Chapter 20

Owlbear (1)

Title: A Bright and Energetic Morning!

(Photo of a raised thumb)

If anyone asks who I am, tell them I’m Grylls!

└ Heavenly Demon: You’re awake. Did anything happen during the night?

└ Wild Grylls: No. I slept like a log. Did you sleep well, Heavenly Demon?

└ Heavenly Demon: Given my cultivation level, I have no need for sleep.

└ Wild Grylls: Ah. Right.

Even if something interesting happened while I was asleep, what I had to do remained the same.

Report that I was still alive.

It was a post announcing the beginning of another day.

The Heavenly Demon and the other familiar regulars each left greetings.

Quite a few anonymous users commented as well.

└ Grylls, did you see the posts from dawn?

└ Wild Grylls: What posts?

└ The ones saying they wanted to buy mature mandrakes from you. There were tons of them.

└ Wild Grylls: Oh, I saw those. I got a lot of trade requests too.

└ Are you going to sell them?

I wasn’t sure.

As I had already said, I didn’t have that kind of leeway.

I wasn’t short on money, nor was there anything I urgently needed.

I could buy most things through the auction house.

The people I had traded with so far had helped me out of pure goodwill, so I had gladly returned the favor.

[User XXX has requested a trade.]

[User @@@ has requested a trade.]

[User ○○ has requested a trade.]

Before long, even more requests flooded in.

I stared at them for a moment, then searched the usernames.

Most of the accounts had never made a post, and many had been created only recently.

They were probably trying to obtain mature mandrakes from me.

First, reject them all.

Then I needed to make a post.

If I simply ignored them, they might become even more annoying later.

I also wanted the head moderator to see what was happening.

***

Title: To Everyone Who Sent Me Trade Requests
Wild Grylls

I assume you’re after mature mandrakes, but I have no intention of trading them right now.

Given my current situation, I can’t afford to act carelessly, and I have no idea what you intend to offer.

So instead, make a post explaining what you want to trade.

I’ll look through them and send trade requests myself if anything interests me.

Also, please don’t ask for regular shipments.

I could die tomorrow.

└ Wait, so the rumors were true?

└ The mature mandrakes were real, so I guess it makes sense.

└ “I could die tomorrow,” hahaha.

└ At least he has an accurate view of his situation, lol.

└ Everyone will understand if he puts it like that.

└ PraisetheSun: If anyone tries to buy one with money, tell me. I’ll pay more than them, lol.

└ Damn, he’s rich.

└ Look at that confidence, hahaha.

└ Rich Dark Elf bro is built different.

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Hmm! I think I understand what’s happening! I’ll keep an eye on things!

└ Wild Grylls: Thank you. Do you need a mandrake too, Head Mod?

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Huh?! I haven’t done anything to help you!

└ Wild Grylls: A bribe, lol.

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Absolutely not!

└ He just openly called it a bribe, hahaha.

Now that the situation was more or less settled, I began my daily routine.

First, I sat cross-legged to improve my flexibility.

Three days ago, it had felt as though my entire body were being twisted apart.

Now, it was slowly becoming bearable.

I should be able to learn from the Heavenly Demon soon.

An internal cultivation method—or perhaps a mana cultivation technique.

If I could learn one, it would surely improve my condition.

The Heavenly Demon wouldn’t teach me anything dangerous.

It should make chopping wood and digging easier too, right?

The most important task at the moment was reinforcing my shelter.

I wanted to cut trees with the Heavenly Demon’s sword instead of an axe.

But if I damaged the blade, I would be in serious trouble, so I had no choice but to use the axe.

The same went for the shovel.

Every task here involved backbreaking labor.

There aren’t any interesting posts either.

Nothing particularly noteworthy had appeared since I made my post.

As usual, I ate a Bigu Pill for breakfast.

I’ll dig traps today.

After deciding to adapt to life in the Forest of Four Seasons, my routine had become simple.

In the morning and afternoon, I either explored the surroundings or repaired the shelter.

Yesterday had mostly been spent exploring because of the mature mandrake incident.

Today was for repairs.

Though “repairs” consisted of little more than chopping nearby trees and digging holes.

Ten minutes of either was enough to make my whole body ache, but it was necessary for my safety.

Maybe I’m lucky. I haven’t seen any sign of the owlbear.

Every time I heard something rustle, I flinched, but nothing happened.

This place was far from where the owlbear had appeared before, but I still couldn’t let my guard down.

According to the gallery, owlbears were extremely territorial.

Anything that entered their territory—beast or human—would be torn apart.

Considering that they were as large as houses, encountering one would almost certainly mean death.

Unless I can lure it back to the cave.

I stopped digging and looked toward the cave entrance.

It was just large enough for Mad Dog to pass through.

An owlbear the size of a small mountain would never fit inside easily.

With the trap I had laid near the entrance, I might even be able to kill it if I was lucky.

It would be better to know the limits of its territory first, though.

I continued digging until I checked the depth of the pit.

This should be deep enough.

Now all that remained was camouflage.

Why didn’t I place sharpened stakes or weapons at the bottom?

Because I might fall into it myself.

This wasn’t some trap far from camp.

It was directly in front of the cave and meant to serve as a final line of defense.

There should be something in the auction house I can use instead of a tarp...

I bought a piece of cloth to cover the top.

Then I stretched it tightly across the pit, held the edges down with stones, and covered it with dirt.

With that, one trap was complete.

A sense of satisfaction welled up inside me.

Why am I so proud of something like this?

A moment later, I sighed at my own situation.

It was too early to celebrate after finishing only one task.

The hardest work—logging—still remained.

Just thinking about it made the future look bleak.

Rustle—

Then I heard bushes moving nearby.

I flinched and instinctively hunched over.

Turning toward the source of the sound, I watched carefully.

“...”

Had I imagined it?

Nothing happened, no matter how long I stared at the bushes.

I let out a relieved sigh and entered the cave.

Naturally, I jumped over the trap before going inside.

Maybe I should put down a plank.

Having to jump over it every time could cause an accident in an emergency.

This was how I would slowly learn through trial and error.

I slung the logging axe over my shoulder and went back outside.

I have a whole new respect for lumberjacks.

How had people cut down so many trees in an age without chainsaws?

They had even used the timber to build wooden houses and ships.

Every day, I gained a greater appreciation for civilization.

That feeling would probably only grow stronger as time passed.

Could I ask the dwarf to make me a chainsaw?

The pointless thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

He had been drinking yesterday, so he was probably suffering from a hangover by now.

Besides, I was more curious about the Starlight Princess’s condition than the dwarf’s.

Thud! Thump!

I started with the tree I had left unfinished yesterday.

It was too thick to saw through easily.

Still, no tree could withstand being struck forever.

If I kept chopping, it would eventually fall.

I should make it fall toward the cave.

To do that, I also needed to cut into the opposite side.

After catching my breath, I walked around the tree.

Rustle—

Once again, the sound of moving grass reached my ears.

This time, there was no mistaking it.

I tensed and slowly turned around.

Rustle. Rustle.

It wasn’t my imagination.

The bushes were definitely moving.

The sound was also growing louder.

Something was approaching.

I slowly backed away, preparing to flee into the cave at any moment.

Push—

At last, the source of the sound crawled out from the dense undergrowth.

The instant I saw its face, my breath caught.

Sharp, vicious golden eyes.

A savage beak unique to a bird of prey.

And finally, a body as large as a house.

“Grr?”

It was an owlbear.

My body stiffened from the tension.

Fortunately, it did not attack immediately.

Perhaps this was its first time seeing a human in the Forest of Four Seasons.

It seemed to be observing me first.

I slowly stepped backward.

“Grrrr...”

“Haa...”

I glanced behind me, estimating the distance to the cave.

If I provoked it unnecessarily, I wouldn’t merely get hurt.

I would die.

Fortunately, the owlbear was so enormous that it probably couldn’t enter the cave.

I need something to distract it...

I searched my pocket and felt something round.

It was a Bigu Pill I had kept as emergency food.

Maybe I could use it to draw the creature’s attention.

Carefully, I tossed the pill onto the ground near the owlbear.

“Sniff. Sniff.”

“...”

The owlbear began smelling the pill.

Taking advantage of the distraction, I managed to reach the area near the cave entrance.

Apparently deciding that the scent was harmless, the owlbear picked up the Bigu Pill in its beak.

It spent a moment savoring the taste.

Then—

“Kuegh! Kueeegh! Screeeech!”

It let out a hideous shriek at the Bigu Pill’s distinctive bitterness.

The instant I heard that scream, I realized one thing.

If I didn’t get inside the cave immediately, I would be torn limb from limb.

“Couldn’t you tell from the smell?! I thought bears had good noses!”

As I ran, I felt a terrifying pressure behind me.

Was this what killing intent felt like?

My knees nearly gave out.

Tap!

Remembering the trap near the cave entrance, I dove over it.

My legs and knees would probably be badly scraped, but that was better than dying.

Boom!

“Screeeeeech!”

A tremendous impact sounded behind me.

The owlbear’s furious roar followed.

I hurriedly pushed myself up as every hair on my body stood on end.

“Huff… Huff…”

“Screeeech! Screech!”

Scrape! Scratch!

The owlbear’s razor-sharp claws tore at the ground. I watched it while gasping for breath.

Half of its enormous body had made it through.

In other words, it was stuck.

If the cave entrance had been even slightly larger, it probably would have squeezed through.

On top of that, thanks to the trap, its short bear-like legs couldn’t seem to reach the ground.

Th-This is my chance.

I didn’t have time to stand around watching.

Instead of the axe, I immediately grabbed another weapon.

The crossbow I had received from Passing Dwarf.

I loaded it with an ordinary bolt rather than a harpoon.

Even a normal bolt should be effective enough since it was dwarf-made.

Twang! Thud!

There was no need to aim precisely.

I simply fired, and the bolt struck its face.

“Screeeeeech!”

The owlbear thrashed violently as the bolt buried itself in its eye.

Just how strong was this thing for its movements to shake the entire cave?

My brief relief vanished when I saw the cave entrance slowly beginning to crumble under the owlbear’s monstrous strength.

I’m screwed…!

The moment the entrance collapsed, my life would be over.

Thud! Thunk! Smack!

Without hesitation, I fired the crossbow again and again.

The more bolts lodged in its face, the more violently the owlbear rampaged.

It showed no sign of calming down.

Does this bastard not have a brain?

I fired not only ordinary bolts but also the tethered harpoon.

The final harpoon struck its remaining eye.

With that, the owlbear lost its sight completely.

However, it was thrashing so wildly that approaching it was still impossible.

A spear! Right, I should buy a spear!

I hurriedly connected to the gallery and purchased a spear from the auction house.

I didn’t bother checking reviews or comparing prices.

As long as it was a spear, that was enough.

I stared at the still-rampaging owlbear and gripped the weapon with both hands.

“Hraaah!”

Stab!

Then I drove the spear into the owlbear’s head.

Perhaps I was lucky, because the spearhead struck the exact center of its forehead.

Before the owlbear could thrash even more violently, I pressed down with all my strength.

“Keeeeeegh!”

Crack!

But a spear was still a spear.

The spearhead might have been metal, but the shaft was wooden.

The owlbear’s swinging claw snapped it in half.

I nearly lost my balance, but managed to steady myself at the last second.

Rumble!

“W-Whoa?”

Then the thing I had feared finally happened.

The cave entrance almost completely collapsed.

While I stood there in shock, the owlbear forced its way inside.

I’m screwed.

I’m really screwed.

Even as the thought crossed my mind, I grabbed the Heavenly Demon’s sword and the Golden Shield.

The worst-case scenario had arrived, but the owlbear was already close to death.

If I waited for the right opportunity, I still had a chance.

“Screeeeeech!”

Boom!

With bolts and a spearhead embedded in its face, the owlbear charged straight at me.

Startled, I hurriedly raised the shield to protect myself.

SwordMaster’s post flashed through my mind, allowing me to brace in time.

Crash!

“Kgh!”

Even with the shield, there was no way I could completely stop an owlbear’s charge.

The difference in weight was too great.

I was a frail human, while the owlbear was still a bear.

Thud!

My feet left the ground, and I was sent flying.

Fortunately, I merely landed on the floor rather than crashing into the cave wall.

But it was too early to feel relieved.

I never took my eyes off the owlbear.

“Screeeeeech!”

It charged at me while I was still lying on the ground.

Even without its sight, it could probably estimate my location by sound.

That meant its attacks would be less accurate.

I focused until the very end.

…Left paw!

The owlbear raised its left foreleg.

All that remained was to determine where it intended to strike.

I opened my eyes wide and watched its attack.

The raised paw came down directly toward my left shoulder.

Bang!

I twisted my body just enough to avoid it.

Still, the deafening impact right beside my ear left me with a slight ringing sensation.

I already suffered from tinnitus, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

What mattered was the counterattack that followed.

“Uaaaaah!”

With a shout, I thrust the Heavenly Demon’s sword toward the owlbear’s jaw.

I desperately hoped this would be the final attack.

Stab!

As expected of the Heavenly Demon’s sword.

It pierced through the owlbear’s jaw and drove all the way into its skull.

The moment its brain was struck, the owlbear merely convulsed.

It could no longer struggle.

Its brain had been destroyed so thoroughly that its body could no longer receive signals.

Boom!

“Urgh!”

The owlbear’s enormous body collapsed on top of me.

It was absurdly heavy.

Groaning and straining, I crawled out from beneath it.

As I did, I finally noticed the condition of my legs.

They’re completely scraped raw.

It was probably because of that desperate dive earlier.

Both knees had been badly torn up.

Calling them mere scrapes didn’t do the injuries justice.

The flesh had been peeled away so deeply that the muscle was nearly visible.

If the wounds had been even slightly deeper, I might have seen something white beneath them.

“Ow… Ow…”

As the adrenaline slowly faded, pain spread through my entire body.

That single dive had left wounds not only on my knees but all over me.

If I hadn’t been wearing clothes, my upper body would probably have been badly injured as well.

First, an elixir… Right. I don’t have one.

I would have to buy a potion.

Normally, I would have traded with the Starlight Princess for an elixir.

But she still hadn’t made a survival post.

The cooldown on trade requests hadn’t expired either, so I couldn’t contact her.

Drip—

“Ugh…”

I bought a reasonably priced potion from the auction house and poured it over my wounds.

True to the classic image of a potion, it was bright red.

At the very least, I could expect it to disinfect the injuries.

Afterward, I wrapped strips of cloth I had purchased separately around the wounds like bandages.

Since I was injured in so many places, I ended up wrapping cloth around each of my arms and legs.

Now all that remains is dealing with the owlbear.

Countless bolts were embedded in its face.

A bolt and a harpoon protruded from its eyes in particular.

Looking at the corpse alone made it seem a little pitiful, but it had tried to kill me.

***

Title: I Killed an Owlbear
Wild Grylls

(Photo of the owlbear’s corpse)

I seriously thought I was going to die fighting it ;;

I’ll put it up on the auction house soon, so do whatever you want.

└ Whoa. How did you kill it?

└ Wild Grylls: The cave entrance was narrow, so I lured it there. Then I wrecked its face with a crossbow.

└ Hahahaha, look at its face. It has a bolt and a harpoon where its eyes should be.

└ Are you really an ordinary person?

└ He killed an owlbear and still calls himself ordinary. Damn.

└ Heavenly Demon: Were you injured?

└ Wild Grylls: Other than a lot of scraped wounds, I’m fine.

└ Heavenly Demon: That is fortunate. Whenever I see posts like this, I feel that your basic combat ability is remarkably good. Am I mistaken?

└ Wild Grylls: I wouldn’t have been able to finish it off without the sword you gave me.

└ Heavenly Demon: Hearing that pleases me. Is there any weapon you require?

A weapon I needed.

I definitely thought having a proper spear would be useful.

Still, I had no intention of asking the Heavenly Demon for one.

As I had said many times before, depending too heavily on someone else was never a good idea.

└ Wild Grylls: Not yet. Oh! I’m getting used to sitting cross-legged now. Could you teach me an internal cultivation method?

└ Heavenly Demon: That is wonderful news. I have been organizing one in a way that will be easy for you to understand.

└ Wild Grylls: Thank you.

└ SwordMaster: That was impressive. You said you lured it to the cave entrance, correct?

└ Wild Grylls: Yes.

└ SwordMaster: You seem surprisingly quick-witted.

└ Wild Grylls: Haha, thank you.

└ SwordMaster: Someday, you’ll be able to face one head-on in a fair one-on-one fight.

└ Wild Grylls: Is there a method for fighting owlbears?

└ SwordMaster: They’re quite easy. Their claws are their main weapon, so you simply cut off their legs. When they raise a foreleg to strike, sever it as it comes down. Easy, right?

└ Wild Grylls: ;;;

It was probably easy only by her standards.

How could an ordinary person possibly understand a genius?

After scrolling through the gallery’s reactions, I dealt with the owlbear first.

The moment I listed the corpse on the auction house, it vanished.

Bidding began immediately.

The auction period was twenty-four hours.

I wonder if it’ll sell for a lot.

I had no idea.

What I needed now was rest.

Before that, though, I had to inspect the trap.

The owlbear had damaged it, so repairs were essential.

“Hm?”

“…”

But the moment I stepped outside the cave, I came face-to-face with something strange.

Bright, round golden eyes.

A bird-like beak.

A body about the size of a medium-sized dog and a face overflowing with curiosity.

“Kyuu?”

A baby owlbear stood before me, tilting its head.