Welcome To (2)
The total annihilation of a pack—the tragedy Fast Tree Sloth had endured—was a story found not only in the untamed wilderness, but throughout the annals of civilization.
Outsiders arriving to drive native inhabitants from their ancestral lands and claim the territory for themselves. The natives fought back desperately, yet history recorded countless times they were forced to their knees before the overwhelming military might of the invaders.
So he really became this strong just to survive.
Learning Ppareumbo's past made me see him in a completely different light. He hadn't been an unnaturally monstrous beast from the beginning; like me, he had clawed his way to strength solely to stay alive. Along the way, he must have clashed time and again with the gorilla troop that had usurped his territory.
Judging by how terrified those gorillas were...
He had likely wreaked havoc that went far beyond mere property damage, and he certainly possessed the martial prowess to back it up. Regardless, Fast Tree Sloth was on my side now, living under the same roof. Nothing could possibly feel more reassuring.
Even so, having an ally didn't mean I could neglect basic defenses. A swarm of gorillas could descend upon us as early as tomorrow.
Should I pack up and move?
The thought crossed my mind, but I discarded it almost immediately. Relocation was an absolute last resort. Doing so meant abandoning everything I had built—the barricades, the tools, all of it. Above all, as long as a clean river flowed right nearby, this base was too valuable to surrender.
I'm defending this place. No matter what.
The question was how to mount an effortless defense. The best tactic was bottlenecking them at the narrow cave entrance. Gorillas were massive creatures; no matter how aggressively they squeezed in, at most two could enter at a time. That would allow me to pick them off one by one.
Will they really walk into such an obvious trap, though?
These primates weren't mindless beasts. They were intelligent enough to utilize coordinated battle tactics. There was no guarantee they would blindly accommodate my plans. Still, preparing was leagues better than doing nothing. I sat down and began drafting a layout.
To exploit tight spaces like I did against the owlbear...
Ultimately, I needed a proper door. A door far sturdier than plain timber. The Passing Dwarf had once scoffed, asking why I'd bother installing a door when beasts would just smash it to splinters anyway. But couldn't I simply erect a door so durable that nothing could break through? The simplest solutions were often the best.
Someone might suggest buying a metal safe instead, but erecting a fortified barrier right at the threshold was far more practical. A small lockbox risked being hauled off whole by a bunch of apes, so that idea went straight into the trash.
There must be something like security cameras in other worlds, right?
I would commission the door from the dwarf, and as for CCTV, asking Princess Chaeng-gu seemed like my best bet. She would probably give me one gladly, though who knew—maybe another option would present itself. Having sketched out a rough outline of the plan, I immediately opened the Gallery and drafted a post.
With the collective intelligence of the Gallery behind me, I finalized the blueprints for remodeling my shelter. The first order of business was narrowing the cave's opening. Just like when I constructed the clay oven, I planned to lay down mud bricks.
And the dwarf agreed to forge an iron door.
To be precise, it would be an alloy door blended with orichalcum. He promised to treat the metal so that, just as orichalcum absorbed ambient mana, it could also disperse kinetic shock. He did add a disclaimer that its impact absorption would fall far short of adamantium, of course.
Don't tell me I'll actually have to start digging in the dirt for that stuff?
Mining—that quintessential, soul-draining chore from blocky sandbox survival games. The mere thought of having to swing a pickaxe underground sent a cold shudder down my spine. Yet this was the Forest of the Four Seasons; if survival demanded manual labor, I had no right to complain.
I jotted down the schedule in my notepad and surveyed my surroundings.
Thank god they only looted the inedia pills. If they'd managed to steal the elixir...
My stomach twisted just imagining it. Vital treasures had to be stashed deep in the most inconspicuous crevices, hidden well away from prying eyes.
As I laid out the renovation step by step, twilight crept across the sky. Heading up to the river to check the fish traps, baking a fresh catch in the stone oven—before I knew it, I was winding down another grueling day. Ppareumbo's dinner had been covered by the last remaining inedia pill, an emergency ration I'd brought along, which would stave off his hunger until morning.
No telling if those gorillas will return tomorrow.
Even if they did, I had no intention of rolling over. Circulating my internal breathing, I closed my eyes and replayed the duel against the Leader Gorilla.
Normally, executing an internal cultivation art required absolute tranquility, free from wandering thoughts. Curiously, however, reflecting on the fight only sharpened my concentration. My breath cycled instinctively through my dantian while the skirmish played out inside my head frame by frame.
When he struck my ribs, I couldn't track it at all.
Part of it was the price of letting my guard down, but his finishing blow had genuinely been invisible—an strike originating entirely from outside my field of view. That was a blind spot I had to watch out for. It would have been wonderful if I possessed future sight like certain pirates in shounen manga, but expecting that kind of miraculous sensory power was still far beyond me.
Bit by bit, I refined the mental simulation until finally sinking entirely into the flow of cultivation.
"Whew..."
With the breathing cycle concluded, I slowly opened my eyes. Tomorrow would mark two full weeks since I had plummeted into the Forest of the Four Seasons. Experientially, it felt as though an entire month had dragged past, yet barely a fortnight had elapsed. That was how relentlessly packed every waking moment had been. Every second had been too precious to waste.
Still... I'm holding my own surprisingly well.
The owlbear, the saber-toothed tiger, the Orichalcum Guardian, and finally the Leader Gorilla. Every encounter had brought me to the razor's edge of death, yet I had endured. Fast Tree Sloth's intervention had undoubtedly played the decisive role, of course, but surviving was what mattered. I would survive, no matter what.
Somehow. Someway.
I would claw my way out of this living hell.
Dawn broke, and the moment morning light filtered through the canopy, I set straight to work. The raid on my camp yesterday was no excuse to slack off. With renovations on today's agenda, every minute counted.
"Ppareumbo. This is the very last one."
"..."
"I'll find a way to get more, so you'll have to get by on leaves and grass for a while."
It was Fast Tree Sloth's final inedia pill. He stared mournfully at the small black pellet before solemnly popping it into his mouth. It was a rather pitiful sight, though realizing that I was the one paying tribute to feed him gave me mixed feelings. Still, considering each offering bought an extension on my life insurance, it was worth every penny.
Cheonma mentioned refining more inedia pills takes time.
She explained that genuine cultivation pills required rare, expensive herbs, meaning a fresh batch would take at least a week to compound. Whether Ppareumbo could endure on wild foliage until then remained to be seen. If things became dire, I would simply have to embark on a foraging expedition. If adult mandrake roots grew here in clusters, there was bound to be an herb field nearby.
Let's see... Should I narrow the mouth of the cave to about here?
I began measuring the perimeter to lay the brick foundation. The entrance had been torn wide open when the owlbear had shoved its massive bulk inside, and transforming that liability into a narrow choke point would provide an overwhelming tactical advantage.
Exploring deep woods is out of the question today. I'll just make a quick run to the Orichalcum Cave and back.
There was no telling when the ape troop might strike again. Granted, since we had thoroughly established our territorial dominance, there was a fair chance they would stay away. With Fast Tree Sloth stationed as our bulwark, unless an army mobilized—
Rustle. Rustle.
A crisp rustling caught my ear while I was examining the cave's stone frame. A sinking feeling seized my chest. I jerked my head toward the thicket, where the rustling grew steadily louder and more deliberate.
"..."
Without uttering a word, I gripped my armaments. Sensing the shifting air, Fast Tree Sloth climbed onto my back with practiced ease, while Wonmo scurried close to my heels. The rustling culminated in the parting of the tall shrubs.
"...Hrrng."
A massive silhouette emerged. In sheer bulk, this beast easily matched the Leader Gorilla, yet everything else—from its posture to its facial features—was entirely different. While the escorts flanking it walked on all fours with their knuckles planted on the earth, the gorilla leading the front strode forward on two legs like a man.
And above all else...
"...Clothes?"
It was wearing actual clothing. It was so ancient and frayed that it resembled a tattered rag, but it was undeniably garments tailored for a humanoid frame. The fabric had yellowed with grime and faded almost entirely to an off-white, yet faint black patterns still peeked through the weave.
Its visage was even more striking. Across its left eye stretched five distinct, parallel claw scars. The milky opacity of the scarred eye made it glaringly obvious that the beast was completely blind on that side.
To call it unusual was an understatement; this creature transcended the boundary of mere wildlife.
Did he scavenge and wear a human's clothes?
That was what it looked like on the surface. Judging by the sheer decay of the threadbare fabric, it had been worn for a decade at the very least. Normally, an item like that would be an heirloom or a relic left by the dead—yet did an ape truly comprehend the concept of a memento?
And spears? What in the world am I looking at?
To make matters even more surreal, the two apes flanking him weren't wielding crude bludgeons. They held spears. They were crudely carved wooden shafts, but they were unquestionably manufactured thrusting weapons. It was a leap in evolutionary tool usage that rivaled primitive humanity.
Just as my muscles coiled to spring into a defensive stance—
Grip!
A heavy, deliberate pressure locked onto my shoulder. Ppareumbo's claws had clamped down on me. I turned my head slightly to look at him. His brow was drawn tight in a faint scowl. For a creature who maintained a serene, vacant mask ninety-nine percent of the time, displaying this much visible hostility was extraordinary.
Could that scar over the ape's eye be...?
The puzzle pieces were clicking into place with frightening clarity. Just then, the gorilla who appeared to be the troop's chief glanced sideways and gave a curt nod. At the gesture, one of the spear-wielding guards turned, trotted into the underbrush, and quickly returned carrying a bundle that he handed to his leader.
Whoosh!
The chief tossed the bundle straight toward me. It was not hurled with the aggression of an attack; it felt far more like someone tossing over a package.
Thud.
The bundle landed at my feet. I stared down at it. Long, bright yellow fruit, bundled together in multiple thick clusters.
"...Bananas?"
The Chief Gorilla had just thrown me a pile of bananas. I was utterly bewildered at first, but considering yesterday's violent clash, the meaning became strikingly apparent.
We apologize for yesterday's intrusion. Take these bananas as compensation.
An offering of peace. A gesture of apology. I stood frozen, staring blankly into the ape chief's gaze.
And then...
"Duibuqi."
A spoken syllable slipped past the beast's lips—human speech.
My mind struggled to process the sound, but there was no mistaking the deliberate inflection. It wasn't a roar or an animal grunt. It was an articulate, enunciated word.
...Motherfucker. It really is Planet of the Apes.
In the back of my mind, a gravelly voice seemed to echo out in defiance:
"NO!!!"