I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 342

Thanks to the performance of the Mage King Kadir, Avalon’s border stabilized.

The undead legion pouring in like a rising tide was held back by another undead legion, allowing them time to regroup.

One might ask if Kadir was doing all the heavy lifting alone, but the reality was slightly different.

"Kadir-nim. Far be it from me to doubt you, but..."

Asella looked back and forth between Kadir and the outside of the ramparts with a suspicious expression.

Outside the ramparts, the undead legion commanded by Kadir was swarming heavily.

The undead legion gathered there wasn’t particularly strange.

After all, they were allies that had reliably fended off the raids up to now.

"Is it really fine to leave the staff abandoned right in the middle of all that?"

Rather, what bothered her was Kadir controlling that legion—or more precisely, the staff.

Currently, nothing was held in Kadir’s hands. The skull staff was outside.

And it was stuck right into the ground like some kind of beacon or jammer.

"Yes. No issues will arise. All of those move using my mana, after all."

"If you say so..."

Asella didn’t press any further on that matter either.

She was practically a layperson when it came to magic, and her counterpart was someone who had reached the absolute apex of magic.

The fact that the spell he just used was necromancy wasn’t much of an issue either.

Even if it was eerie, he had saved their lives—who would dare criticize him? If anyone did, she planned to reprimand them severely.

"Since we have some free time, may we speak for a moment?"

At Kadir’s proposal, Asella looked around. The castle was currently stable.

Tremendous fatigue had accumulated from the relentlessly pouring onslaught.

Except for the minimum personnel required for sentry duty, everyone was resting.

This was no different for Asella herself. Even if praised as the Hero, she was a human made of flesh and blood.

’It should be fine to rest while having a chat.’

Just as Kadir had questions for her, she too had things she wished to ask.

Thus, Asella willingly accepted Kadir’s suggestion and relocated.

Soon, the place Asella led him to was a temporary tent set up inside the fortress walls.

Because they had hurriedly moved a massive army into the fortress, proper rooms couldn’t even be assigned.

This wasn’t any different just because she was Asella. In fact, all assignable rooms were reserved for the wounded.

"All the rooms have been assigned to the injured. I apologize."

"Not at all. In a way, I am practically an uninvited guest, so please do not pay it any mind."

At Asella’s apology, Kadir waved his hand.

He wasn’t the type to obsess over such things, and he knew the situation was far from easy.

"There is much to say... but let us organize things slowly. Did you rush here immediately upon witnessing the Wild Hunt phenomenon?"

"Yes. As soon as I realized the specters were heading toward the Balkan Kingdom, I rushed over urgently."

"You did well. Had you been even slightly delayed, you would have suffered immense casualties."

"Thank you. However, there is something I find a bit puzzling."

"What might that be?"

"It seems the undead legion is attacking only the Holy Kingdom."

Avalon wasn’t the only nation sharing a border with the Balkan Kingdom.

Though very small, it bordered the Iris Kingdom as well.

Yet the undead of the Balkan Kingdom attacked only Avalon. There was no news regarding other countries.

One could wonder if it was just a lack of delivered info, but it wasn’t mentioned in the Gallery at all either.

"I suspect... perhaps lingering grudges still remain, or something of that nature."

"A reasonable line of thought. Considering the atrocities committed by the Holy Kingdom, it would not be strange if resentment still lingers. Furthermore, numerous undead are still roaming the Balkan Kingdom."

Even putting the Wild Hunt aside, countless undead wandered the Balkan Kingdom.

Normally, if a necromancer dies, the undead should freeze like puppets with severed strings.

However, in the case of the Immortal King Kazan, though he had gained the consensus of his subjects, he was a case where he controlled their very ’souls’.

When the Immortal King was subjugated, souls became trapped inside corpses, wandering about as undead.

"As these circumstances overlapped, they naturally launched their attacks against El Do... no, Avalon, where their resentment ran deepest."

"How long will this continue?"

Asella let out a long sigh. Only a few days had passed, yet she was growing exhausted both physically and mentally.

’If not for Grylls-nim as well, even supplying Holy Water would have been difficult...’

In particular, supplying Holy Water was the greatest obstacle, but that was mostly resolved thanks to Grylls’s support.

Holy Water was, simply put, water imbued with holy power. At a glance, it might seem simple.

However, as simple as it was, it was equally difficult to craft. Selecting ingredients was also demanding.

It was not for nothing that she received water support from the Forest of the Four Seasons via Grylls.

"There is not no way at all. Since they ultimately require physical bodies to act, destroying those bodies would suffice."

"You are saying we require powerful firepower."

"Yes, precisely."

Just as Kadir had devastated the undead legion by bringing down meteor showers, the undead were vulnerable to ’firepower’.

However, there were very few people in the world capable of producing such firepower.

Cannons invented to tear down fortress walls? Those wouldn’t even come close.

They would need to strike an area the size of a soccer field to even stand a chance in a battle of attrition.

"However, even if we rain down power of that scale repeatedly, could we truly call it the end?"

The problem was that it had to be launched repeatedly, not just once.Find the original chapter at novelping . com.

Furthermore, unless the root cause was dealt with, it would ultimately amount to nothing more than a repeating cycle.

Kadir also seemed to agree, nodding as he spoke.

"I am aware of that aspect as well. We must locate the root cause to resolve this situation."

"Do you have a suspicion?"

"Of course. I focused on the fact that when the Wild Hunt phenomenon broke out, it headed to none other than the Balkan Kingdom."

The Wild Hunt is a phenomenon where countless specters march under the guidance of a commander, a Dullahan.

Normally, if they marched without a Dullahan, the specters would scatter in all directions. It was natural since there was no entity to rally them.

Yet this time was different. The specters headed toward the Balkan Kingdom as if possessed, occupying the land.

"Judging from this, there is a high probability that the root cause lies in the capital of the Balkan Kingdom."

"The capital..."

"The place where my old friend and I defeated the Immortal King."

"The Immortal King..."

Asella let out a low groan. Even after decades had passed, it seemed the Immortal King’s resentment lingered.

In truth, considering the atrocities the Holy Kingdom had committed against the Balkan Kingdom, it wouldn’t be surprising if it remained.

Perhaps it was a history they had to shoulder for a lifetime. A painful point indeed.

"If the grudge of the Immortal King guided the Wild Hunt, we would have to blow away every single location that could serve as the locus of that grudge."

"The capital..."

The capital of the Balkan Kingdom was once the most peaceful region in the world.

Though poor, the King genuinely loved his subjects, and the subjects reciprocated that King’s love.

However, due to the terrible atrocities of the Holy Kingdom, the most peaceful region in the world turned into hell.

A region so tainted that it had to be left untouched. Even Asella could not meddle with it easily.

"If blowing up the capital is difficult, another method would be purifying the entire capital."

"That sounds dangerous just hearing about it."

"Indeed. Which is why I have a recommendation to offer..."

Asella perked up her ears at Kadir’s words.

Since it was a method recommended by him, it was sure to possess outstanding efficiency.

Furthermore, it would be of immense help to her, given her lack of experience.

"I am listening. What is this method?"

"By any chance, does the Hero use the Gallery as well?"

Flinch!

Asella flinched hard when the Gallery was suddenly brought up.

Beyond merely using the Gallery, she was holding the very honorable (?) title of Orange Badge.

Of course, she could never divulge that fact even if she died. Even if the person before her was a hero of the Holy Kingdom.

"...Yes. I check it whenever I’m bored."

"Splendid. Then are you also aware of a person named Wild Grylls?"

Flinch!

Asella flinched once more. A reaction suspicious to anyone watching.

"Hoho. Your reaction is quite unique."

"Ugh..."

At Kadir’s chuckle, Asella’s face flushed red.

To an outsider, she would look like someone caught with an embarrassing hobby.

It was similar, yet different. Asella had already received great grace from Grylls.

"Regardless, this will make the conversation easier. Then do you also know about the ancient weapon he discovered?"

"An ancient weapon..."

"An extraordinarily powerful weapon said to reduce a small town to ruins with a single explosion."

She had heard of it. No, she had watched it through Grylls’s stream.

The ancient ruins he found and the traces left behind within them.

And finally, the weapon called ’nuke’, capable of blowing a small town to smithereens.

She wondered how a mere bomb, not even magic, could yield such power, but Grylls was certain of it.

"If we use that weapon to blow up the capital, things would become much easier."

"Wouldn’t it be better if Kadir-nim simply dropped a Meteor instead?"

"That is also possible, but the Liches remaining in the capital pose a problem."

The reason Kadir and the Previous Hero were able to defeat the Immortal King was simple.

The Previous Hero erected a barrier, thoroughly isolating the Immortal King and the undead legion.

Had the Immortal King’s troops joined forces, they would have lost with a probability approaching 100%.

In other words, though the Immortal King was subjugated, his troops were likely still remaining.

No matter how mighty Kadir was, if Liches interfered, casting high-tier magic would be difficult.

"Therefore, settling it with a weapon rather than magic would be far more efficient."

"Mmm..."

"What are your thoughts on this?"

Asella fell into deep contemplation. Listening to it piece by piece, Kadir’s proposal was exceedingly sweet.

However, whether Grylls would even give them that weapon was doubtful, and Asella herself found it unappealing.

’Something feels off about this...’Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.

Her innate intuition was telling her. That weapon must absolutely never be used.

She felt that way when observing Grylls’s reaction.

’Even though it was such a powerful weapon, he didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of using it.’

There was something beyond pure destructive power. Asella came to a firm conviction.

Kadir likely said those things because he was considering only ’firepower’. There must be side effects that even he did not know about.

"It is quite a good proposal... but I still feel uneasy about it."

"In what regard?"

"Even though it’s such a powerful weapon, Grylls-nim didn’t pay it any mind at all. Shouldn’t there be a reason for that?"

"Hmm."

Had he not considered that? Kadir stroked his beard.

Then he pondered deeply before nodding and speaking.

"That could indeed be the case. Since antiquity, immense power has always gone hand in hand with danger. Asking him directly might not be a bad idea."

"What will you do if the side effects are severe?"

"That depends on how severe they are."

He’s not giving up, is he? Asella nodded her head.

For now, it seemed best to pry into it as he suggested.

She wouldn’t normally make a request like this, but given the dire situation, she felt like clutching at straws.

’If the side effects are too extreme, I will have to step up personally.’

With that, Asella messaged Grylls. Grylls responded immediately to Asella’s call.

Hearing his reply, it seemed he was taking it easy since it was getting close to dinnertime.

[Wild Grylls: Ah. Did you contact me because you need Holy Water?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: That too, but there’s another favor I’d like to ask...!]

[Wild Grylls: What kind of favor?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Um... that nuclear bomb you found earlier? Exactly how powerful of a weapon is it?!]

[Wild Grylls: Enough to kill over 100,000 people with a single blast?]

"Hiiiiiek...!"

Asella gasped in horror. A single explosion causing up to 100,000 deaths.

And not just ’casualties’, but ’fatalities’. Even Meteor wouldn’t yield that level of destructive force.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Th-Then were there no side effects?]

[Wild Grylls: The area becomes a dead land, and radiation... rather, if you get cursed by it, you unconditionally die. Painfully, too.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Does that mean it’s impossible to heal?]

[Wild Grylls: It extinguishes the very concept of ’regeneration’, so healing is meaningless.]

A curse that annihilates the concept of regeneration itself. At first glance, it didn’t quite hit home.

[Wild Grylls: The moment you get cursed, you basically become a living undead.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Hieeek;;;]

So Grylls explained it in simpler terms. Asella swallowed hard.

Extremely paradoxical, yet at the same time, she could catch a glimpse of its hideous nature.

’A curse like that exists? What kind of horrific...!’

Though she didn’t know it, Grylls had actually sanitized his explanation quite a bit.

Aftereffects of radiation exposure were not single but manifold, and closely tied to ’mutation’.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Why on earth did they create such a weapon?!]

[Wild Grylls: Who knows. They probably made it because they needed it? From what I know, it was developed during wartime.]

Created because they needed it. And for war, no less. Truly an irresponsible story.

At the same time, it made her realize how far human malice could extend.

’Th-This is a weapon that should never see the light of day!’

It was far too dangerous for current humanity to touch. Charging in bare-handed would be infinitely better.

With this kind of power, it wouldn’t be wrong to call it divine punishment.

With that, Asella expressed her gratitude and received a supply of water from the Forest of the Four Seasons.

"How did it go?"

"Um... I think it’s way too dangerous, so it won’t work."

"Is that so?"

Kadir’s regret was brief, and he secretly submitted a request to Grylls.

Asking if he could spare just one round, even if purely for research purposes.

[Wild Grylls: If you want to be sealed away for eternity, go right ahead.]

[Allfather: Whatever do you mean by that?]

[Wild Grylls: Even back where I lived, there was a place that blew up during research. Never mind restoring it; even containing the curse from spreading was so hard they just ended up sealing it off.]

[Allfather: Oh...]

He could roughly grasp just how dangerous it was.

[Allfather: So in summary, an accident occurred while attempting to handle a power far too immense...]

[Wild Grylls: Yes.]

[Allfather: And being unable to control the spread of that power, they had to settle for sealing it. Is that what you mean?]

[Wild Grylls: Exactly.]

[Allfather: Just listening to it, that sounds freaking awesome though?]

[Wild Grylls: Sir;;]

Which only served to stimulate Kadir’s curiosity even further.