Chapter 18

Health (3)

As I mentioned before, capturing a mandrake was surprisingly simple.

First, pull it out of the ground. Then, if it looked like it was about to scream, beat it like a dog on the hottest day of summer.

If it still stubbornly tried to scream? Stuff its mouth with dirt. It couldn't do anything after that.

Using that method, I first harvested the most urgent request—the Starlight Princess's—and then slowly gathered enough for the other gallery regulars as well.

The next person I gave one to was the Heavenly Demon.

She had helped me more than anyone else.

[Wild Grylls]: Take this and replenish your vitality. Are you feeling all right now?

[Heavenly Demon]: I was only in danger back then. I'm perfectly fine now. I'm more worried about your condition.

[Wild Grylls]: Aside from my stomach hurting a few times a day—probably because of the Bigu Pill—I'm okay.

[Heavenly Demon]: That's proof your body is expelling impurities. You never underwent Reforging the Bones and Cleansing the Marrow, so they're leaving your body that way instead.

[Wild Grylls]: So that's a good thing?

[Heavenly Demon]: Of course. If you want, I can give you more. You gave me something beneficial as well, after all.

[Wild Grylls]: I'm fine. Just the antidote and the medicine for tinnitus that you mentioned before are more than enough.

[Heavenly Demon]: I feel guilty, as though I'm always the one receiving.

[Wild Grylls]: That's exactly what I should be saying.

Every time I talked to her, I couldn't help but think how admirable the Heavenly Demon was.

Everyone teased her for being an old-timer, but whenever someone gave her something, she always repaid the favor.

This was what a true adult should be like.

Though I still had no idea why someone like her spent time in this gallery.

Then again, judging from her usual posts, she was every bit as much of a gallery addict as the rest of us.

Maybe she simply got bored living such a carefree life.

So this is the antidote... and this one treats tinnitus.

After finishing our trade, I checked the items she'd sent.

The labels were written in characters that looked similar to Chinese, so I was confused at first, but the Heavenly Demon explained them.

The gallery automatically translated conversations, but only inside the gallery itself.

Every country still had its own language.

Come to think of it, who on earth had created this gallery and even implemented automatic translation?

It was a strange world in many ways, but that wasn't something I needed to worry about right now.

[SwordMaster]: But... I told you I don't want to become healthier.

[Wild Grylls]: Just consider it repayment for the elixir you gave me before. If you don't want it, you can give it to someone who's sick. Or sell it.

[SwordMaster]: Hmm... All right. Since you put it that way, I guess I can't really refuse.

[Wild Grylls]: Thank you.

I practically forced SwordMaster into accepting it.

I couldn't understand why anyone would refuse something that could make them healthier.

Isn't he going to regret this someday?

Countless people had neglected their health and paid the price.

Health was something you couldn't simply take care of whenever you wanted.

You had to look after it consistently before problems appeared.

[PraisetheSun]: So this is that precious herb?

[Wild Grylls]: Yep. I heard it's really valuable. You gave me that shield before, so this one's a gift.

[PraisetheSun]: Does it... happen to improve stamina? You know, that kind of thing?

[Wild Grylls]: Uh... Since it's an ingredient for elixirs, I guess it probably does?

So he was a guy.

Well, his username should've tipped me off.

[PraisetheSun]: Thanks. I'll give you an amazing gift later.

[Wild Grylls]: You've already given me the shield. If I find anything else that's good for your health, I'll bring it to you.

[PraisetheSun]: You're too kind. Then let's do this—every time you give me a mandrake, I'll give you one thing you want. Sound good?

[Wild Grylls]: Works for me.

I had more than enough mandrakes.

The colony was large enough that I could keep supplying the regulars for quite a while.

Still, I wasn't planning to harvest them recklessly.

If I ran out when I truly needed them, I'd regret it.

It was better to think of them as an emergency reserve.

After finishing my trade with PraisetheSun, I contacted CheongguPrincess.

She'd helped me before, too, so I wanted to give her one as a gift.

[Wild Grylls]: CheongguPrincess, here's one for you.

[CheongguPrincess]: Thank yooou! I'll send you another uniform in return!

[Wild Grylls]: Thanks! Whose is it this time?

[CheongguPrincess]: It's Gioni Sader, the legendary goalkeeper of Chayu!

I still had no idea who that was.

Still, a gift was a gift.

When I'd first received one of her uniforms, I'd wondered whether it would be useful at all.

Surprisingly, it had been incredibly helpful.

The material was so elastic that it never felt restrictive.

[Wild Grylls]: Thanks. Was it the Champions League? I hope you win it.

[CheongguPrincess]: Not the Champions League—the Challengers Cup! But thank yooou!

[Wild Grylls]: Right, the Challengers Cup. That's the tournament where every club in Mephisto competes, right?

[CheongguPrincess]: Yep! It's the greatest competition in the world! Clubs from other countries compete too, not just Mephisto's!

I didn't have a favorite team, but I did enjoy soccer.

Watching underdog South Korea defeat powerhouse Germany had felt like witnessing a miracle.

And when Argentina won the World Cup, all I could think was, Wow... they actually did it.

Soccer was the kind of sport where even the greatest players and strongest teams could become victims of a miracle.

Its unpredictability alone was enough to make it the world's most popular sport.

Especially in this world, where there wasn't much entertainment besides the gallery.

No wonder sports were so popular.

I wonder if they have something like the World Cup.

According to CheongguPrincess, the Challengers Cup—or simply the Challs—allowed clubs from other nations to participate alongside Mephisto's.

Apparently, there were domestic tournaments as well as international competitions.

In the distant past, things had been different.

But now every team consisted of multiple races, turning competitions into battles over club pride rather than national identity.

There didn't seem to be anything resembling a World Cup, where people rooted for their country instead of a club.

Not that it's any of my business.

I already had enough problems of my own.

Even if I was interested in soccer, I didn't have the luxury of worrying about it.

Still, curiosity was curiosity.

I figured I'd look into it later.

From what I'd heard, humanity's influence had been growing stronger by the day, even beginning to shake Mephisto's position as the founding nation.

Maybe I'll make a post asking about it.

The gallery really was convenient at times like this.

I wanted to ask CheongguPrincess more questions, but unfortunately, time was limited.

Apparently, only the head moderator could adjust private chat time.

Maybe I should submit a suggestion.

[Allfather]: Oh! Thank you very much. How much should I pay you?

[Wild Grylls]: You gave me valuable information, so you don't have to pay anything. By the way, have you made any progress on the antidote for the Golden Poison Frog?

[Allfather]: May I answer honestly?

Seeing those words left me puzzled.

May I answer honestly?

That didn't sound very encouraging.

[Wild Grylls]: Thanks. Go Chayu!

[CheongguPrincess]: Thank yooou! Hope you survive another day!

Our conversation ended with me cheering for Chayu.

The only regulars left were Allfather and Passing Dwarf.

[Wild Grylls]: Hello, Allfather. I'd like to give you a mature mandrake.

[Wild Grylls]: Did the results turn out badly?

[Allfather]: Yes. Especially for you, Mr. Grylls, this information is important.

[Wild Grylls]: Hmm... Please explain.

[Allfather]: The Golden Poison Frog's venom is far stronger than we anticipated. My laboratory nearly dissolved because of it.

[Wild Grylls]: Whoa... Are you okay?

As everyone knew, the Golden Poison Frog's venom was extraordinarily potent.

It wasn't even acidic, yet it could melt wood.

That alone spoke volumes.

I'd warned Allfather beforehand, but the fact that his laboratory had almost been destroyed showed just how dangerous it truly was.

If I could somehow make use of that substance, my body might eventually develop resistance to it.

[Allfather]: Yes. Fortunately, there was no accident. But the more important issue is that the poison is so powerful that even the antidote failed to neutralize it.

[Wild Grylls]: Then... ?

Did that mean I'd have to buy the Water of Life after all?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Allfather continued.

[Allfather]: But it wasn't a complete loss. While researching the poison sac, I discovered something else.

[Wild Grylls]: That sounds a lot more promising.

[Allfather]: Yes. If this goes well, you may be able to develop resistance to poison.

Allfather’s explanation went something like this.

After researching the Golden Poison Frog’s venom sac, he had discovered a special substance inside it.

[Wild Grylls]: Wouldn’t that be even better?

[Allfather]: However, you will need to ingest it for at least two weeks. Only then will you be able to develop resistance even to the Golden Poison Frog’s venom.

[Wild Grylls]: That sounds like you’re telling me to catch more frogs.

[Allfather]: You really are perceptive.

Good grief. The nerve of this man.

I let out a dry laugh at Allfather’s shamelessness.

Still, it was well worth trying.

He was talking about gaining resistance to poison itself. For someone in my situation, that would be especially useful.

Right now, insects are more dangerous than the frogs.

At least the Golden Poison Frog’s venom could be blocked with a shield or avoided.

But snakes, venomous insects, and poisonous plants could appear from anywhere.

I was also particularly susceptible to rashes from plants, which made Allfather’s proposal even more appealing.

[Wild Grylls]: It doesn’t sound bad. But I’d appreciate it if you finished making the medicine from what I gave you before first.

[Allfather]: I do have some sense of shame. I’ll prepare the proper dosage and send it to you within two days.

[Wild Grylls]: Thank you.

Considering how much money he possessed, his skill was probably the real deal.

Now the only one left is Passing Dwarf.

Lastly, I gifted a mandrake to Passing Dwarf.

And then that bastard turned it into liquor almost immediately.

I was utterly dumbfounded when I saw it.

I could at least have understood if he had sold it for money.

My conversation with Allfather had ended, but I still felt somewhat uneasy.

He had said it worked by gradually acclimating the body to poison rather than acting as a direct antidote.

That meant the effects would not appear immediately.

It was exactly the kind of thing that could come back to bite me.

For now, I’ll have to rely on the antidote the Heavenly Demon gave me.

I did not think Allfather intended to scam me.

If he had wanted to, he would have done it when I first handed over the Golden Poison Frog.

└ Passing Dwarf: I’m rich, lol.

└ Wild Grylls: Yeah, good for you. Your shit must be huge.

└ Passing Dwarf: Thanks for the compliment.

└ Wild Grylls: You bastard, lol.

└ I’ve got nothing to say to that, hahaha.

I should have known better than to argue.

Some people were so sick they could die any day, while others soaked valuable medicine in alcohol and called it a day.

The world really was unfair.

Though the fact that I had been dropped into the Forest of Four Seasons was unfair enough on its own.

In any case, now that I had sent gifts to all the regulars who had helped me, I moved on to my next task.

Thud! Thump!

“Ugh. This is killing me.”

Digging traps near the cave entrance.

I had a feeling I would regret it if I kept putting the work off, so I needed to do a little every day.

My whole body would ache the next morning?

That was still better than dying.

Times like this really make me want a shower.

For now, I had no choice but to endure it.

Even after the threat of the Golden Poison Frogs disappeared, showering every day would probably be difficult.

The problem was not disposing of the water.

It was my clothes.

To minimize contact with insects and plants, clothing was not optional.

But wearing the same clothes every day would create hygiene problems of its own.

That meant I needed to wash them from time to time, which naturally required a large amount of water.

I’m going to need a lot of soap.

In a place like this, hygiene was especially important.

If I came down with an illness, things could become dangerous very quickly.

It was not as though every sickness disappeared the moment you took medicine.

Perhaps that was why, once the sun began to set, I stopped working and bought some water.

I had been sweating, so I should at least wash the parts that needed cleaning.

Once you experienced that refreshing feeling, it was difficult to forget.

The money felt wasteful, but compared to the price of my life, it was cheap.

Is this my second day?

After giving myself a rough wash, I connected to the gallery.

I had finished everything for the day and wanted to leave a record.

I would probably end up making one every day, just like the Starlight Princess.

Title: Survival, Day 2
Wild Grylls

(Photo of a campfire)

Day two of survival complete! See you tomorrow.

└ Heavenly Demon: Rest well.

└ SwordMaster: Good work. I gave the mandrake to my mother.

└ CheongguPrincess: Thank yooou for the gift. Stay healthy!

└ PraisetheSun: Post something first thing tomorrow. I’ll be worried otherwise.

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Good work today!

Even the head moderator had left a comment.

Apparently, I was attracting more attention than I had thought.

I did not pay much attention to anonymous users.

Most of them were too busy venting their own desires.

└ Passing Dwarf: Hey. I made liquor with what you gave me, and now I can’t sleep, lol.

└ Wild Grylls: Just die already.

└ Passing Dwarf: Hic—hahaha!

└ Damn, I can smell the alcohol through the post, hahaha.

Maybe I had grown somewhat close to the regulars.

Most of the comments were well wishes, telling me I had worked hard.

There was one useless bastard among them, but he was still helpful, so I let it slide.

He might talk like this, but he was also the same guy who had once felt bad enough to send me alcohol as an apology.

Come to think of it, I wonder what happened to the Starlight Princess.

The lack of news was making me anxious.

I hoped she would at least make a post tomorrow.

I slowly lowered myself onto the ground.

It felt a little soft instead of completely hard.

That was thanks to the mat and pillow I had purchased from the auction house.

Apparently, they had been stuffed with straw.

It really is… kind of soft.

Perhaps because of the exhaustion from the day and the soft bedding, drowsiness slowly began to wash over me.

Unable to resist it, I gradually closed my eyes.

All while hoping that the next day would bring only good things.

***

Around the time Grylls finished his work and fell asleep, the gallery remained active regardless of day or night.

Normally, it overflowed with all kinds of pointless posts.

But lately, things had changed.

The topic was Wild Grylls, the man who claimed to have fallen into the Forest of Four Seasons.

Once it became certain that he really was there, countless people began paying attention to him.

Even the incident involving the mature mandrake, which had seemed like nothing more than a minor commotion, was beginning to take on a different meaning.

Title: Gallery User Is Screwed in Real Time ;;

My friend is a knight, and one of his superiors traded with Grylls and ordered him to bring back a mature mandrake ;;

└ Really?

└ Yeah. The guy’s pretty high-ranking.

└ This feels way too sudden.

└ Apparently, they’d been watching quietly all along. The post that dwarf made seems to have convinced them.

└ Hahahaha. At this rate, won’t even the emperor order someone to bring one back?

└ I’m more curious about how the Magic Tower will react.

└ Why the Magic Tower?

└ They control the mandrake monopoly. They’re probably watching this more closely than anyone.

└ Come on. Would they really make a big deal over something this small?

└ Don’t you remember the incident with the head moderator from two terms ago?

└ What happened?

Someone from another territory made a secret agreement with the Dwat Territory and began sending goods there without tariffs. That nearly drove the other territory into bankruptcy.

└ But Grylls doesn’t have enough supply, does he?

└ The Magic Tower lacks supply too, if you look at it that way. They don’t cultivate mandrakes. They only manage them.

└ So they have to obtain them from elsewhere too?

└ I heard they have enormous authority and monopoly rights, so their abuse of power is pretty severe.

└ Then from the Magic Tower’s perspective, Grylls must be rather inconvenient.

The atmosphere was beginning to take a strange turn.