I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 184

Hearing that title alone, it was a bizarre combination to say the least.

It felt like bumping into a zebra in the middle of a city.

Be that as it may, what mattered was that I had finally met another human being.

And I couldn’t ignore the fact that he was on the verge of starving to death.

’Sh-Should I make porridge or something? I need to feed him whatever I can...!’

Eating food after starving for several days would shock the stomach. Meaning, it would cause severe stomach trouble.

Therefore, I needed to feed him easily digestible porridge, but where on earth was I supposed to get porridge all of a sudden?

He looked like he was about to drop dead any second. After contemplating for a moment, I rushed into the cave.

Could the honey I harvested yesterday serve as a substitute for porridge?

Even if it didn’t completely work, it would buy some time. In the meantime, I could boil up some fish porridge.

Jureureuk-

I poured the honey into the mouth of the paladin, whose eyes were half-open.

Savoring the sweetness after so long, the paladin began smacking his lips.

This was honey that could make one’s skin plump and elastic in just a single day. It would definitely be effective.

’Next is...’

Time to boil fish porridge. Cooking porridge wasn’t difficult.

After my parents passed away, there was a time I got terribly sick and had cooked porridge for myself.

Right now it was fish instead of rice, but there shouldn’t be any big problems.

"Piiiing..."

While I was at it, I should feed some fish porridge to the Kirin as well.

The Kirin had also collapsed with a whimpering groan the moment the paladin fell to the ground.

Still, it seemed to be in better shape than the paladin, having just enough energy to lift its head.

Bogeulbogeulbogeul-

While the fish porridge was simmering, I steadily checked the paladin’s condition.

This man was probably Ludwig. Considering he arrived riding a Kirin, it was almost certain.

’His condition isn’t... very good.’

I didn’t know how many days he had starved, but his cheeks were sunken deep.

Seeing how tattered his armor was, I could deduce just how much hardship he had endured.

According to Orange Badge, he was supposed to be a tremendously strong person, yet even he had barely survived.

It was a moment that made me realize once again just how harsh and perilous the environment of the Forest of the Four Seasons really was.

Shaaaaa-

The decisive proof that he was Ludwig was none other than the sword.

When I channeled mana into the blade, an emerald-green galaxy burst into view.

It was definitely the sword I had given him.

Seeing how he still had it, he must have put it to good use.

’Now is not the time for this.’

His armor was a battered mess, so how much worse would it be underneath?

I brought out an Elixir from the cave to treat him.

Grunting with effort, I undid and stripped off his heavy armor.

At first, I fumbled because I didn’t know the structure of the armor, but somehow I managed to get it all off.

"Ugh...!"

And the moment the armor came off, a horrendous stench rushed out.

Whether he hadn’t washed for days, a sour vinegar-like odor filled the air.

Once his condition improved, I’d have to wash him immediately. Of course, after he got better.

’As for body wounds... thanks to the armor, there aren’t many. Thank goodness.’

As expected of thick armor, it had done its job; there were no visible wounds on his torso.

Still, just to be sure, I trickled Elixir into his mouth.

Perhaps he still retained a sliver of consciousness, because he gulped it down smoothly.

Pouring half into his mouth, it would be best to apply the remaining half to his wounds.

It was at that moment, after I pulled off not only his upper armor but also his leg armor and boots.

"...."

Down to his pants, everything was fine aside from the sour vinegar odor.

But moving down toward his feet... the sour stench wasn’t even the problem anymore.

His left boot was still on, but his right boot had been stripped off.

’What on earth...’

On his bootless right foot, maggots were squirming all over the wounds.

Then there was the skin. The flesh had turned pitch-black, as if entirely dead.

’There are burn marks from cauterization too...’

There were traces of him burning the wound with fire for emergency first aid.

But it seemed he couldn’t prevent the maggots from infesting it.

He had probably burned it with fire purely for disinfection.

The reason he was still alive must have been that minimal emergency treatment.

After staring blankly for a second, I hurriedly poured the remaining Elixir over it.

I thought that maybe an Elixir could cure it.

Chiiiik!

As the Elixir poured down, the maggots writhed and died off.

Elixirs also possessed the effect of killing parasites.

Maggots would count as parasites too. Now that the maggots were gone, all that remained was healing.

’Why... is it still the same?’

But the foot showed no signs of improving. It remained pitch-black.Follow the newest chapters on novelping dot com.

Momentarily flustered by this, I recalled what Starlight Lady had said before.

That while an Elixir was a magnificent curative potion, it wasn’t omnipotent.

There were exactly two things that even an Elixir couldn’t cure.

First was disease. Symptoms caused by infection could be alleviated, but curing the underlying disease itself was impossible.

Second was reviving life or tissue that had already died.

An Elixir merely boosted regenerative capability to the absolute limit; it couldn’t bring dead tissue back to life.

’When I heard it couldn’t cure hair loss, I just laughed it off, but...’

Witnessing a similar limitation in person hit completely differently.

Necrotic tissue couldn’t be revived. It was practically just a lump of dead meat attached to his leg.

A situation where amputation had to be considered. However, I was no expert.

Bogeulbogeulbogeul-

’...Let’s feed him porridge first.’

While I deliberated for a moment, the porridge finished cooking.

Whatever the case, I had done all the emergency first aid I could.

Right now, helping this man regain his stamina came first.

"You eat too."

"...Lick."

I gave some fish porridge to the Kirin as well. Hungry as it was, it licked its lips and quietly began eating.

Next, I fed the fish porridge to Ludwig bit by bit.

Perhaps having recovered some energy thanks to the Elixir, his eyes were rolling around.

"#%$#"

"Be quiet and just eat quietly."

I had no idea what he was saying, but I kept feeding him.

Ludwig seemed aware of his own condition and obediently accepted the food.

And just like that, he polished off a whole bowl of fish porridge in no time.

Part of me wanted to carry him straight into the cave, but I held back.

Looking at the state of his foot, I might have to perform an amputation right here.

"Kueooo...."

"...."

Oh boy. Now he was sound asleep, completely at ease.

Surprised into a dry laugh, I quickly considered the hardships he must have been through.

Mind you, I was on the lucky side. Extremely lucky, in fact.

I had a cave that solved the ’shelter’ aspect of basic survival, and I could use the Gallery.

On the other hand, Ludwig had to push through this treacherous environment with nothing but his bare body.

Furthermore, he came from the plains region. Unlike here, the plains were not rich in food resources.

Hunting was essential to secure food. Even getting water must have been difficult.

’Because wherever there’s water, other beasts are bound to be there.’

I didn’t know how he tamed the Kirin, but that creature was extraordinary too.

Looking at Ludwig, who was sleeping to recover his stamina, I accessed the Gallery.

Shouldn’t I spread this happy news far and wide on the Gallery? That thought crossed my mind.

Title) The Paladin Riding a Kirin

Wild Grylls

(Photo of Ludwig sleeping on the ground)

(Photo of the Kirin sleeping after eating as well)

Just met the Paladin riding a Kirin. Man, his state is an absolute mess.

I did every first aid measure I could for now. But his foot is in pretty bad shape, so I’ll have to keep an eye on it.

Meeting another person is definitely a good thing, but I don’t know if I should celebrate... I won’t end up having to clear away a corpse, right?

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Thou hast finally met him. I am glad thou shalt no longer dwell in solitude.

ㄴ Wild Grylls: I feel the same, but I just hope he’s a good person.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: He must be a good man. Canst thou not sense his steadfast honesty even from the photograph?

ㄴ Wild Grylls: Honestly he just looks like a beggar to me? The smell is terrible too.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Verily, that is hard to deny.

ㄴ lolol She really couldn’t disagree

ㄴ He legit looks like a hobo lol

ㄴ BTW what is that animal? Why is its neck so long?

ㄴ What kind of creature looks like that ;;

ㄴ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Oh my goodness! Is it really Ludwig-ssi?! It’s not a fake, right?!

ㄴ Wild Grylls: How would I know? But considering he’s holding the sword I gave him, chances are high.

ㄴ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Thank you so much! I really want to reward you right now, but I don’t have the leeway...! It might take time, but I will definitely repay you in some way!

ㄴ Wild Grylls: No need to go that far for a reward. Anyway, this guy’s foot is in terrible shape, so I might have to chop it off.

ㄴ Don’t Abandon the Hero: What?! What do you mean by that?!

ㄴ Wild Grylls: (Photo of pitch-black necrotic foot) As you can see, it looks like this. It was originally crawling with maggots, but I washed them off with Elixir.

ㄴ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Ah... the condition is... really... very... bad...

ㄴ If the Orange Badge stopped using exclamation marks, just how bad is it?

ㄴ At that point it’s literally just a lump of meat;; Needs amputation right now.

ㄴ What happens if it stays attached?

ㄴ Necrosis has spread inward, so he could get sepsis. Chop it off quickly.

ㄴ Passing Dwarf: Hey. I’ll give you a bottle of liquor, so feed it to him. That way it’ll hurt less when you cut it off.Visit NovelPing for the full chapter.

ㄴ Wild Grylls: Do I really have to cut it off?

ㄴ Passing Dwarf: Leaving it like that will literally kill him. Take it without backtalk.

ㄴ Wild Grylls: Alright, fine for now ;;

Things were so dire that even Passing Dwarf handed over liquor right away.

Alcohol dulls the senses. He was telling me to use this as a substitute for anesthesia.

It was actually a method frequently used by survivors in harsh environments.

No matter how strong a human being was, enduring the pain of a body limb being severed was impossible.

"Mmmm..."

It was right when I was holding the liquor received from Dwarf, lost in thought.

Merely thirty minutes had passed, yet Ludwig regained consciousness.

Perhaps the combination of honey and Elixir worked wonders, because he seemed to have recovered stamina in that short span.

"Are you awake?"

"...."

Having come to, Ludwig opened his eyes half-way and looked at me.

Though his appearance was an absolute wreck, his brightly shining eyes could not be hidden.

"#$%!@?"

As expected, I couldn’t understand a single word he said.

So I pointed to my ear and shook my head side to side.

Ludwig seemed to understand my meaning and nodded his head.

’Should I ask Orange Badge for translation?’

Among the regular forum users I was acquainted with, Orange Badge was the only one from El Dorado.

But unlike Heavenly Demon, Orange Badge was a busy person. In fact, she was currently being hunted.

In the end, I had no choice but to figure things out through gestures and context.

If all else failed, I could post it on the Gallery and ask.

"...."

As a subtle silence settled over us, Ludwig looked down at his right foot.

A foot already turned pitch-black and dead. The moment he saw his foot, his brow furrowed deeply.

Following that, he seemed to ponder something for a moment, then turned to look at me.

"#%#%"

Still incomprehensible. But unlike before, he began gesturing.

He mimicked drinking something, then tilted his head around to indicate dizziness or intoxication.

Since it was what we were just talking about, I caught on to what he intended to do.

"Here you go."

So I handed him the liquor I received from Dwarf.

Ludwig took the alcohol and effortlessly uncapped it.

Next, after sniffing it to confirm it was liquor, he stared at his foot with a heavy expression.

"$%@$%?"

And with that, he gestured to me for help.

Adding a chopping gesture with the side of his hand over his leg to signal amputation.

Seeing that, I blinked in disbelief and pointed a finger at myself.

"Me? I chop it off?"

"%#%!@#?"

Ludwig replied with a look that clearly said, ’Who else is going to do it if not you?’

It was absurd, but realistically speaking, he was right.

If he tried doing it alone, it might end up chopped horribly wrong.

Above all, his strength was currently depleted. It would be difficult for him to sever it cleanly in one swift stroke.

"Are you really sure?"

"#%#^"

Still, it felt extremely uncomfortable. This wasn’t a beast; it was human bone and flesh.

Driven by instinctive reluctance, I asked multiple times, but Ludwig did not back down.

Ultimately, I had no choice but to perform the amputation surgery myself.

Doing it on the bare ground was unhygienic, so I didn’t forget to prepare thoroughly.

’Seriously, in all my life...’

And what was the surgical tool? The Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

A blade that had cleanly sliced through even the bone and flesh of a Mad Dog.

With this blade, severing a rotten foot would be effortless.

"Huuu... Fuck."

Cursing reflexively under my breath, I finished all preparations and looked at Ludwig.

He was already fully prepared. He had chugged down all the liquor received from Dwarf.

I wondered if he might die of acute alcohol poisoning instead.

"Uh... here goes?"

At my question, Ludwig nodded his head.

Hesitating briefly, I positioned the Sword of the Heavenly Demon at the amputation mark.

And then...

Seogeok!

Applying force directly, I proceeded with the operation.