I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 132

Only now did I gain enlightenment. This fucking forest stood at the complete opposite pole of childhood innocence.

Things that look dangerous at a glance—like bears, tigers, or Guardians—were actually fine.

Their physical appearance delivered an instinctive threat, letting you know your life would be in danger if you didn’t react.

But small things weren’t like that. The ones that looked ordinary or were truly small were infinitely more dangerous.

It was the same in martial arts novels.

Beware of children, the elderly, and women.

Small things survived in the Forest of the Four Seasons despite their puny size. What did this mean?

It meant they possessed at least two ways to completely ’fuck up’ their opponents.

Why two instead of one?

One was the visible move meant to threaten the enemy.

The other was the unexpected, final move meant to catch the enemy off guard.

Because I felt that only by possessing two such cards could one survive in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

While this was close to mere speculation until moments ago...

I gained total conviction after getting hit by that Porcupine Pufferfish just now.

’The saying "small peppers are spicy" fits perfectly here.’

Except that pepper wasn’t just spicy. If you ate it, your body would literally melt.

At this rate, won’t a yellow rat shooting lightning bolts pop out later?

Or maybe a dinosaur breathing fire from its mouth wandering around.

Why am I saying all this out of nowhere?

"Weon-mo-ya (Wonmo-ya)."

"Kkyu?"

"Ah-ba’s bo-dy won’t mooove (Daddy’s body won’t move)."

Because my body was half-wrecked from taking the Porcupine Pufferfish’s poison.

My slurred pronunciation was a minor issue; right now, my body wouldn’t move the way I wanted it to.

I constantly dropped items while trying to pick them up, and even walking made me stumble.

Thank goodness I barely managed to keep my balance and return to the cave; otherwise, I would have collapsed right in the middle of the forest.

Seueuk—

Noticing my dire state, Speed Sloth, who had been quietly watching, handed something over to me.

An Elixir sloshing with golden liquid. I barely managed to take it and gulped it down.

Not only that, but I also drank an antidote I had prepared in advance.

Finally, I even operated my internal cultivation art. I did everything I could possibly do.

"Eua..."

As time passed, my body returned to normal. Strength began to flow back into my limbs.

I let out a long sigh and replayed the situation from earlier. It was a truly hair-raising moment.

’If I didn’t have the medicine Allfather gave me, I would have collapsed on the spot.’

It was only thanks to having poison immunity that it ended at this level; without even that, I would have died instantly.

The name of the pufferfish poison was ’Tetra’ something.

Anyway, it was the most dangerous deadly toxin in the world.

On top of that, since it was a creature living in the Forest of the Four Seasons, it would be far more vicious, never less.

’Small things are the absolute scariest in this place.’

Until now, I had consistently applied bug repellent to avoid getting bitten by insects.

What if I got poisoned by insect venom, or caught a secondary infection in a wound?

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

I meticulously checked if there were any broken parts of my body or if my senses had returned properly.

Whether thanks to the combination of the Elixir and the antidote, I didn’t feel any specific issues yet.

Seeing that my internal cultivation art operated smoothly, I was completely cured.

All the Gallery users unanimously agreed that there was nothing better than mental cultivation methods for checking one’s physical condition.

’If I was missing even a single item among what I have, my life would’ve been in danger. The Gallery seriously saved my life.’

This was a place where dropping your guard meant kicking the bucket instantly. You had to be wary of everything to survive.

’That aside, should I build a proper door first...?’

I stared at the iron fence blocking the entrance. I recalled the siege battle that took place today.

Beasts presumed to have lost their homes due to the heavy downpour. Those beasts had tried to forcibly enter my house.

Fortunately, I easily held them off using the aura I had honed all this time, but there was no telling what might come next.

If an entity as strong as Speed Sloth had threatened me to hand over my house... it would’ve been a bit rough.

’At least whenever it rains, I must fortify my defenses.’

I planned to continue using the tactic of defending with the iron fence as a shield.

If I built a door for no good reason, counterattacking would become impossible, and above all, it would be shattered in no time.

A single charge from a wild boar could send the door I painstakingly built crumbling down along with my heart.

’If I’m unlucky, I might have to hold off a wave once a week.’

Grumbling inwardly, I got up from my spot. Now that my body was fully recovered, there was no time to wallow.

Just as the shark giant had come looking for my shelter before, there was no telling what kind of animal might show up this time.

I would have to remain constantly on guard around the perimeter for at least a day or two.Read the latest chapters at no‌velping.com.

Tadak! Tadadak!

First, I lit a campfire to dry out the surroundings that had gotten damp from the rain.

Besides that, I went back up to the riverside to collect fish flopping on the ground and checked the drainage ditches.

Once I finished all my chores, dinner time gradually approached. Darkness was falling.

’Is tomorrow Day 18?’

I thought to myself while making a tally mark on the cave wall. About three days had passed since the investigation team incident.

If that person named Ludwig really entered the Forest of the Four Seasons, then today would mark the end of his Day 1.

Is that guy alive and well, I wonder? Or did he die? Unlike me, he probably doesn’t even have Elixirs.

’If I had known this would happen, I would’ve given him a bottle of Elixir too.’

Regret is regret no matter how early it comes. I prayed that Ludwig would be able to reach my location.

Frankly, if the sky didn’t grant even this prayer, it would be beyond petty—something far worse than a narrow-minded anchovy heart.

Kureureung!

...Or so I almost said, but human affairs are out of one’s hands. I peeked outside.

Aside from thunder, no rain fell. Was the sky actually listening to my words?

’Nah. It must be a coincidence.’

Denying it as best as I could, I logged into the Gallery. What kind of discussions went back and forth while I was cleaning up?

Normally, fitting for the Gallery, all sorts of shitposts circulated, but recently the majority was about the investigation team.

It was the same right now. More than half were discussion topics related to El Dorado or the investigation team.

Discussion topics usually cool down quickly, but since this was somewhat tied to reality, it seemed to last longer.

’There’s nothing particularly interesting.’

The only thing that could be called a new discussion topic was the Messiah Empire, specifically the Emperor.

The story that the Emperor, who had been on his deathbed from an illness, recovered his health.

As for what kind of person the Emperor was, he was someone who led the Messiah Empire to wealth and power.

He fully supported Ash, who was currently renowned as a Sword Master, and even implemented policies granting benefits.

Instead, that was as far as it went. His diplomacy was so-so, making the title of ’domestic-use Emperor’ fit him perfectly.

If the Emperor wakes up, what happens to the Crown Prince?

Honestly, I wish it would just pass straight to Crown Prince Arnold. I fucking hate the Emperor.

↳ Why do you hate him?

↳ Because of the policy that motherfucking Emperor rolled out, the prices of magical items skyrocketed.

↳ Ah lmfao I know what you mean.

↳ Aren’t the side effects still severe right now?

↳ Yeah, it’s actually gotten better compared to before.

↳ Seriously, if he hadn’t pulled that bullshit, public approval wouldn’t have gone to shit lmfao

↳ The current Messiah Emperor is seriously a guy who shouldn’t touch diplomacy lmfao

↳ Absolute Supreme Arnold Best: That was only back then; didn’t it get better later? Policies are meant to be viewed long-term.

↳ Cut the bullshit no no. Do you even know how much it costs to import magic items from the Iris Kingdom right now?

↳ That bastard must be a noble. That’s why he doesn’t know how hard commoners have it.

↳ Absolute Supreme Arnold Best: No, it is not. His Majesty took a long-term view. Future generations will surely judge him favorably.

↳ So fucking what? We’re saying it’s hard for us to make a living right now lmfao

↳ Plus, thanks to the post Sword Matstar uploaded, the continent’s average combat power increased, so it doesn’t mean shit lol

↳ Can’t you just fucking admit he’s incompetent? Why do you run your mouth so much lol

↳ Absolute Supreme Arnold Best: You uneducated insect. Do you even know who my father is?

↳ Why? Did your mom not tell you?

↳ Ooooh lmfaoooo

↳ Terrifying, terrifying lmfao

↳ What does that mean?

↳ It’s a roundabout insult mocking that he lived alone with his mother without a dad lol

↳ You actually had to explain that to him lmfao

Well, it was the Gallery as usual—a place rampant with all kinds of banter and jokes.

However, right now there were only political posts, making it significantly less entertaining.

Seeing that Orange Badge wasn’t reining it in, she seemed to be absent.

Heavenly Demon only cut down posts that went way too far, nothing more, nothing less.

’They said there’s a Chaeyu match tomorrow, so that’s a relief.’

Political discussion topics were bound to be swept away by the dopamine each goal provided.

What kind of crazy fans would emerge tomorrow, I wondered. Would Princess Chaenggu avoid losing her mind?

Since I planned to stay only at the shelter tomorrow as well, browsing the Gallery felt relaxed.

If I moved around recklessly, some strange freak might come barging into my shelter.

’I should make do with smoked dishes until tomorrow.’

There might be creatures like the shark giant coming after smelling the food.

Of course, there was no guarantee another entity like that would show up. There was just no harm in being prepared.

’By the way, why does it feel so cold?’Read the latest chapters at novеlping.com.

Was it because it was torrential rain instead of normal rain? As the moisture dried, the temperature grew chillingly cold.

Thank goodness I had a campfire; otherwise, I would have already been shivering violently.

The uniform Princess Chaenggu gifted me was the same—long sleeves and long pants offered great heat retention.

’I should use the hide as a blanket.’

The tiger hide I originally used as a carpet—today of all days, I planned to use it as a blanket.

Since the weather had suddenly turned cold, relying on just the campfire seemed insufficient.

The human body is fragile, so I had to keep it warm somehow.

If I messed up, I might ascend to the heavens in my sleep.

Tadadak! Tadak!

I tossed firewood into the campfire, raising the cave’s temperature further.

I felt the cold air gradually fade. It felt warm and cozy.

"Kkyuu..."

"..."

My cave companions also approached the campfire to warm themselves.

Wonmo went so far as to lie down flat on the floor and fall asleep.

’By the way, why does he look like he gained so much weight?’

As time went on, I noticed him getting plumper and plumper... but now he was completely round.

To the point where I wondered if he’d soon roll across the floor like a ball.

Still, he was cute, so it was fine. Being round made him even cuter.

Besides, gaining weight in the wild meant accumulating that much energy reserves.

’He’s a cub, so eating a lot is good.’

This was a place where food was scarce anyway. Gaining weight in itself was a great thing.

Maybe because I practiced an internal cultivation art, far from gaining weight, I felt like I was gaining pure muscle mass.

I knew that muscle, especially human muscle, wasn’t very energy-efficient compared to other animals.

’Still, it’s not like I can afford not to build it.’

Since danger lurked everywhere, muscle was essential. Even if the efficiency was poor, it couldn’t be helped.

I posted on the Gallery that I was concluding my daily routine for today, then lay down on the ground.

As the weather was chillingly cold, my body naturally curled up.

"Bbareumbo-ya. You cover up with a blanket too. It’s cold."

"..."

I covered Wonmo separately, and next I offered it to Bbareumbo.

However, Bbareumbo merely stared at me blankly, taking no action whatsoever.

At this, I spread out the blanket and offered once more.

"Come in here."

"..."

Speed Sloth shuffled backward hesitantly. Does he really dislike me that much?

’Wait a minute. Come to think of it, that bastard still hasn’t bathed, right?’

His body must be swarming with mold and bugs, but I forgot.

In the end, Speed Sloth went to sleep a short distance away. Since it was near the campfire, it was fine.

Before turning in, I quietly closed my eyes and circulated the mana inside my body.

Rather than a mental cultivation method, I wanted to feel mana itself. Even just doing this served as a form of training.

’I can’t even get a feel for an Aura Blade.’

Will I really be able to control this aura that endlessly expands day and night?

I tried hard to soothe my anxieties and fell asleep.

Although the weather gradually grew colder, I was able to endure thanks to the campfire.

And so, after that event-filled day passed, the next morning arrived.

"Euddddddd..."

I woke up early in the morning from the bone-chilling cold. Why the hell is it so cold?

Just because a single heavy rain fell, for the weather to turn into this complete mess was hard to accept.

’F-Fireplace... I need to light the campfire first...’

Wrapping my arms around myself, I stepped outside. And...

"...Huh?"

An entirely pure-white forest greeted me. Forgetting even the cold, I looked around the pristine white scenery.

Everywhere I looked, left and right, was white. Piled upon the oven and the furnace were mounds of white.

The true identity of that white substance was none other than...

"...Don’t tell me it snowed?"

It was snow. I muttered helplessly.

The reason why this place was called the Forest of the ’Four Seasons’.

"...This shit has gone completely insane, seriously."