The Guardian (1)
Full of energy and vigor this morning! YasaengGrill's Day 9 begins!
└Cheonma: You've risen, have you? What are your plans for today?
└YasaengGrill: Heading back to that cave from yesterday first. Gotta confirm if the whole thing's made of Oriharukon.
└Cheonma: If you find some, could you spare a little? Even one piece wouldn't be bad.
└YasaengGrill: If it's a request from you, Cheonma, of course. I'll grab you a big one.
└Cheonma: My thanks. Since we're trading, I'll give you some Wall Valley Pills I prepared in advance.
└YasaengGrill: Thank you.
└SwordTasteStar: You're working so hard again today. Busier than me, even.
└YasaengGrill: Couldn't SwordTasteStar get a job if you wanted one?
└SwordTasteStar: True, but no real need haha.
└Jealous. Rich NEET.
└Isn't that the real winner in life?
└Some of us bust our asses working while others... sigh.
└Bet it's some noble born with a silver spoon lol.
└PassingDwarf: Huh. Another day gone by. That stuff you gave me? Straight-up Oriharukon.
└YasaengGrill: Way to be late to the party;; What time did you start pounding booze yesterday?
└PassingDwarf: Lunch till dinner. But what'd you put in that fish? Mixed it with booze and my body was burning up;; Slept all day because of it. Oh right, it had an inner core. Cheonma explained: fish with inner cores are spiritual beasts and elixirs. No wonder it heated me up.
└YasaengGrill: Same here, but a good sleep fixed it. Still hurting?
└PassingDwarf: Body's overflowing with energy otherwise, I'm good. Thinking of hitting the mines for the first time in ages. Come to think of it, this guy's a dwarf. Forgot 'cause the drunkard image is so strong. Dwarves are the race of booze and mines. Tradition to down a drink after mine work. Their stubby bodies are specialized for it, they say. Anyway.
└YasaengGrill: I might do some pickaxe work too—got any tips?
└PassingDwarf: Don't pump mana into the pickaxe. Some ores are mana-sensitive.
└YasaengGrill: Is Oriharukon mana-sensitive?
└PassingDwarf: More like insane absorption rate. Never use mana, period.
└YasaengGrill: Sounds frustrating just hearing about it?
└Hell yeah it is lol. No wonder it's one of the world's toughest jobs.
└Tunnel collapses? You're just dead.
└YasaengGrill: Guess I'll just pick up loose rocks then.
└Still not explored it huh
└When's this guy gonna get got lol
└Pretty tough little bastard lol
└Getting tired of him still being alive~
With cheers from the sweet-and-spicy high-nics and users, I kicked off my day. Nothing like starting with a cool glass of water and the forest's fresh air. And...
"Moo."
"..."
...running into a deer way bigger than my barricade.
Glistening blue antlers, snow-white hide. Eyes clear as pristine river water. I stared blankly before silently snapping a gallery pic.
Tadap! Thud!
Luckily, the blue-horned deer bolted the second our eyes met. It hopped right over the barricade with light steps. Despite its striking looks, it vanished into the woods quick.
...Did I get smaller or something?
Owl bear, fish, golden frog, sabertooth tiger, chicken—and now a deer. Everything's abnormally huge. Felt like Gulliver stumbling into giant-land alone. Terrifying. Really terrifying.
Anyone know what this deer is?
YasaengGrill (photo of deer with blue horn and white hide)
Ran into this guy right outside the cave. Anyone recognize it?
└Cheonma: A beautiful deer. Those blue antlers gleam so brilliantly.
└ChangguPrincess: Totallyy~ Like my eyes!
└Cheonma: Iron mace descends.
└ChangguPrincess: Sorryyy!!!
└Cheonma: Hmph.
└SwordTasteStar: What do you call that if not oppression?
└Cheonma: Righteous regulation.
└SwordTasteStar: Shameless as ever;;
└StarlightPrincess: I've seen that deer in books. If I'm right, it's a spirit deer.
└YasaengGrill: Spirit? Like spirits exist?
└StarlightPrincess: You didn't know? Where have you been living?
└YasaengGrill: I said I came from another world... Shoulda said I grew up in some rural backwater. But then they'd ask about the gallery. Better to just own the other world thing.
└StarlightPrincess: Think of spirits as living mana. Mana with a will.
└YasaengGrill: Pretty abstract.
└StarlightPrincess: You remember that first guardian you met?
└YasaengGrill: The massive rock giant? Still fresh in my mind. That boulder I leaned on came alive. If it'd stepped on me, I'd be paste.
└StarlightPrincess: Not certain, but natural guardians are thought to have spirits dwelling in them.
└YasaengGrill: So this deer?
└StarlightPrincess: Looks like a spirit, so spirit deer. Spirits can't affect living beings. Mana in the end.
└YasaengGrill: No laser beams from the horns?
└StarlightPrincess: One kick would hurt worse.
└Won't just hurt—shatter your bones?
└Grillsey, why not take a hit? You got a shield.
└YasaengGrill: ;;;
└StarlightPrincess: Ignore those idiots. Mana so thick here, you meet all kinds of critters. Fantasy world, but dark fantasy for me. One slip and you're dead. Wonder if I'll make it out intact.
Screw that—survive first.
I shook my head and headed to the river. Time to check the night’s catch.
Splash! Splash!
Exactly two fish in the trap. Massive ones. I grinned, reeling it in. Free meal jackpot.
Rustle—
"Hm?"
Mid-reel, bushes rustled nearby. I froze, switched to alert mode—sword and shield up, eyes locked on the sound.
"..."
False alarm? No more noise. Still tense, I finished grabbing the trap. Can't afford carelessness—life's on the line.
River's a hotspot. Gotta stay sharp.
Lots of animals come to drink. Golden frogs kept 'em away before... but not anymore. I'd wiped out their chief and plenty more.
Stayed vigilant all the way back. No threats.
Should keep Ppareumbo with me always.
Prep breakfast. Right on cue, Wonmo woke. Gave her a fish—inner core removed, of course.
She's... grown a bit?
Watched her chow down. Rocking the uniform from ChangguPrincess. Used to fit perfect; now it's stretched tight. Fat or growth—or both. Growth spurt age, no biggie.
Bigger's better.
Size is king, right? She'll be a huge help later. Whenever that is.
Will I escape the Four Seasons Forest first?
Fine even if it's vain hope. Gotta cling to it now.
Ate up, cleaned up. Belly full.
Time for Olfather's meds and internal power method practice.
Steady on the method, focusing on breathing. Building lung capacity. Most effective.
Ask about lung-boosting later.
One task left: Oriharukon cave, grab some chunks. Path memorized—no sweat.
Wonmo...
Usually crashes post-meal. Not today. Staring at me with those blank eyes. No nap plans.
"Wonmo. No going weird places, okay?"
"Kyoo?"
"No chasing tasty stuff. Got it."
"Kyoo?"
"Dangerous."
She tilted her head cutely with each word. Like Ppareumbo, she gets me weirdly well. She'll stick close.
Breakfast done—geared up. Sword, shield, Olfather's subspace bag from yesterday. Packed crossbow and gear. No elixirs—fragile stuff. Bag ignores space limits, not weight. Rare clashes can damage. Elixirs and Wall Valley Pills in regular bag.
Left hip: food/elixirs. Right: crossbow/tools in subspace.
Good to go.
A bit heavy, but manageable. Crossbow's my only ranged option—gold.
All set—hoisted Ppareumbo on my back. Wonmo in her stretched uniform, bouncing to go. Adorable.
"Yeah yeah, let's move. But no falling off."
"Kyoo!"
Unlike the runaway fiasco, all three—no, one guy and two beasts—moved together. Destination: yesterday's Oriharukon cave. More scouting.
KingLeor's gift would help.
No real dangers yesterday.
Bats, snakes—not threats. Elixirs ready; Wonmo could handle 'em anyway.
Followed memory to the cave. Markers intact—easy find.
No chickens or chicks, right?
Why chickens in this forest? Anyway, caution. Chicks my size; hens way bigger. Hard to map territory.
"Sniff sniff."
"Wonmo, that's poison. Poi-son."
She sniffed some weird plant mid-path. Yellow flower sparkling in light—screaming "I'm toxic!"
Scolded her, snapped a gallery pic. Ask Olfather or StarlightPrincess later. No risks now.
-Cock-a-doodle-dooo!!!
Not far—a rooster crowed loud. We'd wandered into chicken turf.
"Kyuuung!"
Wonmo freaked, bolted to me. Chick trauma from before, probably.
Petted her calm, scanned around. Nothing alarming.
Feathers here and there.
Black ones, likely shed. Huge—even one feather's big. Pocketed one for the bag. Might come in handy.
"We're here."
No incidents—reached the cave. Pulled KingLeor's gift from regular bag: light-magic orb.
Tap a few times to activate, he'd said.
Tap tap—
Dim orb lit up bright; light floated up, separate from the orb still in my hand. Orb in palm, light overhead—magic as hell.
"Whoa!"
Marveled at the bobbing light. First magic ever—felt like a kid. Hour-long duration: perfect for scouting.
Bright as torches. Awesome.
No dark-spot issues now. Dived in excited. Wonmo tagged along.
Soon, the downslope to Oriharukon depths. Rope from yesterday held—descended carefully.
"Huh?"
Something off right away. Rocks rearranged? No pic for comparison—annoying.
Imagination?
Shrugged, looked around. Still sparkling. With light, snapped pics for gallery.
Oriharukon Cave
YasaengGrill (photo of cave packed with Oriharukon)
(photo of rock-shaped Oriharukon)
(photo of floor-picked Oriharukon)
What do you think? All that sparkle Oriharukon, right?
└Cheonma: A beautiful cave. Filled with pure gold.
└SwordTasteStar: So pretty. What's next?
└YasaengGrill: Dunno. Pick floor scraps, scout more? No dangers so far.
└SwordTasteStar: Still, be careful. Manmade mines are one thing—natural caves crawl with monsters.
Monsters, huh. Scanned around. Small stuff like bats—no real life. Cave seemed mapped to sight's end. Still, stay alert.
└PassingDwarf: Damn, wanna run there and swing a pick lol
└YasaengGrill: Come on?
└PassingDwarf: Booze all gone
└YasaengGrill: So you're not coming ffs
└PassingDwarf: Crazy? Why go there? lol
└Olfather: Fascinating. Whole cave of Oriharukon. What is the Four Seasons Forest?
└StarlightPrincess: Heavy tectonic activity? Oriharukon needs rich mana.
└Olfather: Sure, but something's up. Something pumping extreme mana.
└StarlightPrincess: Solid theory. Space-warping levels? Beyond World Tree.
└Olfather: Maybe. Needs more scouting.
└YasaengGrill: Anyone not get a word of that?
└Me!
└Me neither lol!
└Haha fine if you don't get it lol
└GrowTrees: Only one World Tree in the world: Alvenheim's.
└We know, piss off tree-hugger.
└Race leeching off World Tree~
└GrowTrees: So you got World Tree blessing? Nah, just bitterness.
└Ugh ffs pissing me off lol
└Facts got you quiet lol
World Tree whatever—scout first. Wonmo and I poked around. How'd a whole Oriharukon cave pop up? I'm no scholar, not even born here. Just "whoa cool" and move on.
Oriharukon absorbs mana great, right?
Placed hand on floor, circulated mana. It flowed out.
Sparkle!
No haze—just stronger gleam. Absorbed for sure. Lips pursed in awe—
Rumble—gruuumble—
Rock grind right behind. Whirled around spooked.
"Wha—what?"
Rocks moving. Oriharukon rocks. Huge chunk "stood" on two legs.
I backed up watching it rise humanoid-straight.
Vreeee—
The guardian revealed itself before me.