Chapter 7

The Forest of Four Seasons (2)

Title: Who's the Highest-Ranking God in This World?

Wild Grylls

└ Why do you ask?

└ Wild Grylls) So I can curse them out.

└ He just openly declared his intent to commit blasphemy. Lmao.

└ So that's why you were dropped into the Forest of Four Seasons. Lmaoooo.

└ You're being punished. Lmao.

└ Don'tAbandonTheHero) Blasphemy is bad!

It felt as though the hope I had barely managed to cling to was collapsing before my eyes.

I folded my arms and stared down at the ground.

The compasses I had received from the registered users were lined up there.

Every single needle spun around and around as if they were broken.

└ At least he's not a scammer. He's just a little mentally unstable.

There was no way all of them had broken at once.

The problem was most likely the place I was currently in.

'Am I really inside the Forest of Four Seasons?'

I raised my head and checked the gallery.

Word must have spread because nearly every post was about me.

Many users claimed this phenomenon would be impossible anywhere other than the Forest of Four Seasons.

However, just as many argued that I shouldn't be able to access the gallery if I were truly there.

***

Title: What If Wild Grylls Faked Everything?

Did this bastard deliberately break all the compasses?

└ It's "deliberately," not "on purposefully."

└ If he faked it, every one of his posts has been way too intense.

└ First there was a Mad Dog, then a Guardian, and then an owlbear.

└ Look at that lineup. Lmaoooo.

└ Even the owlbear was fucking enormous. There's no way this was staged.

└ The Moonlight Spirit Herb seems real too. Look at the post the Heavenly Demon made.

I wished it were fake too.

A sigh escaped me in frustration.

Just like the compass needles spinning in circles, my thoughts felt as though they were doing the same.

In other words, I felt like I was going insane.

I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do now.

'Still, there's some hope left.'

It hadn't been confirmed that this was the Forest of Four Seasons.

The world was vast, and there were probably many regions that had yet to be fully explored.

This could be one of those places.

Everyone described the Forest of Four Seasons as an utterly inhospitable realm beyond human limits.

As someone who had always lived under the protection of civilization, I needed to escape somehow.

Doing something was better than sitting still and doing nothing.

***

Title: Can Someone Tell Me the Characteristics of the Forest of Four Seasons?

Wild Grylls

└ Why do you want to know?

└ Wild Grylls) I want to check whether I'm really there.

└ It has spring, summer, autumn, and winter weather all at once.

└ More precisely, it contains every kind of climate. I heard there's even a desert.

└ Wild Grylls) Why the fuck is there a desert inside a forest? You said it was a forest.

└ We don't know either.

└ For reference, the Forest of Four Seasons is about the size of a small country.

└ Wild Grylls) That information is fucking useless.

└ I said it was just for reference. Lmao.

What kind of ridiculous forest was this?

For now, confirming my location came first.

Going outside was dangerous, but with the compasses useless, staying still wouldn't accomplish anything.

It would be best to use the cave as a base and gradually expand the range of my exploration.

'I'll need paper and a pen too.'

I intended to draw a rough map.

Even if the compass was useless, having a map would still be better than having nothing.

I could get lost halfway through and fail to find my way back.

I needed to prepare for the worst.

'I'll do everything I can.'

I had heard that the most important thing in a survival situation was the will to live.

There were probably more cases where people gave in to despair, did nothing, and truly ended up with nothing.

Danger was everywhere, but I would have to accept some risk.

I turned and looked toward a corner of the cave.

'There probably isn't anywhere safer than this cave right now...'

Since there was a good chance I would have to remain in this forest for several days, finding water took priority over escaping.

A person could survive for three weeks without food, but without water, they would die in three days.

Even though I could receive help through the gallery, I intended to handle whatever I could by myself.

'There might come a time when no one can help me during a real emergency.'

I had realized that after being bitten by the Mad Dog.

That time, I had safely overcome the crisis thanks to SwordMaster's kindness.

There was no guarantee something similar wouldn't happen again.

In fact, it was highly likely.

If I couldn't receive help during a life-or-death moment, I would die.

'That means I need to become friendly with the registered users...'

I had no idea what any of them actually did.

I reviewed the few registered users I had formed some connection with.

The Heavenly Demon was clearly someone important.

SwordMaster was rich and a master swordsman.

PassingDwarf was a dwarf.

That was all I knew for now.

I had no idea who the registered users who gave me compasses were.

'StarlightPrincess seems like a sick person.'

I meant physically sick, not mentally.

That wasn't what I was implying.

Since people prayed for her recovery every day, she was probably suffering from some illness.

Perhaps she had a chronic disease.

As for the others...

I couldn't tell from their posts.

Everything was too chaotic to reach any firm conclusions.

***

Here's My Asshole

└ Lmaoooo. Did Speargirl lose again today?

└ SpeargirlPrincess) Those motherless bitches conceded two goals in stoppage time. Haha.

└ No wonder all the lunatics started appearing.

***

Title: Asshole Reveal

SpeargirlPrincess

(Photo of an emblem bearing a deer pattern)

Or maybe not.

I made an uncomfortable expression at the outrageously explicit title.

This SpeargirlPrincess person was definitely obsessed with sports.

Among all her posts, most were related to sports.

[I want to cry. Why am I a Speargirl fan?]

[These fucking bastards. They conceded in the dumbest way possible.]

[As expected of Evers!! I knew I could trust you!]

[This is seriously fucking awful. You call that a team?]

[LiverMidTable! LiverMidTable! LiverMidTable!]

A very familiar scent drifted through this unfamiliar gallery.

Most sports had a tendency to cause mental illness.

It was a taste I knew well.

I had once been deeply addicted to both soccer and baseball, only to develop stress-induced hair loss.

After that, I attained enlightenment and recovered.

'To become friendly with this person...'

That would probably be difficult for now.

It might have been possible on Earth, but here, I didn't even know what kinds of sports existed.

For now, I stopped investigating the personalities of the registered users.

I needed to explore the surroundings before sunset.

Holding the Heavenly Demon's sword, I placed several fasting pills into my mouth.

The moment I bit down, bitterness spread across my tongue.

I quickly took a sip of water to wash away the taste.

I had no idea how long I would have to keep eating these things.

'All right. I'm ready.'

Before leaving the cave, I posted one more message.

I also remembered to put a handful of fasting pills into my trouser pocket, just in case.

***

Title: Preparations Complete

Wild Grylls

(Photo showing the cave entrance)

I'm going to explore and check whether this is really the Forest of Four Seasons.

└ Isn't that too dangerous?

└ You ran into an owlbear earlier. ;;

└ The compasses are acting strangely, so exploring is probably the right choice.

└ Heavenly Demon) Be careful.

└ SwordMaster) Good luck.

└ PassingDwarf) You should've waited a little longer. I was going to give you a used shield.

└ Wild Grylls) Later. I'm planning to run immediately if anything dangerous happens anyway.

└ The next day, Grylls never posted again.

└ T_T

└ Wild Grylls) Fuck off.

Everyone seemed to be cheering me on.

Of course, most of those encouraging me were registered users.

The others were closer to saying, "Why should I care?"

A few comments went far beyond the line, but they were deleted shortly afterward.

└ Don'tAbandonTheHero) Severe insults and abuse directed at someone working hard to survive will result in a ban!

└ Wild Grylls) Thank you. ;;

I wasn't sure whether this counted as working hard to live.

I had only ended up here by accident.

In any case, I had now uploaded what could potentially be my final post.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped outside the cave.

The familiar scenery greeted me.

It was a warm forest.

'At least the weather being warm is one good thing among all this misfortune.'

If it had been cold, the difficulty would have increased even further.

I looked around and began walking.

I headed in the opposite direction from where the owlbear had been eating the Mad Dog's corpse.

To avoid getting lost, I used the sword to leave marks along the way.

'Focus on the sounds.'

The chirping of insects.

The rustling of bushes in the wind.

The distant roars of animals.

I concentrated on my hearing so I wouldn't miss a single sound.

My heart pounded from tension.

This was an environment where a single moment of carelessness could decide whether I lived or died.

The sword was the only thing I could trust.

Rustle—

An ominous sound reached my ears, which had become hypersensitive from tension.

It came from directly above me.

I immediately snapped my head upward.

There was no time to raise it slowly.

"HSSSSSSS!"

A gigantic snake lunged at me with its jaws stretched wide open.

Its long, sharply protruding venomous fangs looked terrifying.

I didn't even have time to scream.

I hurriedly twisted my face aside.

The snake's jaws barely grazed past me.

Without wasting another moment, I swung the sword down at the snake's body.

Thud!

"What...?"

Something completely unexpected happened.

This was the Heavenly Demon's sword—the same sword that had cleanly sliced the Mad Dog in half.

Yet the blade only sank halfway into the snake before becoming lodged.

Its scales were far tougher than I had imagined.

"HSSSSSS!"

The venomous snake thrashed wildly in pain.

At the same time, it opened its enormous jaws and lunged at me.

It was as large as an anaconda.

If it managed to bite me even once, I was finished.

I hurriedly tried to move my right hand, only to freeze.

Squeeze!

"Ghk?!"

The snake had already wrapped its body around my right arm.

When the hell had it done that?

I was startled only for a moment.

Just before it could bite me, I grabbed it by the neck.

Snake scales were normally smooth and unpleasant to touch, but this one was different.

It felt like gripping a solid sheet of iron.

Squeeeeeze!

"Agh!"

The pressure around my right arm intensified.

But my left hand wasn't free either.

The moment I released the snake's neck, it would obviously bite me.

Maintaining this position was my best option.

'What should I—ah!'

Something entered my field of vision amid the chaos.

The section of the snake's body that had been cut halfway through.

It was between the part wrapped around my right arm and the snake's head.

I immediately slammed both arms downward as if I were swinging a jump rope.

The half-severed section dropped beneath my feet.

Now it was time to use my strength.

Stomp!

"Huaaaaaagh!"

"HSSSSSSS!"

I planted my foot on the middle of its body and pulled as though I intended to tear the half-severed section apart completely.

The snake writhed in agony, shaking its head from side to side.

Venom sprayed dangerously from its fangs.

My right arm wasn't faring any better.

The snake tightened its grip even further, as if determined to crush the bones completely.

It had become a game of chicken to see which of us would die first.

Then I encountered an unexpected obstacle.

'Fuck! Why are these scales so damn tough?!'

This was a snake that even the Heavenly Demon's sword had failed to cut cleanly.

Of course it was tough.

Did that mean I intended to give up?

Absolutely not.

If I wanted to survive, I had to rip this bastard in half and kill it.

Riiip! Tear!

The result of our struggle gradually began to show.

Its body started splitting apart.

The cut made by the sword slowly widened.

I pulled with every ounce of strength I had.

Since I was using both my hands and my foot, I could exert far more force.

Riiip! Riiiiiip!

At last, the long and brutal struggle came to an end.

The snake's body tore in half.

I felt the strength rapidly drain from the severed body now that it had lost the commands from its head.

I immediately shook my right arm free.

The section wrapped around my arm fell away, and I drove the sword downward at once.

Stab!

The Heavenly Demon's sword pierced directly through the snake's head.

Even with a blade embedded in its skull, the snake continued to writhe.

Breathing heavily, I collapsed onto the ground.

Just in case, I didn't pull the sword out.

I had heard somewhere that snakes were bizarre animals capable of continuing to move even after only their heads remained.

Even now, despite the sword piercing through its skull and being driven deep into the ground, it continued twitching.

What a tenacious creature.

Throb! Throb!

"Ow..."

I looked down at my aching right arm.

The snake's coils had left clear marks.

There was also heavy bruising beneath the skin.

Considering my bones had nearly been crushed, it was a relatively minor injury.

'What the hell are those scales made of for them to be this tough?'

Even the Heavenly Demon's sword had barely penetrated them.

I uploaded pictures to the gallery.

I planned to rest for about thirty seconds before continuing onward.

I had lost far too much strength.

***

Title: Even the Snakes Are Fucking Huge Here

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the snake's head)
(Photo of the snake's body separated from its head)

I seriously thought I was going to die.

I freaked out when the sword didn't cut through it in one strike. ;;

└ Whoa, that's fucking disgusting. Is it venomous?

└ Wild Grylls) Yeah. It tried to kill me with its fangs at first, then wrapped itself around my right arm. I thought my bones were going to break.

└ You cut the Mad Dog in half, but couldn't cut through some snake in one swing? How did you kill it?

└ Wild Grylls) I tore apart the section the sword had already cut. It was fucking tough, though.

└ Holy shit.

└ Doesn't that look like a Steel-Scaled Serpent?

└ If it really is one, isn't it insanely expensive?

└ Yeah. Both the venom and the scales should be valuable.

So this thing was called a Steel-Scaled Serpent.

It certainly lived up to its name.

I watched the comments descend into chaos again, then simply closed the gallery.

There was no point paying attention to them right now.

The snake was too large to drag back to the cave.

It would be better to list it directly in the auction house.

'I should learn from what happened with the Mad Dog.'

Without hesitation, I opened the auction house.

All kinds of items were listed there.

Occasionally, I saw strange things like an elf's underwear or socks that hadn't been washed for several days.

The world truly was vast, and there was no shortage of idiots and perverts.

I let out a hollow laugh.

Unlike direct trades, anyone could list items in the auction house.

That was probably why things like this appeared.

'The fee is... What the hell? Forty percent?'

So this was what people meant when they said the fees were murderous.

Even so, the auction house remained popular because of its advantage of completely bypassing transportation and distribution.

I placed my hand on the body rather than the head and registered it in the auction house.

The listing name was "Snake I Just Killed," and the minimum bid was five gold.

I had been struggling with how to dispose of the corpse anyway, so I would benefit as long as someone bought it.

'At least the listing fee isn't very high.'

The gallery had given me a small amount of money when I first created my registered account.

Thanks to that, I didn't have to worry about being unable to afford the listing fee.

That was fortunate.

[Note: Fees may vary depending on the item's weight.]

I didn't care.

I completed the listing and stood up.

The snake's body disappeared after being registered in the auction house.

Only the head remained.

The head was still moving, so I couldn't list it.

The safest option was probably to cover it with dirt.

'This is difficult right from the start.'

Why did my life have to be so miserable?

Rubbing my still-throbbing arm, I continued onward.

I prayed that nothing else would happen.

Trickle, trickle—

Before long, I heard a sound that instantly sharpened my senses.

Running water.

Water was one of the most important resources for survival.

I hurried toward the sound.

I might be able to secure drinking water.

And if I followed the stream downstream, it might lead me out of the forest.

That was what I thought.

"...What the hell is this?"

At least, I would have thought so if there hadn't been a desert on the other side of the stream.

I was more dumbfounded than alarmed.

No matter how many times I rubbed my eyes and looked again, it was unmistakably a desert.

A vast expanse of reddish sand stretched out before me.

I was clearly standing inside a forest.

So why was there a desert on the other side of a stream?

It felt as though every law of common sense was collapsing at once.

I stood there blankly for a while before opening the gallery.

***

Title: Guys, Let Me Show You Something Amazing

Wild Grylls

(Photo showing the stream and the forest)

Here we have a forest and a river!

(Photo showing a vast desert beyond the stream)

And beyond the river, we have a desert!

Think it's fake?

(Video alternating between the forest, stream, and desert)

Wow, fuck!

Where do you think I am?

Aren't. You. Just. Dying. To. Know?

└ Wow. That. Is. So. Amazing.

└ ??? You really were inside the Forest of Four Seasons?

└ Then how are you using the gallery?

└ Lmaoooo. This is seriously spectacular.

└ So it was real. Lmaoooo.

└ Heavenly Demon) What a beautiful place.

└ Wild Grylls) Ma'am?

└ The Heavenly Demon clearly has no idea what this place is. Lmaoooo.

└ Why does she sound like such an old person? Lmao.

└ PassingDwarf) Are you experiencing hallucinations?

└ Wild Grylls) I sobered up a long time ago. ;;

└ PassingDwarf) Drink again. Then you'll sober up from this.

└ Fighting poison with poison. Lmao.

Not a single one of the comments was helpful.

I sighed in frustration.

"Hah..."

My current feelings could be summarized in a single word.

"Fuck."