I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 381

With the Motorcycle Mimic self-destructing, we were able to inspect its main body.

However, because the motorcycle was broken down to near-total disintegration, there wasn’t much salvageable.

What looked reasonably intact were just the engine and the wheels. I planned to dump the engine onto Passing Dwarf.

"Ow, my legs..."

Inspecting the motorcycle aside, my legs were in awful shape.

Even if my physical capabilities were exceptionally superior to others, it wasn’t like I had no limits.

Sprinting at speeds matching a motorcycle’s top velocity for a prolonged stretch—if I were completely fine after that, that would be stranger.

[In a normal person, far from groaning, every thigh muscle would have ruptured entirely.]

"Well, of course."

Was the top speed of the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, around 45 km/h? I recalled it being about that much.

Yet I had run faster than that, and maintained it for a long period to boot.

Human limits were breached ages ago. Having undergone Body Metamorphosis, it was only natural.

Even so, it didn’t give me boundless confidence. My top speed was high, but my acceleration wasn’t.

’Strictly in terms of acceleration, Bbareumbo takes the crown.’

I still couldn’t catch up to Bbareumbo’s instantaneous burst speed.

The only reason I was able to track the Motorcycle Mimic’s movements with my eyes just now was because our speeds were relative.

’If I can’t track something with kinetic visual acuity, do I just have to run at a speed similar to the target?’

It was practically a trick. A crude, brainless method, too.

Increasing my kinetic visual acuity was the top priority, but I couldn’t ignore the experience I just had.

So I asked directly: had there been cases where people lacking dynamic vision made up for it with raw speed, like me?

Ludwig’s answer to that was a true masterpiece.

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

[He says it’s akin to flapping a gigantic hand to fly through the air rather than using technology.]

"What kind of analogy is that?"

A massive flying hand? Just imagining it was horrifying.

The problem was that the hideousness applied to me. Anyway, it meant it was possible.

"Besides, it’s not like there are zero people as fast as me. Right outside, there’s Heavenly Demon, Sword Masters, the Hero, and plenty of others."

[I will not deny that... but what astounds me is your stamina.]

"Stamina? Top experts all have great stamina, don’t they?"

In martial arts stories, master battles are often described as raging on for three days and three nights.

Indeed, most of them possess the physical strength and stamina for it, leaving matches unresolved for ages.

[Indeed. However, top-tier experts are adept at pacing themselves. No matter how formidable they are, they cannot unleash full power every single moment.]

"Even without using full power, aren’t they way faster than me?"

[Putting speed aside, maintaining it for prolonged periods is the remarkable part. You can be considered a case with exceptionally monstrous stamina.]

So regardless of pure velocity, maintaining it over long spans was my main strength.

Hearing that, I glanced aside to check the comments.

It wasn’t that I distrusted Cain, the First Holy Knight. It was a simple cross-check.

Things had changed greatly since the era he remembered, and I was curious what others thought.

Re: Heavenly Demon) There is no falsehood in those words. However, this one is capable of it.

Re: Sword Matstar) It just comes down to bragging in the end. By those standards, I can do it too.

Re: Princess Chaenggu) I’m a mage so it’s tough for me~

Re: Praise the Sun) Is this place full of monsters or what? lol

Re: Passing Dwarf) I’m confident in drinking alcohol for long stretches though lol

Re: Starlight Lady) You’re really going to die of acute alcohol poisoning at this rate;;

Re: Smart Demon) Some people can do it. My boss can, for one.

So it was possible. What’s more, unlike me, they could track it with their eyes.

Completely different from me, who wiped out because I couldn’t control my own speed.

Ultimately, my speed was tricky to use unless the opponent was equally fast.

Since I even had to delegate attacking to Bbareumbo, I was basically a ’speed-only one-trick pony.’

’Kinetic visual acuity rarely improves dramatically.’

Eyes are extremely delicate. Even going through Body Metamorphosis might improve sight, but expanding dynamic vision is hard.

Still, it wasn’t impossible to improve, so consistent training would surely yield some results.

’Plenty of people here possess Muhammad Ali-level kinetic visual acuity.’

A real boxer’s punch is too fast for words.

Even with your eyes wide open, at some point the fist is suddenly right in front of your face.

I massaged my throbbing thighs and set about cleaning up the area.

First, I passed the engine off to Passing Dwarf. Telling him to analyze it on his own would do.

[Passing Dwarf: Forget it. That gun you gave me? Analyzing that alone is killing me.]

[Wild Grylls: Come to think of it, did you finish analyzing that?]

[Passing Dwarf: Half-given up. Don’t even know what material it’s made of, I’m just figuring out the structure.]

Passing Dwarf flatly rejected it. Complaining that he was busy enough and not to add to his workload.

Since it came to this, I pondered looking for another engineering nerd, but decided against it.Get faster updates on novelрing.com.

It might just burden them for nothing, and whether they could even comprehend it was doubtful.

’Could I donate it to somewhere like Messiah Academy?’

If I could donate it to an institution like a school, at least engineers would swarm over it to analyze it.

Being an educational institute, chaotic infighting was less likely. Professors could gather and debate over it.

After wrestling with options, I decided to just bring it back to the Shelter for now.

Aside from the engine, there wasn’t much worth keeping. The shotgun?

’This broke too.’

Regrettably, it had shattered alongside the motorcycle earlier.

It operated on mana, so it could have been useful. A shame.

"Master. Look at this."

"Huh?"

Right as I was wrapping up the cleanup, Lackey brought something over.

It was a laminated item containing a small slip of paper inside.

"This is..."

A photograph. A family photo, no less.

A middle-aged ahjussi who looked like a biker by any definition, gathered warmly alongside his family.

The funny thing was the Motorcycle Mimic. Despite its mouth hanging open, it was grinning brightly.

Seeing stuff like this made it feel less like a bio-AI and more like a house pet.

’Putting how happy they look aside, the owner is really...’

Shotgun, sunglasses, even a bandana wrapped around his head.

He looked delinquent by any measure, yet the family smiled radiantly. It gave off a peculiar feeling.

"Tsk."

Bikers tend to cherish their bikes like family.

Let alone a living motorcycle—the affection must have been extraordinary.

The masterless Motorcycle Mimic hadn’t gone berserk for no reason.

Looking around, I walked up to the Mimic’s remains that had detached from the motorcycle.

Separated from its frame, the Mimic had become a writhing clump of flesh.

Struggling to survive, even that wouldn’t last long.

"Here. Take this."

I handed the photo over to the creature crawling on the ground.

Rather than handing it over, I essentially tossed it onto the dirt. Yet was it satisfied regardless?

Ggeureureuk—

Making a bizarre noise, it ceased all motion. What remained of its clumped flesh scattered in every direction.

To copy its master’s daily actions to such a degree, its devotion must have been deep.

[To display loyalty toward its master to the very end... A remarkable creature.]

"Well... I’ll give you that."

Saying so, I finished packing up all our gear.

Since the request was done, I intended to explore a bit more.

My thighs ached a little, but it wasn’t to the point of being unable to move.

Daldaldaldal—

"Ggyuuu! Ggyuu!"

"Wonmo-ya."

Just as we were about to set off, Wonmo performed tricks using the motorcycle wheel.

Huffing and puffing to stand the large wheel upright, he scrambled onto it.

Balancing precariously while rolling forward—it was a bizarre talent.

Of course, falling off could cause serious injury, so I promptly stopped him.

"Bbiike!"

The problem was that even when I scooped up Wonmo, Tyranno took over next. The little ones had found a new toy.

Sighing internally, I shoved the wheels into the Subspace Backpack.

They were heavy, but that was fine. I wasn’t the one carrying it.

"Master. It is getting heavy."

"Endure it."

Lightly ignoring Lackey’s grumbling, I marched forward.

Perhaps because it was a ruined city, moss-covered structures were abundant.

Also, as we moved away from the epicenter, there were buildings that retained somewhat recognizable shapes.

’It really gives off a strong impression of being ancient ruins.’

But even this didn’t last long. As mossy structures grew more frequent, trees also gradually multiplied.

Before long, trees outnumbered ruined structures as we stepped into the forest proper.

"Mmh... Let’s end today’s exploration here. We have a lot of gear, and we just fought a battle."

I decided to wrap up exploration for the day.This story is hosted at nоvelping.com.

Gear aside, my thighs were throbbing worse and worse.

Thus, using Cheongseol’s ability, we didn’t return directly to the Shelter... but first went back to the library.

"We took down the Motorcycle Mimic. Here’s proof."

Instead of the engine, I presented the motorcycle handlebars as evidence.

Alex, the living wiki, inspected the handlebars carefully before nodding his head.

[Confirmed. Noise pollution causing Mimic verified. Expressing gratitude.]

"Sure. Is there anything else you need help with?"

[None. I want to help you.]

Getting help from him would only amount to receiving books.

But that was something easily covered by loans. I wanted other information.

"You’ve been here a long time, right? How long has it been?"

[Calculating by days, at least over 100 years.]

"100 years? That’s not that long?"

[Stopped counting after 100 years out of boredom. Little meaning to it.]

"..."

I felt a sense of something like an Elf or Demon Race.

Races with unusually long lifespans got lazy about counting their age.

So instead of being precise, they tend to tell you in decade increments.

"...Alright. Then are there any animals around here we need to be careful of? Animals that dominate territories, you know."

[My body remains tied to this place. Therefore, difficult to discern.]

"Tsk."

Disappointing, but nothing I could do. Just as I was about to ask something else...

[However, I know one thing. Observe the changes in the sky.]

"Changes in the sky?"

[There is a period when the sky turns into the sea. Never go outside during that period. That period is coming soon.]

The sky turning into sea, huh. Truly a shift worthy of the Forest of the Four Seasons.

If Alex warned about it, it must be a considerably dangerous anomaly.

"Does something happen when the sky turns into the sea?"

[Difficult to explain. Recommend experiencing it directly.]

Meaning something monstrous happens. I etched it firmly in mind.

"Master. Take those words to heart."

"You sound like you’ve experienced it yourself?"

Lackey also seemed to know what Alex was talking about.

Furthermore, his complexion turned unusually stiff. It seemed far from ordinary.

"I saw it clearly. My kin being snatched up into the sky."

"Snatched up?"

"It resembled the octopus tentacles we caught last time."

"..."

Just what kind of creature snatched them up? I grew even more curious.

But in the Forest of the Four Seasons, curiosity led straight to death.

I had zero intention of confronting that disaster. Holed up quietly at home was the best policy.

"What do your kin call it?"

"They don’t. They simply regard it as a naturally occurring calamity."

Even if you knew a natural disaster was coming, stopping it was impossible. That’s how they treated it.

When I harbored doubts about this, Alex chimed in from the side.

[I have a name for it.]

"A name?"

[Named after a famous monster from the Age of Sail.]

The name of the cataclysm I might face before long.

[The Kraken that drags the sea.]

"..."

[That is the name of the approaching calamity.]

It was so direct that I could picture what kind of monster it was.

Time passed, leading into the next day.

Ominous premonitions never miss their mark.

"What is that? Is that an actual sea?"

The next day, I witnessed the entire sky blanketed by a ’sea.’ And one more thing.

"Master. There are many fish in the sky."

"I’m looking at it too."

Fish flying through the sky had multiplied enormously.