255. Stroke of Luck (1) - Check Out Our Gallery Lord Before You Go, YasaengGrill (Photo of Wonmo plopping down) (Photo of Wonmo staring blankly) (Photo of Wonmo wearing a wooden crown) (Photo of Wonmo smiling brightly) (Photo of Wonmo reaching out for food)
Here's the photo of this session's Gallery Lord. Take a good look, everyone.
ㄴCheonma) Where'd you get that wooden crown from?
ㄴYasaengGrill) I carved it myself haha
ㄴSwordTasteStar) You've got some real talent with your hands. Got any more photos?
ㄴYasaengGrill) Wonmo threw a tantrum so I couldn't take more.
ㄴSwordTasteStar) That's a shame.
ㄴDon'tAbandonHero) Hurry up and post 5 photos and 3 videos or it's a ban!
ㄴYasaengGrill) If you ban me, our Gallery Lord will be sad...
ㄴDon'tAbandonHero) Then no choice! I'll have to curse you, Grill!
ㄴYasaengGrill) Hey now?;;
ㄴCursing me for not showing the Gallery Lord lololol
ㄴLmao post more Gallery Lord memes quick lolol they say we need other memes too lolol Cursing from the Hero herself? Kinda scary. They probably don't know it's really the Hero and are just playing along. I let out a wry chuckle.
ㄴChangguPrincess) Someday our Gallery Lord will grow big and fierce... but she'll still be cute, right?
ㄴDon't worry. Next Gallery Lord is already Tyrano.
ㄴDragons grow slow tho. So next one's straight up Tyrano lol
ㄴChangguPrincess) You guys are too much. Deciding the next one already? So stingy.
ㄴThen you want Grill as next Gallery Lord?
ㄴChangguPrincess) Sometimes being stingy is fine.
ㄴYeah, honesty is the best policy lololol
ㄴTyrano over the furry one lolol
ㄴWonmo's pretty furry too?
ㄴBut cute.
ㄴSunForever) Ah, wanna post my pet too lol
ㄴDon't they raise lions and stuff in Setan?
ㄴSunForever) Yeah but mine's a bit different.
ㄴWhat is it?
ㄴSunForever) Not born yet.
ㄴPosting baby pics is kinda lol
ㄴDark elves have low pregnancy rates too, right?
ㄴHigher than pure elves since half-human but still low yeah
ㄴSunForever) Not my kid, someone else's so wait and see lol
The post about Wonmo becoming this session's Gallery Lord blew up with comments in no time. It was unexpected, but like someone said, she's cute so it's fine.
Tyrano just didn't have enough time to show off her charm.
Of course Tyrano's cute too. If Wonmo's the classic type of cute, Tyrano's the kind straight out of a cartoon. I gave the two who'll handle healing duties at the shelter some snacks. Snacks being just sweet potatoes, but that's plenty.
The kids really love sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are the most popular of all snacks. That's why I have to plant the most of them. I got all the seedlings from SukSukZaragera. After watching Wonmo and Tyrano munch on sweet potatoes, I headed out of the cave. I needed to finish everything before summer hit.
First up, gotta build that drying shed...
Building a drying shed is dead simple. Slap together a well-ventilated building, line it with charcoal. Charcoal's a miracle worker—it even sucks up moisture. Gallery knowledge. Of course, design it to crank up the internal heat for better drying.
But that pumpkin's worrying me more.
The massive pumpkin left by the Pumpkin Jack we took down last time. Been ignoring it 'cause it was a pain to deal with, but with summer coming, that's a problem. What if it rots and attracts bugs? It might already be infested inside. Then I'd have to toss the whole thing.
Tossing it would be a hassle too.
Best way is to eat it all... but even my gluttonous crew couldn't manage that. For now, check it out and slather on bug repellent beforehand. That way no bug bites at least. With that in mind, I started on the drying shed.
It doesn't get that humid here even when it rains... but better safe.
No need for a huge drying shed. About the size of two single-person bathrooms stuck together. Bricks for materials, straw on the floor to block ground moisture. Had leftover straw from rice harvest, so no need to buy from auction.
Would be nice with glass windows.
Sun-drying's best, but no glass. So maximize dryness inside and boost the temp—that's the play. Installed a small fireplace for that. Should make drying easier. Add drainage ditches and the build's done. Time to furnish the inside.
Placed charcoal in spots, lit the fireplace to warm it up. Once toasty, set up shelves from auction and loaded them with jujubes.
White powder like dried persimmons means it's good, right?
Hang a tarp at the entrance and done. Drying shed complete. It's rough, so trial and error ahead. But the forest's dry enough, should work.
"Kkobong. Bugs are gonna swarm tomorrow or the day after, so watch out."
"Got it."
"Here's bug repellent—slather it on good."
A month ago, Kkobong nearly got eaten by bugs, but now he follows my advice to the letter. With a decent house now, he'll be fine.
Sky whales show up after lunch...
Might as well check 'em out while I'm at it—that's what I was thinking when Cain popped into mind. Wonder if Cain's seen a sky whale. He lived after the mythic age, but still curious.
"Cain. Have you ever seen a sky whale?"
[Sky whale? You mean the ones floating in the sky?]
"Yeah. Might see one tomorrow."
[Thought they were extinct. Fascinating.]
Extinct, huh. So he knew they existed. As the first Holy Knight, he's witnessed way more anomalies than modern folks.
"Sounds like you believed they were real."
[Of course. But they all vanished at some point. Guessed it was overhunting by humans.]
"Hunted sky whales?"
[Humans at war with dragons? Sky whales were easy pickings.]
Fair point—easier than dragons. Shows how insane human greed is, though.
[If sky whales exist, odds are high for others too.]
"Like what?"
[What else? Cyclops, hydra—mythic beasts. Come to think, that reverse waterfall boss fits too.]
"Helpful stuff. Maybe study myths now."
Those are probably local bosses or rulers. Or Four Seasons Forest mutations.
[No need to worry. Even mythic beasts aren't immortal.]
"Who took 'em down? Myths say gods or epic heroes."
[You know your stuff. You could be one too.]
Thanks for the pep talk. I smirked and got dinner going. With dragons and such out there, not sure I can reach that level.
But I'm luckier than most. Gotta keep grinding survival.
Four Seasons Forest has wild variance in starting points. Me and Ludwig lucked out, but bad luck drops you in radiation or volcano zones. Even a normal forest? No clue what's living there.
Wonder where the unauthorized drop-ins landed.
Curiosity passed quick.
Time to plant sweet potatoes.
Feeding my crew comes first.
*****
"Fucking shit."
A man spat thick curses in Jungwon tongue. He was a Blood Cult remnant Yuso Wol had missed. Now entering Four Seasons Forest.
Surviving the Cheonma—a natural disaster herself—was a miracle. But miracles ended the moment he entered the forest. If anything, the opposite happened.
"How the hell do you even get out of here?"
He'd heard the forest's infamy. And lately, key intel had leaked. So he prepped thoroughly. Trained hard for Blood Cult's revival. Forest blocks internal power, so he honed external arts.
Indeed, upon entry, intense qi crushed any internal power use.
Training paid off, he thought with relief—but only briefly.
Splash—splash—blue waves rolled in a stunning vista. Sightseeing? He'd marvel. But he bore a sacred mission.
"Goddamn it..."
Sea everywhere—no land in sight. Lucky there was footing, or it'd be dire. Still, stuck either way. Ocean, of all things. No horizon landmarks, can't swim across. Perfect deserted island setup. At least trees abound.
No choice. Gotta build a raft.
He drew his axe. Lucky armament. External arts made felling trees easy.
Pfshaaa!
Mid-raft build, a massive fish leaped from the sea. Easily over 5m. He froze.
...Just avoid those and I'm good.
Pfshaaaaaa!!!
Till one several times bigger engulfed it in one bite. Sea's as deadly as land, if not more. No wonder sailors top dangerous jobs.
Give up? Can't. Staying means starving.
For Blood Cult's revival.
He shoved the sturdy raft to sea, hopped on, and paddled his homemade oar. Land receded; he tensed.
To the next landmass...
Rumblerumblerumble!!!
Shortly after leaving, massive vibrations hit. Sea quake—not good. Worst omen.
He scanned around.
"N-no way, fish...?"
That big fish jumping? But vibrations too intense—even shaking distant land. He looked for the source. Nothing.
"What the fu—"
Shwoooosh!
His words cut off. A maw big enough to swallow his island erupted, gulping the raft easy. Sudden shade, then darkness.
"Gaaaaah!!!"
Worse, plummeting down. Tough external arts? Meaningless. Digested whole, internal or external—gone.
But he didn't grasp his fate. No clue what happened.
Shwoooosh!
Meantime, his swallower cleaved the sea, soaring skyward. Fins flapping like wings—slow but mighty. Its island-sized bulk floated leisurely into the heavens.
—Bwooooooo!
The sky whale flew toward the sky.
"Gaaah! You bastard...!"
"Shaaaaaaa!!!"
"I'll make a meal of you!!"
Meanwhile, inside its belly, the man's desperate survival saga began.