I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 405

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Is there anyone living a life as grueling as mine?

To be clear, it wasn’t tragic, but grueling. If we’re talking about pure tragedy, African refugees far away would be far more tragic.

My parents passed away early, forcing me to become self-reliant. I couldn’t even dream of youth while making money, and my future was bleak.

After living so arduously, I drank booze, opened my eyes, and woke up to a morning in another world.

Moreover, it wasn’t just another world, but a distant future whose era couldn’t even be pinpointed. Turns out Earth fell to nuclear war, and humanity migrated planet-wide.

Had I woken up outside, it might have been fine, but even the starting point was a total shitshow.

I had no choice but to get strong against my will, and as for civilized life, all I had was the Gallery.

Was it a stroke of luck amid misfortune that my luck with people was decent? That was true back on Earth too, so I counted my blessings.

"...This is why I have no choice but to hate God. Got it?"

"Master. Last time, you called out to God."

"When did I?"

"When you encountered the Flesh Aberration."

"That was an exclamation."

This albino gorilla sure has a sharp memory. Is it because his intelligence is exceptionally high?

Anyway, there was no complex reason for venting like this. My mental state had been ground to dust over the past three days.

I had valiantly declared, ’Let’s spend time outside while we don’t have a disturber!’ only to return weeping.

Of course, I had to factor in that the place I stepped foot in happened to be that kind of place.

I had never stepped outside my blanket, yet someone forced me out. I was driving myself crazy from the unfairness.

[Still, you are on the better side.]

"My life is on the better side?"

[You are the only person here with all four limbs intact, aren’t you?]

"..."

Hearing Cain’s words, I looked around. First off, Ludwig.

This guy led a grueling life in his own right. First off, he was a paladin—in other words, a soldier.

As with soldiers in any world, soldiers in this world faced particularly severe mortal danger.

This was due to the presence of monsters. Especially when a calamity like a dragon struck, they exploded like meat shields.

On top of that, Ludwig was someone who had been swept up in dirty political maneuvering and purged.

Fortunately, he met me and didn’t lose his life, but he lost one of his feet.

"...I can’t even joke about this. Ludwig-ssi, you have a family, right?"

"I have a wife and children."

"You’re married?"

Hearing that Ludwig had a family, I blinked.

Having a family wasn’t strange given his dignified, charming face and powerful combat prowess.

It was just surprising because he had never brought it up till now, nor did he display a yearning for the outside.

"They’ve all independent now. Normally, I would have spent my golden years with my wife."

"Don’t you miss them?"

"Not particularly."

"..."

Isn’t that too cold-hearted? Even the sorrows of a married man wouldn’t be like that.

Just as those words rose up to my throat, Ludwig spoke in a bitter voice.

"If it’s her, she’ll live thanking God for the sole fact that I’m alive. Hearing news alone is enough."

"Was your wife a member of the clergy too?"

"Yes. Though raising kids gave her no time to pray."

"If you don’t mind me asking, how many children do you have?"

"Three."

They were a deeply affectionate couple. Ludwig had quite a tragic life too.

Unlike me, whose hope of returning home had vanished, he possessed a firm sense of purpose.

Despite saying that, he surely missed home. He was just accustomed to it as a soldier.

Like this, everyone had their tough times, gradually overcoming them to reach this point.

’I thought the world had ended when my parents passed away too.’

Physical pain can be overcome. But mental pain is a difficult issue to conquer.

One can never truly escape that pain, and becoming used to it is the best one can do.

’Come to think of it, Bbareumbo had his family wiped out, and Lackey was kicked out by his family altogether.’

Everyone has had their hard times. It won’t do for me to be the only one whining.

Of course, the feeling of injustice remained unchanged. The frustration from having the middle process completely cut off was an added bonus.

’Escaping is escaping, but why I woke up here is also important.’

I gained piecemeal knowledge, but had zero information concerning myself.

Maybe there wasn’t any at all. Unlike the gods who left behind grand accomplishments, my identity might have been just Refugee #1.

Getting uselessly sturdy in body? That probably applied to all the gods too.

’Since they were the very ones who first discovered mana, body modification would be child’s play for them.’

Advanced science and mana. Combining just these two could easily create a monster.

’The fact that I don’t know how many there are is really...’New chapters come out on novel⁠ping.com first.

Like the Mechanical Kraken encountered last time, and the Ghost Ships appearing all over the world.

Curiously, they were all deeply connected to the ’ocean.’ I didn’t know if it was preference or if there was another reason.

Even the drone used by the Mechanical Kraken looked like a fish.

It seemed worth looking into the correlation between mana and the ocean. I should go ask Alex later.

"Ah, right. Almost forgot."

It was about time to get back the books I lent to people.

Since I plan to hole up in the Shelter over the winter, it’s better to receive them in advance.

The first person to retrieve from was the Heavenly Demon. Word was she would be in the semifinals soon.

[Wild Grylls: Hello, Heavenly Demon-nim. I’m contacting you about the book.]

[Heavenly Demon: The time has come at last. I read it remarkably well. Do you happen to have any other books?]

[Wild Grylls: Winter is approaching soon, so that’s likely difficult.]

[Heavenly Demon: I see. Then conversely, this maiden shall ask. Is there anything you need?]

[Wild Grylls: Isn’t it about time to teach me the next mnemonic formula?]

The mnemonic formulas of Heavenly Demon Divine Art had stopped at the third. The formula for containing internal qi.

Since I hadn’t obtained a formula since then, I judged it was worth trying step by step.

[Heavenly Demon: Hmm. This maiden believes it is still premature. Moreover, the next formula to teach is about discharging gathered energy. This maiden cannot predict what situation might occur if sire uses it.]

[Wild Grylls: Then around when will you be able to teach me the formula?]

[Heavenly Demon: At minimum, sire must wield Sword Gang freely... Hmm...]

Wielding Sword Gang freely. That was a genuinely difficult task for me.

Whether my vessel was small or my control was lacking, it always felt like I was overflowing.

Since even the Heavenly Demon had likely never seen such a case, it must be a quite baffling situation.

[Heavenly Demon: This maiden shall ponder deeply and deliver an answer soon. If it is impractical, I will research a divine art tailored solely for sire.]

[Wild Grylls: Is that possible?]

[Heavenly Demon: Nothing is impossible for this maiden. Having gained enlightenment through the book sire provided recently, I deem it achievable.]

[Wild Grylls: Just what enlightenment did you gain from the book...?]

[Heavenly Demon: Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.]

I didn’t quite understand what she meant. Still, I was glad it helped.

Regardless, since the Heavenly Demon said she would think over the fourth formula gradually, I could move on.

Next up was Starlight Lady. Did she understand chemistry, I wondered.

[Starlight Lady: Since it’s a discipline compiled by the gods, it was very difficult to understand. It seems experiments will definitely be necessary.]

[Wild Grylls: Was it helpful?]

[Starlight Lady: Tremendously! If this is compiled properly, alchemy will achieve major progress soon.]

[Wild Grylls: That’s awesome.]

Starlight Lady also seemed to have achieved desired results in her own right.

Next was the Hero Asella. I had lent her the Holy Bible.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Let there be light!]

[Wild Grylls: Huh?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Isn’t that such a cool phrase! I should go around shouting this for the time being!]

[Wild Grylls: Ah... okay.]

I had no idea what this person learned. Her faith got deeper, so I guess that works?

[Passing Dwarf: Oh, Lord Chikin. This bastard is trying to take Lord Chikin away.]

[Wild Grylls: What bull crap. Hand it over quickly.]

[Passing Dwarf: Oh, chicken-isiyeo. You must not leave me!]

[Wild Grylls: ;;;]

I retrieved the recipe back from the dwarf who had somehow turned into a chicken fanatic. Still, chicken is indisputable.

After receiving all the books back, I immediately headed to the library.

I wasn’t going to explore; I intended to quickly return them.

"Returning all these books here."

[Confirmation complete. Return deadline met. No late fee. Anything needed?]

"Nope. And since winter is coming soon, I won’t be able to come for a while."

[Disappointment.]

When I said I couldn’t come, Alex drooped down limply.

I could gauge his emotions through the baseball cap resting atop his mass of flesh.

Smirking briefly, a question crossed my mind. What does this fellow do during winter?

"What do you do during winter?"

[Usually hibernate. Welcome guests if they visit.]

"I’ll visit if I have time."

I said goodbye to Alex and returned to the Shelter.

Since it was time to prepare for winter, I planned to reinforce places here and there.

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I pre-chopped firewood for the fireplace and prepared for the door getting blocked.

Adapting to welcoming winter little by little. Guests will probably come soon too.

"Moo-oh."

"I knew you’d come."

That guest naturally referred to the deer. As always, the creature ambled over.

As if asking to take good care of him again, he held an object in his mouth.

Plop—

The deer dropped the object in its mouth onto the ground. At first, I thought it was a Golden Apple or Golden Peach.

"Huh? What’s this?"

But this time, it brought a different object.

Glowing golden was the same, but it wasn’t a fruit like an apple or peach.

"A carrot? Where did you get this from?"

A Golden Carrot. I wonder what eating this is good for.

Either way, since the deer gave it to me, I willingly accepted it. A quick wash and eating it right away should do.

"Here. Take a bite each."

"Kkyuuu..."

"Wonmo. You shouldn’t be a picky eater."

I chopped the carrot finely and handed pieces to the group.

Whatever effect it had, it was surely good for the body.

For the record, I ate the part attached to the leaves. The part likely containing the most nutrients.

Having welcomed the guest like that, I proceeded to stockpile food for wintering over.

Retrieving fish traps placed in the upper river and caught fish, putting them inside the house.

All preparations were complete. Just enduring winter and resuming exploration afterwards would do.

’During winter, well... I’ll just hard-train my External Arts.’

There was almost nothing one could do during winter. Practically a rest period.

If Hunters invaded then, we’d have to fight. Fortunately, having obtained the disturber, such occurrences would be rare.

"You come inside too. It’s cold outside."

"Kkurureuk."

I let the Vending Machine Crab, who usually stayed outside quietly, come inside too.

Just in case, I asked if it had warm drinks.

"Kkurureuk. Kkuruk."

"He says unfortunately he has none, Master."

"Tsk."

I should be satisfied with being able to drink cold cola in summer.

Thus time passed, and winter boasting harsh cold arrived.

Wonmo, having bulked up his fat and fur, went into hibernation, and Tyranno laid down side by side next to him.

And Cheongseol...

"Krrruk."

"Ah. Yes. You’re keeping her during the winter? Of course you should."

"Master. Can you understand beast language now?"

"This is called reading the room."

Cheongseol’s mother came and took her personally. Indeed, being a reptile, she must be very weak to cold.

Tyranno could only endure through hibernation because his species was absurdly overpowered.

Soon winter arrived, and the moment I woke up early at dawn, I cleared the snow blocking the front door first.

Once snow freezes over, it gets difficult to clear, so clearing it beforehand is better.

"Now, now. Everyone get up. Grab a shovel each."

"Master. Snow is still falling from the sky."

"Clear it anyway."

It’s best to hurry up and clear all the trash falling from the sky before it piles up more.

I even lit bonfires here and there to prevent the ground from freezing.

Having stayed here long, I accumulated know-how little by little. Waking up early was inconvenient, but manageable.

A short while later, as the snow stopped, we were able to greet winter in a much tidier state than before.

[Allfather: Grylls-nim. Grylls-nim. Have you woken up by any chance?]

[Wild Grylls: Ah. Looks like your ban got lifted?]

[Allfather: It was a long and arduous ordeal.]

Just as I finished clearing the snow, Allfather surprisingly sent a message.

He reacted with immense relief, and fortunately, it wasn’t a permanent ban.

[Allfather: If I may be so bold, could you lend a book to me as well? I will surely perform a helpful service.]

[Wild Grylls: Ah. Since it’s winter right now, that’s likely difficult. The library curator said he’s entering hibernation.]

[Allfather: Ah...]

The timing was just terrible.