I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 221

A dragon’s head on a human body. Her long tail remained, and her skin was covered in scales.

This was the reality of a dragon’s Polymorph. Handsome man or beautiful woman my ass—she had literally just transformed into a human ’shape’.

By racial standards, she was roughly a lizardman. But there was something puzzling.

According to Cain, most heroes during the Age of Dragons were dragons enjoying their Amusement.

However, the Vanir before me was unmistakably a dragon to anyone’s eyes. Her appearance was completely detached from that of a normal human.

Even the Demon Race merely had blue skin and inverted eyes, remaining close to humans in external structure.

-You have an expression that says you do not understand.

"...A little bit? Earlier, Cain-ssi said most heroes in the Age of Dragons were Polymorphed humans. I thought your appearance would look similar to one."

-It is possible. But it is tedious.

"Tedious?"

-Do you know how much effort must be expended for Polymorph? Starting from skin, to hair, fingers, toes, and so on. Every single detail must be calculated.

If that was the case, I could understand. So it was like undergoing full-body cosmetic surgery.

Just thinking about having to calculate every single detail gave me a headache.

"So when you were outside, you did it meticulously?"

-Indeed. Because there was a reason to do so.

"A reason?"

-Being pretty or handsome made Amusement much easier.

That was a profoundly realistic reason. Though I still felt disappointed.

Still, now that she had transformed into a humanoid shape, conversation was easier. Though getting used to the lizard head was tough.

"So Vanir-nim entered here from the outside, right?"

-That is correct.

"If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you...?"

-At least over 3,000, surely. Since I was born at the tail end of the Age of Dragons. I haven’t aged, so it shouldn’t be 6,000 yet.

"...What is the average lifespan of a dragon?"

-Thus far, cases of dying of old age have been virtually nonexistent.

What kind of vague answer was that? Still, it made sense.

Quite a few elderly people prefer saying what year they were born rather than stating their age.

Because counting every single year is genuinely tedious. It was probably a similar reason.

’She’s someone with immense experience.’

That was precisely why I asked her age.

Even for dragons, the strongest species on earth, the Forest of the Four Seasons was perilous.

If there were places dangerous even to a dragon, I definitely needed to know about them.

"Then are there any areas I must avoid at all costs? Places where ’even a dragon would find it hard to survive’?"

-You seem to still harbor hope of escaping. It would be better to give up.

"Doing nothing yields nothing, but doing something will produce something."

It was far better than doing nothing at all.

Above all, I had reliable helpers. With this, I could peek at the slight possibility of escape.

Perhaps because that thought crossed my mind, I asked Vanir about something I was curious about.

"Ah. Also, do you know about the Gallery?"

-The Gallery? You mean the power of the invaders?

Surprisingly, even Vanir, a being from the Mythological Age, knew of the Gallery’s existence.

However, connecting to it seemed impossible for her. If it were possible, she wouldn’t have answered as if she had merely heard of it.

’Magic can be used inside, but access is blocked?’

Perhaps the gods took measures when shoving the dragons into the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Given that even El Dorado had been overturned by unexpected truths, myths were likely no exception.

A cliché development often seen in media—’The gods were actually total bastards!’—might unfold here.

"Using the Gallery is impossible for you, right?"

-It is impossible in this place.

"I can use it though?"

-Hm?

When I said I could use the Gallery, Vanir wore a puzzled expression.

An expression asking how a human like me could do it when even a dragon like her couldn’t.

Following that, she scanned me up and down before looking over at Ludwig beside me.

-Can you also connect to the Gallery?

Ludwig shook his head side to side.

Forget connecting to the Gallery, he could barely even use mana.

He was only enduring thanks to his Mythricon sword.

-Fascinating.

"I find it fascinating too."

-Hmmm... cough, cough.

Vanir seemed to ponder for a moment, then began coughing.

Come to think of it, didn’t she say poison still remained in her body?

Detaining her for long would be a nuisance. It was better to pick out only the core nuggets of information.

-Regardless, you may consider the Gallery to be one of the invaders’ abilities. At the same time, it was the primary reason we lost the war.

"The primary reason?"

-They conversed as if standing right in front of one another, completely ignoring spatial constraints of thousands of kilometers. We collapsed under the overwhelming organizational strength built upon it.

[Ah. I am aware of that as well. The connection between the Holy Sword and my statue operates on a similar principle.]

Cain added an explanation. Hearing this allowed me to realize where the Gallery originated from.

Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that many things remained shrouded in mystery.

"Could it be that the gods were at fault first, or...?"

-No, nothing like that. We did things worthy of being driven out.

"Worthy of being driven out?"

-Whenever we had the chance, we plundered human wealth or killed them. Of course we deserved to be cast out.Read the latest chapters at novelping dot com.

[The legends of dragon lairs piled high with gold and silver treasures didn’t come out of nowhere.]

"...."

Anyway.

Whatever the reason was, an escape method was far more important to me than stories from the Mythological Age.

Only after getting outside could I question the gods or whatever.

In this place, survival was top priority without even a spare moment to ponder such things.

"Getting back to the main topic, are there any places I must absolutely never enter?"

-Wherever you go will be dangerous for you. Yet this forest is roughly the third safest region.

"...There are places safer than here?"

This was news to me. I had assumed this place was the safest.

One might argue it was based on Vanir’s criteria, but precisely because of that, it was even more objective.

It was a perilous region even for a dragon, the strongest creature on earth. She even said there was an intruder a few days ago.

-There is a place with a warm climate all year round. The bugs are a bit large, but it is a decent region.

"...The bugs are ’a bit’ large?"

-About the size of my claw.

"Based on your original dragon form, right?"

-Isn’t that obvious?

To us, even that would be immensely dangerous. What a horrific place.

Here, four distinct seasons kept the insect sizes relatively small.

As for the place Vanir mentioned... let’s not even think about it.

If I had started there, I might have had to survive by eating giant bugs.

Or I would have been eaten by the bugs.

"Then please tell me the regions I should absolutely never go to."

-By your standards there are many, but do not set so much as a single foot in a land blanketed in green. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a cursed land.

"A green land?"

-The moment you step foot there, the bones and flesh of your entire body will slowly separate. And very slowly at that.

"...."

-Skin that should regenerate will fail to do so and peel off, and you will die as if afflicted by a plague.

Isn’t that radiation sickness? What kind of forest has a radioactive zone?!

Regardless, I was definitely never stepping foot into a place like that.

Radiated zones usually harbored the most horrific mutant abominations anyway.

Besides that, she listed volcanic zones, dark zones, seas, and so on.

Some I had seen across the river, and some I hadn’t.

"So speaking strictly, this place is right in the middle of the forest?"

-Roughly so.

"And entrances and exits are usually on the same side, right?"

-Yes.

"Then doesn’t that mean we can leave through the place Ludwig-ssi entered from?"

"?"

I felt Ludwig’s gaze from the side. At the same time, Cain translated for him.

Since most entrances and exits were one and the same, couldn’t we escape through the spot Ludwig came in?

Just as I was mentally berating myself for why I hadn’t thought of such a simple thing earlier—

-Pish.

Vanir scoffed, looking utterly amused.

It was a smirk that said, ’Do you think I didn’t think of that?’

Seeing that made me annoyed for a moment, but she surely had a reason.

-I wish it were such a comfortable method. How long have you lived here?

"A little under a month."

-As you say, the doorway is fixed in place. The issue is that while the doorway remains, the space outside the doorway changes moment by moment.

Following that, Vanir pointed toward the sky. I looked up where she indicated.

The sun was slowly rising.

-Even here, the sun rises in a different direction every single day. Do you know what this means?

"...."

-You seem to understand. Dozens of regions exist here, tangling together at specific intervals. Position, direction, terrain... there are countless factors to consider.

"...What are the odds of finding that doorway?"

-According to my calculations...

Vanir crossed her arms and began calculating.

Even for a dragon capable of dozens of calculations, was mental math difficult?

Or was it taking long because the probability was absurdly low?

In that tense moment, Vanir finished her calculations and nodded.

-Strictly by probability, it is about 0.00000002%. And that is a generous estimate.

"A generous estimate?"

-Human bodies are endlessly fragile. I heard you are vulnerable to diseases? Factoring that in, the odds drop dozens of times further.

"...."

A truly despairing figure. I wiped my dry face with my hands.

Almost the same level as winning the lottery. Maybe even lower.

Moreover, since she said that was a generous estimate, the actual expected value would be far more tragic.

However.

"...That’s a relief."

-What?Read this novel at nov⁠elping.com for the best experience.

"It means it’s not zero."

Though it converged toward zero, I took comfort in the fact that it wasn’t zero.

Either way, it was a probability. Who knew? Maybe I’d win the lottery.

There are people in the world who win the lottery twice or more, so there was no law saying I couldn’t do it too.

"Opportunities come to those who try. If I gradually narrow down the variables, it won’t converge to zero, but to one."

-....

Vanir stared at me with a look that said she couldn’t fathom my thought process.

A reaction asking if I was truly insane. But I was completely serious.

"Besides, I’m not alone. There’s bound to be a way to drastically raise the odds."

-...If that is how you think, I will not stop you. However, I hope you do not overexert yourself.

"Thank you for your concern."

It was actually more comforting for Vanir to spell it out like this.

Because at least I confirmed that an ’end’ existed.

Even if it took a few years—or a few decades—as long as I could reach that end, it didn’t matter.

-Cough, cough. I must be off soon. Is there anything else you wish to say before I leave?

"Anything I wish to say... Ah! Now that I think about it..."

I had seen it before. Back when I recited the Heavenly Demon’s mnemonic formula and underwent an out-of-body experience.

The colossal tree I discovered while floating freely in the sky.

Normally, I intended to head toward that tree, but with so many tasks piling up, it had been difficult.

"Do you happen to know about a massive tree? A tree that towers uniquely high."

-It would be wise not to go there.

"Why?"

-Because excessive mana emanates from there. Aside from creatures born and raised here, it is one of the reasons beings from the outside cannot use mana.

"What on earth is it?"

Vanir seemed to choose her words carefully for a moment before speaking.

-The invaders called it this: the World Tree.

"The World Tree...?"

-Indeed. It spews intense mana to exert heavy pressure. Conveniently, there is the exact same thing right here.

Vanir pointed her finger somewhere. The rest of the group and I turned our heads toward that spot.

A sapling slowly but stubbornly growing. The sapling given by Let’s Grow Trees.

-...Wait. Hold on.

As if realizing it late, Vanir gasped in horror the instant she spotted the sapling.

-Wh-Why is this here?!

Saying that, she rushed right in front of the sapling—

Fwhoooooosh!!!

—and blasted a breath of fire right out of her mouth.

"...."

Was it really okay to do that? I was thoroughly bewildered.

If Let’s Grow Trees had seen this, wouldn’t he have fainted on the spot?

Regardless, Vanir looked satisfied as she gazed at the neatly charred sapling.

-That was a close call. You wicked tree.

"...Is it because of the mana pressure?"

-That too, but it also desolates its surroundings. It sucks up all the nutrients by itself like a pig.

"...."

So that’s why elf-hating existed. It wasn’t for nothing that people hated tree-planting.

By the way, to be able to give away a World Tree sapling meant he must hold a very high status.

Unless planting World Tree saplings was being encouraged on a national scale.

’I’ll ask later.’

Either way, heading to the World Tree was pushed to the back burner.

Vanir said it was fine to go, but warned me to be careful nonetheless.

-Then before I depart... I shall give you a gift.

"A gift?"

-You are raising my child on my behalf, so shouldn’t you have something appropriate?

If it was something like that, I wasn’t about to decline.

A dragon’s gift—what on earth would she give?

The probability of it being an extraordinary item was definitely high. Yes. An extraordinary item.

-Ugh...

"...?"

-Uuuuuugh...

Not only tilting her head upward, Vanir’s throat began heaving violently.

A feeling of unease washed over me, and that apprehension quickly turned into reality.

-Puaak!

Tuk! Tuk! Degurrrr—

Vanir vomited up an egg-shaped orb nearly the size of a soccer ball from her mouth.

It wasn’t an egg, but an Inner Core glowing in rainbow hues.

And one completely covered in dragon drool, no less.

-Eat it.

"...."

At that moment, I had no choice but to glare blankly at Vanir.

With an expression like someone staring at fish head curry.