of doing so.]
[Wild Grylls: Is there anything specific I should be careful about?]
[Praise the Sun: Call us darkies and you die. No, I’ll curse you to death.]
Is their position roughly similar to black people on Earth? People who are usually cheerful, but become terrifying the moment you trigger their temper.
Here, it transcended racial discrimination into species discrimination, so I needed to be careful.
’I should look into it slowly.’
Even if it was anonymous, making overtly speciesist remarks didn’t fit my personality.
Furthermore, in a situation where I needed to build goodwill, accumulating nothing but antipathy would ultimately only harm me.
Praise the Sun has registered trade item(s).
[Praise the Sun: I’m giving you this, so give me something good for the body if you find any. I don’t have time, so take it quickly.]
[Wild Grylls: Thank you. I won’t forget this kindness.]
[Praise the Sun: Yeah. Take care of yourself.]
Are there only kind people on the Gallery? Or are the registered users just nice?
I closed the connection with Praise the Sun. As soon as the connection was cut, I checked the item he sent.
"...?"
And I couldn’t help but be flabbergasted. Because the item sent was glittering with blinding brilliance.
It roughly resembled a shield, but its entire surface was covered in gold.
Literally a Golden Shield. Just how filthy rich do you have to be to send something like this?
’...I wonder if its performance is any good?’
I looked over the gold-gleaming shield this way and that before equipping it.
It was lighter than expected and quite comfortable, but I felt it would be good to test how durable it was.
Not that I planned on using the Sword of the Heavenly Demon for that. It felt like I’d just needlessly damage it.
Quite a unique name. Going strictly by the nickname, it seems to be a woman.
However, ninety percent of the people residing on the Gallery are abnormal. What kind of person will it be this time?
[Wild Grylls: Hello. I sent a request to return your compass.]
[Princess Chaenggu: Hellooo~ You can just keep that~]
A reply similar to Praise the Sun’s came back. An answer saying she didn’t need the compass.
I wondered if there really were only kind people here, but thinking carefully about it, perhaps it was only natural.
These were people who willingly gave me compasses the moment I posted. That was all the more reason to solidify my relationship with them.
[Wild Grylls: I have a conscience, so I should return it. Plus, I have nothing to give you right now, that’s why.]
[Princess Chaenggu: Then please cheer for our Chaeyu~ That’s more than enough~]
[Wild Grylls: I don’t know much about this world, so what kind of team is Chaeyu?]
I knew there were things similar to sports in this world. However, I didn’t know the specific disciplines.
It was an entirely different world, and one with diverse races to boot. It would surely be completely different from what I knew.
[Princess Chaenggu: OMG! You don’t know Chaemes United, the most famous and prestige-filled club in Mephisto?! You’ve missed out on half of life~!]
[Wild Grylls: That remaining half of my life is hanging by a thread.]
[Princess Chaenggu: Ah! I’m sorry~! You had a fly’s life, right~!]
It was true that my life was as fragile as a fly’s, but hearing it put so bluntly made me sad. How did my life end up like this?
Just as Princess Chaenggu’s bluntness made me feel a bit gloomy...
Princess Chaenggu has registered trade item(s).
[Princess Chaenggu: I’ll give you this, so from now on you are a Chaeyu fan~]
[Wild Grylls: What did you give me?]
[Princess Chaenggu: Jerseys of the most famous players, Neves and Vannir~! The fabric is great, so please wear them around. I’ll send two sets each of Home and Away~]
Ah. Yes....
I felt a little ambivalent. Luckily, I happened to need clothes right now, so it was a relief.
Soap didn’t matter since I could buy it with money, but I needed other clothes to wear while my laundry was drying.
For now it was still bearable, but as time passed, the need for clothes would only grow.
[Princess Chaenggu: Chaemes United is a club boasting a history of a whopping 200 years. I can guarantee that Grylls-ssi will fall deeply in love with it soon too~]
[Wild Grylls: First, let me check if it’s a sport I even know.]
[Wild Grylls: Because it might be different from what I know.]
[Wild Grylls: Regardless, thank you so much for the clothes.]
[Princess Chaenggu: Don’t mention it~ Instead, I have one word of caution~]
[Wild Grylls: What is that?]
[Princess Chaenggu: There’s a knockoff called Chaemes City, please ignore them~! They’re a team sustained by Setan’s filthy Gold Money. They have zero prestige, zero!]
"..."
Why did I smell such a familiar scent from a total stranger? A hollow chuckle came out on its own.
Princess Chaenggu ended the conversation after saying she would post a highlights video soon and told me to stabilize my mind and body while watching it.
Once the conversation ended, I was able to inspect the clothes she sent, and they were jerseys with names stamped boldly on them.
’I don’t know what language this is.’
Unfortunately, I couldn’t read the names. Did they say the Gallery had an automatic translation feature?
Instead, the emblem emblazoned on the chest was pretty cool. Just as she said, it felt overflowing with tradition and prestige.
Not only the design, but the color scheme appropriately blended white and blue, giving it a clean, handsome look.
It wasn’t exactly a fitting color for the wild, but clothes were what I needed most, so that wasn’t an issue.
’The material is pretty nice too, isn’t it?’
Furthermore, the fabric was exceptionally elastic. It felt like it would come in handy in many ways.
After smiling briefly, I promptly logged onto the Gallery to check the posts.
Since Princess Chaenggu said she would put up a post soon, I planned to leave a thank-you note and comments there.
Chaemes United Special Highlights Compilation
The moment I saw the post, I clicked on it without delay.
"Huh?"
Watching the video she uploaded, my eyes couldn’t help but widen.
’Isn’t this football?’
Why is football even here?
’Does baseball exist too, then?’
Some crazies showed up from time to time—could that be why?