I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 26

Thanks to Heavenly Demon and Sword Matstar’s help, I was somehow able to feel mana.

Doing it with the feeling of repeating the first phenomenon I experienced felt pretty decent.

But the problem erupted right after. Every time the mana starting from my lower abdomen completed one circuit, my stomach hurt.

Once or twice would be fine, but the moment mana finished a single full circuit, my stomach hurt so much I couldn’t hold it in at all.

To the point where I wondered if I should build a separate toilet. Walking far away and back was exhausting too.

’And why am I sweating so much?’

I didn’t even feel particularly exhausted, yet sweat was pouring from my entire body.

And it wasn’t normal sweat; it was pitch-black sweat.

Almost like the dark gunk people only talk about. It even looked disgusting.

"Ugh!"

The smell was awful too. I almost threw up.

It felt like every piece of waste imaginable had lumped together.

"Kkyeueek! Kkyeueeeek!"

Wonmo, who had a far better sense of smell than me, was having a full-blown freakout.

As soon as Wonmo caught the scent, he backed far away from me.

Seeing him huddled in the corner of the cave growling, it must have been pretty terrible.

Looks like I need to wash up again. Wonmo might kick me out of the cave otherwise.

Even though dusk had fallen, sleeping like this might make me sick.

’What on earth is going on?’

I filled the tub with water and lit a fire underneath.

Waiting for the water to come to a rolling boil was inconvenient, so I dunked my body right in.

Soon, as I submerged my body, the refreshing coolness characteristic of valley water spread throughout me.

After groaning in relief for a brief moment, I decided to seek help on the Gallery.

Title: Is mana circulation normally like this?

Wild Grylls

As advised, I’m circulating mana, but every time it completes a circuit, I have to poop. Is it normally like this?

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: This is the first time I have heard of feeling the urge to defecate every time one performs Internal Energy Regulation.

ㄴ Sword Matstar: Me too. Isn’t it just a problem with your intestines?

ㄴ Wild Grylls: I haven’t eaten anything;; It’s not even diarrhea.

ㄴ Ugh. Gross.

ㄴ Holy shit, I’m eating curry and you guys are talking about poop.

ㄴ Actually, you’re eating curry-flavored poop lol

ㄴ Ah, seriously --

Though it was quite a dirty topic, I was dead serious.

If I had diarrhea, I would have understood to some degree. Since that would mean I caught an illness.

But since it wasn’t even that, I had no choice but to be suspicious.

All I had eaten up to now were Fasting Pills.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: The only thing coming to mind right now is expelling bodily waste... By any chance, do you have any physical issues?

ㄴ Wild Grylls: Well, I’m not a pig.

Bluntly speaking, my body was close to overweight.

Neither skinny nor noticeably fat.

Instead, having eaten only instant ramen to save money, visceral fat had likely accumulated.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Given the time you ingested the Fasting Pills as well, that is the only explanation I can think of for now.

ㄴ Sword Matstar: Or it could really be due to your physical constitution.

ㄴ Wild Grylls: Is it the same if overweight people learn breathing techniques?

ㄴ If it were like that, I would’ve learned breathing techniques first lol

ㄴ Real, getting healthy just by breathing exercises? I’d do it right away lol

They said learning a breathing technique wouldn’t change your body shape.

Because changing body shape is "External Arts," while breathing techniques are "Internal Energy," or something like that.

Still, they explained that since the two have a complementary relationship, taking care of one’s body is beneficial.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Are there any other symptoms besides that?

ㄴ Wild Grylls: I’m sweating pitch-black sweat, and the smell is awful.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: It seems bodily waste is indeed being flushed out.

ㄴ Wild Grylls: Is that a good thing?

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Beyond good, it is at an abnormal level. One would normally need to reach at least the Peak Realm.

ㄴ Wild Grylls: It’s not a bad thing, right?

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: It is not bad, but just in case, it would be best to focus solely on Internal Energy Regulation for the time being.

In the end, my breathing technique hit a wall at Internal Energy Regulation. They said they’d teach me the incantations next time.

I had no intention of refusing either, so I obediently accepted.

Every time I circulated mana one round my stomach hurt, so what choice did I have?

’It’s not nutrients flushing out instead of waste, right?’

Even out of anxiety, I wanted to eat more Fasting Pills.

But if I did that, my johnson might explode, so it was better to endure.

"Phew."

How is it that not a single thing goes according to plan?

Falling into a forest like this in the first place was the main problem, though.

While lamenting my fate, I raised my head and looked at the sky.

The night sky was embroidered with countless stars, truly beautiful.

’...Yeah. No need to rush.’

The water was slowly growing warm too.

I finished up by scrubbing every corner of my body squeaky clean with soap.

I planned to dispose of the remaining water in the barrel the next day. It was too dark out, making it dangerous to handle now.

Afterwards, after thoroughly drying my body with a towel, I browsed the Gallery until my hair dried.

Even late at night, the Gallery was active. Most of it was overflowing with useless posts.

Real-time Gallery bro is fuckedThis chapter is updated first at novelpi⁠ng.com.

Really wanna quit my job.

This is a blue ocean, right?

The river water is warm lately

Fucking knife-ears planted trees again

EMEEEERGEEEENCY!

It was all like this. Beyond familiar, it felt almost comforting.

After eagerly browsing the Gallery, I posted a brief update.

As always, a post announcing the end of the day.

Numerous comments poured in at once, but I skimmed through them and turned it off.

Maybe because I learned the breathing technique today, drowsiness washed over me.

’Where should I go tomorrow? Repairs? Breathing? Exploration?’

Whatever it was, the fact that I’d suffer remained unchanged.

Before closing my eyes, I checked Wonmo’s condition first.

The little guy lying right next to me, seeking sleep.

Thanks to him, the loneliness felt a little less burdensome.

’If only for money, I’ll have to chop trees diligently.’

I slowly closed my eyes.

As sleepiness rushed in, my thoughts ceased to function.

Worked hard today as well, so let’s rest comfortably for tomorrow.

’I can... get out, right?’

I held onto a faint, gradually fading hope.

Sleep is extremely important for any animal.

Humans were no different. Sleep desire far surpassed appetite and sexual desire.

If you didn’t get proper sleep, you could consider that entire day ruined.

Conversely, if you slept deeply enough, it meant you could welcome a morning more refreshing than ever.

Title: Another energetic and robust morning!

Wild Grylls

If anyone asks me, I am Wild Grylls!

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: You are awake. Do you feel any discomfort in your body?

ㄴ Wild Grylls: None at all. In fact, I feel way more refreshed than any other day?

ㄴ Sword Matstar: It must be because of the breathing. Doing it right after waking up in the morning yields even better results, you know?

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: It is likely due to the breathing. Doing it once before sleep and once after waking up would be ideal.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: You rude fool. I was about to say that first.

ㄴ Sword Matstar: You’re way too slow.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Being fast is not everything. What matters is accuracy.

ㄴ Sword Matstar: I agree with that part, but speed is more important.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Pursuing speed is how one falls into Qi Deviation.

ㄴ Starlight Lady: You’re awake. Are you feeling sick anywhere?

ㄴ Wild Grylls: Not really. Are you really completely fine now?

ㄴ Starlight Lady: Yes. As soon as I woke up, I went outside the mansion and jogged.

ㄴ Wild Grylls: You’ve really gotten healthy.

ㄴ So now only Grylls is left?

ㄴ Poor Grylls, how lonely lol

ㄴ Will he beat the Ducal Lady’s record?

ㄴ Starlight Lady: You people are truly mean. I’ll help you so you don’t surpass that record, so don’t worry too much.

Heavenly Demon and Sword Matstar bickering from morning. The comments of the recovered Starlight Lady.

I recalled how many posts praying for Starlight Lady’s full recovery I had posted.

As far as I could roughly remember, it was around 110 days.

Roughly 3 to 4 months. Could I really escape outside by then?

’By then, I won’t just be adapting, I’ll be living a full life here?’

After browsing the Gallery briefly, I checked Wonmo first.

Still a cub, even though I got up, he was still in dreamland.

Moving around might wake him up, so I checked the Auction House first.

’Let’s see... the things I listed yesterday...’

The items listed yesterday were the Owlbear carcass and wood. Both were listed for auction bidding.

Due to brutal commission fees, auction bidding was a structure where the lister took a loss.

But for me, selling was more important than fees, so I was simply curious.

Owlbear Carcass: 200 Silver Taels

Forest of the Four Seasons Wood: 10 Gold

"Oh?"

It commanded a substantial price. The wood was one thing, but the Owlbear’s price was quite high.

Silver taels were the currency of the Central Plains, and I heard 1 silver tael was roughly equal to 10 Gold.

So the Owlbear carcass was roughly 2,000 Gold.

’Why is it so expensive? Is it because of the bear gall bladder?’

An Owlbear was a type of bear, so the bear gall bladder would be expensive.

Even if it wasn’t that, as long as it sold high, it didn’t matter.

’The wood is pretty expensive too.’

Earning 10 Gold every time I fell a tree? I was confident I could become an environmental criminal.

’Though getting physically broken would come first.’

At the very least, I’d need to reach a level where I could fell a tree with a single axe stroke.

Until then, I planned to avoid logging purely for profit.

’Anyway, I have to cut trees for the barrier wall regardless.’

After roughly organizing my tasks, I assumed a cross-legged position.

I began breathing as advised by Heavenly Demon and Sword Matstar.

Once each in the morning, noon, evening, and before sleep.This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.

Doing it about 4 times a day like this was the standard, but there were exceptions.

Namely, when ingesting Spiritual Medicine. Since one had to harmonize the energy of the Spiritual Medicine, it was absolutely required.

’Then do I have to do it every time I eat?’

Since Fasting Pills were said to be on par with Spiritual Medicine, it must be essential.

I closed my eyes and practiced breathing just as I learned yesterday.

’Starting from the lower belly, feeling it complete a full circuit around the body...’

At first, controlling it was difficult, but after that, it was easy.

The problem was just that my stomach hurt violently every single circuit.

I was worried whether today would be similar.

’Passing through the heart and head, back to the lower belly.’

Heavenly Demon had said.

That it was dangerous for a beginner to pass through the heart and head.

Supposedly one needed to reach a certain cultivation realm to break through, but mine unlocked the moment I started.

Though I got a nosebleed thanks to it, I never fell into a dangerous situation.

’Back to the lower belly.’

The mana circulating through my whole body returned to my lower belly.

Unlike yesterday, I felt no stomach pain or anything of the sort.

Everything that needed to be flushed out might have already escaped.

After running a few more circuits, I slowly halted my breathing.

"Phew."

Exhaling a breath, I slowly opened my eyes.

As soon as I opened my eyes, what came into view was a pair of clear, bright golden eyes.

When I stared quietly into those eyes, the furball tilted his head.

"Kkyuu?"

It was Wonmo. Looks like he watched over me from the side while I did my breathing.

Seeing how he didn’t disturb me, he had good tact.

Staring intently at Wonmo, I let out a soft chuckle and said:

"Hungry?"

"Kkyu!"

"How is it that you seem to understand everything I say?"

"Kkyuu?"

"Or not?"

Doesn’t matter either way. I bought a suitable piece of meat from the Auction House.

Giving it to Wonmo, he devoured it with great relish.

He might be thirsty, so giving him water seemed like a good idea too.

Trickle trickle-

"Huh?"

But the water didn’t flow well.

It came out, but the water pressure was far too weak.

Apparently, a problem occurred with the hose overnight or an abnormality took place at the river.

"Annoying."

I wouldn’t go up right away. Since water came out for now.

I gave Wonmo water and resolved my breakfast with a Fasting Pill.

Now it wasn’t 3 per meal, but 1 per meal.

Even eating them one by one, the bitter taste was the same. Eating one was probably better anyway.

’Should I try testing it right away?’

Immediately operating the cultivation method brought about a reaction different from before.

Something lumped inside broke down and merged with the mana.

That broken down thing was likely the energy of the Fasting Pill. I circulated the mana in that exact state.

Nothing changed significantly. My stomach didn’t hurt and everything was fine.

’Did my body get used to it because I ate so much until now?’

Might be something like that.

Anyway, since breakfast was settled, it was time to head out to fix the hose.

I grabbed my sword and shield and looked at Wonmo.

Wonmo was staring at me intently, as if knowing I was leaving.

"You gotta stay here. Got it?"

"Kkyu."

"Ah. And if your belly hurts, poop outside. Don’t poop inside the cave."

"Kkyuu."

Wonmo answered cutely. A reaction close to understanding.

Well, even if he doesn’t understand, potty training can be done slowly, so there’s no rush.

I patted Wonmo a few times and stepped out of the cave.

’Did the sword and shield get lighter? Is it an illusion?’

Whether because I slept deeply, the weight of the sword and shield felt light.

Not only that, but my entire body’s condition was extremely good.

Because it was such a dramatic change, I couldn’t help but recall yesterday’s Internal Cultivation Art.

However, it might just be for today. It’s better not to harbor overly grand expectations.

’I wish every day were like this.’

Thinking thus, I headed toward the river.

Soon, arriving at the spot where I worked on the hose, what came into view was...

Splash! Splash!

"...What is this now?"

It was a red fish tightly blocking the waterway.

’Looks like a King Carp.’

It roughly looked like that.