I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 143

A raccoon spewing fire from its mouth like some kind of ninja.

Not only did it breathe fire, but it was capable enough to store it inside a bottle.

I didn’t know what the bottled fire was used for, but since it was a unique ability, it was bound to be useful somewhere.

Above all, I liked its personality.

’This is the biggest factor.’

Going beyond docile, it was so polite that I couldn’t bring myself to hate it even if I tried.

So much so that even Speed Sloth, who was sensitive about his territory, merely slapped its back and refrained from doing anything more.

Seeing this, one could tell just how good of a guy this raccoon was. That made me like it even more.

’Should I take it in to live with me? Seems like a guy capable of pulling his own weight.’

If nothing else, this guy was undoubtedly skilled at manipulating "fire."

As I had so far, I would have plenty of occasions to use fire in the future.

If this fire-wielding raccoon joined forces with me, wouldn’t I be able to accomplish things I couldn’t do before?

Even if I didn’t know its exact utility right now, I could also obtain bottled fire on the side.

Since its fall down the chimney was likely drawn by fire, we could probably reach a middle ground.

The arrangement where I provide a shelter, and the raccoon showcases its abilities.

I immediately made a proposal to the raccoon, mixing words, hand gestures, and foot signals.

"Keeng."

But the raccoon rejected my proposal.

It was surprising enough that it understood my words, but it even held out its paw to clearly express its stance.

No matter how extraordinary its abilities were, since it traveled all the way here, it was certain the raccoon lacked a place to stay.

Since this forest was a living hell, a safe shelter was of paramount importance.

When I asked why it refused, the raccoon picked up a tree branch scattered near the firewood.

Seueuk- seuk-

Following that, the raccoon began drawing on the ground. I closely observed the drawing.

Having a brilliant mind, its artistic skills were also far from ordinary.

’First Speed Sloth, and now this raccoon... Are drawing skills a basic requirement for animals in the Forest of the Four Seasons?’

Somehow, it seemed to draw better than me.

While I had those thoughts, the raccoon finished its drawing. A total of three raccoons.

Outwardly, they looked like a raccoon family. Do raccoons live in packs?

"Keung!"

"Ah. This one is you?"

The raccoon pointed to the largest individual among the family.

In human terms, the breadwinner. In other words, the father.

The smaller raccoons it led seemed to be its mate and cub.

’In that case, I guess there’s no choice.’

Whether animal or human, the head of the household holds a crucial role.

I nodded to the raccoon to signal I understood.

Deep down, I wanted to give it food as a sign of friendship, but unfortunately, I was struggling to survive myself.

Even the only food I had was overly salty smoked meat, which wasn’t suitable.

"Keung. Keeng."

"Huh? You want fire?"

"Keung."

"If you want it, take it."

Instead, it asked for fire. I readily gave my permission.

Fire was something I could light anytime, and it was hard to even classify it as a limited resource.

At my approval, the raccoon bowed its head politely, then touched the branch it used for drawing to the fireplace.

Hwareuk!

The fire caught on the tip of the branch and blazed brightly.

To me, it was a tiny branch, but held by the raccoon, it felt like a torch.

Normally it should have burned out quickly, but whatever magic it did, it burned steadily like a candle flame.

Seeing the brightly burning torch, the raccoon wore a satisfied look.

"Keeng!"

"Yeah. Take care on your way. Stay safe out there. If you change your mind later, drop by around here."

Holding that torch, the raccoon departed on its way.

Though it was a bit disappointing, wouldn’t we meet again someday?

Even if it seemed lacking in raw combat power, it was a smart fella, so it would survive somehow.

’Unlike a certain group, he’s so polite and nice.’

Some punks stole all my Fasting Pills and tried to call it even with a banana.

If possible, I’d like to maintain steady interaction with him. First, I should figure out the identity of the fire inside the bottle.

I watched until the raccoon’s back was no longer visible, then logged into the Gallery.

Title) Met a raccoon that controls fire.

Wild Grylls

(Photo of raccoon bowing politely)

(Photo of raccoon scooping up fireplace flames)This chapter is updated first at novelping dot com.

(Photo of raccoon breathing fire from its mouth)

(Photo of fire stored inside a bottle)

(Video of raccoon leaving while holding a torch in one paw)

Went outside for a bit and came back to find a raccoon in my house. It’s the same guy that dropped by before; turns out he fell through the chimney.

So I wondered what abilities he had, and turns out he manipulates fire insanely well;;

By any chance, does anyone know if there’s a raccoon species with fire-manipulation abilities? If you know, please tell me.

Ah. Also, I wanted to recruit him as a companion, but he declined, saying he’s the head of his household. Was a bit bummed out.

└ Heavenly Demon) That creature displays quite a rare trick. It performs a feat difficult even with Taoist sorcery.

└ Sword Matstar) I’ve never seen such a raccoon in my life? It breathes fire from its mouth like it’s a dragon or something;;

└ Wild Grylls) It ate fire itself and then spewed fire out of its mouth. Is this something mages can do too?

└ Sword Matstar) Well... I’m not really sure.

└ Starlight Lady) Doing such a thing would burn your entire mouth and tongue to a crisp.

└ Wild Grylls) Even eating fire?

└ Starlight Lady) It’s not like they’re putting on a circus stunt, so there’s no reason to eat fire;;

└ The act of eating fire itself is bizarre, man;;

└ Aren’t there monsters that eat fire?

└ There are, but raccoons definitely don’t LOL

└ Allfather) Fascinating. Water would be one thing, but a raccoon close to fire.

└ Wild Grylls) Do raccoons shoot water from their mouths?

└ Allfather) Not quite, but they possess the habit of washing their food in water. Perhaps, conversely, it roasts its food in fire before eating.

└ Wild Grylls) Oh;;

└ Allfather) By the way, what is that fire inside the bottle? It piques my interest.

└ Wild Grylls) Hard to believe, but the raccoon scooped up the fire and put it in the bottle. It scooped the fire from the campfire just like scooping water with both hands.

└ Allfather) Mmm... Ideally I would love to research it, but unfortunately my time seems short right now. If it’s not too rude, could you wait just two days for me?

└ Wild Grylls) Understood. It’s not urgent anyway.

└ Allfather) Thank you.

└ Don’t tell me that’s an essence too?

└ Who knows. Could be nothing special LOL

└ By the way, do raccoons live in packs?

└ As far as I know, it varies by individual.

Everyone found the raccoon fascinating.

Especially the part about eating fire seemed hard to believe for them.

Well, since it’s the Forest of the Four Seasons, it’s best to just accept it and move on.

’Doubt he’ll come by often anyway.’

This raccoon only crossed paths with me when winter set in, having been unseen until now.

In seasons other than winter, it must have stayed strictly within its territory and immediate surroundings.

With winter’s onset, food nearby became scarce, naturally forcing it to venture further out.

Could that tiny creature really continue living well in this forest? I was a bit worried.

’Since it has a special ability, it’ll probably endure fine.’

Having already adapted well to the Forest of the Four Seasons, its survival chances might be better than mine.

Anyway, now that the raccoon had left, I counted the remaining Ice Snow Flowers.

There were still about two left, which could probably be used somewhere.

Besides, searching around this area would likely yield more.

’Should I put off cold resistance for later?’

Eating a mixture of this without Starlight Lady-nim’s help might result in disaster.

Still, leaving it as is felt like a waste.

’Mixing it with Mandrake to give to Praise the Sun-nim wouldn’t be bad either...’

I checked how much Elixir was left.

After mixing it with the Mandrake, about three and a half bottles of Elixir remained.

Since Wonmo, Speed Sloth, and I could all get injured at the same time, this was the absolute safety limit.

’I feel like mixing it with that would work, though.’

The fire the raccoon put in the bottle. Wouldn’t mixing that fire with the Ice Snow Flower work?

But that was purely speculation; nothing was certain. An expert’s opinion was strictly required.

However, even Allfather was currently absent, leaving things in limbo.

’I’ll just acquire it next time.’

There was still plenty of time, so there was no need to rush.

Above all, shouldn’t I go through training to control cold energy right now anyway?

Not only that, but once winter passed, the things I’d have to do would increase exponentially.

’I’ll place the bricks, cement, and sand here...’

I made advance preparations for when the weather thaws.

My plan was to construct the oven and furnace as soon as the weather softened.

Furthermore, I had emergency escape routes in mind, so there was a mountain of work.

’How should I construct it so it doesn’t get swept away by an avalanche?’Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.

Avalanches would probably occur about once a month.

Not just avalanches, there was no telling what kind of natural disaster might strike.

I’d probably have to survive about another half-month to get a grip on the rules of this damn forest.

’It must be built rock solid. Should I just build a small building instead?’

Since I had bricks and cement, I could erect a building specifically for the oven and furnace.

Though it would take a long time, it could guarantee durability.

Of course, if an out-of-spec monster like the Alpha Gorilla pops up, that’s a different story.

That part would truly be out of my hands; as long as it could withstand natural disasters, that would be enough.

’Maximizing space, making separate drainage channels... Man, my head hurts.’

If I had gone to college maybe I’d know, but unfortunately I’m just a high school graduate.

Money was tight, and I was busy earning a living day by day.

The only comfort was that I learned a tiny bit of stuff in the military.

I purchased a large sheet of paper and drew the cave and its surrounding area.

’A rectangular shape would probably be the safest option, right?’

To do that, I’d need to chop down quite a few more trees.

I intended to clean up the path the Alpha Gorilla made for me on my own.

Spending the whole day designing like that, dark night approached before I knew it.

When night fell, snow came down, but it wasn’t at the level of a blizzard. Just ordinary snowfall.

’Is this also proof that the weather is warming up?’

According to the journal left by the Great Senior, the weather was scheduled to thaw in 2-3 days.

I should complete everything I can until then. If I’m lucky, maybe I can even go hunting.

I added firewood to the campfire and sat down next to Speed Sloth.

This guy seems to be in front of the fireplace at all times except when eating.

’It has its merits, but I still hate winter.’

The sun setting early and rising late is the most inconvenient part.

Reduced activity among other animals was certainly a good thing, but that applied to me as well.

Standing still in front of the fireplace, something suddenly came to mind, so I got up from my spot.

’Now is not the time to dawdle. Snow might pile up overnight again.’

So I diligently scattered salt. Since I didn’t have calcium chloride, I had no choice but to substitute it with salt.

Since the emergency escape route was still in the design phase, it was better to prepare in advance.

Thus, I finished preparing to wrap up the day. The night was long, leaving nothing much to do.

’At least it’s nice that the Gallery discussion topics shifted.’

Thanks to recent sports matches, discussion topics regarding El Dorado had mostly died down.

In other words, it meant it was right on the verge of being buried.

Though it didn’t affect me, it probably wasn’t very good news for the folks outside.

’That’s for the people outside to figure out.’

I just had to wait for winter to pass.

Like that, I spent time quietly while uploading a post to wrap up the day on the Gallery.

"Hey. You’re not sleeping?"

"..."

"Sigh. Never mind."

Speed Sloth zoning out by the fire will take care of himself.

Hoping a blizzard wouldn’t rage through the dawn, I quietly closed my eyes.

I had no idea what might happen in the future, but if anything, it would be difficult, never easy.

’If I knew it’d be like this, should I have forced the raccoon to stay?’

Holding that thought, the next day dawned.

"Keeng!"

"Uh..."

As soon as I woke up in the morning, the raccoon greeted me from outside the cave.

And not alone, but bringing along his entire family.

A raccoon presumed to be his mate, plus a raccoon cub hiding behind her.

Anyone could see this raccoon family exuded an aura of "We just moved in!"

"Keung!"

"...What’s this?"

The father raccoon handed something to me.

Outwardly it looked like ordinary bellflower root or wild ginseng, but its color was extraordinary.

Snowy white, it looked as if it was advertising to everyone, "I am a Spiritual Medicine!"

"Keeng! Keung!"

Accepting the herb with a bewildered mind, the raccoon bowed his body deeply.

His mate and cub did the same. The cub raccoon shyly greeting me was especially endearing.

’...Did they come to hand out housewarming gifts?’

It seemed I had gained unexpected neighbors.