I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 33

Heavenly Demon had told me before. An Inner Core is one of the most precious treasures in the world.

I heard that the moment even one of them appears on the market, the entire world is thrown into an uproar.

Martial artists naturally invest a vast amount of time to ascend to the next realm.

Unless one possesses extraordinary talent, it is difficult to acquire enough mana to bypass years of training.

That is why they covet Inner Cores. With an Inner Core, they can leap straight into the next realm.

Title) Another Inner Core dropped

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a red Inner Core)

Woke up after getting some good rest because I was sick yesterday. I washed up immediately and started prepping the fish to finish it off today, and what do we have here?

Another Inner Core popped out? Should I just put this up on the auction house?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Have you awakened? I was worried because you did not post anything for a while yesterday.

ㄴWild Grylls) As soon as I memorized the mnemonic, I fell asleep as if I had passed out. Is it usually like this?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) I have never heard of such a thing. This lady surmises that your body, unable to withstand the Internal Energy, triggered a self-defense mechanism.

ㄴWild Grylls) Well, my body feels perfectly fine now, so I guess it’s okay.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) If you are fine, then it must be fine. How do you plan to handle that Inner Core?

ㄴHow much do you want for it?

ㄴGive it to me give it to me give it to me give it to me give it to me give it to me

ㄴHow do we know if that’s real lol let me eat it to verify

That is my dilemma. Who should I give this Inner Core to?

Ideally, I wanted to give it to the fixed-handle users. But even that wasn’t easy.

ㄴWild Grylls) I should prioritize those who have helped me.

ㄴSword Matstar) I’m fine.

ㄴWild Grylls) Except for Sword Matstar-nim.

ㄴSword Matstar) ?

ㄴWild Grylls) Just kidding lol So, do you want it?

ㄴSword Matstar) I don’t want to get healthy. While a Mature Mandrake can be given to someone else, that thing can’t even be passed on, so don’t give it to me.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) You treat an Inner Core like mere trash. Are you truly at such a high realm?

ㄴSword Matstar) Yes.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) You are so confident that I cannot even find words to reply.

Sword Matstar rejected it on the grounds of not wanting to get healthy.

Then what about the others? I waited for them to leave comments.

ㄴWild Grylls) The fixed-handles that come to mind are Passing Dwarf, Starlight Lady, Princess Chaenggu, Praise the Sun, and Allfather. Around that?

ㄴStarlight Lady) I’ve already received so much... I think you can give it to someone else.

The first one to comment was Starlight Lady.

Though not as much as Heavenly Demon, she was one of the fixed-handles who consistently left comments.

Seeing her post saying she didn’t need the Inner Core, I replied.

ㄴWild Grylls) Do you really not need it? No plans to take care of your health more?

ㄴStarlight Lady) I’m already fully satisfied with how I am now. Managing my physical body is more important than mana.

ㄴWild Grylls) Physical management?

ㄴStarlight Lady) Yes. I started working out yesterday. Since it’s something I could never do before, I think I’m going to fall completely in love with it.

First she wanted to name Wonmo ’Fitness Novice,’ and now is she becoming a gym rat herself?

Since she said she spent most of her life in bed, her desire to exercise must be incredibly strong.

Anyway, with Starlight Lady also declining, it was time to wait for news from the other fixed-handles.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) I’m not particularly drawn to it either~ It’s awkward to sell, and awkward to give to someone else~

ㄴWild Grylls) You won’t eat it yourself, Princess Chaenggu?

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) I don’t really need to eat it~ Honestly, I’d love to give it to the Chaeyu players~

ㄴHey, you might actually get arrested doing that lol

ㄴIs an Inner Core considered a drug too?

ㄴNot a drug, but they tend to test you if there’s a sudden spike in your mana.

ㄴBut isn’t an Inner Core legal? It’s an Inner Core, after all.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) It’s legal, but morally questionable~ And what’s the point of increasing mana anyway? Mana usage is banned in sports~

ㄴYeah, Princess Chaenggu is right. Increasing your mana isn’t always a good thing.

ㄴAren’t there players who achieved enlightenment and then suffered a severe slump?

ㄴWhy would they slump after achieving enlightenment?

ㄴBecause it ruins their body’s balance. Sometimes they use mana without even realizing it and end up getting ejected from the game.

ㄴWild Grylls) Then could you at least give me some clothes?

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Since I have no real use for it, I’m sorry~ I’ll just give you the clothes for free~

ㄴWild Grylls) Do you happen to have long pants...?

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Not right now, but I can get some for you if you want~ Do you want something like a uniform material?

ㄴWild Grylls) Yes. Let’s trade it for that then.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Just a "Chaeyu Fighting!" is enough~

ㄴWild Grylls) Chaeyu Fighting! Wishing you a championship victory!

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) I love it haha

ㄴlolololol

ㄴChaeyu winning a championship lolololol

ㄴKing Reor) That’s fucking hilarious lolol

ㄴKing Reor) Hahaha Excuse me, Grylls-nim. Do you know what rank Chaeyu is in right now?

ㄴWild Grylls) What rank are they?

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Shut up before I track you down for a Real-Life PK.

ㄴKing Reor) Oh my, how scary haha So what rank is Chaeyu? A whopping 8th place!

ㄴWild Grylls) That is a bit low. How many matches are left?

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) There are 5 matches left, but it’s fine haha Even if Chals is tough, we’ll make it into the Master Cup~

ㄴKing Reor) Talk after you actually make it into Chals lol

Here they go again. Those two seem to fight quite often.

In particular, King Reor picked a fight every single time Princess Chaenggu appeared.

It didn’t look very good in my eyes. Especially since Princess Chaenggu had helped me before.

ㄴWild Grylls) Let’s leave it at that. Anyway, Princess Chaenggu-nim, you don’t need it, right?

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Yep~ Since I can’t give it to the players anyway~

ㄴWild Grylls) Understood. Chaenggu Fighting!

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Thank you haha

ㄴKing Reor) Cheer for Reor too.

ㄴWild Grylls) I’m not a fence-sitter haha

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) I like you even more now~ I’ll go get the pants quickly~

Since Princess Chaenggu also said she didn’t need the Inner Core, I looked for others.

ㄴAllfather) As I mentioned before, my body isn’t in a state to do anything with an Inner Core. Please give it to someone else.

ㄴWild Grylls) Understood.This chapter is updated first at nоvelping.com.

ㄴAllfather) Rather than that, I would prefer if you gave me rare creatures.

ㄴPraise the Sun) Just put it on the auction house. Don’t go thinking of squeezing money out of me for no reason.

ㄴWild Grylls) I wasn’t planning on squeezing you, desu-ng...

ㄴPraise the Sun) Just kidding. I’m not particularly interested. The Mature Mandrake you gave me before is more than enough.

Allfather and Praise the Sun rejected it too. They were also the type to only ask for what they actually needed.

In the end, the only one left was Passing Dwarf...

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Just give me more Mandrakes. So I can brew more alcohol with them.

ㄴWild Grylls) Right. It was my mistake to even ask you. Are you almost done making the defensive walls?

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Let’s trade at lunchtime first, and let me know if it’s not enough.

ㄴWild Grylls) No intention of taking the Inner Core as payment?

ㄴPassing Dwarf) I told you, just give me alcohol.

ㄴWild Grylls) ;;;

The dwarf was just a drunkard. Perhaps because he was a Dwarf, he loved alcohol immensely.

Ultimately, all the fixed-handles I knew had expressed their refusal.

Perhaps because I had already given her one, Heavenly Demon said she didn’t need it. She muttered something about receiving too much.

’Ah, whatever.’

My hesitation didn’t last long. I registered the Inner Core on the auction house.

The Inner Core was one thing, but prepping the fish was more important.

I gave the head and innards to Wonmo, and washed the inside clean just like I did yesterday.

Today, as if the hose wasn’t clogged, the water gushed out.

’It was delicious, though.’

I would eat a hearty breakfast and use that energy to repair the hideout.

At lunch, I could set up the defensive walls I received from the dwarf.

Jigeul-jigeul-jigeul—

The cast-iron pan purchased from the auction house. The fish placed on top of it sizzled to a golden brown.

I had completely scaled it and even seasoned it with salt.

I also cut the flesh into small pieces. Eating it whole yesterday had been too inconvenient.

"Here, Wonmo. Eat this."

But I didn’t eat it all by myself.

I gave a few pieces of the fully cooked fish to Wonmo.

Instead of giving him the whole pan, I handed them over with chopsticks.

Being Korean, chopsticks felt more comfortable than a fork.

"Kkyu!"

Wonmo’s eyes sparkled as he devoured the fish with great relish.

Considering Wonmo’s size, this amount would be endlessly insufficient.

For a human, it was close to an appetizer. I planned to give him meat later.

"Do you want some too?"

I offered some to Speed Sloth as well, showing him the well-cooked fish.

I knew he was a herbivore, but he might still be interested.

Kkudeok—

Speed Sloth slowly nodded his head, accepting.

I thought he only ate grass, but I guess not.

Then again, since he was originally trying to steal my fish, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

I picked up a piece of the well-cooked fish with my chopsticks and brought it toward his mouth.

Neurit— neurit—

"...Eat a bit faster, will you?"

How could even opening his mouth be so agonizingly slow?

And to think a guy like this had threatened me with the fastest speed in the world.

Seriously, even if I wanted to understand him, I just couldn’t.

Now that I had given fish to both of them, all that was left was to fill my own stomach.

Because I shared it evenly, the portion was far smaller than yesterday’s.

But that was fine. Yesterday, when I was feasting all by myself, the two of them had stared blankly at me.

Their gazes seemed to say, ’Are you eating that delicious thing all by yourself?’ so my conscience had taken a hit.

’Besides, there’s plenty of it anyway.’

It was a fish so large that I had to wrap both arms around it.

Giving away a few pieces wouldn’t leave me with too little to eat.

I wondered if yesterday’s fever was actually just indigestion.

Of course, as Heavenly Demon said, it was probably because too much energy had rushed in at once.

"Delicious."

After cleanly finishing off the fish, my stomach felt full and satisfied.

Instead of a toothpick, I used a fish bone to pick out the debris stuck between my teeth.

There was absolutely nothing to waste. Although cleanup was a bit of a hassle, burying it in the ground would solve it.

’Time to get moving.’

But I shouldn’t take it too easy.

It’s not like I’m going to settle down here forever, so it would be a disaster if I started getting lazy already.

’Before that, let’s circulate the Mental Cultivation Method.’

Since I had eaten a hearty breakfast, I gathered my mana using the Internal Cultivation Art.

I didn’t forget to recite the mnemonic that Heavenly Demon had taught me yesterday.

It was somewhat difficult to grasp due to its poetic phrasing, but visualizing it made it a bit easier.

’If the first mnemonic is like this, how difficult will the second one be?’

Surely it won’t turn into a poem on the level of Gwandongbyeolgok once it’s all put together.

If that’s the case, even memorizing it will be an uphill battle.

’Well, I’ll still have to memorize it anyway.’

I focused, controlling the mana inside my body with the Mental Cultivation Method.

I didn’t know if it was just my imagination, but I felt an energy that was stronger and more domineering than yesterday.

It felt like a raging wave crashing through, rather than a calm river flowing.

Not that it was a bad thing. Thanks to that strong power, the circulation speed had become incomparably faster.

"..."

After fully practicing the Mental Cultivation Method, I slowly opened my eyes.

The moment I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Speed Sloth’s drowsy face.

"Whoa! Holy crap, you scared me!"

"..."

"Sigh... you’re giving me a heart attack here."

My heart almost dropped. I let out a sigh.This chapter was copied from NovelPing without permission.

It was nice of him not to disturb me, but having him right in front of my face was bound to startle me.

’Wonmo is... already asleep.’

Our cute little furball was sound asleep, taking a deep nap.

As expected of a baby, he seemed to know nothing but eating, sleeping, and pooping.

Fortunately, he did his business outside the cave, so it wasn’t an issue.

Eonggeum— eonggeum—

As I prepared to move, Speed Sloth climbed onto my back.

I was slowly getting used to this situation, but suddenly, his hygiene status crossed my mind.

’This guy hasn’t washed up, has he?’

I need to heat up some bathwater right away. Otherwise, we might catch some disease.

Allfather had said so. While there are no ticks, various kinds of bugs inhabit his fur.

He even said there’s a high probability that mold has grown, so I need to give him a squeaky-clean wash, just like I did with Wonmo.

’Since we’re done eating the fish, the timing is perfect.’

I immediately cleaned the iron tub and filled it with water.

Now, all I had to do was wait for the water to get hot. I’d worry about temperature control later.

Until then, I used a shovel to dig out the spots to install the defensive walls.

I planned to erect the walls in a square shape centered around the cave entrance.

Pa-ak! Pak!

’This is digging incredibly easily?’

I had noticed it when logging, but shoveling wasn’t tiring at all.

Normally, even the shovel should feel a bit heavy, but there was no such feeling.

This must all be thanks to the Internal Cultivation Art. I feel like I could do manual labor with ease.

"...It’s already done?"

The problem was that it had become too easy. Not even thirty minutes had passed, and the prep work was finished.

All I had to do was place the walls into the neatly dug trenches and fill them back up with dirt.

A few trees got in the way here and there, but I could just chop them down gradually.

Kwa-ang! Kwang! Kwajik!

Even that logging was finished in thirty minutes. It was an incredibly fast speed.

Normally, it felt like chopping trees, but now it was closer to smashing them.

Thanks to that, the trees easily lost their balance and fell.

Because all I had to do was shatter the core and push them with my foot.

I had grown strong so rapidly that it was actually bewildering.

’Well, a good thing is a good thing.’

I scratched my head looking at the miserably fallen trees, then shrugged my shoulders.

I registered all the logged wood on the auction house, leaving only one behind.

I planned to use the remaining one as firewood.

Speaking of firewood, it reminded me of the bathwater I had heated up earlier.

I was worried it might be boiling hot, but fortunately, only gentle steam was rising from it.

"Alright. Now it’s your turn to wash."

"..."

Eonggeum— eonggeum—

As if he understood my words, Speed Sloth climbed down from my back.

At first, I thought he was going to get into the bathwater on his own.

But instead, he headed straight into the cave.

It seemed he was running away because he didn’t want to take a bath. Despite being so agonizingly slow.

"Uh-uh. Not there. Come over here."

"..."

In the end, I picked him up myself to put him in the iron tub.

No. To be precise, I tried to put him in.

Kkwa-ak!

Until he clung tightly to my arm, as if refusing to let go.

He was even shivering. He seemed terrified.

It was even more baffling since he was a guy who could track and snatch arrows out of the air with his bare eyes.

"...Hey."

"..."

"Do you hate baths?"

No answer came back. He was a creature that couldn’t speak in the first place.

But seeing him completely unyielding, I could tell he absolutely hated bathing.

Even so, I couldn’t give up on hygiene. I struggled to put Speed Sloth into the tub.

Hwik! Hwi-ik! Hwik!

Every time I tried, he moved all over my body with incredibly agile movements.

He slipped away here and there as if my body were a tree.

And at an incredibly high speed, at that. As if entering the tub would kill him.

"Ah, seriously! Do whatever you want! I’ll just wash myself instead!"

"..."

In the end, I gave up.

Only after my declaration of surrender did Speed Sloth finally begin to move slowly again.

"...Did you really think I’d say that?!"

"?!"

It’s a fake-out, you punk.

I grabbed Speed Sloth’s arm, taking advantage of the moment he let his guard down.

Since his arm was caught and he was subdued, he would have no choice but to go in quietly.

Even if he had one arm free, there was nothing he could do with it.

Chwa-ak!

It was all my delusion.

Speed Sloth swung his remaining arm toward the iron tub.

The iron tub was cleanly sliced into several pieces, scattering the warm water everywhere.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t do anything. He absolutely could.

"..."

"..."

In the silent atmosphere, I stared at Speed Sloth. He stared back at me.

With his expression, Speed Sloth seemed to be saying:

-What can you even do?

I chalked up another defeat today.