I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 361

As expected, the white bird possessed a bizarre and gruesome ability.

I had vaguely suspected something was off ever since I saw its appearance, which didn’t fit the environment at all, but I never imagined it would be this hideously grotesque.

I almost got swallowed whole by its mouth, which opened wide like a lotus blossom, but thanks to the help of my companions, I barely managed to break free.

"Haaah... haaah... haaah...."

"That is... one truly atrocious... monster... Master...."

As I gasped for breath, Lackey chimed in from beside me.

Ludwig didn’t say anything, but he, too, was regulating his breathing.

And with good reason—the bite force of this hideous bird was absurdly strong.

Not only was it big enough to chew up my head in a single bite, but its jaw power was also immense.

I was completely exhausted just trying to pry open the mouth clamping down on me. Since its lotus-like jaws had multiple split petals, I had no choice but to rely on the others’ help.

’Thank goodness we managed to kill it though....’

I glared down at the bird lying on the ground.

The mouth that had split open like a lotus was torn to shreds and scattered all around.

My companions and I had forcefully ripped it apart. We used up so much energy just stopping a single bird.

[I have never seen such a bird either. It seems to be a monstrous entity masquerading as a bird.]

Even Cain, who must have encountered all sorts of monsters, admitted he was seeing a bird like this for the first time.

I let out a sigh and glanced at the chat.

└ Starlight Lady: I’ve never even read about an animal like that in books....

└ Praise the Sun: Shouldn’t that get banned as gross content? I almost threw up for a second;;

└ Passing Dwarf: Want me to show you something even worse? lol

└ Praise the Sun: Get lost;;

└ Sword Matstar: It’s gross, but not completely unbearable.

└ Suspiciously...: You can’t call yourself a true warrior if you get scared by something like that.

└ Necromancy is Love: As someone who disembowels corpses, you shouldn’t get nauseous over something like this.

The fixed-handle users also voiced their disgust after seeing the bird’s true form.

At least the regular users who seemed more experienced were relatively unfazed.

’The Immortal Herb Colossus had a lotus-like opening mouth too.’

The terrifying thing was that there was no guarantee something even worse wouldn’t appear.

After all, wasn’t one of the guys who attacked our home like that as well?

The creature whose entire body was made up of parasites.

When I saw that, I almost threw up everything in my stomach.

’Just as Necromancy is Love said, I’m someone who butchered carcasses myself.’

I was merely taken aback by the appearance of a new monster; I was already someone accustomed to gore and guts.

I couldn’t let my stomach turn over just at this. Something far more horrific might show up later.

"Jjaek! Jjaek! Jjaek!"

"Kkaak! Kkaak!"

"Wait. Holy shit."

But birds popping out one after another was crossing the line, wasn’t it?

We had definitely killed one bird, but other birds burst out in succession.

Even their shapes varied. Some looked like sparrows, while others looked like crows.

The only common thread was that every single one of them was white. Thanks to that, I became half-certain.

’The moment we mess with these bastards, they’ll split their mouths wide open too.’

So I ignored them.

Or rather, I wanted to ignore them.

[Kaaaaahk!!!]

"Dammit."

...Until the crow’s beak split into eight branches, trying to swallow me whole.

The sparrow-like one also revealed its true colors and tried to devour us.

If we touched them, they got angry. If we stayed still, they judged us as easy prey and tried to eat us. What the hell were we supposed to do?

Still, having defeated one before, it was easier to respond than last time.

There was no need to rip them apart with my bare hands; I could just use weapons.

Kwajik! Kwajik! Kwak!

"Stop! Clinging! To! Me! Please!"

└ Sword Matstar: A shield is a splendid weapon too.

└ Passing Dwarf: Watching it like that is so satisfying lol

└ Praise the Sun: But why are there only guys like that here?

So I beat them fiercely with my shield. Holding them steady with one hand was a bonus.

No matter how hideous the bird was, if its main body was smashed, it was meaningless.

Because of that, I was able to dispatch the two birds in an instant. Gross, no matter how many times I saw it.

’I wouldn’t even want to eat these things.’

Just in case, I poked them with my sword to see if there was an Inner Core inside.

Unfortunately, there was no Inner Core. They were hideously shaped with zero practical substance.

The silver lining was that no more birds approached me after that.

Seeing me beat the crap out of the ones that approached, they seemed to realize it was dangerous.

Apparently, despite their small bodies, their intelligence was fairly high. As expected of creatures inhabiting the Forest of the Four Seasons.

’And our location is easily seen because of the light...’

What on earth happened to this forest to make it like this? Questions kept mounting.

It wasn’t that Immortal Herbs absorbing light were growing here; it was dark as if ’blanketed’ by shadows.

Given the Shadow Wraiths that stalked us at first, it was hard to grasp what was going on.

"Master. Here is corpse too."

"Another one?"

Furthermore, the deeper we ventured inside, the more animal corpses there were.

Corpses writhing with black energy, perhaps succumbing to Shadow Wraiths.

When I asked Ludwig, he confirmed they had indeed been eroded by Shadow Wraiths.

"They were eroded just moments ago. The speed is excessively fast."

"Excessively fast?"Follow the newest chapters on novelpi​ng.com.

"Erosion is close to a kind of curse."

Ludwig’s explanation went like this: creatures eroded by shadows gradually lose their reason, go on a rampage, and eventually die.

However, the speed is usually very slow, and because it has a fatal ’weakness,’ dealing with it is quite easy.

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

[As long as there is a little light, the erosion stops. Sunlight is required for a complete cure.]

"Sunlight, huh...."

Basking in sunlight would be tough in this forest where not a single ray of light penetrated.

Even taking that into account, there was more than one strange thing.

First of all, just as Ludwig said, they were eroded way too quickly.

Normally, places inhabited by Shadow Wraiths should have almost no ’living beings.’

Yet here, as if a calamity had suddenly struck, eroded beasts lay fallen everywhere.

’Did shadows really sweep over this forest?’

If they were born and raised in this forest, they wouldn’t have succumbed so easily to this calamity. So unless a disaster suddenly hit creatures living peacefully, it didn’t make sense.

While it was hard to be certain yet, it seemed best to prepare in advance.

"From now on, we will mark our trail by planting torches."

Though troublesome, it couldn’t be helped since everywhere was pitch black as if painted in ink.

However, since the fire could go out along the way, I also carved other markings.

’Getting lost in a place like this would be a real disaster.’

If things got ugly, we had to run immediately, but even that would be difficult without clear signs.

Therefore, after meticulously leaving markers, we pushed forward. The further forward we went, the stronger the chilly sensation became.

’Surely it’s not like the Bush Hell from last time, right?’

Even though I held the torch up to various trees, there was no noticeable change.

Was there a creature like the Immortal Herb absorbing light? No, not that either.

Rather, every living creature had been eroded by shadows and turned into cold corpses.

’Did the shadows themselves really blanket this place?’

Just as such suspicions were growing stronger, we had penetrated deep into the forest before we knew it.

Coming deep into the inner forest, it felt even darker than before.

Thankfully we had Light Magic, but the visibility became extremely limited.

Is it right to keep advancing like this? I pondered, then shook my head.

"I think it’ll be hard to go any further forward. Let’s turn back."

└ Passing Dwarf: Booo. Boring.

"Shut it."

Are you trying to get someone killed? I lightly brushed off the Dwarf’s complaint.

Just as I turned my back to head back, I heard a sound.

"Grrrr...."

A beast’s growl. It was loud and clear in my ears.

The moment I heard that sound, I drew my weapon without hesitation.

The others were the same. At the sudden beastly sound, everyone raised their weapons.

Kung! Kung! Kung!

Something massive beyond the darkness was approaching us.

Judging by the subtle shaking of the ground, it had to be a remarkably large creature.

Tense to the extreme, I stealthily took a few steps backward.

To gain even a little bit of visibility, we needed distance.

"Grrrrr...!"

Flash!

Soon, blue glowing eyes gleamed in the darkness. Its eye level was much higher than ours.

Even at a distance, we had to tilt our heads up. It was definitely a monster, not an ordinary beast.

Kuuung! Kung!

Before long, the monster revealed itself within our field of vision.

A towering height of nearly 5m, combined with rock-hard muscles.

Whether it was eroded by shadows or not, its body was close to pitch black, as if stained with ink.

However, thanks to its fiercely glowing eyes, we could clearly make out its features.

"That’s...."

└ Sword Matstar: It’s an Ogre. A fairly large one at that.

└ Starlight Lady: Isn’t an Ogre a monster that reigns as an apex predator in forests?

└ Suspiciously...: Strong enough to match our warriors.

I had heard plenty about Ogres. They commonly appear in fantasy as trash mob monsters.

However, in reality, they were far from trash mobs and actually quite troublesome creatures.

Especially in rural areas beyond administrative reach, they were practically a walking disaster.

It took two or three knights—not mere soldiers—working together just to barely defeat one.

"Kreaaaah!"

The Ogre charged with a ferocious roar.

In its hand, it clutched a blunt weapon that looked like an uprooted tree trunk.

If I blocked that head-on, my bones would be crushed to dust. I tensed up completely.

’Wait. I can’t dodge, can I?’

I started to move to dodge, then stopped. We couldn’t step outside of this light.

Seeing the creatures eroded by shadows earlier, stepping out of the light meant falling into mortal danger immediately.

Not to mention there were wraiths parasitizing shadows around; it was far too dangerous.

Kwaaaaang!!!

"Kuh...!"

So I blocked with my shield. An attack slammed down with full force by a 5m behemoth was quite tough to handle.

If not for the External Arts I had trained so far, my bones would have shattered long ago.

"#$%%!"

"Huuup!"

While I blocked the attack with my shield, my companions launched a counterattack.Get faster updates on novelping . com.

Lackey cast flame magic, and Ludwig, as usual, aimed for its legs.

Lastly, Cain focused on support rather than stepping up directly.

Most of all....

"Kkyuuu! Kkyuu!"

"Ppiiiik!"

[Aigoo. Kids! You must not go!]

He was prioritizing stopping the kids from stepping up, as they also tried to jump into the fight.

In a situation like this where combat space was severely restricted, the kids participating would only get in the way.

Kwaang!

Lackey’s magic struck the Ogre square in the face.

Judging by the slight heat and the surrounding area brightening up, he seemed to have unleashed fire magic.

Seogeok!

Meanwhile, Ludwig sliced off the Ogre’s ankle. Normally, it should have lost its mobility.

Yet strangely, the Ogre stood firm in place. I clearly watched its ankle get sliced off with my own two eyes.

’It’s not like there are parasites inside, so what is this?’

The slash mark was clearly visible, yet it was unnervingly fine.

Just as we were panicked by the situation defying common sense, the Ogre attacked again.

"Uwooohhh!"

Kwaang! Kwang! Kwang!

Regardless of being eroded by shadows, was it unaffected by light?

The Ogre stepped right into our only safe space of light and went wild.

The instant we stepped out of this light, we would be in danger. We desperately held it back.

Kwang!

When I blocked with my shield,

Seogeok! Kwajik!

the others counterattacked immediately. But it was useless.

Even when its head was crushed by the statue, limbs severed, or a sword plunged into its torso...

"Uwaaaaah!!!"

The Ogre merely roared and regenerated back to its original form.

Its nonsensical regenerative capability was shocking. Even though Ludwig had even used Holy Power.

’What is it? What on earth is causing this?’

My mind raced. Physical means weren’t working.

If it kept rampaging like this and accidentally smashed the crystal orb, it would be a total catastrophe.

As I wracked my brain, a sudden realization struck me.

’Wait a second. Shadow erosion?’

The moment I remembered the fact that it was eroded by shadows, I turned my head. Toward the Ogre’s shadow.

Its shadow was maintaining a distinct shape. But not yet.

"Cain-ssi! I’ll create an opening, so crush its head with the statue again!"

[Understood!]

Kwajik!

Cain executed my plan just as requested.

The instant I blocked the Ogre’s attack with my shield, he crushed its head once again with the statue.

Thanks to that, the Ogre’s face was crushed to the point of being virtually nonexistent, but....

’...As I thought!’

Its ’shadow’ remained completely intact. The main body was separate.

Since the main body was intact, the Ogre’s crushed head regenerated in an instant.

Rather than healing, it was closer to a ’restoration.’

Without wasting a moment, I plunged my sword into the Ogre’s shadow.

Or rather, I tried to plunge it in.

Kwajik!

"?!"

...Until my own body moved against my will.

Baffled by the incomprehensible situation, I turned my head. Thinking no way.

And sure enough.

[Kirrrrek!]

"Th-This bastard...!"

My own shadow was moving of its own accord.

Wriggling as if mocking me.

"Eat this! You son of a bitch!"

Flash!!!

[Kyaaaaaahk!!!]

So I personally blasted it with my Eye Lantern.

The shadow incinerated like paper catching fire and perished.

I tried it half on a whim, but it hit the mark perfectly.

"Haaa!!"

[Kkiaaaaak!!!]

I dealt with the Ogre’s shadow in a similar fashion—firing the Eye Lantern to erase it.

With its main body erased, the Ogre collapsed into a pile. Because of its massive size, the ground rumbled.

"Phew... Thank goodness there was an easy way to deal with it."

└ Passing Dwarf: What kind of dumbass fight was that?

└ Sword Matstar: Magic would be way better honestly.

└ Starlight Lady: It’s a little... strange. No, monstrous.

└ Praise the Sun: What’s the Hero doing? Not arresting that freak lol

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero: She’s probably eating!

Fighting in bizarre ways seemed to be my unavoidable destiny.