I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 38

Would you believe it if a strange haze flared up from a sword?

Since it was a phenomenon straight out of fantasy or wuxia, even I couldn’t quite believe it.

According to Sword Matstar, as long as you got the hang of it, it was super easy.

But she said it was her first time seeing someone emit energy the moment they heard the advice like I did.

Supposedly, it took Sword Matstar herself an hour just to get the hang of it or whatever.

Of course, it might just be because her advice was packed with condensed know-how.

Title) Is this aura?

Wild Grylls

(Picture of a sword with haze shimmering around it)

I did as Sword Matstar-nim advised, is this aura?

Asking because it happened way too easily.

L Sword Matstar) That’s aura;; I had my doubts, but it’s real

L Wild Grylls) That’s a good thing, right?

L Stop flex-posting. It’s fucking annoying.

L Something that takes months for others, this guy does in one day lol

L Months my ass. It took me 3 years holy shit lol

L How on earth did Sword Matstar teach you? Teach me too.

L Wild Grylls) She just told me to recreate the feeling of manipulating mana as it is, and send mana flowing into the sword. And I just did exactly that.

L Sigh;; That explanation is ridiculous, and the guy pulling it off with just that is absurd.

L Holy fuck, if anyone could project aura with an explanation like that, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would be using aura lol

L Starlight Lady) Wow. That’s amazing. If you compared it to a mage, what circle would that be?

L For a mage, it’s like starting right out of the gate at the 3rd Circle.

L Starlight Lady) I see. So it really is incredible, right?

L Wait, what circle did you start from?

L Starlight Lady) 5th Circle. Originally, I could have started higher, but I couldn’t due to illness.

L This person is bullshitting here too lol

L Sounds like claiming to use Aura Blade right out of the womb lol

L It’s not Aura Blade. It’s Sword Gang.

L It’s the same thing, dumbass. Do you really have to nitpick?

L It’s a matter of pride

L Wild Grylls) Anyway, if I condense this concept, it becomes Aura Blade, right? Okay, I’ll practice it.

L Sword Matstar) Practice is good, but maintaining the sensation is most important. People sometimes forget it.

L Wild Grylls) Forget it?

L Sword Matstar) It’s the same principle as being conscious of your breathing.

The moment I showed the aura, the comment section erupted.

Heavenly Demon hadn’t commented, perhaps fulfilling her duties as a Blue Badge.

Well. Since 1-on-1 private messaging was available now, I figured she’d send a message on her own anyway.

’Is this really that good?’

I stared intently at the sword with shimmering haze flaring from it.

It definitely felt like mana was draining out of my body.

However, because it recharged every time I took a breath, it didn’t really matter.

’Sword Matstar told me to press it down tight, right?’

She advised me to practice until this haze took on a razor-sharp shape.

From here on out, it was close to the realm of pure talent, so there wasn’t much she could do herself.

Still, Sword Matstar said she would do her best to help me.

’I feel like I’m just receiving all the time...’

I wanted to give something back to Sword Matstar, who was bestowing so many great pro-tips.

But she was someone who rejected even rare medicinal herbs simply because she didn’t want to get healthier.

In that case, what could I give her that Sword Matstar would willingly accept?

If it wasn’t herbs but some other material good, would she accept it?

’Tricky.’

Sword Matstar was uniquely pickier than Heavenly Demon.

Receiving things like this without giving back didn’t suit my disposition.

By her own words, she said all I needed to do was marry her, but that was obviously a joke.

In the first place, it was doubtful whether I could even get out of here.

’Shall I test it out first?’

I stepped outside holding an ordinary logging axe, not the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Wonmo was taking an afternoon nap, and Speed Sloth was clinging to my back.

To test the performance of Aura (Sword Qi), there was nothing better than logging.

’Normally, I’d have to strike it several times.’

I recalled the feeling of channeling mana into the sword.

First and foremost, feel the mana stored in the dantian.

She advised treating the mana stored in the lower abdomen as a kind of warehouse.

Pull mana out of that warehouse and send it into the weapon—that was all there was to it.

’They say if the warehouse runs out of mana, you have to run your Mental Cultivation Method to refill it...’

Sword Matstar had said she had never run low on mana in her entire life.

Because her constitution stacked up mana every time she breathed, it ran like a perpetual motion machine.

She said that given my environment, I might become similar, but I wasn’t so sure.

’I should consistently maintain the Internal Cultivation Art.’

I funneled mana into the axe. Haze slowly shimmered up.

The energy called Sword Qi in the Central Plains and Aura in other nations.

It was said that with this energy, one could unleash several times the power of an ordinary person.

"Hup!"

Then how strong would its power be? I swung the axe with full force.

The target of my swing was precisely a thick tree trunk.

A tree that just yesterday took several chops to bring down.

Kkkrajik!

The axe blade sank deep into the trunk—and kept right on going straight through.

It didn’t slice cleanly like tofu, but the center of the tree was violently ripped to shreds.

Kkrrrduk!

Perhaps because the trunk was thoroughly pulverized, the massive tree began to fall under its own weight.The source of this chapter is novel‌ping.com.

The colossal tree tipped further and further before crashing down with a heavy Boom!

Lucky I chopped from the side facing away from the cave.

Otherwise, the barricade the dwarf had graciously gifted me would have been crushed.

’It doesn’t slice, it explodes.’

I observed the fallen tree trunk closely.

I knew the weapon’s power would increase, but I hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.

According to Sword Matstar’s explanation, the haze was the trace of leaking mana.

Thus, she mentioned that the fundamental nature of the weapon itself didn’t change.

’Considering the characteristics of an axe, it makes sense.’

An axe is a weapon specialized in ’crushing’ rather than ’cutting’.

So I could understand why the tree trunk was ripped to pieces.

If I channeled it into a sword, I’d probably be able to slice through it like soft tofu.

’...Is that possible?’

The moment that thought hit me, I fetched the Sword of the Heavenly Demon from inside the cave.

For the sake of testing, I placed the blade against a tree trunk without infusing any mana.

Previously, I hadn’t even dared to try out of fear of chipping the edge.

But right now, I wasn’t sawing with the sword.

I was merely checking if it could cut the trunk to evaluate its performance.

Seu-uuu-k—

"Huh?"

My eyes widened.

I barely applied any force, yet the Sword of the Heavenly Demon sank deep into the wood.

Soon after, the Sword of the Heavenly Demon sliced through the tree trunk with extreme smoothness.

Kugugu—

Whether the tree fell or not, I was completely mesmerized looking at the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

I knew performance-wise it was high grade, but I never anticipated it to be this insane.

’What kind of insanely overpowered cheat item is this?’

With something like this, there wasn’t even a need to project Aura.

Of course, I didn’t have the slightest intention of using the Sword of the Heavenly Demon for logging.

If the blade got chipped by any chance, it would be bad news.

’She readily gave a sword like this to me?’

Admiration for Heavenly Demon swelled inside me. At the same time, I felt worried.

Because I felt she had given me a sword that was way too good.

Deep down, I wanted to return it to her, but Heavenly Demon would surely refuse.

’I should return it once I find a good sword later.’

It was a sword far too extraordinary. A blade that must be returned to its owner someday.

I listed all the fallen trees on the Auction House, except for one.

Since I was on the Auction House anyway, I checked the price of the Inner Core I listed this morning.

Inner Core: 500 Silver Taels

"Whoa."

The price is skyrocketing. I marvelled at the current bid price.

500 Silver Taels converted to 5,000 Gold.

Since the previous Owlbear carcass sold for 250 Silver Taels, this was double that amount.

It seemed the price skyrocketed because Heavenly Demon herself testified that it was an authentic Inner Core.

’What if it turns out to be fake after all this?’

Would I have to refund the money? I wasn’t sure.

Still, since Heavenly Demon was involved, the buyer probably wouldn’t throw a fit.

Even if they threw a tantrum, as long as Heavenly Demon stepped up as a witness, there wouldn’t be any issue.

’Let’s see. The time...’

I logged into the Gallery to check the time.

Over an hour had flown by while practicing the Mental Cultivation Method and Aura.

The current time was 1:30 PM. There was still plenty of time before sunset.

’Should I try building a trap or two?’

It seemed like a good idea to hone my handicraft skills while gathering meat.

As for how to set up traps, searching the Gallery brought up everything.

Adventurers occasionally shared methods for crafting hunting traps there.

It was even pinned in the Recommended Posts, so I could make one in no time.

’The issue is the area where small animals roam...’

I knew the spot where small creatures like rabbits passed through.

The problem was that the muscle mushroom was rooted right in that direction.

It would be fine if I didn’t irritate the muscle mushroom, but you never know.

It might still be awake and prowling around the area.

For safety’s sake, it was better to eliminate the muscle mushroom first.

’There was a cave over there too, so I can check it out while I’m at it.’

Decision made. Let’s take down the muscle mushroom first.

It was a monster whose individual strikes packed huge power, but moved slowly.

Since it was reportedly weak against fire, defeating it shouldn’t be too hard.

’Wait, did they say it was weak to fire? No, they said fire was essential because of the spore stuff.’

I’d have to hold a sword in one hand and a torch in the other.

I recalled the Golden Shield that crumpled from a single collapsed punch.

Taking a direct hit from that punch meant my bones would likely be shattered beyond recovery.

Therefore, fighting from a distance would be much wiser.

’It didn’t look like arrows would work on it though.’

Even ants could be divided into head, thorax, and abdomen.

But not the muscle mushroom. Excluding its arms and legs, it was long and slender like a tree branch.

It was practically closer to a plant, so unless I shattered it to pieces or burned it to ashes, it’d be tough to deal with.

’...Didn’t they say magic exists too?’

Something suddenly crossed my mind.

The iconic symbol of fantasy and an ever-present power: magic.

Known as an ability where virtually only geniuses gained the qualification to enter.Visit novelping(.)com for the full chapter.

’Couldn’t I learn just a little bit of it?’

If I could learn magic, I could gain various conveniences.

Not to mention long-range attacks, it would be of immense help in daily life.

The moment that thought struck me, I logged onto the Gallery without hesitation.

Title) Is magic easy to learn by any chance?

Wild Grylls

I want to learn basic fire or water magic, is it hard?

L Heavenly Demon) Uh-huh. One must dig a single well to achieve great success. Are you harboring distracted thoughts already?

L Sword Matstar) Blue Badge-nim is right. Magic is so hard that even I gave up instantly—don’t even try.

L Looks like you don’t know how many aspiring mages are in this Gallery lol

L Grylls-ah. You’ll bite off more than you can chew. Don’t do it.

L For real lol, we’re only saying this because we’re nice.

Everyone reacted negatively. Even Heavenly Demon and Sword Matstar.

I wondered why on earth everyone was being so negative.

L Wild Grylls) Didn’t you say Elves and Demons cast magic easily?

L Even for them, their baseline is high so they reach up to 3rd Circle, but anything above that is hard.

L Grylls, didn’t you say you were human?

L Wild Grylls) Yeah, just curious.

L Even Demons and Elves shudder at magic theory. In fact, theoretically, they fall behind humans.

L Wild Grylls) Why?

L Do you analyze the detailed theory of how you breathe? Humans just happen to have uniquely high inquisitiveness, whereas other races don’t really bother.

L Wild Grylls) Aha, got it.

L Princess Chaenggu: Still, our Mephisto’s magic is way better~ You can tell just from broadcasting magic~

L Demon race’s everyday life magic is legit though. Thanks to it, life got so convenient lol

L Praise the Demon who invented air conditioner magic!

L What’s air conditioner magic?

L Air conditioner

L Ah lol, definitely worth praising lol

L For me, cold storage magic lol. Gets me cold liquor every day.

L Let’s Grow Trees) Elves are also inventing various magic!

L What kind of magic are you inventing?

L Let’s Grow Trees) Communication and reconnaissance magic, plus explosion magic!

L Whoa, holy shit;; That sounds fucking terrifying?

L Are those bastards seriously trying to start a war?

L Let’s Grow Trees) Don’t worry. Elves love peace.

L Wild Grylls) How is that any different from ’If you want peace, prepare for war’?!;;

L Let’s Grow Trees) Ohhh! What a wonderful saying. I shall take it to heart.

L Wild Grylls) Huh?

There seems to be someone severely unhinged here, but it’ll be fine, right?

Anyway, magic seemed to be utilized in various places.

Literally magic replacing science.

No, in this world, magic itself might be science.

L Starlight Lady) Are you planning to learn magic? I can help you.

L Wild Grylls) Weren’t you busy working out?

L Starlight Lady) Aside from my workout hours, I have plenty of free time. Pardon me, but Grylls-ssi, you know how to do arithmetic, right?

L Wild Grylls) I’m a high school graduate;;

Isn’t she looking down on me a bit too much?

Or maybe there really were a lot of people who couldn’t even do arithmetic.

Given the eras they lived in, public education was something one couldn’t expect.

But since they mentioned academies existed, she might have been considering underdeveloped regions.

L Starlight Lady) High school graduate? I don’t know what that means, but it implies you can do arithmetic. Great. Then you can express fire through mathematics.

L Wild Grylls) Huh? Express what through math?

L Starlight Lady) Formulating fire into mathematics. It’s very easy. It goes like this...

Even as Starlight Lady’s explanation continued, I couldn’t help but gawk with my mouth wide open.

Symbols kept popping up, but not a single number appeared.

My math-related knowledge had reset to zero the instant the college entrance exam ended.

On top of that, I was a liberal arts major, so I couldn’t understand a single thing.

L Starlight Lady) How is it? Can you understand?

L Wild Grylls) Is that... the basics?

L Starlight Lady) Yes. That’s what you learn before even entering the Academy.

L Anyone else feeling like their brain is gonna explode just looking at this?

L Me first lol

L Ah lol, doesn’t affect daily living anyway lol

Are mages in this world made up exclusively of Newtons and Einsteins?

Then again, scientists on Earth were geniuses compared to ordinary people as well.

I decided to neatly fold away any greed for magic.

L Wild Grylls) Uh... I’ll just give up. Starlight Lady-nim, is math easy for you?

L Starlight Lady) I love math. You can express everything in the world through math, after all! Someday, I’ll express the Forest of the Four Seasons through math too.

L Wild Grylls) There are no calculators here, right?

L Starlight Lady) Why would you need a calculator? You can just do mental arithmetic.

L Wild Grylls) ;;;

L Seriously so obnoxious lol

L There are surprisingly people like that.

L Their mindset is fundamentally different from ours.

Let’s cleanly abandon magic. Holding onto useless hope feels like it’ll only end up hurting me.

Still, I should thank Starlight Lady. I felt sorry for her as she seemed disappointed.

’In the end, there’s no choice but to solve it physically.’

Isn’t there any way? I looked around the cave.

Then, my eyes caught an object right there. Something I had left neglected until now.

’That’s it!’

It was the liquor gifted by the dwarf.