Chapter 68

“Is it already morning?”

The biting cold had gripped us for a week now.

The intense cold that swept through Fron didn’t spare the inside of our home either.

With hundreds already frozen to death, at least Dave was still alive.

“Did you say hot pack? It’s getting more fascinating by the minute.”

Thanks to the hot pack I had burst under the covers.

I initially wondered if such a tiny thing could really produce heat.

But soon I understood why the villagers swore by marketplace items.

I didn’t feel cold at all.

No, in fact, I felt warm.

As I stumbled into the kitchen in a sleepy haze, my wife Alin and our child, already awake, greeted me.

“Dad!”

“Dave, you’re awake? Drink this.”

What Alin brought out was something I’d never seen before.

[90 Packs of Instant Coffee]

Opening the black container that had that written on it, I saw something made of high-quality plastic inside.

Alin took one out and melted it over a fire lit with a marketplace lighter.

What was poured into my cup was hot, black liquid.

“I’ve never seen this tea before?”

Its aroma was incredibly sweet.

“It’s coffee. I got some.”

“Coffee? Isn’t that just for the noble folks?”

Dave’s jaw dropped in surprise.

Wasn’t coffee something worth the monthly income of an average household, only meant for nobles?

Alin chuckled softly and waved her hand.

“Do you think I’d be crazy enough to buy it myself? It’s the Head of the Gallery Marketplace.”

“Oh, uh, right.”

Dave sat back down.

Head of the Gallery Marketplace.

Strangely enough, just mentioning that term made everyone in our village understand what it meant, no matter how absurdly expensive or pointless it seemed. That one phrase was enough to convince everyone.

“Here’s your breakfast.”

The breakfast she served was a can.

A thin, orange can with the words “Lean Tuna Can” caught my eye.

Silently, he scooped out the tuna and shoveled it into his mouth.

The insane richness and the savory tuna spread across his body, driving him wild.

Scraping every last bit from the can, he took a sip of his coffee and muttered.

“This makes no sense.”

“Right? Who would sell something like this to people like us?”

In truth, Dave’s family had not been doing well a few years ago.

Dave was drafted into the Great War but miraculously returned alive.

What he faced upon his return were his sick son and starving wife, Alin.

The so-called nobles were holed up behind their castle walls, busy feasting and drinking among themselves.

In a household where dying seemed the only option, out of nowhere, the Head of the Gallery appeared.

“It’s like we were given something for free.”

“By the way, you’re going out to work starting today, right?”

Alin leaned in closer to Dave, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

She looked so bright that one could think she herself was going out.

“Uh, yeah, something like that.”

“That’s awesome! When would someone get a chance like this?”

“That’s true, it was kind of lucky.”

—Ding.

At that moment, a notification went off from the Gallery.

Checking it, it was an alert from work.

[Fron Hunters Chat Room]

Head of the Gallery*: Hi.

World’s Best Hunter: Hello!!!!!

Deer Specialist Hunter: Good morning!!!

Head of the Gallery*: Starting today, as mentioned beforehand, just work and leave a review in the Gallery.

Head of the Gallery*: Just in case someone forgot, here’s the usage guide again.

Head of the Gallery*: (??? Safety Usage Example Video)

The work involved was hunting Fron monsters, a task personally recruited by the Head of the Gallery.

The catch was to hunt with the items supplied by the Head of the Gallery and simply record their effects.

Strangely, the skins and meats received after hunting didn’t pique the Head of the Gallery’s interest.

“Well then, I’m off now.”

“Have a safe trip! Watch out for bears.”

“Have a good trip, Dad!”

Dave lovingly ruffled his son’s hair, gazing at him for a moment.

He shrugged on his hunting gear and stepped outside.

“Stay at the mayor’s place. That…”

“Portable generator?”

“Yeah. Well, the Head of the Gallery gave us that too.”

The cold no longer threatened the North.

Ever since the introduction of hot packs and, miraculously, a generator that thumped like a heartbeat.

Staying indoors became a thing of the past.

Villagers would gather in small groups for tea or simply pass the time.

However, food was a different story.

– Where have all the deer gone?

– Why did Fron skip parts in Season 142…jpg

– Damn, we need to hunt but there are no animals!

As noted in the Gallery posts, the cold had nearly wiped out the wildlife.

And what remained were either fierce carnivorous beasts or monsters.

But even that was becoming a thing of the past.

“You said to set this up, right?”

Reaching deep into the mountains, Dave unloaded his gear and pulled something out.

Following the instructions from the video, he managed to set it up in no time.

-Clang

“…That looks pretty vicious.”

He had received a hunting tool directly supplied by the Head of the Gallery.

Looking at the intimidating hunting tool he had just set up, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

It was a monstrous trap that could easily catch monsters that should make one flee upon encountering.

“I think it was called… Charko?”

An ominous trap waiting with its mouth wide open for prey.

It was simply known as a bear trap.

*

[Title: Amazing!]

Author: Dave

(A picture of an ice bear caught in a bear trap)

Joyful!

(A picture of a well-harvested ice bear meat)

Proud!

[Upvotes: 1452] [Downvotes: 13]

– Damn, how did you capture that?

– Wow, but what kind of monster is that?

◈ It’s not a monster; it’s an animal.

◈ Isn’t it bigger than even a monster?

◈ In Fron, anything is possible, LOL.

– How do you process the meat?

◈ Author) It’s an ice bear, so it’s immune to the cold.

◈ The flesh is tender and cuts easily, LOL.

◈ It just was strong enough that hunting it seemed impossible then.

– (scared Squirrel Con)

◈ (Hug me, con)

◈ (I’ll hug you, monster con)

– Seriously, how do you even think of something like that?

◈ For real, that’s wicked clever, LOL.

◈ (Demon giving a standing ovation gif)

The cold problem in Fron had more or less been resolved.

But the issue was food.

No matter how many marketplace items existed, we couldn’t rely on them every day, every moment.

So there were bear traps, and they proved effective.

– But then how do you take the meat?

– For real, are you just going to stand by until it dies? Isn’t it cold?

– It’s not like ice bears are the only animals around.

The issue was indeed the cold.

While ice bears had tender meat, monsters did not.

And if you left meat outside for just an hour, it would turn into a stone, so knives were out of the question.

Initially, many times meat would be discarded outdoors due to these issues, but that was no longer the case.

[Title: Cold? Isn’t that just a refrigerator?]

(A picture of a frozen hunting prey outside)

(A picture of villagers gathering around to process it with axes and picks)

Just use an axe, LOL.

– LOL, damn.

– Not meat processing; meat mining.

– They’re just hauling it away like that, LOL.

– What could that place in Fron be like?

For the Fron villagers used to cutting down winter trees, frozen meat was nothing.

They brought frozen animals indoors to thaw and consumed them in many different ways.

Moreover, their outdoor activity had increased.

Covered head to toe with hot packs and wearing goggles bought from the marketplace to block skin exposure.

They had adapted to the cold, resembling the wild animals themselves.

[Title: A snap from behind the mountain^^]

(A picture of someone half-buried in snow giving a thumbs-up)

The weather lately has been quite warm and nice, hehe.

– Warm?

– So where is the author anyway?

◈ LOL, can’t see anything.

◈ Half snow, half people.

Of course, this led to some incidents.

The Adrian Northern Territory was also one of the areas least influenced by the Gallery.

Moreover, the isolation from the outside world created a deep-rooted culture of its own.

In other words, instead of a church, local beliefs took hold.

[Title: I declare myself non-religious]

(A picture of a sheep statue with a middle finger raised)

(A picture of a sulking frog con)

I was born into faith, but I no longer believe in the two gods.

I feel like I’ve prayed a thousand times and never received help, LOL.

At this rate, I’d rather trust the gorgeous Head of the Gallery.

(A picture of the gorgeous Head of the Gallery giving a thumbs-up)

Is there a spot left for the Head Fan Club?

– Orange Group) Hehe, welcome aboard!

◈ Hey, isn’t this guy still active?

◈ Damn, wasn’t he scattered?

– But why gorgeous?

◈ For real, didn’t the Head of the Gallery once disclose their gender and vanished?

◈ Info) A Great Magician like the Head of the Gallery might easily switch genders.

◈ Really?

◈ There may be a point there!

The local beliefs began to shake from their roots.

People started to distance themselves from faith and ponder more on practical matters.

– You can’t do much with just prayers.

– We need to come together ourselves.

– Isn’t community more essential than the individual?

The survival issue was looming closer.

And as the thinking spread that monarchy was not the only answer anymore, a post that burst through the atmosphere full of questions began to emerge.

[Title: Ah, damn…]

(A picture of marketplace items being seized)

(A picture of residents being assaulted and hot packs snatched away)

We previously paid taxes in food, but suddenly the tax collectors decided to change the method.

Then they barged into our houses and began seizing marketplace items…

When my parents complained, they were assaulted. What should we do…?

“What?”

The method for collecting taxes in Fron had suddenly changed.

And among those were still many items I had given as presents almost for free.

– Head of the Gallery*) I never agreed to that.

Naturally, astonished by the post, as I left a comment expressing my thoughts, a reply came just a few minutes later.

– Duke’s Proxy) They are residents of Fron before being Gallum.

– Duke’s Proxy) I appreciate the support, but I would prefer excessive interference to be avoided.