I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 406

A harsh winter arrived. Just as expected, the weather turned drastically cold in a single day.

Even so, having gradually gotten used to it over time, I was now able to prepare for it almost perfectly.

I dealt with the heavily falling snow by waking up early at dawn to clear it, and I steadily stockpiled food supplies.

If there was anything to worry about, it would be unexpected attacks from wild beasts. But even that wasn’t much of a concern.

Most beasts didn’t act during winter, and besides, there were plenty of formidable fighting forces here.

Therefore, all I had to do was chop firewood diligently and occasionally dig up rare medicinal herbs like the Ice Snow Flower.

Ah. There was one more thing. In a way, it might be the most important task during the winter.

"Huu. Huu. Huu."

"125... 126... 127...."

I focused on my push-ups while waiting for Ludwig to finish counting.

Ludwig’s voice came not from beside me, but from above. What did this mean?

It meant he wasn’t instructing me from in front, but riding on my back.

As a result of steadily training my External Arts using the method taught by Heavenly Demon, I made tremendous growth in just a fortnight.

It was possible because I had been exercising regularly anyway, but Heavenly Demon’s External Arts were also a huge help.

On top of that, there were Spiritual Medicines that aided growth. Rapid growth was only natural.

"300."

"Heo!"

The moment Ludwig counted to 300, I collapsed onto the floor. Even though it was anaerobic exercise, my whole body was drenched in sweat.

My body’s heat generation was already severe because mana was fiercely circulating inside my body.

With exercise combined on top of that, my body had no choice but to become as hot as fire.

[It grows more surprising by the day. I have never seen such growth even in my era.]

Cain, in stone statue mode rather than Dullahan mode, poked me gently as I lay collapsed on the floor.

After catching my breath for a while, I lifted my head slightly and quietly opened my mouth.

"Back then, well... nothing was properly established, whether Mana Cultivation Methods or Internal Cultivation Arts. What we have now is simply the result of continuous development."

[Speaking of which, was it Ash? I heard that person has a physique similar to yours.]

"I heard her constitution accumulates mana just by breathing."

However, she was born that way, while mine was acquired later.

You could say it’s the difference between being naturally strong and someone on steroids. In fact, I heard Ash’s physical strength is extremely powerful.

[Still, even she wouldn’t have a body as hard as yours. If an arrow hits you, it sounds like it would make a ting! sound.]

"Sounds fun. Let’s test it. Master."

"Shut up."

I slowly got up from the floor and checked my body.

When I first opened my eyes here, my body was pitifully weak.

But not anymore. Seeing my neatly defined muscles made me feel naturally satisfied.

I finally understood why muscleheads look in the mirror with such satisfaction.

’Though if I posted it on the Gallery, I’d just get hit with a raid of downvotes.’

In the first place, I was training External Arts purely for practical utility, not aesthetics.

Getting a nice body was great and all, but I had no intention of becoming obsessed with it. It was for survival.

In fact, hadn’t I endured attacks that would have killed a normal person long ago?

I didn’t know how sturdy my body would become in the future, but I planned to push it as far as possible.

"Lackey. Do you want to do it too?"

"I don’t want to."

"Why?"

"It looks exhausting."

"Even if it’s hard, it’s good to do it. You can become stronger."

At my words, Lackey scanned me up and down.

Having finished his assessment, he shook his head side to side and firmly refused.

"I don’t want to become strong like Master."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I told you before. Master’s growth method is strange. To use a plant as a metaphor, the stem gets thick and long, but the flower and fruit are smaller than a pinky fingernail."

"..."

"I heard that one shouldn’t hit people even with a flower. That saying must have come from hitting someone with a flower that resembles Master."

"Forget it."

Seriously, his eloquence improves by the day. He’s definitely not just a gorilla.

I wonder if he’ll evolve into the Great Sage Equal to Heaven later on.

’Wait, isn’t the Great Sage Equal to Heaven a monkey, not a gorilla?’

Putting aside useless random thoughts, I planned to wash up first.

Since our companions were gathered together in an already cramped space, cleanliness was extremely important.

We established a rule to wash at least once every three days, and unconditionally on exercise days.

Otherwise, regardless of cleanliness, we’d suffer from the smell. Because of that, we always burned incense inside the house.

It was an item received from Starlight Lady: scented candles crafted from World Tree leaves.

’Hah. I still hate washing up though.’

Shivering, I looked at the bathwater prepared in advance. Warm steam was billowing up nicely.

I heard that washing with cold water after intense exercise was good. But taking a cold bath in this weather would be perfect for freezing to death.

I’d probably be found frozen solid within a few hours.

I would avoid that scenario at all costs.

"Heooo..."

Soaking my body in the warmed bathwater felt like heaven.

Especially since the surroundings were completely covered in snow, there was no magnificent view quite like this.

Having finished my refreshing bath, I climbed out of the iron tub.

Jjeojeojeok!

Just how cold was it that the moisture on my body froze the moment I stepped outside?

To prevent rapid loss of body heat, I dashed straight into the Shelter.

"Ggurureuk."

As soon as I returned, the Vending Machine Crab handed something out.

I thought it was giving me cola as usual, but lo and behold.

"Huh. What? You had banana milk too?"

"Ggurureuk."

"You’re really amazing, aren’t you?"

It actually gave me banana milk. Nothing tastes sweeter than drinking it after a bath.

I wondered if the vending machine originally had banana milk, but let it slide. As long as it was delicious, that was enough.Visit NovelPing for the full chapter.

Now that my morning routine was neatly finished, what was next?

"Aigoo. Let’s rest a bit."

"Master. Are there any interesting books?"

"Wait a sec. Let me look."

"If possible, give me a magic-related book."

What else? I should browse the Gallery diligently.

There was no reason to wander around outside, and as long as I trained External Arts steadily, I was set.

Unlike Internal Energy, External Arts required a certain intensity and investment of time.

Therefore, there was no better time to invest in External Arts than winter.

’Looks like everyone is busy doing their own thing.’

There were no special messages sent to me. At best, just begging messages.

I used to respond to new fixed-handles (goniks), but if begging came in, I ignored it immediately.

Since it wasn’t just one or two people but several, dealing with each one became a chore.

It wasn’t for nothing that I only built relationships with fixed-handles I knew.

’Unless they provide me with huge help like the Cheonjam Merchant Guild.’

The Cheonjam Merchant Guild kindly went out of its way to produce winter clothing for us.

It wasn’t the clothes given by the dwarf, that is, the thick fur cold-weather gear. It was actually thermal underwear.

Those who knew would understand how massive the difference is between having thermal underwear and not having it in a cold winter.

You can feel this difference to the bone in the military. Without thermal underwear, you vividly experience the true meaning of razor-sharp winds.

’Besides, most of my outerwear is thin or loose-fitting.’

The thermal underwear was tailored to the sizes of the party members in the Shelter, thanks to my advance request.

Of course, Wonmo—who had plush fur—and the Vending Machine Crab were excluded. Custom-making for them wouldn’t mean much.

Title) Look at Lackey wearing thermal underwear

Wild Grylls

(Photo of Lackey reading a book while wearing thermal underwear)

No matter how I look at him, he’s definitely a human reincarnated as a gorilla.

└ Heavenly Demon) Looks warm.

└ Sword Matstar) Indeed. Thermal underwear is a must in winter.

└ Heavenly Demon) Trembling from the cold despite possessing a high realm?

└ Sword Matstar) Even to avoid wasting mana, one must wear thermals. Surely you aren’t wearing just a single loose garment in the dead of winter?

└ Heavenly Demon) It is not that I avoid the cold, but that the cold circumvents me.

└ Sword Matstar) Wow, I literally can’t even say anything;;

└ If it weren’t for thermal underwear, countless people would have frozen to death....

└ I’m from a northern tribe, and wearing thermals is mandatory.

└ Are there still northern tribes?

└ Yeah, basically nomads.

└ Praise the Sun) I’m from the desert, so I don’t know what thermals feel like.

└ But it’s damn hot instead.

└ Is cold better or hot better?

└ *Better, not better;;;

└ Cold is way better. Try living while sweating buckets continuously. You’d literally die.

└ Isn’t warm just the best?

└ Yep. Except monsters and bugs are happy too and multiply like crazy kekeke

└ Fk

Personally, I preferred winter. Without an air conditioner, a human couldn’t survive summer.

Above all, humidity drove people crazy. The reason I could endure summer here was precisely the humidity.

The Republic of Korea’s summer felt like being a dumpling inside a steamer, but here, as long as there was shade, it was bearable.

Besides, since the trees were so dense, finding shade wasn’t difficult either.

’If anything, winter feels a bit harsh here.’

Not only did trash fall from the sky, but there was also severe cold freezing everything solid.

While scrolling through the Gallery, I suddenly came across an interesting comment.

└ What games can you play in winter? Isn’t sledding the only one?

└ Try ice fishing. It’s really fun. Plump ones pop up a lot too.

└ How many could possibly come out?

└ Haven’t you heard of the fisherman who caught a Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp through ice fishing?

└ What on earth are you talking about?

└ In winter, fish activity slows down relatively. But fish holding an Inner Core are different. They act vigorously.

Usually, when winter arrives, fish either extremely reduce their activity or go into hibernation.

Or they live normally thanks to a special substance in their bodies.

On the other hand, spiritual beasts could remain relatively active due to the Inner Core inside their bodies.

’Though this is limited to fish, not other animals.’

Fish were like that because they lived in water, but other animals simply rested if they could rest.

Because of this, if one did ice fishing, one would be able to catch fish that were plump with flesh.

Since I had nothing to do anyway, devising a method to obtain food during winter wasn’t a bad idea.

There was no telling when the Gallery might go into maintenance again, and the food storage could get raided in the process.

Since obtaining food in winter was harder compared to other seasons, it was better to prepare in advance.

"Lackey."

"What."

"Come outside for a second."

"It’s cold."

"Stop grumbling and come out."

I called Lackey and went outside. As we stepped out, the rest of the group naturally took an interest.

Soon, the place I arrived at was the blacksmith forge. Originally, it was a place I planned to leave untouched during winter.

However, seeing the talk of ice fishing changed my mind. I had something to craft.

"Guard me while I craft something. Got it?"

"Understood."

Kka-ang! Kka-ang!

I crafted a long rod out of a Mythricon ingot.

Although it looked unremarkable on the outside, there wouldn’t be a sturdier rod than this.

Originally, I intended to use Ludwig’s staff, that is, Mistilteinn.

However, forcefully taking the staff felt a bit wrong, so crafting one myself was easier.This story is hosted at NovelPing.

’That’s done.’

Now that the ’fishing rod’ was roughly complete, it was time to attach the fishing line.

The fishing line was none other than World Tree thread. Something that had been used exclusively for exploration, but whose purpose became ambiguous after Cheongseol appeared.

At best, if used as a clothesline, it hardly ever snapped.

Anyway, I wound the World Tree thread around to complete a makeshift fishing rod.

All that remained was to start ice fishing.

I planned to do it not at the upstream river, but at the river right in front of the house.

"Master. Make one for me too."

"Later."

When I firmly rejected him, Lackey’s lips pouted out dramatically.

However, since there was a possibility of failure, crafting them recklessly was tricky.

Soon, I approached the frozen river and assessed its depth.

’It’s quite deep, so the interior didn’t freeze through.’

In that case, I had to cut the ice cleanly. I brought out the Sword of the Heavenly Demon and manifested aura.

Then, Pook! As I stabbed the ice, it penetrated effortlessly. As expected of the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Seu-eu-euk—

As I moved my arm, the ice was sliced apart with extreme ease. Not even a crunching sound could be heard.

Having created a hole suitable for ice fishing, I baited the hook.

By the way, I crafted the hook myself too. Bending it roughly with raw strength did the trick.

The bait was a piece of meat brought from the food storage. One piece was enough.

’I’ll use a thick piece of firewood as a chair....’

Preparations for leisurely ice fishing were complete. I gave a wooden stool to Lackey as well.

Since this guy had an oversized backside fitting for a gorilla, I brought an entire tree stump for him.

"Master. Can you catch something with this?"

"We’ll have to see..."

Jju-uk!

Just as I was about to answer, the fishing line went taut. I immediately pulled back.

However, it was quite a stubborn beast, as even with my strength, it wasn’t easily reeled in.

I felt like it barely came up only after I mobilized my mana.

Before long, the creature that gave me such a hard time breached the water’s surface.

Padak! Padadak!

"...Why is it so small?"

"Did you exert all that strength just to catch this single thing?"

"You try it. This guy is insanely strong."

It was a small fry. Still, it looked different from ordinary fish.

While ordinary fish had reddish or golden hues, this guy was as pure white as snow.

Given its incredible strength, it didn’t seem like an ordinary fish.

’Still, it looks like a fingerling, so I should let it go.’

I needed a fish to use as food, not something this small.

As I tried to release it silently, Lackey beside me quietly spoke up.

"Are you luring the mother?"

"Hey. What kind of nonsense are you..."

Deu-deu-deu—

While I was flabbergasted and trying to refute him, vibrations suddenly echoed. The moment I felt those vibrations, I froze.

It was a vibration reverberating from directly under the river. Slowly, I lowered my head.

Seu-euk—

A colossal shadow swept past beneath the ice. A sudden surge of anxiety welled up.

Just as I hurriedly tried to dodge, a change occurred in the fishing line I was gripping tightly with both hands.

Kwa-ak!

"Keueuk?!"

The fishing line snapped tight like crazy. If it hadn’t been World Tree thread, it would have snapped long ago.

When I hurriedly pulled back, the shadow beneath thrashingly struggled as well.

It seemed that while trying to swallow the fingerling, it got firmly hooked on the fishing needle.

"Master! The mother bit!"

"Where on earth is a mother that eats her own child?!"

"Fish do that all the time!"

It was a hard fact, so I had no comeback. Gritting my teeth, I held onto the fishing rod.

If even I was struggling, I couldn’t imagine how strong this creature was. Still, I couldn’t give up.

I circulated all the mana in my body and pulled with everything I had. Since I lacked fishing know-how, I had no choice but to ignorantly rely on raw strength.

Kwajik! Ppajijik!

Just how strong was this wild creature that even the thick ice was cracking?

Actually, that worked out better. A creature this big wouldn’t have fit through the hole I drilled anyway.

And so, as we engaged in a intense tug-of-war with all our might...

Ggwaddeudeudeuk! Kwajijijik!

Most of the river’s ice shattered, and soon the creature’s figure began to be revealed.

Its overall appearance closely resembled an eel. A snow-white eel with a long body.

It was no ordinary creature. Feeling somewhat mystical, it was clearly a spiritual beast.

"Heuaaaaaah!"

Taking advantage of the moment its strength waned, I let out a yell and yanked hard.

The long body then shot out of the river, fully revealing its shape.

Chwaaaaak!

What I caught wasn’t an eel. It possessed scales like any other fish.

They were scales that shimmered in rainbow colors, no less. Moreover, even its face was extraordinary.

Attached to its gills were fin-like structures, and its snout was massive.

The sharp, tightly packed teeth inside that snout were an added bonus. This was almost like...

"What the? Is it a dragon?"

Except for having no legs, it was a creature that looked just like a dragon.

And upon seeing me, the creature tilted its head back.

Puaaaaak!

A high-pressure water blast shot forth from the dragon’s mouth.