Slave (1)
A bridge to let survivors cross the river more easily. To fully understand the structure and principles, I made a miniature model out of twigs. Seeing it once is better than hearing about it a hundred times, and doing it once is better than seeing it a hundred times. Once I had a rough grasp, I dove right into building the actual bridge.
"...How the hell do I do this?"
And right from the start, I hit a wall. Or rather, I felt utterly lost. Grasping the structure and principles from the model had been fine. But when it came to actually doing it, every damn thing became a problem. It wasn't just a matter of planing the wood.
Not only did I have to cut the felled logs to uniform sizes, but planing was tricky since it was my first time. 'And using Aura is still a hassle.'
My cold energy control wasn't great yet, so I was avoiding Aura as much as possible. I stuck to using mana just for body enhancement and processed everything without Aura as much as I could.
Saw! Saw! Saw!
I precisely halved the felled logs, then split them lengthwise again. The wood was so thick that sawing demanded insane amounts of labor.) If I hadn't even had a saw, I would've quit ages ago.
'Man, every time I do stuff like this, I respect the old-timers more.'
If it had just been sawing, I could've gritted my teeth through it, but the flying sawdust was the real torture. It made breathing hard, so I ended up wearing the mask I'd gotten for dust storms.
That was how I cut one log, matched the lengths, and planed it down evenly down to the finest details.
"Ugh. When the hell am I gonna finish all this?"
I'd barely finished processing one, and I nearly cursed. Sawing was exhausting in its own way, the dust flew everywhere, and there was just so damn much of it.
I thought about asking the Raccoon Family, but scrapped the idea. It was just raccoon strength anyway, and what if they accidentally started a fire?
'Anyone looking for work around here?'
Trying to do it all alone was way harder than I'd imagined. And I'd only just started when those thoughts crept in. I leaned back against a stack of wood and took a sip of water.
It was still cool spring weather, but sweat was pouring off me.
'Processing is one thing, but can I even build the damn bridge?'
Worries were already starting to bubble up. What if after all the processing, I ran into another issue and couldn't erect it? All this work could end up meaningless.
Title) Please, Just One Person Come.
YasaengGrill (photo of processed wood)
Processing wood is fucking brutal.
Please, anyone, come help me out.
ㄴCheonma) Is sword aura still hard to use?
ㄴYasaengGrill) Yeah. If it freezes everything, it's a headache.
ㄴSwordTasteStar) Must be incredibly tough with just your body. But at least it's good exercise, right?
ㄴYasaengGrill) My back muscles are twitching like crazy.
ㄴSwordTasteStar) Chopping firewood is excellent for building back muscles anyway. And this is a good chance to build pure physical strength instead of relying only on aura.
ㄴYasaengGrill) Got it.
ㄴThis guy's always picking the hard way lol
ㄴHe's missing people. Cut him some slack.
ㄴIsn't that less "survivor wanted" and more "slave wanted"?
ㄴTrue lololol sneaking in a slave job posting lololol
ㄴWhat do you even pay there?
ㄴPay? Lololol it's straight-up Sub-Mod real life.
ㄴCheonma) Hm. This lady isn't particularly tempted. Isn't that not even worth it as a pastime?
ㄴEven Sub-Mod rejects Grill's slave gig whoa
ㄴPassingDwarf) Woodworking that tough? Looked easy when my friend does it.
ㄴYasaengGrill) Does he use machines?
ㄴPassingDwarf) Duh in this day and age? Who does it by hand lol
ㄴYasaengGrill) Shit, I want a machine too.
ㄴPassingDwarf) You know how to use one? Or could you even if I gave you one? Lol
ㄴYasaengGrill) Sigh. Hope some decent slave drops in.
ㄴLook at this ballsy mofo lololol you were flooring it saying you'd seen survivors before lololol
ㄴReality hit hard huh otherwise he wouldn't flip like that lol
ㄴYasaengGrill) If it's hard for me, how bad must it be for regular folks? Makes me respect them more.
ㄴAt least they don't do it alone, Grill...
ㄴYeah cuz you're solo ㅇㅇ
ㄴWhat's the point of high individual skill? Gotta team up to be strong lol
ㄴDoesn't that apply to other races too?
ㄴNot asking the Raccoon Family?
ㄴAppa Raccoon is already working. Gathering herbs.
ㄴWhat about Eomma Raccoon or Saekki Raccoon? Try asking.
ㄴYou'd get arrested doing that dude;;
ㄴNo place to lock 'em up anyway lol
ㄴOh right? Grill, enslave the Raccoon Family. Problem solved.
ㄴStarlightPrincess) You guys aren't even human. How can you think like that?
ㄴYasaengGrill) I did think about it but scrapped it cuz they'd get hurt.
ㄴStarlightPrincess) ...At least you have a conscience.
ㄴFurballs got some after all lololol
ㄴGrill's got that infuriating side every time lol
Everyone just vented their piece and moved on with their complaints-not-complaints. I hadn't posted expecting much anyway; it was just a break.
ㄴTry asking the gorillas. Maybe? Offer Wall Valley Pills and they might bite.
ㄴWhat foreign labor lololol
ㄴNot foreign, local labor lololol
ㄴBeastkin are supposed to be great workers.
ㄴYou call them beastkin? They act like primitives.
ㄴThat's what beastkin are.
ㄴSusanghalJeongdorok) They're not beastkin you idiots...
ㄴFur, limbs, talks human = beastkin lol
I'd thought about outsourcing to the gorillas with Wall Valley Pills as payment. But gorillas were Ppareumbo's mortal enemies. No way they'd help with all that bad blood.
'Gotta do it solo.'
I grumbled internally and kept processing wood. Slicing logs horizontally, then vertically, finishing with planing. Every little bit adds up—slowly but surely, the pile of raw lumber grew.
'Gotta dry 'em or mold will set in...'
Later, I'd fill with cement or replace sections with stone bridges. For now, focus on making the bridge.
"Phew."
Time flew, and a decent stack of finished timber had piled up. Still way short, of course, but I hauled the raw logs into the cave to prep for rain.
Suddenly thought I might need a drying room if I'd use lots of wood later. But nah, scrapped that quick.
'That'd mean even more expansion work.'
No survivors meant no expansion. Even if some showed, they might not be productive. Ludwig was a holy knight—basically military. Soldiers aren't known for production.
'At least the cave's dry inside.'
Weather was chilly, so the hearth was going. High heat, dry air. Obviously couldn't fully dry wood in a day or two. Dwarf said it takes months minimum.
Best mindset: just use 'em as-is for the frame.
"Damn. Whole day vanished."
I let out a sigh-tinged groan and checked the time. Worked straight after lunch, and evening was closing in. Sun dipping low, like it was urging me to wrap up already. Lost a full day to work, and it wasn't even done. But steady pace would get me there eventually.
I headed to the river before full dark. Retrieve the creels and check the opposite bank while at it.
'Hmm. Even worse than the fog zone.'
Environment over there was beyond rough. Not like it ate radiation or anything, but the ground was all glowing green. Note: not grass—the soil itself literally shone green.
'What the hell happened over there?'
Hoping whatever radiation-like crap didn't reach here. I carefully retrieved the fish from the creels. Two per spot netted me a whopping five fish.
"Keng!"
Appa Raccoon showed up soon after I got back, holding some herb that looked like wild ginseng. Cheonma said it was packed with internal energy. Decided it'd go into Wall Valley Pills. Almost done, ready by morning.
I was happy, but Ppareumbo was thrilled. Loves eating.
'Nailed finding that ginseng.'
Rewards for results. I cooked a fish nice and tasty for the Raccoon Family. They devoured the grilled fish clean.
"Kying."
"Kkig! Ng!"
Eomma Raccoon fed baby Saekki Raccoon first. Seeing her prioritize the kid over herself—family's family, huh.
'Kinda jealous.'
Just a few years back, I ate at the table with everyone. Bitter smile crept up. Heart ached, but now it's just memories to cherish. Otherwise, I'd suffer alone.
Had dinner with the Raccoons, then rested in the warm cave.
Shaaaa—
Didn't skip the breathing method for cold energy control. Short session, but past efforts paid off—control got smoother. Morning's rice-grain-sized cold energy had grown to ping-pong ball size. First steps hardest; momentum made growth steep.
'Condensing it isn't the end.'
Goal: wield cold energy on demand, not just separate it. Progress solid, though. Time's the answer.
Finished breathing, logged into the Gallery.
'Same old.'
El Dorado rumors raging. Half in civil war or whatever—didn't care. Unless Ludwig and I met and he dropped bombshells, it'd fizzle here.
'No real center anyway.'
No leader to drive a civil war. Hero could've changed that, but whatever.
Logged off, prepped bed. Wonmo sprawled asleep, Ppareumbo staring at the fire again.
'Tomorrow's work already feels suffocating.'
Wonder if a great worker drops from the sky. Useless thoughts as I slowly closed my eyes.
*****
Time passed, dawn breaking. Distant rooster crowed; most animals prepped for activity. Season still dim—no full sunrise yet. Animals got ready in their ways.
"......"
But who said the early bird gets the worm? While others prepped, someone moved ahead.
Like the animal staring holes into the multilingual sign by the river.
"Grung."
Among the languages, it focused on Jungwon script. Red eyes fixed on it.
Turned, gazed at rising smoke. Ppareumbo's all-night firewood keeping the chimney puffing.
"......"
The red-eyed beast slowly headed toward the smoke. Hulking arms dragging on ground—pure gorilla vibe. But unlike others, pure white fur, red eyes. And not just eyes red.
"Uuu...!"
Palm like blood too.