Golden Poison Frog (1)
There's this Korean slang: "the comments section got all tripey." In other words, it turned into a total shitshow. I just posted a simple thank-you note, but a few people jumped in, and suddenly the comments exploded. It started with ChangguPrincess, then out of nowhere KingLeor barged in. And tons of randos too. They were all hurling F-bombs and pad-lips left and right. The notification pings wouldn't stop.
Doesn't Judaek crack down on this stuff?
I knew that if things got too heated, the head mod would step in. There were similar rules in the announcements. Even if it was just sports fans scrapping, once it turned to personal attacks, you couldn't claim it was about sports anymore.
└Don'tAbandonHero Stop it right now! Keep spamming and I'll ban you!
└ChangguPrincess That asshole started it first, though!
└KingLeor She's the one talking bullshit.
Don'tAbandonHero Doesn't matter—don't fight in someone else's thread! I'll open up the arena, so take it there!
└ChangguPrincess Okie~
└KingLeor ok ok
The second I thought that, Judaek showed up. Her order: no fighting in my thread—take it to the arena. Everyone obeyed and cleared out. Finally free from notification hell.
Soon after, a new post from Judaek popped up in the gallery: Which team has deeper roots? Arena time. I refreshed, and comments poured in like rain. No point checking it out—nothing useful there. I'd heard posts stirring up national conflicts get banned, but sports stuff seemed to slide. Of course, if it got too wild, Judaek would shut it down herself. She handled business well.
I'll stick to my own stuff.
I'd returned everyone's compasses, so now I brainstormed how to take down the golden poison frog. First off, the stream where it lived was a natural fortress all by itself. The water was so crystal clear it was hard to judge the depth, and the current was wicked fast. Jump in, and one spit attack would end me. Ranged attacks were a must.
Bow's... no good. Crossbow it is?
I didn't know shit about bows. A crossbow should be easier to handle, at least. I had about 650 gold in the gallery from selling the steel-scale snake. Question was, would that buy the kind of crossbow I wanted?
Time to post.
Crossbow question
YasaengGrill Thinking of frog hunting. Got a crossbow like a harpoon? One where the bolt's tethered so I can reel it in on hit.
└SwordTasteStar Why a crossbow?
└YasaengGrill Need it for frog. Stream's too deep to wade in.
└SwordTasteStar Can't you just fire sword aura?
└YasaengGrill ;;;
└SwordTasteStar Or walk on water.
Teacher? Is this bitch messing with me? I could only let out a dumbfounded chuckle. But considering all the swordsmanship knowledge she'd posted, she might've been serious.
It took emphasizing several times that I was a total normie before things wrapped up with her.
└Cheonma Why not master all the internal power methods this lady shall impart before hunting?
└YasaengGrill Gotta drink water to live too, lady. Teacher.
└Cheonma If it's water, this lady hath plenty to spare.
└YasaengGrill Then I can't get your help when I really need it.
Like I'd said before, I'd only accept help when it was truly dire—like a lifeline. Until then, self-sufficiency. Or earn more gold and buy at auction. A crossbow would come in handy in all sorts of situations anyway.
└PassingDwarf Can mod the one you described.
└YasaengGrill How much we talking?
└PassingDwarf Dwarf-made, so around 500 gold. Cool?
"What the f... "
That expensive? Did they embed diamonds or what? Way beyond expectations. 300 gold was a commoner's monthly living expense, and this blew past that. Maybe 'cause it was dwarf-made, like in novels—but who knew if that applied here.
└Dwarf-made. Of course it's pricey lol
└That's cheap for a crossbow tbh?
└Crossbows vary wildly by maker
└Worse than swords even?
└PassingDwarf Factor in mod fees. This is a steal. Feel bad charging you.
└YasaengGrill Why feel bad?
└PassingDwarf Called you fertilizer. Didn't think it was that bad.
└YasaengGrill Hm. Regular crossbow price?
└PassingDwarf Not up on human stuff
└Around 30 gold?
└Yeah regular bows are 10 gold ish
└YasaengGrill What the fuck kinda premium is that??
└PassingDwarf Don't like it, don't buy.
└YasaengGrill Whoa now. Didn't say I wasn't buying.
└lololol look at that pivot
Either way, this was an opportunity. Only PassingDwarf could deliver what I wanted. Pricey, but dwarf-made meant reliable. Worth the gold. Worst case, never buy from him again. Or get one from someone else.
└GrowTrees Bows over crossbows, obviously. Proven by the World Tree watermelon too!
└Wtf this guy's on
└World Tree watermelon drip again
└Historically accurate tho...
└Everything's in the World Tree watermelon lol
└YasaengGrill In a rush so crossbow. Can't shoot bow.
└GrowTrees I see. Why not practice the bow and grasp the greatness of we elves while you're at it?
└Greatness my ass lol
└How many shoot better than that guy? lol
└Here we go with the elf bros again;;
└GrowTrees But universally, the elf symbol is the bow. Conversely, I ask you: what race comes to mind with bows?
└Fuckin hell it's true can't argue
└Elves do shoot well lol
└So what? No frontliners, get wrecked anyway lol
Unlike their imperialism, the elf symbol being the bow seemed like common knowledge. At least it matched my common sense. I dropped a comment amid the chaos.
└YasaengGrill My country's archers were legit pros too.
└GrowTrees Ancestors elves maybe?
└YasaengGrill Nah;;
└lol zero bias check it
└Good or bad? lol
└YasaengGrill And my world was humans only.
└GrowTrees A world with only humans? Impossible!
└He's from another world. Cut him slack.
└Poor guy's let it slide
└It's a concept lol
Concept? It was real, but they didn't buy it. Whatever, didn't matter. As long as I survived here, who cares what they thought.
└But your people were good shots right?
└YasaengGrill Yeah legit. Not me tho
└Reason? Like racial trait?
└YasaengGrill Lotsa countries wanted to shoot us top to bottom lol
└lolololol
└pffft lmao
└Insane bastard lololol
└PassingDwarf Yo. Mod's done. Trade me.
While waiting, PassingDwarf finished the mod. I initiated the trade right away. Dwarf-made crossbow. How good could it be? Hope it lived up to the price.
PassingDwarf registered trade item.
PassingDwarf Added the harpoon bolt you wanted plus extras. But harpoon's range is suuuuuper short, heads up.
How short?
PassingDwarf Max range ~50m.
50m. I recalled the stream's width where the golden frog lurked. Narrow enough to call it a brook, not a river. Deep as hell, though. But factoring in the frog's spit range, 50m was cutting it close. Best to ambush from cover.
Anyway ok sending gold.
PassingDwarf Threw in gloves too just in case.
How much? I'll add gold.
PassingDwarf Don't be a sucker just take it;;
The toilet paper guy—felt bad taking more. Ended up with gloves anyway. Smart move; one bad frog grab and I'd be toast. Pay him back later with good herbs. Or leather—blacksmith, so leather over herbs.
Let's see. Came in a box.
Trade complete, box appeared. I opened the neat wooden lid. Crossbow and gloves hit me first. Then a bottle? Totally unexpected.
What's this?
Brown glass, corked. The cork screamed it: booze. He'd said he'd send a bottle and not to off myself. Didn't think he'd actually do it. Guy had a soft spot under that gruff.
Save this for later.
Booze for painkiller or anesthetic down the line. Numbs the agony. Tucked the bottle safely against the wall, then checked the crossbow.
Black base overall, but dwarf craftsmanship made the design sleek as hell.
Bolt's tethered alright.
Harpoon-style bolt linked by thin rope to the crossbow. Easy enough to figure out. Time for a test.
Crossbows were hard to make, but using one? Simple. I hooked my foot into the stirrup up front. That's how you do it, right? Pinned it down with my foot, grabbed the string to cock...
Clunk—
"Huh?"
...Why wasn't it working? Panicked a bit. Pulled, but no give—the crossbow pulled me. Thought it was caught at first. More force, and it started inching back.
"Grahhh!"
Yelled to psych myself up and barely cocked it. Panting, I couldn't believe it. What kinda monster crossbow needed that for loading? Was this normal? World of superhumans who punch mountains barehanded—not impossible.
Sighed, loaded a harpoon bolt first. Save the others; this one was reusable.
Stock for aiming. Nice.
Lighter than it looked too—easy to steady. Stepped outside, aimed at a distant tree. Cave wall might dent the harpoon; tree was perfect.
Hold breath...
Thwoom!
Trigger pull, and air ripped apart. String tension fluttered my hair. Thwack! Harpoon rocketed out, spearing straight through the tree trunk's center. Through, not embedded. Terrifying power. Golden frog wouldn't stand a chance—dead before it knew what hit.
Worth every gold.
Tongue out at the overkill power, reeled it in. Rope made recovery easy.
Still, gotta practice.
Wanna hunt it now, but haste makes waste. With that load time, one shot max. One chance to kill, or run like hell. One drop of poison and I'm done. Prep thoroughly for unlimited water.
Not eyeing Olfather's 20k gold or anything.
Gonna shower even if it kills me.
Two days unwashed—gross as fuck. Warm weather saved me; humid would've been hell. Practiced till dawn. Cocking got a tad easier.
Sun setting, back inside.
Money left...
150 gold post-crossbow. Buy max necessities. Top priority: snake/bug repellent. Lucked out so far; could wake up bitten. Plus antidotes, meds. Frog made antidote essential.
Auction has everything... but fees are insane.
Crazy commissions killed me. Direct trade perks, but too pricey. No choice. Bought one antidote vial, tears in eyes. Checked reviews for scams.
Repellent... this one.
Shopped around, 20 gold left. No regrets—life extenders. Sprayed repellent at entrance and bed. Hope it works; reviews said so.
Munch munch—
"Ugh. Fucking nasty."
Dinner: a few Wall Valley Pills. Bitter herb explosion. Gotta live on these awhile—suck it up. Better than starving.
"Urgh..."
Post-pill, tried lotus position. Not bedtime yet. Joints screamed twisting, but endured. Do mana circulation method or internal power method like this, right? Cheonma would teach, so just practice pose.
Week to get comfy?
Flexibility ain't overnight. Days of grind. Plenty time—no games like home.
Thank god for gallery.
Browsed while stretching. Gallery was huge. Humans hate loneliness—social animals. Robinson Crusoe treated a ball like a friend on his island. Communication's key. Gallery filled that now.
Bedtime.
Time flew browsing. Unfolded—forgot pain till I noticed, then agony crashed. Endured ripping joints, prepped bed. Warm days, cold nights—fire essential.
Crackle! Crackle!
Cheonma's fire starter and outside wood lit it up. Cave warmed a bit. Day one exhaustion hid the cold. Nearly died to mad dog anyway. Added fuel, posted.
Survival Day 1 Done
YasaengGrill
(Photo: tally mark on wall)
(Photo: roaring bonfire)
Day 1 survival complete. Bedtime.
└Cheonma Well done. Rest easy.
└SwordTasteStar Rest well.
└Day 1 starts today?
└Seems so. If it snaps...
└Eek;; grim
└StarlightPrincess Let's hang in there together. Waiting for Day 2.
└ParisLife vs Terminal
└Heart swells whoa
└Thanks for cheering YasaengGrill till now
└StarlightPrincess You guys are the worst.
Yeah, what'd I expect from those idiots. Oh, not high-nics—randos. High-nics mostly supportive; randos... self-explanatory.
Better than nothing.
Chuckle, closed gallery. Lay on hard stone. If frog tomorrow, buy blanket first? Or pillow. Exhaustion hit; thoughts faded to sleep.
As eyes drooped and crickets softened.
Wanna go home.
That desperate wish, then blackout.