Losers (4)
Chames United pulling off a comeback win was definitely good news, but as I said before, I'm just a casual fan. What hit me harder was ChangguPrincess escaping the losers list rather than the actual victory. Sure, some pilgrims occasionally showed up at my comments on a holy site quest, but I didn't pay them much mind.
'It's kinda weird that my comment turned into a holy site.' Even back on Earth, we'd call prophetic posts like that holy sites. It's fascinating that this world has the same term—and even the culture of visiting and leaving messages.
Maybe it's because of all the religions here. Anyway, while the Gallery was flooded with Chaeyu posts, I took care of the housework. Evening was approaching, so I prepped dinner, checked the smoking rack, and finally inspected the fish trap.
Splash! Splash!
There was one fish in the trap. Caught in just five hours. And it was a striking golden one—tastier than the red variety.
'No more worrying about food with just one trap.' It was so delicious I never got tired of it. Complaining about getting sick of it would be the height of luxury. Just a week ago, I was chomping on those bitter Wall Valley Pills.
Things were stable with the fish now, but one slip-up and it'd be back to pill life. 'It's almost been ten days already.' Today was day eight; tomorrow made nine. Thanks to the Gallery, I'd adapted at an insane pace, but complacency was off the table. You never knew when something like that Sword-Tooth Tiger might strike again.
'Even today, some random chicken was eyeing me from above.' If a fight had broken out, would its beak have taken my head clean off?
Back at the shelter, I stashed the fish in the iron pot, then headed upstream to reset the trap. Once everything was done, I checked on the crew.
"Kyuuu..."
"......"
Wonmo was awake, and Ppareumbo was spacing out like an idiot. Dusk was falling, so it was time for some Gallery scrolling.
YasaengGrill. If you're seeing this, drop a comment.
I searched my name out of curiosity and found a post from Olfather. Seemed heart-related, so I replied right away.
└YasaengGrill
Hello, Olfather. What's up?
└Olfather
Good news and bad news. Which first?
└YasaengGrill
Uh... bad news?
└Olfather
The heart exploded.
└YasaengGrill
Sir??
Pretty shocking. It was fine when I sent it. Did it actually explode or something?
└YasaengGrill
You didn't get hurt anywhere, right? Sounds super dangerous;;
└Olfather
Not like that. It just burst—literally.
└YasaengGrill
Huh?
└Olfather
Not like a bomb. Just popped, like a balloon.
└What the hell did you do to make it pop?
└Did you really pump air into it like a balloon?
└Why do an experiment like that? Idiot lol
└Wanna shove a hose up your ass and pump air? What happens?
└Olfather
Don't. The boss will explode and die.
└Whoa x5
└How do you even know? Wait...?
└Olfather
Shoved it up a goblin's butt for the experiment.
└Poor goblin...
└Of all people, it had to be this weirdo...
It veered off-topic midway, but the heart exploding was still the core issue. So what? Honestly, I felt nothing. I didn't give it expecting reward—it was just a hassle to deal with.
└YasaengGrill
You're not hurt, right?
└Olfather
No. But I blew up something you kindly gave me due to my carelessness, so I want to compensate.
└YasaengGrill
It's fine. I had no use for it anyway.
└Olfather
It doesn't sit right with me. At least I can share some key info.
└YasaengGrill
Might be useful to me, but lay out the research results first. Private reply?
└Olfather
Doesn't matter—skeptics everywhere anyway.
└Nah, we'll believe you. Spill.
└For real?
└BS lol
└As expected lol
└YasaengGrill
Ignore the idiots and talk.
└Olfather
To cut to the chase: the Sword-Tooth Tiger heart you gave me has the exact same structure as a Dragon Heart.
I've heard of Dragon Hearts—basically living nukes packed with massive mana, a nightmare to process. He claimed to have consumed it, but who knows if that's true.
└You're full of shit, right? Makes no sense. Proof?
└Olfather
Believe it or not, up to you. Too lazy to explain.
└That's why he can't explain—total BS lol
└Barely anyone has even researched Dragon Hearts, right?
└Papers exist aplenty. Long-lived races like demons or elves snag them often.
└Humans?
└Cardir caught one solo and used it for research. After that? No clue.
└YasaengGrill
Who's Cardir?
└Magic King or whatever—think uber OP grandpa.
└Took down the Immortal King after the dragon too, right?
└Yeah, defeated and sealed it. But no one knows where.
└Turns out it was in his fridge lol
└Wtf say something that makes sense lol Anyway, super strong dude. Got it.
Such a guy using the Gallery? Sure, why not. Even Cheonma was bored-scrolling it. Gallery was for everyone, status be damned.
└YasaengGrill
So the tiger had a Dragon Heart? Possible?
└Olfather
Curious about that myself. What changes has the Four Seasons Forest wrought on its creatures?
└YasaengGrill
Sounds ominous...
└Olfather
You might undergo similar changes, Grills.
"Hm..."
I let out a groan. Not a positive hypothesis by any stretch. Evolution doesn't happen overnight. But life's unpredictable—who knew what might change? Better tell Olfather if it did.
└YasaengGrill
Noted. Anything else?
└Olfather
Something, but probably not helpful to you. Also, I want to give you an item.
└YasaengGrill
What is it?
└Olfather
Trade from here on.
A trade request from Olfather popped up soon after. I accepted eagerly. Felt like big news was coming—couldn't help tensing up.
Olfather: What I'm giving you is a subspace pouch. Compensation for your heart.
Subspace pouch? What's that?
Olfather: Think of it as a bag that ignores spatial limits. Looks small outside, but holds tons inside. Like a game inventory.
I was impressed. That would skyrocket my convenience. But the world ain't easy—Olfather mentioned the restrictions.
Olfather: Can't hold living beings, and mass conservation applies—you carry the weight yourself.
What about taking stuff out?
Olfather: Visualize what you want, and it'll come out easy.
Got it. That's plenty for me. But isn't it crazy expensive?
Olfather: Less valuable than the heart you gave. Please accept it to ease my guilt.
Alright. I'll put it to good use.
Olfather: Thanks for trading. If you find interesting flora or fauna, let me study them. Oh, and try not to mention I gave you this.
Some reason, huh. Fine. Seemed like he wanted to keep ties—can't identify weird plants/beasts without him anyway. Essential ally.
'Like a game inventory for real?'
Olfather's gift was more pouch than bag. Peering inside revealed endless black void—no bottom.
For testing, I grabbed a nearby rock too big for the pouch. Perfect trial.
Shove!
"Whoa?"
It slipped right in. And got heavy. Mass conservation in effect—the weight was all mine. Ultimate convenience tool, not a cheat bypassing limits.
'Still, this is huge.' Could carry the crossbow now. Biggest win. Olfather nailed the gift—super useful for me.
'Gotta carry sword and shield by hand, though.' Cheonma's blade was razor-sharp—could slice my hand. Shield for quick grabs, so back-mounted. Pouch held everything else anyway—high utility.
'Where'd he get this? Magic item?' Wanted to ask, but he said keep it quiet. Personal reasons, probably. No need to pry.
I tinkered with the subspace pouch, grinning in satisfaction.
'No more running out of hands.' Massive haul. Tiger heart was useless to me anyway.
I played with the pouch a bit longer, then set it aside carefully. Losing it would suck.
'Time for dinner.'
Evening meal: the fresh golden fish. Texture was killer. Butchering was routine now—no issues.
'How long will these keep coming?'
Gutted innards yielded an inner core, stored in an empty vial. Might fill it up soon at this rate. All-fish diet made it plausible.
"Here, Wonmo. Try a bite."
"Kyuu!"
We devoured dinner heartily. Next up: cultivation training. The meds from Olfather added a weird buzz to my body.
'Cultivation's key, but aura control too.'
Aura still flickered like heat haze—no form. Per SwordTasteStar, Aura Blade was talent territory.
'What, it's been less than a month since I started using mana?'
Day nine tomorrow. Internal power around day six or seven. Days felt endless, but time hadn't flown by. Rushing could backfire—steady progress was fine.
Crackle! Crackle! Whack!
"......"
I stared blankly at the raging bonfire. Silence filled the cave without my voice. Ppareumbo didn't talk, Wonmo just sat by me.
Stroke—pet—
"Kyuuu..."
Wonmo purred, leaning in as I petted her head. Ppareumbo hung off my back—weightless, somehow.
I logged into the Gallery like that. Nothing else to do—had to browse to shake this weird melancholy.
Know why we lost?
SusanghalJeongdorok (Photo of guy slapping his forehead!)
└lolololol
└Sage! Sage has appeared!
└Kkolho lost again?
└SusanghalJeongdorok: Could've won, but one walk-off homer fucked it. Wanna bash 'em all with a bat lol
└lololol This is why we watch sports
The Chaeyu-flooded Gallery was now packed with fresh losers. I smirked briefly, then wondered:
'Does time flow the same everywhere here?'
Gallery mixed day/night folks—messed with my sense of time. Worlds differ; noon here, midnight there.
'No point asking. What good would it do?'
Four Seasons Forest was my priority. I browsed a bit, then logged off quietly. Better one more cultivation cycle than pointless scrolling.
'Keep it running passively too.'
The eventful day drew to a close.