WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 134: Winter (2)
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I’ve thought this many times, but God must hate me.
Otherwise, God wouldn’t have sent a blizzard to stop me from repairing my home.
‘Didn’t I hate God first, though?’
I’d spent my whole life resenting God because I didn’t want to hate people. Was this how that snowball had rolled so far?
Lost in that half-baked philosophy, I waited for the blizzard to stop.
The situation outside the cave was a full-blown disaster. Everything was buried in snow.
I’d never even experienced a blizzard back on Earth, yet here I was, dealing with one in this place. Ridiculous.
[Post title] Save me
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of the blizzard raging outside the cave)
[Post] Now there’s a blizzard too. Somebody save me.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: What a mess. It does whatever it wants.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: It’s amazing that animals live there too. How do they survive in such a terrible environment?
└ [Wild Grylls]: I think they just know instinctively. Seeing how fat Wonmo got proves it.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Wonmo aside, has Fast Sloth not changed at all?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Nope. Still has that same stupid face.
└ They probably survived because they adapted lol.
└ I wonder what the gorillas are doing.
└ Eating bananas, probably?
└ What if yellow dust comes in spring too? lol
└ Where would the dust even come from?
└ The area across the river changes every time. If it turns into a desert during spring, there you go.
└ The fact that it makes sense is kind of terrifying lol.
└ It’d be legendary if yellow dust showed up too lol.
A blizzard was bad enough, and yellow dust in spring too? That would drive me insane.
The problem was that it wasn’t just possible. It was likely.
This godforsaken forest was where miracles took physical form and made the impossible possible.
Even the sea and river had overturned common sense. The weather wouldn’t be any different.
‘The blizzard stopped, at least.’
The blizzard that had hit like it wanted to sweep away everything was completely gone.
All it left behind was a huge pile of white trash from the sky. Good thing this wasn’t the military. In the army, clearing away that trash from the sky never ended.
‘It could come back anytime.’
I should hurry. Pickaxe in hand, I climbed onto the spot on the ceiling I’d marked earlier.
I wasn’t going to punch straight through the ceiling right away. That would only create more work and waste time.
Clang! Clang! Crack!
Just enough to make a hole. I poked my head through the small opening in the ceiling.
Fast Sloth was staring up at me below with its usual vacant expression.
Now I just needed to use this hole as a starting point and stack the bricks up bit by bit.
Before that, I needed to boil water to thaw the soil...
‘Ah. Right.’
I realized it too late. I opened the Valve connected to the hose and checked whether any water came out.
Just as I feared, no water came out even after I opened it. The river had probably frozen.
Even if it hadn’t, the water inside the hose might have frozen solid.
‘I’ll have to use snow.’
Thankfully, the blizzard that had just passed meant I could use snow instead.
Enough snow had piled up in that short time to make a crunchy sound underfoot.
Until the water boiled, I decided to prepare the base for the fireplace.
The structure itself wasn’t difficult, but since this was my first time building one, there was no reason not to be careful.
‘The floor first, before the bricks.’
I repaired the floor before laying the bricks.
The ash needed to fall and collect underneath instead of pooling inside. Air also needed to flow smoothly in from outside.
There were a lot of things to consider, so I kept going back and forth between inside and outside the cave.
Still, temperature was directly tied to my survival.
As long as I didn’t freeze to death, it was worth the effort.
People from warmer regions might not relate, but winter was mercilessly harsh in most places.
You had to prepare for every danger while the weather was still warm.
Otherwise, you could die for all sorts of reasons, like freezing or starvation.
In Korea, people had been preparing for that during kimchi-making season since ancient times.
There was even a saying.
‘Every season lays the groundwork for preparing for winter.’
Once I started preparing for the cold, I began worrying about all kinds of illnesses too. Colds especially.
‘Why don’t humans have fur? Because it catches fire too easily?’
Wondering why people lacked fur and caught colds so easily, I decided to ask Allfather soon.
Now that I’d dug up the ground, all that remained was stacking the bricks.
I planned to spread mud between the bricks like cement, so I prepared hot water first.
I was boiling it outside, both to make mud and thaw the surrounding ground.
“Hm?”
“Kyuuung...”
There was a strange animal near the campfire. At first, I thought it was a raccoon dog, but looking closer, it wasn’t.
It was an animal often mistaken for a raccoon dog: a raccoon. The raccoon was holding both paws over the campfire to warm itself.
It hadn’t entered the cave, so it was fine. Still, if it stayed too long, I planned to chase it away.
‘Or Fast Sloth will teach it a lesson.’
Just as I picked up the container of hot water, the raccoon glanced at me and stuck its paw into the campfire.
Actually stuck it in.
I couldn’t help being shocked. Its paw wouldn’t just burn. It would go up in flames.
But where was this? The Forest of Four Seasons, where little things packed a vicious punch.
Whoosh!
The raccoon stared at its paw as it caught fire and burned fiercely.
“Yum.”
Then it put the paw straight into its mouth.
It looked like it was eating fire.
By the time I was too dumbfounded to say anything, the raccoon had proudly returned to the forest.
I had no idea what had just happened. Did the fire act like some sort of heater for it?
‘Yeah. I’d only lose by trying to make sense of it.’
I had bigger problems. As planned, I began building the fireplace.
One row of bricks, then mud.
One row of bricks, then mud.
Passing Dwarf had told me to make sure everything was firmly secured, so I checked it carefully as I went.
Originally, I’d planned to smear the mud on with my hands, but it was too cold, so I bought a tool.
After searching the Auction House for a while, I found a trowel.
Once I used it, I wondered what I would’ve done without one.
‘Now all that’s left is the chimney...’
The hardest part was the chimney. It had to narrow as it went up.
Mud alone wouldn’t be enough to secure it like I had done so far, so I needed another method.
‘I need a frame.’
Since I was using mud instead of cement, the frame was important.
After thinking it over, I bought a suitable iron drum from the Auction House.
Then I went outside to hammer it. Wonmo might wake up otherwise.
Scrape! Scrape! Scrape!
First, I cut the drum into a flat, plank-like panel. An aura-infused sword was enough.
Then I cut out the center, leaving only the edges. That completed the frame.
The frame was shaped like a squared C. It was thick and sturdy too.
‘The size should be about right.’
As long as the smoke could escape properly, it would be fine.
If it collapsed... well, I’d just have to build it better next time. This was the best I could do.
I stacked the bricks little by little until they reached the hole in the ceiling.
I was done with the work inside the cave. Now I needed to go outside again.
I needed wet mud, bricks, the pickaxe, and finally, a hammer.
Crack! Rumble!
I widened the hole with the pickaxe, then used the hammer to carefully shape the edges.
Since I couldn’t make it fit perfectly, the hole ended up larger than the chimney. That was fine.
I’d brought mud to seal it up. Thanks to the Subspace Bag, I could carry everything.
“Good. Done!”
With the chimney neatly built, my makeshift fireplace was complete.
A chimney on top of a cave looked a little strange.
Still, it wasn’t completely finished yet. Performance was what mattered most.
I needed to test whether the fireplace worked properly.
“Whew.”
Had it grown even colder? My breath came out thicker than before.
I cleared out all the bits of stone inside the fireplace and put in Firewood.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
The fire blazed inside the fireplace, creating a cozy scene.
That alone made me feel warm inside, but I still wasn’t done.
Cold air was slipping in through the cave entrance. I needed to block that first.
‘Passing Dwarf said to cover it roughly with insulated cloth or hides, right?’
Tiger hide wasn’t nearly large enough. I’d start by covering it with several layers of big cloth.
Now was my chance, while there was no blizzard. If I nailed it down firmly, it should block some of the wind.
When the blizzard came, I planned to use stones to weigh down the hanging part near the ground.
‘It’s getting warmer now that the entrance is covered.’
That was why I’d built the chimney. So I could close the entrance.
When I used a campfire, I needed to leave the entrance open for safety. A fireplace was different.
Comfort spread through me as the cave gradually warmed up.
Fast Sloth had already come over to the fireplace to warm itself.
“Nice, right?”
“...”
It nodded at my question. For some reason, I felt proud.
This was the perfect time to make a Gallery post. I took pictures of the fireplace and uploaded them.
Only then did I realize that building the fireplace had taken a full two hours.
I’d focused so hard that I hadn’t noticed time passing.
[Post title] Fireplace complete
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of the fireplace with a fire burning inside)
[Post] (Photo of Fast Sloth staring into the fire)
[Post] (Photo of Wonmo asleep near the fire)
[Post] A makeshift fireplace I spent two hours making. Think I’ll get through winter just fine now hehe.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: I always think this, but you’re very handy. To think you even built a fireplace.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: I agree. Have you always been good with your hands?
└ [Wild Grylls]: I used to fold colored paper like a champ.
└ Does that even count as being handy?;
└ Of course it does. I know how to do it and still can’t fold anything lol.
└ There really are gifted people and people who are all thumbs lol.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: You did a decent job. Did you put mud between the bricks?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah. I roughly cut the frame myself.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Oh lol. Did you check if smoke is coming out of the chimney?
└ [Wild Grylls]: I haven’t, but it probably is.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Check right now if you don’t want to become a corpse tomorrow.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Sounds annoying.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Then die lol.
It was annoying, but I did check that smoke was coming out of the chimney.
That let me feel just how extreme the difference in temperature was between inside and outside.
The fireplace really worked. It was genuinely warm inside.
‘I should rest for a bit.’
Maybe it was because I’d poured all my focus into building the fireplace, but my body felt sluggish.
First, I needed lunch before resting. Naturally, it was smoked food.
I only had to cook it over the fireplace and be done with it, so it was very convenient.
‘Give the Inner Core to Fast Sloth, and Wonmo... maybe he doesn’t need one?’
Wonmo was either hibernating or simply sleeping like the dead.
Even while I worked, he stayed curled up and slept soundly.
I didn’t think I needed to wake him. He’d get up if he was hungry.
After eating, I browsed the Gallery until my food settled.
[Post title] Chaeyu vs. Veger: Kone scores the opening gooooooal!!!
‘Ah. There was a match today?’
By coincidence, PrincessChaenggu had made a post about the match.
I’d been so busy lately that I didn’t know there was a game today. PrincessChaenggu might have been a little disappointed.
I should leave a comment, even if it was late. I opened the post.
[Post title] Chaeyu vs. Veger: Kone scores the opening gooooooal!!!
[Author] PrincessChaenggu
[Post] (Video of a goal scored five minutes into the first half)
[Post] This is our attackkk! This is Chaeyu! This is our buildup!! Got ittt?! You Leor trash bastards?!
└ [KingLeor]: lololol You’re really excited, huh? Doesn’t change the fact that you bastards can’t even make the Champions League.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Yup~ We’ll both finish this season without a trophy~
└ [KingLeor]: So have you won anything in the last ten years?
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: We’ll win the Devil Cup this timeee. Unlike some trophyless losers, you knowww lol.
└ [KingLeor]: You’ll still crash and burn next season lol. Enjoy it while you can.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: (Video of Leor conceding an opening goal six minutes into the first half) Ohhh? What’s thiiis? That’s a very stinky goal, isn’t ittt!
└ [KingLeor]: Fuck, when did we concede again? This is fucking awful.
└ LOL
└ LOLLLLL
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: That bastard is seriously vicious, you knowww lol.
└ Chaeyu fans have always had tempers like that lol.
└ [Wild Grylls]: There was a match today. I’ve been busy, so I didn’t know. Sorry. Go Chaeyu!
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Niceee! The saint has appeared, so we’ll win today toooo! What score do you predicttt?
└ [Wild Grylls]: You attack like that and often end up conceding. Your defense is weak, so I’m thinking 4-2. Chaeyu gets the four goals, by the way.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Four goals?! Thank yooou!
└ [KingLeor]: Sir. What score do you predict for us?
└ [Wild Grylls]: I don’t watch Leor much, so I’m not sure, but I think you’ll lose. You blew a lead in the last match, didn’t you?
└ [KingLeor]: No. You said something nice about Chaeyu, so why are we...
└ [Wild Grylls]: You can already see your concentration slipping from that goal you conceded.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: How dare you doubt the sainttt! So rude of youuu!
└ [KingLeor]: Ha, fuck. It’s true that we’re exhausted, so it’s hard to argue.
Whenever there was a match, PrincessChaenggu and KingLeor fought.
Opposite extremes really do converge. They supported different teams, but their personalities were similar.
Whoooooosh!!!
Was there another blizzard outside while I browsed the Gallery?
The tarp repeatedly billowed out, then fell still again. The biting wind was a bonus.
With the weather changing so wildly, I should refrain from going outside for a while.
Rain was irritating enough, but blizzards were an even bigger disaster.
‘I’ll practice my cultivation method.’
One hour practicing my cultivation method. Thirty minutes of sword training.
By the time the matches should have ended, I checked the Gallery.
[Post title] Chaeyu vs. Veger: Final score, 4-2! Chaeyu wins while showing defensive weakness, just as the saint predicted!
[Post title] Leor vs. Balrog: Final score, 2-0. Leor suffers a shocking loss while showing signs of exhaustion.
Everything had played out exactly as I predicted.
Naturally, countless prophecy pilgrimages appeared under my comment.
It made me feel a little uncomfortable, but I dismissed it as coincidence and moved on.
‘More importantly...’
I looked at Fast Sloth, which was still staring into the fire.
It hadn’t acted like that when I used the campfire. Why was it doing that now?
“Hey. You’ll ruin your eyes. Move back.”
“...”
“Come on. I said move back.”
I think I understood how my mother felt whenever she dragged me away from the computer.
Footnotes:
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