Setting aside the baseless rumor that Allfather was actually Kadir... I got back to work. The newbie(?) with the elaborate persona had taken up some of my time, but only ten minutes. It hadn't affected my overall schedule. It was just more time spent on the forum.

'Today's day thirteen. Two more days and it'll be exactly half a month.'

Time seemed to crawl and fly at the same time. A repetitive routine would make it fly, but right now I was going through all kinds of hardship.

'A little less hardship would be nice.'

Grumbling inwardly, I started training: my internal energy cultivation method, followed by sword practice. In two days, at the half-month mark, I planned to consume an inner core. I'd already told Heavenly Demon, which had led to a more in-depth lesson in theory.

Heavenly Demon

You seem to have laid your foundations reasonably well.

You truly have remarkable talent.

How long does laying the foundations usually take?

Heavenly Demon

The beginning is always the hardest part of any endeavor.

How long it takes to sense the internal energy in one's dantian varies from person to person.

On average, it takes a week to half a month, but you sensed it in a single day, my honored friend. You may rightly be called a genius.

You're making me blush.

Heavenly Demon

It is something to take pride in, not be embarrassed about.

I, too, am pleased to have the opportunity to teach someone as gifted as you.

Now that was a proper grown-up. Someone who sincerely praised a junior's(?) achievements instead of getting jealous. This was why, even if I resented heaven, I didn't want to resent people. There were bad people, sure, but there were good ones like Heavenly Demon too. Smiling happily, I sent her a message.

I couldn't have come this far without you, Heavenly Demon.

The formulas you taught me have been especially helpful whenever I was in danger.

Heavenly Demon

A carp living in a lake grows larger than one living in a pond.

But even for the carp in the lake, it means nothing if it cannot survive.

You mean the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the lake, and I'm the carp?

Heavenly Demon

You understand at once. How gratifying.

The poetic way she spoke confirmed she was getting on in years. She occasionally used strange expressions, but I could chalk that up to the forum rubbing off on her.

When will you teach me the second formula?

Heavenly Demon

You said you would consume an inner core soon. I shall teach you then.

Where the first formula entrusts your body to heaven, the second lets you feel heaven's power.

So I entrust myself to it rather than control the power?

Heavenly Demon

To control a power, you must first understand its nature.

Could you forcibly turn the flow of a raging river, my honored friend?

That would be difficult.

Heavenly Demon

Heaven is no different.

The closer you approach, the farther away it seems. This is to bring you even a little closer to heaven.

Her explanation made perfect sense. I nodded at her words. Remember the eel I'd eaten before, and all the side effects it had caused? I'd thought I was actually going to burst, but had somehow managed to disperse the power. Perhaps I could do something similar this time. It felt like I'd unintentionally studied ahead.

'All the better, then.'

After learning various fundamentals from Heavenly Demon, I practiced my cultivation method. As I gradually came to understand those fundamentals, my practice sessions grew longer. You might think they should get shorter, but as Heavenly Demon had explained, the foundations were roots. The deeper and wider the roots grew, the more water they needed.

'The only way to improve the purity is to increase my lung capacity.'

That, too, required consistent breathing practice. Practicing my internal energy cultivation method could increase my lung capacity along with it. What I wanted was to breathe that way all the time, even when I wasn't actively practicing. According to Heavenly Demon, that was less about laying foundations and more about strengthening the roots. In other words, it was still a long, long way off. But I could get there if I worked at it.

'Next, sword practice.'

Once cultivation was over, it was time for sword practice. I'd been following Sword Masta's posts step by step, but there were places where I got stuck. Other people said you could become a mass-produced(?) swordmaster just by reading those posts, but I had no one beside me. Having a teacher was crucial for something like martial arts. Being left to fumble through it on my own was a little depressing.

Sword Masta

So what part are you having trouble with?

I don't feel very stable.

Like my sword keeps wobbling?

So I'd asked Sword Masta directly. Before, I'd had to make a post to ask questions, but now I could send messages. Sword Masta was every bit as good a teacher as Heavenly Demon, so I paid close attention.

Sword Masta

I see what you mean.

But that's unavoidable as long as you're using your sword one-handed, Grylls.

Of course one hand is less stable than two, right?

Is there no way around it?

Sword Masta

There are plenty of ways.

One tip: step forward with the foot opposite the hand you're extending.

You're right-handed, Grylls, so step forward with your left foot.

But that's what I've been doing?

Sword Masta

Even during practice?

Oh.

Sword Masta

Another tip: stop thinking about cutting your opponent in half.

Stability is important with a sword, but when you use it one-handed, you inevitably lose stability and put more force into it.

Are you saying I'll have to give up the shield eventually?

Sword Masta

That's a matter of personal preference.

You can make up for the lack of cutting power with aura.

So practicing aura is my only hope in the end.

Sword Masta

That's right.

Keep working hard, and it'll pay off someday.

And one more tip: practice your thrusts a lot!

Thank you!

Sword Masta

:

Hurry up and become a fine man so you can marry me!

Excuse me, teacher?

A joke that out of character left my head spinning. Come to think of it, I had been neglecting thrusts. I'd gotten a lot out of this conversation.

I practiced my swordsmanship and aura as Sword Masta had instructed: improving my poor stability and using aura to compensate for the shortcomings I couldn't help.

'And practice thrusting, too.'

Beyond thrusts, I needed to gradually adjust my fighting style. Until now, I'd fought by looking for an opening to restrict my opponent's mobility, then wearing them down bit by bit. Since most of my opponents were huge monsters, it worked surprisingly well. But that was only possible because I had an outrageously overpowered item: Heavenly Demon's sword. I also needed to consider how to fight smaller animals.

'What would happen if a fight dragged on?'

That probably wouldn't happen often, but who knew? This was the Forest of Four Seasons. I'd probably be bad at drawn-out fights. What opportunities did I have to build endurance here? Practicing my cultivation method had at least increased my lung capacity, but you never knew. There might be animals in this forest with greater lung capacity than mine.

"..."

"... What are you doing?"

"Hoo..."

When I asked the speed-sloth what it was doing, it sighed. Or rather, it seemed to be simply breathing. I laughed in disbelief. Surely that wasn't the breathing method I'd taught it before. No way.

'You might as well tell me a gorilla learned a breathing method.'

Gorillas could literally rip a person in half. If an animal like that learned a breathing method too? That would be a disaster beyond compare. Besides, breathing methods—cultivation methods, in other words—required a certain level of intelligence. Unless the Forest of Four Seasons had evolved apes to be on par with humans, it would be difficult.

'And no one would have taught them in the first place.'

With that thought, I rose to my feet. It was nearly lunchtime. Now that I'd built an oven, I ought to use it. I just needed to receive the supplies from the dwarf.

"Let's go, Roundfur."

"Kyuu!"

Roundfur happened to be awake, so I brought him along. The speed-sloth was hanging on my back too, of course. I set off, looking forward to seeing how many fish were in the trap.

SPLASH! SPLASH!

"Oh, yeah."

Two again. What bliss. I pulled in the trap, anticipating the feast I'd have for lunch.

RUSTLE!

I was dragging the trap back when I heard something brush against the foliage. The moment I heard it, I went on guard, just as I had that morning. But nothing else followed.

'Am I overreacting?'

Or perhaps everything I'd been through lately was making me hear things. I rubbed my face, then looked at Roundfur. He was staring intently somewhere—up in the trees, to be exact.

"Was something there, Roundfur?"

"Kyuu?"

"Never mind. Let's go."

Worrying needlessly would only give me a headache. Even if something ambushed us, having the speed-sloth around was somewhat reassuring. I put the two fish from the trap into the metal tub and started getting ready.

Passing Dwarf

Here are the barricades and that lidded tray you wanted.

The lidded tray's pretty heavy, so be careful.

Thanks, thanks. I'll send yours in a bit.

Passing Dwarf

My mouth's watering already, lol.

Yours too? Same here. I installed the dwarf's barricades where I wanted them. Thanks to being much stronger than before, moving them wasn't difficult. Next came the steel tray, made to just the right size. I'd put the fish on it and slide it into the oven.

'Nice touch, raising the edges so the grease won't spill.'

I tested the tray by repeatedly sliding it in and out of the opening. It was a little heavy, but that was something I'd have to live with. Still, it was excellent. My quality of life was gradually improving.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

I lit a fire at the very bottom to preheat the oven slowly. While it warmed up, I cleaned the fish. Using an oven didn't change that part. I did spread the fish open wide so it would cook evenly, and I didn't forget to sprinkle on salt.

SCRAPE—CLACK!

All that remained was to put the fish into the preheated oven. The tray's length and height were a perfect fit. The dwarf had given me something really good.

'They said fifteen to twenty minutes, right?'

I'd play with Roundfur until then, training him to improve his hunting skills. Not that the setup amounted to much: a rope tied to a branch, with a fish head dangling from the end. It was more like playing with a cat. The common denominator was that both were adorable. This might even improve my own reflexes a little.

"Kyuu! Kyuuu!"

"That's it! Good job!"

As the fish cooked away in the oven...

"..."

The speed-sloth merely stared blankly at a tree.

RUSTLE!

* * *

RUSTLE! SWISH!

Animals raced through the trees, not along the ground but lightly stepping from branch to branch. Their silhouettes resembled humans, but their long arms and fur-covered bodies made it clear they were not.

Moving through the forest faster than anyone else, they soon reached a particular area. There, they found an ape lounging comfortably up in a tree. Its overall appearance was gorilla-like, but something about its presence was unusual.

"Ooh! Oooh!"

"Oooh!"

The gorillas that had been out scouting(?) began calling as though they had something to say. In response, the gorilla lounging in the tree slowly rose. Gone was its relaxed air. Its face was utterly serious.

"Ooh?"

"Oooh!"

"Ooh...!"

A subtle wind began to stir through the forest.