Inner Core (1)
Thanks to Ppareumbo's help, I made it safely to the riverbank. The first thing I did upon arrival was check the hooks. Sure enough, just as I'd expected, fish had been caught.
Splash! Splash!
"Caught another one."
In that short time, another one had bitten. Red again this time, about the same size as the previous catch. From the looks of it, this was average for the fish in this river.
I'll snag this one later.
The priority right now was the golden frog. The deal with Olfather came first. Which meant I had to shake off the tree sloth clinging to my back. I patted Ppareumbo's back and asked, "Can you hop off for a sec? It's urgent."
"……."
It lumbered down slowly—whether it understood me or not. Then it stared at me blankly with that dopey face, like it was urging me to hurry up. Had to be my imagination.
Time to call the golden frog.
The leader specimen from before had popped up the moment I dipped my hand in the water. Would the others do the same? I cautiously slipped my hand into the river.
About three seconds later, a splash echoed from the middle of the stream.
"Leader."
A golden frog climbed onto a sunlit rock in the center. Smaller than the one I'd seen before, but still impressively huge. The instant it appeared, I backed away without a second thought, raising my shield just in case.
"Kyaaak!"
The golden frog threw its head back, hacking up phlegm like it was about to launch its poison. But I'd already retreated far enough.
Everyone except the dumbfounded Ppareumbo, who was just sitting there.
"Hey! What the...!"
"Ptooey!"
Before I could even yell, the frog spat its venom. A streak of purple slime hurtled through the air at blinding speed—aimed straight at Ppareumbo.
Ppareumbo eyed the incoming purple glop calmly, then gave a slight nod.
Sizzle!
The venom barely grazed past its face and hit a tree, where it began melting the bark. I'd half-expected as much, but this thing's agility was insane.
Now's my chance.
While it had the frog's aggro, I readied my crossbow. Loaded a harpoon bolt and took aim at the golden frog.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kyak!"
"Kuuuk!"
By then, more golden frogs had clambered onto rocks. I'd already taken cover, but Ppareumbo was still out in the open, bold as ever. Even for it, dodging a barrage like that would be...
"Ptooey!"
"Ptui!"
"Ptoo!"
Swish—whoosh—whoosh...
...no problem. It was sitting stock-still, yet twisting its body effortlessly to evade every shot. Its expression was so relaxed, it felt like staring at some hidden master.
Does this bastard have Observation Haki or something?
Nothing else made sense. I let out a sigh under my breath.
But that was that, and this was this. I'd finished prepping. I sighted one of the frogs and pulled the trigger.
Pwing! Thunk!
The harpoon speared it clean through and dragged it under the rushing current. I yanked the line immediately.
The others hadn't attacked me in the meantime. They seemed thrown off by their buddy getting hit.
Of course, "thrown off" was just my guess. The way they all halted their assault at once suggested they were aware enough.
Everything in the Four Seasons Forest was extraordinary.
Splash!
Whether they'd decided to retreat or not, the frog pack dove back into the river. No immediate threats left.
Just cleanup now. I hauled in the line connected to the harpoon with all my might. Last time it'd been a full-on wrestling match; now it only took a bit of effort.
"Heave-ho."
The golden frog I pulled out was pretty damn big. Not quite as massive as the first one, but small-dog sized at least.
The Olfather trade could wait; I needed to deal with the fish first.
Hang this on my belt for now.
Olfather's advice: If purple liquid leaked out, the poison sac had burst. No purple now, so safe.
Frog hunt over. Now the fish. No clue what it had been eating, but it was a hefty beast.
Feast today.
Lunch and dinner sorted. I hoisted the still-flapping fish.
No way I could hook this thing.
Its fins were still slapping at my face like mad. I clutched it tight with both arms, terrified it'd slip. If I weren't stronger now, it'd have gotten away ages ago.
Lumber-lumber.
With Ppareumbo slung on my back, I was ready to head back.
Hope it tastes good, but that's wishful thinking.
Taste was a luxury in my situation. Besides, I could buy spices at auction.
Splash!
Back at the cave, I dumped the fish into the iron tub. It was still thrashing hard enough to rattle the thing faintly. Better forget about hooking these—might end up getting fished myself. Traps or creels seemed safer.
Two hearty fish already made me feel content.
Time for the Olfather trade.
Packed up and posted on the Gallery: If Olfather's around, hit me up for a trade.
Olfather has requested a trade. Accept?
Didn't take long. I gave Ppareumbo a Wall Valley Pill and accepted.
Olfather: Hello. Saw your post and requested a trade.
YasaengGrill: Hi. Uploading the item right away. Poison sac's intact.
Olfather: Thank you. This'll make research much easier.
YasaengGrill: Glad to hear it. Oh, got a question.
Olfather: Go ahead.
YasaengGrill: Ppareumbo's latched onto me and won't get off. Any idea why?
Olfather: You mean the sloth that snatched an arrow mid-flight?
YasaengGrill: Yeah. Hard to believe, but it caught the arrow.
Olfather: Honestly, no clue. No such specimen's been documented in academia.
YasaengGrill: Even Olfather doesn't know the species. What the hell is this forest?
I was sighing inwardly when Olfather offered his hypothesis.
Olfather: I can speculate, though. Your post mentioned it took your money?
YasaengGrill: Not money—snatched a Wall Valley Pill.
Olfather: Maybe it thinks you're a tree.
YasaengGrill: A tree?
Olfather: Yeah. A tree that provides food.
YasaengGrill: ...Sounds retarded, but plausible?
Olfather: That's my take too.
Olfather was blunt as ever. He seemed embarrassed by his own theory, but it was the most logical explanation short of anything else.
Olfather: Still clinging now?
YasaengGrill: Yep. No signs of letting go.
Olfather: Not hostile, so keeping it as a pet isn't a bad idea.
YasaengGrill: Not hating it either. Nearly got snake-bit today, but it helped out.
We chatted a bit more, then traded: my golden frog corpse for Olfather's poison-resistance pills.
Olfather: Best after a meal, ideally. Needs proper digestion.
YasaengGrill: Absorb with the breathing method?
Olfather: Yes. Think of it like a kind of inner core.
Inner core.
Cheonma's explanation came to mind: A crystal formed from accumulated qi in a spirit beast's body.
The mention sparked a question, so I asked.
YasaengGrill: Have you ever consumed an inner core, Olfather?
Olfather: Never an inner core, but I have eaten a dragon heart.
YasaengGrill: What's that?
Olfather: Exactly what it sounds like: a dragon's heart. Loaded with mana.
I had a rough idea of dragons. They came up occasionally on the Gallery. Strong enough to dismiss humans as "mere pests," but not uniquely invincible. More than anything, their numbers were so low they were endangered.
Any in the Four Seasons Forest?
If so, pure disaster. I was a pathetically weak human. How do you catch something that flies freely and breathes fire?
Olfather: Always a pleasure trading. Got any more intriguing critters, feel free to ask.
YasaengGrill: Saw a chameleon-snake mashup too.
Olfather: What's that?
YasaengGrill: Thought it was a branch at first, but nope—snake. Changes color in an instant.
Olfather: Oho! The forest is a treasure trove of wonders!
YasaengGrill: Wanna come see?
Olfather: This old man's knees aren't up for it. Pass. T_T
The chat wrapped up. Even Olfather wanted nothing to do with the Four Seasons Forest. Who'd come to a hellhole like this?
I was lucky at least. Most couldn't even access the Gallery.
"Hmm."
I eyed the pill in my palm. Round and pale purple—striking. My prize from the trade.
Eating it should grant poison resistance, per Olfather.
Lunch first.
Pocketed the pill and approached the iron tub. Just two fish, but it was packed full.
How the hell do I even cook this?
I could handle basic cooking back home living solo. But that was with prepped ingredients—gutting from scratch was new.
What I needed now was one thing: Ask the Gallery.
Blind flailing was worse than scraping for knowledge.
Help gutting fish!
YasaengGrill (photo of fish in tub)
Anyone got advice? Size is insane.
└Expert: Pros stab the brain with knife or awl for instant kill. Newbies: chop the whole thing.
└Hit head with blunt side first for stun. Strike then.
└Guts easy. Just split the belly.
Novice here, so head-smack it was. No need for aging anyway—straight to grilling.
"Kyuuu."
"Wonmo, hang on a bit."
Lunchtime hit, and Wonmo was up like clockwork. Those big puppy eyes begging for food.
Wanted to toss it a hunk of meat, but gutting first.
Hugged the fish from the tub with both arms.
Flap! Flap!
It thrashed like it was demanding release, but fat chance. I slammed it onto my prepped stone slab. Huge size made even the wide slab feel small.
Hit the head hard, right?
Too big for a regular knife. Perfect excuse for Cheonma's sword—blunt side, no worries.
Bam! Boom! Bam!
Three solid whacks, and it reacted. Mouth and gills gaping wide, just like the comments said. Proper stun.
I got to work. Used a plain dagger for the actual cutting—didn't want to risk injury with the sword.
Sharp blade sliced through fish flesh smoothly.
"Wonmo, want some?"
"Kyuu!"
Chopped off the head and gave it to her. Devoured it like candy. Rotten corpses were her jam, so raw fish head was nothing.
Ppareumbo cared more for Wall Valley Pills than fish, so ignore.
Now the belly.
Washed off the blood midway. Slowly sliced open the now-headless, quiet fish's gut.
The texture under my fingers wasn't great, but I'd adapt.
Will it eat the guts?
Splitting the belly revealed the packed innards. Yank 'em, rinse, done.
As I reached in to pull them out—
"Hm?"
Something solid in my hand. Thought it was the heart at first. But too hard.
I fumbled and finally extracted it: A reddish grain, about a finger joint in size. Same color as the fish.
What is this? A real inner core?
No way. Spirit beasts with inner cores weren't that common.
But with adult mandrakes everywhere, who knew? Hell, I'd found that Sinmunyeongcho first thing.
Hm...
I stared at the red bead, then decided. For stuff like this, ask the Gallery—specifically an expert.
Cheonma, naturally. First to mention inner cores. No funny business with her, so safe to ask.
Cheonma, got a question.
YasaengGrill (photo of red bead)
Found this gutting a fish. Looks like the inner core you mentioned. Can you tell? Trade if unsure.
└Cheonma: From a fish?
Three seconds after posting. Terrifying speed.
└YasaengGrill: Yeah. Came out during gutting.
└Cheonma: Hm. Hard to tell from photo. Could be a mere pearl.
└YasaengGrill: Fish make pearls?
└Cheonma: That's what I know?
└SwordTasteStar: Aren't pearls from oysters, not fish?
└Yeah. Spouting nonsense like it's fact lol
└Old fogey, even for you;;
└Just plain dumb?
└SmartMine: ...Watching this is embarrassing.
Cheonma's common-sense slip-up sparked unease. But she'd taught me the breathing method—I trusted her.
└YasaengGrill: Sending via trade. Just confirm if it's an inner core.
└Cheonma: If it really is one, what's your plan?
└YasaengGrill: Eat it. Good for the body, right?
└Cheonma: This lady does not recommend it. As I said, your internal power is oversaturated. Could spell trouble.
I nodded at her advice. Definitely overkill—popping an inner core now might backfire bad.
One option left: Give it to Cheonma.
SwordTasteStar would probably refuse anyway, too healthy to bother.
└YasaengGrill: Want it then, Cheonma?
└Cheonma: Inner cores won't advance this lady's realm anymore. That era has long passed.
└YasaengGrill: Then what?
└Cheonma: Simple.
└Cheonma: Auction it off.
Such a weight off my shoulders.
Should I?
And just like that, I was leaning toward the easy out.