One-Click (1)

After finishing the installation of the signpost to perfection, I returned to the shelter.

It felt a little odd saying this about something I had built myself, but the place genuinely exuded the warmth of human habitation. What was more, I had already advertised it—if you could call it that—on the Gallery, so anyone passing through would recognize it in an instant.

Not that I expect to meet them anytime soon, though.

I had taken every possible precaution within my power, yet I kept my expectations low. The Forest of the Four Seasons was a landmass on par with a small nation. Above all, space here shifted and warped from moment to moment, making it impossible to predict how or when paths might cross. With enough luck, a meeting could happen in days; down on your luck, you might spend a lifetime wandering and never catch a glimpse of another soul.

Or they might end up settling somewhere else entirely...

The worst-case scenario was that they were already dead. That was what worried me most. Would the expedition really manage to reach this place in one piece? There was simply no telling. The only sliver of hope lay in the Main Mod's tracking function, which at least allowed us to gauge their odds of survival.

All I need to do is keep a close eye on Ludwig's location.

He was the fixed nick who had announced his entry into the Forest of the Four Seasons. My plan was to monitor his movements. As luck would have it, the Main Mod seemed plenty worried about him as well, so I could just ask her for updates on a regular basis. If his coordinates suddenly vanished, it would be heartbreaking.

Then again, it's not like I'm completely out of the woods myself.

I had more than enough troubles of my own to worry about, but at the very least, I had reliable allies by my side. There was Bbarmbo, the Fast Tree Sloth, who had presumably gone toe-to-toe with the Chief Gorilla. And then there was Wonmo, the baby owlbear, whose mere presence provided an unrivaled soothing effect for the mind and soul.

The expedition, on the other hand, had nothing.

Having a companion capable of serving as overwhelming muscle—like Bbarmbo—made a world of difference when it came to surviving out here.

I really did endure those days when I was weak as dirt.

Nowadays, I possessed the strength to weather whatever crisis was thrown my way, but that certainly hadn't been true on day one. When that Mad Dog sank its teeth into me, I honestly thought I was done for, and the saber-toothed tiger had nearly sent me straight to the grave. Feeling a deep surge of gratitude just for being alive, I stepped back into the camp.

Time to get down to business.

Since I had gifted the sword to Ludwig, I no longer had a spare. I needed to forge a replacement. Having produced a massive batch of charcoal just recently, the smelting process wouldn't be difficult at all. I had plenty of surplus ingots as well, meaning I could dive straight in without hesitation.

I'll have to keep gathering Mithril and Orichalcum on a steady basis.

There was no telling when, where, or to whom I might need to hand over another blade. I figured I would forge two swords in total, one of which could be given away if needed. First, however, I needed to consult the dwarf. Sending things his way out of the blue would be impolite.

I understood what the dwarf was worried about. In internet terms, it was a hit-and-run. Even the Heavenly Demon had warned that the blade was practically dangerous to use because its performance was so absurdly high. It was only natural for him to assume that greed might have driven someone to ditch the expedition and make a break for it.

I brushed it off casually, but in truth, the Main Mod's earnest plea had carried substantial weight. Had she not asked, I would have hesitated far longer. I had already known through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Gallery that a man named Ludwig was part of the expedition, but seeing his middle-aged-uncle verification post combined with the Main Mod's vouching had tipped the scales, convincing me that it was fine to give it away.

Gotta bump up my escape chances by whatever margin I can.

The more attention the outside world paid to the Forest of the Four Seasons, the higher my survival odds would climb. I intended to put in whatever effort I could to keep eyes on me. The simplest way to achieve that was spreading Mythrecon far and wide.

Still, if things went sideways, a war could break out just as the dwarf had warned. It was a metal people literally couldn't buy no matter how much money they had, and everyone outside was already frothing at the mouth trying to get their hands on rare ores. Flooding the market with it would only invite tragedy.

The saving grace was that nobody could even process it without a specialized furnace. I planned to take full advantage of the fact that I was the sole manufacturer. Shady characters would undoubtedly try to latch onto me, but my goal was to ignore them where possible and establish a deterrence of my own.

From the dwarf's perspective, I supposed it really did look like a one-click job. And in truth, it practically was. Aside from bearing the scorching heat, the actual steps weren't all that complicated. Even if I failed, my chances were limitless, allowing me to forge with an easy mind.

I inspected the freshly returned blade from every angle before leaning it securely against the cave wall.

And so, I produced one more blade. A backup for my backup. While I felt like forging another, daylight was running out and my raw materials were running low. Besides, I wanted to move on to crafting other tools rather than sticking solely to weapons—a pickaxe, for instance.

I already had the pickaxe the dwarf gave me, but I wanted something that could mine Mithril with far greater ease. Having created an entirely new metal, there was also a natural itch to wield a fresh tool forged from it.

For the pickaxe, I should forge it by hand rather than just casting it.

It was a way to gradually hone my smithing technique. At the same time, I could gift the dwarf a quality item in exchange for his professional advice. Without a master standing over me, rapid leaps in skill were out of the question, but as I had reminded myself earlier, I had all the time and attempts in the world.

It's evening already.

Swept up in my chores, I hadn't noticed the sun dipping beneath the horizon as darkness crept into the sky. It was time to whip up dinner and, while I was at it, take a scroll through the Gallery. Of the two, checking the forum was the real priority—an important post could easily have gotten buried while I was hard at work.

Has Ludwig still not entered?

I kept the possibility of a hit-and-run in mind, just as the dwarf had warned. The world wasn't as gentle as I might wish to believe. For every good person out there, plenty possessed thoroughly rotten hearts.

After wrapping up dinner and cycling through my Mind Cultivation Method, I browsed the boards. New threads were flooding in at such a dizzying rate that I focused mainly on the Recommended tab, where one particular title caught my eye.

A post claiming that the expedition dispatched from Eldorado had been scattered to the winds.

There was no way I could scroll past that, so I clicked on it immediately.

The post was thoroughly unsettling. The entire expedition, shattered and gone?

My stomach sank as cold dread washed over me. Had the dwarf's worst fears really come to pass? Most forum users took the post with a grain of salt, but I had no choice but to believe it.

Because the description of the sword was an exact match for the one I had sent.

Wh-where on earth did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this Ludwig guy end up, then?

I fired off a direct message to the Main Mod right away. She was bound to have seen the thread as well. True to my expectations, her reply came back almost instantaneously.

I wasn't looking for a character defense; I wanted coordinates. Having read that post, the only detail that mattered was his present whereabouts.

Was the Main Mod lying to me? A fleeting doubt crossed my mind. Earlier, she had tracked my position with utter ease, pinpointing me smack in the center of the Forest of the Four Seasons. Claiming she couldn't track Ludwig now was an outright contradiction.

She made a remarkably convincing point. I didn't say that to be sarcastic; it was genuinely true. Treating me as an outlier made the most sense. How many times had my circumstances astonished everyone on the boards? Measuring my situation against the baseline standards of this world was inherently flawed.

Either way, it means there's a strong chance he actually crossed into the forest...

If so, there was nothing I could do right this second. Since real-time location tracking was off the table, I had no choice but to sit quietly and wait.

The Main Mod deliberated for quite some time before sheepishly sending her answer.

Her answer was so unabashedly confident that I was left entirely speechless. Did the Goddess really grant prayers like that? If that was genuine, then praying truly was the ultimate one-click solution.

If that's really how it works, I wouldn't mind closing my eyes and saying a prayer myself.

Though, first...

Shwaaaaaaa!

"Ah, seriously? Again?"

I would appreciate it if she could make this damn rain stop first.

Due to the geographical nature of the forest, rain fell with relentless frequency, continually imposing harsh constraints on Grylls's movements.

The savanna, however, was divided into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠distinct wet and dry seasons, presenting an entirely different reality from the deep woods. During the dry season, movements were completely unhindered, allowing the wildlife to roam freely across the boundless plains.

And right now, it was the height of the dry season.

"..."

The same held true for Ludwig, who had recently crossed the boundary into the Forest of the Four Seasons. Standing amidst the tall yellow grass, he quietly studied the dark maw of a cave ahead.

Under ordinary circumstances, he would have advanced straight into the cavern to scout it out, but his current predicament gave him pause. The oppressive density of external mana in the atmosphere made channeling his own internal energy nearly impossible. Fortunately, given his supreme level of martial mastery, he was still able to squeeze out an infinitesimal trickle of power.

Shaaa—

Even with that microscopic trace of mana, the blade in his grasp shimmered with an ethereal green luminescence.

Ludwig shifted his gaze back and forth between the radiant sword and the mouth of the cave before giving a firm nod.

It would be wise to investigate.

With any luck, it might be entirely deserted. Clinging to that hopeful thought, he stepped past the threshold.

A few moments later...

"ROOOAAARRRGH!!!"

"..."

Ludwig took off in a dead sprint, fleeing for his life from a three-headed lion.