WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 29: Thief (3)

──────

A sloth, or should I call it a Fast Sloth now?

The Fast Sloth looked at me with an expression that was both relaxed and faintly mocking.

But I didn't feel offended or anything. If anything, my tension kept rising.

Snap!

The bolt it had caught with its hand broke in half.

More than that, though, its claws bothered me. Those viciously overgrown claws.

The moment those hit me, my life would be over. Of course I had to be tense.

‘I have no idea when it’ll pounce.’

Why did it move so slowly when it possessed that kind of agility?

Maybe it was something like this.

[I knelt to build momentum!]

Sloths normally move slowly to conserve energy. Allfather had told me that.

But that was difficult in the Forest of Four Seasons, so perhaps they had evolved in a different direction.

Only displaying incredible agility in moments of crisis, like just now.

It was a pretty convincing hypothesis. What a crazy world.

Shuffle. Shuffle.

The Fast Sloth started moving slowly.

Maybe because I'd seen that agility earlier, it looked different now.

It wasn't clumsy. It was taking its time.

There was a reason Heavenly Demon and Allfather had warned me to be careful.

‘Can people who are skilled really tell from a video?’

I didn't know. Still, it was certain that their instincts had been right.

So how was I supposed to deal with it now? For the moment, I set down the crossbow.

Even if I fired a bolt, it would dodge it or catch it with its hand. There was no point.

‘A close-range fight... Honestly, I think I’d lose.’

I was overwhelmingly outmatched in speed. It had seen and caught a bolt.

Me? I could barely even follow a bolt’s path.

There was no choice but to stay tense. If I let my guard down, those claws could pierce my throat.

‘No. If it wanted to pierce my throat, it would’ve done it already.’

Then there were two possibilities.

Either this Fast Sloth was a pacifist, or it didn't intend to kill me.

The first would be nice, but the second was potentially dangerous.

With that level of speed and agility, it would definitely be a threat.

‘...Or maybe it’s just messing with me.’

On the other hand, maybe it was relaxed because it didn't see me as a threat.

I watched the Fast Sloth creep closer, then glanced behind me.

The iron container held the fish I'd caught that morning.

‘Should I just give it this and make it leave peacefully?’

It wasn't a bad choice. The odds of winning a fight were extremely low.

I'd received an Elixir from Starlight Princess, but that only mattered if I was still in one piece.

If one of my vital spots took a direct hit, there was a good chance even an Elixir would be useless.

After agonizing over it, I slowly picked up my shield.

I didn't take up my sword. I had another plan in mind.

I turned the shield toward it and walked over to the iron container.

Even then, it only approached at an extremely slow pace.

Screeeech! Screeeech!

Before long, I dragged the iron container full of fish with one hand.

I wondered if it really wanted the fish.

Then the Fast Sloth came toward me in its signature sluggish way.

It definitely wanted the fish. At the same time, a question came to mind.

‘Why, though?’

I'd heard leaves were its main diet, so why did it want fish?

Did animals adapted to the Forest of Four Seasons change their diets too?

‘Or is there something special about the fish?’

Something Heavenly Demon had said suddenly came back to me.

The fish I caught resembled a spiritual treasure.

A spiritual treasure that harbored an Inner Core. I still didn't know if that was true.

After giving it some thought, I dragged the iron container into the cave first.

Despite all the noise, Wonmo slept without a care in the world.

I was in mortal danger while Wonmo was sprawled out asleep. What an unfair world.

‘Well, it’s still a baby...’

By then, the Fast Sloth had entered the cave.

There was nowhere to run. I picked up my sword and shield, staying alert.

There was only one move left. Attack while it took the fish.

I had no idea when it might put those vicious claws to my throat, so I planned to take it out.

“...”

The Fast Sloth suddenly stopped in place.

It had moved slowly, but it had never stopped before, so I couldn't help feeling puzzled.

It was staring intently at something. I followed its gaze.

It was looking at the bag containing Fasting Pills.

Shuffle. Shuffle.

“Uh?”

It couldn't have the Fasting Pills. In a panic, I ran to the bag.

When I snatched it up, the Fast Sloth silently looked up at me.

Wiggle. Wiggle.

It even wiggled those vicious claws.

Anyone could tell it meant it wanted one.

It almost felt like a threat that it would kill me if I didn't give it one right away.

“...Should I give you one?”

“...”

It only stared at me in response.

Honestly, I was glad it had shifted its interest from the fish to the Fasting Pills.

And I still had plenty of Fasting Pills left.

Carefully, I took one out.

“Th-this?”

“...”

Tap.

Without a word, not that it could talk in the first place, it poked the Fasting Pill with a claw.

Then it slowly brought it to its mouth.

Even that action was so slow that watching it made me tense.

“Mm.”

“...”

The Fast Sloth moved its jaw up and down as though savoring it.

Owlbear and Wonmo had each immediately spat out Fasting Pills because they were so bitter.

Even I only ate them to survive, never for the flavor.

Yet it chewed it thoroughly. Its relaxed expression never changed.

Wiggle. Wiggle.

“...You want another one?”

“...”

“That’s a little difficul...”

Whoosh!

Just as I was about to say I didn't have enough to eat myself, the Fast Sloth's claws were at my throat in the blink of an eye.

If they had gone in just a little farther, there would have been a huge hole in my neck.

It felt like all the blood in my body had turned cold. I hadn't even been able to see it move.

Wiggle. Wiggle.

As I swallowed hard, the Fast Sloth wiggled its other hand.

Give it one, or die. That was clearly the message.

“...Ha. Fuck.”

The world really was a shitty place. Muttering bitterly, I gave it another Fasting Pill.

It withdrew its claws. After eating the Fasting Pill, it looked satisfied.

Thankfully, two pills seemed to be its limit, since it didn't ask for more.

It didn't seem interested in the fish either. I let out a relieved sigh.

Waddle. Waddle.

“Uh? What? What are you doing?”

But the Fast Sloth's bizarre behavior didn't end there.

It suddenly started climbing up my body.

It was careful not to stab me with its sharp claws, so it didn't hurt.

Thump.

“...”

“...”

Finally, it rested its chin on top of my head.

Did it think I was a tree that grew leaves or something?

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't even speak.

I wanted to shake it off, but I couldn't.

‘If I force it off, I’m the only one who’ll get hurt.’

Those terrifying claws alone made it impossible to pull it off by force.

At least it barely weighed anything.

Strangely enough, it didn't even stink. It actually smelled nice.

‘It must have ticks too...’

Still, I should wash it just in case. I let out a deep sigh.

It hadn't even been a week, but I'd already been through every kind of incident imaginable.

There was only one place where I could vent about this.

[Post title] Just got shaken down by a sloth in real time

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] I’m the registered user who posted about the sloth earlier. This bastard ate a Fasting Pill, then threatened me with its claws until I gave it another one T_T

[Post] Life is fucking miserable. Never thought I’d get shaken down by a sloth.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: You yielded just because it showed you its claws?

└ [Wild Grylls]: This bastard can see and catch bolts... It almost stabbed me in the throat at that speed.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Hm. If that’s the case, I can understand to some extent. It may be a very good sparring partner.

└ [Wild Grylls]: You want me to spar with a sloth?;;

└ [Heavenly Demon]: You said you were slower than the sloth, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Ha.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: What’s that sloth doing now?

└ [Wild Grylls]: It’s clinging to my back.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: What kind of bullshit is that?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Sounds like bullshit, right? It’s real. I’ll post a picture later.

└ Never thought I’d hear about a sloth shaking someone down and then clinging to them lol

└ Legendary lol

└ Is it even really a sloth?

└ [Wild Grylls]: I decided to call it a Fast Sloth, yeah.

└ Fast Sloth lol

└ Still better than Fluffy lol

└ [Wild Grylls]: What’s wrong with Fluffy?

└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: It sucks!

└ [Head Mod]: , you’re here?

└ Just came out of nowhere and dropped facts lol

└ [Wild Grylls]: What have you been doing all this time?

└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: I was running away because I was being chased! I’m safe now! Though I still have to sleep rough!

└ Ah...

└ Ahh...

└ Ahhh...

└ [Wild Grylls]: Why don’t you come here, then? Things are surprisingly plentiful here.

└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: I’m sorry! The goddess would never forgive me for committing suicide!

└ [Wild Grylls]: That’s harsh.

└ [Allfather]: Fast Sloth... You may have discovered a new species. Scholars may find it interesting.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Regular sloths have lots of ticks too, right?

└ [Allfather]: No ticks. Instead, moths and beetles live in their fur and eat the ticks.

Ah. Fuck.

└ [Allfather]: Also, fungi are likely preventing infections.

└ [Wild Grylls]: So none of that is good for me, then?

└ [Allfather]: That’s right. It’s filthy. Very filthy.

So I had to wash it somehow.

Still, I wasn't sure whether this thing would get down willingly.

At least it didn't feel grimy.

Like I'd said earlier, it didn't stink either, so I could put up with it.

‘For now, I have no choice but to catch the Golden Frog like this.’

I’d catch the Golden Frog, trade with Allfather, then eat fish for lunch.

Things had gotten a little tangled because of the Fast Sloth's sudden arrival, but it would be fine now.

With the Fast Sloth on my back, I gathered my supplies.

I was supposed to sling the crossbow over my back, but that was difficult with the Fast Sloth there...

Slide.

“Hmm?”

When I tried to sling the crossbow over my back, it quietly moved aside.

Once I had the crossbow on my back, it climbed back on top of it.

It was a really smart animal.

I'd felt it when it threatened me too, but it seemed quite intelligent.

‘Like Wonmo, can it understand what I’m saying?’

No. It was probably just smart.

I carefully adjusted the crossbow so the Fast Sloth couldn't pull the trigger.

It seemed to understand my intention, because it hung from the front where it wouldn't be in the way.

Thanks to that, I could look directly at its face. It looked dumb as a rock.

And this thing could catch a fired bolt. The Forest of Four Seasons really was bizarre.

Hissssss.

I was heading toward the river where the Golden Frog lived when an ominous sound reached my ears. It sounded like a snake flicking its tongue.

I'd had a bad experience with a Steel-Scale Snake before, so I looked around warily.

But I couldn't see anything. For a moment, I wondered if I'd imagined it.

“Shaah!”

Something brown that had clearly been a branch opened its jaws wide.

At the same time, its brown body turned green.

Two sharp fangs protruded viciously from its mouth.

It wasn't a branch, but a venomous snake.

‘A-a chameleon?!’

A snake imitating a chameleon's camouflage? What kind of deranged combination was that?

I was so startled that I couldn't even react properly.

I'd thought it was a branch from the start, so I couldn't tell the difference.

Slash!

But another animal acted before I could.

It happened in such an instant that I couldn't properly see what it did.

Still, I saw the result clearly with my own eyes.

“Shaaa! Shaah!”

“...”

Claws even more vicious than its sharp fangs had pierced through the venomous snake's head.

The snake trembled as it hung skewered on the claws.

It wrapped itself around the claws in a desperate attempt to escape, but it was useless.

It was noticeably smaller than the Steel-Scale Snake I'd met before, and the moment its head was pierced, its fate had been sealed.

Riiip!

The Fast Sloth yanked the snake hard with its free hand.

The venomous snake's head split vertically in two.

Thud.

The snake was thrown to the ground, writhing. Its vertically split head was revolting.

Just in case, I stabbed the venomous snake with my sword to make sure it couldn't bite me.

Before long, its body went limp.

Its torso occasionally twitched, but there was no changing the fact that it was dead.

“...”

“...”

I looked at the Fast Sloth hanging from my back.

As always, it wore a relaxed expression.

It looked utterly peaceful, as if nothing had happened just now.

“...Want another Fasting Pill?”

Nod.

The Fast Sloth nodded.

It really was unbearably slow.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried