I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 245

Yoo So-wol couldn’t relate at all, but hair was extremely important regardless of gender.

Not only was it crucial for one’s appearance, but it played a decisive role in first impressions.

No matter how handsome or beautiful someone was, seeing greasy, unkempt hair would instantly leave a bad first impression.

To take it a step further, balding people—so-called baldies—even radiated an intimidating pressure, leading most to avoid them.

At best, monks of the Shaolin Temple covered for it with their robes and benevolent aura, but that was an extreme exception.

Furthermore, there was the doctrine of Body and Hair Given by Parents. In the Central Plains, there was a custom of treasuring even a single strand of hair.

Because of this, pointing fingers at balding people and calling them unfilial sons was considered normal.

In the end, people in the Central Plains who suffered severe hair loss had no choice but to pick a path:

sever ties with the secular world to become monks, become villains consumed by rage, or enter the Demonic Cult.

Among these, those who entered the Demonic Cult could at least live with less judgment.

The Demonic Cult was a place where those shunned or persecuted by the world gathered.

Even here, casting discriminatory looks meant immediate expulsion, allowing them to feel at ease.

"Regrettably, the stares were unavoidable. They viewed us not as unfilial sons, but purely as balding men."

A man spoke in a serious voice. At his words, the people around him nodded.

It was a reaction of passionate agreement. Next, the man presumed to be their leader spoke:

"It is far better to receive pity than to be branded an unfilial son. Still, we endured. In the Demonic Cult, at least we could function as proper human beings."

"I agree."

"When I was outside, I couldn’t even work at an escort agency."

"Not just escort agencies! I originally aspired to be a physician. But I was met only with criticism—’How can you be a physician when you can’t even manage your own hair?’"

Indeed. Every single person gathered here was someone who had suffered hair loss.

People who wished to live as human beings, only to be denounced for ridiculous reasons.

Yet, the most frustrating accusation of all was the false stigma of being unfilial.

In the Central Plains, filial piety held enormous significance.

Unless one officially disowned their family, practicing filial piety toward one’s parents was an absolute principle.

"I never resented my parents. Though lacking, I served them to the best of my ability, yet others blamed me. But no longer."

"Now we can live proudly."

Originally, this gathering was filled with the sorrows of bald men. But not anymore.

For now, everyone possessed hair thicker than anyone else’s.

"Kheuuk..."

Some even shed tears of emotion while touching their own hair.

Understanding those feelings, the person beside him gently patted his back.

The days when they thought they would have to live being mocked for the rest of their lives...

There were no such days anymore.

"All hail the Heavenly Demon!"

"Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, ten thousand demons submit in reverence!"

"Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, ten thousand demons submit in reverence!"

The medicinal herb delivered by the Heavenly Demon. Applying that herb to their scalps revived their hair follicles!

Hair loss wasn’t simply hair falling out; it was a phenomenon where follicles died completely.

Bringing the dead back to life was something even gods couldn’t do, yet the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Cult accomplished it.

They had no choice but to worship her. Anyone would worship her.

"We cannot just stand here! Shouldn’t we personally convey our thanks to Heavenly Demon-nim!"

"Hear, hear!"

"I shall offer two bows!"

"Are you insane?!"

Overwhelmed by joy, he almost committed an outrageous taboo, but they managed to stop him just in time.

Thus, the bald men—no, the people who were now thick-haired—proudly stepped onto the streets.

"Who are those people?"

"I’ve never seen them before. Are they newly moved-in cultists?"

As the old saying goes, hairstyles dictate a person’s first impression.

The residents of the Demonic Cult failed to recognize the group who used to be bald or severely hair-thinning.

And understandably so, since their impressions had completely changed along with their newfound full heads of hair.

Moreover, their confidence-filled expressions played a big role as well.

"Wait. Isn’t that guy Noja?"

"Noja? That baldie?"

"He was bald, why is he like that now?"

Realizing their identity late, amazement slowly spread among the onlookers.

The more it did, the higher the confidence of the man walking in front, Noja, soared.

"The world looks completely different! Hahaha!"

"Is not all of this Heavenly Demon-nim’s grace?"

Soon, with expressions full of happiness, they reached the residence where the Heavenly Demon lived—that is, the Heavenly Demon Palace.

"What?! We cannot gaze upon Heavenly Demon-nim’s heavenly countenance?!"

"Can we not at least behold her countenance for just a moment? I beg of you!"You are reading on novelрing.com, the official source.

"Look, gentlemen. Doing this makes things difficult for us. You’re going to invite divine punishment if you keep this up."

However, they could not see the Heavenly Demon’s face. In truth, this was normal.

Who was the Heavenly Demon? Was she not the living god and symbol of the Demonic Cult?

Within the Heavenly Demon Cult, she held an authority practically more formidable than an Emperor’s, so it was natural that meeting her wasn’t easy.

Well, to tell the truth, Yoo So-wol simply didn’t come out because she was busy raising her plant.

Wi Seol-ak nagged her to please meet the cultists, but to Yoo So-wol, her potted plant was far more precious.

Above all, Yoo So-wol possessed immensely high pride and self-esteem.

She took being worshipped for granted, deciding there was no need to personally show her face.

"Mmh... True, Heavenly Demon-nim must care for not only us but all other cultists as well."

"We might have been acting too selfishly."

"It seems we committed an unnecessary discourtesy."

In the end, they obediently turned back.

Nevertheless, not forgetting their worship toward the Heavenly Demon, they bowed before leaving.

"So what should we do now?"

"Should we not spread Heavenly Demon-nim’s grace far and wide?"

"That is not bad either. It would be good to step outside the Demonic Cult for once."

"Suffering souls are overflowing in this world besides us."

There were many people in the world suffering from hair loss.

Especially in the Western Kingdoms rather than the Central Plains, that tendency was even worse.

A faith bordering on fanaticism and the overwhelming emotion of having received her grace.

With these two things alone, drive and initiative followed naturally.

"Should we not post it on the gallery as well?"

"I shall post it. There must also be people to run around on the ground."

"I will handle that."

Division of roles was swift. There was nothing they wouldn’t do to spread this grace to the world.

Soon, as they posted on the gallery, rumors began to expand rapidly.

Only a single day had passed, and many claimed it was a scam.

However, there were those who accepted it, and those who struggled violently because they couldn’t.

"Umm... If I come here, can I really be freed from the stigma of being an unfilial son?"

"Aigoo! Of course. However, you must wait a little."

The first to arrive was a person from the Central Plains. Those who had received the grace willingly welcomed him.

Of course, they couldn’t hand out the hair loss medicine at will. This was literally the Heavenly Demon’s grace.

"Once a day, toward the palace where the Heavenly Demon resides, you must shout like this: ’Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, ten thousand demons submit in reverence!’"

"T-Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, ten thousand demons submit in reverence...?"

"Brother! You must shout louder! Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, ten thousand demons submit in reverence!"

"T-Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, ten thousand demons submit in reverence!!!"

The Heavenly Demon Cult obtained an opportunity to secure both financial wealth and manpower.

"Heavens-isiyeo... When will the medicinal herb...?"

"Wait. Why are you so anxious and unable to maintain composure?"

"...It is nothing."

Wi Seol-ak’s heart burned with anxiety at the unexpected side effects, but that was their story.

The rumor that it was not merely effective against hair loss but could cure it entirely soon spread across the entire world.

And...

"Your Majesty. The movements of the Demonic Cult are unusual, so strict surveillance appears necessary."

"Mhm..."

This reached the ears of the sole supreme ruler of the Central Plains, the Emperor.

Normally, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to treat it seriously and mobilize troops, but...

"...First, it would be wise to investigate what that medicinal herb is."

"I shall obey your command."

Before anything else, obtaining what he desired took priority.

Though he was still a young Emperor, his position forced him to endure tremendous stress.

He was bound to be vulnerable to stress-induced hair loss, which directly affected the Emperor’s dignity.

’I am merely observing. This is official duty, not personal greed.’

Very slowly, the Demonic Cult’s influence stretched across the entire Central Plains.

The hair loss medicine that emerged from the Demonic Cult.

The existence and effects of that drug threw the gallery and the whole world into an uproar, but there were also many places unaffected.

Most of them were non-human races—beings far removed from hair loss.

However, surprisingly, one race showed great interest: Dwarves.

You might wonder why a race that values alcohol over hair would be interested.

ㄴAnonymous) Is that effective on beards too?

ㄴAnonymous) Looking at it, seems like it grows beards too?This story is hosted at novelping dot com.

ㄴAnonymous) Oh. Then can someone give me some too? I’m someone whose beard doesn’t grow well.

ㄴAnonymous) Come directly to the Demonic Cult and we’ll give you some lol

It was precisely because of beards. To Dwarves, beards were more important than hair.

In fact, most Dwarves viewed a clean-shaven Dwarf much worse than a bald Dwarf.

Moreover, balding while working in a forge was an everyday occurrence.

Partly due to the intense heat, and partly because handling all kinds of metals brought about all sorts of ailments.

’I’m a bit interested in the beard part.’

And Passing Dwarf, Gareth, was one of the Dwarves expressing interest.

He stroked his voluminous beard while scrolling through the gallery.

With interest focused on the hair loss drug, discussion topics surrounding it were flaming hot.

Gareth showed interest, but that was all. He had something much more important right now.

"Hey. Can you see me?"

"I told you, I can’t see a single thing."

A familiar voice sounded from empty midair.

Gareth didn’t even look surprised; he replied bluntly and took a sip of beer.

"This really is a fascinating item. I’ve processed all sorts of leather my whole life, but this is the real deal."

Seureureuk-

Surprisingly, a Dwarf revealed himself from the empty air in front of Gareth.

Wagner, a Dwarf specializing in leather craftsmanship.

He was the Dwarf who had previously crafted boots for Grylls in exchange for mature mandrake liquor.

"Is this really dinosaur hide?"

"I told you it is."

"It’s amazing enough that a dinosaur possessed stealth abilities, but for the hide to be identical too!"

In Wagner’s hands was the processed raptor hide.

At first glance it looked like ordinary leather, but its performance was utterly insane.

"You just drape it over yourself like a cloak and that’s it! What kind of crazy thing is this?"

"It came from the Forest of the Four Seasons, so that’s plausible."

The hide was equipped with invisibility functionality.

What’s more, there was no need for complex magical processing—you just wrapped it around yourself like a cape.

Wagner inspected the hide this way and that before raising a question.

"I didn’t even need to process it. It’s almost as if someone engineered stealth functionality into it beforehand."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. No matter how high-grade a hide is, it never comes pre-installed with magic like this. Do you think skinning a chameleon lets you naturally blend into your surroundings?"

"Of course not."

Gareth understood Wagner’s explanation.

Just as Wagner said, even if you skin a chameleon and use its leather, can it blend into the surroundings?

Absolutely not. Once leather is separated from its host, it becomes plain leather. That’s why craftsmanship is required.

However, the raptor hide easily shattered that common sense. The functionality was embedded directly into the hide itself.

"It feels almost artificial. It’s closer to clothing than raw hide."

"So having just this is enough?"

"Wearing it like a cloak is plenty. By the way, no kickback for me?"

"Here, take this."

As if he anticipated this, Gareth pulled out the food he had prepared in advance.

It was the Acorn Jelly Grylls promised to send earlier. Soy sauce beside it was a bonus.

Wagner opened his eyes wide at the unfamiliar food.

"What’s this?"

"They say it’s jelly made from acorns."

"Oh ho. If you think you can entice me with just this..."

Even while saying that, Wagner slyly sampled a piece of Acorn Jelly.

Lightly dipping it in soy sauce, his posture showed he had already made up his mind.

"...Where is the mature mandrake liquor?"

"Knew you’d ask, so I prepared it in advance."

"Heeyah! You really know your stuff! Let’s eat this first."

The two Dwarves began drinking and celebrating with Acorn Jelly as their snack.

Meanwhile, at that moment in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Tta-ak! Ttak!

"Ack! Kkuek!"

"Too slow. Again."

Grylls was still learning to control his distance.

The growing pains were not over yet.