I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 188

Ludwig was exactly 49 years old. He would soon turn 50.

As a human in this world, and furthermore as a soldier, he had lived quite a long life.

The experience and renown accumulated over those years were more than enough to command respect from others.

Ludwig knew this as well. He considered himself to have lived quite a long life for a human.

He was a veteran who had witnessed the births of both the Previous Hero and the current Hero with his own eyes, having gone through diverse combat experience.

Humans, of course, as well as beasts, undead, monsters, and more.

He had fought countless enemies to protect the Holy Kingdom of El Dorado.

Although he had stepped back from the front lines due to age, his skills had not regressed at all.

Because people who could use mana tended to grow stronger the older they got.

Even if physical capabilities declined, they compensated for it through proficient Mana Cultivation Methods or Internal Cultivation Arts.

In that sense, Ludwig could be evaluated as the ultimate master.

Yet even for such a man, unexpected variables were bound to exist.

’What on earth is this man?’

Beyond wondrous, it was grotesque. That was the verdict reached by Ludwig after evaluating Grylls’s abilities.

Just as each person must wear clothes tailored to their size, martial arts were no different.

Every person has a weapon that fits their hand, and the way they wield that weapon varies as well.

Though Ludwig could handle all weapons freely, he used the sword because it suited him best.

’It would actually be easier to teach martial arts to a gorilla.’

At the very least, a gorilla has a pair of arms and legs each.

Its physical weight class might be absurdly large, but fitting into human clothes was manageable.

But Grylls was not like that. His case was akin to having an extra arm and leg sprout, rendering him completely unable to wear human clothes.

To explain why Grylls possessed such a bizarre structure, it went roughly like this:

’It’s not that he can’t fight at all. His talent is actually pretty decent.’

First. Judging by visible talent alone, he was close to a genius in his own right.

As long as he wasn’t compared to off-the-chart natural disasters—geniuses like the Hero or Ash—he would have made a name for himself as a promising prospect.

One would have to test him thoroughly to know the true depth of his talent, but he was unquestionably an unpolished diamond in the rough.

’Although there are clumsy areas, correcting them will be enough.’

The fact that it was glaringly obvious he was self-taught was another reason for the high evaluation.

Since he moved his sword and shield based on whatever he had heard or seen somewhere.

What Ludwig liked most was his eyes. His eyes were constantly moving.

While perceiving his surroundings, he never slackened his observation of his target.

’The problem is his aura.’

However, a problem conflicting with the first point manifested in the second.

Namely, mana—or rather, aura. The volume of Grylls’s aura was completely abnormal.

Just like the past Sword Saint who was famous for being dogshit insanely strong.

’What in the world did he do to make his aura volume grow this massive?’

Even Asella or Ash, whom he had fought once in the past, did not stray from the standard path.

Train in martial arts, master mana, and refine aura. That is the orthodox path.

Yet this freak didn’t bother with any of that. He completely chewed up and swallowed that entire process whole.

It was like a plant refusing to bear fruit, instead relentlessly growing only its stems.

What’s more, those stems were ridiculously thick and solid. He was destroying common sense.

Could it be possible because the Forest of the Four Seasons was overflowing with countless medicinal herbs?

’If that were possible, every rich man and noble would look like this guy.’

Ludwig had observed countless talents over nearly 50 years.

Among them were those who had consumed numerous Spiritual Medicines since childhood.

Yet even for those people, their ’duration’ might increase, but their overall ’volume’ never swelled like this.

’Should I say he has talent for aura, or that he doesn’t...?’

If it were ambiguous or lacking, it could be supplemented.

But this was so excessively over-the-top that it became a problem.

The even bigger problem was that this wasn’t the end. One far worse issue remained.

Jjeojeojeok!

"How is it? Great ability, right?"

"..."

The final and decisive reason: Grylls’s frost energy.

When he first saw it, Ludwig had wondered what on earth it was.

He knew the aura color was unusual, but the moment objects touched that aura, they froze solid instantly.

If everything prior breached common sense, this was an entirely unexpected ability.

Even Asella or Ash did not break out of the boundaries of ’martial arts’, but Grylls was different.

’This is... magic?’

It was an ability close to magic. Yet it wasn’t actual magic.

Up until now, no one had ever imbued elemental traits into aura.

Perhaps weapons from legend possessed similar traits at best.Find the original chapter at novеlping.com.

Even then, it was all contained within weapons, never manifested directly by a person.

A person who could literally be called a ’mutant’, unseen anywhere else.

Did living in the Forest of the Four Seasons adapt his growth to match the forest itself?

’First of all... whew...’

Ludwig washed his dry face with his hands.

He was at a total loss as to what kind of clothes to fit him with or what size to pick.

Would a scholar discovering an unclassified species feel exactly like this?

The silver lining was that Grylls didn’t literally have an extra arm and leg attached to him.

Since there was no way to fix the aura issue right away, he decided to skip it and start by teaching martial arts.

’A sword-and-shield warrior has good balance, but it can turn into a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none scenario.’

A sword-and-shield warrior had the advantage of having superb balance between offense and defense.

But besides balance, there was nothing particularly outstanding.

It was a combat class suited for infantry or beginners.

’Still, until he learns the Aura Shield, a shield will be better.’

A high-level aura technique referred to as Body-Protecting Gangqi in the Central Plains.

This too was a skill that could only be mastered after learning the Aura Blade.

Until then, using a shield was far more efficient.

Outside might be a different story, but given that this was the Forest of the Four Seasons, Grylls had likely prioritized survival rate.

’I’d better teach him from the basics. So that he grasps the core principles.’

Ludwig’s judgment was as follows: For now, just let him grasp the subtle principles.

As for his newly sprouted extra limbs, let Grylls handle them himself.

There was plenty of time anyway. He planned to start a full-fledged analysis once his body was completely healed.

’...By the way, how do we communicate?’

Moreover, there was the biggest issue: translation.

Smooth instruction was only possible if they understood each other, but right now, that was not working.

In his heart, he wanted to learn the language Grylls spoke, but that wasn’t a problem that could be solved overnight either.

’Writing it down will be better than speaking.’

Ludwig asked Grylls and received paper and a pen.

Then he scribbled down the current issues and variables he observed.

[Your abilities are too bizarre. I am not saying it is bad. However, it feels like trying to teach martial arts to a person who has an extra arm. I will do my utmost, but internalizing it will be up to you.]

True to the stubborn and steadfast Ludwig, it was thoroughly objective.

Grylls posted the text written for him directly onto the Gallery.

Soon after reading the translated text provided by the Gallery, he blinked his eyes.

’Is he saying I’m so dogshit insanely strong that it’s perplexing to teach me?’

I was torn on whether to be happy about this or not.

Sure, I was strong, but that modifier in front bothered me quite a bit.

Still, well... not bad. Whatever the case, it meant I wasn’t at a hopeless level.

’Since he said he’ll teach me, I should wait until he’s completely recovered.’

Whatever happened, Ludwig’s stabilization came first.

Grylls continuously fed him honey so he could heal faster.

Not only was it high in calories, but this honey also possessed minor restorative properties.

For Ludwig, who could still only eat porridge, it was custom-fit.

"It is too sweet."

"Tasty, right? You have to keep eating it."

Though the lack of communication caused a tragedy along the way, Ludwig gulped down the honey dutifully.

After setting things up so Ludwig could rest, Grylls stepped outside.

Evening was drawing near, so it was time to head up to the river.

"Kyuuuuu~!"

"Kkiing!"

"Puh-rruk."

When I went outside, Kirin was awake. He looked much healthier than Ludwig.

And Wonmo along with the baby raccoon were sliding down Kirin’s neck like a slide.

Kirin didn’t look displeased at all; he was smiling fondly as if finding them cute.

It was heartwarming to see the animals getting along so quickly.

’The number of mouths to feed has definitely increased.’

The raccoon family took care of themselves, but I was worried about the rest.

Originally, I could stockpile a certain amount of fish, but now they ate everything in one go.

Moreover, when winter arrived, even that would be tough. It meant we’d have to endure a true battle against winter.

"Huh?"

"..."

It was on the way back after catching fish. Grylls could see it clearly.

Ludwig, breaking out in cold sweat, looking like he was struck by some illness.

He tried to act fine on the outside, but his reaction couldn’t be hidden.

Startled, Grylls rushed over to Ludwig.New chapters come out on nov‌elping.com first.

"What’s wrong? Are you sick somewhere?"

Hurriedly placing a hand on his forehead, no fever could be felt.

But there was one worry: the amputation surgery.

The amputation was one thing, but hadn’t his foot turned pitch black and rotted prior to that?

An infection contracted back then might be taking effect now.

’Even Elixirs can’t cure diseases...’

It was right when my mind was filled with such worries.

Gugugugurrrkkk!!!

A tremendous noise erupted from Ludwig’s stomach, and then...

"Heuuueeeh...!"

"..."

Clasping his abdomen, he bent his upper body forward.

Seeing that, Grylls realized. More precisely, he remembered.

Himself, who had spent a good while dashing back and forth to the restroom after taking Fasting Pills.

He thought Ludwig would be fine since he was a knight, but apparently not.

’...All he ate up until now was fish porridge and honey, right?’

No wonder he’s suffering. Grylls hastily dragged Ludwig outside.

At the very least, human dignity had to be preserved.

One might wonder how explosive diarrhea could happen when he barely ate anything, but Grylls had experienced the exact same thing at first.

Gurrrkkk!

"Keo-eok...! Keo-eu...!"

"Please hold it in!"

Grylls felt like crying.

Fortunately, the catastrophe he feared did not come to pass.

It was likely the greatest crisis in Ludwig’s entire life.

He couldn’t even think about moving because his stomach hurt so suddenly.

Still, the crisis had passed. In the future, I should build a separate latrine as well.

"Can you move now?"

"%^#%"

And one more astonishing fact: Ludwig recovered in just a single day.

Whether it was due to steadily eating honey yesterday or because of the fish.

His gaunt face had recovered quite a bit, to the point where he could walk on his own.

Although he limped because of the prosthetic leg, he did not falter or stumble.

’He had an Elixir too, after all.’

Maybe he could start eating whole fish today instead of porridge.

After entertaining that thought briefly, I got straight to the point.

"Here. Take this sword."

"..."

"I’m not saying we fight right now. Just warm up a bit."

When I gestured with my hands and feet, Ludwig nodded as if he understood.

Exercise is essential even after recovering one’s body. Furthermore, shouldn’t he adapt to his new foot?

Above all, I had to build quarters for the animals too. Time was pressing.

It was while I was working on the shelter I had started designing yesterday.

"Grylls."

"Huh?"

Hwik!

Ludwig seemed to be calling me, then tossed something.

First it was the Sword of the Heavenly Demon, and next was the shield.

After catching them, I looked at him with a what are you doing? expression, but lo and behold...

Beckon-

Ludwig beckoned with the hand holding his sword, telling me to come at him.

Was he trying to teach me a lesson now that his body was fully recovered?

Fighting a patient who just recovered, not to mention someone wearing a prosthetic leg, felt a bit iffy, but...

’He says he’s fine with it.’

Sparring once shouldn’t be so bad. I equipped the sword and shield.

’Wait a second. Now that I think about it, this is a real sword...’

While I was caught off guard—

Chwaak!

Ludwig, who had been far away, closed the distance to right before my eyes in an instant.

’Wait, hold on...!’

Isn’t one of this guy’s legs a prosthetic?!