Chapter 34

Assistant Moderator (1)

After suffering yet another defeat at the hands of the Swift Sloth, I finished cleaning up the mess.

Losing the iron tub was a shame, but they were everywhere in the auction house, so replacing it wouldn't be difficult.

Besides, I had sold the owlbear's corpse and the logs, so my finances were in fairly good shape.

I'd just listed the Inner Core as well, so my wallet would probably be even fuller tomorrow.

I wonder how much the Inner Core will sell for.

The Heavenly Demon had said that it was difficult to put a price on one.

That might actually cause people to underestimate its value.

After all, an Inner Core was an incredibly rare elixir.

People regularly posted about being scammed in the auction house, so naturally, buyers would be even more suspicious of an Inner Core.

It was fortunate that I'd built up some credibility by now. Otherwise, I couldn't have complained if people accused me of being a scammer.

It's not like I personally tested the Inner Core's effects.

The benefits I'd experienced had come from eating the fish, not the Inner Core itself.

Even that wasn't completely certain.

I had only just taken my first step into the worlds of mana and internal energy.

The Heavenly Demon and several other regulars possessed expertise, but none of them were here beside me.

Something even they didn't understand was happening inside my body, so it was difficult to draw a definite conclusion.

Still, I'm certain that it had some effect.

In less than a single day, my strength and stamina had increased dramatically.

Even simple physical labor like logging and digging had become effortless.

I didn't know the exact reason, but I had undoubtedly grown stronger through that process.

That much, I could guarantee.

I still have some time. Should I explore the surrounding area?

The repairs to my base were complete.

All that remained was receiving the barricades from the dwarf.

Before then, I planned to decide which area to explore next.

I entered the cave.

Inside, Wonmo was sleeping soundly.

How could even his sleeping form be so adorable and lovable?

I had to take a picture and upload it.

***

Title: A Round Ball of Fur
Wild Grylls

(Photo of Wonmo sleeping while curled into a ball.)

(Video of Wonmo sleeping peacefully.)

Seriously, every time I look at him, I feel completely at peace.
How can something be this cute?

Wow. He really is adorable.

I'll admit he's cute if you still say that after he grows up lol.

Don't animals grow really quickly?

Most of them are probably fully grown within a year.

Wild Grylls: Hey, you bastards. Are you telling me to stay here for an entire year?

This is the Forest of Four Seasons. Can you even escape? Lol.

Wild Grylls: I have to try. I'm planning to start exploring now.

You're going to leave Wonmo here alone? What if something attacks him?

That was a good point.

It would be dangerous to leave Wonmo alone while I explored.

Ideally, I wanted to take him with me, but Wonmo was weaker than I was.

Even the last time I'd gone to the river, the Swift Sloth had suddenly appeared.

It had been fine because I'd returned quickly, and the Swift Sloth wasn't actually hostile.

Should I take Wonmo with me?

There was another option.

I could leave the Swift Sloth in the cave.

Honestly, that was probably the best solution.

The downside was that I would be putting myself in greater danger.

The Swift Sloth had saved me when the chameleon viper nearly got me last time.

Its overwhelming visual acuity and agility would also make it incredibly useful during exploration.

This is difficult.

Should I leave Wonmo alone and go exploring?

Or should I leave the Swift Sloth here with him?

After thinking about it for some time, I spoke to the creature hanging from my back.

“Swiftie.”

The Swift Sloth slowly tilted its head at my call.

“You'll have to guard the cave.”

“If you protect it until I return, I'll give you a fasting pill.”

Upon hearing that, the Swift Sloth slowly climbed down from my back.

It definitely understood what I was saying.

It was truly fascinating.

There was absolutely nothing strange about me, so the Swift Sloth had to be the unusual one.

Wonmo could also understand me, but I decided not to think about that.

Questions and their answers were luxuries for times when one had room to spare.

When survival was the priority, they were nothing more than meaningless distractions.

“When Wonmo wakes up, tell him where I went. Understood?”

Nod, nod.

The Swift Sloth nodded to show that it accepted my request.

Now that I had assigned him a reliable bodyguard, all that remained was preparing for the expedition.

As always, I brought the Heavenly Demon's sword and the golden shield.

I also wore clean clothes.

They were the ones I'd washed when I bathed Wonmo earlier.

Princess Chaenggu said she'd give me long clothes later, right?

I didn't know how long that would take, but it probably wouldn't be long.

She had been willing to give me a high-quality uniform without hesitation, after all.

I also packed an elixir and some fasting pills in case of an emergency.

Now all that remained was setting out.

Should I try going this way today?

I had been gradually exploring in all four directions around the cave.

The river where the Golden Poison Frog appeared was to the northeast, while the mature Mandrake habitat was to the northwest.

Of course, I didn't have a compass, so I couldn't be certain those directions were accurate.

They were based entirely on my sense of direction.

This time, I planned to travel toward what I believed was west.

I should return before lunch.

After exploring, I planned to receive the barricades from Passing Dwarf and reinforce the base.

In less than a week, my overall physical abilities had improved dramatically.

Manual labor was no longer particularly difficult.

Exploration would probably become my main daily activity before long.

“I'm heading out. Guard the house properly.”

“...”

As I left the cave, the Swift Sloth slowly waved its hand at me.

It was clearly telling me to have a safe trip.

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed more like a person than an animal.

Chirp, chirp— Chirp, chirp—

I headed in a completely new direction, away from both the river and the Mandrake habitat.

The deafening sounds of insects pierced my ears and heightened my tension.

To avoid getting lost, I marked the path at regular intervals.

I can't trust everything I see.

The chameleon viper had taught me that I could never let my guard down.

From time to time, I struck tree trunks with the back of my blade or swept aside bushes.

I moved as cautiously as possible.

It might slow my progress, but it was safer.

Even though I had an elixir, I needed to conserve it.

“Hm?”

I had been advancing little by little when something on the ground caught my eye.

It was completely black, so at first I thought it was charcoal.

But judging by the flies swarming around it, it definitely wasn't.

It's poop.

Animal droppings.

I had no idea what kind of animal had left them.

In the civilized world, people would simply dismiss feces as something filthy.

But things were completely different in the wild.

Animals often used their droppings to mark their territory.

It was essentially a warning:

This is my territory. Enter, and you'll die.

The flies make it look fairly old. Could it belong to the owlbear?

I wasn't an expert, so I couldn't tell what animal it came from.

For now, I guessed it belonged to the owlbear that had been sent to America.

Wonmo's droppings were different in size, but their overall appearance was similar.

Still, asking the Gallery was the best option.

I should add a content warning, right?

I needed to be careful, or I might get banned.

Without lowering my guard, I wrote a post on the Gallery.

***

Title: Mildly Graphic—Whose Is This?
Wild Grylls

(Photo of animal droppings.)

Found this while exploring today.
Does anyone know what animal left it?

If it's from the owlbear, I'll keep exploring. If it belongs to something else, I'll reconsider.

Ugh, that's fucking disgusting.

Damn, it really left a massive pile lol.

Mix some rice into that and you've got yourself a full meal lol.

Fuck this. I'm blocking you. That's disgusting.

Wild Grylls: Enough nonsense. Does it belong to an owlbear or not?

Looks like it. Aren't owlbears the only ones that leave poop that black?

Don't normal bears also leave droppings like that?

Allfather: It is indeed owlbear excrement. Judging from its size, I believe it came from the specimen you killed previously.

As expected of Fatheremon.

He was the only intelligent person among this crowd of idiots.

Since it was Allfather saying it, I could trust the answer.

I thanked him and continued walking.

Just in case, I deleted the post afterward.

The Moderator might see it and ban me.

Maybe it would have been fine if he were flexible, but he had a tendency to follow the rules rather strictly.

It was better to be safe.

I'm surprised the Heavenly Demon didn't leave a comment.

The Heavenly Demon probably disliked filthy things too.

Understandable.

In any case, now that the droppings had been confirmed to belong to the owlbear, it should be safe to continue exploring.

Oh. Are those wild raspberries?

While exploring, I discovered some delicious-looking berries.

They were red and plump, unmistakably resembling wild raspberries.

But this was the Forest of Four Seasons—a demonic hell where even ordinary plants could be poisonous.

Even before coming here, I had been highly susceptible to rashes from poisonous plants, so I decided to ask the Gallery before gathering them.

I wanted to avoid dropping dead after thoughtlessly eating something.

***

Title: Is This Safe to Eat?
Wild Grylls

(Photo of berries resembling wild raspberries.)

They look delicious. Can I eat them?

Aren't those wild raspberries?

Do wild raspberries even grow in this forest?

Aren't raspberries usually round? Why are those so long?

Try one. Eat it and tell us how it tastes.

Wild Grylls: I don't trust anything you bastards say.

Then why did you ask?

Wild Grylls: Give me a proper explanation.

Allfather: Do not eat them. They are jack-in-the-pulpit berries, which are sometimes used for suicide. They contain a deadly poison.

Wild Grylls: Thank you. ;;

Allfather: Wild raspberries are round, so they should be fairly easy to distinguish.

Damn, that was close lol.

What a shame.

You seriously deserve to get banned.

I stared at the raspberry-like berries before crushing them underfoot.

It would serve as a directional marker.

A sign showing that I had already passed through this path.

Every little marker mattered.

Should I buy some paint?

That wasn't a bad idea.

It would be useful when I traveled farther away like this.

I continued making my way through the forest, pushing aside vegetation and weaving between the trees.

I never forgot to be careful not to lose my way.

I wandered around for some time before finally encountering something that could serve as a proper landmark.

“Wow. That's enormous.”

I looked up in amazement.

The sight naturally made my jaw drop.

A massive mushroom stood directly in front of me.

It was no ordinary mushroom.

Even its height far exceeded mine.

Calling it gigantic didn't seem sufficient.

It was a colossal mushroom.

What the hell was this thing?

It looks like a matsutake mushroom, though.

I could probably use this mushroom as a landmark from now on.

I could explore the surrounding area using it as a reference point.

There's quite a lot of open space around it. Why?

Before approaching the mushroom, I examined the surroundings.

No matter how large it was, the fact that it stood completely alone was suspicious.

Perhaps it had absorbed the nutrients meant for all the nearby plants.

I first needed to identify it, so I uploaded a post to the Gallery.

Wow. It's as big as my dick.

Wanna see?

You fucking lunatic.

Allfather: You should be careful around that mushroom. It may be a Mushroom Man.

Wild Grylls: A Mushroom Man?

Allfather: Yes. It is a creature formed from the fusion of a monster and a mushroom. They do not normally grow anywhere near that large, but I suppose this is the Forest of Four Seasons.

Wild Grylls: Is it strong?

Allfather: Honestly, not particularly. However, it scatters spores, so you will need fire.

***

Title: Found a Fucking Huge Mushroom
Wild Grylls

(Photo of the colossal mushroom.)

It's taller than me. You can estimate its size by comparing it to the trees beside it.

Does anyone know what this thing is?

Fire, huh?

I nodded.

I had the ignition stone the Heavenly Demon had given me, but there was no reason to provoke it unnecessarily.

It wasn't like I planned to eat it.

There was no need to waste my strength.

I was about to circle around the mushroom when—

“Hm?”

I noticed a cave behind it.

The mushroom completely blocked the cave entrance, making it impossible to enter.

I suddenly became curious about what might be inside.

It's like some kind of dungeon gatekeeper.

Curiosity aside, I valued my life.

Having already survived several life-threatening situations, I was able to abandon the idea without hesitation.

Rrrrrumble!

But the world refused to leave me alone.

I was startled by the sudden vibration, but quickly realized where it was coming from.

The colossal mushroom was shaking violently, as though it were about to rip itself out of the ground.

Ah, shit.

This always happened.

I slowly backed away.

I didn't have fire prepared, but I planned to gauge how strong it was before fleeing.

Even if I fought it, the only reward would be getting to see the inside of that cave.

Crack! Craaack!

The earth split apart, revealing the mushroom's true form.

Allfather had described the body shape of a Mushroom Man like this:

Extremely short limbs that looked disproportionately tiny compared to its bloated body.

He had said that even if it grew larger, its proportions should remain roughly the same.

“Kuuk.”

He was completely wrong.

Its arms and legs were long, almost like a human's.

Long limbs alone would have been manageable.

But they were also packed with bulging muscles like those of a bodybuilder.

Its body was long and mushroom-like, while its limbs resembled those of a muscular human.

It was bizarre beyond words.

No, bizarre wasn't enough.

It was grotesque.

The Mushroom Man kicked off the ground and closed the distance between us in an instant.

It seemed to take only one step, yet suddenly it was right in front of my face.

That much was manageable.

It wasn't particularly fast.

I could see it move and react.

It was far slower than the Swift Sloth.

Let's try blocking one hit.

The Mushroom Man's right fist shot toward my abdomen.

I raised the golden shield.

Considering the shield's performance and my recently increased strength, I should have been able to withstand it.

“Kuooooh!”

The Mushroom Man let out a powerful roar.

BOOOOM!

“Guh?!”

A tremendous impact struck the shield, sending my body flying backward.

***

Wow. Of all the things I've experienced...

After fleeing back to the cave, I lamented inwardly and stared at the front of the golden shield.

A clear fist-shaped dent had been left in it.

I had only escaped unharmed because of the shield.

Without it, that single punch would have killed me.

Afterward, I had fled without even looking back.

Fortunately, the Mushroom Man didn't pursue me.

Why the hell does a Mushroom Man know the One-Inch Punch?

Its muscular limbs had given me some idea of what to expect, but I hadn't imagined it would be that powerful.

Had I taken the punch directly, it would have punched straight through my stomach.

Either that, or everything inside me would have come bursting out of my mouth.

I sighed in relief and uploaded another post to the Gallery.

***

Title: Got Hit by a Mushroom Man's One-Inch Punch
Wild Grylls

(Photo of the shield with a distinct fist-shaped dent.)

That bastard used a One-Inch Punch on me and did this to my shield.

Thank God I had it, or I would've been completely fucked. ;;

Damn. Look how clear that dent is. If you'd taken that barehanded, it would've punched through your stomach.

A Mushroom Man is that strong? What the hell did it look like?

Wild Grylls: Its limbs were seriously muscular. They were completely jacked.

I can't picture it. Upload a photo.

Wild Grylls: (Photo of the muscular Mushroom Man.)

LMAOOOOO, what the hell is that?!

Holy shit lol. Its body is better than mine.

That thing looks fucking strong lol.

Can that truly be called a Mushroom Man?

Praisethesun: What the hell happened to my shield? That thing is seriously high-quality. ;;

Wild Grylls: You mean I would've died without it, right? Thank you so much, brother.

Praisethesun: You don't need to thank me. Still, that's surprising. What the hell did you fight?

Wild Grylls: A mushroom.

Praisethesun: The world truly is a strange place.

Allfather: Fascinating. Did you notice anything else unusual?

Wild Grylls: No. All I know is that it was ridiculously strong.

Allfather: Hmm... I do not know. I genuinely have no idea. What kind of place is that forest?

While I was organizing my thoughts, one particular comment caught my eye.

Heavenly Demon: What an intriguing tale. A fist powerful enough to dent a shield, even one made of gold... Its strength would not be inferior even when compared to mine.

Even Allfather didn't know what it was.

The other users could do little more than express their amazement.

Apparently, this was abnormal even by the standards of the people in this world.

That showed just how far outside common sense the Forest of Four Seasons truly was.

Though a sloth that could see a fired arrow and snatch it out of the air was equally absurd.

Why was that thing blocking the entrance to the cave?

The way it stood guard like a guardian deity only made me more curious.

But the Mushroom Man was far too strong.

A direct confrontation was impossible.

I would need to use some kind of trick to get past it.

The Heavenly Demon.

She was normally the regular who replied first to nearly every one of my posts.

The fact that she was late today suggested she had something else to do.

But something else caught my attention even more.

Wild Grylls: Hello, Heavenly Demon. But... you are the Heavenly Demon, right?

Heavenly Demon: If you are asking whether this is indeed me, then yes. Why do you ask?

Huh? Why did her name suddenly turn blue?

Why the hell is she blue now?

Wait. Why did she suddenly turn blue?

Users who noticed it before I did flooded the post with comments.

Most of them were confused.

Naturally so.

Beside the Heavenly Demon's username was a blue badge that had never been there before.

Heavenly Demon: Ah. I nearly forgot. From now on, you may address me as the Assistant Moderator.

The Heavenly Demon had returned as an Assistant Moderator.