Chapter 149 - Countermeasures (1)

My confusion over the knight riding a giraffe was short-lived. He had already vanished, and there was nothing I could do about it, so I decided to get on with my work first.

First, I needed to break the ice covering the river and stick my hand in to provoke the golden frog. Of course, it would be better if it was still hibernating and didn't show up. Then I wouldn't have to waste time dealing with it.

SPLASH

"Gyaaah!"

The instant I put my hand in, I couldn't help letting out a strange cry. It was far too cold.

I'd gotten a rough idea from the water coming through the hose, but feeling it directly on my skin made it seem even colder. Still, I had to put up with it willingly if I wanted to solve my food problem.

Fortunately, the golden frog didn't appear. Perhaps it was hibernating too.

"Brrrr. Hssss."

That didn't make it any less cold. This was why I'd wanted cold resistance.

I set the traps, shivering from the chill that engulfed me the moment I stepped into the water. The footwear I'd traded for so far was waterproof, but the river was too deep. I had no choice but to go in wearing sneakers.

'Just ten minutes. I only have to suffer for ten minutes...!'

There was a risk of frostbite, but I'd be fine. I might not have cold resistance, but I did possess cold energy. That would offer some protection, so I wasn't worried about frostbite. It was just insanely cold.

Once I'd set all the traps, I hurried back to the cave. The first thing I did was heat some water and soak my feet in it. I wasn't supposed to get frostbite, but this was a precaution.

As I sat there soaking my feet, the sight from earlier came back to me.

'But was that really a person I saw across the river?'

Riding a giraffe was one thing, but he'd even been swinging a sword like a knight. The predators surrounding him—lions, to be exact—hadn't been able to approach easily.

'Wait. Now that I think about it, wasn't his sword glowing?'

The sword the knight had been holding had definitely glowed green. The glow had been faint, but it was unmistakably green.

Only the Mithricon I'd given him would shine that color.

'Then was that Ludwig?'

Ludwig. The paladin renowned for his upright character.

And the man whose forum post had sounded every bit like something a middle-aged dad would write.

He really might have been the one swinging a sword from the giraffe's back.

'Talk about shitty timing.'

I pondered it as I thawed my feet in the warm water. No matter how I looked at it, the timing was painfully unfortunate. Why did the space have to change right then?

If I'd had another minute—no, even thirty seconds—I could have gotten a better look.

'My luck really is absolute crap.'

The knight I suspected was Ludwig probably hadn't seen me. He'd been in the middle of a fierce battle with lions. Would he have had any attention to spare for the far side of the river?

'Come to think of it, didn't they say this world didn't have giraffes?'

I wasn't certain, but that was how I remembered it. Just in case, I searched the forum for giraffes.

Nothing came up. There were posts containing separate bits of the word, but none about an animal called a giraffe. Unicorns and pegasi, on the other hand, openly existed. People treated them as common knowledge.

Of course, they might simply have a different name for it, so I even drew a picture to check.

Does an animal like this exist?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of my giraffe drawing)

Are there any animals with long necks and legs like in the picture? We called them giraffes where I lived.

└Heavenly Demon I've never seen such a bizarre animal that wasn't a spirit beast.

└Sword Masta Neither have I. I've never seen or heard of an animal like that in my life.

└Slutty Princess Somehow it looks sad with that long neck.

└Starlight Lady How does it eat with a neck that long?

└All Hail the Sun Something about it... It's so strange that I want one.

└Smart Demonic Cultist It's so fucking ugly lmaooo

└Do they use their necks like whips when they fight? lol

└Wild Grylls How'd you know? As far as I know, they really do swing their necks to wreck their opponents. Either that or kick with their hind legs.

└What the fuck kind of animal is that? You've got one hell of an imagination lmao

└What if it hits something with its neck and breaks it?;;

└That body is the pinnacle of inefficiency lol

└Allfather Oh? What a fascinating animal. There was something similar in the past.

└Wild Grylls Really?

└Allfather Yes. Monsters called dinosaurs, the ancestors of dragons or drakes. Some had very long necks.

└Did those dinosaurs fight with their necks too?

└Allfather According to scholarly theories, they used their long, whiplike tails. Wyverns are also descendants of dinosaurs.

Was he talking about Brachiosaurus? It was fascinating that dinosaurs had existed in this world too.

No, what was even more fascinating was that these people couldn't wrap their heads around giraffes existing.

'Then what was the giraffe I saw?'

Had giraffes perhaps lost out in the food chain and gone extinct? And had they survived in the Forest of Four Seasons because even the herbivores here were insanely strong?

That was a reasonably plausible hypothesis. If that wasn't it...

'Could it be... connected to Earth?'

Just as I'd abruptly landed in the Forest of Four Seasons, animals from Earth had come here too.

I was an animal myself, after all, so my presence would be another piece of evidence for that hypothesis. But even if I knew the outcome, I couldn't pin down the cause.

'I'll just have to investigate thoroughly.'

The bottom line was that I needed to learn more about this forest. I had a feeling my arrival here hadn't been a coincidence either.

Survival mattered, but so did exploration. Finding a lead would improve my chances of escape.

'I've been keeping a diary regularly, too. Time is the only answer.'

Now that I'd realized the seasons changed weekly, I planned to devote more time to exploration. Originally, I'd intended to stay at the shelter until I grew stronger, but it wouldn't be good to drag that out too long.

Besides, I'd be forced to rest once winter came anyway.

Of course, now that I'd discovered another survivor, I made a plan for that first.

'I need to provide supplies that could help the survivors.'

Was Ludwig, the knight on the giraffe, really the only person who'd entered the Forest of Four Seasons? I'd heard he'd forcibly shoved someone else inside, too.

With luck, that person might be alive somewhere in the forest, just like Ludwig.

But in my experience, the Forest of Four Seasons was an incredibly difficult place to survive without a base. Without proper tools, your chances of survival hit rock bottom.

'I need to help them, just as the forum helped me.'

Other than me, no one could use the forum once they entered the forest. The same went for locating them. Asking the admin wouldn't help.

All I could do was throw survival supplies across the river. Since I had no way of knowing where anyone was, that was my best option.

'Food is the most important thing for survival, but...'

Unfortunately, food was the one thing I couldn't provide. With winter to consider, I needed to keep building up my stockpile starting now.

On the other hand, that meant I could provide most things besides food.

'Weapons, for example.'

Weapons were extremely important in the Forest of Four Seasons. Hadn't I overcome countless crises myself after receiving the Heavenly Demon's sword?

I wasn't sure about Ludwig, but he seemed to be managing to survive with his Mithricon sword.

'I'll make swords and throw them across the river. That should work.'

That was the best measure I could come up with. Nothing else really came to mind.

Actually, there was one other option. The signposts I'd put up near the cave.

I could erect a large sign visible from across the river. Something like the signs guiding defectors at the front line.

'I should've done this ages ago...'

I hadn't put a separate signpost by the river. That had been a huge mistake. For some reason, I'd complacently assumed Ludwig would end up on this side.

That was why it had never occurred to me to put up something visible from across the river. If I had, Ludwig might already have crossed over.

What a wasted opportunity.

Learning from that mistake, I planned to put up directions in every language. That way, I'd be ready not only for Ludwig, but for anyone who arrived, wherever or whenever that might be.

'I can ask the forum about each country's language.'

Every race and country had its own language, but I had the forum. Besides, the registered users came from all sorts of places. I could just ask them.

'The sign absolutely has to be big.'

I could make it much the same way I'd made the signposts. Its size meant it would inevitably take a lot of work, though. Joining the pieces of wood together would be particularly tricky.

I constructed a large sign by fitting wooden boards onto long poles one at a time. You might think that would make it difficult to write on, but don't worry.

'I'll attach a huge sheet of paper to it.'

Paper would make things easy. I wouldn't need to write directly on the sign.

Smiling in satisfaction at the sign, which was plainly visible even from a distance, I opened the forum. Then I bought a sheet of paper to attach to it and asked the registered users for help.

Heavenly Demon

Shall I write exactly what you said, my honored friend?

Yes, please.

Heavenly Demon

That is no trouble.

Wait a moment.

All right.

Heavenly Demon

(Photo of a notice written on paper in the language of the Central Plains)

Will this do?

Thank you!

I think this every time I see it, but your handwriting really is beautiful.

Heavenly Demon

Thank you.

First, I received the Central Plains version from Heavenly Demon.

Sword Masta

(Photo of an explanation written on paper in the language of the Messiah Empire)

Will this work?

Yes!

Thank you so much!

Sword Masta

Wait a moment.

Let me send you another one...!

What?

Sword Masta

(Photo of a notice written on paper in the language of the Messiah Empire)

Here's a replacement, haha;

What did you write the first time?

Sword Masta

I wrote, "Please grow stronger and marry me."

;;;

Then the Messiah Empire's language from Sword Masta, who'd briefly been feeling playful.

Passing Dwarf

Huh.

Well, I never thought I'd live to do something like this lol

Try to understand how I feel.

I'm desperate here.

Passing Dwarf

All right.

Give me a moment.

I received the dwarven language from the dwarf.

As for the rest, I asked Slutty Princess, Allfather, All Hail the Sun, Let's Grow Trees, Suspiciously, and others, obtaining the languages of their respective countries and races.

You might ask why I didn't simply make a forum post, but that seemed likely to get too chaotic, so I went to this trouble instead.

Don't Abandon the Hero

(Photo of a notice written on paper in Eldorado's language)

Will this do!

Thank you.

I really hope Ludwig sees this.

Don't Abandon the Hero

Did you see Ludwig?!

I think so, but I'm not certain.

He was riding a giraffe and swinging the sword I gave him.

Don't Abandon the Hero

A giraffe...

You mean that bizarre animal you posted, Grylls?!

Yes.

Don't Abandon the Hero

I see!

It's strange, but I'm glad he's alive!

Please contact me immediately if you confirm he's survived!

I will.

Finally, I received the notice from the admin, who was from Eldorado.

I copied all the languages I'd received from people of different nations and races onto the paper, using black paint for a sharp contrast against the white.

'There are so many languages, it's overwhelming.'

The paper covered a large area, and filling it with foreign writing was pretty grueling work. I also had to use the space efficiently, so concentration was crucial.

At last, I finished writing out every country's language. I smiled at the notice.

Its message went roughly like this.

Wild Grylls, a registered forum user, welcomes all survivors!

If you see this, follow the signposts down! You'll find a cave!

We are stronger together than alone! Let's get through this together!

How should I put it? It felt less like a notice and more like... something else.

'Somehow it sounds like a country trying to recruit new citizens...'

Anyway, now that the notice was finished, all that remained was making the survival supplies.

'Let's get a move on.'

The sign would be meaningless if they couldn't survive. I grabbed my pickaxe and mined the mithril buried in the cave.

And...

'Please survive.'