I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 199

What animal comes to mind when you think of "wings"?

Most people would probably think of birds.

Creatures that freely roam the sky with wings that are massive compared to their small bodies.

Insects have wings too, but they aren’t usually the first things that spring to mind.

With extreme exceptions, there are mammals with wings like bats, and conversely, birds without wings.

This world isn’t much different. In fact, this world has quite a lot of winged creatures.

Pegasi, dragons, harpies, and so on.

Although there are many exceptions, most people in this world also tend to view wings as the exclusive domain of birds.

"Piiiiing..."

And right now, right in front of my eyes, there was a winged creature.

Wings that were small compared to its body, but looked remarkably sturdy.

And what about its body? Skin that looked cracked and patterned like a reptile.

I was confused whether to call it skin or scales.

’What on earth is this thing?’

A winged reptile. Observing it closely revealed more features.

Vertical slit pupils fit for a reptile, horns sprouting from its head...

Combining these characteristics one by one brought something immediately to mind.

But since it might just be my imagination, I looked at Ludwig without a word. To gauge his reaction.

"...."

It seemed Ludwig was harboring thoughts similar to mine.

Aside from his severely stiffened expression, he was tilting his head.

If my prediction was correct, this was a gravely serious problem. Even if it wasn’t, it was definitely no ordinary beast.

"Ahjussi. Does this look like a baby dragon to you, too?"

"...@#$%"

"I read on the Gallery that dragons are dotingly protective of their offspring, you know?"

What did this imply?

There was a high probability that the mother dragon was currently combing through the entire Forest of the Four Seasons like a fine-toothed comb to find her baby.

I didn’t know how this little guy ended up here, but it was definitely not good news.

’If things go wrong, we’re really fucked.’

What kind of existence was a dragon? It was an entity so immensely powerful that calling it a walking calamity itself wasn’t an exaggeration.

Wasn’t Kadir revered as the ’Mage King’ simply because he subdued a dragon single-handedly?

The probability was extremely high that each individual dragon was far stronger than Bbareumbo or the boss gorilla.

"Piiiing..."

The creature presumed to be a baby dragon whined pitifully.

Leaving aside whether it was a baby dragon, its whole body was covered in wounds, making it pitiful to look at.

It must have crawled into this cave in a desperate bid to survive. I let out a sigh inwardly.

’Sigh. It’s not like I can just turn a blind eye.’

It wasn’t brazen like that raccoon last time. Besides, I feared the aftermath.

I decided to heal the baby dragon. I still had the animal Elixir given by Starlight Lady.

Ludwig shot me a look asking if this was really the right move, but we couldn’t just kick it out. This was the best I could do.

’The scales are really sparkling.’

Up close, the scales looked rock-hard.

In the meantime, the baby dragon slowly raised its head. Its vertical slit pupils stared straight at me.

"Piiiiik...!"

As soon as it saw me, the baby dragon spread its wings in vigilance.

But since even the wing membranes were torn, it wasn’t intimidating at all.

Holding the Elixir bottle in one hand, I slowly approached it.

The closer I got, the louder the baby dragon’s cries became.

"Ppi-ak!"

Kwa-ak!

As I reached out my hand, it tried to bite me with all its might.

The tightly packed teeth inside its snout were quite sharp.

However, its body was utterly drained of strength and injured to boot.

I dodged its desperate snaps a few times and waited for it to lower its guard.

"...."

Whether it was exhausted or had lowered its guard, the little fellow slowly folded its fully spread wings.

Before long, seeing how it even lowered its raised head, it seemed to have half-given up.

This was the chance. I slowly poured the Elixir over the baby dragon’s head.

Trickle-

"...Ppi?"

At the bizarre sensation, the baby slowly raised its head. It seemed to have realized the changes in its body.

Not only were its fine wounds healing, but its torn membranes were also slowly restoring themselves.

It seemed the Elixir’s effect worked on dragons too. Probably because its body size was small, though.

After healing all its external injuries like that, I grabbed a small bowl.

I mixed honey and a bit of Elixir inside the bowl and pushed it toward its mouth.

"Eat that and leave, or stay here. Just don’t call your mom, alright?"

"...."

The baby looked back and forth between me and the bowl.

The bowl contained sweet-scented honey mixed with Elixir.

Since ancient times, one should avoid accepting things given by strangers.

"Chap-chap-chap-chap! Chap-chap!"

But if you’re starving to death, that’s a different story.

The little guy practically buried its snout in the bowl and began lapping up the honey.

Seeing it eat so frantically, I could guess it had been starving for quite some time.

’Is it really a dragon?’

While the guy was lapping up the honey, I made a post on the Gallery.

Although my guess was that it was a baby dragon, it might not be.

Title) Is this thing really a dragon?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of injured baby dragon)

(Photo of wary baby dragon)Read this novel at novelpin​g.com for the best experience.

(Photo of baby dragon scarfing down honey)

(Overall video)

I was resting in a cave because of the rain when this came in.

Roughly looking at its appearance, it seems like a baby dragon, but is it really?

L Heavenly Demon) A dragon is an entity that ascends from an Imugi, so do dragons lay hatchlings? This is the first time I’ve learned of such a thing.

L Sword Matstar) Then dragons don’t lay hatchlings?

L Heavenly Demon) An Imugi becomes a dragon. That is why, unlike dragons, they are spiritual beasts.

L Sword Matstar) Aren’t dragons also spiritual beasts, technically? Their intelligence is as brilliant as a human’s.

L Heavenly Demon) Spiritual beasts are ordinary beasts that have evolved. They are different from creatures that were like that from the start. A Yokai is not a spiritual beast, is it?

L Wow, look at you saying something smart for once?

L That person actually knows their stuff when it comes to things they know.

L But is that really a hatchling? If so, this is Grylls’s biggest crisis yet;;

L Starlight Lady) Judging solely by its appearance, it is indeed a hatchling. Considering it’s even injured, it doesn’t seem like good news...

L Wild Grylls) I want to send it back quickly too, but it’s raining and I have no energy. I heard dragons cherish their offspring, is that true?

L Starlight Lady) Yes. If their hatchling is in danger, they will search for it with fire in their eyes. In the past, the Iris Kingdom came close to destruction because of that.

L If it wasn’t for Kadir, it really would have fallen.

L Why did the dragon attack back then?

L Illegal poachers caught a hatchling and sold it. But the hatchling was fragile and died.

L Tsk tsk, those bastards were lower than beasts.

L Come to think of it, haven’t all historical Dragon Slayers been human?

L Yep. Neither Elves nor Demons have ever slain a dragon. Humans just have exceptionally high potential peaks.

L That’s because dragons are almost immune to magic. Both Elves and Demons specialize in magic, so their main advantage completely vanishes.

L Why immune? Because of their scales?

L That too, but dragons also use magic. It often appears in myths.

L That’s just myth.

L Wait, hold on. Immune to magic? How did Kadir slay one when he’s a mage?

L Heard he dropped a Meteor on it? They’re immune to magic, not physical force lmao

L Highly advanced magic is no different from physical force shiver shiver

L Plus, he won a battle of wits against the dragon, so Kadir’s magic itself was a few levels above.

L Praise the Sun) Wow. Now you’re raising a hatchling too? Raising something even I haven’t raised. I’m jealous.

L Hey man. Are you trying to get his country destroyed?

L Praise the Sun) Dragons are highly intelligent, so they won’t harm their benefactor. Besides, it might be an orphaned individual?

L If nothing else, since it’s the Forest of the Four Seasons, that sounds pretty plausible high-key lol

L Does that mean there’s a creature that beats up even dragons?;

Geez, they sure spewed out anxious talk left and right.

The problem was that most of those words might actually be true.

In a place where even a sloth is as strong as a monster, a dragon that’s strong to begin with?

And there’s a creature that put that very dragon in danger? Worst case scenario.

If a dragon blasted a breath right here right now, we’d be roasted to a crisp, and there’s a beast stronger than that?

’If I carelessly drive it out, the baby drag... no, the hatchling might hold a grudge.’

I looked at the hatchling. As if it had calmed down, it was sleeping quietly.

Where was it sleeping?

"Piiiiing..."

"Kyuuu?"

On top of Wonmo’s fluffy back.

Perhaps because its body was smaller than Wonmo’s, it was coiled up and sleeping soundly.

Wonmo seemed bewildered, or perhaps knowing it was harmless, remained still.

"#%#"

"Huh?"

Once the situation settled down roughly, Ludwig quietly called out to me.

He then stared at the hatchling sleeping on top of Wonmo’s back and spoke with a complex expression.

"%%##"

"Is it dangerous? Yes, it’s definitely dangerous."

"#$%#?"

Then why are you staying still? Shouldn’t we prepare a countermeasure somehow?

That seemed to be what he was asking. Honestly, my heart felt no different from his.

However...

"So what can we do?"

"...?"

"I mean, what can we possibly do against that juvenile dragon?"

So sadly, there was absolutely nothing we could do.

The hatchling was even beyond a juvenile offender.

The moment we laid a hand on it, its mother would come and give us a lesson. Physically.

Even if the hatchling was the one in the wrong first.

"...."

Did Ludwig roughly understand my words?

With a slightly dazed face, he trudged over and sat leaning against the wall.

Even for a former Paladin Commander, dragons were terrifying, it seemed.

"Hey. Bbareumbo. Aren’t you scared of dragons?"

If so, what about Bbareumbo? Would he be scared of dragons?

"...."

As always, Bbareumbo wore a relaxed expression.

Whether because he hadn’t seen a dragon directly, or didn’t even know of their existence.

I could never truly get inside this guy’s head. Still, if it got dangerous, he’d let me know right away.

’The best way would be for the hatchling to fully recover and leave...’

Could it survive alone in this terrifying forest? It was already a miracle that it made it here.

Above all, would it even know where its home was? That was the biggest worry.

"Piiiiing."

It was when about an hour had passed.

The hatchling sleeping on Wonmo’s back stretched and woke up.

Seeing its appearance much tidier than before, it seemed to have fully recovered.

"Ppii?"

"...."Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.

It really was cute. A different kind of cuteness from Wonmo.

Wonmo stimulated protective instincts with his fluffy fur and owl face.

The hatchling possessed the unique cuteness of a baby infused with dragon charisma.

It was similar to the difference between a dog and a cat. Both were equally cute.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk. Come here."

"Ppii?"

So I beckoned with my fingers for it to come.

Behind me, Ludwig pulled a face as if looking at a lunatic, but I casually ignored him.

Since things had turned out like this, there was no harm in becoming friendly.

"Piiii..."

Did the hatchling realize that I, who had even healed it, was friendly?

While wearing a slightly frightened expression, it slowly approached.

Its wings were also spread wide, looking ready to bolt at any moment.

Swoosh-

"Yeah. Yeah. Good boy. Good."

"Piiiiii~"

Even so, all of that was meaningless in the face of petting.

Among animals that lowered their guard, there were hardly any that disliked human petting.

Seeing its tail wagging, it definitely seemed pleased.

’By the way, the scales are soft yet hard. Fascinating.’

Scales where softness and hardness coexisted.

The wings were similar. I thought they’d be squishy because of the membrane, but they were surprisingly firm.

Even if it was a baby, a dragon was still a dragon, huh? At the same time, I grew curious.

’Why did it come all the way here?’

Did it leave home out of curiosity like Wonmo? Or did something happen to its parents?

As time passed, I’d find out soon enough. Until then, I should just stay quiet.

"Kyuu! Kyuuuu!"

Seeing me petting only the hatchling, did he get jealous?

Wonmo approached my side and expressed his fierce anger.

Placing his small forepaws thump on my thigh felt like he was commanding, ’Hurry and pet me!’

Seeing his cute face full of anger, it was definitely jealousy.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright."

"Kyuuuuu~"

With two babies around, things seemed to have gotten quite bustling.

"Ahjussi. Do you want to try touching it too?"

"...."

"An opportunity to touch a dragon doesn’t come often."

"Ahem."

As I coaxed him gently, Ludwig also tentatively approached reluctantly.

However, was it because it was Ludwig and not me?

"Ppiaaaak!"

As soon as Ludwig approached, the hatchling snapped its jaws wide open and roared.

Fwoosh!

And inside, a tiny little breath was emitted.

It was a weak flame on the level of a candle, but it was clear warning not to approach.

"...."

At the adamant refusal, Ludwig turned despondent and shrank back again.

Whether feeling sorry for such a Ludwig, Wonmo quietly approached him.

Afterward, Ludwig healed his emotional wounds by hugging Wonmo.

’I thought that man was originally a dignified person.’

I didn’t know whether he felt at ease after shedding everything or if it was because of Wonmo.

At any rate, since the hatchling had opened its heart to me, all that remained was waiting.

Whether its mother came for it, or the hatchling left on its own feet, it would be one of the two.

’Food... fish should be enough, right?’

Since it primarily ate meat, fish would be better than Fasting Pills.

I was curious roughly how much it ate, and despite its small body, its appetite was on par with Wonmo’s.

With rain falling recently, my stockpiles were gradually running low, which was worrying.

’Tomorrow morning, as soon as I wake up, I should head up to the river.’

Today ended here.

Because it rained in the afternoon, I didn’t gain much.

Still, since an extremely precious encounter took place, it wasn’t all bad.

[Let’s decide on a name for the hatchling.]

[How about Alexander II for the hatchling’s name?]

[Honestly, Yongyong is the most solid. Agree?]

’Why are these people making a fuss about naming it already?’

Even their naming sense was universally terrible.

I closed the Gallery and fell asleep. I needed to wake up early tomorrow morning.

And so, the next morning arrived.

"Nnngh~"

Stretching, I checked the time through the Gallery. The current time was 6:00 AM.

I just needed to go up to the river and set up the fish traps. With that, I slowly headed toward the cave entrance.

Just in case bugs came in, the cave entrance was blocked with cloth.

Since it rained yesterday, today should be a refreshing morning...

"Grrrr..."

"...."

Instead of a clear morning, ruby-red eyes greeted me.

How large were the eyes? Big enough to occupy half the cave entrance.

The long, vertical slit pupils glaring at me as if to kill me was a bonus.

"...Oh my."

The guardian has come to visit?