I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 115

There is a saying that goes like this.

"Try digging the ground all day. See if even a single penny comes out."

It means stop trying to earn money through useless nonsense and get a proper job.

In reality, if you dig the ground, all sorts of things are bound to come out, and the undisputed king among them is oil.

If oil comes out, becoming rich takes no time at all.

↳ Passing Dwarf) Uh. I think that really is Mithril?

↳ Wild Grylls) ?

However, I don’t need money. What I need right now is something practical.

Even if oil erupted from digging, a single lump of steel would be far more precious in my current situation.

Yet, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered by the sudden appearance of Mithril, which was said to be even rarer than steel.

’This damn forest pops out weird stuff just from digging the ground, huh?’

I really don’t know what kind of structure it’s made of.

It wasn’t enough that the Orichalcum Cave was right nearby; now digging the ground brought up Mithril.

Of course, I had to strictly check whether this was truly Mithril.

Moreover, since all sorts of speculation had begun to run rampant in the Gallery, I needed to be a bit cautious.

↳ Is that really Mithril? Isn’t it way too bright to be Mithril?

↳ It’s not even fused with rock, it looks like pure Mithril just sitting there by itself.

↳ The Orichalcum Cave was an entire cave made of Orichalcum, so it’s not impossible.

↳ Be precise. Outside the Forest of the Four Seasons, it’s impossible.

↳ Ah. I roughly get it. Just like how the other animals grew huge, the minerals grew huge too! That’s why it looks like that even before refining!

↳ Quite persuasive? Then why is the gorilla still the same size?

↳ Dunno?

↳ Passing Dwarf) Enough of that, cut a small piece off and send it to me. I’ll check it. Yep.

↳ Look at him, he’s just gonna go drink booze again after saying that hahaha

↳ Passing Dwarf) Caught me lol

↳ Caught my ass, you dwarf bastard hahaha

↳ A race that drinks booze every time they take a rest hahaha

Among the countless comments, one caught my attention.

Is this really Mithril in a raw mineral state?

Not just Mithril, but most minerals are mixed with rock.

Only through putting that ore into a furnace—in other words, ’refining’—can one obtain a pure substance.

What I found was a pure substance sitting right there without any need for refining, which made it hard to believe easily.

Of course, cases like diamonds exist, but at least that shouldn’t be the case for Mithril.

’Though everyone is accepting it since I have a history of discovering the Orichalcum Cave too.’

Orichalcum was originally an ore as well. Yet I had discovered a place where the entire cave was Orichalcum.

Mithril wouldn’t be any different. It was just that it happened to be in my home.

Anyway, I needed to give a chip of it to the dwarf. I stared at the green-glowing Mithril.

’A Guardian won’t rise out of the ground, right?’

If that happened, the entire cave, including the floor, would collapse. And my heart would collapse right along with it.

However, unlike the Orichalcum Cave, there wasn’t really an open space for that.

Besides, there was a much bigger problem.

’Why the hell won’t this break?’

The mining itself was extremely difficult. No matter how many times I struck it with the pickaxe, not a single scratch appeared.

From what I vaguely remembered, it was said to have a durability similar to steel while being far lighter.

If it were mixed with rock, it might be a different story, but most of this Mithril was tough to mine.

Kka-ang! Kka-ang! Kkang!

Still, what else could I do? I had no choice but to mine diligently.

They say there’s no tree that doesn’t fall after ten chops, and Mithril was no different.

Especially since I had Aura. I even incorporated Aura into my swings as I mined.

Kka-ang! Kkaduk!

After time passed, I was able to mine a tiny piece of Mithril.

I had been mining for so long that sweat was trickling down my face.

’I only mined a tiny bit, but the pickaxe is already practically dull.’

Even though I used Aura, I couldn’t prevent the pickaxe from sustaining damage.

Even if Aura boosted the effectiveness of tools, it wasn’t omnipotent.

Using Aura didn’t mean the durability of the weapon itself increased indefinitely.

The Sword of the Heavenly Demon was only solid because it was crafted from a material called Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.

I examined the thumb-sized green raw stone before logging onto the Gallery.

Since I was at it, it would be nice if I could get a high-quality pickaxe from that dwarf fellow too.

[Wild Grylls: I mined this, so please check it for me.]

[Passing Dwarf: Okay.]

[Wild Grylls: If you say you’re going off to drink again, I’m never giving you anything again.]

[Passing Dwarf: That’s way too harsh;;]

Got it for now.

Checking it is easy, so I’ll let you know soon.

Since the dwarf said he would post later, I checked the remaining Mithril ore first.

I didn’t know if I should really call this an ore, but let’s call it an ore for now.

Unlike Orichalcum, Mithril could be crafted into various equipment, including weapons.

It was certain to be of great help to me. But before that, there was something I had to do.

’I should give some to Heavenly Demon and Praise the Sun.’

If this really was Mithril, there were people I had to repay immediately.

Heavenly Demon, who gave me an epoch-making cheat item, and Praise the Sun, who consistently gifted me shields.

I felt that even a Mature Mandrake couldn’t fully repay the grace of these two.New chapters come out on novеlping.com first.

’I even broke the shield Praise the Sun gave me, after all.’

Mithril, like Orichalcum, was a mineral hard to buy even with money.

Wouldn’t Praise the Sun, who liked rare things, be pleased as well?

’First, let’s check how far this extends.’

If the entire cave floor was Mithril, that would be a headache in its own right.

I couldn’t just leave the Mithril alone, but I couldn’t go tearing down the whole cave floor either.

After pondering, I decided to execute the plan I had considered earlier.

Either way, the fact remained that I needed a storage space, so I just needed to dig where I was already digging.

’Just digging this out will be huge.’

I wasn’t asking for armor. I just needed spare tools to use.

I swung the pickaxe passionately to create a storage space.

’Ah, damn it. Should I just ask him to make me a Mithril pickaxe instead?’

After mining for five minutes, I was too sick of it to continue.

Wiping away my dripping sweat, I logged onto the Gallery. By now, the dwarf should have finished checking it.

[Passing Dwarf: Hey.]

Hey, hey. Read this fast. It’s urgent.

Where the fuck are you when it’s urgent, holy shit. It’s super urgent, so read it fast, damn it.

As soon as I entered the Gallery, I saw a message from the dwarf that looked rather frantic.

It was a message that had arrived just a minute ago. Looking at that message, a question arose in my mind.

’Is it a different mineral instead of Mithril?’

This was the guy who had previously lagged behind, drunk, saying ’Yep, that’s Orichalcum.’

For such a guy to send a message like this was a bit strange.

Why, what’s up?

Is it Mithril?

[Wild Grylls: Or is it because you can’t drink booze?]

[Passing Dwarf: I’m serious, so stop making booze jokes.]

Okay, fine;;

So why are you in such a hurry?

[Passing Dwarf: This IS Mithril. It’s just completely different from what I thought.]

[Wild Grylls: What’s different?]

[Passing Dwarf: It’s a solid block that barely needs any refining;;]

A solid block?

Hearing those words, I tilted my head. If so, isn’t that a good thing?

[Passing Dwarf: Are you saying you don’t realize what you’ve found at all?]

Yep, zero clue.

[Wild Grylls: Isn’t it just a good thing?]

[Passing Dwarf: Sigh. Fck;;]

Seriously, is your head an anvil or did it get hit by a hammer;;

Don’t swear and just explain ㅡㅡ

I came from another world, so I don’t know shit.

[Passing Dwarf: I’ll just explain assuming your head is as dumb as an anvil.]

Passing Dwarf’s explanation went like this.

Originally, minerals were contained in rock, and their purity could be further increased through a refining process.

This was true for Mithril as well.

Furthermore, since the amount mixed in rock or the frequency of discovery was far lower than other ores, an increase in value was inevitable.

Even if what I found had been raw ore, the sheer size alone made it an absurd amount.

[Passing Dwarf: Weapons and stuff made of Mithril are actually all alloys.]

Solid Mithril tools don’t exist in this world. Even the rich dark elves of Setan can’t do that stuff.

Oh.

[Wild Grylls: But you’re saying it’s possible for me?]

[Passing Dwarf: Yep.]

If it was raw ore, I was gonna return it.

Huh? Why?

[Wild Grylls: Didn’t you say you’re a dwarf?]

[Passing Dwarf: I am a dwarf, but originally it has to go through a special refining process.]

It’s a furnace I can only use with approval from the higher-ups.

[Wild Grylls: Because you’re scared of getting caught browsing the Gallery?]

[Passing Dwarf: Aside from that, my real life would become sooooo fucking annoying.]

If it required permission from the higher-ups, it seemed a fairly complex refining process was required.

Well, since it was the rare Mithril, it made sense it required that much.

Fortunately, because it was a solid block, just melting it down would be enough.

[Passing Dwarf: How did you mine this?]

By the way, did you really get this by mining it?

Considering the hardness of Mithril, it makes more sense if you picked it up rolling around somewhere.

What do you mean?

Though it was hard, it chipped off easily like stone.

[Passing Dwarf: What the hell are YOU talking about?]

I told you what you sent was a solid block, a solid block. It’s just a chunk of iron.

What is he talking about now? I narrowed my eyes.

Even if the Mithril vein was hard, in my experience, it was definitely not like iron.

If that were really the case, I wouldn’t have been able to pickaxe it in the first place.

Rock that could somehow be broken. That was the Mithril I was currently mining.

That’s weird.This chapter was copied from NovelPing without permission.

I just mined it like stone though?

[Wild Grylls: Isn’t this normal?]

[Passing Dwarf: Stop talking bullshit.]

Even cutting it with a saw would barely work, so what the;;

No, really;;

I’ll film a video and show you.

[Wild Grylls: Before that, give me a pickaxe.]

[Passing Dwarf: I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’re spouting, but I’ll give you one for now.]

I made it as a spare for myself, so it’ll be good.

Ah. And make me a Mithril pickaxe.

Digging the ground is tough.

[Passing Dwarf: What a fucking world lololol]

The very first solid Mithril tool being a pickaxe lolol

I’m serious though.

[Wild Grylls: Won’t it be way easier to mine then?]

[Passing Dwarf: It’ll get a bit easier, sure,]

But it won’t change dramatically;;

As expected, games and reality are different. In games, mining stuff of the same material was way easier.

Still, since Mithril was abundant, having one wouldn’t be bad.

Even if what was visible was all there was, it wouldn’t be a problem. A pickaxe could be used anywhere.

’Will I be able to mine better with this?’

I checked the pickaxe I received from the dwarf. On the outside, it looked like an ordinary pickaxe.

However, the handle length was a bit short. It seemed to be because it was made for dwarf standards.

Kka-ang! Kkang!

Still, its performance was vastly superior to my previous pickaxe.

The weight was suitably heavy, and the durability was decent. Thanks to that, I was able to mine a considerable amount of Mithril.

Before long, I examined the fist-sized piece of Mithril from various angles, feeling a sense of doubt.

’Strange. It’s definitely closer to stone?’

Not only was the texture stone-like, but it lacked the specific hard sensation unique to iron.

I tilted my head in confusion and sent the Mithril to the dwarf.

(Video of mining Mithril)

Look.

It crumbles like stone.

[Passing Dwarf: There’s no way this should happen?]

What on earth is this?

What you sent me was a chunk of iron though;;

[Wild Grylls: Are you sure you’re actually skilled?]

[Passing Dwarf: Fck, no matter what, don’t say things that hurt my pride.]

I might look like this, but I’m a master of metallurgy.

Sorry. My bad.

Anyway, I showed you.

[Passing Dwarf: Fck lolol I feel like all my common sense is shattering.]

Is there no weird feeling or anything?

It was right at the moment I was about to reply "None at all?".

Seueuk-

A fragment of Mithril that had fallen to the floor—that fragment moved slightly.

’...What?’

For a moment, I thought I had seen wrong.

However, as if to make that thought meaningless, an astounding situation unfolded.

Seueuk- Seuk-

The Mithril fragments scattered all over from the mining began to move little by little.

Where to? Toward the Mithril vein that was still showing off its brilliant splendor.

With the Gallery window still open, I stared blankly at the scene.

Tu-uk-

Before long, the fragments merged with the Mithril vein.

As if they had never been broken off, they became one body again. I witnessed that scene clearly with my own two eyes.

It was a situation akin to severed body tissues doggedly gathering back together.

’...No way.’

Half-believing and half-doubting, I placed my hand on the Mithril vein. There was something I had to test.

Auction House and Private Trade Rule Number One: Living beings cannot be traded.

Rule Number Two: To trade an item, all sides of the item must be visible within the field of view.

From the third rule onwards, there was no need to care. They weren’t very important.

The reason for listing the first and second rules was simple.

’You have to pass the first rule for the second rule to apply.’

The algorithm was coded that way. If it didn’t pass the first rule, trading itself was impossible.

If it were possible, I wouldn’t be trapped here. The first rule was something you couldn’t even bypass with tricks.

In other words...

Living beings cannot be traded.

This was proof that this Mithril vein was ’alive’ like a living creature.

In this crazy forest, even the minerals were breathing alive.