Rain (2)

The raccoon—or rather, the would-be masked bandit that tried to raid my stash of Inedia Pills—was summarily handled by the Fast Tree Sloth.

Usually, the raccoon is the one doing the dealing in internet memes, but seeing a sloth turn the tables felt bizarrely surreal.

"Here, Wonmo. Drink this, too."

"Kkyu?"

"If you catch rabies, your owner is royally screwed."

Wonmo had happily scarfed down the bite-sized chunks of raccoon that Ppareumbo had meticulously carved up for him. Gently prying the little guy's beak open, I tipped in a few drops of an Elixir. It was the specialized animal-grade Elixir the Starlight Princess had sent me previously. At first, the cub squirmed and thrashed in protest, but after tasting a single drop, his demeanor flipped instantly. He eagerly sucked it down, snapping his beak for more with such blatant gluttony that I had to physically restrain him.

'Elixirs are supposed to be bitter, aren't they? Is this one sweet?'

Normal Elixirs tasted like foul herbal medicine, but the veterinary version was clearly formulated differently judging by how crazy Wonmo went for it.

After cleaning up what was left of the raccoon carcass, I peered outside the cavern mouth. The heavy downpour had subsided to a faint drizzle; it seemed safe enough to move around outside.

'Before anything else, I need to check the river.'

With all that torrential rain, the water level must have swollen immensely. Even if it hadn't flooded the banks yet, my plan was simply to take a quick look and withdraw immediately. Rivers didn't rise gradually; flash floods surged like miniature tsunamis.

'Considering it poured all morning, the ground held up surprisingly well.'

Aside from the churned dirt right around my work site outside the cave, the surrounding terrain wasn't too muddy. Still, some immediate civil engineering was required: namely, the ditch I had dug beneath the wooden barricade. While the trench had performed admirably as a makeshift drainage ditch, it was now filled with stagnant sludge.

'It'll take ages to dry out on its own...'

If stagnant water sat there festering, it would reek to high heaven and turn into a breeding ground for insects. To prevent that, proper drainage channels were an absolute priority. Checking the river could wait a few minutes—I needed to secure the shelter's perimeter first.

Thwack! Chunk!

I drove the shovel into the soil, busily extending the trench toward the thick grove behind the cavern. Directing the runoff there would allow the dense tree roots to absorb the excess water naturally.

'First, let's keep an earthen berm up so water doesn't spill over prematurely.'

Letting muddy water flood haphazardly would only create a mess. I piled up a temporary mud barrier and dug steadily along the planned route.

Schluck!

As the blade sliced through another clump of damp soil, something unexpected writhed out from the dark earth: an earthworm. And not just any earthworm—this monstrous creature rivaled the jumbo gummy worms I used to eat as a kid.

"GYAAAAGH!"

Before my brain could process it, sheer visceral horror took over, and I tumbled flat onto my back. Who knew having a slimy monstrosity poke out of the dirt to say ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hello could be so utterly terrifying? Since arriving in this lethal wilderness, I had rarely screamed out loud, but this single bug had effortlessly shattered my composure.

"Kkyuuu?"

Alarmed by my blood-curdling screech, Wonmo scampered over on his stubby legs, tilting his feathered head with a look of utter bewilderment. Panting heavily, I reached out to stroke his soft down. Feeling his warmth gradually slowed my racing heart. At the very least, that violent spike of adrenaline confirmed I was still alive and kicking.

Chomp, gulp.

Wonmo snapped up the friendly greeting worm and swallowed it with gusto. Well, earthworms were pure protein, so I saw no reason to stop him.

"Phew..."

Once my breathing leveled out, I let out a long, weary sigh. That surprise encounter had genuinely shaken me. If a single worm could rattle my nerves like this, would I even be able to shovel dirt without jumping at shadows?

Shaking off the lingering chills, I resumed the task. Having Wonmo stand guard beside me like a pint-sized feathered bodyguard was surprisingly reassuring.

"That should do it."

With the drainage ditch connected and flowing cleanly into the grove, the threat of pooling water was eliminated. Now came the river. Equipping my basic survival gear and weapons, I set out toward the bank. Since Wonmo was wide awake and energetic, I brought the Fast Tree Sloth along as escort.

And when we arrived...

ROOOAAARRR!

"...You've got to be kidding me."

A string of muttered curses spilled past my lips at the sight of the violently swollen river. It wasn't merely high; it was thrashing with the ferocity of an inland tsunami. The current, which had already been dangerously swift, was now a foaming brown torrent that tore along with deafening force, the water level visibly closer to the banks.

Worst of all, my fish trap was gone.

The heavy boulder cairn I had meticulously assembled to anchor it had been battered and swept away like pebbles. Naturally, the reinforced fish trap wedged between those rocks had vanished along with them.

All that grueling effort, washed away in a single morning shower.

My goddamn trap...!

Most of the gallery regulars expressed genuine sympathy over the lost trap. With my sole reliable food source swept into oblivion, a heavy gloom settled over my chest. If every rainfall wiped out my fishing setup, my life here was going to get infinitely more exhausting.

Just as I released another dispirited sigh—

"GWOOOOOH! GWOOOH!"

"...Huh?"

A frantic splashing noise drew my eyes toward the center of the rapids. Looking closely, I spotted a jet-black bear flailing desperately against the crashing waves. The poor creature had evidently been lingering near the shallows upstream when the flash flood caught it off guard.

'Oof.'

I felt a brief twinge of pity. From its substantial bulk, it looked like a fully grown specimen, but even an experienced wild predator was powerless against the sudden wrath of nature.

'...Wait, a bear?'

My gaze traveled upriver. The beast had clearly drifted down from above, which meant the upper reaches of the forest supported sizable predators like bears. What other horrors lurked upstream? The mere thought made a knot tighten in my stomach.

'Well, at least it looked like an ordinary bear, so maybe it's not too bad...'

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"GROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAR!"

The words had barely formed in my mind when the ground shuddered violently. A colossal silhouette, easily the size of a two-story house, barreled past my vantage point along the riverbank in a blinding blur of primal fury. The beast was gargantuan—massive enough to rival the adult Owlbear I had faced before.

Evidently, the creature thrashing in the rapids was just a cub, and the rampaging colossus chasing it along the bank was its enraged mother. If I ever ventured upriver, running into that nightmare and having to fight for my life was an absolute certainty.

'Do me a favor and just die downriver.'

There were monstrous river whales and predator sharks lurking down in the deeper basins anyway. Who knew who would eat whom?

Still, the spectacle hammered home an undeniable truth: the upper reaches of this forest harbored things far beyond my imagination. Even right here, giant apex chickens ruled an entire territory just across the river.

'A single rainstorm, and the entire forest goes completely off the rails.'

First a thieving raccoon infiltrates my cave, then my fish trap gets obliterated by the current, and now a kaiju-sized mama bear thunders past. Shaking my head at the escalating madness, I gathered my companions and headed back to the cave. Lunch would have to consist of the leftover fish caught yesterday.

'The community poll should be wrapping up soon.'

The 24-hour vote regarding my trade cooldown restriction had to be near its deadline. With that in mind, I decided to hold off on eating until the results were officially tallied. If the cooldown was lifted, I intended to share portions of the fish with the people who had supported me. It was only a fraction of my lunch, but that spirit fish was so massive that even a single cut was enough to fill several stomachs.

'I really hope the vote passes.'

The Head Moderator, Don't Abandon the Hero, was stubborn, inflexible, and a complete stickler for rules. She had an occasional ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glimmer of flexibility, but fundamentally despised bending protocol.

'Though considering the nature of the Gallery, having a stickler might be for the best.'

I had picked up bits and pieces about past head moderators. Almost every single one of them had abused their administrative powers to spark massive scandals across the continental network. The crowning horror story was an admin who exploited the barter trade coordinate system to completely bankrupt an entire noble fiefdom. Another was rumored to have abused administrative tracking tools to stalk real-world individuals. In the wrong hands, the Gallery's authority was terrifying.

'If the current mod was a lunatic, what would have happened to me?'

They probably would have slapped me with an eternal trading ban just to watch me starve, or permanently banned my account altogether. Since head moderators reportedly couldn't be replaced except under extreme circumstances, having a lawful-stupid moderator was an undeniable blessing. I sincerely hoped she would keep her post for a long time—my very survival hinged on it.

'If the trade ban is lifted, I should definitely send some fish to the Juddak, too.'

Judging by her posts, she seemed to live a rough, nomadic life. Sharing a meal was the least I could do. She occasionally mentioned being pursued by enemies, though it was hard to imagine someone with her rigid morality committing actual crimes. Then again, the world was full of bizarre circumstances; it wasn't my place to pry. Repaying kindness with kindness was all that mattered.

'Once the trading limitation is gone, I won't have much else to ask of her.'

Direct private messaging would be nice, but that could always be handled through password-protected secret threads. It was slightly inconvenient, but in my desperate situation, even that was a luxury.

"Wonmo, mealtime."

"Kkyu!"

I set out food for Wonmo and settled down to wait for the voting timer to expire. Circulating internal cultivation arts without a focused mindset would yield terrible efficiency anyway, so I pulled up the Gallery to pass the time. Given that the thread had gone up yesterday, I was worried it might have gotten buried under the avalanche of new posts.

'Oh, it's pinned to the announcement board?'

That worry was entirely unfounded. The thread sat pinned right at the very top of the board in bold lettering. Since lifting a rule was a matter of administrative protocol, the mod had rightfully designated it an official announcement.

'Only Fixed Nicks were allowed to vote... I wonder how many registered users there actually are.'

The overwhelming majority of users were unregistered Fluid Nicks, but the number of registered accounts was still staggering. As long as someone met the dimensional threshold, anyone could access the Gallery. Given the immense population spanning multiple realms, the sheer volume of users was staggering. The board's refresh rate alone was dizzying—every refresh pushed the current list back by a full page. During peak hours, two or three pages would vanish in the blink of an eye.

'Who the hell even created this network?'

It was a question I often pondered. From what I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gathered, its core architecture was supposedly based on high-tier magic. Yet as someone completely ignorant of magical theory who had gained connection the moment I landed in this world, there had to be another mechanism at play.

"Pfft, bwahaha."

Say what you will about the Gallery, it was unrivaled for blowing off steam. Chuckling at the absurd video, I kept one eye glued to the pinned notice. Exactly three minutes remained until the poll closed. My palms had been dry a moment ago, but as the final ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seconds ticked away, nervous sweat began to bead on my fingers.

A private ping popped up from the Heavenly Demon while I was waiting. Was she anxious about the vote outcome too? I typed back immediately.

While I was bantering back and forth with the Heavenly Demon, the countdown finally hit zero. Heart pounding against my ribs, I tapped into the announcement thread.

"YES!"

I pumped my fist into the air, letting out a cheer of pure relief. An overwhelming ninety-five percent landslide! While I was mildly curious about the five percent who had voted against me, the ballots were completely anonymous. Regardless, ninety-five percent in favor was more than enough.

Now, all that remained was waiting for the Head Moderator to apply the changes. A faint anxiety prickled in my mind—what if some unexpected technical hurdle arose?

As if mocking my doubts, a glowing dialogue prompt materialized immediately. Overjoyed, I accepted without a second thought.

I dressed it up in polite words, but practically speaking, it was a bribe. Still, I knew someone of her character wouldn't be corrupted by something like this. As established, the Head Moderator was principled to a fault. This was purely an expression of genuine goodwill on my part, and besides, an Inner Core was the only truly valuable item I could offer right now.

That made sense. With the 24-hour restriction cleared, direct exchanges through private channels were fully functional. Nodding to myself, I retrieved one of the glowing Inner Cores stored inside an empty glass Elixir vial.

Come to think of it, hadn't she mentioned having a religious profession? Receiving the Head Moderator's parting benediction, I watched the chat window fade out.

'Finally...!'

The suffocating 24-hour trading cooldown had officially been broken.