Chapter 30

Inner Core (1)

Thanks to the Speed Sloth's help, I made it to the riverside safely.

The first thing I did after arriving was check the hose.

I looked to see whether another fish had been caught like before, and sure enough, my prediction was right.

Splash! Splash!

"Another one got caught."

Another fish had been trapped in that short span of time.

This one was red too.

It was about the same size as the fish from earlier.

Judging by that, this seemed to be the average size of the fish inhabiting this river.

I'll deal with this one later.

The Golden Frog was more important right now.

My trade with Allfather came first.

That meant I needed to get the Speed Sloth off my back.

I patted it on the back and asked,

"Can you get down for a moment? This is urgent."

"..."

Shuffle... Shuffle...

As though it understood me, the creature slowly climbed down.

Then it stared at me with that stupid-looking face.

It almost felt like it was urging me to hurry up.

That was probably just my imagination.

Time to lure out a Golden Frog.

The one that seemed to be their leader had appeared the moment I dipped my hand into the river.

Would the others react the same way?

I carefully placed my hand in the water.

About three seconds later, I heard a splash from the middle of the river.

"Croak."

A Golden Frog.

It climbed onto a rock in the middle of the river.

It was smaller than the one I'd seen before, but still quite large.

The moment it appeared, I retreated without hesitation.

I also remembered to raise my shield, just in case.

"Kyaaaak!"

The Golden Frog tilted its head back.

It even made a sound like it was gathering phlegm.

It looked ready to spit poison.

But I had already moved far away.

The only one still sitting there blankly was the Speed Sloth.

"Hey! What are you—?!"

"Ptooey!"

Before I could finish shouting, the Golden Frog spat its poison.

A glob of purple mucus shot forward at high speed.

Its target was the Speed Sloth.

The Speed Sloth calmly watched the poison coming toward it.

Then it tilted its head slightly.

Sssssss!

The poison narrowly passed beside its face.

It struck a tree and immediately began melting the bark.

I'd more or less expected it, but its agility was still incredible.

Now.

While the Golden Frog's attention was focused on the Speed Sloth, I prepared my crossbow.

I loaded a harpoon bolt and aimed at the Golden Frog.

"Kyaaaak!"

"Kyaaak!"

"Croooak!"

Meanwhile, more Golden Frogs climbed onto the rocks.

I had already hidden myself, but the Speed Sloth remained seated there without the slightest concern.

Even if it was the Speed Sloth, dodging several consecutive attacks should be diffic—

"Ptooey!"

"Ptui!"

"Ptoo!"

Whoosh—Whoosh, whoosh!

...Apparently not.

Even though it stayed in the same spot, it avoided every attack merely by twisting its body with effortless ease.

Its expression was so relaxed that it looked like some reclusive master.

Does that bastard have Observation Haki or something?

There was no other explanation.

I let out a breath of disbelief.

Still, that was that, and this was this.

My preparations were complete.

I aimed at one of the Golden Frogs and pulled the trigger.

Twang! Thud!

The harpoon pierced the Golden Frog cleanly, knocking it into the rushing river.

I immediately began pulling the rope.

The other Golden Frogs didn't attack me in the meantime.

They seemed greatly shocked that one of their companions had been struck.

Of course, that was only my guess.

But judging by the way they all stopped attacking at once, they at least seemed capable of understanding what had happened.

Every creature living in the Forest of Four Seasons was extraordinary in one way or another.

Splash!

Perhaps deciding to retreat, the group of Golden Frogs leaped back into the river.

They probably wouldn't pose a threat for a while.

All that remained was cleaning up.

I pulled hard on the rope connected to the harpoon.

Previously, it had felt like I was locked in a tug-of-war.

Now, I only needed to exert a little strength.

"Heave-ho."

The Golden Frog I dragged out of the water was quite large.

Not as large as the one I'd caught before, but about the size of a small puppy.

All that remained was trading it to Allfather.

Before that, though, I needed to deal with the fish.

I'll tie this to my waist for now.

This was something Allfather had taught me.

If purple liquid began pouring out, it meant the poison sac had ruptured.

No purple liquid was leaking right now.

That meant it was safe.

With the frog hunt finished, the only thing left was the fish.

I had no idea what it ate to grow so large.

Today's haul is generous.

With this, both lunch and dinner were secured.

I lifted the fish, which was still thrashing wildly.

There's no way I could catch this thing with a fishing rod.

It was so strong that it was still trying to slap me in the face with its fins.

Afraid I might drop it, I hugged the fish tightly with both arms.

Had my strength not increased, I would've lost my grip long ago.

Shuffle... Shuffle...

The Speed Sloth climbed onto my back again, completing my preparations to return.

"It'd be nice if you tasted good, but that's probably asking too much."

Taste didn't matter.

In my situation, caring about flavor was a luxury.

Besides, I could buy seasoning from the auction house, so it would probably be fine.

Splash!

After returning to the cave, I placed the fish inside the iron barrel.

It was still so powerful that the barrel trembled slightly.

It was probably better not to try catching one of these with a fishing rod.

At this rate, I might end up being the one dragged into the water.

A trap or fish basket seemed like a safer option.

Just looking at the two massive fish made me feel secure and happy.

Time to trade with Allfather.

After organizing my belongings, I made a post in the Gallery.

I wrote that Allfather should send me a trade request if he was online.

[Allfather has sent you a trade request. Would you like to accept?]

It didn't take long for him to contact me.

I gave the Speed Sloth another fasting pill and accepted the request.

[Allfather: Hello. I saw your post and sent a trade request.]

[Wild Grylls: Hello. I'll put the item up right away. The poison sac hasn't ruptured.]

[Allfather: Thank you. This should make my research much easier.]

[Wild Grylls: That's good to hear. Ah, there's also something I'm curious about.]

[Allfather: Go ahead.]

[Wild Grylls: The Speed Sloth climbed onto me and refuses to get off. Do you know why?]

[Allfather: Are you referring to the sloth that supposedly caught an arrow?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. Hard as it is to believe, it really did catch one.]

[Allfather: To be honest, I don't know either. No such specimen has ever been documented in academia.]

Even Doraemon Allfather didn't know what species it was.

Just what kind of place was the Forest of Four Seasons?

As I sighed inwardly, Allfather offered his own theory.

[Allfather: Still, I can make a guess. You said in your post that it extorted you?]

[Wild Grylls: It didn't take money, but it did steal my fasting pills.]

[Allfather: Perhaps it thinks of you as a tree.]

[Wild Grylls: A tree?]

[Allfather: Is it still hanging from you?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. It doesn't seem interested in getting off.]

[Allfather: Then yes. To it, you may simply be a tree that produces food.]

[Wild Grylls: That sounds kind of...]

[Allfather: Ridiculous, yet strangely plausible? I think so too.]

Allfather said it exactly as it was.

Even he seemed to find the theory absurd.

Still, it was reasonable enough that there wasn't any better explanation.

[Allfather: Since it doesn't seem hostile, keeping it might not be a bad idea.]

[Wild Grylls: I don't completely dislike it either. I almost got bitten by a snake today, and this guy helped me.]

After chatting about this and that, Allfather and I completed the trade.

I gave him the Golden Frog's corpse, and he gave me a pill that would increase my resistance to poison.

[Allfather: It would be best to take it after a meal. Proper digestion is important.]

[Wild Grylls: Should I absorb this using the breathing technique too?]

[Allfather: Yes. You can think of it as a kind of inner core.]

An inner core.

I remembered the Heavenly Demon's explanation.

A crystal formed when energy accumulated inside the body of a spirit beast.

The mention of inner cores made me curious about something, so I asked Allfather.

[Wild Grylls: Have you ever eaten an inner core before?]

[Allfather: I've never eaten an inner core, but I have consumed a Dragon Heart.]

[Wild Grylls: What's that?]

[Allfather: Exactly what it sounds like. The heart of a dragon. It contains an immense amount of mana.]

I had a rough idea of what dragons were.

They were mentioned in the Gallery from time to time.

They were powerful enough to treat humanity as insignificant, though they weren't completely unrivaled.

More importantly, I'd heard their numbers were so low that they were considered endangered.

Could there be dragons in the Forest of Four Seasons too?

If there were, they'd be disasters incarnate.

I was only a weak human.

How was I supposed to catch something that could fly freely through the sky and breathe fire?

[Allfather: Thank you, as always, for another excellent trade. Feel free to ask me whenever you encounter an unusual animal.]

[Wild Grylls: I saw something that looked like a cross between a chameleon and a snake too.]

[Allfather: What was that?]

[Wild Grylls: I thought it was a tree branch, but it turned out to be a snake. It changed the color of its body in an instant.]

[Allfather: Oh! This place truly is overflowing with fascinating creatures!]

[Wild Grylls: Want to come here?]

[Allfather: This old man's knees aren't what they used to be. I'll have to decline.]

[Wild Grylls: TT]

That was where our conversation ended.

Apparently, even Allfather wanted nothing to do with the Forest of Four Seasons.

Well, who would willingly come to a hellhole like this?

I was lucky, at least.

Most other people trapped here couldn't even access the Gallery.

"Hmm."

I stared at the pill resting on my palm.

It was round and pale purple.

This was the medicine I'd received from Allfather.

According to his explanation, eating it would grant me resistance to poison.

I should eat lunch first.

I placed the pill in my pocket and walked over to the iron barrel containing the fish.

There were only two fish inside, yet they filled the entire barrel.

How am I supposed to cook these?

I'd lived alone back home, so I knew how to cook.

But that was with ingredients that had already been cleaned and prepared.

I'd never had to butcher a fish myself.

There was only one thing to do in situations like this.

Ask the Gallery.

It was better to gain at least a little knowledge than charge ahead blindly.

Title: Need Help Cleaning a Fish!
Wild Grylls

(Photo of the fish inside the iron barrel)

Anyone have advice? These things are fucking huge too.

└ Professionals pierce the brain with a knife or awl to kill it instantly. If you're inexperienced, just cut the whole head off.
└ Hit its head with the back of a knife before cutting it. That'll stun it. Make your move then.
└ Removing the guts is easy. Just cut open the belly.

Since I was inexperienced, I decided to use the method of striking its head first.

I was going to grill it immediately anyway, so there was no need to worry about aging the meat or anything like that.

"Kyuu."

"Wonmo, wait just a little longer."

Wonmo had woken up with perfect timing the moment lunchtime arrived.

Just look at those bright, expectant eyes demanding food.

I wanted to toss him a chunk of meat immediately, but cleaning the fish came first.

I wrapped both arms around one of the fish and lifted it out of the barrel.

Flop! Flop!

The fish thrashed wildly as if demanding that I release it, but that wasn't happening.

I placed it on the stone slab I'd prepared in advance.

The fish was so large that even the broad slab looked small beneath it.

They said to hit the head hard, right?

Because of its size, an ordinary knife wouldn't be enough.

This was exactly when I needed the Heavenly Demon's sword.

I wasn't using the blade, so I swung it down without holding back.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After striking it three times in succession, I got a reaction.

Just as the Gallery comments had said, its mouth and gills opened wide.

It had been properly stunned.

I immediately began cleaning it.

Since I might injure myself, I used an ordinary dagger rather than the Heavenly Demon's sword.

The dagger was quite sharp, so it sliced through the fish's flesh easily.

"Wonmo, want this?"

"Kyuu!"

I cut off the head and gave it to Wonmo.

He ate it with great enthusiasm.

He could eat rotting corpses, so a fresh fish head was probably nothing to him.

The Speed Sloth was more interested in fasting pills than fish, so I didn't need to worry about it.

Now to cut open the belly.

Whenever blood came out, I rinsed it away with water.

I slowly sliced open the belly of the now-silent, headless fish.

The sensation against my fingertips wasn't pleasant, but it was something I'd have to get used to.

Would Wonmo eat the organs too?

With the belly opened, I could see the densely packed organs inside.

I just needed to remove all of them and wash the cavity with water.

I reached inside to pull them out.

"Hm?"

My hand caught hold of something.

At first, I thought it was the heart.

But it was far too hard to be one.

I fumbled around and finally managed to pull it out.

It was a small bead roughly the size of one segment of my finger.

Its color was red, just like the fish.

What's this? Could it really be an inner core?

Surely not.

Spirit beasts that possessed inner cores couldn't be that common.

Still, considering that fully grown Mandrakes were practically lying around here, I couldn't completely dismiss the possibility.

I'd even discovered a New Moon Spirit Herb right at the beginning.

Hmm...

I stared at the red bead for a while before making a decision.

It would be best to ask the Gallery.

More specifically, an expert.

And the obvious expert was the Heavenly Demon, the first person who had mentioned inner cores to me.

She wasn't the type to secretly steal it either, so I could ask her without worry.

Title: Heavenly Demon, I Have a Question
Wild Grylls

(Photo of the red bead)

I found this while cleaning a fish.

It looks similar to the inner core you mentioned before. Can you tell what it is?

If the photo isn't enough, I can send it to you through a trade.

└ Heavenly Demon: You found it inside a fish?

　└ SmartCultist: Ha...

└ SwordMaster: Aren't pearls made by shellfish, not fish?
└ Exactly. She's confidently saying something completely ignorant. Hahaha
└ Even for an old fossil, that's a bit much.;;
└ Isn't she just stupid?
└ I'm embarrassed just reading this.

She replied only three seconds after I posted.

Her response speed was truly terrifying.

The sudden discussion of the Heavenly Demon's lack of basic knowledge made me slightly uneasy.

Still, she was the person who had taught me the breathing technique, so I could trust her with this.

└ Wild Grylls: I'll send you a trade request. You only need to check whether it's an inner core.
└ Heavenly Demon: If it truly is an inner core, what do you intend to do with it?
　└ Wild Grylls: Eat it, obviously. You said it was good for the body, didn't you?
└ Heavenly Demon: I do not recommend that. As I told you before, your internal energy is already oversaturated. Consuming an inner core as well may cause serious trouble.

└ Wild Grylls: Yes. I found it while removing the organs.
　└ Heavenly Demon: Hmm. It is difficult to tell from the photograph alone. It may simply be a pearl.
└ Wild Grylls: Can fish make pearls too?
　└ Heavenly Demon: I was under the impression that they could.

I nodded at the Heavenly Demon's advice.

Too much of a good thing could indeed be harmful.

Eating an inner core in my current state might cause a serious problem.

That left only one option.

Give it to the Heavenly Demon.

SwordMaster would probably refuse, claiming that she didn't want to become healthier.

└ Wild Grylls: Then would you like to eat it?
└ Heavenly Demon: Inner cores can no longer raise my cultivation. I passed that stage long ago.
└ Wild Grylls: Then what should I do with it?
　└ Heavenly Demon: The answer is simple.

The Heavenly Demon's response was straightforward.

　└ Heavenly Demon: Why not put it up for auction?

What an incredibly carefree suggestion.

Should I?

And I found myself gradually leaning toward that carefree idea.