Got a Gallery in the Wild

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the gods hate me.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent a snowstorm right when I was about to repair my house.

‘Although, now that I think about it, I was the one who started hating them, wasn’t I?’

I spent my whole life blaming the gods because I didn’t want to hate people.

Could it be that the snowball just kept growing until it became this?

While I got lost in those cheap philosophies, I waited for the storm to die down.

The situation outside the cave was a complete disaster.

Everything was covered in snow.

Not even on Earth had I ever lived through a snowstorm.

And now I had to experience one here.

Title) Save me.

WildGrills

(Photo of the outside of the cave during a snowstorm)

Now there’s even a snowstorm. Somebody save me.

└HeavenlyDemon: What a disaster. It does whatever it wants.

└Swordmaster: It’s also surprising that animals live there. How do they survive in an environment like that?

└WildGrills: I think they simply know by instinct. Seeing how fat Wonmo got, I’m sure of it.

└HeavenlyDemon: Fine, Wonmo is a special case. But didn’t Sloth show any changes?

└WildGrills: No. None at all. He still has that same dumb look on his face.

└I guess they survived because they were already adapted lol.

└I wonder what those gorillas are doing.

└Probably eating bananas.

└What if spring even brings a sandstorm? lol.

└And where would the sand come from?

└Everything on the other side of the river changes constantly. If a desert appears in spring, then from there.

└It’s chilling how reasonable that sounds lol.

└If a sandstorm really does show up, it’ll be legendary lol.

It was already hard enough dealing with a snowstorm.

And on top of that, a sandstorm in spring?

It was enough to drive anyone insane.

But the problem was that it wasn’t just possible.

It was very likely.

This damned forest was a place where the impossible became reality.

A land where miracles took shape.

Even the sea and the rivers defied common sense.

There was no reason to think the weather would be any different.

‘In the meantime, the snowstorm has already stopped.’

That storm that had looked like it wanted to wipe everything out had completely disappeared.

The only thing it left behind was an enormous mountain of white trash that had fallen from the sky.

Thank goodness this wasn’t the military.

When trash falls from the sky, no matter how much you clean, it never ends.

‘And who knows when it’ll come back.’

I’d better hurry.

I grabbed the pickaxe and climbed to the spot on the roof that I had chosen beforehand.

I wasn’t planning to break all the way through from the start.

That would only increase the workload and waste effort.

Clang! Clang! Crack!

I only made a small hole.

I stuck my head through it.

Below, Sloth looked at me with his characteristic absent-minded expression.

From that hole onward, I would just have to remove the bricks little by little.

And before that, I would have to boil water to soften the ground…

‘Ah, that’s right.’

I remembered too late.

I opened the valve connected to the hose to see if any water would come out.

Just as I feared, not a single drop came out.

The river was probably frozen.

And even if it wasn’t, the hose itself might have frozen.

‘I’ll have to use snow.’

Fortunately, the storm had just passed.

I could melt the snow.

So much had piled up in such a short time that it crunched under my feet.

Until the water was ready, I decided to prepare the fireplace base.

Of course, the structure wasn’t complicated.

But it was my first time building one.

There was no reason not to be careful.

‘Before laying the bricks, I have to prepare the ground.’

Before building the fireplace, I reinforced the foundation.

So that the ashes wouldn’t accumulate and would fall downward.

And so that outside air could enter without any problems.

There were so many things to keep in mind that I kept going in and out of the cave.

But the temperature was directly tied to my survival.

As long as I didn’t freeze to death, all that effort was worth it.

Maybe people from warm regions wouldn’t understand.

But in most places, winter is merciless.

When the weather is good, you have to prepare for every threat.

Otherwise, you end up dying from the cold, starvation, or some other cause.

Since ancient times, in Korea, people prepared for winter during kimchi season.

That’s why there’s a saying.

‘Every season is the foundation for preparing for winter.’

As I prepared for the cold, I also started worrying about illnesses.

Especially colds.

‘Why don’t humans have fur? Is it because it would catch fire too easily?’

While wondering why humans were so vulnerable to the cold, I decided that someday I would ask AllFather.

In any case, I had already dug up the earth.

Now all that remained was laying the bricks.

I planned to use mud between them as if it were cement, so I heated some water first.

At the same time, I was also boiling it outside to melt the frozen ground nearby.

“Huh?”

“Kiiiuuung…”

Then I saw a strange animal by the bonfire.

At first, I thought it was a Japanese raccoon dog.

But when I looked more closely, it wasn’t.

It was an animal that many people confused with one.

A raccoon.

The raccoon had both front paws stretched toward the fire, warming itself.

It hadn’t entered the cave.

It was still outside.

So there was no problem.

Although, if it stayed too long, I planned to chase it away.

‘Or maybe Sloth will teach it a lesson.’

Just as I picked up the container of hot water with that thought in mind.

The raccoon glanced at me out of the corner of its eye.

Then it stuck its paw into the bonfire.

It literally stuck it in.

I couldn’t help but jump in surprise.

That wasn’t a simple burn.

Its whole hand should have burst into flames.

But what kind of place was this?

Wasn’t this the Four Seasons Forest, where small creatures weren’t just dangerous, but terrifying?

Fwoosh!

The raccoon calmly watched as its paw began to burn.

And then.

“Nom.”

It brought it to its mouth.

As if it were eating the fire.

I was so stunned that I couldn’t say a single word.

And by the time I came to my senses, the raccoon was already calmly walking back into the forest.

I had no idea what had just happened.

Was that fire acting like some kind of heater for it?

‘Yeah. Trying to understand it will only hurt me.’

I already have enough problems of my own.

So I stuck to my plan and continued building the fireplace.

One row of bricks.

One layer of mud.

Another row of bricks.

Another layer of mud.

And carefully checking that everything was firmly secured, just as they had recommended.

At first, I planned to spread the mud with my hands.

But it was so cold that I ended up buying a tool.

I searched the auction house for a while and found one for applying cement.

After using it, I thought I had no idea how I could have managed without it.

‘Now all that’s left is the chimney…’

The hardest part was the flue itself.

It had to become narrower as it rose.

Just as I had been doing until now, it wasn’t enough to secure it using only mud.

I needed another method.

‘I’m going to need a support structure.’

Since I wasn’t using cement but mud, the support structure was important.

While thinking about how to solve that, I bought a suitable iron barrel from the auction house.

Then I stepped outside for a moment to hammer it into shape.

I didn’t want to wake Wonmo.

Scrape! Scrape! Scrape!

First, I cut the barrel until it was shaped like a flat sheet.

A sword imbued with aura was more than enough for that.

Then I cut out the inside, leaving only the edges.

That completed the frame.

It was shaped like a ㄷ and was fairly thick and sturdy.

‘The size should fit more or less too.’

As long as the smoke could get out, there wouldn’t be a problem.

And if it collapsed…

Well, I’ll just have to rebuild it better next time.

That’s the best I can do.

Little by little, I built it up until I reached the hole in the roof.

The work inside the cave was finished.

Now I had to go back outside.

What I needed to carry was wet mud, bricks, a pickaxe, and finally, a hammer.

Crack! Rumble!

With the pickaxe, I widened the hole, and with the hammer, I carefully adjusted the edges.

Since I couldn’t work with perfect precision, the hole ended up larger than the chimney.

But that didn’t matter.

That was exactly why I had brought mud.

Thanks to the storage bag, I was able to carry everything.

“Alright. Done!”

With the chimney finally in place, I finished building that makeshift fireplace.

Seeing a chimney on top of a cave felt a little strange.

But the job still wasn’t really finished.

The important thing was checking whether it worked.

I had to test it.

“Fuuu…”

Could it have gotten even colder?

My breath was much thicker now.

I cleaned all the bits of stone out of the fireplace and placed the firewood inside.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

The fire began to burn, creating a rather cozy scene.

Just seeing that already made me feel better.

But something was still missing.

The cold draft that kept coming in through the cave entrance.

I had to block it.

‘The dwarf said to cover it with thick cloth or hides that insulated well against the cold, right?’

The tiger hide was too small.

For now, I would try several layers of thick cloth.

This was the perfect moment, before the snowstorm returned.

If I secured them well with nails, they would at least serve as a barrier.

When another storm came, I planned to weigh down the bottom with stones.

‘Once the entrance is closed, it gradually starts to feel warmer.’

That was the exact reason I had built the fireplace.

Because I wanted to close the entrance.

With a normal bonfire, it was safer to keep the entrance open.

But with a fireplace, there was no longer any need.

Little by little, I began to enjoy the warmth filling the cave.

Without realizing it, Sloth had also moved closer to the fireplace to warm himself.

“It’s good, right?”

“……”

He nodded.

And, for some reason, that made me feel satisfied.

This was the perfect time to make a post.

I took a picture of the fireplace and uploaded a post to the gallery.

That was when I realized that I had spent no less than two hours building it.

I had been so focused that I lost track of time.

Title) Fireplace finished.

WildGrills

(Photo of the fireplace with the fire burning)

(Photo of Sloth staring at the fire)

(Photo of Wonmo, who had already moved closer to the fire and fallen asleep)

This is the makeshift fireplace I built over two hours. I think I’ll be able to get through the winter without any problems now lol.

└HeavenlyDemon: I always think this, but you’re really good with your hands. You even built a fireplace.

└Swordmaster: I agree. Have you always been this skilled with your hands?

└WildGrills: When I was a kid, I used to make amazing paper figures.

└Does that count as being good with your hands too? ;;

└Of course it does. I know the technique and still can’t make them lol.

└People with clumsy hands and people with golden hands really do exist.

└DwarfPassingBy: It turned out pretty well. Did you use mud between the bricks?

└WildGrills: Yeah. I more or less made the support structure myself.

└DwarfPassingBy: Oh lol. Have you checked whether the smoke actually comes out through the chimney yet?

└WildGrills: No, but I guess it’ll work fine.

└DwarfPassingBy: If you don’t want to wake up dead tomorrow, go check it right now.

└WildGrills: What a pain.

└DwarfPassingBy: Then die haha.

Even though it was a hassle, I went to check that the smoke was actually coming out through the chimney.

Thanks to that, I was able to notice just how enormous the temperature difference was between the inside and the outside.

The fireplace was truly effective.

Inside, it was incredibly warm.

‘I’d better rest for a bit.’

Maybe because I had focused all my attention on building it.

My body felt exhausted.

But before resting, I had to eat lunch.

And, of course, it was smoked food again.

I just had to warm it up a little in the fireplace.

Very convenient.

‘I’ll give the inner core to Sloth… And Wonmo? Will that be necessary?’

Wonmo was still sleeping deeply, as if he had gone into hibernation.

Even though I had been working the whole time, he had remained curled up in a ball, sleeping peacefully.

It didn’t seem necessary to wake him.

He’ll get up when he gets hungry.

After eating, I started browsing the gallery while digesting.

Title) Chayu vs Beggar: Kone scores the first goooooal!!!

‘Ah, that’s right. There was a match today.’

By chance, DemonPrincess had made a post about the game.

I’d been so busy these past few days that I had completely forgotten it was being played today.

DemonPrincess would probably be a little disappointed.

I’d better leave a comment, even if it’s late.

I entered the post.

Title) Chayu vs Beggar: Kone scores the first goooooal!!!

DemonPrincess

(Video of the goal scored in the 5th minute of the first half)

This is what a forward line looks like! This is Chayu! This is attacking football! Got it, you Leor losers!?

└KingLeor: lol. You’re so excited. Anyway, they’re a bunch of losers who won’t even make the Champions League.

└DemonPrincess: Yeah, yeah~ But your team isn’t winning any trophies this season either~

└KingLeor: And have you won any trophies in the last ten years?

└DemonPrincess: We’re going to win the Devil Cup this year! Unlike a certain team that never wins anything lol.

└KingLeor: Even if you do win it, you’ll sink again next season. Enjoy it while you can.

└DemonPrincess: (Video of the goal Leor conceded in the 6th minute) Huh? And what’s this? What a disgusting goal!

└KingLeor: Damn it. When did they score on us again? This sucks.

└lololololol

└hahahaha

└DemonPrincess: That woman is really evil lol.

└Chayu fans have always been like this lol.

└WildGrills: So there was a match today. I’ve been really busy and didn’t notice. Sorry. Go, Chayu!

└DemonPrincess: Excellent! Now that the Saint has appeared, we’ll win today too! What do you think the final score will be?

└WildGrills: They attack too much and usually concede because of it. Their defense is weak, so I’d say 4-2. And Chayu will score all four.

└DemonPrincess: Four goals?! Thank you very much!

└KingLeor: Sir, what about our match? How do you think it’ll end?

└WildGrills: I don’t usually watch Leor’s matches, but I think you’ll lose. Last time you got reverse swept.

└KingLeor: Hey… You said nice things about Chayu, but to us…

└WildGrills: Even in that goal you just conceded, the lack of concentration is obvious.

└DemonPrincess: How dare you doubt the Saint?! How rude!

└KingLeor: Ah, damn it. The truth is, the team really is showing physical problems, so it’s hard to argue with him.

Whenever there was a match, DemonPrincess and KingLeor always ended up fighting.

They say opposites attract.

Even though they supported different teams, their personalities were very similar.

Whoooooosh!!!

While I was browsing the gallery, it seemed that another snowstorm had started outside.

The cloth covering would billow out and then go still again over and over.

On top of that, there was an icy wind that cut through the skin.

With weather changing this much, it would be best to avoid outdoor activities for a while.

Rain was already annoying.

But a snowstorm was a far greater disaster.

‘I’d better practice my cultivation method.’

One hour practicing the cultivation method.

Thirty minutes training with the sword.

And when the match was about to end, I checked the gallery again.

Chayu vs Beggar: Final score 4-2! Just as the Saint prophesied, Chayu won while showing their defensive problems!

Leor vs Balrok: Final score 0-2. Leor suffered an unexpected defeat while showing physical problems.

Everything had happened exactly as I had predicted.

Naturally, my comment section was flooded with people making pilgrimages to the holy site.

Although it made me feel a little uncomfortable, I decided to think of it as nothing more than a coincidence.

‘More important than that…’

I looked at Sloth.

He was still staring at the fire without looking away.

When it had only been a bonfire, he didn’t act like this.

So why now?

“Hey. You’re going to go blind. Move back a little.”

“……”

“Come on. I told you to move back.”

I think I finally understood how my mother felt when she tried to pull me away from the computer.