I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 156

There’s an internet term called ’meme.’

It’s close to a buzzword, not limited to specific languages, including photos, videos, and even real people.

Similar to emoticons, yet much funnier to those in the know.

And since the Gallery was close to an internet forum in essence, ’memes’ existed there too.

From photos used for various jokes to video clips.

The ’flashbangs/NSFW dumps’ I occasionally ran into while browsing the Gallery were also a type of meme.

Title) Who is Wi Ho-chang?

Wild Grylls

(Video of Lackey replying Wi Ho-chang)

Asked Lackey who taught him language and martial arts. That’s the answer I got.

Heavenly Demon says he was the Blood Demon, can anyone tell me more details?

ㄴSword Matstar) To think you’d utter that name... They’ll be here soon.

ㄴWild Grylls) Who?

ㄴWhy are you asking about that son of a bitch?

ㄴWi Ho-chang lives!!!

ㄴWI!

ㄴHO!

ㄴCHANG!

ㄴAh. Fuck, the Blood Cult caught the scent and swarmed in already;;

ㄴSeriously advising you, if you don’t want the comments section to get weird, delete this fast;;

ㄴWild Grylls) Why is everyone acting like this?;;

ㄴWI!

ㄴHO!

ㄴCHANG!

ㄴWorship Wi Ho-chang!!

ㄴThe Blood Cult has not fallen yet!

ㄴWryyyyyyy!!!

Among them, there was one particularly toxic meme, which was the very person I asked about: Wi Ho-chang.

The moment I asked who Wi Ho-chang was, bizarre comments sprouted up like mushrooms after rain.

They flooded in to a truly bewildering degree, making it hard to get an actual answer to my question.

’What on earth is this?’

Who was Wi Ho-chang to elicit such an explosive(?) reaction?

I stubbornly scrolled past the spam-filled comment section. I wanted to hear an answer somehow.

Fortunately, it wasn’t completely overrun, as a normal answer was tucked in between.

ㄴSmart Demon) Wi Ho-chang is the main culprit who triggered the Orthodox-Demonic War. You know what the Orthodox-Demonic War is, right?

ㄴWild Grylls) No, I don’t know a thing about it?

ㄴSmart Demon) Just think of it as a massive civil war breaking out in the country. Do you know about the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, Demonic Cult, Blood Cult, and such?

ㄴWild Grylls) I know roughly, but not in detail. Can you tell me about the Blood Cult specifically?

ㄴWI!

ㄴSmart Demon) They were utterly insane bastards. Their only interest was killing people. Among them, that bastard Blood Demon was the absolute worst.

ㄴHO!

ㄴWild Grylls) How bad was he?

ㄴCHANG!

ㄴSmart Demon) If anyone crossed him even slightly, he went around popping their heads. But he was ridiculously strong—most masters were no match for the Blood Demon.

ㄴWI!

ㄴWild Grylls) Is that why the Orthodox-Demonic War happened?

ㄴHO!

ㄴSmart Demon) Pretty much, but the Blood Demon was so absurdly strong that the Righteous Faction and Evil Faction had to join forces for that war.

ㄴCHANG!

Although weird battle cries(?) kept interrupting, I managed to piece the story together.

The reason Wi Ho-chang gained the title Blood Demon was due to ’slaughter.’

For unknown reasons, driven by vengeance toward a specific ethnic group, he had committed a horrific massacre.

The emergence of a faction following him was natural too; it was simply people drawn to overwhelming power gathering together.

ㄴSmart Demon) But like I said earlier, even if you were on his side, if you upset him, there was no mercy. Your head would go pop!

ㄴWild Grylls) Seems pretty clear he didn’t have any friends.

ㄴYou scoundrel! How dare you doubt Wi Ho-chang-nim!

ㄴDivine punishment shall strike you down!

ㄴWild Grylls) Fuck off, being stranded in the Forest of the Four Seasons is divine punishment enough, shut up.

ㄴHmm. That is certainly true.

ㄴHe’s already receiving divine punishment, no need for us to step in.

ㄴUgh. Smells like martial boomers in here;;;

ㄴCan’t anyone do something about those guys lol

ㄴOrange Badge said no matter how many times she bans them, they crawl back out like bugs lol

Listening to the whole story, the reason the Wi Ho-chang meme emerged in the Gallery was simple.

Because the Blood Demon’s death was never confirmed during the Orthodox-Demonic War.

There were people convinced of the Blood Demon’s survival, and those people had seeped into the Gallery.

The Blood Cult already had a bad reputation, but it became even worse thanks to this weird meme.

Well, who would like a group that enjoyed killing people anyway?

ㄴBecause of the Orthodox-Demonic War, all the masters from the Righteous and Evil factions died off, causing a general decline in overall martial skill. It wasn’t for nothing that Heavenly Demon was able to beat them all up.

ㄴWasn’t the imperial army intact? Didn’t the Emperor get beheaded?

ㄴThere were factions allied with the government, but even those collapsed, yeah.Find the original chapter at novelping dot com.

ㄴStill, that doesn’t change the fact that Heavenly Demon is a monster;;

ㄴBack then, wasn’t the title Yaksha Blood Flower more famous than Heavenly Demon?

ㄴYeah, because of that, there were rumors she was the Blood Demon’s secret child.

ㄴCome to think of it, weren’t that albino gorilla’s palms red?

ㄴWi Ho-chang also had red palms, which is why he was called Blood Hand Hegemon.

ㄴDid Wi Ho-chang really flee to the Forest of the Four Seasons?

ㄴFled and doing what now? Is he dead maybe?

It was as if there were the Immortal King in the West, and Wi Ho-chang in the East.

And while the Immortal King had sent his own brother to the Forest of the Four Seasons, Wi Ho-chang had come here himself.

Of course, whether all this was true or not remained unknown. After all, it was just Lackey’s response.

I needed to investigate further. Conveniently, there was a related question on the sheet.

"Lackey. Answer this one too."

"...."

Lackey narrowed his eyes and stared at the paper as before.

The question asked where that person was now.

Once Lackey gave his answer, I asked Heavenly Demon for a translation again.

[Heavenly Demon: He says he left the pack when he was young, so he does not know.]

[Wild Grylls: I see.]

So that was why Speed Sloth didn’t recognize him.

Having features more distinct than anyone else, there was no way Speed Sloth wouldn’t have recognized him otherwise.

"@$@%& %@#!"

Was it because Wi Ho-chang was someone he knew? Or because it touched on old memories?

Lackey started sharing various stories without me even asking.

Naturally, since it was in Central Plains language, I couldn’t understand a single word, so I asked Heavenly Demon for translation again.

[Heavenly Demon: He says Wi Ho-chang was the only being who cared for him when he was discriminated against by his pack. He gave him teachings until he left the pack.]

[Wild Grylls: Wasn’t the Blood Demon an evil person?]

[Heavenly Demon: Indeed, but perhaps he was generous to beasts. The world is full of wretched fools far worse than wild animals.]

Quite a sharp remark. In reality, people who are worse than beasts are everywhere.

In fact, because they are capable of high-level thought, many commit even more heinous acts.

After listening to Lackey’s story for a moment, I pondered over the Blood Demon.

’Either way, isn’t he a criminal?’

Even if this was an era with a broad definition of self-defense, the Blood Demon went far beyond that.

Though used as a meme now, he was a guy who killed people like popping peanuts.

The silver lining was that he was very likely no longer among the living.

Had he been alive, the chieftain gorilla would have reported it immediately, and I naturally would have met him.

’Since the Orthodox-Demonic War broke out roughly 50 years ago...’

The Blood Demon Wi Ho-chang was roughly in his 50s when he was last seen.

Judging by age alone, he would be well over 100, an age where dying of natural causes wouldn’t be surprising at all.

Since he was said to be monstrously strong, living in the Forest of the Four Seasons wouldn’t have been difficult either.

’No, wait. That means even a person like that couldn’t escape the Forest of the Four Seasons?’

Whether he couldn’t escape or chose not to, wasn’t it closer to the former?

According to posts floating around the Gallery, the Blood Demon possessed immense pride.

For such a person to mingle with gorillas—mere beasts—teaching them speech, writing, and even martial arts? Something was off.

Of course, to verify properly, I’d have to find traces, but there was a high chance the chieftain gorilla had those as well.

’The clothes that guy was wearing back then must be the Blood Demon’s clothes.’

While some parts were starting to make sense now, there were still many things I couldn’t comprehend.

Did he undergo a change of heart upon entering the Forest of the Four Seasons, or did he realize escape was impossible and give up?

It was still a mystery, but I could figure it out slowly.

What mattered right now was information on the Blood Demon.

ㄴWild Grylls) Where is the Blood Demon in terms of realm?

ㄴFrom what I heard, Profound Realm? I think it’s Grandmaster level.

ㄴIf it’s Profound Realm, just call it Profound Realm, what ’Grandmaster’;;

ㄴWhat’s the difference between Grandmaster and Grand Sword Master?

ㄴThey’re the same, just called Grandmaster for convenience.

ㄴHow strong is that?

ㄴJust think of it as a realm where one can turn heaven and earth upside down.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) This seat has also reached the Profound Realm. Demonic Cultists call it the realm of Demonic Transcendence.

ㄴSword Matstar) Yeah~ yeah~ sure you did. I could reach it too, I’m just too lazy.

Seems he was beyond monstrously strong—fucking insanely strong. Yet even a guy like that couldn’t escape the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Whether injuries sustained during the Orthodox-Demonic War were the issue, or if there was another reason, I didn’t know.

Deciding to gather information on the Blood Demon, Wi Ho-chang, slowly, I moved on to another question.

’This might actually be the most important thing.’

The question I wanted to ask was this: Why did he harm my senior, Rice Craone?

According to Rice Craone’s journal, he was attacked by Lackey and died from the aftermath.

Did he learn from the Blood Demon’s trash personality, or was there another reason?

If he killed him just for kicks... honestly, I felt like I’d execute him immediately.

Unless there was a legitimate reason, murder was unacceptable.

"...."

Lackey frowned upon reading the content of the sheet. He even snorted.

His reaction signaled that it was ridiculous, making me curious about his answer.

Soon, Lackey answered, and I asked Heavenly Demon for translation once more.Find the original chapter at nov⁠elping.com.

[Heavenly Demon: He says that person stole his prey before.]

[Wild Grylls: ...]

Thanks to that, I got to know the background. Theft would certainly be hard to tolerate.

Moreover, Lackey had poor vision, making pursuit difficult.

’By the way, can albinos wear prescription glasses?’

A sudden thought crossed my mind. Could I improve Lackey’s eyesight?

Someone might say wouldn’t it be bad for me if his vision improved, but it was the opposite.

To prevent accidents—that is, industrial disasters(?)—while working, glasses were a necessity.

Plus, if I could gain his favor with this, all the better.

Like it or not, we were going to share meals under one roof, so providing some convenience was good.

Title) Does anyone have glasses specifically for poor vision?

Wild Grylls

(Video of Lackey frowning every time he looks at text)

This guy’s an albino, so his vision is really low. I want to get him a pair of glasses, does anyone have a suitable pair?

If you do, I’ll give you a gift within what I can gather.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) A confidant of this seat occasionally wears glasses. If you wish, I shall grant them to you.

ㄴWild Grylls) You shouldn’t do such bad things;;

ㄴSword Matstar) Normally mana users don’t get bad eyesight, how curious. Does he not know how to enhance his vision with energy?

ㄴWild Grylls) He’s a case born with bad eyes though?

ㄴSword Matstar) Ah. Then that wouldn’t work. That’d be like making the blind see.

ㄴWild Grylls) You don’t have any spare glasses, right?

ㄴSword Matstar) My eyesight is well over 20/2.0 vision;;

ㄴWhat is 20/2.0 vision...

ㄴWild Grylls) Wow. You really have hawk eyes. Can you even see ants crawling on the ground?

ㄴSword Matstar) Why would I look at that lol

ㄴPraise the Sun) I have a suitable pair, want it?

ㄴWild Grylls) If you have one, that’d be great for me. Do you have bad eyes?

ㄴPraise the Sun) Nah, just a fashion item. It’s meant for people with poor vision anyway, so no problem.

ㄴWild Grylls) Thank you. Is there anything you need?

ㄴPraise the Sun) Nope. It doesn’t cost much anyway.

ㄴAren’t glasses pretty expensive though?

ㄴThe frames maybe not, but the lenses are fucking expensive. An artisan grinds them from scratch.

ㄴLooks like he’s super rich.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Glasses aside, put some clothes on that guy. It’s hideous to look at.

ㄴWild Grylls) Why would I dress up a gorilla;;

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Do you happen to need a Chaeyu uniform?

ㄴThis bastard is trying to pull a scheme again lol

ㄴFirst Wonmo, then Speed Sloth, and now even Lackey lol

ㄴBut because of his fur color, you should probably put clothes on him?

ㄴYeah, white fur stands out too much.

Advice came in suggesting I dress him in clothes alongside getting glasses.

Certainly, his white fur made survival quite disadvantageous.

He possessed enough strength to compensate for it, but currently, it was sealed.

It would be best to give him glasses first and think about clothes later.

’It’s right in the style of classic antique glasses.’

The glasses received from Praise the Sun were classic vintage glasses.

Round frames with a bridge shaped like an inverted V.

Since there was no concept of plastic where he came from, these were likely the common type of glasses.

"Lackey. Try putting these on."

"...."

When I handed over the glasses, Lackey showed a thoroughly suspicious reaction.

Since he was wearing the suppressor, he seemed wary.

But this was an item purely for Lackey’s benefit.

As I held them out urging him to take them, Lackey reluctantly accepted them.

"...Uo?"

Lackey put on the glasses with a suspicious look.

But that suspicion soon turned into astonishment.

"Uo? Uooo!"

And astonishment soon turned into admiration.

"Oooooo!!!"

He reacted intensely, as if beholding a whole new world.

After that, Lackey repeatedly took the glasses off and put them back on.

His eyes turned infinitely bright, and his fierce impression completely softened.

Pursing his lips into a round shape, his reaction was just like that of an ordinary ape.

"Oooo...!"

Lackey started walking while wearing the glasses.

He ventured deep into the inner forest.

I watched his retreating back with a satisfied expression.

"...Wait a second."

Where is he going right now?