I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 413

Apart from being praised as an epochal genius, Ash was a veteran knight who had gone through countless experiences.

In this world, many things could not be solved by talent alone, and considering her background, she had endured considerable hardships.

People looked down on her for being a commoner, and she was assigned perilous missions covertly and overtly.

Even with the protection of the former Emperor, Robert, there were many places beyond his gaze.

Yet Ash did not give in and steadily grew. Talent and experience harmonized, culminating in an explosion of potential.

Thanks to that, she possessed almost none of the ’arrogance’ that geniuses commonly committed.

After all, she had come close to death multiple times in the past and had been backstabbed often.

As her experience accumulated, her knowledge of monsters became rich, but there was one thing she hadn’t anticipated.

’This is...’

Ash gently touched the wound carved into her chest. Crimson blood seeped out.

Because she had her Body-Protecting Gangqi deployed, it was limited to this; had she been bare-bodied, it would have been dangerous.

But even more baffling was the situation just now.

The cat’s body stretching like a slime when sliced, and the sudden wound carved onto her body.

Even with her vast experience, she found it hard to grasp what on earth had just happened.

"Ash-nim!"

"Are you alright?!"

Realizing that she was injured, the party quickly rushed over.

To their eyes, it looked like Ash had suffered a counterattack, making them even more shocked.

Fortunately, the cut was shallow, so it could be healed quickly. They had brought Elixirs for such occasions.

Ash looked down at her chest, which healed swiftly thanks to the Elixir, and expressed her thanks.

"Ash-nim. What did that cat do?"

Asella asked in a deeply hushed voice. She too had drawn her Holy Sword and was on guard.

On the other hand, the cat was nonchalantly displaying its composure.

Opening its characteristic ’^’-shaped mouth, it even groomed its front paw.

That composure almost seemed to reflect a measure of supreme power.

"As expected of a creature from the Forest of the Four Seasons, it seems to possess a unique ability. Terrific physical talent is a bonus."

"We didn’t summon something dangerous, did we?"

"We already prepared ourselves for that, didn’t we?"

Watching the cheese cat that looked merely cute on the outside, the party exchanged a few words.

Since Ash had almost been taken down, they could not act recklessly.

"For now, we had better figure out its detailed abilities."

"As you saw earlier, physical attacks felt completely ineffective. Reflection was a bonus."

"Reflection..."

At Ash’s remark that it possessed reflection abilities, Kadir stroked his beard.

It wasn’t that monsters with reflection abilities didn’t exist in the world, but they were extraordinarily rare.

Furthermore, the conditions for triggering reflection were usually quite strict. Determining those conditions should take priority.

Chijijik!

Weak lightning crackled around Kadir’s index finger.

Soon, the lightning shot out at rapid speed toward the cat.

A chantless Lightning Bolt. It was far faster than the Fireball Selena had used earlier.

Tuk!

However, the cat’s reflection speed was even faster.

The moment the streak of lightning drew right up to its face, the cat casually flicked its front paw.

And just like the Fireball earlier, the Lightning Bolt flew straight back at them.

Since the shield was deployed, there was no severe damage, but they were able to grasp its rough ability.

"It really does seem to possess a reflection ability. However, as for physical attacks being ineffective... I am not so sure."

"It might be harboring a core inside its body, like a slime."

Touching her now fully restored chest, Ash offered her opinion.

In fact, slimes were formless monsters that could only be slain by destroying their internal core.

That cat might look like a cat on the outside, but in truth, it could be a terrifying slime.

"I will step up again for now."

"I’ll join you."

Regardless, confirming its abilities came first. As Ash stepped forward, Asella followed suit.

Kadir and Selena decided to provide magic support from behind.

Since it possessed reflection, it was tricky to face with full power.

For now, they planned to verify when reflection took effect.

Since everyone was an expert at clearing monsters, if they caught a sign, they could figure it out quickly.

"O Goddess Aris! Grant blessings upon those who believe in You!"

The first to move was Asella. Gripping the Holy Sword with both hands, she shouted devoutly.

Simultaneously, the Holy Sword sparkled, and a golden aura of light shimmered around the party.

A blessing activated through divine power. It enhanced overall physical abilities and granted a minor shield.

Meanwhile, Ash swung her sword down at the cheese cat, which was scratching its head with a hind leg.

The cheese cat nimbly dodged, but its speed was slow—strictly by Ash’s standards.

Thus, without hesitating, she slashed her sword toward the evading cat.

Juuuuuk-Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.

Right before the sword touched it, the cat gently closed its eyes.

The moment the sword hit, the cat merely stretched out endlessly like cheese.

The same phenomenon had occurred earlier. And then, a wound was carved.

"Hyaa!"

But the difference from before was that there was someone attacking together.

With a spirited shout, Asella slashed with her Holy Sword in the direction opposite to Ash’s strike.

If it were an undead creature, it would show a massive reaction to the divine power residing in the Holy Sword.

Juuuuuk!

But it was useless. It only stretched, maintaining a serene expression with its eyes closed.

Even though both Ash and Asella possessed world-class prowess, it didn’t work at all.

Seeing this, it was by no means because their skills were lacking; it meant that ’physical’ attacks simply didn’t work on the cat.

Beonteok!

A moment later, around the time all attacks ceased, the cat flashed open its closed eyes.

Immediately, a change occurred on Ash and Asella’s upper bodies.

Tiing! Taeng!

Long, trailing attacks hit as if cut by swords. However, unlike before, because they had prepared in advance, both remained completely unharmed.

Soon, the two slowly backed away while evaluating the situation. The cat still wore a relaxed expression.

"It seems physical attacks don’t work when it closes its eyes."

"It seems to reflect attacks right when it opens its eyes..."

Ash nodded at Asella’s opinion. Thanks to the identical pattern repeating, they realized the condition.

But realizing the condition didn’t mean they had cracked the strategy to overcome it.

Was it immune to physical attacks only when closing its eyes? Was it reflecting only the target it looked at upon opening its eyes? Or did it possess other abilities?

It was an ability quite fitting for a cat. No monster in the world could be more elusive.

"Could you buy us some time? We will deploy a Spatial Prison."

While the frontline searched for a counterstrategy, Kadir spoke quietly. It seemed he intended to activate a high-tier magic spell.

Until then, they had to pin the cat down. Ash and Asella nodded.

Now that they had found the activation conditions, understanding a little more would suffice.

"Hero-nim. I’ll draw its attention, so get out of its sight."

"Yes, got it."

While the mages prepared their magic, the two knights thoroughly marked the cat.

Furthermore, they never took their eyes off it so that it could not easily escape.

The moment it escaped, there was no telling what would happen to the surrounding forest ecosystem.

Juuuuuk!

At Ash’s slash, the cat’s body stretched like yeot taffy. Naturally, its eyes were closed.

Soon, the cat opened its eyes with a flash, completely reflecting her attack.

However, because she was prepared in advance, she didn’t take severe damage.

Rather than that, attention needed to be paid to the rear. Asella swung her Holy Sword from a spot outside the cat’s field of vision.

Did physical attacks fail only when it closed its eyes? Or was that posture merely for reflection?

Seogeok!

Fortunately, it was the former. When the cat had its eyes open, physical attacks worked.

Thanks to that, the cat’s body was sliced in half, separating upper and lower torsos. Yet something was strange.

Normally, blood and entrails should pour out, but there was nothing of the sort.

"Nyaong~"

To top it off, the separated upper and lower halves instantly reattached. Its regenerative power was terrifying as well.

Amidst a situation hard to grasp, Ash was able to clearly see it:

Something glowing faintly inside when the upper and lower halves were separated.

’It really is like a slime!’

That glowing object was highly likely to be its core. Just as Ash decided to target that core—

Banjjak! Banjjak!

Various points across the cat’s body began to glow. The party flinched at this.

It wasn’t the entire body glowing, but specific spots.

Starting from the head to the chest, back, all four legs, rump, and finally the tail.

Woo-woong-

Among them, the light at the tail softly went out. It was like an indicator that it had lost one life.

Did it signify that cats have nine lives, or was it due to another reason?

Whatever the reason, one thing was clear: to defeat the cat, they had to extinguish all those lights.

"Everyone, stay back!"

It was at that moment. Selena’s urgent shout rang out from behind.

At that shout, both Ash and Asella backed away from the cat.

Wiiiing-

Before long, a cube-shaped barrier formed around the cat.This chapter was copied from nоvelping.com without permission.

The barrier slowly contracted and eventually turned into a prison, completely trapping the cat inside.

The cat tilted its head at the prison that trapped it for a moment, then began clawing furiously with its front paws.

"Nyaong! Kyaaaong!"

Scratching furiously at the cube prison as if begging to be let out.

The sight was quite adorable, but the party knew better. Cute as it appeared, it was a wild beast through and through.

"Subduing it with this should suffice for now. Even if it attempts to use Teleport, you need not worry, as space itself is distorted here."

Kadir spoke in a nonchalant voice, explaining the efficacy of the prison.

Though he was an Archmage, the casting time had taken long—and there was a good reason for it.

In a space where mana was distorted, ordinary powerhouses would never be able to escape.

At this, the party showed relief, letting out a sigh.

"What do you plan to do with that cat?"

"If I had my way, I would like to thoroughly research it, but..."

Saying so, Kadir glanced toward Selena.

Realizing his intent, Selena shook her head side to side, signaling an obvious refusal.

It possessed an ability that completely nullified physical attacks, and on top of that, it had multiple lives.

No matter how grand Kadir was as the Mage King, it was far too dangerous.

"It’s too dangerous. Besides, the moment this creature escapes..."

"I will take measures so that it cannot easily escape. Moreover, if we research it, we will be able to easily subjugate similar creatures should they appear in the future."

"Mmh..."

Selena pondered at Kadir’s argument. He did have a valid point.

The cheese cat was already completely trapped in the prison.

It possessed reflection abilities, but its intrinsic combat capability was actually quite pathetic.

Furthermore, through that battle, they had even identified the cat’s clear weakness.

"Ash-nim. You saw those glowing spots on the cat’s body earlier, right?"

"Yes."

"If push comes to shove, can you slice all of them?"

"It is possible."

Ash nodded with full confidence.

Having stuck to basic attacks was strictly for deciphering its strategy.

Now that she had roughly found the key to beating it, she was ready to shatter it to pieces at a moment’s notice.

"If worse comes to worst, we can also send it back to the Forest of the Four Seasons."

"Ah, there’s that option too. Kadir-nim? I shall accept your condition."

"Thank you."

"However, the problem is that we must win over this creature’s heart..."

Selena spoke in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

After all, she was the one who launched a Fireball without asking any questions the moment the cat was summoned.

She had merely followed Grylls’s poignant advice to the letter, but now that the situation changed, it felt awkward.

"Since it’s a cat, wouldn’t giving it snacks or catnip do the trick?"

Then as now, cat lovers abounded in the world.

Especially towards the desert region—that is, the people of Setan were famous for adoring cats.

Though occasionally, those cats were excessively huge.

At any rate, as much as rich folks loved them, various favorite treats emerged one after another.

"...Still, it’s an animal living in the Forest of the Four Seasons. Would such things really work?"

"A certain sloth somewhere goes crazy for Fasting Pills, though."

"...."

Selena fell silent at Kadir’s point.

Since common sense didn’t apply in that realm, approaching it with common sense was absurd.

In the end, she purchased a Churu lickable cat treat from the auction house. Obtaining catnip as well just in case was an added bonus.

Soon, she presented the snack to the furious cat trapped in the magic cage.

"Keung-keung. Keung."

The cat, standing guard with its fur completely bristling, softened slightly upon sniffing the treat.

It then poked out its tongue and licked it, exhibiting a cautious demeanor.

"Nyaang!"

The cheese cat opened its eyes wide at the flavor bursting inside its mouth.

It eagerly devoured it, clearly enjoying the taste.

A conquest far too simple. Seeing this, Selena wore a dumbfounded expression.

"...I feel like I’m the one who did something wrong, or am I mistaken?"

"It’s fine. Who knew such a gentle creature would come out?"

"The turtle we summoned first attacked us without warning, so it’s completely understandable."

Ash and Asella consoled her respectively. Kadir?

He was currently busy chuckling softly while feeding treats to the cat.

The corners of his mouth were turned up stupidly, looking utterly smitten.

’Hehe. A research subject landing right in my lap intact!’

Of course, the flaw was that he was captivated by something other than the cat’s cuteness.