I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 399

The Ogre Rider was cut in half with a single strike.

It was proof that the only reason Cain hadn’t been able to fight properly until now was purely due to his equipment.

The idea of using me as a tool and the sword itself was incredibly stupid, but it was the best move.

Even Cain went so far as to call me a masterpiece among masterpieces, saying he wanted to swing me just one more time.

"I told you, stop treating a person like a tool. And it’s not me, it’s this sword. This Sword of the Heavenly Demon is what’s amazing, okay?"

[That is true. But even if it is a masterpiece, it would have been impossible without your assistance. Furthermore, I have realized one more thing.]

"What’s that?"

[That this is how an Ego Sword is born.]

"What on earth is Aris doing? She should be dragging away this corrupt clergyman."

A hollow laugh escaped me at Cain, who was genuinely treating a human being like a sword.

As everyone knows, an Ego Sword is a sword imbued with an ego. It was easiest to think of it as something similar to Cain.

However, the Ego Swords recorded in history so far were extremely rare. Even the most famous one had barely any records left.

Considering the circumstances revealed so far, there was a very high probability that Ego Swords were also AIs.

Not the type of self-thinking artificial intelligence like Cain, but the type that faithfully adheres only to a designated role, like Alex.

Without looking too far, there were the Mimics who still awaited their masters even after all this time.

[By the way, have your symptoms still not cured?]

"They’re slowly getting better."

My half-broken body was gradually recovering. One proof of that was the Gallery.

Earlier, the conversations were all blurry as if filled with static. But now, they had returned to normal.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Hey. Try hitting your head with a hammer later. I’m curious if you’ll actually get forged like a real tool.

ㄴStarlight Lady) No matter what, you shouldn’t treat a person like an actual tool;;

ㄴPraise the Sun) He doesn’t really look like a human to me, though.

ㄴSword Matstar) Honestly speaking, I want to try swinging him once too.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) I can glimpse the greed in your words.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Grylls-nim is one thing, but Cain-nim is the truly amazing one there!

ㄴSword Matstar) I can do that too.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) This lady can do so as well.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) T-To be honest, I can do it too!

ㄴSmart Demon) There’s really no need to let your pride get the better of you here;;

ㄴKing Reor) In all my demon life, I’ve never seen an Ego Sword like that.

It seemed everyone was astonished by the fact that I was used as Cain’s ’sword.’

Well, I would have reacted the same way. Even I thought it was a crazy stunt.

’What else could I do? This was the best option.’

If there had been any other way, I would have used it.

But time was tight, and I was being pushed back in a contest of pure strength, so I had no choice.

I closed the cascading comment window and sent a message to one person.

[Wild Grylls: Orange Badge-nim. Do you have any Empty Sky Stone Milk left right now?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Ah! Of course! I kept some just in case!]

[Wild Grylls: I’m sorry, but could you send that back to me? As you can see, something went wrong with my head. Neither the antidote nor the Elixir is curing it.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Of course! Oh, and! Even if it doesn’t get better, please don’t hit your head with a hammer like someone suggested! Grylls-nim is not a tool!]

[Wild Grylls: Thank you;;]

This feels less like being treated as a tool and more like being treated as a machine. I was left speechless.

Still, I was able to receive the Empty Sky Stone Milk from Asella.

If I didn’t recover even after drinking this, it would be highly problematic.

Eojil!

"Ugh...!"

The moment I drank the Empty Sky Stone Milk, a wave of dizziness washed over me.

It felt as though energy rushed toward my head and went peong!, bursting open.

I hadn’t realized it before drinking, but there had been a sensation of something weighing down on my head. That burst cleared it right away.

Seueuk-

"...The effect is great."

The pain was brief, and the effects were instantaneous. I could move my body exactly as I wished.

If a problem arose in the mind, Empty Sky Stone Milk was the answer.

’Is it like a superior version of an antidote?’

Even the Elixir, which was practically a panacea, struggled to cure mental ailments—specifically, issues in the head.

In that sense, Empty Sky Stone Milk was nothing short of a miracle cure. And a miracle cure that I could use as lavishly as I wanted, at that.

I thoroughly checked my physical condition and stood up. As I rose, Cain asked,

[Is your body alright?]

"Yes. Fortunately, I’m perfectly fine."

[What a pity. I thought I would be able to swing you once more.]

"Be quiet before I use your main body to scrape the dead skin off my soles. How can the most tool-like person among us say such nonsense?"

While I was nagging Cain, Bbareumbo stealthily climbed onto my back.

It seemed he had abandoned me without mercy when my condition was in shambles, only to return now that I was perfectly fine.

’But how do I deal with this Ogre?’

I looked at the Ogre and the dinosaur that had been his beloved steed. It didn’t matter to me whether he could use an Aura Blade or not.

Having already witnessed the Goblin’s case, I could just accept it and move on.Follow the newest chapters on novelpin⁠g.com.

Rather, the key issue was disposal. If I left this as is, bugs would swarm over it.

Actually, it wouldn’t matter if bugs swarmed, but I was worried it might affect me as well.

’They might catch the scent, come near here, and sense my presence.’

So, I just threw it onto the auction house. Let whoever wants it buy it.

Some might call it irresponsible, but this was the best I could do.

If Allfather had heard this, he would have wept, but he was still currently banned.

Since I had wrapped up the cleanup perfectly, I set off once again.

’I’ll have to be careful of things like flowers in the future too.’

I recalled the yellow flower I had hastily stuffed into my Subspace Backpack.

It was an incredibly dangerous flower that completely disrupted all of one’s senses.

Seeing how it half-destroyed the nervous system, quite a few beasts must have fallen victim to this flower.

In other words, it meant I could put it to good use.

’Since I might fall victim to it myself, I’ll have to process it properly.’

I planned to ask Starlight Lady in three days to process it so that I could use it as a weapon.

By then, Allfather’s ban would be lifted as well, so there would be plenty of people to ask.

Having finished my thoughts, I moved on. My survival was not yet over.

’Since that Ogre was an exceptionally strong Hunter... please let something normal show up next.’

Of course, this was purely wishful thinking. Wishing for normalcy in the Forest of the Four Seasons was a luxury.

I kept my guard up and scanned my surroundings. The forest was gradually changing.

As for how it was changing, the size of the trees had grown bloatedly massive.

They were already large trees to begin with, but their thickness had become at least twice as thick.

’There were occasionally large trees here and there, but... here, every single one of them is huge.’

I caressed the surface of a tree and looked up. The color of the leaves was remarkably dark, like pine needles.

It wasn’t just the trees that had changed. There was something I felt the moment I entered this vicinity.

"The air feels... somewhat muggy, doesn’t it?"

[I do not have skin.]

I lightly ignored Cain’s nonsense and looked around.

To reiterate, it wasn’t that the weather had gotten hotter, but that the air itself had completely changed.

It felt as if a hot energy entered my lungs with every breath I took.

’Should I wear a gas mask?’

Although it felt a bit unpleasant, I didn’t get the feeling that it was dangerous.

I walked on without letting my guard down. Marking my path to avoid getting lost was a bonus.

’Suddenly, it’s changing into a bamboo forest again.’

Just a moment ago, the trees were dense, but now it was full of bamboo.

I wondered if it was a place where space shifted like across the river, but that wasn’t the case.

The boundaries weren’t clearly divided; rather, they were blended together.

It was just a different zone, but strictly speaking, it was the same space.

If they had anything in common, it was probably that they were both dense. Fortunately, it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t pass through.

"Wait a moment. I should make it easier to pass through."

[Easier to pass through?]

"Even you will be able to cross without any trouble, Cain-ssi."

Since it’s bamboo, there’s no problem with cutting it down cleanly. It’ll grow back quickly anyway.

With that thought in mind, I drew the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Uuuuuung!

The moment I channeled mana, a massive Aura Blade was generated.

I gripped the Sword of the Heavenly Demon with both hands. Not in a normal way, though.

Because I held it as if I were about to swing a baseball bat. The slashing stance was the same.

After staring straight at the dense bamboo forest, I swung it like a baseball bat.

"Heutcha!"

Chwaak!

The massive Aura Blade swept rapidly through the bamboo forest.

Hududuk! Huduk!

The bamboo fell in heaps, making my field of vision much clearer than before.

If I had done this in a normal forest, my head would have been in danger from the falling trees.

It was because it was relatively light bamboo that I could pull off such an eccentric stunt.

"Now it’s fine. Let’s set off..."

"Kireureureuk!"

Kuung!

The moment the words of departure left my mouth, something massive fell from above.

Because of the thick dust kicked up as it crashed down, I couldn’t tell what had fallen at first.

Soon, as the dust cleared, I was able to identify the identity of the thing that had fallen from above.

"...A spider?"

It was a giant spider. And a very hideous-looking one at that.

I wondered why a spider had fallen. Had it made a web in the bamboo forest?

But I soon realized that wasn’t the case.

[All of that fellow’s legs have been cut off, though.]Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.

"..."

[It looks like bamboo on the outside. It seems to be a creature that inhabits the bamboo forest.]

Most of the spider’s long, bamboo-like legs had been severed. And at completely different lengths, too.

It seemed it had gotten caught up in the process of me cleanly slicing down the bamboo forest.

"Twet!"

Just as I was starting to feel slightly sorry, the spider looked at me and spat.

It wasn’t spit, but a sticky tentacle. It started dragging me along with it.

I could feel its sheer determination to eat me no matter what.

Kwajijijik!!!

And that was its final struggle.

Because Cain had cleanly crushed the spider’s head with his coffin.

Meanwhile, I easily broke free from the restraint. It wasn’t that difficult.

[Are you going to keep going that way?]

"Hmm... No. I don’t feel like going there anymore."

Looking at the bamboo spider, a thought occurred to me. There would definitely be camouflaged individuals.

Unlike other places, this was a bamboo forest with almost only one color.

My intuition told me that there would be plenty of bastards pulling off all kinds of camouflage tricks.

"If we go a bit deeper here, I bet even snakes pretending to be bamboo will show up. I guarantee it."

ㄴPassing Dwarf) If that’s true, I’ll buy you a chicken haha

The dwarf threw a provocation that wasn’t quite a provocation. Snorting at it, I said,

"Is that so? Fry up a chicken in advance. I’ll show you right away."

ㄴPassing Dwarf) What if there’s nothing?

"Then there’s nothing."

I replied as such and stepped into the bamboo forest.

No. To be precise, I was about to enter.

Ssuuuuuk!

Until the bamboo I had just cut down suddenly underwent a massive growth spurt.

I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by the sight.

I knew bamboo grew quickly, but this was crossing the line.

Just what on earth was wrong with this damn forest? A sigh escaped me.

"...Let’s just not go."

[I do not know if I should say this, but...]

"You don’t have to."

[Staring into empty space and talking to yourself since earlier makes you look quite like a madman.]

"I told you not to say it. And you know I’m using the Gallery."

[The problem is that it still looks strange even though I know.]

It was a point I couldn’t really refute.

Even I would want to avoid someone talking nonsense to empty space.

After letting out a hollow laugh, I ignored the bamboo forest that was exuding an ominous energy.

Usually, places like that were cases where the forest itself was alive. The moment I set foot inside, I might get eaten.

Wieeeeing-

It was when I headed toward a different zone instead of the bamboo forest. A familiar sound reached my ears.

The sound of a creature that rightfully deserved to vanish from the face of the earth: a mosquito. It had been a while since I last heard it.

Previously, while heading down along the river, I had encountered a mosquito much larger than a fist.

Wieeeeiing!

"Wow. I’ve lived long enough to see a mosquito the size of a human."

[Is it just me, or does its proboscis look unusual?]

While I was marveling, the mosquito charged at me.

Seeing how it lunged despite me clearly having applied insect repellent, it was no ordinary fellow.

Of course, since it was such an obvious attack, I raised my shield to lightly block it.

Puk!

"?!"

The problem was that its sharp proboscis had pierced right through the shield.

My eyes widened in sheer surprise. A mere mosquito piercing a shield?

Wieeeeing! Wieeeeing!

An even bigger problem was that it wasn’t just one. A massive swarm of mosquitoes welcomed us.

It seemed this zone was a place that extremely enlarged the size of insects and bugs.

"What a horrific place."

Wieeeeeeing!!!

The struggle against the mosquitoes began.

Meanwhile, at Grylls’s Shelter without Grylls.

Wieeeeing-

"Limpy. Mosquitoes are coming. Apply the repellent."

"My name is Ludwig, Gorilla."

"I know."

At the Shelter, they were also waging a desperate struggle against mosquitoes.