Welcome (Part 5)

Holding my dangling arm firmly against my torso, I somehow managed to limp all the way back to the cave.

The moment I stepped inside, I spotted Wonmo pacing back and forth in a frantic frenzy. He had clearly spent the entire time in an agony of worry over me.

“Kyuu! Kyuu!”

At the sight of his battered master returning alive, Wonmo threw himself forward in a wildly emotional greeting. I desperately wanted to scoop him up with both arms, but with one side completely wrecked, that was out of the question.

“Wonmo, hang on a second. Let me patch this arm together first.”

“Kyuu!”

Wonmo let out a spirited cry and obediently took a step back. Good boy. He really was remarkably well-behaved.

A faint chuckle slipped past my lips as I carefully eased my damaged arm down. First things first: getting this shield unstrapped. I had sustained my fair share of bodily trauma out here, but a cleanly broken arm was a brand-new experience, leaving me at a bit of a loss.

What if I recklessly douse it in Elixir and the bones knit back together crooked?

That was my biggest concern. My ribs hurt, but they weren't pulverized like the arm. For now, stabilizing the break with a splint seemed like the wisest course of action.

Using my working hand, I rummaged through the cave until I found a suitable wooden slat. Trimming down one of the logs I had previously split for campfire firewood did the trick.

Now I just need some clean cloth from the Gallery.

Set the wood, bind it tightly with cloth, and the splint would be done. The only problem was trying to tie off a splint with one functional hand.

“Hey. Ppareumbo, my good friend.”

“……”

“Lend me a hand here, would you? Look at this arm.”

I called out to Bbarmbo for assistance. Even if he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't tie knots, he could at least hold the fabric taut. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Bbarmbo stared at me with an unblinking, serene gaze, then obligingly pinched the cloth in place just as I needed. Thanks to his help, I managed to secure the wooden splints and wrap the limb snugly.

Still, this was strictly a temporary measure. True recovery would only happen once I applied the Elixir.

While the Gallery regulars bickered and carried on in the comments, I completed the private exchange with Starlight Princess to receive the syringe.

The syringe looked familiar yet strikingly foreign at the same time. The overall architecture was identical to modern syringes back on Earth, but the material craftsmanship and scale were completely different. The cylindrical barrel was noticeably thick and heavy, though fortunately, the needle tip was surprisingly fine.

If the needle had been as fat as the barrel... shudder.

I carefully drew the Elixir into the chamber, testing the plunger to make sure it flowed smoothly. A bead of radiant, golden fluid welled up at the tip of the needle. That would do.

Steeling myself, I drove the needle straight into the fracture site and steadily depressed the plunger, injecting the liquid deep into the pulverized tissue.

Man, this makes me look like an addict shooting up in an alley.

The Elixir's signature crisp, refreshing chill spread through my marrow, and the throbbing agony began to melt away almost instantly. I could feel the microscopic sensation of splintered bone fragments aligning and fusing back together—clear proof that regeneration was well underway.

Even so, I intended to keep the wooden splint tied on for at least another full day. Broken bones were notorious for lingering complications if moved too soon.

At least I came out of that alive.

Taking a small sip of Elixir straight from the vial, I leaned back and stared blankly at the cave ceiling.

I had thought the Forest of the Four Seasons wasn't as terrifying as its reputation made it out to be. What a monumental miscalculation. The truth was simply that I had never crossed paths with an impossible anomaly like that Chief Gorilla until today. Before a beast like him, even the Saber-toothed Tiger would be reduced to nothing more than a mewling house cat.

And there are other monsters out there as strong as him?

Just how absurdly powerful were the true rulers of this wilderness? A creeping dread settled into my chest. Even without venturing far, giant crabs and lobsters capable of starring in monster disaster movies roamed around. But those behemoths inhabited separate biomes and were so massive that spotting and avoiding them was relatively easy. The real danger lay in creatures like that Chief Gorilla—compact, living in the immediate vicinity, and possessing overwhelming martial prowess.

“……”

Amid my brooding, my gaze drifted over toward Fast Tree Sloth. When my life hung by a thread, he had remained entirely motionless, choosing only to watch. Had he refrained from stepping in because he knew the gorilla's royal guard would swarm him the moment he interfered? Or had he known from the start that the Chief Gorilla would show mercy?

I couldn't say for sure, but one thing was obvious: the two of them shared a history.

“Hey, Ppareumbo.”

“……”

“Can you use that Shifting Forms technique too? You know, the trick where you vanish in a flash and reappear somewhere else?”

Nod.

Bbarmbo slowly inclined his head in affirmation.

Watching that unhurried nod, I let out an appreciative breath. Offering tribute to this sloth really had been the best survival decision of my life.

Come to think of it...

Next to Bbarmbo lay the bundle of bananas the Chief Gorilla had tossed me as an apology. Strictly speaking, it was a massive cluster composed of three linked bunches, essentially an entire harvest in one go. With this much fruit, I wouldn't have to worry about sustenance for quite a while. Or I could just treat them as sweet snacks.

Let's taste one.

My mood was sour anyway; sweet food was the best remedy. I plucked a banana from the bunch. Rather than eating alone, I detached two more for Fast Tree Sloth and Wonmo.

“Here. Eat up.”

“Kyu!”

“……”

The two beasts began digging into their portions in their own distinct ways. Wonmo, who was utterly defenseless against anything sweet, buried his entire snout right into the fruit, while Bbarmbo merely regarded the banana with an impassive stare. It seemed he felt a bit conflicted about eating food gifted by an old rival. Even so, the fact that his claws were slowly peeling back the skin proved he didn't hate the idea.

Man, it's been ages since I had a banana.

Struggling with only one good arm, I carefully peeled the fruit. As much as I wanted to use my left hand, I needed to protect it from any strain just in case.

Munch, munch.

“...Oh?”

The instant I took a bite, rich, honeyed sweetness flooded my entire mouth. Accompanying the intense flavor was a deep, natural banana aroma, making it taste like pure confectionary nectar. No wonder Wonmo had buried his face in it without coming up for air. It was a taste that brought genuine joy.

How can fruit be this sweet?

Bananas nurtured by rich ambient mana were on an entirely different level; not even the sweetest Southeast Asian tropical cultivars could hold a candle to this. On top of that, the size was staggering—a single banana was as long and thick as my forearm.

Devouring the fruit hungrily, the anxiety that had been gnawing at my nerves began to subside.

He really did give me something exceptional.

Of course, compared to Inedia Pills, fruit was still just fruit. When he first threw the cluster, I had half-assumed he was tossing scraps to get rid of me. But tasting this incredible sweetness made it clear he had given me the very best he had on hand. Where else in this wild forest could a beast acquire anything more nourishing than this? Wild herbs aside, Inedia Pills were a human creation, forged from processed, blended medicinal roots.

“Nom, nom, nom.”

Wonmo went so far as to finish off the banana peels. Leaving aside their bitter astringency, I couldn't help worrying the little guy might get diarrhea from eating the skin.

Leaning against the cool stone wall of the cave, I glanced down at my bandaged arm. No matter how many times I replayed the encounter in my mind, it felt surreal. He had merely touched his fist against my shield, yet the shockwave had snapped the bone clean through.

Could I ever achieve a feat like that? Learning it through text posts on the Gallery felt near impossible.

Wait. Come to think of it...

Just before the Chief Gorilla unleashed that final blow, my survival instincts had kicked into overdrive, pushing my focus to its absolute limit. In that fleeting second, the wild, flame-like Aura that usually billowed haphazardly off my blade had begun to condense, taking on a definite shape.

I need to practice while the sensation is still fresh in my body.

The feeling had been so intense that the imprint remained vivid in my nerves. Unsheathing the Heavenly Demon's Sword, I channeled my energy into the steel. Infusing just a sliver of mana caused a shimmering haze of Aura to rise from the edge. When I pushed harder, the light erupted into roaring, flame-like waves.

Remember how it felt back then. Little by little.

The crushing pressure of that invisible force bearing down on me. Biting my tongue till it bled just to break free from the suffocating terror. Though I hadn't completed the technique during the fight, grabbing hold of the thread was progress enough.

Wuuung—wung—wuuung—

It was still excruciatingly difficult. The energy stubbornly resisted condensing into a tight shell. Yet as I focused, the billowing waves of flame began to recede in bursts. It wasn't because I was letting up on mana—in fact, I was steadily pouring more into the blade, but the volume of the flame was shrinking inward. Even without achieving a solid coating, this was a massive leap forward.

The main issue is that I have too much raw Aura to control easily.

With patient, steady practice, results would come.

Setting the sword aside, I logged back into the Gallery. The board was still buzzing about my encounter. Skeptics were arguing back and forth, claiming that a gorilla speaking fluent human language had to be pure fiction or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an outright lie.

I knew you bastards would react like this, so I made sure to record the whole thing.

I uploaded the video clip containing the Chief Gorilla's dialogue. Heavenly Demon had translated the speech, but too many skeptics were screaming that it was fake.

It's not like they have deepfakes or AI video generators in other dimensions anyway.

Though if they did, that would be plenty impressive in its own right. Curious about the reception, I peeked at the incoming comments.

“……”

Or maybe not.

Turns out people on the internet were the exact same bunch of degenerates no matter what dimension you came from.