I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 103

Ovens are cooking tools boasting quite a long history.

Without looking too far, without an oven, even bread, the staple food of the West, couldn’t be made.

An oven is a device created to take fire-based roasting to the next level.

Well. The true next level would be putting it in a pot and boiling it, but let’s gloss over that.

That’s how much the presence or absence of an oven impacts my quality of life.

"Kyaah."

I gasped as I looked at the deliciously cooked grilled fish.

Even if it was a makeshift oven, an oven was still an oven—it cooked everything thoroughly and evenly.

When I grilled it on the cast-iron pan, there were parts that were undercooked or burnt.

However, because the oven radiates heat from all directions, it had no choice but to cook evenly.

’If I get the chance, I could even make bread, couldn’t I?’

I carefully transferred the grilled fish, which made my mouth water just looking at it.

I didn’t forget to put on gloves, since I could easily get burned otherwise.

For today’s occasion, I had even bought a new pair of kitchen gloves from the auction house.

Umul- umul-

"Mmm!"

It tastes just as expected. That’s why it’s delicious.

Even when simply grilled, the fish tasted like meat, but now it genuinely tastes like real meat.

It feels similar to the pork belly I treated myself to after scraping by and penny-pinching alone.

Of course, it isn’t completely identical. The texture in particular is different.

Even so, the flavor itself was no less magnificent than pork belly.

’Even the parts that look burnt have tender meat inside.’

I think I’ll be using the oven a lot from now on. I enjoyed my meal with a happy heart.

I didn’t forget to send a piece to the fixed-nick users every now and then. This time, it was the Heavenly Demon and Passing Dwarf.

They also tasted the oven-cooked fish and gave rave reviews. Objectively speaking, it was delicious.

’How did people even invent the oven?’

I stared at the oven while eating the fish.

The campfire was completely burning down into charcoal, and smoke billowed gently from the chimney.

An oven that made monumental contributions to human cuisine. Without an oven, there is no bread.

’Could I make pizza with that too?’

No. That would be a luxury.

Unless I cultivate flour myself and obtain eggs, it’s a pipe dream.

For now, let’s be satisfied with oven-baked fish. It will be useful not just for fish, but also for heating up smoked meat.

"Lululu~"

As my quality of life improved, my morale naturally shot up as well.

A boost in morale leads to a boost in combat readiness.

While praising the oven, I planned my afternoon schedule.

’I need to check where the gorilla pack’s territory is.’

The cause of death of Rice Craone, the last scribe of the Balkan Kingdom, was suicide.

However, since he was said to have been hopeless due to infection prior to that, the gorilla pack was effectively the cause.

Only by knowing the exact territory of the gorilla pack would my personal safety not be threatened.

’Which means I need to learn about gorilla habits first...’

I don’t know in what manner the gorillas have adapted to the Forest of the Four Seasons.

In other words, I need to keep in mind the possibility that the habits I originally knew might have changed as well.

Still, knowing something would be better than knowing nothing at all. I sent a message to the person perfect for this job.

[Wild Grylls: Allfather-nim. Are you there?]

[Allfather: What is the matter?]

[Wild Grylls: Nothing much, I just wanted to ask about the habits of gorillas.]

[Allfather: Gorillas?]

Ah. It seems you have figured out how the owner of the book died.

The information provided by Necromancy is Love. It seems that information was real.

Does that mean I acknowledge him as the Immortal King? Not quite.

I can just think of it as a smart person roleplaying.

Even if he truly was the Immortal King, it didn’t really matter.

Yes. I heard there’s a gorilla territory.

[Wild Grylls: And I have a vague idea of where it is.]

[Allfather: Gorillas are creatures with uniquely low combativeness and aggressiveness among primates, including humans.]

Of course, it varies by subspecies, but generally, that is the case.

[Wild Grylls: Does that mean it’s safe?]

[Allfather: Not quite.]

The fact that a gorilla revealed itself means that Grylls-ssi trespassed into its territory.

Furthermore, considering the reason the book’s owner died, you cannot let your guard down.

In the end, I have no choice but to be careful. I should make sure not to trespass on their territory if possible.

However, I have no idea where the gorilla’s territory starts or ends.

The way beasts usually mark their territory is through excrement.

It seems I will have to look closely for excrement.Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.

’I’ll just have to bring Wonmo along.’

Since Wonmo has an excellent sense of smell, finding excrement will be easy.

Just in time, he wasn’t taking a nap and was bouncing around, so taking him along would be fine.

I drafted a message to express my gratitude to Allfather.

[Allfather: By the way, there is something that bothers me slightly.]

Regarding the gorillas.

[Wild Grylls: Something that bothers you?]

[Allfather: In the book, it says the gorillas exhibited behavior almost like humans.]

Like humans?

[Wild Grylls: What’s a key example?]

[Allfather: First, it is said they used ’tools.’]

They held animal bones in their hands and used them like clubs.

;;

Is this Planet of the Apes or what? No matter how smart gorillas are, to that extent?

That’s a terrifying story. It means if I’m not careful, my head could get cracked open by that bone.

What if you add aggressiveness on top of that? A pack of gorillas might jump me as a group and beat me up.

’...Should I just not go?’

Hearing Allfather’s words made me feel like my momentum was completely deflated.

My spirit faltered for just a moment before I shook my head vigorously.

Times like this are precisely when I need to take risks. The difference between having information and not having it is massive.

’I’ll just clearly map out the gorilla territory.’

I set territory confirmation as my initial goal. I’ll do just that and finish.

Even if a legendary medicinal herb is right there, I intend to ignore it.

Thank you for the advice.

[Wild Grylls: I’ll have to be careful.]

[Allfather: Even out of curiosity, it would be best not to trespass on their territory.]

[Wild Grylls: I’m just planning to check where their territory ends and head back.]

[Allfather: I see. Understood.]

Ending my conversation with Allfather, I prepped for exploration.

It would be wise to prepare in case I accidentally trespass on the gorillas’ territory.

’Gorillas are herbivores, right?’

Allfather told me. Gorillas are animals that survive by stripping and eating tree bark.

Even though they only eat tree bark, they possess the strongest muscular strength among primates.

I felt a useless pang of envy, but shook it off. Humans possessed intelligence far superior to theirs, after all.

As a gesture of goodwill, I packed a few Fasting Pills.

If things got tense, I planned to hand over Fasting Pills to buy their favor.

’Speed Sloth ate them just fine, so gorillas should eat them too, right?’

Or should I buy a banana? The fruit that comes to mind when thinking of gorillas is a banana.

Entertaining idle thoughts, I made thorough preparations.

Speed Sloth hitched onto my back, and Wonmo was urging me to hurry.

Now all I had to do was set off...

Ggureureuk!

"Ah."

It seems I need to delay departure for a moment.

Only after thoroughly taking care of the waste in his stomach did Grylls depart for exploration.

The cave he left behind was quiet, with not a single presence felt.

Only the intermittent sound of the campfire could be heard. Silence hung in the air.

Buseureok! Buseureok!

It was then. Near the path leading toward the river, not the path Grylls had taken.

The lush bushes growing on both sides of that path began to shake.

At first, the bushes only rustled slightly, but before long, they shook noticeably.

Seueuk-

Finally, something popped out through the bushes.

It hadn’t completely revealed itself, merely poking its face out.

Overall, it looked similar to a human, but had a flat nose and pitch-black skin.

Crucially, the fur growing all over its face hinted that it was an ape.

"...Ooh! Ooh!"

After scanning Grylls’s Shelter for a while, the ape let out a faint cry.

At that cry, the bushes shook even more boisterously than before.

"Ooh ooh!"

"Ooh! Ooh ooh ooh!"

It was a pack of apes—specifically, the gorilla pack Grylls was wary of.

The gorillas seemed to communicate through their distinct vocalizations before stealthily creeping into the Shelter.

On the surface, they looked like ordinary gorillas, but upon closer inspection, several aspects differed.

First, while the gorilla presumed to be the leader had empty hands, the gorillas following him held clubs.

Though the shapes of the clubs varied, they included bones, wood, and even crudely crafted stone axes.

One could tell they belonged to a completely different league than ordinary apes.Read the latest chapters at nоvelping.com.

"Ooh ooh ooh."

"Ooh ooh."

The apes thoroughly inspected the Shelter where Grylls resided.

Starting from the iron barrel containing fish to the bucket of collected charcoal. And even the oven.

"Ukki-aaak!!"

"Ooh ooh?!"

Then, one gorilla let out a scream. Hearing that scream, its kin rushed over frantically.

The gorilla was writhing on the ground holding its hand. In front of it stood the newly crafted oven Grylls built.

It seemed it had thrust its hand into the oven before it could fully cool down and got burned.

An accident born of curiosity. The leader gorilla rushed over to inspect the situation.

"Ooh ooh!"

Having checked the state of its hand, the leader pointed to the iron barrel containing the fish.

It seemed to imply that there was water inside that iron barrel, so hurry up and cool it down.

At this, the burned gorilla frantically plunged its hand into the iron barrel.

Cheombeong!

The moment its hand submerged into the water, the gorilla wore an expression of sheer salvation.

The fish inside splashed around startled, but the gorilla didn’t seem to care.

The leader wore a look of relief for a moment before carefully observing the oven.

Did it notice a delicious smell wafting from inside the oven?

He brought his nose close to the opening and sniffed repeatedly.

However, as if he hadn’t realized its purpose yet, he merely tilted his head.

In the end, he quickly lost interest and shifted his gaze elsewhere.

"Ooh ooh!"

One gorilla pointed at the iron barrel filled with fish. It was Grylls’s vital food supply.

However, the leader shook his head, reacting negatively.

A sign that it would be difficult to carry. The gorilla accepted it, albeit disappointed.

The leader shifted his gaze away from the gorilla and checked another area.

Then, he spotted laundry hanging on the clothesline.

"Ooh."

The leader stared intently at the laundry before pulling on it slowly.

Unable to withstand the gorilla’s brutish strength, the makeshift drying rack collapsed helplessly.

The leader peered at the uniform gifted by Princess Chaenggu before tossing it onto the ground.

He seemed completely uninterested.

"Oooh-ooooh!"

"Oooh! Oooh-ooooh!"

Just then, the gorillas exploring inside the cave sprinted outside.

Not screams like the burned gorilla earlier, but cheers of excitement.

When the leader wondered what they had found, the gorillas set down what they had brought out.

What they had brought out was the sack of Fasting Pills, which Speed Sloth currently relied on as his staple diet.

"Huuuhm..."

"Ooh ooh! Ooh ooh ooh!"

The gorillas urged the leader to make a decision. But the leader was cautious.

The leader picked up a Fasting Pill from inside the sack and popped it into his mouth.

Before long, the Fasting Pill inside his mouth was chewed up slowly.

"Oooh-ooooh?! Oooh-ooooh?!"

The leader gorilla gasped, his eyes widening in amazement.

Anyone could tell it was a reaction meaning ’delicious.’ It was an expression as if he had tasted the supreme delicacy of the world.

At this, the other gorillas also popped a Fasting Pill into their mouths one by one.

"Ooh ooh ooh?!"

"Oooh-ooooh?!"

"Oooh-ook!!"

Just as the leader gorilla had, the other gorillas also showed sensational reactions.

To someone, it was bitter emergency rations, but to the gorillas, it was apparently an exquisite delicacy.

"Ooh ooh ooh!"

"Ooh ooh!"

The gorillas ate a few more Fasting Pills before quietly lifting the sack.

We can’t keep this delicious stuff to ourselves. Let’s share it with our clan.

Since the leader gorilla agreed on this point, he lifted the sack without hesitation.

"Ooh ooh!"

"Ooh ooh ooh!"

And so, the gorilla pack departed from Grylls’s Shelter.

Though the things Grylls treasured, like the Elixir and Inner Core, were not looted, the damage was still severe.

"Ooh ooh!"

"Ooh ooh!"

Regardless, the gorilla pack returned back with joyful hearts.