The speed-sloth had taken care of Raccoon Man—no, the raccoon dog that tried to steal its fasting pill. Usually Raccoon Man was the one who took care of things, so having a sloth take care of him instead felt bizarre.

"Here, Roundfur. Drink this too."

"Kyuu?"

"The moment you get rabies, your owner is screwed."

Roundfur had eaten the raccoon dog, which the speed-sloth had chopped into convenient bite-size pieces. I gently opened his beak and poured in some Elixir—the kind for animals Starlight Lady had given me before.

He struggled at first, but after tasting a drop, he drank readily. In fact, he got so greedy for it that I barely managed to hold him back.

'Elixir should taste bitter... Is this one sweet?'

Elixir was medicine, so naturally it was bitter. The animal version apparently tasted different, though, judging by how crazy Roundfur went for it.

I disposed of what remained of the raccoon dog and looked outside. The rain had all but stopped. It looked like I could start moving around again.

'I should check the river first, though.'

The rain would have made the river swell enormously. Even if it hadn't risen yet, I intended to take one look and leave immediately. Rivers didn't rise gradually; the water came rushing in like a tsunami.

'The ground's in decent shape, considering it rained all morning.'

Only the area around my cave, especially where I'd been working, was muddy. Everywhere else was fine.

One place did seem to need some work: the trench I'd dug beneath the barricade. It had done a fine job as a drainage ditch, but it needed tidying up.

'It'll take forever for all this to dry, too...'

I'd need to redirect the water elsewhere. Standing water would stink and probably attract bugs. A drainage channel was essential to prevent that, so I got straight to work. Checking the river could wait. The area around the cave came first.

THUNK! THUNK!

I dug away diligently, clearing out the drainage channel. It would end behind the cave, where the trees grew thick. If the water collected there, the roots would soak it up.

'For now, let's block the water with some dirt.'

Letting it flow while I worked would obviously be a nuisance. I built a temporary earthen barrier and kept shoveling.

THUNK!

Digging brought me face-to-face with some curious things. Chief among them was an earthworm, as big as the giant gummy worms I'd eaten in elementary school.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

The fright sent me toppling backward. Who knew an earthworm poking out of the dirt to say hello could be so terrifying? I'd hardly screamed at all since coming here. That one worm had achieved something remarkable.

"Kyuuu?"

Startled by my scream, Roundfur hurried over with a look that asked what was wrong. I stroked his head as I tried to calm my pounding heart. It seemed to help.

With my heart hammering this hard, I was definitely alive.

"Om nom nom."

Roundfur happily ate the earthworm that had greeted me so warmly. Earthworms were high in protein, so I didn't stop him.

"Whew..."

Once my heart had settled somewhat, I let out a deep sigh. That earthworm's appearance might leave me seriously traumatized. What if I couldn't even shovel properly anymore?

The thought passed, and I steadily resumed the unfinished work. Having Roundfur guard me like a bodyguard while I shoveled was incredibly reassuring.

"This should do."

The drainage channel was finished. No more worrying about puddles. All that remained was checking the river. I armed myself with the essentials and headed over. Since Roundfur was awake, I brought the speed-sloth along too.

And then...

ROOOOAR!

"... Fuck."

Looking at the massively swollen river, I couldn't help cursing under my breath. It hadn't simply risen; it was surging like a tsunami. The already swift current was much faster, and the water level had risen noticeably.

But there was a bigger problem: my fish trap. The rocks securing it had all been swept away by the current. Naturally, the trap wedged between them had gone too. All my hard work had been washed away in an instant by the rain.

No, F*ck, My Fish Trap!!!

Wild Grylls

(Video of the swiftly flowing river)

This goddamn rain swept away my entire food supply setup.

Surely this won't happen every time it rains? That would make me so sad.

└Heavenly Demon The current is strong. You would do well to keep your distance.

└Sword Masta It looks terrifying. You're not hurt, are you?

└Wild Grylls Other than my broken heart, I'm fine.

└Passing Dwarf That trap I gave you isn't flimsy either. Did everything get swept away?

└Wild Grylls The trap wasn't the problem. All the rocks holding it in place collapsed.

└Passing Dwarf Just a natural disaster, then. I'll give you another trap later, so don't worry.

└Wild Grylls Thanks, thanks. Want some fish?

└Passing Dwarf Wasn't that included with every trade?

└Wild Grylls What the hell...

└Passing Dwarf Got a problem?

└Wild Grylls Of course not. What color would you like this time?

└Isn't he basically a slave at this point?

└It's gone beyond slavery.

└More like a patron with even more power than an owner lol

└Grylls, any plans to swim in that? Or at least surf?

└Looks fun.

└Wild Grylls Come here and do it yourselves, fuckers.

Most people expressed sympathy about my trap being washed away. I was frustrated too, now that my only source of food was gone. If this happened whenever it rained, life was going to get even busier.

I was letting out a troubled sigh when it happened.

"Grrroooar! Grrroar!"

"... Huh?"

A strange noise came from the river. I turned to find a pitch-black bear floundering in the water. Apparently it had been caught off guard while in the river.

'Poor thing.'

I felt a little sorry for it. Judging by its size, it seemed fairly well grown. Experienced or not, it apparently hadn't anticipated the river rising so quickly.

'... Wait. A bear?'

I looked upstream. That bear had definitely come floating down from there. Which meant bears and all sorts of other animals lived upstream. Just how dangerous were those animals? I was already worried.

'At least it was a normal size, so it should be fi—'

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"Grrroooooar!"

The moment that thought crossed my mind, a bear the size of a house rushed past me. It was big enough to rival the owlbear I'd seen before.

Apparently the one being swept downriver was a cub, and the one that had just run past me was its mother. If I went upstream, I might not just run into that mother bear—I might have to fight her.

'Just die downstream instead.'

There were whales and sharks down there. How would that turn out? Still, this had taught me a few things. Something beyond my expectations lived upstream. Even right around here, a giant chicken had staked out its territory.

'Rain really brings out all kinds of situations.'

A random raccoon dog wandering into my cave. My fish trap getting washed away. A gigantic bear showing up.

I tried to put my worries aside and headed home, planning to eat yesterday's catch for lunch.

'The vote should be ending soon, right?'

The trade cooldown vote from yesterday was nearing its close. Perhaps because that had crossed my mind, I decided to wait until it ended before eating lunch. If the twenty-four-hour cooldown was lifted, I intended to give other people small portions of fish. It was my lunch, but sharing a little wouldn't hurt. One fish was more than enough for a feast anyway.

'Please let the results be good.'

The admin was stubborn, rigid, and a stickler for rules. There was a little flexibility there, but breaking principles was something the admin avoided whenever possible.

'Given the nature of this forum, maybe that's for the best.'

I'd picked up stories here and there about previous admins. Every one of them had abused the forum and caused all sorts of scandals. The worst was someone who'd cleverly exploited the trading system to ruin an entire territory. Someone had even used location tracking to stalk people. That gave me a fair idea of what the system could do.

'What would've happened to me if the admin were a total scumbag?'

Maybe they'd have restricted my trades to make me die, or simply banned me permanently. Apparently admins weren't replaced except under specific circumstances, so I'd been lucky. I hoped this one stayed for a long time. It would make surviving a little easier.

'Once the trade restriction's lifted, I'll give the admin some fish too.'

From the look of things, the admin had a pretty miserable life. A gift couldn't hurt. There was occasional talk of being pursued, though I couldn't imagine someone with that personality committing a crime. Well, the world was full of all kinds of people. I'd leave it at that. I was repaying kindness, not rewarding someone for who they were.

'Besides lifting the trade restriction, there's nothing else I need to ask for.'

There was one-on-one chat, I supposed, but private posts could serve instead. They were a little frustrating, that was all. In my situation, I was grateful to have even that.

"Roundfur, time to eat."

"Kyuu!"

I fed Roundfur and waited for the vote to end. Practicing my internal energy cultivation method wouldn't be very productive right now, so I browsed the forum.

I was worried the poll might have gotten buried since it had been posted yesterday.

'Oh, it's in the notices?'

That worry was unfounded. It was prominently displayed in the notices section. Apparently, since this concerned making an exception to the forum rules, it had been turned into a notice.

'They said only registered users could vote... How many are there?'

Most forum users were anonymous, but there were plenty of registered users too. Anyone who met the requirements could access the forum. I didn't know this world's population, but proportionally, there had to be a lot.

'Just look at how fast new posts appear.'

Every refresh pushed the current posts back a whole page. Sometimes it was two or three.

'Who on earth made this forum?'

I wondered that occasionally. I'd heard that, structurally, it was magic. But I knew nothing about magic, and I'd gained access the moment I arrived here. That had to mean there was some other means of accessing it.

Two Morons

(Video of two human men acting like idiots)

Can't believe these assholes are my friends lmao

└Lmaoooo

└Lmaooooo

└Lmaooooo

└What even is this lmaoooo

"Hehehehe."

Whatever the case, it was perfect for relieving stress. I chuckled at the funny video, then checked the notices. About three minutes remained before voting closed. I'd been fine earlier, but now that the deadline was approaching, my palms were getting sweaty.

Heavenly Demon

My honored friend. Are you there?

While I was quietly waiting, Heavenly Demon sent a message. Was she waiting for my poll results too? I answered right away.

Yes. I'm waiting for the poll results.

Heavenly Demon

Then we are of one mind.

Don't worry too much. I personally cast my vote in favor.

Thank you.

If the results are good, would you like some fish?

Heavenly Demon

Didn't you say your trap was swept away?

I have one fish left from yesterday.

I can give you a piece.

Heavenly Demon

I am fine.

I have no wish to rob a pauper of his last crust.

It's a really big crust.

I'll still have plenty to eat even if I give you a piece.

Heavenly Demon

It remains a pauper's last crust.

I'm not giving you the whole thing. Just a taste.

While I bantered with Heavenly Demon, the vote ended. The moment the deadline arrived, I opened the post with high hopes.

Vote to Lift Wild Grylls's 24-Hour Trade Restriction!

Don't Abandon the Hero

Our registered user Wild Grylls is fighting for survival in the Forest of Four Seasons!

Normally, we should not grant such special privileges! However, Wild Grylls has provided proof and is highly trustworthy, so we will put it to a vote!

Please also note that Wild Grylls has promised to relinquish the privilege immediately upon escaping the Forest of Four Seasons!

1. In favor: 95%

2. Opposed: 5%

"Hell yeeeah!!"

I clenched my fist and cheered. An overwhelming majority. I wondered who the five percent who'd opposed it were, but voters' usernames weren't public. Still, the overwhelming support was enough.

Heavenly Demon

Congratulations.

Your wish has come true.

Your vote was a huge help, Heavenly Demon.

Thank you!

Heavenly Demon

You know how to appreciate even small things.

I like you more and more.

They say tiny grains of dust make a mountain, right?

Anyway, once the restriction's lifted, I'll send you that piece of fish I promised!

All I had to do now was quietly wait for the admin. I worried something might go wrong in the meantime.

Don't Abandon the Hero has requested a one-on-one conversation! Would you like to accept?

But as if to prove my worries unfounded, a one-on-one chat request arrived from the admin. Delighted, I accepted immediately.

Don't Abandon the Hero

Hello!

You're Wild Grylls, correct!

! That's right!

Don't Abandon the Hero

You received an overwhelming majority of votes in favor!

As promised, I will lift your trade restriction!

However, if I see any sign of abuse, I will revoke the exemption immediately, so please keep that in mind!

Of course.

I'll just focus on surviving.

Don't Abandon the Hero

Mm! Excellent!

I hope you survive safe and sound!

Before that, Admin. I'd like to give you a gift. Could we trade?

Don't Abandon the Hero

Huh! What sort of gift!

A bribe?

Don't Abandon the Hero

Absolutely not!!

Just kidding. I'll give you an inner core as a token of goodwill for the future.

It's thanks to your consideration that things are getting easier for me, isn't it?

Whatever I called it, it was effectively a bribe. But I didn't think something like this would sway the admin. As I'd said before, the admin was stubborn and principled. This was really more a gesture of goodwill. Besides, I didn't have anything else to give right now.

Don't Abandon the Hero

Isn't that a bribe?!

It's a gift full of 'goodwill.'

Don't Abandon the Hero

Why does 'goodwill' look emphasized?!

You're imagining things.

Please accept one, though.

From what I've heard, your living conditions aren't great.

Don't Abandon the Hero

Hmm...! All right, then!

You can list the trade item right here!

Admins can do that too?

Don't Abandon the Hero

Because we're admins!

And since your restriction has been lifted, Grylls, you should be able to trade in one-on-one chats too!

Right. With the trade restriction gone, one-on-one conversations should be unlimited too. I nodded, then took an inner core out of the Elixir bottle.

Wild Grylls has listed a trade item.

Eat this and keep your strength up.

And thank you so much for accommodating me.

Don't Abandon the Hero

No need to thank me!

And you call it accommodating you, but this is equality!

Equity, rather than equality, actually. But thank you anyway.

Don't Abandon the Hero

Yes! May the goddess bless your journey, Grylls!

Come to think of it, hadn't the admin mentioned having a religious occupation? I accepted the final farewell and ended the conversation.

'Finally...!'

The frustrating trade restriction was gone.