Chapter 1 - The Continent-Wide Forum

Sometimes in life, you find yourself in a situation you never saw coming. Most of the time, you get through it by thinking on your feet or drawing on experience.

But what if something happens that goes far beyond any of that? What are you supposed to do then?

What else? Look for a way out by any means necessary.

“Fuck. What the hell is this?”

The sight before me had me swearing before I could stop myself. And with the situation I was in, who could blame me?

Forest in front. Forest behind. Forest to the right and left. Nothing but forest in every direction. The trees towered so high they even blocked out the sun.

Where was I, and why was I here? I couldn't make sense of the situation.

Welcome to the Continent-Wide Forum.

“Ah, shit. That scared me.”

As I stood there in a daze, a strange message appeared before my eyes. It floated in midair like a hologram. Before I could get over the shock, the message changed into something else.

Day 114 of praying for a full recovery. [1]

IthinkI'mlosingitIthinkI'mlosingitIthinkI'mlosingitIthinkI'mlosingit [12]

Do NOT click the post below!!! [52]

This is the one for today! [105]

Is this,,,the continent forum,,,? [8]

Started dating my childhood friend! AMA!! [10]

Is there no one who will engage me in a serious discussion? This is a grave matter. [2]

Into the most horrifying form of chaos imaginable.

Had I drunk too much last night? I'd only just woken up, and I was already seeing things. But no matter how many times I rubbed my eyes, the floating window stayed right where it was. It was driving me insane.

“I'm dreaming... right?”

I had absolutely no idea what was happening. Half in a trance, I moved my finger. Could I even open this thing? It looked very much like the forums I'd often seen online.

Of all those chaotic posts, I selected the one with the most comments, and...

This post does not exist or has been deleted.

“...?”

It left me with questions even greater than the chaos. If I'd known this would happen, I'd have clicked sooner.

Still, it helped me realize what sort of situation I was in. I folded my arms and browsed the forum. I wasn't much of a forum regular, but I'd poked around a few times looking for information.

Even floating there like a hologram, it was incredibly simple to use. Whether I gestured with my hands or moved my eyes, it did exactly what I wanted.

Day 114 of praying for a full recovery

Starlight Lady

Day 114 of praying for a full recovery

└Hang in there.

I picked the post with the fewest comments and found nothing but a short post and a short reply. It wasn't enough to go on. Before anything else, though, I needed to find out whether I was somewhere safe.

'I don't know what's going on, but I'd better be careful.'

I had no idea what might come out of the forest. If a bear showed up, I'd be in serious trouble. Fortunately, enough light filtered through here and there for me to see where I was going. I started walking.

“Hmm?”

Then a plant caught my eye. The densely packed trees sheltered it, but they couldn't hide its glow. I needed somewhere to hide anyway, so I crept over and settled between the trees.

'That's an interesting-looking plant.'

At first glance, it was utterly ordinary, except that its petals were shaped exactly like crescent moons. Even without any light reaching them, they shone like a crescent moon in the night sky. It was a really pretty flower.

'Pretty things tend to be poisonous.'

So I left it alone. It was one of those things you shouldn't touch in a forest like this. If you don't know what it is, don't eat it. Especially mushrooms. Better to catch and eat bugs or insects instead.

I desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that, but given my situation, I had to consider the possibility.

'Does this place have rules, though?'

I looked up and opened the forum. Apparently, all I had to do was think about it, and it appeared on its own. Right at the top was a post clearly labeled “Notice.”

Notice

Don't Abandon the Hero (Admin)

1. No posts that offend or disgust others!

2. No obscene photos or videos!

3. No posts that stir up tensions between nations!

4. No excessive socializing or hostility toward newcomers!

5. Break the rules above and you'll be banned!

6. Let's keep the forum peaceful!

7. The hero is harmless! Please don't abandon them! (Most important!)

└Forget the rest, what's with that last one lmao

└What's the hero doing now? Sleeping?

└Idk. Lots of people saying the hero's useless now that the world's at peace

└Rumor has it the empire sent a hit squad lol

└That's fucking sad lmao

That orange badge meant something like an administrator, right? I'd heard about that before. The rules were straightforward, too. As long as you didn't cross the line, there didn't seem to be any reason to ban you.

The forum was also incredibly simple and convenient to use. You could take and post photos and videos, and even trade with other users.

However, direct trades between users, as opposed to auctions, were restricted to registered accounts. Something about preventing illegal transactions. Above all, because of the risk of cliques forming, users could only talk for three minutes once a trade was activated.

'I can trade with other users?'

Whatever else it offered, this was the best part. I didn't even know where I was. Money, my ass. What I needed right now was survival supplies. Even food would be hard to come by.

A weapon to protect myself, tools to start a fire... There were plenty of other things I needed. But trades often favored one side. Especially when the other side was desperate for things.

After thinking it over at length, I registered a username. Before trading, I had to figure out where I was.

Woke up in a forest. Where am I?

Wild Grylls

Drank last night and woke up here;; Anyone know where this is?

First, I posted on the forum. I'd figured out this was another world, at least. The question was where in that world I was. I didn't even have time to think about why I'd ended up here.

I had to stay alive before I could take my time thinking things over, didn't I? None of it would matter if I died.

└? What's this guy's deal

└Like some fucker posting a picture of someone's legs and asking us to guess who it is lol

└Want me to post my legs? Guess who I am

└Fuck off

└I'm a girl though

└Go for it

└Actually I'm a guy lol

└You fucker

Hmm. Nothing but utterly fucking useless comments. Bastards.

Still, they made me realize one thing: I'd been an idiot.

Sure, it would be hard to identify a forest from one random photo. The fact that they'd bothered commenting at all meant these fuckers were nice enough. So I made another post.

What's the most famous forest on the continent?

Wild Grylls

Title says it all

└Let's Grow Trees: Alfheim, of course!

└Piss off, knife-ears

└Let's Grow Trees: Knife-ears? We were merely stating a fact!

└Fucking knife-ears wrecked their own forest and now they're invading other people's territory

└Let's Grow Trees: The Mother of Nature has spoken. All forests are Alfheim!

└Passing Dwarf: Those fuckers are why all the firewood's gone. Fuck

└Those knife-ears have to stick their noses into everything. Fucking nuisances

└Didn't they invade underground a hundred years ago to grow the World Tree's roots? lol

└Those fuckers are worse than demons these days lmao

“...”

You bastards. Could you please leave some normal comments?

I'd thought the registered user “Let's Grow Trees” might at least be useful, but no. All forests were Alfheim. Alfheim was elven territory. Therefore, all forests were elven territory. That was the absurd logic they were spreading.

'What is this, imperialism?'

Weren't elves supposed to love nature? The existence of other races aside, that was a shocking mindset. One thing was certain: nothing good could come of getting involved with that race. I asked another question.

└Wild Grylls: Are there any forests elves don't like?

└Passing Dwarf: Yeah. The Forest of Four Seasons. Famous for being a total bitch of a forest

└Wild Grylls: What's it like?

└Passing Dwarf: Is your head an anvil? Someone hit it with a hammer?

What the hell? This fucker was insulting me out of nowhere. I'd drunk so much last night that my head did feel like someone had taken a hammer to it. But nobody had actually hit me.

└Wild Grylls: Yeah, I told you I woke up in a forest;; My head hurts too, so you might be right...

└Passing Dwarf: ;;;

└Booo! You piece of trash!

└Feel bad for OP though. What the hell did you do?

└Wild Grylls: All I did was drink. Drank quite a lot though

└Passing Dwarf: Fuck, then it's your own fault;; Dumb bastard couldn't even find his own house

└An alcoholic getting shit from a dwarf. Holy shit

Was it? But I'd woken up in another world. What was I supposed to do about that? Fortunately, “Passing Dwarf” was still kind enough to explain the Forest of Four Seasons.

It was the most dangerous forest on the continent, and true to its name, it contained spring, summer, autumn, and winter. At first, I wondered what that meant, but I soon understood why it was called the Forest of Four Seasons.

'Each area has its own season? What the hell...'

That wasn't all. It was rich in mana, so all kinds of dangerous monsters lurked there. You even lost your sense of direction completely, making it impossible to get out once you went in.

Apparently, that was why criminals were often forced into the Forest of Four Seasons. Not a single person had come out alive.

└Passing Dwarf: Plenty of wondrous herbs and medicinal plants though

└Wild Grylls: What if I don't know which plants are medicinal?

└Passing Dwarf: Then you die lol. Go eat a mushroom and drop dead

└Wild Grylls: You fucker

“Ugh...”

A frustrated sigh escaped me. I prayed this wasn't the Forest of Four Seasons. If it really was... I didn't know. They'd said there were plenty of medicinal herbs, so I'd have to make a living off those.

Getting home could wait until I got out of the forest. There was nothing I could do stuck here.

'In that case...'

I glanced between my legs. Or more precisely, farther down than that. That little plant with its striking crescent-shaped petals. Could it be a medicinal herb too?

Since I didn't know much about this world, posting it on the forum seemed like a decent idea. Forums had been useful for asking questions before. A continent-wide forum should be even better.

Anyone know what this herb is?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a crescent-shaped plant)

No idea what herb this is. Anyone know?

Not even three seconds had passed since I posted it.

└Heavenly Demon: Would you be willing to trade with me? This is an urgent matter.

Someone with the registered username “Heavenly Demon” immediately left a comment. Wasn't that a title you only saw in martial arts novels? I went straight to their post history. If they were some lunatic, I wasn't going to trade with them.

Heavenly Demon

Posts: 2,548 Comments: 3,817

Is there no one who will engage me in a serious discussion? This is a grave matter. - 10 minutes ago

My body grows heavier by the moment. - 30 minutes ago

The heavens are the heavens, and the earth is the earth. To think I failed to grasp so simple a truth. - 1 hour ago

It was just full of ordinary shitposts. Each post had very few comments, too.

'What's this? Some roleplaying weirdo?'

They spoke in such a lofty manner, yet spent their time on a forum. It didn't quite add up. Still, I ought to hear them out. First, I checked the comments.

└Fuck, is that New Moon Spirit Grass? What's that doing there?

└Gimmegimmegimmegimmegimmegimmegimmegimme

└How much money do you need? Name your price

└Sword Masta: Is that stuff good?

└Starlight Lady: That herb is no use to me... I need the sun's energy...

└Passing Dwarf: Good sir. Might you be in need of a sword forged by a dwarf's own hands?

“...”

Oh my. What was going on here?

An enormous number of comments had appeared in the brief time I'd spent checking Heavenly Demon's posts. Even Passing Dwarf, who'd been so abrasive a moment ago, had turned polite. Was this thing really that valuable?

└Heavenly Demon: Insolence!! I laid claim to it first, yet you are all consumed by greed!!

└Yeah. Doesn't mean a thing~

└Dibs? lmao. Whoever OP likes gets it

└Move along, you old fart~

At some point, Heavenly Demon, the first to comment, got buried. They kept trying to make their presence known, but that was all they could manage.

Since users could trade with one another, I occasionally spotted offers of astronomical sums. Of course, I had no idea what this world's money was worth, but one thing was clear.

'I should pick whoever seems the most desperate.'

One user was doggedly insisting on making their presence felt. As you can all guess, it was Heavenly Demon. They must have really been desperate, because they were posting comments at an incredible rate. Seeing that made me feel sorry for them.

'Considering those posts, could they actually be sick?'

Starlight Lady seemed to be sick too, but had already made it clear that this herb was of no use to them.

After mulling it over at length, I decided to choose Heavenly Demon. Countless trade requests had already come in, but I ignored every one and singled them out.

Having something snatched away when you'd called dibs first. I knew all too well how shitty and hopeless that felt.

Would you like to send Heavenly Demon a trade request?

All conversation content will be visible to the administrator. Depending on the severity of any violations, you may receive a permanent ban.

The administrator seemed to have more power than I'd expected. Or maybe they were just that wary of illegal activity and cliques. I wasn't doing either, so I sent the request without hesitation. What I needed right now was survival supplies.

'I wonder what they'll give me.'

I waited with anticipation.

Heavenly Demon has accepted your request.