I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 265

After briefly contemplating whether to return or dispose of him for real, I posted the current situation on the Gallery.

I posted it to inform everyone about what happened and to get help deciding how to handle him going forward.

Title) A Blood Cultist came in;;

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a Central Plains man lying as if dead)

I kept thinking "No way," but that "way" actually happened. A Blood Cultist made it all the way to our Shelter;;

How he got here is ridiculous too. He was mixed in with the gorilla pack, and they tossed him at me.

Part of me wants to return him to sender, but even that’s tough. Should I use him for manual labor?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) I am sorry... This Seat should have dealt with him...

ㄴWild Grylls) No, it’s fine. Didn’t you say it happened while trying to save people? The Blood Cult is to blame, so Heavenly Demon-nim doesn’t need to apologize.

ㄴSword Matstar) I recommend banishing him. I’m not from the Central Plains, but the Blood Cult is extremely nasty.

ㄴAnonymous) They’re only a punchline on the Gallery; in reality, they’re a genuinely terrifying group.

ㄴAnonymous) They’re an organization that practically destroyed half the public order in the Central Plains. Just kill him.

ㄴAnonymous) Don’t talk nonsense about using him for manual labor.

ㄴAnonymous) Can’t you just put a restraining device on him that suppresses energy like Lackey has?

ㄴSmart Demon) That won’t mean much for them. In the first place, they converted all their internal energy into external arts just to enter the Forest of the Four Seasons.

ㄴAnonymous) What does that mean?

ㄴSmart Demon) It means while they can’t use mana or internal energy, their bodies became sturdier. Even if it’s not the Vajra Indestructible Body, he’s probably quite tough.

ㄴAnonymous) So he just pumped raw physical specs.

ㄴAnonymous) Then why are his arms and legs broken?

ㄴAnonymous) Guess it didn’t help much lol

ㄴAnonymous) No, because he did that, only his limbs broke. Otherwise, they probably would’ve been chopped right off lmao

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) If you want, I can give you one more suppressor!

ㄴAnonymous) So now you’re getting a human slave too?

ㄴAnonymous) This might cause a bit of controversy lol

ㄴAnonymous) When was slavery abolished again?

ㄴAnonymous) It’s been over 100 years at least. But there are still places secretly using slaves even now lol

ㄴAnonymous) In the countryside, tenant farmers and serfs are still active duty lmao

ㄴWild Grylls) Tell anyone preaching about human rights to come here. Let’s see if they can still preach human rights after being dropped here.

ㄴAnonymous) lololol

ㄴAnonymous) lmao

ㄴStarlight Lady) Better to discard him if possible. Even a slave requires an overseer to function as one.

ㄴWild Grylls) We have Lackey though.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Then you might face even worse pushback. He might go, "Am I inferior to a gorilla?"

ㄴWild Grylls) Since he’s Blood Cult, isn’t he actually worse than a gorilla? In the first place, these guys tried to make a gorilla their successor.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Um... is that so? What if the slave revolts?

ㄴWild Grylls) Then I think Lackey, not me, will beat him black and blue.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Sir, a good method has occurred to This Seat. How about destroying his dantian?

ㄴWild Grylls) I don’t know how to destroy it...

ㄴHeavenly Demon) You gather internal energy in your hand, place it over where the dantian is located, and deliver an impact to shatter it.

ㄴWild Grylls) (Photo of a magnificently huge Aura Blade sprouting forth) Pretty sure I’d explode not just his dantian, but all his internal organs?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Come to think of it, you mentioned you could not control your internal energy fine enough. This Seat forgot.

Various opinions poured out, but the conclusion was roughly similar: the Blood Cult could not be trusted.

Not only did they have a reputation for killing people as casually as eating meals, but they were also a group far removed from loyalty or righteousness.

Even the Heavenly Demon’s ability to subjugate the remnants of the Blood Cult was said to be thanks to a traitor within their ranks.

Considering how crucial "righteousness" was in the Central Plains—specifically in the Murim—this was a fatal flaw.

’Besides, in a place where survival is paramount, it’s an even bigger problem.’

I couldn’t rule out the possibility of him fleeing to save his own skin. I couldn’t trust him at my back.

Of course, this guy might be different from typical Blood Cultists.

Part of me wanted to call it prejudice, but...

’In Earth terms, he’s basically someone who was part of the Taliban, right?’

Reflecting on it carefully, it wasn’t prejudice. He was just a terrorist.

Furthermore, his reason for coming to the Forest of the Four Seasons was to find traces of Bin and his successor.

Even if the flaw was that the successor turned out to be a gorilla, symbols are what matter to terrorist organizations.

’Wow. Thinking about it like this, he’s a really dangerous guy, isn’t he?’

My mind gradually leaned toward abandoning him. But shouldn’t I milk what I can first?

It was similar to treating a trapped wild beast before immediately releasing it back into the wild.

Just because I was desperate for manual labor didn’t mean I wanted to keep someone around who might stab me in the back.

It would be far better to treat this guy and use him as leverage to trade with the gorilla pack.

’This might actually be better.’

Since things had come to this, building a rapport with the gorilla pack wasn’t a bad idea either.

Since they threw this Central Plains guy at us first, the justification was entirely on my side.

After sorting things out in my head, I asked Ludwig.

"Ahjussi. You know a lot about the Blood Cult too, right?"

"I do."

"This guy is a Blood Cultist, so what should we do? I’ve already organized my thoughts, but I wanted to hear your opinion, ahjussi."

"Abandon him."

Isn’t that a bit too decisive? I was dumbfounded by his knife-sharp response.

Still, I wanted to ask the reason. Was it simply because he was a Blood Cultist, or was there another reason?

"#%^^^. #$%^"

[He says there is no other reason. He is simply repulsed by the deeds the Blood Cult has committed.]

I could understand. Ludwig must have heard about the Blood Cult’s infamous reputation too.

It was infamous enough that even the Holy Kingdom had designated them as ’evil’ and debated whether or not to send an expedition force.

Fortunately, the Orthodox-Demonic War broke out before that and rendered it moot, but they were dangerous entities nonetheless.

’It’s a shame, but I’ll have to discard him.’

How could such useless, unrecyclable garbage arrive when I needed labor?

If he had been a criminal from El Dorado instead of the Blood Cult, he might have been useful.

’Wait, no. If that were the case, would Ludwig go on a rampage?’

Whatever the case, it seemed he couldn’t be used for labor.

However, as a fellow survivor struggling to stay alive, I should at least show him a minimum level of courtesy.

Of course, I didn’t forget to prepare in case he tried to backstab me.

"Let’s fix him up moderately for now. Maybe not his arms, but his legs should be fine, right?"

[Even his legs feel like a waste, but...]

"If he stays here, he’ll just waste our food. Better to kick him out quickly."

[That makes sense.]

"And..."

I decided to prepare just in case this Central Plains guy tried to betray me.

Right now, with Ludwig, and furthermore Lackey and Bbareumbo around, he wouldn’t be able to directly harm me.

Therefore, I planned to set a ’trap.’ A test to see whether I should kick him out or treat him differently.

’To do that, the Elixir...’

I moved the Elixir that was placed by the cave wall up to the cave ceiling, making it hard to find.

And in its original spot, I placed a box containing empty bottles. Plus the ’trap.’

This should be enough. All that was left was to wait until that Central Plains guy woke up.

[Princess Chaenggu: Here is the suppressor!]

[Wild Grylls: Thank you. When is the Chaeyu match?]

[Princess Chaenggu: It’s tomorrow! Tomorrow is the most important match, so please cheer for us!]

[Wild Grylls: Understood. Chaeyu fighting!]

[Princess Chaenggu: Hehe, thank you!]

First, I received one more suppressor from Princess Chaenggu.Enjoying the story? Read on at novelpi⁠ng.com.

[Starlight Lady: Syringes? I have a few more, do you need more?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. The ones on the auction house make me anxious hygiene-wise.]

[Starlight Lady: Don’t tell me you’re planning to treat that Blood Cultist?]

[Wild Grylls: Just his legs. That way he can leave on his own two feet.]

[Starlight Lady: Mmm... understood.]

I also received new syringes from Starlight Lady.

One might ask why I couldn’t just sterilize the existing syringe with fire, but that wouldn’t cut it.

Above all, this guy was groaning from illness, so a single mistake could prove dangerous.

’Fixing just his legs should be enough.’

Whoever put on the splint did a good job, so the bones looked like they’d set quickly.

Regardless of that, improving his illness would be difficult. I put in the minimum effort.

Soon, I poured the remaining Elixir down the Central Plains guy’s throat and waited to see the progress.

"Like I said earlier, the remaining Elixir is just this and what’s left over there. Got it?"

My companions nodded at my words. At this, I shifted my gaze to Lackey.

The most important thing in this trap was the Central Plains guy’s mindset, but Lackey’s role was also crucial.

Because Lackey had to subtly sway the Central Plains guy’s heart for us to learn his true intentions.

Right now, the companion who could get closest to the Central Plains guy was Lackey.

"By the way, Lackey. Do you want to keep living here?"

"Stomach full, back warm."

"What if this guy says he’ll take you out of here?"

"Can he even get out?"

Faced with such crisp facts, I was rendered speechless. I scratched my head.

So I decided to set the hypothesis of ’what if we can get outside.’

"No. Won’t leave."

"Why? If you go outside, there might be people who revere you."

"Master said. The group called Blood Cult. Even in his eyes, they were not normal."

By master, did he mean the Blood Demon, Wi Ho-chang?

I was surprised because Lackey had rarely spoken about Wi Ho-chang until now.

Partly because I wasn’t interested, but mostly because I hadn’t even thought to ask.

"That Wi Ho-chang guy maintained the Blood Cult even knowing that?"

"It was fun. That was the sole reason."

"So that guy wasn’t quite normal either."

A statement that evoked not even a shred of sympathy. As expected of the leader of the Blood Cult.

And the cultists who revered such a leader weren’t normal either. I made up my mind to distance myself from this Central Plains guy even more.

"Gueeeee..."

While talking with Lackey, the Central Plains guy let out a groan.

Earlier, he had regained consciousness only to pass out immediately, but not this time. His body was moving.

I immediately signaled Lackey with my eyes. To stay by his side just like before.

Lackey understood my nod and waited quietly near the Central Plains guy’s face.

"Urrgh...?"

Soon, the Central Plains guy began to open his eyes. Looking closely now, he was sweating much less.

Whether his vision was hazy, the Central Plains guy blinked several times before locking eyes with Lackey.

"Awaken, warrior."

"Hey. You just spoke Korean."

"Ah. $%^%^. ##$."

Is Korean more familiar to him now than Central Plains language? I let out a dry laugh.

In the meantime, the Central Plains guy stared blankly at Lackey’s face, then started up in shock.

Though he had been hovering between life and death just a moment ago, he seemed quite energetic now, whether due to the honey water or the Elixir.

"#%%... Gueeeee..."

Of course, getting up suddenly after lying down is bound to cause dizziness.

The Central Plains guy clutched his head with his hand and lay back down. He had been too hasty.

Still, since he seemed to have regained consciousness, we could probably have a conversation.

"Are you conscious?"

"#$%...?"

At my question, the Central Plains guy rolled his eyes and looked at me.

His face was still dazed, but thanks to the Elixir’s effect, he looked better than before.

"I’m Grylls, you know me, right?"

"Grylls...! Eueeee..."

The Central Plains guy bolted up again, only to collapse back down. Something was wrong with this guy.

Still, considering he had suffered in the Forest of the Four Seasons, it was understandable. What he needed right now was rest.

I held out my hand to signal the Central Plains guy to stay calm.

"Be careful. I used an Elixir, but you’re not fully cured yet."

"#%%%^. ##$$. #%%^^."

Lackey kindly translated from the side. Looking at him now, he was low-key all-purpose.

The Central Plains guy looked around at me, Lackey, and the rest of the party nearby with a confused expression before calming down.

Next, he blinked as if thinking for a moment, then fixed his eyes on me and spoke.

"#$$%... Grylls?"

"Yes. I am Grylls. You know the Gallery, right?"

"#@$. #$%%%$."

"He says he knows. He didn’t expect you to be a fellow Central Plains person though."

"Sorry, but I’m not a person from the Central Plains."

Even if I’m Asian, the nation is different. Lackey translated that word for word.

The Central Plains guy nodded as if it didn’t matter. He probably just figured we shared the same race.

"What is your name?"

"Gu-chil."

"You came from the Blood Cult, right?"

"#%."

I began a brief background check.

This man’s name was Gu-chil, and as expected, he was from the Blood Cult.

His reason for coming to the Forest of the Four Seasons was to find traces of Wi Ho-chang.

He also reportedly planned to take out Wi Ho-chang’s successor, ’Wiheuk’ or ’Wibaek’.

Since Wiheuk was the chief gorilla and Wibaek was Lackey, I roughly understood what he meant.

"Yeah. Well... I already knew that. Oh, and I fixed your legs. You know what an Elixir is, right?"

I said, showing him the empty bottle. Lackey’s translation was a bonus.

At that, Gu-chil’s eyes flashed wide, and he lifted his head to stare down at his legs.

Following that, he moved his broken legs this way and that, marveling in awe. Apparently, he hadn’t realized it until now.

"I’d love to treat your arms too, but there’s only one bottle of Elixir left. I have to save that one."

"#$%%%. ##$$%$%. ##."

"...#$$%%?"

"He asks where it is."

Look at this guy. I don’t know if it was prejudice, but his true colors were already showing.

Even so, I hid my inner thoughts. It was to gauge his true intentions.

"It’s over there in the box. It should glow yellow."

"...$$%%."

"He says thank you."

So he’s at least someone who knows how to express gratitude. What a relief.

I told Gu-chil to rest up first, and that I’d treat his arms slowly over time.Get faster updates on novelрing.com.

Because even without an Elixir, steadily consuming honey water should do the trick anyway.

"Blood Cult or whatever, we’re all fellow survivors here, so let’s hang in there together."

"#$%%. #$%%%. ##$%."

"#$$%%%."

"He says, ’I will not forget this grace.’"

Damn right. I left Gu-chil with the advice to rest first.

Regardless of his condition, I had work to do.

’First, I need to hide all the tools.’

I hid everything forged from Mythricon, including the Sword of the Heavenly Demon. I left only a single Elixir—or rather, the fake.

Time passed, night approached, and when everyone was asleep.

Buseureok-

A rustling noise reached my ears.

I was already awake, but I deliberately pretended to sleep.

Not just me, but Ludwig and Bbareumbo were probably awake too.

Deulgeoreok- deulgeoreok-

The sound of someone rummaging through a box for a bottle echoed. Isn’t this way too obvious?

I sighed inwardly, thinking, ’Figures.’

The saying that you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast was spot on.

After that, I sensed someone’s presence sneaking outside, and as that presence receded further into the distance...

"..."

My party, including myself, quietly sat up.

As expected, Gu-chil’s spot was completely empty.

They say people don’t change, and it was truly spot on.

"Tsk... Still, it’s nice that he walked out on his own two feet."

"..."

Ludwig also had an almost expressionless face, as if he hadn’t expected anything in the first place.

I checked around to see if any other tools had gone missing.

Aside from the set ’trap,’ nothing in particular had disappeared...

"Huh?"

...Wait, no, there was one more thing. The syringe.

I wondered why on earth he took the syringe, but soon realized.

That guy also knew how to use a syringe. However, there was a problem.

’He’s not planning to inject that into his arm, is he?’

Because that ’trap’...

’His arm is literally going to rot.’

Was urine.

-Hwaaaaaaaagh!!!

A scream rang out from not far away.

Rather than a scream of being devoured by a wild beast, it was the shriek of experiencing something horrific.

Listening to that scream, I thought: If he really injected it, he won’t be able to use that arm for a while.

"Mm... Let’s just go back to sleep."

"Understood."

Who cares anyway?

It’s his own karma.

His mind was in a panic. Gu-chil regretted it.

There was no way a Golden Elixir—that is, an Elixir—would smell like pungent urine.

However, Gu-chil had never drunk nor even seen a Golden Elixir before.

Naturally, he didn’t know what it tasted like or what kind of smell it gave off.

Thus, only now did he realize that failing to suspect that strangely foul stench had been his fatal miscalculation.

"Pueeeeek! Puek!"

Unable to bear the overwhelming disgust, Gu-chil repeatedly spat and wiped his mouth.

To endure it even a little, he crammed nearby weeds into his mouth.

Though there was a high chance they were poisonous herbs, he simply couldn’t endure it without stuffing something into his mouth.

’Damn it... Why collect urine? Has he completely lost his mind?’

Gu-chil resented Grylls, entirely unaware that it was a trap set specifically for him.

Of course, he was the one who pulled a brazen stunt first, but that didn’t matter much to him.

After all, he had achieved his desired result. He stared down at his legs.

His legs, which clearly couldn’t even move earlier, were completely healed.

’My arm... can’t be helped, but it doesn’t matter. One hand is enough.’

He didn’t know where this was. Earlier, the chief gorilla had said:

If you follow the river downstream, you will see Grylls’s Shelter.

Which meant that following the river upstream would lead to the gorilla territory.

’Fortunately, the sun rises early.’

Since it was summer, the sun was rising early. Thanks to that, Gu-chil was able to easily find the river’s location.

Because he had seen Grylls turning on the water with a hose yesterday.

Having thoroughly read through the Gallery, he realized it right away.

’This is the place.’

Before long, Gu-chil arrived at the gorilla territory.

How did he know? Because several gorillas had come down to the river to drink water.

Gu-chil immediately walked proudly on his two feet toward the gorilla pack.

The gorillas also sensed his presence and turned their heads toward Gu-chil.

"Uo?"

"I have returned, you damn apes."

Gu-chil’s proud and arrogant greeting.

However, as if it didn’t matter in the slightest, the gorillas looked Gu-chil up and down, and then—

"Uok?!"

"Kkuook...!"

Pinching their noses, they backed far away.

And for good reason: a horrific reek of urine was wafting off Gu-chil’s body.

"Uook! Uo!"

One gorilla pointed a finger at the river.

A gesture telling him to cut the crap and just wash up already.

It was deeply insulting to Gu-chil, but...

"..."

He meekly submerged himself in the river. Only his own nose was numbed; judging by the gorillas’ reaction, it was obvious he still reeked.

However, the scent coming off his body attracted the interest of the fish.

Pudadadadak! Pudadadak!

"Euaaaak! Aaaack!"

Gu-chil was instantly surrounded by giant fish.

"Uhohoho! Uho!"

"Uoo!"

The gorillas began sweeping up those fish as if hit by a massive stroke of luck.

They say even dog dung has its use, and Gu-chil was exactly that.

’Th-This insult, I will definitely...!’

While Gu-chil swallowed his raging rage for a brief moment—

"Eupupu! Eupu! Y-You bastards! Save me!!!"

He thrashed frantically to escape the fierce current.

Gu-chil’s saga of suffering was far from over.