I’d thought it many times before, but the gods definitely hated me. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent a blizzard to stop me from fixing up my home.

'Then again, I hated them first, didn’t I?'

I’d spent my whole life blaming the gods because I didn’t want to hate people. Had it all snowballed into this? I indulged in some half-baked philosophy as I waited for the blizzard to stop.

Outside the cave was a full-blown disaster. Snow filled the entire landscape. I’d never even experienced a blizzard back on Earth, yet here I was dealing with one. Ridiculous.

Save me

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the blizzard raging outside the cave)

Now there’s a blizzard too. Somebody help.

└Heavenly Demon What utter chaos. It does whatever it pleases.

└Sword Masta The animals living there are amazing too. How do they survive in that kind of environment?

└Wild Grylls I think they just know instinctively. Roundfur getting fat pretty much confirms it.

└Heavenly Demon Roundfur aside, has the speed-sloth shown any changes?

└Wild Grylls Nope, nothing in particular. Still has the same stupid face.

└They survived because they adapted lol

└I wonder what the gorillas are doing.

└Eating bananas, maybe?

└Watch him get dust storms in spring too lmao

└Where would the sand come from?

└The other side of the river keeps changing. If it turns into a desert for spring, there you go.

└Scary how much sense that makes lmao

└Dust storms on top of this would be legendary lol

The blizzard was bad enough, and now dust storms in spring? That would drive me up the wall. The problem was that it wasn’t just possible—it was likely. This damned forest made the impossible possible, a place where miracles came to life. Even the sea and river defied common sense. Why would the weather be any different?

'At least the blizzard stopped while I was doing that.'

The blizzard that had swept in as if to wipe out everything was completely gone. All it had left was piles of white garbage from the sky. Thank goodness this wasn’t the military. Back there, no matter how much of that sky-borne garbage you cleared, there was always more.

'No telling when it’ll start again, either.'

I’d better hurry. Pickaxe in hand, I climbed onto the roof of the cave to the spot I’d picked out. I wasn’t going to break the whole opening through just yet. That would only create more work and waste effort.

CLANG! CLANG! CRUNCH!

Just a small hole for now. I peered through the opening I’d made in the ceiling. Below, the speed-sloth looked up at me with its usual vacant expression. Now I could use this hole as a guide and build up the bricks gradually. Before that, I should put some water on to boil to thaw the soil...

'Oh. Right.'

Belatedly realizing something, I opened the valve attached to the hose to check whether water came out. Just as I’d feared, nothing came out even with the valve open. The river had probably frozen. Even if it hadn’t, the water inside the hose might have.

'I’ll have to use snow.'

Still, thanks to the blizzard, I could use snow instead. Enough had accumulated in that short time to crunch underfoot. While I waited for the water to boil, I decided to do the prep work for the fireplace. The structure itself wasn’t complicated, but this was my first time building one. There was every reason to be careful.

'The floor first, before the bricks.'

Before laying any bricks, I modified the floor so ash would collect underneath instead of piling up in the hearth, and air could flow in freely from outside. With so many features to account for, I had to keep going in and out of the cave.

But temperature was a matter of survival. If it kept me from freezing to death, it was well worth the effort. People from warm climates might not understand, but in most places, winter was mercilessly harsh. You had to prepare for every threat while the weather was still warm. Otherwise, you could die of anything from exposure to starvation.

In Korea, people had traditionally made those preparations during kimchi-making season. Hence the saying: “Every season lays the groundwork for surviving winter.”

Once I started preparing for the cold, I began worrying about all sorts of illnesses too. Colds, especially.

'Why don’t humans have fur? Because it catches fire too easily?'

I pondered why humans lacked fur and caught colds so easily, deciding to ask Allfather sometime soon.

Anyway, the digging was done. All that remained was to stack the bricks. Since I planned to use mud like cement between them, I got the hot water ready first. I was boiling it outside so the fire could thaw the surrounding ground too.

“Huh?”

“Chirrr...”

There was a strange animal by the fire. At first I thought it was a raccoon dog, but a closer look proved otherwise. It was a raccoon, an animal often mistaken for a raccoon dog. It had both paws held out toward the fire, warming itself.

It wasn’t in the cave, just outside, so that was fine. But if it stayed too long, I intended to chase it off.

'Or Speedy will teach it a lesson.'

As I thought that and picked up the container of hot water, the raccoon dog—no, raccoon—glanced at me, then stuck its paw into the fire. Literally into the fire. I couldn’t help being shocked. That wouldn’t just burn its paw; it would set it ablaze. But where was I? The Forest of Four Seasons, where small creatures weren’t merely fierce, but downright vicious.

WHOOSH!

The raccoon looked at its paw, now engulfed in flames.

“Yum.”

Then it put it straight into its mouth. It looked like it was eating the fire.

As I stood speechless at the absurd sight, the raccoon strode confidently back into the forest. I couldn’t begin to make sense of what had happened. Did that fire work like some kind of heater?

'Right. Trying to understand would only hurt my brain.'

I had enough problems of my own. I started building the fireplace as planned.

Lay a row, spread the mud.

Lay a row, spread the mud.

I’d been told to make sure everything was firmly secured, so I checked each section carefully too.

I’d originally planned to slap the mud on with my hands, but it was so cold that I bought a tool. A quick browse through the auction house turned up something for spreading cement. After trying it, I wondered how I would have managed without it.

'Now all that’s left is the chimney...'

The chimney was the hardest part. It had to narrow toward the top. Holding that together with mud like I’d been doing would be difficult, so I needed another approach.

'I’ll need a frame.'

Since I was using mud rather than cement, the frame was important. After considering my options, I bought a suitable metal container from the auction house. Then I stepped outside to do the hammering, since it might wake Roundfur.

SHICK! SHICK! SHICK!

First I cut the metal container into flat panels. An aura-infused sword was more than enough for that. Next, I cut out the insides, leaving only the edges. That finished the frame. It was roughly a squared-off U shape, and thick enough to be sturdy.

'The size should be about right too.'

As long as the smoke escaped properly, it would do. If it collapsed, well... I’d just have to put more effort into rebuilding it next time. This was the best I could manage. I kept building it up, bit by bit, until it reached the hole in the ceiling. That finished the indoor work. Time to head outside again. I needed to bring wet mud, bricks, a pickaxe, and finally a hammer.

CRUNCH! CRASH!

I widened the hole with the pickaxe, then used the hammer to carefully shape its edges. I couldn’t work precisely enough to match it exactly, so the hole ended up wider than the chimney, but that was fine. Filling that gap was why I’d brought mud. Thanks to the extradimensional bag, I’d been able to carry everything up.

“All right. Done!”

With the chimney neatly finished, my makeshift fireplace was complete. A chimney sticking out of a cave looked a little odd. But I wasn’t quite done yet. What mattered most was how it worked. I needed to test whether the fireplace did its job.

“Whew.”

Had it grown colder while I worked? My breath came out in thicker clouds. I cleared all the stone debris out of the fireplace and put in firewood.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE! POP!

The fire flared up, creating a cozy scene. The sight alone warmed my heart, but I still wasn’t finished. I had to stop the cold draft drifting in through the cave entrance.

'The dwarf said to just cover it with insulating cloth or hide, right?'

The entrance was far too big for the tiger hide. I’d try a few layers of large sheets of cloth for now. With no blizzard blowing, this was the perfect time. If I nailed them down firmly, they should keep out most of the wind. When a blizzard hit, I planned to weigh down the portions hanging along the floor with stones.

'It’s getting warmer now that I’ve blocked the entrance.'

This was why I’d built the chimney in the first place: so I could block the entrance. An open fire was only reasonably safe with the entrance open, but a fireplace was different. As the cave gradually warmed, I felt cozy and comfortable. At some point, the speed-sloth had come over to warm itself by the fireplace too.

“Nice, huh?”

“...”

It nodded in answer, filling me with a quiet sense of satisfaction.

This called for a forum post. I took a picture of the fireplace and posted it. Only then did I realize that building it alone had taken a full two hours. I’d been so focused on the job that I’d lost track of time.

Fireplace complete

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a fire burning in the fireplace)

(Photo of the speed-sloth zoning out in front of the fire)

(Photo of Roundfur, who has wandered over and fallen asleep by the fire)

A makeshift fireplace, two hours in the making. Winter should be smooth sailing now hehe

└Heavenly Demon I think this every time, but you are remarkably skilled with your hands. To think you even built a fireplace.

└Sword Masta I agree. Have you always been good at making things?

└Wild Grylls I used to be damn good at origami.

└Does that even count as being handy...?

└Of course it does. I can’t fold that stuff even with instructions lmao

└Yeah, some people really do have two left hands, and others have a magic touch.

└Passing Dwarf Pretty decent job. Did you put mud between the bricks?

└Wild Grylls Yeah. Cut out a rough frame myself too.

└Passing Dwarf Oh lol. Did you check that smoke comes out of the chimney?

└Wild Grylls Haven’t looked, but I’m sure it does.

└Passing Dwarf Go check right now unless you want to be found dead tomorrow.

└Wild Grylls Can’t be bothered.

└Passing Dwarf Then die lol

It was a hassle, but I checked that smoke was coming out of the chimney. That really drove home the difference between the temperatures inside and out. The fireplace must have been doing a good job, because it was wonderfully warm inside.

'I should rest a little.'

Maybe it was because I’d poured all my concentration into building the fireplace, but I felt worn out. I’d have lunch before resting, though. Smoked food, of course. All I had to do was heat it up in the fireplace. Very convenient.

'I’ll give Speedy the inner core. As for Roundfur... maybe I don’t need to feed him?'

Roundfur did nothing but sleep, as though he’d gone into hibernation. Even while I worked, he stayed curled into a ball, sleeping soundly. I figured there was no need to wake him and left him alone. He’d get up when he was hungry.

After eating, I browsed the forum while I digested.

Chae U vs. Beger: Kone Opens the Scoring! GOOOOOAL!!!

'Oh. There was a match today?'

As it happened, there was a post by Slutty Princess about the match. I’d been so busy lately that I hadn’t realized they were playing today. Slutty Princess would be a little disappointed. Better leave a comment, even now. I opened the post.

Chae U vs. Beger: Kone Opens the Scoring! GOOOOOAL!!!

Slutty Princess

(Video of a goal scored just five minutes into the first half)

Now THAT’S an attack! THAT’S Chae U! THAT’S buildup play! Got it, you Leor vermin?!

└King Leor lmao look how excited you are. You fuckers can’t even qualify for the Champions League.

└Slutty Princess Uh-huh~ We’re both trophyless this season, sweetie~

└King Leor So have you lifted a single trophy in the past ten years?

└Slutty Princess We’re winning the Devil Cup this time. Unlike a certain trophyless team hehe

└King Leor You’ll still shit the bed next season lol. Enjoy it while you can.

└Slutty Princess (Video of Leor conceding the opener six minutes into the first half) Oh my! What’s this? That goal sure stinks!

└King Leor Fuck, when did we concede again? This is fucking bullshit.

└LMAOOOO

└LMAOOOOO

└Slutty Princess is fucking vicious lmao

└Chae U fans have always been like that lol

└Wild Grylls So there was a match today. I’ve been busy and didn’t know. Sorry. Go Chae U!

└Slutty Princess Wonderful! Our saint is here, so we’re sure to win again today! What do you think the score will be?

└Wild Grylls They often concede because they focus entirely on attacking like that. Their defense is shaky, so I’d say 4–2. With Chae U scoring four, to be clear.

└Slutty Princess Four whole goals! Thank yooou!

└King Leor Hey. What do you think our score will be?

└Wild Grylls I don’t watch Leor much, so I’m not sure, but I think you’ll lose. You lost from a winning position last match too.

└King Leor Wait. You had nice things to say about Chae U, so why do we get...

└Wild Grylls You can see the lapse in concentration in the goal you just conceded, can’t you?

└Slutty Princess How dare you doubt our saint! So rude!

└King Leor Ha, fuck. They really are running out of stamina, so I can’t argue.

Slutty Princess and King Leor fought every time there was a match. Opposite extremes met, as they say. They supported different teams, but their personalities were much the same.

WHOOOOOSH!!!

Had another blizzard started outside while I browsed the forum? The cloth covering kept billowing out, then settling again. With an icy draft thrown in for good measure. With the weather changing so erratically, I’d probably have to avoid going outside for a while. Rain was annoying enough, but a blizzard was a much bigger disaster.

'Might as well practice my cultivation method.'

An hour of cultivation, then thirty minutes of sword training. By then, the matches should have been just about over, so I checked the forum.

Chae U vs. Beger: Final Score 4–2! Chae U Win Despite Shaky Defense, Just as the Saint Foretold!

Leor vs. Balrog: Final Score 2–0. Leor Suffer Shock Defeat as Their Stamina Fails.

Things really had played out just as I’d predicted. Naturally, countless people came on a pilgrimage to my comment. It left me feeling a little uneasy, but I dismissed it as coincidence and moved on.

'More importantly...'

I looked at the speed-sloth, which was still staring into the fire. It hadn’t done that when I’d only had an open campfire. Why was it doing it now?

“Hey. You’ll ruin your eyes. Move back.”

“...”

“Hey, I said move back.”

I thought I finally understood how a mother felt trying to pry me away from the computer.