I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 298

I was dumbfounded when I heard the Gallery’s ’method of connection’ that Starlight Lady told me.

Due to the Gallery’s automatic translation feature, unfamiliar characters never appeared unless under special circumstances.

That was why Starlight Lady had written it down phonetically as it sounded coming out of her mouth, and it felt like something profoundly familiar to me.

’Inter... net?’

One of the inventions that had reshaped the world I used to live in, and an indispensable element of modern civilization.

Having accessed the internet dozens of times a day, there was no way I could ever forget it.

I didn’t care much about the latter part—that is, the rest of the Gallery’s web address.

Because the important part was that ’www’ section.

└ Wild Grylls) By any chance, that ’www’ isn’t laughter, is it? Like a "hahaha" or "lol" vibe.

└ Starlight Lady) No. Not at all. Why on earth would I mock you, Grylls-nim?

└ Wild Grylls) You’ve done it quite a lot, actually.

└ Starlight Lady) Me...?

└ Wild Grylls) Just kidding.

└ She probably did it without even realizing, lol

└ I saw it plain as day with my own two eyes. That fixed handle cursed at Lord Grylls, I tell ya!

└ Starlight Lady) Commoners, please be quiet ^^

I confirmed that it wasn’t an onomatopoeia indicating laughter.

If so, could it really be the internet I knew? In fact, the Gallery itself functioned very similarly to the internet.

’Honestly, this whole thing didn’t make sense from the start.’

Because I had naturally accepted it for survival, I hadn’t realized it until now.

What was the true identity of this Gallery? Just what was it that gave me such a powerful sense of déjà vu?

Regardless of comments popping up, I stared blankly at the Gallery window before quietly closing it without a word.

Then, I slowly closed my eyes and muttered internally.

’W-W-W dot... Ah. Wait, no.’

The address wasn’t Korean; it was closer to ’English’. And English did not exist in this world.

This was probably why Starlight Lady’s post was written out phonetically like that.

’W-W-W dot N-A-V...’

I quietly recited a familiar web address in my mind.

Finally, after mentally calling out "com" and opening my eyes, a line of text appeared in midair.

[Invalid access.]

With this, I became half-certain. Whatever the reason, this was strikingly similar to the internet.

’In a world where computers—let alone networks—haven’t even appeared, why the internet?’ one might ask.

Because of that, I sank even deeper into confusion. I couldn’t get a grasp on it at all.

’Feels like I just gave myself more things to overthink.’

Wiping my dry face with my hands, I sorted out my cluttered head.

Just in case, I mentally recited other web addresses, but every single one outputted the exact same message.

"Hey. Lackey."

"?"

"Repeat after me exactly as I say. W-W-W..."

Hearing my words, Lackey stared into empty space. It was entering a Gallery address.

Just then, Ludwig seemed to have remembered something as well and asked me.

"#$ #%$%$$$?"

[Is that not the method to connect to the Gallery?]

"Yes. That’s right. Ahjussi, you can’t connect from here either, right?"

Ludwig nodded.

Since he couldn’t use mana properly, it wasn’t strange that using the Gallery was impossible.

However, I realized that was also a misconception on my part. It wasn’t because of mana that using the Gallery was impossible.

"Master. Something popped up."

"Popped up? Can you write down what popped up?"

Lackey picked up a tree branch and began drawing on the ground.

To be exact, it wasn’t a drawing, but text. It was close to the message I had just seen.

[This is an area where connecting to the Gallery is unavailable.]

An area where connecting to the Gallery is unavailable. My face hardened upon seeing those words.

Setting aside Ludwig whose mana was unstable, I hadn’t expected even Lackey to fail.

It felt as if, mana or no mana, access itself was outright blocked.

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

[He says he also cannot connect to the Gallery because that exact sentence pops up.]

"Then why does it work for me?"

If connection was impossible due to a specific reason, I could understand.

However, not only Ludwig, but Lackey got the exact same message as well.

It indicated that the Forest of the Four Seasons itself was an area where connecting to the Gallery was impossible.

’I really don’t get it. Is there something related to the Gallery somewhere around here?’

My head was starting to hurt. To think that things I took for granted were not granted at all.

Of course, it could just be a series of coincidences overlapping to produce an address similar to Earth’s.

’Still, whether it’s cement or the Da Vinci Bridge... there are so many things I used to see back on Earth.’

Furthermore, they weren’t lost technology, but had been mentioned several times as ancient civilizations.

Although it was impossible to know what kind of lifestyle they had lived back then, a civilization definitely existed at that time.

Moreover, considering Vanir had previously referred to the gods as ’invaders’, there had to be some connection.

After pondering for a bit, I posted a thread.

Title) What’s the history of the Gallery?

Wild GryllsThis chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.

(Photo of Wonmo and Tyranno tumbling over each other)

Since when did the Gallery exist? Since the Mythological Age?

└ There’s a lot of talk, but most say it was after the dragons were chased out by the gods.

└ Yeah, I hear it’s pretty old.

└ What are you trying to find out by looking that up? Planning to study?

└ He can’t read anyway.

└ Can’t you just post it here?

└ Isn’t that grounds for a ban? That’s illegal, so the current Orange Badge will probably delete it.

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Anything related to illegal stuff is unconditionally grounds for a ban!

Only uncertain answers returned. In the end, I asked someone else.

"Cain-ssi."

[Speak.]

"Did the Gallery exist back in your generation too, Cain-ssi?"

[It did exist. However, from what I remember, I recall it being quite unstable.]

"Unstable?"

Now this was a new piece of information.

I had been preparing for the off chance that connection might become impossible someday, but until now, the Gallery server (?) had never gone down even once.

[I do not know if it still does now, but back then it underwent maintenance from time to time. So one could not even enjoy it in peace.]

"The Gallery undergoes maintenance too?"

[Would it not be strange if it did not? No matter what existence in this world it is, using it for a long time breaks it down. Even gods cannot govern time.]

Truly archaically phrased words, but I learned one clear fact.

That the Gallery was not infinite and required maintenance occasionally.

As soon as I heard this, I posted a question in the comments.

└ Wild Grylls) Someone told me the Gallery undergoes maintenance sometimes, is that true?

└ Yeah, true. Probably once or twice a year?

└ But even if it undergoes maintenance, you just can’t use it for a single day, so it’s fine.

└ Wild Grylls) I feel like that single day could be insanely dangerous for me though?

└ That’s your problem, lol

└ Wild Grylls) Fucking hell

Most fortunately, it seemed to happen only once or twice a year, and the maintenance lasted for just a single day.

If maintenance were long, true survival would have begun.

└ Allfather) It seems your interest in the Gallery itself has grown remarkably. If you require related literature, please say the word. I shall give it to you.

└ Wild Grylls) I don’t know any of the languages here though?

└ Allfather) Did you not say that monkey is well-versed in reading? There are books written in Central Plains script as well.

└ Wild Grylls) Um... Could you give me just one book for now?

While at it, I received a book from Allfather. It was a book filled with Central Plains script.

Handing the book to Lackey, I said,

"Hey. Lackey. You don’t have anything to do, right?"

"Feels like it’s suddenly going to get very busy."

Seriously, sharp-witted for no good reason.

"Cut the talk, translate this and write it down on paper."

"..."

Lackey’s expression was, how should I put it... like he was ready to punch me if given half a chance.

Even so, knowing that I fed him and gave him a place to sleep, he obediently accepted it despite complaining.

Since the thickness of the book was average, translating it wouldn’t take long.

"This is workplace harassment within the pack."

Not workplace harassment, but harassment within the pack? What kind of phrase is that?

Chuckling, I browsed through the Gallery again.

I gained a few pieces of information, but there wasn’t much worth taking.

’Come to think of it, wasn’t there something else attached before www?’

I couldn’t remember clearly. I knew it was something like htt-whatever.

However, seeing how there were no posts related to this, it seemed nobody knew.

If I roamed the forest later, something would come up. Above all, one thing remained unchanged.

’Escape is top priority.’

This much had never changed. If a possibility of escape presented itself, I wouldn’t even look back, discussion topics be damned.

And I wouldn’t even take a piss in the direction of the Forest of the Four Seasons. A terrible place like this is a hard pass.

’I don’t know what the entity called God wants, but I’ve got my hands full with my own survival.’

In the first place, no matter what it wanted, I wouldn’t grant it.

Just dropping me in this shitty place had already dragged my faith to rock bottom.

I truly felt sorry to Ludwig and Cain, but it couldn’t be helped.

"Lackey. Sleep after you finish writing all of that."

"..."

"Got a complaint?"

"Uh... no."

Well, Hazing was fun, though.

To think I was pulling hazing tactics here that I hadn’t even done in the military—it felt strange.

And so, the next day arrived.

Swaaaaaa—

"Ah, damn it. Can’t do anything today."

Because heavy rain was pouring down outside, I decided to stay indoors all day.

Since season was slowly hurtling toward winter, it wasn’t strange that rain was falling.

Besides, thanks to the military supplies gifted by Princess Chaenggu, there was no chance of anyone invading.

"Master. Finished writing."This chapter was copied from novel​ping.com without permission.

"Oh. Already?"

Just in time, Lackey finished translating the whole book.

Out of gratitude, I decided to cook candied sweet potatoes specially for him.

"Here. Eat up."

"U-ho-ho!"

"Kkyu-uu! Kkyu-uu!"

"Bbi-iik!"

As soon as I handed over the candied sweet potatoes, chaos erupted.

Lackey had his hands full trying to defend the candied sweet potatoes from two greedy pigs.

Whether they fought or not, I read the book translated by Lackey.

’Why is this bastard’s handwriting like this?’

It wasn’t terrible handwriting, but the exact opposite. Rather, it was so good it was flabbergasting.

I thought a gorilla would have atrocious handwriting simply due to hand anatomy, but it was remarkably delicate.

Did his manual dexterity increase from doing chores all this time? I couldn’t tell.

’Let’s see. The Gallery is...’

The content of the book Allfather gave me was a comprehensive research treatise on the Gallery itself.

The history of the Gallery, along with the author’s user reviews, and so forth.

’I already know that a deceased person’s posts get deleted...’

There was also a summarized theory regarding this.

If all traces of a deceased person vanished entirely, could it be that our very existence was ’record’ itself?

As that record disappeared entirely, the records in the Gallery naturally vanished along with it.

’Instead, real-world records don’t vanish. Should I call it analog?’

Just what kind of relationship existed between the inhabitants of this world and the Gallery?

Furthermore, this text also contained mentions of Gallery maintenance.

The existence of a Gallery maintenance time meant that there was someone operating it.

It meant that in addition to ’administrators’ like Orange Badges or Blue Badges, there was a higher tier—that is, a ’Server Owner’.

’Makes sense. Any site has its owner.’

In that case, that owner was highly likely to be a god. This book explicitly stated as much too.

However, the gods had long since vanished somewhere. There was no way to find them.

’It’s certain that the Forest of the Four Seasons and the Gallery share a huge connection.’

The same applied to me. While others couldn’t connect, I could.

That didn’t mean I was on the level of an administrator like an Orange Badge or Blue Badge.

Higher up than them... even saying that was vague. Therefore, I needed to test it.

[Wild Grylls: Hello, Orange Badge-nim! By any chance, do you have time right now?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Yes! I was waiting! Do you need help!]

As soon as I messaged Orange Badge, a reply asking if I needed help came back.

It was a reply that made me feel awkwardly embarrassed, making me wonder if I had asked Orange Badge for help too much until now.

Though I felt I should restrain myself in the future, this matter was strictly an ’experiment’.

[Wild Grylls: It’s nothing much, just that I have something I’m curious about. It’s nothing difficult.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: If it’s your request, Grylls-nim, I will grant anything! Except just one thing—illegal stuff!]

[Wild Grylls: Wanna come over here?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: That just makes two exceptions now!]

As expected, teasing her was fun. Even more so because she had a naive side.

Although doubts like ’Is a person like this really a Hero?’ crossed my mind, it didn’t matter.

Because right now, I needed the power of the Orange Badge, not the Hero.

[Wild Grylls: Then, can you ban me?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Huh? A ban?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. I’m curious what happens if I get banned. What’s the minimum duration?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: The minimum is 3 hours...!]

[Wild Grylls: That much is fine. I just got curious what happens when banned.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Anonymous users aside, fixed handles can’t even connect at all!]

[Wild Grylls: Still, try it once. 3 hours or so will pass quickly without anything dangerous happening.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Y-You can’t resent me!]

[Wild Grylls: Why would I resent you?]

I waited quietly until Orange Badge banned me. And...

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Uh...? You won’t get banned...?]

[Wild Grylls: Does some weird message pop up?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Yes. It says "Inaccessible permission"...?]

The expected reaction occurred.

Does that mean I’m the Server Owner? That’s also highly unlikely.

I had merely accessed the Gallery through a special method.

There was likely another reason why I couldn’t be banned. Even if it was ’bypassing’, there would be another reason behind it.

Anyway, moving past this...

[Wild Grylls: hehe]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Grylls-nim? You’re not thinking of doing something bad, are you?!]

[Wild Grylls: Nobody can stop me lol]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: No way!! If you really do that, I’m going to come find you myself!!]

[Wild Grylls: Then I should do it even more! hehe]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: P-Please don’t...!]

Teasing Orange Badge was fun nonetheless.