I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 383

As the shield shimmering like a sea scattered, the Kraken’s true form was revealed.

However, the true identity of the Kraken was not a biological creature, but a machine. A vessel of immense size, at that.

’Something like that has been roaming around all this time?’

I looked at the vessel thrashing its mechanical arms as if enraged by the attack.

Huge enough to cover the entire sky. Its appearance was quite peculiar as well.

I could understand why Alex had described it as a ’Kraken’.

Between the mechanical arms and the shadows while inside the sea, one couldn’t properly distinguish it.

But its true form was unmistakably a vessel. A vessel with a futuristic design, no less.

Looking as though it floated through space rather than the ocean. Still, one thing was certain.

’It’s definitely a ship piloted by ancient humanity.’

While I had that thought, the sea that had temporarily scattered gathered together again.

As the sea condensed, it completely veiled the vessel.

[...It is mana. That sea itself is mana.]

"The concentration looks insanely dense, doesn’t it?"

[I know not what principle governs it, but I suspect it uses that mana for flight and stealth.]

As expected, the true nature of the Sky Sea was mana. High-purity mana, to boot.

To a degree that couldn’t even compare to the mana currently inside me.

The only consolation was that my arrow could at least disrupt its barrier.

The problem was...

’The Sky Sea is likely closer to a means of gathering mana rather than just a protective shield.’

Again, that thing is a ship. For a ship to move smoothly, it must ride atop water.

The Sky Sea composed of high-purity mana was likely fulfilling that role.

I didn’t know by what principle it gathered mana like that, but let’s move past that.

What was more important was how to deal with it. It had already begun harboring hostility toward us.

[Kiiiiiiiing-!!!]

A noise mixing mechanical hums and ship horns echoed across the sky.

Simultaneously, countless mechanical arms reached down toward us.

Each was quite large, and their speed was fast enough that caution was necessary.

Chwaang! Chwaak!

Dodging a mechanical arm plunging straight down, I lightly slashed it with the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Fortunately, seeing how easily it was sliced by the Sword of the Heavenly Demon, its durability wasn’t particularly high.

But durability wasn’t the issue.

Cheujeujeujeuk—

"Master! These bastards regenerate!"

"I have eyes too!"

The mechanical arm was regenerating in real-time.

Machines and regeneration weren’t a combo that went together, but if possible, no cheat could be more absurd.

It was fortunate that our party had many members who could cut steel like soft tofu; anyone else would have been driven to despair.

’That really is an ability straight out of a movie.’

Seeing things like this made it hard to understand. Mana was discovered in the year 2035.

Seeing that they invented such technology afterward, civilization must have developed to an extreme degree.

Even though it met its demise when nuclear war broke out.

’By what principle is it still functioning after all this time?’

I didn’t know if there was a biological AI like Alex inside, or if the vessel itself was an AI.

Above all, its objective was also unclear. Operating on mana made it practically a perpetual motion engine.

It couldn’t be absorbing living creatures just to gain fuel. Gritting my teeth, I sliced through another mechanical arm.

Cheujeujeujeuk—

Repeating the process of cutting and cutting again, I realized one more fact.

The mechanical arms’ regeneration rate was gradually slowing down. It seemed regeneration wasn’t infinite.

’It may be a vessel, but it’s not a warship. If it were a warship, it would have rained artillery fire.’

Also, that vessel was likely closer to an ’exploration ship’ rather than a ’warship’.

Seeing it fight only with mechanical arms made it nearly certain. More importantly, how do we repel it?

Even if we couldn’t crush it directly, driving it off would be more than enough.

"Lackey! You said you’ve seen that before, right?!"

"Saw it!"

"Was Wi Ho-chang there back then too?"

"Was there! Master repelled it!"

Great. So repelling it isn’t entirely impossible.

Slicing one more mechanical arm, I asked Lackey how Wi Ho-chang repelled it.

"Threw punch at sky, then it retreated!"

"Hey, damn it."

Talking like he fired a Tathagata Palm. But scarily enough, Wi Ho-chang probably actually did that.

Didn’t he have a track record of slaughtering masters across the Central Plains, after all?

Yet seeing that even Wi Ho-chang ended it with repelling it, that vessel must be formidable.

’If I just threaten it, it might retreat.’

I sought an opportunity. The rest of the party was handling the mechanical arms well one by one.

However, being hopelessly outnumbered, unless we struck the main body, we would eventually be overwhelmed by its regenerative ability.

Though the regeneration slowed down each time a mechanical arm was cut, there was no telling when it would run dry.

Above all, we couldn’t just focus on the mechanical arms. The fish flying through the sky earlier.

Ppol-ppol-ppol—

"Huh? This is a puf—"This chapter is updated first at novelping(.)com.

Kwaang!

Before I could even finish saying "Uh," the pufferfish triggered a massive explosion.

Fortunately, because I was deploying Body-Protecting Gangqi, I didn’t take severe damage.

Instead, taking the blast head-on left my ears ringing with tinnitus.

"Kuuuu...!"

It was a suicide drone. I scowled.

Though I had only seen them through videos or text, I at least knew they were dangerous.

But experiencing it once was far clearer than watching it a hundred times; experiencing it firsthand left my mind dazed.

If I had been an ordinary person, that attack just now would have taken me out.

Ppol-ppol-ppol— Ppol-ppol—

The problem was that not just one, but multiple fish were swarming over.

At first, I thought I just needed to watch out for explosions.

Pajijik!

Until one fellow unleashed a million volts like a certain yellow rat.

If there was a difference, it was that it fired from its mouth rather than its body. Luckily, I dodged it by a hair.

Hwareureuk!

Besides that, some spat fire, while others launched tackle attacks.

Each fish harassed us in a variety of ways. It was driving me crazy.

The mechanical arms alone were overwhelming, but with the fish raising havoc, my mind was frazzled.

[Look at the sky! More are coming!]

"Ah, please."

To make matters worse, a massive school of fish was swarming down from the Sky Sea.

Whoever created this, it was a thoroughly twisted sense of taste. Honestly, it felt less like a vessel and more like a toy.

However, the catch was that suicide drones were hidden within that toy.

This couldn’t continue. I made up my mind to make a decisive, nation-saving resolve.

"I’m going to destroy that vessel! At this rate, we’re the only ones losing out!"

[How will you destroy it!]

Right. ’How’ was the key question.

Someone like Wi Ho-chang had a high realm of martial arts, so he could check it from afar.

But my only long-range checking option was a bow.

’First, let’s try firing a Mythricon arrow.’

After entrusting defense to the rest of the party, I prepared a Mythricon arrow.

Bbareumbo could cover for my absence, so there was no big problem.

But even for Bbareumbo, blocking all the mechanical arms and fish drones rushing like a pack of dogs would be tough.

I needed to move fast, so I immediately nocked the Mythricon arrow to the string.

Kwaaaaaa!

I nocked the string and channeled Aura into it before firing.

Since the entire sky was a sea, firing practically anywhere would hit.

Before long, the Mythricon arrow vanished into the Sky Sea.

Kukwaaaaang!!!

Just like before, a massive explosion erupted. Simultaneously, the Sky Sea scattered, revealing the main body.

The moment the main body was exposed, I fired one more arrow. An arrow infused with even more Aura.

Flying rapidly, the arrow soon neared the vessel. And...

Ting!

Unlike the Sky Sea, it was blocked by a transparent barrier and fell right down.

That alone was astounding, but an even more ridiculous situation unfolded.

Wiing—

A mechanical arm enveloped the arrow and squeezed it tight.

No explosion occurred either. As if it had absorbed all the mana.

[Wuuuuuung.]

Indeed, at the moment an explosion should have occurred, the vessel let out a strange mechanical hum.

If it were the Motorcycle Mimic, it would have probably let out a burp sound.

Though I had essentially laboured for nothing, I did discover something from this.

’It requires a direct strike, not firepower.’

In the end, there was no other way than flying up ’directly’ to plunge a blade into it. The problem was that there was no suitable way to do that.

As I pondered back and forth, something suddenly caught my eye.

It was none other than the Mythricon Gauntlets worn by Lackey. I would use those.

"Lackey! Can you launch me at that bastard?!"

"...What mean by that, Master?"

Having been dealing with fish drones for quite a while, Lackey asked back in an absurd tone.

The rest of the party hearing this felt the same. Everyone wore expressions asking what on earth that meant.

"Arrows won’t work! A mechanical arm might intercept mid-air, and we’d just end up feeding it energy!"

"Still, becoming a human cannonball is not something I would recommend."

[That is madness.]

Ludwig asked with concern. Cain flat-out declared it was madness.

I knew full well. Approaching that vessel closely meant facing a massive threat.

"There’s no other way! If we keep holding out like this, we’re the only ones suffering! We have to at least force it to retreat!"Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.

"Mmm..."

At my impassioned point, the party nodded as if agreeing.

If we had a powerhouse like Wi Ho-chang it might be different, but right now there was no one of that caliber.

Right now, even the chief gorilla would be scrambling just to defend.

[You might not be able to return.]

"Better than all of us dying. Oh, and Ludwig-ssi. Please lend me your sword for a moment."

I asked Ludwig to lend me his sword. He willingly handed it over.

Either way, several Mythricon swords had been crafted as spares.

With the sword acquired, I spoke to Lackey, who had finished all preparations.

"Lackey. You ready?"

"Ready."

I looked at Lackey’s Mythricon Gauntlets.

Hearing a Wuuung— hum, it seemed he had prepared a powerful strike.

At this, I gripped the Sword of the Heavenly Demon and the Mythricon sword in each hand.

Lastly, down to the ring engraved with Haste magic. Everything was set.

"Huuup...!"

Ddedededede—

I placed my butt on top of Lackey’s thick hand.

Following that, Lackey let out a roar of gathering energy, then released it with all his might.

"Huaaaaa!"

Shuuuuuuung!!!

I didn’t know what magic he used, but my vision shifted in an instant.

Surprisingly, I felt no air resistance. Lackey seemed to have cast a separate spell.

Thanks to that, I could fly much faster. Now the rest was up to me.

Kiiiiiiing—

As expected, countless mechanical arms and fish drones rushed toward me.

Even though I was flying at high speed, their ability to catch up was faster than expected.

’Still, it’s fine.’

I wedged the Mythricon sword, pre-infused with Aura, between my feet.

One might ask what kind of fucking stupid idea this was, and honestly, looking from the outside, no one would understand what I was doing.

However, from ancient times, ’performance’ that sacrificed design was always reliable. That was me right now.

Wuuuuuung!

Unable to handle my Aura any longer, the Mythricon sword reacted.

Having condensed it to the limit, all that remained was release.

Kukwaaaaang!!!

The Mythricon triggered a massive explosion, propelling me forcefully. A principle akin to a rocket thruster.

If I had a normal body, my feet would have been completely wiped out, turning me into Ludwig II.

Surrounded by Body-Protecting Gangqi, my body could easily endure even this explosion. Though the pain was unavoidable.

Swiiiiiiiik!

Even with Body-Protecting Gangqi and air resistance magic active, my eyes stung.

But I couldn’t blink even once. Right now, concentration was the priority.

Taking in the rapidly approaching vessel with both eyes, I gripped the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Into the Sword of the Heavenly Demon, I poured an even larger amount of Aura than before.

’Lastly...!’

It was when I pierced through the Sky Sea and came close to the vessel’s shield.

I activated the Haste ring on my finger. My body flew far faster than before.

Then, feeling that I had almost arrived, I thrust the Sword of the Heavenly Demon forward.

Even the Sword of the Heavenly Demon thrashed wildly unable to handle my Aura, but I forcibly suppressed it.

Kagagagak!

Before long, the vessel’s shield collided with my Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Surprisingly, the shield held against the Sword of the Heavenly Demon packed with all my power.

Propulsion momentum and Haste magic. Plus the Sword of the Heavenly Demon packed to the brim with Aura.

The size of the visible Aura alone easily exceeded 5 meters.

Even so, the vessel’s shield held on.

Jjeojeojeok!

Of course, that was only for a split second before cracks began spreading across the shield.

The moment I saw the cracks, I thrust forward with everything I had.

Kwajijijik!!!

Before long, the shield surrounding the vessel shattered like glass.

Kwadeudededeok!!!

My thrust, still packed with force, pierced straight through the center of the vessel.

For a split second, the interior view of the vessel caught my eyes, but only for a moment.

"Euaaaaaaaaah!!"

Piercing through the vessel, I broke out into the open air.

[WARNING. WARNING. WARNING.]

Right before falling, what entered my ears was:

[MOTHERSHIP IS UNDER ATTACK.]

A statement that the vessel was being attacked.

’...Mothership?’