Chapter 71

Core (1)

After countless hardships, I finally managed to take down the Guardian. Truthfully, luck had been on my side to some extent.

If the Guardian hadn't been made of orichalcum, if Wonmo hadn't mustered up the courage to charge in...

And finally, if the light hadn't flickered at that critical moment, I wouldn't be alive right now.

Wonmo's contribution had been especially significant this time. It was thanks to Wonmo that I'd managed to find the clue I needed.

What would've happened if I hadn't brought Wonmo along? Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.

'Since it's still a cub, it probably had way less mana too.'

It was a fight I could only win because several conditions happened to line up perfectly.

The sloth hadn't been able to do much either, unlike during the saber-toothed tiger's surprise attack.

Even though the little guy could cut through an iron barrel like tofu, orichalcum was probably too much for it.

Even if it could cut through it, there wouldn't have been much point when the thing could regenerate anyway.

"Ugh..."

How long had it been since I defeated the Guardian?

I was still sprawled out on the ground.

I'd already been drained of mana, leaving me completely exhausted.

And in that state, I'd poured every last drop of mana I had into the crystal orb and thrown it, so now I felt as shriveled as dried squid.

'Still, isn't this a little too much...?'

It wasn't that I didn't even have the strength to move a finger. If anything, I still had strength.

How should I describe it?

It felt as if gravity had become several times stronger and was crushing my body against the ground.

Anyway, that strange sensation made it difficult to get back up.

"Wonmo."

"Kkyuu?"

"Come here. At least let me pet you."

If nothing else, I could pet Wonmo's fluffy face.

When I stroked him, Wonmo began purring contentedly, clearly enjoying it.

As far as I knew, purring was usually something cats did, but who cares?

'First, I'll drink some elixir.'

Once some of my energy returned, I was gradually able to get myself back in order.

I took a sip of elixir, then slowly regulated my body through breathing.

I still couldn't circulate my internal energy cultivation method, but focusing on my breathing gradually made me feel better.

"Oof."

I slowly got to my feet with a groan.

After such a fierce battle, my whole body hurt.

Especially my abdomen. For some reason, my stomach hurt far worse than anywhere else.

During the fight, I'd managed to endure it thanks to the rush of adrenaline and the elixir's painkilling effect.

But now that everything was over, it hurt badly enough to make me grimace involuntarily.

'It'll get better soon.'

I'd personally witnessed how effective the elixir was.

It had healed the arm that Mad Dog had mangled with a bite almost instantly.

The problem this time was internal rather than external, so it seemed like it would simply take longer.

"Hmm..."

Enduring the pain, I examined the corpse(?) of the Guardian I'd defeated.

Unlike the humanoid form it had taken earlier, it now looked like a mound of rocks.

Among the pile, the Heavenly Demon's Sword stood out unmistakably.

'Is this actually some kind of Hero's Sword?'

I entertained the pointless thought as I grabbed the Heavenly Demon's Sword.

When I pulled hard, something skewered on the blade came out along with it like food on a skewer.

'Is this the core?'

The Guardian's heart and source of power—the core.

Now that it had lost its light, it no longer emitted a blue glow and had turned dark.

I wondered whether this thing had any value, but even if it didn't, there was orichalcum scattered everywhere around me, so I decided there was nothing to worry about.

'I should post proof like this.'

I adjusted the angle so that both the skewered core and the pile of orichalcum behind it were visible.

Then I took several photos and uploaded them to the gallery.

While I was at it, I included Wonmo too.

Title: Took Down the Guardian

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the core skewered on the sword with a pile of orichalcum behind it)

(Photo of a pile of limb-shaped pieces of orichalcum)

(Photo of the core skewered on the Heavenly Demon's Sword)

(Photo of Wonmo looking up)

I was exploring when a Guardian suddenly popped out of nowhere and nearly killed me.

At first it started absorbing my mana and even transforming its body, so I thought I was completely screwed. Still, I somehow managed to kill it.

Wonmo is in the last photo. He was basically the MVP of this deathmatch. Without Wonmo, I never would've figured out how to beat it.

Anyway, forget the orichalcum for a second. I have no idea whether the core is useful. Can I sell this thing?

└ Heavenly Demon: Was this creature called a Guardian strong?

└ Wild Grylls: It wasn't as strong as the saber-toothed tiger, but it was definitely strong. If I hadn't figured out how to beat it, I seriously would've died.

　└ Heavenly Demon: I suppose it is rather late to mention this now, but if you encounter an enemy like that which absorbs internal energy, there is a simple way to counter it.

└ Wild Grylls: What's that?

　└ Heavenly Demon: You simply keep pouring internal energy into it until it can absorb no more. Most such foes will destroy themselves that way.

└ Wild Grylls: Teacher ;;

└ SwordMaster: A Guardian that absorbs mana? I've killed quite a few Guardians myself, but I've never heard of one like that. The part about transforming its body is the same, though.

　└ Wild Grylls: Maybe it's because its body was made of orichalcum. Do other Guardians transform their bodies too?

└ SwordMaster: Yes. A rock Guardian can control rocks, a tree Guardian can control trees, and a river Guardian can control river water.

　└ Wild Grylls: What about firing an energy beam from its core?

　　└ SwordMaster: That's another first for me. Just what the hell did you kill? ;;

└ Wild Grylls: So this bastard was the weird one, lol.

└ Starlight Princess: Are you injured anywhere? I worry every time I see you make a post like this.

└ Wild Grylls: I did take one hell of a punch to the gut. But I have elixir, so I should be fine.

　└ Starlight Princess: That's a relief. Still, you need to be especially careful with internal injuries. Unlike external wounds, they're difficult to heal directly.

└ Wild Grylls: Yes. I'll be careful.

　└ Starlight Princess: I'm speaking from experience, so you'd better take it seriously.

└ Wild Grylls: Yep.

└ Passing Dwarf: Damn, look at all that orichalcum ;; How much is all of that worth?

　└ Wild Grylls: Can you make anything with it?

└ Passing Dwarf: There are plenty of things you can make with it, but I don't think any of them would be particularly useful to you. The core's basically just an energy source too.

└ Wild Grylls: Is there anything you can do with the core?

　└ Passing Dwarf: It's basically like coal, so not really? Still, one that size should sell for a lot.

　└ Wild Grylls: I don't need money, though. Can't you hook it up to something like a refrigerator? Like a portable battery.

　└ Passing Dwarf: If that were possible, I would've built a portable brewery already.

└ Wild Grylls: Everything always comes back to booze with you ;;

Is Grylls really a complete beginner, though? Everything he kills is fucking insane.

└ Sure, some of his wins were thanks to the terrain, but I can't believe it anymore. How the hell is that a beginner?

└ Isn't he actually just pretending to be weak?

　└ Wild Grylls: (Photo of his abdomen covered in a dark red bruise) What did you say?

　　└ Sorry ;;;

└ Damn, that looks seriously painful ;;

└ Didn't he take that hit on purpose? lol

└ I'm not believing him until he shows us the process lol.

　└ Wild Grylls: Is there a way to show you? It's hard to fight while taking pictures through the gallery because it blocks my vision.

　　└ Dunno.

└ Wouldn't the head mod know?

└ Ask the head mod.

└ Wild Grylls: You irresponsible bastards ;;

After messing around on the gallery for a while, I started cleaning up.

Though calling it "cleaning up" was a bit of a stretch. Aside from the core, everything around me was orichalcum.

I picked out a few pieces of suitable size and put them into my spatial bag. I put the core in there too.

They were fairly heavy, but not enough to hinder my movement. My mana had also started recovering.

'I guess I'll give the core to Allfather.'

Wouldn't Allfather find researching the core interesting?

With that thought, I headed out of the cave...

Or rather, I didn't. I looked for the light crystal orb first.

Despite being struck by the laser, the crystal orb was perfectly fine aside from a few minor scratches. I had a feeling I'd be using it a lot from now on.

'King Leor basically saved my life, didn't he?'

Of course, that didn't mean I was going to start rooting for Leor.

I had to remain loyal to Princess Cheonggu, didn't I?

Still, I should give him some orichalcum as repayment.

After leaving the cave, I tapped the crystal orb twice.

The light that had been floating gently in the sky faded away, and the crystal orb also lost its glow.

'I should circulate my internal energy cultivation method as soon as I get back.'

My mana was almost completely depleted, so I needed to replenish it through the cultivation method.

On top of that, my abdomen was badly bruised, so I needed to rest until it fully healed.

'This means I can't get the crab again.'

I just kept piling up more reasons to feel sorry for the dwarf.

At least I'd given him a fish yesterday. Otherwise, I might've lost his trust.

If things didn't work out, I could always give him some extra orichalcum as an apology.

He'd probably just use it for a brewery or refrigerator anyway, but that was good enough.

'Come to think of it, isn't there a crystal orb with a recording function?'

I remembered the comments on the gallery.

They'd asked whether I could show them the process of my fights.

At first, I'd dismissed it as nonsense, but the more I thought about it, the more useful it seemed.

Hadn't people always said that seeing something once was better than hearing about it a hundred times?

I was receiving instruction from the registered users, but learning everything purely through text was inconvenient in many ways.

'This is something I should seriously consider.'

There would be limitations depending on the camera angle, but even then, the benefits would be enormous.

The problem was how I was supposed to record videos.

There weren't any smartphones here.

'I guess I'll have to ask the head mod.'

I needed to look more closely into what the gallery could actually do.

Thinking that, I returned to my shelter.

Maybe it was because I'd just been through such a brutal fight, but returning there made me feel as comfortable as if I'd come home.

'I shouldn't get used to this.'

What if I ended up settling down here permanently?

Not that it would happen.

I still held onto the hope of getting out someday. I wanted to see another human face, after all.

Cute as Wonmo was, and despite constantly bickering with the sloth, they couldn't satisfy that particular longing.

Simply being able to exchange "words" with someone would alleviate it to some degree, but that was impossible right now.

'Should I seriously just put a ball in front of me and start talking to it?'

I chuckled while unpacking my things.

Even I thought it was a stupid idea.

But who knew?

That might actually be my future.

'I'll leave the core here and put the orichalcum next to it.'

Once I'd finished organizing everything, I checked the time.

There was about an hour left until lunch. I could spend that time checking my condition.

I started with my abdomen, which had been covered in a dark red bruise.

Originally, my entire abdomen had been bruised, but now it had noticeably faded.

Wouldn't I have been in serious trouble without the elixir?

'Here I am desperately struggling with everything I've got just to win, while that thing nearly did me in with a single attack...'

It was unfair, but what could I do?

I was just a terribly, terribly weak human.

I gently rubbed my stomach before lying down on the soft mat.

Maybe it was because of the exhausting battle, or perhaps because I'd lost so much mana, but I felt drowsy.

'Even if I'm going to sleep, I should at least eat lunch first.'

Until then, I might as well browse the gallery.

I logged in and searched for my nickname to see whether anyone had been talking about me.

[Honestly, I'm jealous of Grylls.]

"Huh?"

The post made me blink.

What kind of lunatic would be jealous of me?

There was no way I could ignore a title like that, so naturally, I opened it.

Title: Honestly, I'm jealous of Grylls.

(Photo of a dilapidated slum)

(Photo of the cramped interior of a tiny house)

(Photo of a roof with rainwater pouring through it)

I'm just your average gallery user living in a slum.

Everyone keeps saying how pitiful Grylls is, but honestly, I'm jealous of him.

As long as you have access to the gallery, getting enough food to survive isn't really a problem, right? On top of that, he's in the Forest of Four Seasons, so expensive stuff is lying around everywhere.

There's nothing like that in the slums.

My dad ran off ages ago, and my mom sells her body for money.

I spend my days begging on the streets and getting beaten up.

I just wish people understood that what seems miserable to one person can look like heaven to someone else.

You think this place is safe?

That's all bullshit.

There was even a bastard who pulled a knife on me once because he wanted to steal my begging bowl.

This place is just fucking hell.

Even if I wanted to leave, I have nowhere to go, so I can't.

That's why I'm jealous of Grylls, living out in the wilderness without having to worry about money.

└ What are the temples doing? Weren't they supposed to help the slums?

　└ They do, but it doesn't mean shit lol. The place is full of bastards who gamble away whatever they get or just take it and run.

└ There's a reason slums are slums. Unless you wipe the whole place clean, there's no fixing it.

└ Hang in there.

└ Seeing this, maybe Grylls actually has it better?

└ Nah. No way. This guy can at least do something. Grylls has to risk his life every time he tries to do fucking anything ;;

└ If living in the wilderness were so great, everyone and their mother would be doing it lol.

Being somewhere that smelled of human life was still far better than being dropped into the wilderness all alone.

So I left a comment.

It was less of an insult and more of an invitation.

Countless comments followed—some criticizing him, some condemning him, and others sympathizing with him.

Watching them left me with a strange feeling.

I hadn't really thought about things from this perspective before.

But I understood him.

The place this user lived in was simply a different kind of hell from mine.

Our circumstances were different, but we were both suffering.

'Is it inevitable that the grass always looks greener on the other side?'

If anything, I was jealous of him.

At least he had other people around him.

└ Wild Grylls: (Photo of the cave with a mat laid out) Buddy, wanna come here? It's surprisingly cozy. If you come here, there's nothing we can't do together!

　└ What the hell is this? Lmaooo.

└ I thought he was gonna curse him out. This caught me off guard lol.

└ Forest of Four Seasons vs. the slums. A truly legendary matchup ;;

└ Honestly, if we're only talking about how fucked the future is, I'd pick the Forest of Four Seasons lol. There isn't even a future to worry about there lmao.

└ It's only manageable because he has the gallery. Without that, he'd have to do literally everything by hand ;;

└ I can't believe you're even comparing these two lmao. Whatever the case, the slums are still better than the Forest of Four Seasons.

└ What kind of bullshit comparison is this, fuck.

└ Are you fucking with me right now?

　└ Wild Grylls: Nope. I'm completely serious. If you come here, I'll do everything I can for you.

└ I'm a guy, though?

　└ Wild Grylls: I'm alone.

　　└ This dude's gay.

　└ Wild Grylls: I'm single.

└ Fuck, that's creepy as hell. I'm not going. Piss off.

└ Wild Grylls: TTT

└ Instantly cured lmaoooo.

His lamenting was immediately brought to an end.

Most people berated the poster, telling him there were some things you simply couldn't compare.

But did they know?

'Once again, I'm the only one who's serious.'

I really had meant it.