I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 259

’Abandon hope, all ye who read this.’ What a truly literary opening line.

However, Gu-chil, seeing this with his own eyes, could not help but be flustered.

He had expected a secret martial manual, yet the introductory line was filled with sheer despair from the very start.

’No. It’s too early to tell. They said the Blood Demon frequently kept a diary.’

Although his head was spinning right from the beginning, it was still too early to give up hope.

Gu-chil used his barely intact arm to painstakingly unroll the scroll.

[This seat’s name is Wi Ho-chang. The sole ’Demon’ of the Blood Cult and the one who pacified the martial world.]

[Let me correct that. I was the one who almost pacified it.]

The next paragraph was equally unordinary. For someone revered as the Blood Demon, had his conscience pricked him?

Since it wasn’t a bound book, he couldn’t easily edit it, making the flow rather bizarre.

It felt as though the man’s dignity was crumbling in real time. Gu-chil let out a dry laugh.

Thinking back, even if Wi Ho-chang had been branded a public enemy of the martial world, on a personal level he was said to be a humble figure.

Setting that aside, however, it was a fact that he had committed countless sins. The Blood Cult had not become the public enemy of the martial world for no reason.

[This forest suppressed this seat’s Internal Energy, but this seat overcame it.]

Crucial information had appeared. Gu-chil focused his eyes.

Upon entering the Forest of the Four Seasons, the martial arts he had learned until now had been rendered utterly useless.

However, if he could use Internal Energy, everything would change.

[Cripple all the Internal Energy you have accumulated so far. Then accept the energy of this forest. Do so, and you shall be able to use Internal Energy once more.]

Destroying all the Internal Energy accumulated up to now. Gu-chil’s jaw dropped at those words.

What did this mean? It was tantamount to shattering one’s own Dantian.

Even during Body Metamorphosis, one’s Internal Energy was usually left intact, so doing this was far too dangerous.

If something went wrong, let alone never being able to use Internal Energy again for the rest of his life, he could end up a crippled invalid.

Did he really have to gain Internal Energy at the cost of taking such a reckless gamble?

[I was lucky. The fact that my Dantian was shattered during the blood battle with those Righteous Faction bastards turned out to be a blessing in disguise.]

Furthermore, Wi Ho-chang had barely managed to escape into the Forest of the Four Seasons with his Dantian destroyed.

Afterward, he fought a desperate battle against a group of gorillas—specifically the former chief gorilla—to become their chief.

And that the gorillas were surprisingly smart, so he even taught them human language, and so on.

It was closer to an autobiography than a secret martial arts manual. There wasn’t a single piece of content related to martial arts techniques.

[As a result of absorbing the qi of this forest, this seat achieved enlightenment and entered the Profound Realm.]

Along with the statement at the end that he had reached the stage of the Profound Realm:

[Even so, I could not escape from this forest.]

[For this forest is crawling everywhere with Yokai that even this seat found difficult to deal with.]

[Not only that, but space shifts from moment to moment, making it impossible to know where one is.]

[Therefore, the moment you read this text, abandon all hope of escape.]

[P.S.: If possible, do not treat those Great Ape fellows recklessly.]

The utterly hopeless log ended. Desolation settled deep within Gu-chil’s heart.

Starting from breaking one’s own Dantian, down to the testimony that the chance of escape was close to zero.

Combined, these two things made everything feel completely futile.

’...Why the hell did I join the Blood Cult in the first place?’

He felt such intense skepticism that he wondered this. Risking his life to come all the way here had become utterly meaningless.

However, it was too early to give up right away. Earlier, the gorilla had said this:

That this scroll was merely the first Chapter. The remaining Chapters were what truly mattered.

Gu-chil neatly folded the scroll and handed it back to the chief gorilla, who was still watching him.

"You said there were more besides this, right?"

"That is correct."

"What must I do for you to give them to me?"

"Prove your usefulness."

Prove your usefulness. It was an extraordinarily arrogant proposal.

Gu-chil’s eye twitched at this, but the usefulness the chief gorilla spoke of was not what he thought.

"What are you good at?"

"What am I good at?"

"Hunting, trapping, or perhaps medicinal herbs?"

"..."

Gu-chil could not say a single word in response to the chief gorilla’s question.

As a member of the Blood Cult, the only thing he was good at was killing.

Yet even that was not easy now, given that his limbs were completely shattered.

"Hunting... I can at least do that. But with my limbs in this state, it will be difficult for a while."

"That will heal completely once the morning sun rises three times."

"..."

Gu-chil wore an expression that asked what kind of crazy nonsense that was supposed to be.

Bone fractures took at least a month to heal, even for martial artists.

However, the chief gorilla seemed to have his reasons, as he provided a suitable example.

"Master did. And so did the other fellow."

"The other fellow?"

"Someone similar to you lives nearby."

Gu-chil’s eyes flashed. He intuitively recognized who the chief gorilla was talking about.

The culprit who had lured (?) the Blood Cult into pushing into the Forest of the Four Seasons: Wild Grylls.

Come to think of it, hadn’t he heard that the gorilla group had approached him first?

"That fellow recovered quickly too?"

"This seat broke his arm. But he recovered before long."

Could an ordinary person possess such regenerative power? Impossible.

Gu-chil had thoroughly investigated Grylls before entering the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Part of it was done by the Blood Cult itself, and part of it was knowledge he had naturally gained from browsing the Gallery in his spare time.You are reading on novelрing.com, the official source.

The results of his investigation confirmed that Grylls had received help from numerous fixed-nicks.

The Elixir—that is, the Golden Elixir—was a prime example. He had surely treated himself with that.

’There is a high probability he still has one. I must get my hands on it.’

The problem was that Grylls could use Internal Energy.

Furthermore, an absurdly strong sloth and a Guardian of the Holy Kingdom lived there as well.

The moment he antagonized them, he himself would be in greater danger.

’There is no need to make an enemy of him. Escape is my priority.’

This was the Forest of the Four Seasons, where even the mighty Blood Demon had left a record telling others to abandon hope. Of course, he had no intention of despairing because of that.

If they joined forces somehow, they ought to be able to make it outside. A temporary alliance, so to speak.

’While I’m at it, it would be great if I could bring that white Great Ape along as well.’

For now, he had no choice but to bide his time quietly. Gu-chil made up his mind.

Furthermore, Grylls must have gathered a wealth of information about this place.

’It is too early to meet him. I must read all the logs left behind by the Blood Demon first.’

It was the Blood Demon’s legacy that he had painstakingly found. There was no telling what was written in it.

Even if it was closer to an autobiography, it would certainly be of great use. With any luck, he might even gain hints regarding martial arts.

Organizing his thoughts, Gu-chil spoke to the chief gorilla.

"These injuries won’t heal easily. I am different from the Blood Demon or that guy you mentioned."

"Weak. How can someone so frail survive?"

"It’s not like I got hurt because I wanted to."

He was unlucky. Extremely unlucky.

Starting on a piece of land surrounded by a vast boundless sea, he had been swallowed by a monster.

Just being alive like this was a miracle in itself.

Meanwhile, at the statement that recovery would take a long time, the chief gorilla stroked his chin before speaking.

"Then leave."

"...What?"

"You are an outsider. Yet you are useless. Leave."

"W-Wait a minute."

Gu-chil was thoroughly taken aback. He had thought he could stay here for the time being, but to tell him to leave?

At a treatment that lacked even a shred of human kindness, his shock turned into sheer absurdity.

"I-In this state, you’re telling me to leave?"

"That is right. A full-grown fellow who is useless? You only waste food. Go outside and find your usefulness."

"You son of a... no, wait. Don’t these monkey bastards have any hospitality? Isn’t this way too cold-hearted?!"

The sight of a Blood Cultist talking about hospitality was downright laughable. Of course, there was no one here to call him out on that.

In the first place, this was the wild, and the chief gorilla was a beast.

Even if fate had led him to learn human language and martial arts, it was only natural for him to follow the ways of the wild.

"We protect our kin. But you are not our kin."

"I served the Blood Demon himself! Even so, you refuse?"

"Even if you were Master’s son, it would be no different. If you cannot prove your usefulness, you are merely dead weight."

Someone once said that the origin of civilization was a broken bone that had healed.

Civilization began with caring for one another.

The chief gorilla faithfully observed this principle as well, protecting severely injured kin.

Of course, this applied strictly to ’kin’ who had entered inside the fence.

Gu-chil had not yet entered that fence. He was merely an outsider brought in out of curiosity by the subordinates.

While it was somewhat surprising that he was connected to Wi Ho-chang, the gorilla had already extended good will regarding that by granting him the legacy.

"Hah..."

Gu-chil belatedly accepted that this place was the wild.

Trying to apply the common sense of civilization here was absurd in itself.

He seemed to have forgotten it for a moment because the chief gorilla spoke the language of Zhongyuan so fluently.

However, he couldn’t just get kicked out like this either. He spoke in a resigned voice.

"...Show some mercy. No matter how wicked our Blood Cult may be, even we show courtesy to guests."

"We are not the Blood Cult. We are Great Apes."

"..."

"Master said: If you come to a place with different rules, follow the rules of that place."

"Hah..."

Gu-chil was furious. The problem was that even if he was angry, there was nothing he could do.

Furthermore, the martial arts level of this chief gorilla would be formidable as well.

According to the posts Grylls had uploaded, he was an expert capable of using even the Internal Heavy Palm Technique.

Even fighting outside, victory could not be guaranteed—let alone inside the Forest of the Four Seasons, which needed no further explanation.

"Still, I shall give you time. Prove your usefulness before the morning sun rises five times. Then I shall accept you as kin."

"And if I fail to prove my usefulness? Will you expel me just like that?"

"That is right."

Recovering within five days was impossible. Gu-chil pondered.

To read the rest of the records left by the Blood Demon, he had to prove his usefulness.

However, his physical condition was poor, and he was on the verge of being thrown out.

"May I return later?"

"Normally, no. However, you are of Master’s kin. If you prove your usefulness, I will accept you."

Fortunately, amid the misfortune, the chief was willing to take him back later.

If even this had been refused, he would have had to consider other methods.

"That’s a relief. Then where is that fellow you mentioned?"

"Follow the river down and you will find a net structure. He is near there."

Grylls wasn’t too far away either. Gu-chil’s mind raced.The source of this chapter is NovelPing.

He could either win Grylls’ sympathy or strike a deal through conversation with him.

Of course, Grylls was no fool, so he wouldn’t easily trust someone he was meeting for the first time.

Especially considering he himself was a remnant of the Blood Cult. He knew all too well how the Blood Cult was treated.

’At least he’ll be better than an ape.’

Five days. Once five days passed, he had to find Grylls no matter what.

With that resolve, Gu-chil faced the chief gorilla.

Before resting comfortably, there was one thing he wanted to ask.

"Come to think of it, did you say you were a disciple of the Blood Demon?"

"That is right. Myself and my younger brother, Wi Baek, are his disciples."

"Then did the Blood Demon leave behind any final words?"

The Blood Demon, Wi Ho-chang, was not here. According to the chief gorilla’s mention, he had ascended to heaven.

This meant that he had achieved profound enlightenment and experienced Ascension to Immortality.

Since this gorilla must have witnessed that scene, he would also know the Blood Demon’s last words.

"There are."

"Could you tell me what they were?"

"It is not particularly important content."

"Tell me anyway, please."

It might be unimportant to gorillas. But a last message was a crucial clue.

At this, the chief gorilla blinked as if recalling the last words, then opened his mouth.

"Hahaha! Fuck!"

"...?"

A thick profanity spilled out right from the start. Gu-chil was utterly dumbfounded.

"Work your asses off! I’m performing Ascension to Immortality!"

"..."

It was an exceedingly flippant last request. At the same time, it was hollow.

How thrilled must he have been to escape that he left such ridiculous last words behind?

"Master often floated up toward the sky. Every time he did, I caught him."

"...Why didn’t you stop him the last time?"

"He flew off before I even had the chance to stop him."

"..."

Gu-chil’s hope began to break bit by bit.

It was a last word that was truly so like Wi Ho-chang, but it was of absolutely no help.

After that, the chief gorilla went outside, and Gu-chil quietly rested to recover.

Due to the unique pressure of the Forest of the Four Seasons, the amount of Internal Energy he could circulate was minimal.

What was worse, because he had converted most of his Internal Energy into External Arts, even that tiny amount was woefully insufficient.

’Still, for the sake of recovery, I have no choice but to do it.’

It was better than doing nothing. Gu-chil quietly closed his eyes.

Ddakkeum!

"Ah!"

Then, he felt a stinging sensation on the back of his hand.

It was a stinging sharp enough to instantly shatter his concentration, so Gu-chil hurriedly checked.

Some bug no bigger than a grain of millet was biting the back of his hand.

"Dammit."

Gu-chil hurriedly shook his hand to shake off the bug.

If his arm had been fine, it would be a different story, but right now shaking it was all he could do.

’What a trashy world this is.’

He quietly closed his eyes and continued his recuperation.

And so, a bit of time passed.

"Kheu-heok! Kheu-heok! Keo-eok... keok...!"

Gu-chil contracted an illness and began hovering on the brink of death.

It was painful, but worse yet, his entire body was burning hot as if on fire. He felt as though he were melting away.

"M-Medicine...!"

"No medicine. Endure it."

"You damn... cough! ape...!"

"Bite the bullet and grit your teeth through it. This is the forest you chose."

Gu-chil’s eventful misadventures were far from over.

"Ggyuuu! Ggyu!"

"Ehey. Wonmo. Even if you don’t want to wash, you have to. Otherwise, we’ll all get sick."

I barely coaxed Wonmo, who was throwing a tantrum about not wanting to bathe.

Because summer had arrived, the temperature had risen, so we had to wash twice a day without exception.

If we were bitten by ticks, it would become a real headache. Even an Elixir couldn’t completely cure diseases.

"Hey. You wash up quickly too."

"..."

"If you don’t wash, the kids are gonna dislike you, you know?"

At my words, Bbareumbo sluggishly stepped into the tub.

It was nice that Bbareumbo had been listening well lately too.

’Come to think of it, the gorillas seem to be coming around often lately.’

I had been pretending not to notice until now, but occasionally, gorillas would come scouting around.

Since it was merely scouting, I had left them alone; if they had invaded, I would have responded immediately.

’Is it because the sound of my hammering is too loud?’

Deciding it was no big deal, I chose to let it slide.