Chapter 22: (part 3- progress, guilt and deal)
15th day passed
I woke up early, my whole body sore. My back was stiff, shoulders aching, and legs heavy like they'd been crushed. Sleeping on the cold cave floor with just a pile of leaves was pure torture.
"I spend all my time getting food, storing it, and making this place a bit more bearable. I even managed to dig out a cold spring a week ago and wash my clothes. But this life is brutal. The pain is constant, so bad that I shake. And sleeping? It's impossible. I can't even get any proper rest. Sleeping on the cave floor with nothing but leaves is torture."
"This won't do," I muttered, stretching my sore arms. "If I keep sleeping like this, I'll die before I even start getting used to how things work around here."
"Two weeks ago, I had built a box using vines and branches. That had been a success. If I could make a simple box, then making a proper bed should be possible."
I took a deep breath and got to work.
*1st Step Building the Frame,* the first thing I needed was a strong base. I walked into the forest, searching for four thick branches. They had to be long enough to match my body and strong enough to hold my weight. After testing a few, I carried them back and laid them out in a rectangle.
I took thick vines and tied the corners together, pulling them tight. The knots needed to be strong. I couldn't risk my bed falling apart in the middle of the night.
I pressed my hands against the frame. It didn't shake. "Good.That should hold my weight."
*2nd Step Making the Base,* now I needed something to support my weight. The frame alone wouldn't be enough. I searched for long, flexible branches, the kind that could bend without breaking. I laid them across the frame, weaving them together like a net, then tied them down with more vines.
Once I finished, I sat on the bed carefully. The branches creaked under me but didn't break. "Not bad," I murmured. "At least I won't be sleeping directly on bumpy cold floor anymore."
*3rd Step Adding Comfort,* "a wooden net wasn't comfortable. I needed something soft."
I went out and gathered large amount of leaves, thick enough to provide padding. But leaves alone wouldn't do much, so I searched for dry grass and moss. These would add more softness and insulation from the cold.
I layered everything on top of the woven branches, adjusting until it felt right. It still wasn't as good as a real bed, but at least it wouldn't leave my body in pain every morning.
I lay down carefully, testing it. The leaves and grass shifted slightly under my weight, but it was much better than the hard cave floor. I let out a breath. "Ahhh~ much Better. Not perfect, but better."
After everything was done and cleaned, I sat on the bed, then slowly lay back down. My body sank into the layers of leaves and moss. It wasn't that soft, but it was warm, and most importantly, it got me off the freezing stone floor.
I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Finally... a real bed." For the first time in days, I felt like I could actually rest.
The next morning, I made 2 bowls from the Brownbark Quencher's shell, its endocarp. I scraped out the remaining inedible hard flesh with my blade until the inside was clean. I left it to dry, then set it over a weak fire until the shell hardened.
I made a spoon and a fork from branches. I cut a branch of the right size and split it in half. With charcoal, I marked a spoon on one piece and a fork on the other. Using only my sword for carving, the work was slow and rough. Each utensil took nearly five hours to finish.
"Finally, it's finish!"
The following days, i was full of energy, like a hyperactive child. I built, exercised, ate, rested, slept, bathed, washed my clothes, and observed new creatures... and more. Somehow, I was starting to enjoy this place.
22nd day passed
As more time passes, I became more familiar with the creatures lurking in this forest. The books that I had was a great help in understanding the strange lifes that thrived here.
The *Poisonous great tree Frogs* was one of the first creatures I encountered. It had dark green skin, like moss-covered stone, and red blood eyes that glowed faintly under the dim light. It was massive—about the size of a chicken. It lived beneath the soft, wet soil burrows of the forest, only emerging at noon to sunset to feast on giant insects.
Then there were the *Mountainous Spring Moss Crabs*. Their exoskeletons were rough and rocky, blending perfectly with the moss-covered stones near the springs. They moved slowly, their legs clicking against the wet ground. *Mossclump Clams*. They grew in tight clusters, stuck to the mossy rocks like patches of stone. Their shells were smooth but lumpy, often covered in bits of moss. During the night, they stayed shut. But when the spring is cold, they loosened slightly, drawing in water to feed, all without a sound or movement. *Bead Worms* were long and segmented, glittering like strands of pearls as they wriggled through the underbrush. They could grow as big as 5-6 inches.
The *The Two-Headed Fire-Spitting Salamander* was the smallest but also the most hostile. Its twin heads hissed simultaneously, spitting small bursts of flame when threatened.
The *Redback Shellpin.* A lobster-like creature that lives in a big spring in the forest. The spring is cold in the morning and hot at night. Its shell is dark green with red glowing lines. The lines glow brighter as the water gets hotter. In the cold, it moves fast and hides easily. At night, it becomes slow but very strong. Its claws can boil water with a single slam. steam rise from its back as it crawled out of the water.
It eats bugs, snails, soft moss, and even bird corpses that falls into the spring. When it's in danger, it blasts hot steam and disappears into the water.
Then there was the *Pearl Fly*—a beautiful insect with wings that shimmered like liquid silver. It danced through the air, leaving behind glowing dust that caused hallucinations, luring victims into a trap. Once they were helpless, it devoured their corpses.
But all of my focus today was on the Poisonous great tree Frogs this is the first time I'm trying to hunt it.
I crouched behind some bushes, watching a particularly large one sitting on a rock.
Its dark green, bumpy skin glistened with moisture, and its bulging red blood eyes look forward like a lifeless stone. It barely moved, only breathing slowly, its throat expanding and contracting.
Gwooork! Gwooork! Gwooork!
Then I approached it. It was sitting still, its eyes lazily following my every movement.
"This frog is huge... as big as a chicken! Wait, don't frogs taste like chicken? I used to catch and eat them when helping in the rice fields for extra cash and rice... but this one has 'poisonous' in its name. Can I even eat it?"
I flipped through the book. It provided clear instructions.
According to the book, its poison could be extracted, making it safe to eat. But the process was delicate.
*Step 1:* Pierce its brain quickly before it secretes poison through its skin.
*Step 2:* If poison is on its skin, rub moss to soak it up. Then heat the frog to make the trapped poison bubble out. Finally, hang it upside down so the rest can drip off for 20 minutes.
*Step 3:* Carefully remove the skin, then extract the internal organs.
*Step 4:* The heart is the poison source. Pull it out gently, one wrong move, and it will explode in your face.
I stared at the frog. Unlike the quick, jumpy frogs from my world, this one barely moved. Its large body just sat there, as if it didn't see me as a threat.
"Maybe it has slower reflexes or poor survival instincts maybe because it's one of the top predators in this forest and possess poison. That's why it doesn't have many predators. It must be the reason why it doesn't fear anything. Lucky for me, I can take my time hunting it."
I drew my sword and crept closer.
The frog, of course, had no idea what I was planning.
Its red blood eyes scanned me from head to toe.
in the frog's mind "Wow... this goblin looks disgusting. Why does it have feathers and weird skin stuck to it?" Just for fun dialogue haha.
I frowned, staring at the frog. What was it thinking? Was it... looking down on me? "Is this frog making fun of me just because my clothes are dirty, and I look like a beggar?" I muttered to myself.
The frog blinked.
It didn't hop away. It didn't even flinch. Instead, it slowly shifted its position on the rock, as if getting comfortable.
I narrowed my eyes. "Oh? You really don't see me as a threat, huh?"
Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, the frog let out a deep, lazy croak—gwooork.
I could almost hear it sighing: "Go ahead, Try me. See what happens."
My eye twitched.
"Alright, you fat frog. Let's see if you're still this calm when you're on a skewer over my campfire... hmm... maybe frog stew is better."
Gripping my sword tightly, I took a deep breath and stepped forward, my movements silent and precise.
Still, the frog didn't move.
Its red eyes stared directly at me.
It blinked.
Another deep *gwooork* echoed through the forest, like an old man too lazy to deal with life.
I waited for it to jump, but... it didn't move. Was it too lazy? Or just ridiculously dumb?
I shook my head. "You've got to be kidding me. Are you really just gonna sit there, while I do all the work? Hey don't ignore me!!!"
Still no movement.
"Okay, then. If you're not gonna move... I guess I'll just take care of this for you."
Without wasting a second, I lunged forward, my sword slicing through the air, aimed directly at the frog's head.
I expected it to leap out of the way, but... nope. It just stared at me like I was some kind of joke.
I reached its head, and with a quick swing, it was over.
I stared at it for a moment, blinking in disbelief. "Well... This frog is dumber than I expected. Is this really a frog, or did I accidentally find a lost dodo bird?." I kicked it lightly with my foot. "No survival instincts, no defense mechanism—just sitting there, waiting to be eaten. this rate, I'm helping it out... like how the dodos did before going extinct, haha."
The frog was already dead. I had struck its head with the side of my sword—quick and hard, enough to kill it instantly. But just to be certain, I raised the blade again and beheaded it in one clean cut. The body didn't move. I then used the tip of my sword to slice off the small fingers, one by one, making the body easier to handle.
Before peeling the skin, I walked over to the fire and took a small handful of charcoal ash. I gently rubbed the ashes onto the frog's damp skin. The fine black powder soaked up the moisture, giving my fingers a better grip. Holding the frog firmly, I pinched the skin near the neck and began to peel it off. Slowly, steadily, I pulled. The skin stretched and came away from the body like removing a wet glove. I worked down from the neck to the legs until no skin was left—just smooth, pale flesh.
I laid the body on a flat, clean stone. Then I held my sword steady and carefully made a shallow slice along the belly. The blade was long, so I moved slowly to avoid cutting too deep. The frog's body opened under the pressure, revealing the organs inside. A soft smell rose into the air—earthy and warm.
Inside, the intestines sat curled up like ropes. I could see the liver, the stomach, and in the center of it all—the heart. It was small and still beating.
I reached into the heart, gently cupping it with a leaf in my palm like a glove. It was warm, slick with fluid. With my other hand, I used the tip of my sword to slowly cut the nerves and vessels attached to it. One by one, they came free until the heart was separated. I lifted it from the body and held it in my hand. The task was done—carefully, step by step.