I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 40

I stared at the mushroom glittering with a bright golden radiance.

A mushroom that bioluminesced with golden light even after the torch was extinguished.

It seemed this was what the muscle mushroom had been guarding.

’Just looking at it, it seems poisonous.’

It was safer to assume that most mushrooms contained poison.

And nine times out of ten, brightly colored plants and animals carried venom or poison.

Therefore, the probability that this Golden Mushroom harbored deadly poison was extremely high.

’Still, it’s quite fascinating.’

I slowly approached the Golden Mushroom.

As I drew closer, I realized the mushroom was far larger than expected.

It was only slightly smaller than the fish I caught earlier. Quite huge for a mushroom.

’It really looks like something a mustache character would eat.’

Suddenly, a plumber character wearing overalls came to mind.

If that character ate this mushroom, wouldn’t he grow bigger or stronger?

Bumping into monsters and causing them to get blown away on their own, or something like that.

Even while having such useless thoughts, I didn’t lower my guard.

After all, it might start moving like the muscle mushroom earlier.

Fortunately, the Golden Mushroom didn’t jump up. It merely glittered.

’What on earth could this be?’

While inspecting the mushroom, I didn’t forget to keep an eye on my surroundings.

For safety’s sake, it would be best to pluck this mushroom and return.

’Just in case, let’s put on the gloves.’

I pulled the gloves out of my pocket and put them on.

It was large enough that I had to hold it with both hands, but that didn’t matter.

I could hang the sword at my waist and sling the shovel and shield over my back.

’Come to think of it, I need a scabbard.’

Normally, swords come with a scabbard, but the Sword of the Heavenly Demon didn’t.

Either it didn’t have one from the start, or she forgot to include it when giving it to me.

Since I was planning to trade Fasting Pills soon, I could just ask her via 1-on-1 chat.

Tug!

"Hmm?"

My eyes widened. It was rooted so firmly that it wouldn’t come out easily.

No, wait. As far as I knew, mushrooms didn’t have roots. It was just stuck.

"Grahhhhh!"

Pop!

Only after squeezing out every ounce of strength was I barely able to pluck it.

The recoil nearly knocked me over, but I managed to barely maintain my balance.

Looking at the spot where it had been pulled from, I noticed a round hole left in the stone.

’Has it been growing here for a really long time?’

It seemed to have taken root for so long that it left an indentation right in the stone.

Holding the Golden Mushroom with both hands, I carefully stepped outside.

Exiting the cave, a savory aroma stimulated my nose.

It was the scent wafting from the charred muscle mushroom.

’Let’s move fast.’

I picked up my pace before encountering any beasts.

Deep down, I wanted to poke around with the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

But further curiosity might endanger my life. It was better to restrain myself.

Throb!

As I walked briskly, a sudden headache hit me.

A sudden ache caused me to frown, but I couldn’t just brush it off easily.

’What’s this?’

Grimacing, I didn’t stop moving my legs.

The headache subsided shortly after, but an uneasy feeling lingered.

Perhaps this Golden Mushroom was the problem. I needed to hurry back to the shelter.

’No one raided the place, thankfully.’

After arriving at the shelter, I examined the Golden Mushroom once more.

It really was huge. I was curious as to what kind of thing it was.

I took a photo of the mushroom and posted it on the Gallery.

Title) Anyone know what this mushroom is?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the Golden Mushroom compared to a hand)

Found this mushroom in the cave guarded by the muscle mushroom.

It’s glowing brilliantly in gold, so it’s definitely poisonous, right? The size is insane too.

L Starlight Lady) What a pretty mushroom. But it’s best not to eat wild mushrooms.

L Wild Grylls) I just brought it out of curiosity. I have zero intention of eating it.

L Eat that and I’ll give you 100 billion Eura lol

L I’ll give 100,000 Gold lol

L Starlight Lady) You people are truly terrible.

L Praise the Sun) Look at that brilliant radiance. You got that from a cave?

L Wild Grylls) Yeah. It was hard to pull out too.

L Praise the Sun) Just looking at it, it seems to be screaming "I’m poisonous!" right?

L Wild Grylls) So I’m thinking of just keeping it for decoration.

L Praise the Sun) Not bad as an ornament.

Everyone marveled at the golden mushroom, calling it fascinating.

But aside from calling it pretty, no one seemed to know its true identity.

In the end, the only person left who might know was Allfather...

L Allfather) Hoho. You have found another peculiar thing this time.

L Wild Grylls) Do you know what this mushroom is?

L Allfather) Of course I know. Throw it away immediately.

L Wild Grylls) Huh?

A comment telling me to throw it away immediately popped up. I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

The subsequent comment left by Allfather came as quite a shock.

L Allfather) By any chance, did you experience headaches or dizziness while bringing it?

L Wild Grylls) I had a slight headache, but it went away quickly.

L Allfather) The medicine I gave you earlier must have taken effect. Merely standing close to it should normally manifest symptoms.

L Wild Grylls) What kind of mushroom is this anyway?

L Allfather) Its name is quite simple. The Golden Mushroom. It is one of the rarest mushrooms in existence, also hailed as the King of Mushrooms.Get faster updates on no‌velping.com.

As expected of the Forest of the Four Seasons. Truly worthy of a place harboring all kinds of weird flora and fauna.

It was even called the King of Mushrooms. I wondered in what sense it was considered a king.

L Wild Grylls) If it’s the king, isn’t that a good thing?

L Allfather) Whatever else it may be, this mushroom holds both positive and negative implications. Which would you like to hear first?

L Wild Grylls) Tell me the negative one first.

L Allfather) Even a single bite will melt all your internal organs. The same goes for your bones and muscles.

L Wild Grylls) ;;;

Just listening to it was terrifying.

To think that not just bones and muscles, but internal organs would melt down.

Even drinking a bucket of hydrochloric acid wouldn’t be that devastating.

It meant it harbored that terrifying of a toxicity. Naturally, I had no choice but to stay away from it.

L Wild Grylls) What about the positive side?

L Allfather) If you are lucky, you can restore those dissolved organs, bones, and muscles. Beyond mere recovery, your body itself will ascend several realms.

L Isn’t that Body Metamorphosis?

L Just hearing it, it sounds like Body Metamorphosis though?

L Allfather) It is no simple Body Metamorphosis. According to legend, one can acquire a divine physique.

L Wild Grylls) Whoa.

There was a reason it was called the King of Mushrooms. High risk, high return.

So I definitely shouldn’t eat it. There was no reason to gamble on this.

The thought of one’s entire body melting down made me dizzy just imagining it.

L Allfather) Even someone with absolute poison immunity would be in danger. Thus, I recommend throwing it away.

L Wild Grylls) So poison immunity is meaningless against it?

L Allfather) According to legend, the odds are strictly 50-50. It makes no exceptions for anyone.

L Wild Grylls) Guess I should throw it away. Or do you want it for research purposes?

L Why not give it to us?

L I’ll eat it and test it for you, fr

L Do you not value your life?

L My life is ruined anyway, might as well eat that lol

L Why is your life ruined?

L Went all-in on Caspel Mine stock and got ruined.

L What about it?

L The mine collapsed.

L Ah... stay strong.

L Heavenly Demon) It sounds intriguing, yet it seems like a perilous mushroom. This venerable self is not particularly drawn to it either.

L Sword Matstar) Are you scared?

L Heavenly Demon) Hm. Suddenly, I feel an urge to swing my iron hammer.

L Sword Matstar) sry;;

L lololol she already got a taste of power

L Isn’t she gonna develop bad habits like that?

L Orange Badge will handle it.

L Passing Dwarf) Can’t I brew liquor with that?

L Wild Grylls) Don’t think you can do that with mushrooms? Someone died after drinking water boiled with wild mushrooms before.

L Passing Dwarf) Who was that? Fucking dumbass.

L Wild Grylls) That was my father, you bastard.

L Passing Dwarf) Ah. Really sorry;;

L Wild Grylls) Kidding lol. My dad died in an accident.

L Passing Dwarf) You son of a bitch.

L Passing Dwarf) No wait no;; I’m sorry. I’m just sorry;;

L lololololol

L lololol

L Right after swearing he immediately straightened up lololol

L Jumped out of his skin lolol

L Praise the Sun) Can’t it be used for decoration?

L Wild Grylls) Didn’t he say just being near it causes headaches and dizziness?

L Praise the Sun) Just seal it behind glass. I really like that golden color.

L Allfather) Excuse me, but studying it would be of far greater value. If you give it to me, I will compensate you generously.

L Praise the Sun) I can compensate generously too? How much money do you need?

L Wild Grylls) I don’t really need money though...

Right now, money was overflowing.

Just selling the Owlbear carcass had made me rich.

The problem was that even with money, I couldn’t buy what I actually needed.

Praise the Sun seemed to realize this as well, instantly replying with a comment.

L Praise the Sun) Come to think of it, you’re right. Is there anything you want?

L Wild Grylls) I want to get out of here.

L Praise the Sun) Uh... sorry. That’s a bit impossible. Just give it to that mage over there.

L Allfather) I do not have anything particularly suitable to offer either. Is there anything else you require?

The Golden Mushroom couldn’t even be put up on the auction block.

I didn’t want to hear news the next day that someone died after eating the Golden Mushroom.

Selling it for money was tricky too. The risk was too high.

It was literally a chicken rib—useless to keep, wasteful to throw away. After contemplating, I wrote a reply.

L Wild Grylls) If anything, maybe armor? That would be great.

L Sword Matstar) Good idea. Since you’re in a forest, leather armor would be better than iron armor.

L Heavenly Demon) Rather than that, how about learning Body-Protecting Gangqi?

L Wild Grylls) How do you even use that?

L Sword Matstar) Grylls-ssi can’t even use an Aura Blade yet. It’ll take forever before he can use an Aura Shield.

L Heavenly Demon) It is not Aura Blade, but Sword Gang. And it is not Aura Shield, but Body-Protecting Gangqi.

L Sword Matstar) Same difference. Do you really have to nitpick everything?

Fighting again. Why are these people always at each other’s throats?

But as everyone knew, Heavenly Demon was currently an assistant mod (blue badge).

Blue badges had ban authority too.

L Heavenly Demon) What did you just say? To this venerable self, it sounds like an invitation to get struck by an iron hammer.

L Sword Matstar) sry;;

L lololol she’s already drunk on power

L Won’t she develop bad habits like that?

L Orange Badge will handle it.

L Princess Chaenggu) Huh? Why do you need armor? I gave you the uniform!

L Wild Grylls) Can this actually protect me?Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.

L Princess Chaenggu) How hurtful! The uniforms developed in Mephisto perform even better than leather armor!

L Wild Grylls) Really?

L It’s true. That’s why some people go to dungeons wearing sports uniforms lol

L It’s expensive, but convenience and performance are way better than leather armor.

L Wild Grylls) Why is that?

L Because there are so many people stabbing each other

L To protect athletes. If you watch sports, it’s practically a small warzone.

L You’d probably be fine even if hit by a magic arrow lolol

L Wild Grylls) ;;;

Aside from the high culture, savagery seemed well reflected in this era.

Just in case, I looked for another uniform.

The Sword of the Heavenly Demon was too much, so I used a regular dagger.

Screeech! Scritch!

"Oh?"

Even after slashing hard at the uniform with the dagger, it was completely fine.

To be sure, I stretched out the uniform and stabbed it with the dagger.

Still completely fine. It was tailor-made for me.

’In the forest, beasts are one thing, but minor injuries are far more dangerous.’

Even the smallest scratch could invite venom or pathogens, causing immense suffering.

However, even considering its performance, the uniform was too thin.

Layering leather armor over this would yield even better protection.

L Wild Grylls) The uniform is great, but just in case, I think I still need leather armor. It’s too thin.

L Princess Chaenggu) Then how about wearing multiple uniforms layered together?

L Wild Grylls) Are you a genius?

L Princess Chaenggu) Hehe, I’m pretty smart~

L Yeah, right. Still just a fool cheering for Chaeyu lol

L Just walk around in uniforms lol. Whatever you wear, you’ll die in one hit anyway.

L Sent straight to Aragon’s side in one hit~

In the end, extra armor was replaced by uniforms.

I offered the mushroom to Princess Chaenggu after that, but she immediately rejected it.

She didn’t want it even for decoration and just offered to give me a few more uniforms.

’I’m taking way too much from her.’

She said cheering for her team was enough, but I felt genuinely apologetic. If I found something good in the future, I’d definitely give it to her.

At any rate, the decision regarding the Golden Mushroom was postponed.

Because it carried such massive risks, its status remained ambiguous.

’Since Wonmo might eat it...’

I needed to store it somewhere out of sight as much as possible.

Being golden, it would stand out wherever I put it, but I had a spot in mind.

The box that came with the dwarf’s trade items last time. I stored it inside that box.

And to prevent Wonmo, who had a keen sense of smell, from catching its scent, I placed the box outside the cave.

The Elixirs were stored in a different box, so there was no major issue.

If I really ran low, I could just buy them from the Auction House.

’Great. That settles it.’

Having dealt with the Golden Mushroom, I raised my head.

Though only slightly, the sun was gradually setting. It was time to prepare for the night.

’Spores might have gotten on my clothes, so I should wash up right away.’

Another day drew to a close.

A deep night when everyone was asleep. A forest where only the chirping of insects echoed.

Inside the cave, the faint crackling of a campfire could be heard.

Following the campfire came the soft breathing of a human, the breathing of a beast, and so on.

Each was sleeping in their own way. A very peaceful scene.

Clatter! Clatter!

Amidst the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, a coarse noise rang out.

The noise originated not inside the cave, but outside. From the box placed outdoors.

The box rattled continuously before soon tipping over onto its side.

Tumble-tumble—

As it fell sideways, its contents spilled out.

It was the mushroom glowing golden even in the pitch-black night.

Rustle—

Surprisingly, the fallen Golden Mushroom pushed itself upright.

Tiny arms and legs, never seen before, had sprouted from the mushroom’s stalk.

Compared to the muscle mushroom, they were endlessly puny and cute limbs.

But having arms and legs meant it could move.

Pitter-patter—

The Golden Mushroom waddled its short pair of legs, heading toward the dark forest.

So that no one could find it, extremely stealthily.

Until the Golden Mushroom vanished completely, only quiet breathing echoed inside the cave.

Time passed, and morning dawned.

"What the? Where did the mushroom go?"

Grylls belatedly realized that the mushroom had disappeared.

He had sensed something odd the moment he saw the outside box tipped over.

Checking it immediately, low and behold: the Golden Mushroom stored inside had vanished.

"N-No way...!"

Grylls’s eyes widened. He thought he knew why the mushroom was gone.

Stopping his frantic rummaging through the box, he rushed into the cave.

"Wonmo! Open your mouth!"

"Kyuuu...?"

"What did you eat yesterday?! You didn’t eat the mushroom, right?!"

Grylls forcibly pried open innocent Wonmo’s beak.

Fortunately, Wonmo hadn’t eaten the mushroom. He had just been peacefully sleeping.

After completing the full inspection, Grylls breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t bother checking Speed Sloth.

That guy possessed insanely sharp instincts, so he wouldn’t even have gone near the mushroom.

Even as Grylls felt relieved, a question popped into his mind.

"Wait. It’s not like it has legs, so where did it go?"

In fact, it actually did have legs. Grylls just had no idea.

Such was the mystical Forest of the Four Seasons.