Chapter 4

After preparing the deer, I decided to soak it in a small stream a little away from the lake.

This would ensure that the blood was thoroughly drained from the blood vessels, allowing for a proper bleeding process.

I surrounded it with vines to prevent it from being washed away by the water and to keep it safe from any carnivores.

By the time I finished processing the deer, the sun had already begun to set.

The blue sky was being painted crimson.

The scene of the sunset illuminating the forest was quite beautiful, but now wasn't the time to relax.

I had marked the trees, so I wouldn't get lost, but I didn't want to walk through the forest at night.

I hurried back to the house I had built, carrying my basket on my back.

Walking straight back without gathering anything, I arrived home in about fifteen minutes, as expected.

Seeing the house standing in the middle of the forest, I felt a sense of relief.

I shook off the dirt at the entrance before entering the house.

However, the inside was almost pitch black due to the fading daylight.

"Right! I need to start a fire!"

This was the middle of the forest. There was no water, gas, or electricity.

I couldn't just press a button to turn on a convenient light.

If I didn't start a fire, I would be left in complete darkness.

I moved to the hearth room first to start the fire.

Using fire in a 100% wooden house was quite scary, but it was better than spending the night in the dark.

The hearth area needed to be carved out to prevent the wood from catching fire.

I went outside, transformed a tool into a shovel, and collected some soil.

I spread the soil in the hearth area.

Ideally, I should have used ash, but since I hadn't burned anything yet, I had no ash. This was a temporary measure.

As long as the fire didn't spread to the surroundings, it would be fine. If the flames got too big, I could just throw some soil on them.

While preparing the hearth, the sun was about to set completely.

I created a stick and a base for starting the fire and shaped them with a knife.

They seemed to be dry enough, and this should generate heat through friction.

Now was the time to try the fire-starting method I had seen my grandfather use.

I remembered that he had made a depression in the base wood to ensure the friction from the stick's tip was transmitted effectively.

I laid some leaves underneath as a receptacle for the fire.

All I had to do was rub the stick in the depression.

I rubbed my hands together and pushed my upper body straight down to create friction.

When the stick reached a position where it couldn't rub anymore, I quickly moved my hands back up and resumed the rotation before the friction temperature dropped.

By repeating this, the charred wood dust should start to form, and a spark should be produced.

...But no charred wood dust was coming out.

I rotated the stick vigorously, but only a little wood dust came out, and it didn't turn black or produce any smoke.

I was getting anxious as the room grew darker.

My grandfather had made it look so easy.

Maybe my technique was wrong.

Because I wasn't used to it, my rotation was uneven, and the base was shaking.

This might be why the rotation wasn't transmitting properly.

I wished someone could help me rotate the stick.

Then, I realized I could create an extra pair of hands.

Following my intuition, I started growing a tree, and before I knew it, a wooden golem was formed.

It had a strong body made of wood and moss, standing nearly two meters tall.

The golem, formed in the dark room, looked a bit scary, but it wouldn't harm me.

"Um, can you help me rotate this stick to start a fire?"

When I asked, the golem took the stick and started rubbing it with both hands.

It rotated the stick with a smooth, whirring sound.

I was surprised by the speed. When I had been rotating the stick, it had made a much lighter, pitiful sound.

Maybe my technique was indeed the problem.

With the golem's strength, the fire should be started in no time.

As I focused on holding the base, the charred wood dust started to form, and smoke began to rise.

"Ah!"

The glowing ember adhered to the surrounding wood dust.

I quickly removed the base and covered the ember with wood dust and leaves, blowing to supply oxygen.

With enough oxygen, the ember grew rapidly and ignited the wood dust.

I arranged the wood in the center of the hearth and placed the fire there.

Adding small branches and wood dust, the fire quickly grew and stabilized.

The room brightened up, and I felt a sense of relief.

"Phew, at least I have some light now—wait, isn't the golem a bit too far away?"

I noticed that the golem I had created had moved away.

Standing between the hearth room and the kitchen, it made me feel uneasy. The shadows from the firelight gave it an eerie presence.

"Are you afraid of the fire?"

The wooden golem couldn't speak, but it seemed to be nodding in agreement.

Being made of wood, it was probably afraid of fire.

The golem's animal-like behavior was endearing, despite its large size.

"Well, as long as it doesn't catch fire, it won't burn."

I reassured the golem, which was overly afraid of the fire, and started preparing dinner.

I didn't have much to work with, just what I had gathered during the day.

I brought out my basket and took out the collected items.

I had gathered mountain vegetables and fruits like Tohihigo, Aonoko, Gravelingo, Amaguki, Pink Cherry, and Mozuru. It was impressive how much I had gathered in a short time, considering I was new to the forest.

This forest was clearly rich in natural resources.

Amaguki was a long plant similar to sugarcane. The stem was sweet when peeled and chewed, though the outer skin and other parts were inedible and wouldn't provide much fullness. It was a valuable source of sweetness, good for snacking while working or right after waking up.

Pink Cherry was similar to cherries. Since it was a valuable fruit like Gravelingo, I had gathered a lot of it.

Mozuru, like Tohihigo and Aonoko, was a mountain vegetable that could be cooked and eaten.

"Wait, I can't cook the mountain vegetables because I don't have a pot to boil them in."

I had water in a wooden canteen, but I had no container to boil it in.

I could make a pot or a frying pan from wood, but it would definitely burn.

It might hold up for a short time, but I didn't want to risk a fire in this 100% wooden house.

I didn't want my first day in this new world to end in a fire, especially a forest fire.

Ah, if only I had a pot, I could boil the mountain vegetables and make a stew.

Wishing for something I didn't have was pointless. There was a limit to what I could do in one day.

Many mountain vegetables can cause stomach upset if eaten raw, so I decided to avoid them today.

I changed my mindset and ate the Gravelingo and Pink Cherry, and chewed on the Amaguki.

"Even without the mountain vegetables, the fruits here are enough."

I had been lamenting not being able to eat the freshly gathered mountain vegetables, but the fruits alone were quite satisfying.

Still, I wanted a frying pan or a pot for future variety in my meals.

With the golem's strength, I could probably shape a stone into a pot or a frying pan.

As I was thinking about this, I suddenly felt very sleepy.

It was still early, but the fatigue from the first day in this new world was catching up with me.

Meeting the god, dying, transferring, exploring the forest, and searching for food—it had been a lot.

Without a soft bed, sleeping on the floor would probably leave me stiff in the morning.

Since I was in the house, I wanted to rest properly.

I grew a tree and shook the branches to make the leaves fall.

A large pile of leaves fell to the floor, creating a cushion.

I wanted to lie down immediately, but first, I decided to extinguish the fire in the hearth.

Ideally, I should have covered it with ash to keep the ember, but with only soil and a little ash, I decided to put it out.

With the golem, I could easily start another fire.

I yawned and lay down on the makeshift bed of leaves.

"Alright, I'm going to sleep. Good night."

As I said this to the golem, which was staring at me intently, I quickly fell asleep.

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