WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 11: Golden Poison Frog (1)
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There was slang for when something went completely to shit. In other words, it was a total shitshow.
I'd only made a post to thank people, but a few users jumped in and the comments turned into a complete shitshow in no time.
Starting with PrincessChaenggu, then KingLeor, who suddenly barged in. Not to mention all the Anonymous Users.
They were hurling vicious insults and dragging each other's parents into it. Comment notifications kept going off without a break.
‘Doesn't the Head Mod step in for stuff like this?’
I knew the Head Mod was supposed to intervene if things got too heated. There was a rule like that in the announcements, too.
Even if sports fans were the ones fighting, once it turned into personal attacks, it was no longer about sports.
└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: Stop it! Keep spamming and you'll be banned!
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: That bastard started it though?
└ [KingLeor]: They're the one saying ridiculous crap.
DontAbandonTheHero Even so, don't fight in someone else's post! I'll open an Arena, so fight there!
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Yep
└ [KingLeor]: Okay okay
The moment I thought of it, the Head Mod appeared. The order was simple. Don't fight in my post. Go fight in the Arena.
Everyone obediently left after that. At last, I was free from notification hell.
Before long, the Head Mod made a post in the gallery.
[Post title] Arena: Which Team Has More Pedigree?
When I refreshed, comments came pouring in. Nothing in there would be of any help to me.
I'd heard that posts stirring up conflict between nations got you banned, but sports apparently got a pass.
Of course, if things went too far, the Head Mod would stop it personally. They seemed pretty good at handling things.
‘I should focus on my own business.’
Now that I'd returned all the compasses, I came up with a way to hunt the Golden Poison Frog.
First, the river where the Golden Poison Frog lived was a natural fortress in itself.
The water was absurdly clear, making it hard to judge its depth, and the current was fairly strong too.
If I went in there, I'd die from one glob of spit. That meant a ranged attack was essential.
‘A bow would be tough... Is a crossbow my best bet?’
I didn't know how to use a bow. A crossbow would at least be easier to handle.
I currently had around 650 gold loaded in the gallery, money I'd gotten from selling the Steel-Scale Snake.
I didn't know whether that would be enough to buy a crossbow, especially the kind I wanted. First, I should make a post.
[Post title] Question About Crossbows
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] I'm thinking of catching a frog. Anyone got a harpoon-style crossbow?
[Post] Something where the bolt is tethered to the crossbow so I can pull it in after hitting it.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Why do you need a crossbow?
└ [Wild Grylls]: To catch a frog. The river's too deep to just go in.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Can't you just fire Sword Aura at it?
└ [Wild Grylls]: ;;;
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Or walk on the water.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Excuse me?
Was this person screwing with me? It was so ridiculous that I could only let out a hollow laugh.
Still, considering the swordsmanship tips they'd posted, maybe SwordTasteMaster was serious in their own way.
Only after repeatedly stressing that I was an ordinary person did the conversation more or less come to an end.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Why not fully master the Inner Energy Cultivation Method I pass on to you, then catch it?
└ [Wild Grylls]: I need to drink water to live too, ma'am.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: If it is water you seek, I can provide enough.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Then I wouldn't be able to get help when I really need it.
Like I'd said before, I planned to ask for help only when I truly needed it. It was like having an emergency chance up my sleeve.
Until then, I needed to be self-sufficient. Or earn money and buy things at the Auction House.
Besides, a crossbow could come in handy in plenty of situations like this.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: I can modify something like that.
└ [Wild Grylls]: How much would it be?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: It's Dwarf-made, so around 500 gold. You okay with that?
“What the fu...?”
Why was it so expensive? Was it studded with diamonds or something? That was way beyond what I'd expected.
I'd heard around 300 gold was a commoner's monthly living expense, so this was far beyond that.
Maybe Dwarf-made gear commanded prices like this because it was the sort of thing that always came with a premium in novels, though I wasn't sure if that held true in this world too.
└ It's Dwarf-made. Of course it's expensive.
└ Isn't that actually cheap? Since it's a crossbow.
└ Crossbows vary wildly depending on the maker.
└ Probably second only to swords.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Keep the modification cost in mind too. This is really cheap. I feel bad.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Why do you feel bad?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: For saying you could at least serve as fertilizer. I didn't realize things were that serious.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Hmm. How much does a regular crossbow cost?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Don't know much about human-made ones.
└ Probably around 30 gold.
└ Yeah, regular bows go for around 10 gold.
└ [Wild Grylls]: What kind of fucking premium is that?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Don't buy it if you don't like it.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Now, now. I never said I wouldn't buy it.
└ Look at that instant change in attitude lol
Whatever the case, this was an opportunity. Passing Dwarf was probably the only one who could give me the exact crossbow I wanted.
It was expensive, but people said Dwarf-made goods were dependable, so I could pay the price.
Even if it turned out to be a scam, I could just never buy from them again. If all else failed, I'd get a crossbow from someone else.
└ [LetsGrowTrees]: A bow is still better than a crossbow. The World Tree Watermelon Map proves that.
└ What's with this knife-ear?
└ They're making World Tree Watermelon Map jokes again.
└ Historically speaking, they're not wrong...
└ Doesn't that thing have everything in it? Lol
└ [Wild Grylls]: I'm using a crossbow because I'm in a hurry. I don't know how to use a bow.
└ [LetsGrowTrees]: I see. Then why not practice with a bow while learning about the greatness of us elves?
└ Greatness my ass lol
└ Loads of people shoot better than knife-ears lol
└ Here the knife-ears go again;;
└ [LetsGrowTrees]: But generally speaking, the symbol of elves is the bow. Let me ask you this in return. What race comes to mind when you think of bows?
└ Fuck, I hate that you're right.
└ Knife-ears are good with bows though lol
└ So what? They get wiped out because they don't have a frontline lol
For all their rampant imperialism, it seemed to be common knowledge that bows were the symbol of elves. At least that part matched my common sense.
I left a comment on the increasingly lively post.
└ [Wild Grylls]: My country was also really good at archery.
└ [LetsGrowTrees]: Were your ancestors elves, by any chance?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Nope;;
└ Look at them, not a single prejudice lol
└ Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Lol
└ [Wild Grylls]: Also, the world I lived in only had humans.
└ [LetsGrowTrees]: Your world only had humans? That's impossible!
└ They said they're from another world. Try to understand.
└ They're pitiful, so let it go.
└ They're just doing a bit lol
It wasn't a bit, it was real, but they wouldn't believe me. Not that it mattered much.
Whether they believed me or not, all I had to do was survive here.
└ But your country really was good at archery?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah, really good. Not me, though.
└ Any reason? Like a racial trait or something?
└ [Wild Grylls]: There were lots of countries above and below us that we wanted to shoot at lol
└ LMAOOOO
└ Holy shit lol
└ Is this guy insane? Lmao
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Hey. Finished modifying it. Send a trade request.
It looked like Passing Dwarf had finished the modifications while I waited. I immediately sent a trade request.
A crossbow made by a dwarf. I wondered how good it would be. I hoped it was worth the price.
[System] Passing Dwarf has registered trade items.
[Passing Dwarf]: I added the Harpoon Bolt you asked for, along with a few other bolts.
[Passing Dwarf]: But the Harpoon Bolt has a fuuucking short range, so keep that in mind.
[You]: How short?
[Passing Dwarf]: Maximum range is around 50 meters.
Around 50 meters. Hearing that, I recalled the width of the creek where the Golden Frog lived.
It was narrow enough to call a creek rather than a river. It was just incredibly deep.
Still, considering the frog's spit, the range was cutting it close.
The best option would be to hide myself and ambush it.
[You]: Okay, I'll put up the money too.
[Passing Dwarf]: I threw in a pair of gloves too, just in case.
[You]: How much were those? I'll give you more money.
[Passing Dwarf]: Don't be a sucker. Just take them;;
They'd happily given me toilet paper before, so I felt bad taking more. Yet I'd ended up with gloves too.
They were pretty fitting, since touching the frog by mistake could get me into serious trouble.
If I found some good herbs later, I should give them some. Or maybe leather.
They were a blacksmith, so leather would probably be better than herbs.
‘Let's see. They gave it to me in a box.’
A box appeared after the trade ended. I opened the neat, square box.
The crossbow and gloves were the first things I saw.
Then there was some kind of bottle inside. It was something I hadn't expected at all, so I stared at it in confusion.
‘What's this?’
It was a brown bottle sealed with a cork. The cork made me realize what it was.
Alcohol. I remembered the dwarf saying they'd give me some booze, so I wouldn't kill myself.
I couldn't believe they actually gave me alcohol. They were surprisingly soft-hearted whenever I looked closer.
‘I’ll save this for later.’
Someday, I could use the alcohol like an anesthetic or painkiller. Being drunk could make you forget pain to some extent.
I carefully placed the bottle against the wall so it wouldn't break, then checked the crossbow.
It was mostly black, and perhaps because a dwarf had made it, the design was pretty cool too.
‘The bolt is connected to it.’
The harpoon-shaped bolt and crossbow were connected by a thin rope. I roughly understood how it was used.
I should test it. I'd heard crossbows were difficult to make, but not hard to use.
I put my foot into the stirrup-like piece at the front of the crossbow. I'd heard that was how you used one.
After putting it down and pinning it with my foot, all I had to do was pull back the string to cock it...
Clunk.
“Huh?”
This was supposed to work, so why wasn't it? I was a little flustered.
I'd pulled the string, but it wouldn't budge. My whole body jerked as I tried to pull it back.
At first, I thought it was caught on something. But when I put more force into it, the string slowly started rising.
“Graaagh!”
Only after shouting and straining did I barely manage to cock it. I panted, unable to hide my disbelief.
What kind of crossbow was this, when even cocking it was so hard? Was this normal?
There were superhumans in this world who could smash mountains with their bare hands, so it wasn't impossible.
I let out a sigh and loaded a bolt. First, the Harpoon Bolt.
I needed to save the other bolts, so I planned to use the reusable harpoon first.
‘It has a stock too, so aiming should be easy.’
It was fairly light for its size too. That made it easier to aim.
I left the cave and aimed at a tree some distance away.
If I fired into the hard cave wall, the harpoon might get damaged, so a tree was better.
‘Hold my breath...’
Thwang!
The instant I pulled the trigger, I heard the air rip apart.
The tension was so powerful that the wind even made my hair flutter.
Thud!
The harpoon flew out and punched straight through the center of the perfectly upright tree.
Again, it didn't get stuck in the tree. It went straight through. The power was terrifying.
With this, even that Golden Frog wouldn't stand a chance. It wouldn't even know what hit it.
‘So that's why it was expensive.’
I recovered the harpoon, stunned by power that far exceeded my expectations.
Thanks to the rope connecting it, retrieving it wasn't difficult.
‘Still, I need practice.’
Part of me wanted to hunt the Golden Frog immediately. But haste made waste.
Since cocking the thing took forever, I would only get one chance. I had to end that frog in a single shot.
If I failed, I'd have no choice but to run for my life. The moment that poison hit me, I was dead.
I needed to prepare thoroughly if I wanted to drink water whenever I wanted in the future. It definitely wasn't because Allfather's 20,000 gold had gotten me worked up.
‘I’m taking a shower no matter what. I feel disgusting.’
After two days without washing, I felt grimy enough to die. At least the weather was pleasantly warm. If it had been humid too, it would have been the worst.
I kept practicing until dawn. I got a little more used to pulling the string back.
Time passed, and when evening began to fall, I went into the cave.
‘With the money I have left...’
I had roughly 100 gold left after buying the crossbow. I intended to buy as much as I could with it.
The most urgent thing was snake and bug repellent. I'd been lucky so far, but I could get bitten by a venomous snake or insect in my sleep.
I also needed an antidote and various medicines. An antidote was essential because of the frog, especially.
‘The Auction House has most things, but... everything is expensive.’
The insane fees were holding me back. Skipping the distribution chain was a benefit, but it was still far too expensive.
Still, I couldn't afford not to buy them. With tears in my eyes, I bought a bottle of antidote.
There was a chance of getting scammed, so I carefully read the reviews just in case.
‘For repellent... I'll buy this.’
After buying various things, I only had 20 gold left. I didn't feel too bad about it.
They were things that would keep me alive longer, after all. I sprayed bug repellent around the cave entrance and near where I slept.
I didn't know whether it would work, but all I could do was hope. I'd read the reviews carefully too.
Crunch. Crunch.
“Ugh. This tastes fucking awful.”
I didn't forget to eat a few Fasting Pills for dinner. The bitter taste of medicinal herbs spread through my mouth.
It looked like I would have to live off Fasting Pills for a while, so I had no choice but to put up with it. At least I had something.
“Urrgh...”
After taking the Fasting Pills, I tried to sit cross-legged. It wasn't time to sleep yet.
The moment I crossed my legs, pain shot through me as if my joints were twisting, but I endured it stubbornly.
Was this how I was supposed to practice the Mana Cultivation Method, the Inner Energy Cultivation Method, and all that stuff?
The Heavenly Demon said she'd teach me, so I only needed to practice sitting cross-legged for now.
‘Will I get used to this after about a week?’
Flexibility didn't improve overnight. I would need to keep at it for several days.
Still, I had nothing else to do before bed, so I had plenty of time. If I were home, I would have spent all that time playing games.
‘Thank god I have the gallery.’
I browsed the gallery while practicing my sitting posture. The gallery played a huge role too.
People were animals that struggled to endure loneliness. That was why they were called social animals.
Was it Robinson Crusoe? I remembered reading a novel where a person stranded on a deserted island treated a ball like it was a person.
Communication was that essential to people. The gallery fulfilled that need for me now.
‘Time to sleep.’
Time flew by as I browsed the gallery. I uncrossed my legs.
Browsing the gallery while practicing had made me forget the pain before I knew it.
Of course, the moment I noticed it again, an enormous wave of pain came crashing in.
I got ready for bed while enduring pain that felt like my joints were tearing apart.
It was warm during the day, but the temperature dropped at night, so a fire was essential.
Crackle! Crackle!
I lit a fire using the Ignition Stone the Heavenly Demon gave me and wood from outside. The cave felt at least a little warmer.
On the first day, I had been so exhausted that I hadn't even noticed the cold. To begin with, Mad Dog had nearly bitten me to death.
I added a few pieces of firewood, then wrote a post in the gallery.
[Post title] End of Survival Day 1
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of a line drawn on the wall)
[Post] (Photo of a blazing campfire)
[Post] Today marks the end of Survival Day 1. Time for beddy-bye.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: You have worked hard. Rest well.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Rest well.
└ Day 1 starts today?
└ Looks like it. If the updates stop...
└ Ugh;; That'd feel awful.
└ [Starlight Princess]: Let's hang in there together. I'll wait for Day 2.
└ A mayfly versus someone terminally ill.
└ This makes my heart swell.
└ Thank you for supporting Wild Grylls until now.
└ [Starlight Princess]: You people are really awful.
Yeah. What did I expect from those assholes?
Ah. Just in case, I meant the Anonymous Users, not the registered users.
Most of the registered users cheered me on, but Anonymous Users... Well, that needed no explanation.
‘Still, it's better than nothing.’
I snickered and closed the gallery. Then I lay down on the hard stone floor.
If I caught the Golden Frog tomorrow, should I buy a blanket first? A pillow would be nice too.
Maybe it was because I'd gone through so much today, but those thoughts didn't last long before sleep began to take me.
As my eyes slowly closed and the sounds of insects faded away...
‘I want to go home.’
With that desperate wish, my consciousness went completely dark.
Footnotes:
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