Chapter 14

Mandrake (1)

It was fairly common to wreck your body while digging. Shoveling itself was work that required a terrifying amount of physical effort.

Without proper technique, it would be impossible to move normally the next day. Fortunately, I had completed military service.

I had at least some experience, so I could still move. Otherwise, I probably would have been bedridden all day.

‘Isn’t there anything like a pain-relief patch?’

I massaged my tightly knotted muscles and logged into the Gallery, hoping to find something similar to a medicated patch.

Unfortunately, there was nothing of the sort. It seemed to be one of the limitations of the era.

Instead, I made a post asking whether there was any medicine effective against muscle pain.

Title: What’s Good for Muscle Pain?
Wild Grylls

I pulled a muscle digging yesterday.

_SwordMaster: Mana cultivation is good for muscle pain.
└ Wild Grylls: Mana cultivation can’t possibly cure everything. ;;

_Heavenly Demon: It appears you are unfamiliar with such matters. An internal-energy cultivation method—more precisely, circulating and regulating one’s energy—is indeed effective against muscle pain.
└ Wild Grylls: Is there any medicinal herb instead?

_SwordMaster: You should usually leave muscle pain alone. If you treat it with medicine, your muscles won’t grow as effectively.
└ Heavenly Demon: This is the first time I have heard such knowledge. Are you certain?
└ SwordMaster: Probably? I have a constitution that makes me stronger just by breathing.
└ Heavenly Demon: You are similar to this lady.
└ Wild Grylls: What the hell...?

_ A bunch of shut-ins are talking like that, LMAO.
_ Does such a constitution actually exist?
└ If it did, the government would have recruited them already.

I wished I had a constitution like that.

I let out a sigh.

In the end, it seemed best to endure the muscle pain. It wasn’t so severe that I couldn’t move at all, so I could probably tolerate it.

Still, working today would be difficult. If I pushed myself any further, my urine might turn cola-colored tomorrow.

‘Forget the muscle pain. I just want to wash.’

I hadn’t washed in three days, and the grimy feeling was driving me insane. Oil was practically streaming down my face.

But I couldn’t go to the river either.

I couldn’t trade my life for a shower.

At least the forest was cool and not very humid. If this had been a jungle, it would have been unbearable.

‘For now, I should buy some water. It feels wasteful, but I have no choice.’

I needed to maintain a minimum level of cleanliness to avoid harming my health. At the very least, I had to wash my hands.

I purchased a large quantity of water from the Gallery auction house.

It was painful to spend the money, but I had no other option until I found another river.

The water arrived with a bucket. Before washing, I tested its quality.

‘Since I bought it from the auction house, I can’t just trust it blindly.’

Fortunately, it was exactly as the reviews had described: perfectly ordinary water.

It had been drawn from a well.

I used it to wash my face, hands, feet, and finally the areas where sweat tended to accumulate.

I also used soap. Following yesterday’s advice, I chose one with almost no fragrance.

Once I had roughly cleaned myself, I wiped down thoroughly with a towel I had purchased from the auction house.

It wasn’t a proper shower, but even that made me feel considerably refreshed.

Crunch. Crunch.

“Ugh... Bitter. So bitter.”

Then came breakfast.

My face twisted naturally as I chewed the disgustingly bitter fasting pills.

These fasting pills were truly fascinating. I only had to chew a few, yet almost all sense of hunger disappeared.

Just as the Heavenly Demon had said, perhaps they really were made from medicinal herbs that were good for the body. I didn’t feel hungry at all.

Of course, considering their tiny size, I couldn’t expect to feel full.

Even so, I was fairly satisfied.

‘Meat is a luxury for someone in my position.’

I should be grateful that no carnivorous beast had come to this cave yet.

After finishing breakfast, I looked inside the pouch containing the fasting pills.

There were still plenty left, but they wouldn’t last forever.

I could ask the Heavenly Demon for more, but she had said they were made from valuable medicinal herbs. Asking would only burden her.

‘I can’t depend on the Gallery. I need to keep reminding myself of that.’

Ordinarily, accessing the Gallery from the Forest of Four Seasons was impossible.

For reasons unknown, I was able to do so.

Put another way, there was no telling when I might suddenly lose access.

I needed to improve my own abilities in preparation for that possibility.

It was a resolution I made over and over again.

‘Today, let’s go in the opposite direction from the river.’

It was the area where I had abandoned the mad dog’s corpse and where the owlbear had appeared.

Because of the owlbear, I hadn’t dared to set foot there for some time.

But that was no longer an option.

Even if it only raised my chances of escape by 0.01 percent, I needed to take risks and explore.

I intended to use this place as a base and create a safe zone around it. I had no intention of living as a complete wilderness hermit forever.

Choosing to live here in the first place was already the worst possible option.

Even if it took time, I still held on to the hope of escaping.

‘I’ll take the sword and shield.’

I left the crossbow behind.

It was too large, and in an emergency, it would be less useful than a sword.

Most importantly, reloading after a single shot took far too long. That delay alone could cause serious trouble.

Besides, I needed to practise the basic swordsmanship SwordMaster had posted.

I had been studying it little by little whenever I had time.

‘When bracing myself, I put my left leg forward...’

Before setting out, I checked my stance.

A sword-and-shield warrior was an exceptionally well-balanced combat class.

The reassuring weight of the shield gave me such a strong sense of security that I didn’t have to worry about being overwhelmed by an opponent’s presence.

Shields were so absurdly effective that I had once heard ancient gladiators were sometimes forced to fight without them because they were considered too unfair.

‘Let’s go.’

With slight nervousness, I stepped outside the cave.

The unfinished hole I had begun digging yesterday remained near the entrance.

Once I returned from exploring, I would have to start shoveling again.

Just imagining it was horrifying.

But I couldn’t simply leave it unfinished.

Being alone was truly miserable.

Title: Heading Out to Explore
Wild Grylls

(Photo of me looking into the forest while holding a sword and shield)

Today, I’m going in the opposite direction from the river.

For reference, it’s where the owlbear appeared.

_Heavenly Demon: Is that not dangerous? You still have many fasting pills, so I believe it would be best to master an internal-energy cultivation method before going.
└ SwordMaster: The Heavenly Demon is right. Wouldn’t it be better to train inside first?
└ Starlight Princess: You’re not actually going to make your life as fragile as a fly’s, are you...?
└ PraiseTheSun: I went through the trouble of giving you that shield. It would be rather upsetting if you died.
_ Passing Dwarf: My crossbow weeps... It weeps...

└ Wild Grylls: Can’t you all just cheer me on...? I’ll run away immediately if an owlbear appears.
└ He’s sulking, LMAO.
_ We can’t help it. We’re genuinely worried about you, LOL.
└ That just means everyone cares about you.
└ The Gallery will be sad if you die.

“...”

It felt nice to know that so many people cared about me, just as the comments said.

Was this why people became addicted to browsing the Gallery?

Unlike genuine attention seekers, I desperately needed conversations with other people.

How would I have survived the loneliness if I hadn’t had the Gallery?

‘No, that’s wrong. The mad dog would have killed me.’

With that thought, I headed toward the area where the owlbear had appeared before.

When I reached the place where I had discarded the mad dog’s corpse, I found it surprisingly clean.

Some bones, scraps of flesh, and part of the head remained, but it was far better than leaving the entire corpse untouched.

If the owlbear hadn’t dealt with it, the body would have been swarming with maggots and insects while giving off a terrible stench.

‘Still, I shouldn’t get close.’

Using the mad dog’s corpse as a landmark, I turned right.

The trees were densely packed in that direction.

Open terrain was somewhat dangerous. If I encountered the owlbear there, I might not be able to escape.

Of course, considering its house-sized body, it could probably knock the trees down while chasing me.

But I still had to increase my chances of survival, even if only slightly.

“There are quite a lot of trees.”

As I pushed through them, I made sure to mark the trunks with my sword.

If anything about the terrain felt strange, I intended to turn around immediately without looking back.

Space twisted and tangled here as badly as my own life, so I needed to remain especially cautious.

“Heave-ho. Huh?”

When I emerged from the densely packed trees, a clearing spread out before me.

It was quite large and covered with thick weeds.

‘...Is a boss monster going to appear?’

In games, places like this were exactly where boss monsters tended to jump out.

Just in case, I walked back toward the trees.

The location might suddenly change, so I had to be careful.

After observing the area for a while, however, I realized that the likelihood of it shifting was low.

The clearing was somewhat large, but I couldn’t find anything visibly unnatural about it.

Most Gallery users concluded that the plants were radishes.

To be honest, they did look like radishes.

Apparently, radishes bore fruit as well.

In that case, wouldn’t it be fine to pull one out?

Judging by the ring of trees surrounding the clearing, perhaps this place was simply unusual.

‘Why? Why is the boundary here so distinct?’

It wasn’t unnatural, but the boundary was clearly defined.

Without lowering my guard, I examined the supposed weeds in the clearing.

Upon closer inspection, they weren’t weeds at all. They were fruit-bearing plants.

Bright red fruit hung from them like raspberries.

They might have been poisonous, so I had no intention of eating them.

Instead, I took a photo and posted it in the Gallery.

Title: Anyone Know What This Is?
Wild Grylls

(Photo of a plant bearing raspberry-like fruit)

Does anyone know what this is? There are tons of them here.

└ Aren’t those raspberries?
└ They look more like radishes. Look at the leaves.
└ Radishes bear fruit?
_ They do, but I think these look a little different.

└ Allfather: Oh? You must not pull those out carelessly. This is only a guess, but they may be mandrakes.
└ Wild Grylls: What’s a mandrake?
└ Allfather: A plant that screams when its root is pulled from the ground. Hearing the scream will not kill you, but it will cause severe damage to your hearing.
└ Doesn’t hearing the scream kill you?
└ That’s what I heard too.

_Allfather: That is a distorted version of the truth. A mandrake’s scream induces temporary confusion, but it is not fatal.
└ Then where did the story about people dying come from?
└ Allfather: Human greed. Mandrakes are exceedingly rare plants. Many people have killed one another while trying to claim them. In most such cases, their actions were treated leniently because they had supposedly been affected by the confusion.

_ Humans are scarier than the mandrakes. ;;
└ Typical damn humans.
_ Why are humans suddenly getting blamed?

└ Whenever something like this happens, it always turns out to be humans, LOL.
└ Damn, this bastard’s being racist against an entire species.

In any case, pulling one out would only be somewhat noisy.

It wouldn’t put my life in danger.

Still, hearing damage would be troublesome, so I needed to prepare properly.

└ Seriously. Does he think mandrakes are weeds? LOL.
└ It’s the Forest of Four Seasons. They might actually be real.
└ It won’t be too late to decide after he pulls one out.
└ If those really are mandrakes, that’s an incredible find.

└ Wild Grylls: Are mandrakes expensive?
└ What kind of question is that? They’re one of the main ingredients used to make elixirs.
└ They’re also insanely difficult to harvest, so the auction house would go wild if you listed one.
└ Allfather: (Photo of the plant) (Photo of a human-shaped root)
_ Allfather: It should be easier if you compare it with these.

While everyone argued back and forth, Allfather uploaded some pictures.

I compared them with the plant in front of me.

Its outward appearance was identical to the one in the photograph, but the fruit was different.

The fruit in Allfather’s picture was green, whereas the ones before me were red.

‘Are the fruits ripe?’

Just in case, I purchased a pair of earplugs from the auction house.

They looked similar to ones from Earth.

The description claimed they were also used by soldiers, though I didn’t know much about that. As long as they sealed my ears tightly, that was enough.

Since the root was supposedly shaped like a person, it shouldn’t be difficult to identify.

└ Wild Grylls: Do I just pull it out? There’s no chance I’ll hear the sound.
_ Allfather: If you are fully prepared, simply pull it out firmly, just as you would pull up a radish.
└ Wild Grylls: Okay.

So I only had to grab it and pull with all my strength.

I immediately got to work.

Now that I was wearing earplugs, I should be fine even if it screamed.

The product description claimed they could even block the sound of cannon fire.

That might have been an exaggeration, but the reviews suggested they were highly reliable.

After letting out a nervous breath, I pulled with all my might.

“Heave... ho!”

Pop!

I felt it catch on something halfway through, but I managed to pull it out without much trouble.

I immediately examined the plant’s root.

According to the Gallery, mandrakes were shaped like humans.

Not exactly human, but close enough to resemble one.

“Huh?”

However, what I had pulled out was far stranger than that.

To be more precise, it looked like an actual person.

It didn’t merely have a humanoid shape. Its proportions were exactly the same as a person’s.

Its arms and legs were clearly defined, and even its facial expression was distinct.

It even had fine, beard-like hairs growing along its chin.

Rather than merely resembling a person, it looked as though someone had copied an actual human appearance onto the root.

To make matters stranger, it stood with its arms crossed, looking unbearably dignified.

‘And why is it so red? Is this a mandrake or red ginseng?’

It resembled a mandrake, but there were far too many differences.

I would have to ask the others directly.

Flash!

Just as I was about to log into the Gallery, the root, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly snapped them open.

Because its entire body was red, I didn’t realize at first that it had opened its eyes.

Only when it slowly uncrossed its arms did I finally notice.

“Huh?”

“Huuuuup...!”

While I stood there in confusion, the root began drawing in an enormous breath.

That was when I felt something was wrong.

I hurriedly tried to release it, but the situation Allfather had warned me about unfolded first.

[UWOOOOOOOOOOOOH!]

A scream—no, a monstrous roar—pierced straight through the earplugs.

Without them, my hearing wouldn’t merely have been damaged. My eardrums would have burst.

I grimaced and stumbled backward.

Because I had clapped both hands over my ears, I ended up dropping the mandrake.

Was it going to burrow back into the ground?

I cautiously opened the eyes I had squeezed shut.

Why was it just standing there?

It had merely let out one roar before crossing its arms again.

Because it looked so much like a person, it seemed to be staring up at me with a deeply displeased expression.

According to Allfather, it should have continued screaming until it was replanted.

So what exactly was this?

Rumble—!

While I was still wondering, an earthquake suddenly struck.

I nearly lost my balance.

First a monstrous roar, and now an earthquake.

That didn’t seem like a good sign.

‘Let’s just grab this one and leave.’

I hurriedly seized the mandrake.

To stop it from roaring again, I forcefully clamped my hands over its mouth.

The root itself was so thick that covering its mouth was difficult, but using both hands made it possible.

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

Apparently, it hadn’t expected me to gag it, because it began struggling violently.

That was what it got for standing there with its arms crossed.

All I had to do was return to the cave.

Without wasting another moment, I started moving.

Pop! Pop!

“Huh...?”

What the hell were those things?

I stopped before I could take another step.

Red, human-shaped figures were emerging from the ground all around me.

The entire clearing churned as though corpses buried in a graveyard were rising from the dead.

The creatures emerging from the earth looked exactly like the mandrake that had just roared.

There were men, women, children, and elderly figures mixed among them, but since every single one was red, they were undoubtedly mandrakes.

‘I’m screwed.’

This was bad.

No, it went beyond bad. It felt ominous.

Still holding the mandrake, I turned my back on them.

I had a rough idea of what they were about to do.

Hadn’t the golden poison frogs done something similar only yesterday?

The difference was that I could block the frogs’ poison with my shield.

Sound was another matter.

My only option was to run as far away as possible.

Worse still, I was using both hands to keep the mandrake’s mouth shut.

“Hiss!”

“Huuup!”

By the time I reached the densely packed trees—

[UWOOOOOOOOOOOOH!]

An enormous shock wave slammed into my back.

***

Title: What Should You Do After Being Hit by a Sound Attack?
Wild Grylls

A whole group of mandrakes screamed at once. Does anyone know how to treat this?

└ Heavenly Demon: A sound attack and a scream? Were you struck by a Lion’s Roar?
└ Wild Grylls: Something similar.
└ Heavenly Demon: How badly were you injured?
└ Wild Grylls: My ears keep ringing.
└ Heavenly Demon: Then it seems you were struck properly. Have you lost your hearing, or is there blood coming from your ears?
_ Wild Grylls: Fortunately, no. I was wearing earplugs.
└ Heavenly Demon: Then your hearing is unlikely to have suffered permanent damage. With sufficient rest, you should recover quickly. However, you will likely suffer from tinnitus for a while, so I shall obtain medicine for you.
└ Wild Grylls: Thank you. Have you ever been hit by a Lion’s Roar, Heavenly Demon?
└ Heavenly Demon: I have. This lady tore out the bastard’s throat so that he would never shout again for the rest of his life.
└ Wild Grylls: Sh-Shiver...

└ What the hell did you do to make a whole group of mandrakes scream?
_ Wild Grylls: I pulled one out, and when it roared, all the others came out of the ground on their own.
└ ??? I’ve never heard of that happening.
└ Are you sure those were mandrakes?
└ Wild Grylls: I’ll upload a picture.

Title: Is This Really a Mandrake?
Wild Grylls

(Photo of a battered red mandrake)

It really does look like a person, but why is its body so red?

└ What happened to it? Its face looks like it got beaten to hell.
└ Wild Grylls: It kept making noise, so I grabbed it by the head and slammed it into a wall. I also stuffed dirt into its mouth.

└ That’s seriously cruel, LOL.
_ Silence magic—physical edition, LMAO.

_ Aren’t mandrakes plants? Can they even feel pain?
└ They’re closer to monsters, so they do feel pain. But this is the first time I’ve heard of someone beating one until it shut up, LOL.
└ Do mandrakes normally look like that, though?
└ I heard they resemble people, but that thing is practically human.
└ At that point, isn’t it just a monster rather than a mandrake?
└ Normal mandrakes look vaguely human, which makes them unsettling. That one looks exactly human, so it feels even stranger.
└ Maybe it’s some kind of hundred-year-old mandrake?
└ LOL, what is this, wild ginseng?

└ I looked it up in a book. Apparently, red mandrakes are a superior species of mandrake.
└ What book did you check?
_ An encyclopedia of medicinal herbs. It says they’re incredibly rare.

└ How rare?
_ It says they’re even more valuable because they’re a superior species.
└ LOL, wasn’t that book written by some quack?
└ LMAO.

└ It was written by a highly respected scholar. ;;
└ Don’t elixirs use mandrakes as an ingredient? Could that thing be used too?
└ Yeah. That’s why only magic towers are allowed to cultivate mandrakes.
└ If that’s a superior species, how powerful would it be?

While everyone continued arguing over the red mandrake—

└ Allfather: Oh. By Aragon, no. I believe that is a fully matured mandrake.

Fatheremon—no, Allfather—responded with something close to outright shock.