Chapter 11
Golden Poison Frog (1)
There was a slang expression: “the comments got gutted.”
Put another way, it meant the whole thing had turned into a complete mess.
I had only made the post to express my gratitude, but a few people barged in, and the comment section descended into chaos almost instantly.
It started with CheongguPrincess, followed by KingLeor suddenly crashing in, along with countless anonymous users.
Everyone hurled insults and made jokes about each other’s parents.
The notification chime rang without pause.
Doesn’t the head moderator usually step in when this happens?
As far as I knew, the head moderator intervened when things became too heated.
There had been a similar rule in the pinned notice.
Even if sports fans were the ones arguing, once it devolved into personal attacks, the discussion could no longer be considered sports-related.
L DontAbandonTheHero) Stop it! If you keep spamming, I’ll ban you!
_ CheongguPrincess) That bastard started it first!
_ KingLeor) She’s the one talking nonsense.
L DontAbandonTheHero) Even so, don’t fight under someone else’s post! I’ll open an arena thread, so fight there!
_ CheongguPrincess) Okaaay.
_ KingLeor) Okay lol.
The moment I thought that, the head moderator appeared.
They ordered everyone to stop fighting under my post and take it to the arena instead.
Everyone obediently disappeared.
At last, I was freed from notification hell.
Not long afterward, a new post from the head moderator appeared on the gallery.
[Arena: Which Team Has More Tradition?]
I refreshed the page once, and comments immediately began pouring in.
Nothing good would come from going in there.
I had heard that posts encouraging conflict between nations were bannable, but this seemed to be allowed because it was about sports.
Of course, the head moderator would probably intervene personally if things became too heated.
They seemed fairly competent at their job.
I should focus on my own work.
Now that I had returned all the compasses, I began devising a way to deal with the Golden Poison Frog.
First of all, the river where it lived was a natural fortress in itself.
The water was so clear that it was difficult to judge the depth, and the current was fairly strong as well.
If I entered it, I would probably die from a single spit attack.
That meant a ranged weapon was essential.
A bow would be difficult... A crossbow is probably my best option.
I did not know how to use a bow.
A crossbow, at least, should be relatively easier to handle.
I currently had around 650 gold in my gallery balance.
It was the money I had earned from selling the Steel-Scale Snake.
I had no idea whether that would be enough to buy a crossbow, let alone the specific type I wanted.
For now, I decided to make a post.
***
Title: Crossbow Question
Wild Grylls
I’m planning to catch a frog.
Is there a harpoon-type crossbow?
Something where the bolt stays connected to the crossbow so I can reel the target in after hitting it.
ㄴ SwordMaster) Why do you need a crossbow?
_ Wild Grylls) I need it to catch the frog. The river’s too deep to approach carelessly.
_ SwordMaster) Can’t you just fire sword energy at it?
_ Wild Grylls) ;;;
L SwordMaster) Or you could just walk on the water.
_ Wild Grylls) Sir?
_ PassingDwarf) The kind you described can be made by modifying one.
L Wild Grylls) About how much would that cost?
_ PassingDwarf) Since it’s dwarven-made, around 500 gold. That okay?
Was this guy joking with me?
I was so dumbfounded that a dry laugh escaped me.
Then again, considering the level of swordsmanship knowledge SwordMaster had posted, he might actually have been serious.
Only after I repeatedly emphasized that I was an ordinary person did the conversation finally settle down.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon) Why not master all the internal cultivation methods this Lady has taught you before attempting to catch it?
L Wild Grylls) I still need water to survive, ma’am.
L Heavenly Demon) This Lady can provide you with more than enough water.
L Wild Grylls) Then I won’t be able to ask for your help when I truly need it.
“What the hell...”
Why was it so expensive?
Was it studded with diamonds or something?
The price far exceeded my expectations.
I had been told that around 300 gold was enough to cover a commoner’s living expenses for a month.
This went well beyond that.
Maybe it was because it was dwarven-made, just like in fantasy novels.
I had no idea whether that logic applied in this world too.
As I had said before, I intended to ask for help only when I truly needed it.
It was like keeping a special opportunity in reserve.
Until then, I needed to be self-sufficient.
Otherwise, I would have to earn money and buy what I needed from the auction house.
Besides, a crossbow could prove useful in many different situations.
L Wild Grylls) Why is it so damn expensive? Is it plated in gold or something?
L It’s dwarven-made. Of course it’s expensive lol.
_ Isn’t that actually on the cheap side because it’s only a crossbow?
L Crossbow prices vary wildly depending on the maker.
L Crossbows are probably second only to swords in that regard.
_ PassingDwarf) Don’t forget the modification fee. This is genuinely cheap. I’m only offering it like this because I feel bad.
L Wild Grylls) What do you feel bad about?
_ PassingDwarf) For telling you to go become fertilizer. I didn’t know your situation was that serious.
L Wild Grylls) Hmm. How much does a normal crossbow cost?
L PassingDwarf) I don’t know much about human-made ones.
ㄴ Probably around thirty gold.
L A normal bow is around ten gold.
L Wild Grylls) What kind of insane premium is that?
_ PassingDwarf) If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
L Wild Grylls) Hey now. I never said I wasn’t buying it.
L Lololol, look at that immediate change in attitude.
Either way, this was an opportunity.
PassingDwarf might be the only person capable of providing the exact type of crossbow I wanted.
It was expensive, but if dwarven goods were known for their reliability, then the price might be worth paying.
Even if it turned out to be a scam, I could simply refuse to buy from him again.
If things went badly, I could ask someone else for a crossbow.
L Don’t tell me everything else is also written in the World Tree Watermelon Manual lol.
L Wild Grylls) I’m only using a crossbow because this is urgent. I don’t know how to use a bow.
L LetsGrowTrees) I see. In that case, why not practice archery and learn about the greatness of elves at the same time?
L What greatness? lol.
ㄴ There are plenty of people better at archery than those damn elves lol.
ㄴ Here we go again. The elves are getting active ;;
L LetsGrowTrees) But generally speaking, the bow is the symbol of elves. Let me ask you in return: when you think of archery, which race comes to mind?
ㄴ Damn, that sounds annoying, but she’s right, so I can’t argue.
_ Those damn elves really are good with bows lol.
_ What good does that do? They don’t have a proper frontline, so they get wiped out anyway lol.
Despite being steeped in imperialism, elves apparently still being associated with bows was common knowledge.
At least that part matched what I knew.
I left a comment under the increasingly noisy post.
L LetsGrowTrees) A bow is still superior to a crossbow. This is also proven in the World Tree Watermelon Manual.
L What the hell is with this elf?
ㄴ She’s making that World Tree Watermelon Manual joke again.
L Historically speaking, she’s not wrong...
ㄴ Wild Grylls) My country was really good at archery too.
ㄴ LetsGrowTrees) Were your ancestors perhaps elves?
L Wild Grylls) No, no ;;
L Lololol, look at her. Not a single prejudice in sight.
ㄴ I can’t tell whether that’s good or bad lololol.
L Wild Grylls) Also, the world I lived in only had humans.
L LetsGrowTrees) A world with nothing but humans? That’s impossible!
_ He said he came from another world. Try to be understanding.
L Let it slide. He’s pitiful.
L It’s just a gimmick lol.
While I waited, it seemed PassingDwarf had finished modifying the crossbow.
I immediately sent him a trade request.
A crossbow made by a dwarf.
I wondered how good it would be.
I sincerely hoped it would justify the price.
They still refused to believe that I truly came from another world.
It did not matter much.
Whether they believed me or not, all I had to do was survive here.
ㄴ But was your country really that good at archery?
L Wild Grylls) Yeah. Extremely good. Not me personally, though.
L Was there a reason? Some kind of racial trait?
L Wild Grylls) Because there were a lot of countries above and below us that we wanted to shoot at lol.
L Lolololololol.
L Is this bastard insane? lololololol.
_ PassingDwarf) Hey. I finished the modifications. Send the trade request.
[PassingDwarf has registered trade items.]
[PassingDwarf: I included the harpoon bolt you asked for, plus several other bolts. Just know that the harpoon bolt’s range is really damn short.]
[Wild Grylls: How short?]
[PassingDwarf: Its maximum effective range is around fifty meters.]
Around fifty meters.
At those words, I thought about the stream where the Golden Poison Frog lived.
It was narrow enough to be called a stream rather than a river.
Its depth was the real problem.
Still, considering the range of the frog’s spit, fifty meters was cutting it close.
Ideally, I should hide and launch a surprise attack.
What’s this?
There was a brown bottle sealed with a cork.
The cork told me what it was.
Alcohol.
I remembered PassingDwarf saying before that he would give me a drink, so I should not kill myself.
I had not expected him to actually send it.
For all his rough talk, he had a surprisingly soft heart.
I’ll save this for later.
I planned to use the alcohol as something similar to an anesthetic or painkiller.
Being drunk could dull pain to some extent.
I carefully placed the bottle against the wall so it would not break, then inspected the crossbow.
It had a mostly black frame.
Perhaps because it had been made by a dwarf, even the design looked impressive.
The bolt is connected to it.
The harpoon-shaped bolt was linked to the crossbow by a thin rope.
I had a rough understanding of how it was supposed to work.
I should test it first.
A crossbow was difficult to make, but as far as I knew, using one was not particularly complicated.
I placed my foot into the stirrup-like part at the front of the crossbow.
I had heard that was how it was supposed to be used.
[Wild Grylls: All right lol. I’ve added the money too.]
[PassingDwarf: I included a pair of gloves too, just in case.]
[Wild Grylls: How much are those? I’ll pay extra.]
[PassingDwarf: Stop trying to get ripped off and just take them ;;]
He had already given me toilet paper for free, so I felt bad accepting anything else.
Somehow, I had ended up receiving gloves as well.
Considering that touching the frog carelessly could cause serious trouble, they were quite an appropriate gift.
If I found any valuable medicinal herbs later, I should give them to him.
Or perhaps leather would be better.
Since he was a blacksmith, leather would probably be more useful than herbs.
Let’s see. He sent it in a box.
Once the trade was complete, a box appeared.
I opened the lid of the neatly shaped container.
The first things I saw were the crossbow and the gloves.
Behind them was a bottle.
It was so unexpected that I stared at it in confusion.
I set the crossbow on the ground, secured it with my foot, and pulled the string to cock it—
Clunk.
“Hm?”
...Or at least, that was what was supposed to happen.
Why wasn’t it working?
I was slightly flustered.
I pulled on the string, but it would not move.
Instead, my entire body jerked with the effort.
At first, I thought it might have caught on something.
But when I pulled harder, the string slowly began to rise.
“Grrrrraaaagh!”
Only after shouting with effort did I barely manage to cock it.
I panted heavily, unable to hide my disbelief.
What kind of crossbow was this that even loading it required so much strength?
Was this normal?
There were superhumans in this world who could shatter mountains with their bare bodies, so it was not impossible.
I sighed and loaded a bolt.
I would start with the harpoon bolt.
I needed to conserve the others, so I planned to practice with the reusable harpoon first.
...It even has a stock, so aiming should be easy.
It was also fairly light for its size.
That made it easy to aim.
I stepped outside the cave and pointed it at a tree some distance away.
If I fired it at the hard stone wall of the cave, the harpoon might break.
A tree was a better target.
Hold my breath...
Thwang!
The moment I pulled the trigger, the sound of air being torn apart reached my ears.
The draw weight was so powerful that the gust stirred my hair.
Thud!
The harpoon flew across the distance and struck the center of a straight tree.
No—
It did not merely lodge itself in the trunk.
It pierced straight through it.
The power was terrifying.
That Golden Poison Frog would not stand a chance against this.
It probably would not even realize what had hit it.
Now I understand why it was so expensive.
I clicked my tongue in amazement at the power, which far exceeded my expectations, then retrieved the harpoon.
Because it was attached to the rope, recovering it was not difficult.
Still, I need to practice.
Part of me wanted to hunt the Golden Poison Frog immediately.
But there was a saying that the more urgent something was, the more carefully one should proceed.
Since reloading took an absurd amount of time, I would only have one chance.
I needed to kill the frog with that single shot.
If I failed, I would have no choice but to turn around and run for my life.
The moment its poison hit me, I was as good as dead.
I had to prepare thoroughly if I wanted to drink as much water as I pleased from now on.
It definitely had nothing to do with being blinded by AllFather’s offer of twenty thousand gold.
Even if only because I feel filthy, I’m definitely taking a bath.
After going two days without washing, I felt unbearably grimy.
It was fortunate that the weather was only moderately warm.
If it had been humid and sweltering, it would have been unbearable.
I continued practicing until sunset.
I even became slightly more accustomed to pulling the string back.
As the sky began to darken, I returned to the cave.
With the money I have left...
After buying the crossbow, I had roughly one hundred gold remaining.
I planned to buy as much as I could with it.
The most urgent items were snake and insect repellents.
I had been lucky so far, but I could easily be bitten by a venomous snake or insect while sleeping.
I also needed antidotes and various medicines.
An antidote was especially essential because of the frog.
The auction house has almost everything, but... it’s all so expensive.
The ridiculous fees were holding me back.
Being able to ignore normal distribution channels was certainly convenient, but the prices were still outrageous.
That did not mean I could simply refuse to buy anything.
Gritting my teeth, I purchased one bottle of antidote.
There was always a chance of being scammed, so I carefully read through the reviews beforehand.
For the repellent... I’ll buy this one.
By the time I finished purchasing everything, I had only twenty gold left.
I did not feel particularly regretful.
Not when these items might extend my life.
I sprayed the repellent around the cave entrance and near the place where I slept.
I had no idea whether it would truly work, but I could only hope.
I had read those reviews carefully too.
Crunch. Crunch.
“Ugh. This tastes like shit.”
I did not forget to eat several Wall-Fasting Pills for dinner.
The intensely bitter taste of medicinal herbs spread through my mouth.
I would have to survive on these for a while, so I had no choice but to endure it.
At least I had something to eat.
“Ughhh...”
After eating the pills, I tried to sit in the lotus position.
It was not time to sleep yet.
The moment I crossed my legs, pain shot through me as if my joints were being twisted apart.
Even so, I stubbornly endured it.
Was this the posture people used for mana cultivation and internal cultivation techniques?
The Heavenly Demon had offered to teach me, so all I needed to do for now was practice sitting properly.
Will I get used to it after about a week?
Flexibility did not improve overnight.
I would need to keep practicing for several days.
Still, I had nothing else to do before going to sleep, so I had plenty of time.
If I were at home, I would probably be playing games nonstop.
I’m glad I at least have the gallery.
I browsed the gallery while practicing the lotus position.
In truth, the gallery played an enormous role in keeping me sane.
Humans were creatures that struggled to endure loneliness.
There was a reason they were called social animals.
Was it Robinson Crusoe?
I remembered reading a story about a man stranded on a deserted island who treated a ball like a person.
That was how essential communication was to humans.
For now, the gallery was filling that need.
I should get some sleep soon.
Time passed quickly while I explored the gallery.
I finally uncrossed my legs.
Because I had been reading posts while sitting in the lotus position, I had almost forgotten the pain.
Of course, the instant I became conscious of it again, an overwhelming wave of agony struck me.
Enduring the feeling that my joints were being torn apart, I prepared my sleeping area.
The daytime was warm, but the temperature dropped at night, so a fire was essential.
Crackle! Crackle!
I used the ignition stone the Heavenly Demon had given me and some wood from outside to start a fire.
The cave felt slightly warmer.
On the first day, I had been so exhausted that I had not even noticed the cold.
Besides, I had nearly died after being bitten by the Mad Dog.
I added several pieces of firewood, then made a post on the gallery.
***
Title: End of Survival Day 1
Wild Grylls
(Photo of a single line scratched onto the wall.)
(Photo of a blazing campfire.)
That marks the end of Survival Day 1.
Time to sleep.
_ Heavenly Demon) You have endured much. Rest well.
L SwordMaster) Sleep well.
L So today counts as Day 1?
ㄴ Seems like it. If the updates suddenly stop...
L Ugh ;; That would feel awful.
_ StarlightPrincess) Let’s both keep trying. I’ll be waiting for Day 2.
_ Living on borrowed time versus terminally ill.
L My heart is swelling with emotion.
_ Thank you for supporting Wild Grylls until now.
L StarlightPrincess) You people are truly awful.
Right.
What the hell did I expect from those idiots?
Just to be clear, I meant the anonymous users, not the permanent-name users.
Most of the permanent-name users encouraged me.
The anonymous ones, though...
No explanation was necessary.
Still, it’s better than nothing.
I chuckled and closed the gallery.
Then I lay down on the hard stone floor.
If I caught the Golden Poison Frog tomorrow, should I buy a blanket first?
A pillow might be nice too.
Perhaps because I had gone through another exhausting day, those thoughts did not last long.
Drowsiness began to overtake me.
As my eyes slowly closed and the chirping of insects gradually faded—
I want to go home.
With that desperate wish in my heart, my consciousness completely disappeared.