Chapter 13 - Golden Poison Frog (3)

The realization that even Allfather was something of a weirdo occupied me only briefly. I had drinking water to worry about.

I had no resistance to poison, and the golden poison frog’s poison was particularly vicious. Just how potent did it have to be to make a tree sizzle and melt? One hit and I was done for.

I had bought an antidote as a precaution, but I had no idea whether it would work. So I intended to ask Allfather for something else. Not money, but something more valuable.

Hello. You’re Allfather, correct?

Allfather

Yes, this is Allfather.

Thank you for sending a trade request.

Allfather replied the moment I initiated the trade. The language was far more genteel than anyone else’s.

Judging by the instant identification of the golden poison frog and the usual forum posts, Allfather seemed to be an academic—something like a professor. An academic with an enormous amount of money, at that. Anyone who could blow twenty thousand gold on a single frog had a job I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Not that I really knew who anyone here was.

You need the frog, right?

I’ll put it up right away.

Allfather

Thank you.

I’ll put up the twenty thousand gold as promised.

But are you aware that trading ten thousand gold or more sends your location to the moderation team?

Yes. I am.

Trades of ten thousand gold or more sent your location to the moderators because there were so many ways to abuse the system, such as laundering illicit profits or buying military supplies in bulk.

You couldn’t withdraw money deposited in the forum as cash, but there were still plenty of ways to misuse it.

Of course, being in the Forest of Four Seasons made that largely irrelevant for me. Even if my location did get sent, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Before that, could I ask one more favor?

If you agree, I’ll lower the price from twenty thousand gold to fifteen thousand.

Allfather

Hmm? What sort of favor?

I need an antidote that works against golden poison frog poison.

As you saw in my earlier post, I’m having trouble getting water.

There might be another stream nearby, but that one was the closest. As long as the golden poison frogs held their ground there, I couldn’t even get drinking water, let alone wash.

Searching for another stream would be a huge ordeal in its own right, since I might get lost.

Allfather

I believe I understand what you mean.

I accept your request.

As it happens, I wanted to research that very subject.

Thank you. Let’s count the five thousand gold as payment for the antidote.

Would having more specimens make your research easier?

Allfather

Of course.

But golden poison frogs are very scarce, so please take care not to wipe them out.

Well, I wasn’t so sure about that part. However precious the golden poison frogs were, could they be more important than my life?

It would be a different story if the antidote worked. Otherwise, I’d have to wipe the golden frogs out.

I’d recently discovered just how important a steady water supply was. Not being able to wash left me feeling unbearably grimy.

Allfather

If you discover any rare plants or animals, or anything you’ve never seen before, please post about it.

I’ll answer to the best of my knowledge.

Thank you. See you next time.

Allfather

It’s quite remarkable. People as polite as you are hard to find on the forum, Grylls.

Please stay safe.

That concluded my trade with Allfather. As soon as it was over, I checked the money deposited in my forum account.

Given the size of the transaction, a small fee had been deducted, but I still had nearly fifteen thousand gold.

Now I could buy all sorts of supplies at the auction house. I’d already worked out what I needed.

‘Before that, I should ask the admin where I am.’

Whenever ten thousand gold or more changed hands, the location was immediately sent to the admin. The rule was meant to prevent abuse, but the admin could just as easily abuse it.

I didn’t know the qualifications or process for choosing an admin, but there must have been previous ones. I suddenly found myself curious about the forum’s history, though that wasn’t something to worry about right now.

Admin, can you see my location?

Wild Grylls

Just traded with Allfather. Can you see where I am?

└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Yes! It says Forest of Four Seasons! Right in the middle, too!

└ Wild Grylls: Oh fuck

└ LMAOOOO

└ LMAOOOO

└ LMAOOOO

└ Abandon all hope lmao

└ Admin-certified Forest of Four Seasons lol

I shouldn’t have asked. I suppressed the despair welling up inside me.

The forum was unusable in the Forest of Four Seasons, but I was the exception. It had even spelled out my location.

Who the hell was playing this sick joke on me? I just couldn’t understand it.

└ Wild Grylls: No bullshit, you’re serious?

└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Yes! I swear on my holy sword!

└ Grylls. It’s time to give up...

└ You’re gonna have to live there

Bastards. Was escape not even an option?

Now that even the admin had confirmed it, all I could do was let out a heavy sigh. My last shred of hope was gone.

Escaping would be hard enough when even the landscape right across the stream kept changing. My range of movement was severely limited.

‘Fine. Let’s survive here. But I’m still getting out.’

Even if it took years, I wanted to see civilization. I immediately wrote a forum post—not to moan about my plight, but to ask what I would need from now on.

Survival experts, help

Wild Grylls

Looks like I’m gonna have to live in the forest. Thinking of buying some stuff.

Off the top of my head: axe, dagger, shovel, hammer, emergency rations, water, soap, medical supplies, etc. Anything else I need?

└ Use unscented soap if you can. The smell might attract a bear.

└ If you know how to set traps, put some around you. No idea if they’ll work in the Forest of Four Seasons, though.

└ Definitely collect charcoal. You can use it to filter water or clean your teeth.

└ Good idea, but the warmth might attract snakes.

└ Never eat mushrooms. Unless you’re desperate.

For once, they weren’t being sarcastic. They were genuinely kind enough to give me useful tips, one after another. The charcoal tip in particular was new to me.

I could deal with the snakes using repellent. That was why I’d spent so much money on it.

└ Nobody knows what’s in the Forest of Four Seasons, so anything could be dangerous.

└ You’ll probably have to learn most of it firsthand.

└ Yeah, that’s right.

└ When would any of us ever go into the Forest of Four Seasons? lol

But those were only the very basics of “normal” wilderness survival. I was the first person to live in the Forest of Four Seasons.

With frogs the size of small dogs already here, the truth was that nobody knew what else I might find.

‘Still, I need to buy what I need.’

I bought the things the adventurers recommended, one by one. Making this cave my base was the best option.

Finally, I bought a large sheet of paper, a quill, and some ink. Since the compasses were useless, I planned to make a map using nothing but my own sense of direction.

‘I should focus on marking the places where the landscape keeps changing.’

Other places were likely to be similar to the stream. Knowing where they were would make getting around easier.

I should also mark areas where dangerous beasts appeared—or, more precisely, their territories.

Perhaps other animals hadn’t come here yet because this had originally been mad dog territory.

But that wouldn’t last forever. Just the other day, an owlbear had been happily tearing into a mad dog carcass. There was no guarantee it wouldn’t come here, too. I needed to prepare.

“Hmm...”

I folded my arms, surveying my assorted purchases. What should I do first?

They said that when you were truly busy, there was so much to do that you couldn’t even get started. That described my situation perfectly.

Should I build a fence to secure my safety first, or explore a little more? The former would take too long, while the latter left me worried about what might happen down the line.

‘I don’t even know how long building a fence would take.’

This was the time to ask. I wrote a post on the forum. If it would take too long, I intended to explore the area instead.

Need advice on putting a fence around my home

Wild Grylls

Want to build a fence to keep intruders out. Any advice?

└ Passing Dwarf: Do you even know how to build a fence?

└ Wild Grylls: Hammer time?

└ Passing Dwarf: Uh...

└ Hammer time lmaoooo

└ That’s catchy lmao

└ Passing Dwarf: Anyway, what you’re thinking of is more a defensive wall than a fence. You said there’s an owlbear nearby, right?

└ Wild Grylls: Yeah, that’s right

└ Passing Dwarf: In that case, just set traps near the entrance. Budget a good month or two for a wall.

└ Wild Grylls: A month or two? Even if it’s made of wood?

└ Passing Dwarf: If you don’t believe me, try making one right now.

└ Wild Grylls: Okay, hold on

Seriously? I eyed the comments skeptically, but got moving anyway. Actions spoke louder than words.

Trees were everywhere around here, so materials would be easy to get. I’d also bought an axe for logging.

‘This axe is surprisingly heavy.’

Even holding it in both hands, I could really feel its weight. I stood before a suitably sized tree.

It grew perfectly straight, making it ideal for a defensive wall.

A whole month was still a ridiculous estimate. Brimming with confidence, I swung the axe.

THUNK!

‘That’s a new axe for you. Feels great.’

At this rate, it wouldn’t take long at all. Passing Dwarf had seriously underestimated me.

“Hah... Hah...”

I took that back. It wasn’t an underestimate. It was a very objective assessment.

Panting, I stared at the tree. Despite all that chopping, I hadn’t even made it halfway through.

The outer layers had been manageable enough, but the wood seemed to get harder the closer I got to the center.

‘I have a whole new respect for woodcutters.’

Those woodcutters who popped up in every other fairy tale were actually incredible people. No wonder they always had at least a few kids.

Wiping away the sweat streaming down my face, I looked at the roughly half-cut tree. Forget a defensive wall—felling a single tree was this hard. Humans really were pitifully weak on their own.

In the end, I had no choice but to postpone the wall. I would be better off setting traps, just as Passing Dwarf had suggested.

Fuck, why is wood so hard?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a tree with a small section chopped out)

I’m fucking exhausted

└ Hard work when you actually try it, huh?

└ You thought logging was a fucking joke?

└ Had it easy while other people did the hard work for you, didn’t you? lol

└ Wild Grylls: I’m sorry. I won’t get cocky again.

└ Sword Masta: Learning a mana training method would make it somewhat easier.

└ Heavenly Demon: The one above speaks true. Hurry and practice the lotus position.

└ Wild Grylls: Yeah, I will...

└ Looks like his confidence took a nosedive.

└ Better that than getting himself killed out of bravado.

└ Passing Dwarf: No more getting cocky, okay? lol

└ Wild Grylls: Yes, sir.

└ So respectful now lmaooo

└ For real lol

Thanks to that, I had a clear course of action. I’d build traps near the cave entrance that only I knew about.

The wall would have to wait until I’d trained in that internal energy cultivation method, mana training method, or whatever it was called. Right now, it drained too much stamina.

‘Digging takes forever, too.’

Having served in the military, I knew all too well how grueling shovel work could be. Even with three or four men working on a single defensive position, it usually took all day.

And considering the size of the owlbear I’d seen, I’d have to dig far deeper than my own height.

‘This is seriously bleak.’

Nothing was easy. Humans were so helpless in the wilderness.

But did that mean I would give up? Absolutely not.

Enough grains of dust could make a mountain. If I started now and kept at it, my efforts would bear fruit someday.

‘First, I’ll dig deep in front of the entrance. I can dig around the rest later. I should be able to get a tarp at the auction house to conceal it.’

Thinking about traps gave me a good idea. Traps were all well and good, but I could dig up the ground around the entrance and the cave itself.

Like the moats around old castles, it would be enough if it kept intruders out. An earthen wall should do for now, too. Later, I could gradually build a wooden one.

‘Good. Let’s get started right now.’

Planning alone wouldn’t accomplish anything. I laid out a design for the cave entrance and the surrounding area: where to dig the moat, where to build the temporary earthen wall, and finally, an opening for me to get in.

It was far from perfect, but it should keep me safe.

THUNK!

I started digging with the shovel. The rain before dawn had left the ground fairly soft.

Logging had been hard, but digging was relatively easy. It would take just as long, though.

‘Slow and steady. One thing at a time.’

The fortification work I’d begun with such enthusiasm...

“Ugh... My whole body...”

...came back to haunt me the next day in a world of aches and pains.