The Pleasures of Life (3)

Having neatly trimmed Fast Tree Sloth's claws, I went looking for Wonmo.

Seeing him fast asleep, however, made me feel guilty about waking him. Besides, he was still just a cub, so his claws didn't really need maintenance yet.

Well, that takes care of everything on my to-do list...

I checked the time. It was four in the afternoon. Dinner would be coming up before long. Until then, I figured I could read through Sword Master's posts carefully. By the time I finished reading and put in some practice, it would be dinnertime.

When am I ever going to get better at the basics?

The fight with the Earth Guardian had hammered home a bitter truth: I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was surviving purely on gear carried by brute stats. If it hadn't been for the Heavenly Demon's Sword, piercing the Guardian's core would have been impossible. I wasn't some superhuman swordsman straight out of a comic book; with my bare hands, I couldn't even crack a pebble. Still, this was a fantasy world. Weren't there people out there who could slice through stone with raw physical power, without even using mana?

Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the Gallery to write a post.

Gods, huh? The main moderator's words lingered in my thoughts, sending me spiraling into contemplation.

I didn't follow any particular religion. That didn't mean I was a strict atheist, either. Even before getting dropped into the Forest of the Four Seasons without warning, I had tended to believe in the existence of a higher power. That way, I had someone to direct all my foulest curses toward.

If I had to harbor hatred, wasn't it far healthier to hate a god than to despise another human being? And if said god took offense and struck me with divine retribution? Well, that would just prove they were a petty, narrow-minded prick, so I'd curse them even harder.

When no one's looking, people talk smack about their kings and presidents anyway.

Believing in God purely so I could hate Him felt deeply ironic. Even so, that exact spiteful mindset was what kept me clawing my way through survival, so I couldn't complain.

As it stands, training is my only realistic option.

My mana reserves felt like they were expanding endlessly, but when it came to manifesting an Aura Blade, I hadn't grasped even a sliver of the concept. If anything, having far too much mana made it absurdly difficult to fine-tune and regulate. Perhaps that was because I originated from Earth. Different origins meant my cultivation methods probably needed to be different too. To be fair, the fact that an ordinary modern human could feel mana in the first place was already bordering on a miracle.

...It's going to take a long time.

To break out of the Forest of the Four Seasons, I needed to become formidable. To reach that level of strength, I had to master the Aura Blade at a bare minimum. And mastering the Aura Blade might demand a massive investment of time. The logical conclusion was simple: I had to prepare myself for an extended, grueling stay in this deadly wilderness.

Doesn't matter how long it takes, as long as I eventually make it out.

With that resolve settled in my chest, I logged off the Gallery. The main moderator seemed to be rambling on about how blasphemy was forbidden and how no matter how tough life got, one must never curse the heavens, but I casually ignored it all. Seeing how devoutly religious they were, I figured bringing it up in the first place had been a mistake.

It's not like God puts food on my table.

Besides, the real world had far more pressing matters demanding my attention than deities. Not that I looked down on religious people, of course. In fact, I held immense respect for truly devout believers. People who embodied the absolute pinnacle of self-sacrifice deserved nothing but admiration.

It's not that I hate people.

My parents had been wonderful folk, and everyone who lent me a helping hand here was good at heart. Sure, I ran into the occasional foul-mouthed jerk, but I wasn't the type to roll over and take abuse lying down either.

Thinking about it, this Gallery really is a peculiar place.

I knew all too well what kind of vile atrocities people could commit under the veil of anonymity. Where I came from, a malicious pen could butcher a person just as easily as a blade. Compared to that, while the Gallery was teeming with eccentric desires and strange quirks, personal attacks and toxic malice were surprisingly rare. Occasionally, some weird dwarf lady would pop up, but the other races barely paid her any mind; only the dwarves got worked up over it. The beastkin were the same way. When behavior was that consistently extreme, you just had to write it off as personal preference.

I really want to go home.

I glanced quietly at the rough stone wall of the cave. Tomorrow would already mark ten full days. It didn't feel like I had accomplished all that much, yet time was flying by at terrifying speed. I had explored only a tiny sliver of the region, and having to fend off sudden beast ambushes on top of that was giving me a pounding headache.

Where should I head tomorrow?

Turning my gaze, I examined the crude map drawn across a large sheet of white paper hanging on the wall. The river that served as my lifeline, the frozen lake connected to it downstream, the crimson Adult Mandrake Root colony, the glowing mushroom cavern, the Orichalcum Cave... Looking at it all laid out, I had actually covered a respectable amount of ground, even if finding one of those locations was pure luck while searching for Wonmo when he ran off.

Following the river downstream leads straight to the lake, so establishing a solid base of operations comes first.

I scrutinized the map, lost in thought. If I was going to be stuck here for a prolonged period, thorough and methodical exploration was the way to go. I needed to set up clear trail markers along the paths to keep from losing my way. Wandering around the perimeter of the lake was out of the question; crossing paths with that monstrous giant crab would mean instant death.

Or should I try heading upstream along the river?

That wasn't a bad idea at all. Rivers didn't always follow a single path. Even if it seemed like an upstream stretch, it might branch off into two or more separate tributaries along the way.

Finding out what lies at the river's extremes is definitely the priority.

Downstream ended at the lake, but upstream was completely uncharted territory. Rather than stumbling about aimlessly, locking down a concrete route made far more sense. Having roughly sketched out tomorrow's agenda, I checked the time again. It was creeping up on five o'clock. It was time to head down to the riverbank and check if anything had been caught in the fish traps.

"I'll be right back."

"......"

Fast Tree Sloth gave a barely perceptible tilt of his head as I stepped out of the cave. I made sure to lock up the barricades just in case. Geared up and armed, I set off toward the river. Just this afternoon, a pack of mutant otters had ambushed the area, so vigilance was non-negotiable.

Splash! Splash!

"Wait, what? Three of them?"

Pulling up the submerged cage, I found three massive catches thrashing inside: one gleaming golden fish and two brilliant crimson ones. I couldn't believe so much had gathered in such a brief window of time.

Hey, good news is good news.

When it came to survival, you could never have too much food. Humming a quiet tune, I hauled the heavy trap out of the water. Even as I worked, my eyes constantly swept the surrounding tree line, wary of predators that might have caught the scent of blood lingering from the slain otters.

Better move fast.

Gathering the catch, I sprinted back toward the cave, channeling mana into my legs out of sheer paranoia that something monstrous might be stalking my blind spots. Once safely inside the shelter, I dumped the thrashing fish into the metal tub. With three massive river monsters jammed inside, the container was packed to the brim.

I can save one for breakfast tomorrow.

If only every day could be this bountiful... No, stop that. What do you mean, 'every day'? My primary objective was breaking out of this nightmare forest as quickly as possible. Indulging in comfortable complacency was dangerous. I shook my head vigorously.

Only until I escape.

Yes. That was the right mindset to maintain. Heading back to the river, I reset the traps in the current and returned to begin prepping dinner. As if sensing that mealtime was near, Wonmo came waddling out from his sleeping nook, blinking his drowsy eyes. Watching him stumble forward while rubbing his sleepy face was ridiculously adorable. Every time I looked at him, the crushing weight of isolation seemed to melt away.

Ssssszzle!

After gutting the fish, I tossed a generous portion of raw meat to Wonmo and cooked another piece over the fire pit as usual. A simple pinch of coarse salt was all it took to produce a feast. It was a flavor I never grew tired of; rather than ordinary river fish, the meat tasted like the highest grade of marbled beef.

Honestly, how is this tastier than tiger meat?

Maybe the tiger meat had suffered from being hastily smoked. With dinner cleared away, I settled down to practice the Mind Cultivation Method, making sure to swallow the herbal medicine provided by Allfather beforehand.

"Coote-coote-coo! Wonmo, look over here! Catch it!"

"Kyuuu! Kyuu!"

Once my internal cultivation was finished, I spent some time playing with Wonmo. I had tied a strip of cloth to the end of a long stick, flicking and sweeping it through the air. I remembered seeing pet owners on MeTube using similar wand toys to entertain their cats. Wonmo wasn't a cat, of course, but I figured it would help hone his predatory instincts and coordination.

Thud!

"Kyua!"

"Oof!"

Every now and then, his overzealous pounces ended in a clumsy collision, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. He was still small. Though he had grown noticeably bigger since the day I found him, a cub was still a cub.

"Kyuuu! Kyuu!"

"Hehehe."

I scooped him into my arms, nuzzling my cheek against his soft downy feathers before gently setting him back down. I was finally beginning to understand why people on Earth kept pets. Having him around genuinely softened the sharp edges of loneliness.

Wonder what's going on in the Gallery right now?

Outside, twilight was rapidly giving way to dense night. I tapped open the Gallery interface. As always, the board was flooded with absurd, chaotic posts. More than anywhere else, it hummed with the messy, vibrant warmth of living beings. Even if a few absolute lunatics popped up in the threads, it was easy enough to brush them aside.

What do these people do in their real lives?

The thought often crossed my mind, especially regarding the prominent fixed-handle users who regularly interacted with me. Almost none of them seemed remotely 'ordinary.' Even the Heavenly Demon, routinely roasted as a stubborn wuxia boomer, carried the undeniable bearing of an elder who held immense, sovereign authority.

They're good people, regardless.

Curiosity was one thing, but I had no intention of prying into their private affairs. Just the fact that they were offering practical aid to a stranger trapped in the wilderness put me deeply in their debt.

Let's Grow Trees was definitely an oddball in her own right. What on earth was she planning to build that required a massive golem core? Still, from my perspective, offloading a useless white elephant that only took up space had been a fantastic trade.

Tomorrow, I head upstream.

There was still some time left before going to sleep, so I settled down to cycle my Mind Cultivation Method once more. The Heavenly Demon had mentioned that while she wanted to teach me the next verse of the Mnemonic Oral Formula, I needed to thoroughly temper my foundational vessel first. What she considered the standard for 'basics' remained a mystery, but she had emphasized that it would take at least two weeks.

I can start ingesting the Inner Cores after that.

Only four days remained. Closing my eyes, I eased into deep meditative breathing. The mana flowing through my body circulated with vivid, electrifying clarity. Strangely enough, with each passing day, the sheer volume of internal mana seemed to swell, and its circulation speed grew noticeably faster.

Is it because of the fish?

Eating magical fish packed with Inner Cores every single day—practically every single meal—was bound to have an effect. Even so, the energy remained manageable under my direct intent. If it had slipped beyond my control, my physical body would have ruptured into bloody chunks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠long ago. Free from external disturbances, I allowed my consciousness to sink deeper and deeper into silent, focused meditation.

Then, the following morning arrived.

ROOOOOAAAR—CRASH!

"Ah, for f—"

Staring out at the violent, torrential deluge hammering down from the sky, a venomous curse spilled past my lips.