I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 179

’Realizing that it wasn’t just "something like an arena" but actually a real arena, I decided to gather information first.’

Why were those kangaroos fighting earlier? How did those animals find out about this place?

I needed to gather information from various angles, but an unexpected problem cropped up.

It was the operating hours. The moment the tournament ended, the kangaroos were dispersing.

It seemed they were closing up shop since the sun was setting soon, so I had to get information before that.

"Lackey. Can you translate for me?"

"Reward."

"Should I zap you with electricity?"

"Bad guy."

Though Lackey grumbled, he faithfully carried out my request.

He grabbed a passing kangaroo and asked all the questions I wanted answered.

The kangaroo guy, realizing we were beginners (?), kindly explained everything.

"Puuu. Puu."

"Uu?"

"Pueuu."

Of course, only to Lackey.

By my standards, it was just animals making weird noises.

This was also pretty fascinating—animals surely have their own specific calls.

Yet for whatever reason, they all seemed to communicate perfectly among themselves.

’I don’t need to ask about that, though.’

First, getting information was what mattered.

After conversing with the kangaroo for quite a while, Lackey soon explained it to me.

Since he wasn’t fluent in Korean, he spoke in broken sentences, but it was sufficiently helpful information.

"So... the kangaroos fighting each other was a kind of coming-of-age ceremony and declaration of independence? A declaration that they have the strength to protect a family?"

"Correct."

"And the main event is the fight between other animals. The ruler or powerhouse of each territory brings food?"

"Right."

"And the ultimate winner gets to feast on all of it to their heart’s content, like that deer?"

"You. Smart. As expected."

Being complimented by a gorilla didn’t feel good at all.

Anyway, to sum it up, the kangaroo fights were just a coming-of-age ritual, while the main event was for the other animals.

What was even crazier was the origin of how the arena was established.

"...What? It’s been like this since ancient times?"

"Right."

"It’s not like it’s some tradition or..."

"Correct."

He said it was a tradition. I had no idea traditions existed among animals, too.

Of course, one could classify animal ’habits’ as tradition, I suppose.

It went beyond defying common sense—it transcended it completely—but since this was the Forest of the Four Seasons, I decided to let it slide.

"Then what about the gorillas? Aren’t there gorillas nearby too?"

"Uuuu. Uu."

"Puhehehe."

When I asked that, the kangaroo snickered. Was there some backstory?

"Wiheuk group. Banned."

"Why?"

"Banana. Brought. Participated."

"..."

"Win it back. Failed. Dragged away."

"What kind of crazy bullshit..."

I couldn’t hide my utter absurdity. To think a beast spoke of the concept of ’winning it back to repay debts.’

Roughly summarized, the situation was this: Wiheuk’s pack—meaning the gorilla leader—had originally allowed participation.

However, a certain gorilla had secretly brought out bananas to bet on the tournament and lost.

Panicking that he was in huge trouble, that gorilla stole more bananas to make up for the loss.

In the end, he got caught by the leader gorilla, and the entire pack was banned from the arena.

’How is this any different from ruining your family through gambling?’

It was something caught right between civilization and the wild. I didn’t even know how to express it.

"Open every day. Except winter. Barehanded. No clubs."

I also found out the operating hours and rules.

The operating hours were from noon, when the sun reached high in the sky, until sunset. They didn’t open in winter.

Weapon usage was strictly forbidden; battles had to be settled strictly barehanded.

The moment I heard those rules, I made up my mind on the spot.

’I should just stick to watching.’

Am I crazy enough to participate in the arena? I can’t throw away my life recklessly.

Setting the deer aside, there were freaking bears. Bears that could tear someone like me to shreds with ease.

Even a light tap from their perspective would be a fatal wound to me.

Besides, I don’t know the first thing about hand-to-hand combat.

I could at least imitate swordsmanship through Sword Matstar’s posts, but martial arts knowledge was completely zero.

’Lackey is the most suitable one, though...’

Sending Lackey would be the best option, but that was also ambiguous.

No matter how strong Lackey was, could he win without mana?

We haven’t built enough trust yet, so taking off his suppressor is out of the question.

Still, sending him in at least once might not be a bad idea.

I could just give him delicious food as a reward or something.

"Hey Bbareumbo."

"..."

"Do you happen to have any intention of participating?"

When I asked Bbareumbo, he shook his head side to side. As expected, but still disappointing.

If Bbareumbo participated, he could annihilate not just the bear, but even the deer.

Anyway, he was a guy who was content as long as he had Fasting Pills.This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.

’I should come back tomorrow too.’

Rather than participating directly, I planned to visit for scouting purposes.

Or I could enter Lackey. It was something to think over slowly.

’It’s like a neutral zone concept.’

No matter what animal it is, they must not kill each other in the arena.

The moment someone kills, every animal using the arena will turn hostile.

Title) Figured out the arena setup

Wild Grylls

(Video of a bear and a deer fighting)

(Video of the deer emerging victorious)

(Video of the deer eating honey and medicinal herbs)

First off, the kangaroos fighting each other was a coming-of-age thing.

Showing that they have enough strength to protect a family, yeap.

And the main event is the other animals. They actually bet honey and medicinal herbs lolol

Anyway, long story short, the deer won. The deer beat up the bear and everyone else with headbutts and hind kicks lolol

Gotta come back tomorrow.

└ Heavenly Demon) What an amusing place. Do you have no intention of joining the fray, Sir Grylls?

└ Wild Grylls) It seems only barehanded combat is allowed. I don’t know a single thing about martial arts or hand-to-hand combat.

└ Sword Matstar) Swordsmanship aside, martial arts are impossible to self-teach without a master. But what about the kangaroos? They were using strange techniques.

└ Wild Grylls) Traditional martial arts passed down generations? Something like that. Same for the arena itself.

└ Do animals even have traditions?

└ It’s probably an instinct/habit rather than a tradition.

└ Princess Chaenggu) As expected of the deer! It has the martial prowess and trophy-winning energy fitting for the symbol of Chaeyu!

└ King Reor) So what? They’re barely hanging on in the Chals anyway lol

└ Princess Chaenggu) You mean they’re a late bloomer, right? Thanks! hehe Meanwhile, isn’t Reor in 3rd place?

└ Lmao Chaenggu is on a roll lately.

└ Chaeyu is good though lolol Just an attack one-trick pony though.

└ By the way, what kind of place is that where a deer beats a bear?

└ Who cares? It’s a place where a sloth is the strongest.

└ Ah. True. Is Bbareumbo not participating?

└ Wild Grylls) This guy is content as long as he has Fasting Pills. Thinking of putting Lackey in instead.

└ Did you ask Lackey’s opinion?

└ Wild Grylls) Why should I ask?

└ This guy is totally...

└ A real villainous employer;;

└ Wild Grylls) Sorry, but this bastard Lackey tried to kill me.

└ Then he better obey. How dare he step out of line.

└ Look at that instant 180-degree turn lolol

└ He didn’t step out of line, though.

After posting a brief message, I returned to the Shelter.

Once summer passed, it would be time to prepare for winter. Meaning I had to repair and reinforce the Shelter.

"Huh?"

"..."

It was right as we arrived back at the Shelter. Someone was waiting for us at our Shelter.

Not a gorilla, nor a bear, nor a human, but a deer.

Given the giant antlers and cynical expression, it was that deer.

The deer that had won the tournament and deliciously devoured the honey and medicinal herbs.

Just as I was bewildered as to why this deer was at my Shelter...

"Pureuk."

The deer tilted its head to the side and gestured toward a spot.

I turned my head in the direction it was pointing. And I saw it.

A honeycomb dripping with honey. Both the honey and the honeycomb had a brilliant golden hue.

"...Is that for me?"

"..."

The deer effortlessly ignored my question and started walking off somewhere.

Seeing it head toward the river, it seemed to be returning to its own territory.

Though baffled by the deer’s utterly incomprehensible behavior, I checked the honey first.

It appeared pristine, as if the deer had left the honey untouched when eating its prize earlier.

’Only a small piece at the edge is broken off. That’s where the honey is flowing from.’

The honeycomb was almost the size of my upper body. How did it carry this?

After pondering briefly, I hurried to process it, worried it might attract insects.

The Subspace Backpack contained Ambergris, so putting it in there was out. It was better to harvest it right away.

’How do I harvest honey?’

It was nice that the deer gave me the honeycomb, but how to harvest the honey was perplexing.

I should ask the Gallery about this too. After all, there were occasionally people selling honey in the auction house.

The distinctive, common feature among most of those people was that their faces were swollen up like balloons.

’Before that, should I take a bite?’

I dipped my finger into the honey oozing from the slightly broken edge.

Usually, honey tends to be a deep yellow color, but this honey was pure gold.

What on earth did it taste like? Curious, I popped the honey-dipped finger into my mouth.

"...Oh?! Ooh-ooh!"

My eyes snapped wide open at the sweetness spreading through my mouth.

It was a level of sweetness capable of moving even my tongue, which had been tempered by all sorts of intensely flavorful Earth foods.

Usually, when something is overly sweet, people describe it as sickly or throat-stinging, but this honey had none of that.

Pure sweetness. Unadulterated by any impurities, only pure sweetness itself resonated.

Simply put, it was a flavor that evoked genuine emotion. Truly worthy of something produced in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

’The deer really gave me something incredible!’

I had no idea why it gave it to me, but I offered my thanks anyway.

After dipping and tasting the honey a few more times, I immediately made a post on the Gallery.

It was both to share the news and to ask how to harvest honey.

Title) Deer gave me honeyThe source of this chapter is novelping . com.

Wild Grylls

(Picture of the deer arriving at the Shelter first)

(Picture of the honey given by the deer)

Don’t know when the deer came, but it came to my Shelter.

And then it left after giving me honey. Don’t know what it is, but the honey is insane delicious.

Before that, does anyone know how to harvest honey? Is it okay to just eat it raw?

└ Heavenly Demon) A miraculous encounter indeed. It would be wise to stay close to that deer.

└ Sword Matstar) Just looking at its face, it looks like it has a terrible temper though?

└ Aren’t deer originally famous for having bad tempers?

└ That’s usually because people mess with the deer’s temper first.

└ Look at that honey color. My mouth is drooling...

└ Princess Chaenggu) Kaaah! As expected of the deer! Since Grylls-nim supports Chaeyu, the deer that symbolizes Chaeyu is helping Grylls-nim!

└ King Reor) Delusion at this level is an illness;; Don’t your parents worry about you?

└ Princess Chaenggu) Doesn’t Reor-nim worry about that as well? Since Reor loses every day lately, you must be super angry lol

└ King Reor) Both my parents passed away though?

└ Princess Chaenggu) They must have died from utter frustration watching you root for Reor!

└ King Reor) You motherfing piece of s...

└ Starlight Lady) Princess Chaenggu’s words are a bit...

└ F*ing spicy lololololol

└ What’s hilarious is that there was actually someone who said shit like that lolol

└ Who said that?

└ A Reor fan 10 years ago. Said ’watching you guys play frustrated my parents to death’ lol

└ If it was 10 years ago, that’s totally understandable lol

└ That was a f*ing dark age back then...

└ Farmed honey aside, wild honey is a bit tricky to harvest.

└ First priority is cutting it cleanly. Honey will flow like crazy from there, so watch out.

└ Prepare several containers. Looks like you’ll yield quite a lot from that.

└ Insects might gather, so do it inside a cave.

Amidst all the banter and jokes, tips from the bros popped up.

Occasionally, fixed-handle users chipped in with tips as well. Thanks to them, harvesting the honey went smoothly.

’First, cut it neatly... And they said the honeycomb is edible too, right?’

I harvested the honey while looking back and forth between the Gallery and the honeycomb.

While Grylls was diligently harvesting honey.

Wonmo lay lethargically for a while despite sweet honey being right beside him.

The fight at the arena today. The defeat in that battle had left deep emotional aftereffects.

Had it been a fight among adults, it might have been different, but it was a battle between cubs.

For Wonmo, who had always won by overpowering opponents with sheer weight class, it was a shocking experience.

"Kkyuu..."

After slumping for a while, Wonmo slowly turned his head.

When he turned his head, Lackey, who was undergoing personal training in the distance, came into view.

Whenever Lackey had free time, he trained his martial arts like that.

Wonmo stared blankly at that sight before standing up from his spot.

Sseuk—

"Hm?"

Lackey, who was in the middle of practicing martial arts, wore a puzzled expression.

For Wonmo, the owlbear cub responsible for cuteness and emotional healing in the group, had approached his side.

Setting Grylls aside, it was the first time Wonmo had approached him of his own accord, making Lackey curious.

"Kkyuu..."

Wonmo looked at Lackey with an insecure expression, then slowly stood upright.

Even if he was an owlbear, a bear was still a bear. Thus, standing on two feet was entirely possible.

Swik— swik—

Following that, Wonmo threw punches reminiscent of straight strikes with his extremely short arms.

Apparently, he was trying to imitate Lackey’s martial arts.

Even though the cub couldn’t speak yet, Lackey realized Wonmo’s intention.

"Uuo?"

’Do you want to get strong?’ was Lackey’s question.

At that, Wonmo nodded his head. Though his expression lacked confidence, it was laced with earnest desire.

Pondering this briefly, Lackey turned his head.

In the direction he turned, Grylls was diligently harvesting honey.

Grylls might be versatile, but he didn’t know martial arts. Moreover, he was human.

An animal required an animal’s unique method.

"Hm."

Lackey quietly looked down at Wonmo before coming to a decision.

Someday, this cub too would leave protection behind and face the harsh wild life.

Above all, he was doted on by the boss—meaning Bbareumbo.

When it came to true ranking, Wonmo might actually be Rank 0.

"Understood. Learn."

"Kkyuu...!"

When Lackey accepted, Wonmo’s expression brightened up.

He then bounded up and down before even rubbing his head against Lackey.

"..."

Lackey’s philtrum stretched all the way down.

Even he, who had survived a harsh life, could not resist the sheer cuteness of a cub.

"Wonmo-ya. Want to try some of this honey?"

"Kkyuuuuu!!!"

"..."

Of course, in the face of food, all of that was meaningless.