The annihilation of a group, like what the speed-sloth had experienced, wasn't a story limited to the wild. You could find it in civilization, too. Outsiders drove out the indigenous people and took their land. There had been times in history when the natives fought to the bitter end, only to fall before the invaders' superior military might.

'So it really did get stronger to survive, too.'

Now that I understood Speedy's past, I saw it in a different light. It hadn't been abnormally strong from the start. Like me, it had become stronger to stay alive. In the process, it must have had clashes, big and small, with the gorillas occupying its territory.

'Judging by how terrified those gorillas were...'

There was a good chance it had done far more than wreak havoc all by itself. It certainly had the strength for it. In any case, the speed-sloth was living with me now. I couldn't have asked for anything more reassuring. Still, I needed to devise a defense. A whole horde of gorillas could come charging in as early as tomorrow.

'Should I move?'

The option occurred to me, but I quickly dismissed it. That was a last resort. It would mean abandoning the barricades and all sorts of equipment. More importantly, with the river so close by, this was a base I had to defend.

'I'm holding on to this place, no matter what.'

Then how could I make defending it easier? The best method was to lure them into the narrow cave entrance. Gorillas were big. Even if they squeezed through, two at a time would be the limit. That would make it easy to pick them off.

'But would they just fall for it?'

They were intelligent and even knew how to use tactics. I wasn't sure they'd obediently play along. Still, it was better than doing nothing, so I began working out a plan.

'To use the tight space like I did when I killed the owlbear...'

Ultimately, I needed a door. One sturdier than wood. The dwarf had once asked why I would bother installing one when it would just get smashed. Then why not put up a much stronger door? An exceedingly simple solution.

Someone might suggest buying a safe, but at that point, I'd be better off putting the safe in front of the entrance. I ruled out a small safe since the gorillas could simply steal the whole thing.

'They must have something like CCTV, right?'

I should ask the dwarf about the door and Slutty Princess about CCTV. She'd probably be happy to give me one, but you never knew. There might be another way, too. With the rough outlines in place, I immediately posted on the forum.

Does anything here record video? Besides the forum.

Wild Grylls

After the gorillas raided my house, I'm thinking of installing some security devices.

Is there anything that can record video while I'm away? I heard there are broadcast orbs. Could I do something with those?

I'm also planning to build a door, a sturdy one. Anyone got advice?

└Heavenly Demon Would the gorillas not simply smash the door?

└Wild Grylls Then I'll put up one too sturdy for them to break.

└Heavenly Demon A simple answer, but a decent one.

└Sword Masta Why not buy a safe instead? Something like an owlbear could smash it just by ramming into it.

└Wild Grylls I'm considering a storage box separately. The gorillas could carry off the entire safe, you know.

└Sword Masta Are the gorillas that smart?

└Wild Grylls I figure it's easier to just treat them as dim-witted people.

└Passing Dwarf What you're asking for does exist. But it's sooooo fucking expensive, you'll have a hard time buying one.

└Wild Grylls How about 1 kg of orichalcum?

└Passing Dwarf This bastard's loaded.

└Wild Grylls lol

└The guy has an orichalcum vein in a cave right outside his home...

└What if he finds adamantium next?

└Not impossible. But isn't adamantium deep underground?

└Who knows what'll happen if Grylls starts mining?

└Wild Grylls Why would I go mining, you idiots?

└Slutty Princess I've got what you're looking for, Grylls. Want one?

└Wild Grylls Then I'll trade with you tomorrow after I visit the orichalcum cave. Does it work like a crystal orb?

└Slutty Princess I'm not sure which crystal orb you mean, but it should be similar. Orichalcum can prevent overheating, too, so I'll modify it for you.

└Wild Grylls Thank you!

└Slutty Princess And what do you say if you're thankful?

└Wild Grylls Chae U is invincible, and Kone is a god.

└Slutty Princess Aaah! You know just what to say! Excellent!

└You're gonna lick her raw at this rate lmao

└At this point, won't he actually turn into a Chae U slut? lmao

└Pretty sure he already has, yeah.

Drawing on the forum's collective intelligence, I discussed how to renovate my shelter. The first task was to narrow the cave entrance. I planned to use bricks, just as I had for the oven.

'And the dwarf agreed to make the steel door.'

A steel door with orichalcum mixed in, to be precise. He said he'd modify it to absorb impacts, just as orichalcum absorbed mana. He did explain, however, that its shock absorption would be far inferior to the mineral called adamantium.

'Do I seriously need to go mining for it?'

Mining. That essential chore from that blocky game. The thought that I might have to do that as well was already making my head spin. But this was the Forest of Four Seasons. If something was necessary, you had no choice. I wrote the plan in my notebook and looked around.

'Thank goodness they only stole the fasting pills. If they'd taken the Elixir...'

I needed to hide the important stuff in a corner where it would be hard to find. As I worked out plans to renovate the shelter bit by bit, evening crept up on me.

I set about wrapping up this particularly grueling day, heading up the river to collect fish from the trap and cooking in the oven. Oh, and I fed the speed-sloth the fasting pills I had left. They were the ones I'd brought along as emergency rations, so they would last until tomorrow morning.

'I wonder if the gorillas will come tomorrow.'

Even if they did, I had no intention of going down without a fight. As I practiced my cultivation method, I thought back to the gorilla leader I'd fought today. Normally, you weren't supposed to let stray thoughts intrude when practicing an internal energy cultivation method. Oddly enough, though, I felt even more focused. My breathing continued unconsciously while the fight with the gorilla leader replayed in my head.

'I didn't even see the blow to my ribs.'

It had been the price of letting my guard down, but I hadn't seen the gorilla leader's final attack. A strike from outside my field of vision. I needed to bear that in mind. It would be nice to glimpse the future like in a certain pirate manga, but that was probably beyond me for now. I did a little mental practice, bit by bit, before focusing solely on my cultivation method.

"Whew..."

Finished with cultivation, I slowly opened my eyes. Tomorrow would mark two weeks since I'd landed in the Forest of Four Seasons. It felt like well over a month, yet it had only been two weeks. I supposed that showed how hectic my life had been. I'd also tried to make every minute and second count.

'Still, it's surprisingly manageable.'

The owlbear, the saber-toothed tiger, the orichalcum guardian, and finally the gorilla leader. Every one had been a formidable opponent, but I'd somehow pulled through. Of course, I couldn't deny that the speed-sloth's help had played the biggest part. Still, what mattered was that I'd survived. I would keep surviving, whatever it took.

'Whatever it takes.'

I would escape this hell.

* * *

The next day came, and I got to work as soon as dawn broke. My shelter had been attacked yesterday, but that didn't mean I could put off my chores. Besides, I planned to renovate it today, so I had to get moving.

"Speedy. This is the last one."

"..."

"I'll find some more somehow, so make do with grass for now."

The speed-sloth's last fasting pill. It gazed sadly at the pill before popping it into its mouth. It was quite a pitiful sight, though remembering that I was the one paying tribute left me with mixed feelings. Still, every offering bought me more time alive, so it was well worth it.

'Heavenly Demon said making the fasting pills would take time, too.'

I'd heard that fasting pills were made from expensive medicinal herbs. That was why it would take at least a week, apparently, but I wasn't sure how well it would hold out until then. If things didn't work out, I'd have to go exploring for herbs. If there was a colony of mature mandrakes, there had to be patches of medicinal herbs, too.

'Let's see... Should I narrow the cave entrance to here?'

I began work on narrowing the cave entrance. The owlbear had widened it by forcing its way inside. Tight spaces gave me an advantage.

'Exploring probably won't be an option. I'll just visit the orichalcum cave.'

There was no telling when the gorillas might attack again. Of course, since we'd made it clear this was our territory, they might not come back. Above all, we had the speed-sloth. Unless they came in force...

RUSTLE, RUSTLE

I was inspecting the cave entrance when the rustling reached my ears. Turning my head, hoping it wasn't what I thought, I heard it grow steadily louder.

"..."

As the noise grew, I armed myself without a word. The speed-sloth must have sensed something as well, because it climbed onto my back, while Roundfur came up beside me. Then, as the rustling grew much louder...

"... Hrrmph."

It was as big as the gorilla leader, but everything from its posture to its appearance was different. While the gorillas flanking it had both arms planted on the ground, the one in front stood on two legs. More importantly...

"... Clothes?"

It was wearing clothes. Old and frayed, little better than rags, but clothes all the same. They were stained yellow with grime, and the dye had faded almost entirely to white, though patches of black remained.

And then there was its face. Five distinct claw marks ran across its left eye. Unlike the good eye, that one had turned white, suggesting it had gone blind. This was beyond unusual. This gorilla was something else entirely. That was my impression of the newcomer.

'Did it inherit a human's clothes?'

That was how it looked. Judging by their worn, ragged state, the clothes seemed to have been worn for at least ten years. Normally, something like that would be a keepsake of the dead... but could a gorilla understand what that meant?

'And they've even got spears? What the hell is going on?'

To top it off, the gorillas guarding its flanks carried spears instead of clubs. Crude wooden spears, but spears nonetheless. Their evolution rivaled that of humans. I was watching them warily when it happened.

A powerful grip clamped down on my shoulder. Speedy had grabbed it.

I turned to look at the speed-sloth. It was frowning slightly. For a creature that usually kept a blank expression, even that much emotion was unusual.

'Could that scar over its eye be...?'

Just as the pieces were starting to fall into place, the gorilla I presumed to be the chief glanced to one side and jerked its head. One of the spear-carrying gorillas headed off somewhere. Soon, it returned carrying something and handed it to the chief.

WHOOSH!

The chief tossed the object toward me. It felt less like a declaration of war and more like it was simply handing something over.

THUD!

The object landed on the ground, and I looked down at it. Long, yellow fruit. Not just one bunch, but several.

"... Bananas?"

The gorilla chief had tossed me bananas. At first, I didn't understand what it meant. But considering what had happened yesterday, this was how it came across: an apology for yesterday, with these bananas as compensation. In other words, a peace offering. I stared at the gorilla chief, dumbfounded.

And then...

"Dui-bu-qi."

The gorilla spoke in human language. I could hardly make out the exact words, but it had definitely used language. A gorilla that only made animal cries couldn't produce "words" like that.

'... Fuck. This really is Planet of the Apes.'

A harsh voice rang through my head: 'NO!!!'