I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 423

Wonmo was gone. Realizing this belatedly, we scoured every inch of the building’s interior.

Truth be told, Wonmo disappearing was surprisingly frequent. Even at the shelter, he occasionally vanished.

Being a child, he possessed natural curiosity, so I had known for a long time that he wandered around here and there.

Hadn’t he slipped outside with Bbareumbo back when I left the shelter unattended in the past?

Naturally, I trained him after that day and gave him numerous warnings. But like any youngster, suppressing his impulses completely was tough.

If anything, going out on explorations allowed him to roam around and satisfy his urge to walk, which had been a relief.

Furthermore, usually someone in the party—especially Tyranno, who was relatively dependable among the kids—took care of him.

Despite having so many safety nets, realizing Wonmo’s absence this late was extremely serious.

"Wonmo-ya! Where are you!"

"Wonmo! Where art thou!"

Initially, the party searched the outside rather than the inside.

Since we didn’t know when Wonmo had disappeared, we had to search outside thoroughly as well.

However, tracking footprints revealed that Wonmo wasn’t outside.

Even if a flying monster had snatched him, our collaborator, the Three-Legged Crow, would have handled it.

"No! You mustn’t do that!"

"...What is he doing?"

"Because you never know what pets might do. You have to shout like this first."

Leaving behind Ludwig who looked dumbfounded, we decided to search the building’s interior.

Since there were no tracks outside, we had no choice but to inspect every single corner inside. Still, the building looked small on the outside.

Thus, ignoring the sweet music emanating from the jukebox, we headed behind the desk. However...

[It is vastly wider inside than it appeared from the outside.]

"Seriously, this is too much."

Just like the bunker we discovered previously, the internal space was far larger than it seemed from the outside.

As it turned out, the desk area was merely a space for receiving customers.

The width of the corridor revealed behind it was easily comparable to a large grocery supermarket.

ㄴAllfather) The gods seem to have prioritized efficiency. To deploy subspace technology even in a grocery store.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Wonmo is okay, right? Please let him be safe T_T

ㄴHeavenly Demon) He is a creature this seat personally named. He will not fall easily.

ㄴSword Matstar) If Wonmo dies, I’ll resent you.

ㄴPraise the Sun) Our Gallery Master absolutely must not die;;

ㄴPassing Dwarf) I’m gonna go grab some booze, so find our Gallery Master quickly.

When Wonmo—our Gallery Master and shelter mascot—vanished, even the fixed handle users expressed worry.

And I was far more worried than any of them.

After all, one of the main reasons I could endure this damn forest was Wonmo.

Whenever I was mentally exhausted, hugging fluffy Wonmo stabilized my heart.

’Wait, why is a butcher shop so huge... Ah. It’s America, so I guess that makes sense.’

Considering this region was America, it wasn’t impossible.

Barely suppressing a dry chuckle, I scanned the vast, sprawling expanse.

Not only was the hallway wide, but there were also countless doors.

Moreover, given that Wonmo had been kidnapped without our realizing, we had to exercise extreme caution.

"Everyone, be careful. Wonmo disappeared without a sound..."

"Behind you!"

Just as I was warning the party, Ludwig shouted urgently.

Perplexed, I turned my head and immediately gasped in shock.

A giant arm was reaching out toward me from thin air.

It was a hand so huge it could easily clutch my entire head in a single grip.

Hwi-ik!

Thanks to my reaction speed, which was much faster than before, I narrowly dodged.

Seeing that, the hand that had emerged from midair retreated as if disappointed.

Seureureuk-

The arm completely dissolved into empty air.

Just as it had attacked soundlessly, it vanished without a trace. It was no mystery how Wonmo had been snatched away without a peep.

ㄴAllfather) It appears the owner of that arm has claimed the entire building as its domain. You must be careful.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) How about reaching in when the arm pops out like before?

ㄴSword Matstar) Though reckless, it might indeed be the fastest way.

The building itself was a domain. Hearing this, I sought opinions from my party.

Asking if they had ever seen an entity with such abilities, and if so, what kind of powers it possessed.

Unfortunately, no one in the party knew for sure. Because the Forest of the Four Seasons was so bizarre, pin-pointing it was difficult.

[If it has made this place its domain, we have essentially walked into its mouth. It means it can ambush us anytime, anywhere.]

"Meaning we’ll just keep getting beaten around unless we find its true body."

[Precisely.]

"Then what’s the countermeasure?"

[Deliberately getting grabbed when the arm appears like earlier.]

I stared at Cain with a bewildered expression. Why did strong people always come up with such bizarre tactics?

Of course, I knew I was hardly one to talk; I didn’t exactly fight normally either.

Even so, following their methods blindly could lead to disaster.

"Then let’s adopt that method. The circumstances leave us little choice."

[A good choice.]

Yet sometimes, you have to try even if it risks trouble.

Especially when Wonmo’s life was currently in danger. Every second counted.

"Still, just in case, it’s best if we all huddle together. It’d be a headache if someone else disappeared silently."

"Understood."

"As for the kids... Bbareumbo, please help out this time."

"..."

I transferred Bbareumbo, who was clinging to my back, over to Tyranno.Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.

If the creature targeted a party member, Tyranno or Cheongseol were the most likely candidates.

Other adults could at least put up a fight, but the two kids couldn’t.

’...Wait a minute.’

Just then, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

Cheongseol was a Nidhogg—meaning she knew how to tear open space to travel elsewhere.

No matter how impressive the enemy’s spatial power was, it should fall short compared to Cheongseol’s innate talent.

"Cheongseol. Can you reverse-track where that arm just came from?"

"Ppae-aek. Ppae-aeek."

"Difficult. It has moved outside the sphere of influence of the roots."

Only a disappointing answer returned. It seemed because the building itself was a domain.

In the end, we had no choice but to wander around until its arm popped out again.

Searching quickly offered better odds of ensuring Wonmo’s safety than standing around waiting.

"Master. What is written on this?"

It was while we were checking the doors lined up along the hallway. Lackey pointed to a sign above a door and asked.

The problem was that the sign was written in English. Narrowing my eyes, I read it slowly.

"Barbecue... Corner? Looks like it says Barbecue Corner."

Being a grocery store specializing in meat, it seemed to feature various meat sections.

Since we had to search every nook and cranny anyway, entering was a solid plan.

Deolkeok-

I carefully opened the door, and...

"Kkie-e-e-eek!!!"

The moment the door opened, a colossal maw charged straight at me from beyond the dark space.

Cursed luck—it was a mimic disguised as a door. It moved so fast that before I could react, it swallowed half my body.

"Uwaaaaah!"

Still, I hadn’t completely failed to react. My upper half was swallowed, but both my arms were still free.

Thanks to that, I managed to grab the doorframe right before being dragged completely inside, and the party handled the rest.

Seogeok!

By slicing off the mimic’s maw, I barely managed to wriggle out.

I stared at the mimic’s severed mouth squirming on the floor, then looked back toward the door.

Even with the maw detached, meat walls filled the room. The squirming motion was thoroughly grotesque.

[We must assume every room harbors a trap.]

"That’s probably wise."

Bad omen right from the start. I looked for another door.

If the previous one was the Barbecue Corner, this one was the Produce Corner. Were you supposed to grill vegetables alongside the barbecue?

Carefully opening the door, an unexpectedly empty space was revealed.

Just in case, I tossed a loose pebble rolling on the floor, but no reaction occurred.

"Doesn’t look like anything’s here."

"Are you not going inside?"

"If we step inside, who knows what might..."

Kukwakwakwaka!

Before I could even finish my sentence, a major shift occurred in the Produce Corner.

Like a quicksand pit, the floor swirled wildly before collapsing into itself.

Once swallowed, it restored itself to a pristine shape as if nothing had ever happened.

"...You saw that?"

"I cannot hold back my admiration for Master’s foresight."

"Look at how eloquent you’ve gotten."

Look before you leap—the ancient wisdom of our ancestors really had not a single lie.

But at this rate, we couldn’t guarantee Wonmo’s survival. We had to pick up the pace somehow.

’Then again, if we rush too blindly, that hand will pop out again to kidnap someone.’

Talk about a dilemma of dilemmas. Sighing inwardly, I opened another door.

This section was the Utensil Corner. Likely where barbecue-related tools were kept.

Chwareureuk!

The moment the door opened, slaughterhouse-style meat hooks came flying out. And not just one, but countless hooks.

Since I had anticipated an ambush of this nature, I easily parried them.

Besides, with the party present, it wasn’t a major issue.

Kwang!

After casually deflecting the hooks, I hastily slammed the door shut.

Looking down at the hooks scattered across the floor, they were squirming as if alive.

What kind of messed-up place was this building for even inanimate objects to act alive?

Sighing, I kicked the hooks away. They looked too much like earthworms for my liking.

"Phew... It can’t be helped. Let’s split into groups."

[Is that not far too dangerous?]

"We have to take the risk. We don’t know what state Wonmo is in right now."

In the end, we had to split our forces in half.

Cain would accompany me. I entrusted Bbareumbo to the other team.

He was the party member with the fastest reaction speed, and above all, their side needed to protect the kids.

Thus, each group opened doors and dismantled traps one by one. Yet finding any trace of Wonmo proved difficult.

In a situation growing increasingly anxious, how many doors had we opened? Suddenly, a thought struck me.

’Wait a second. Don’t normal stores have an "Employees Only" sign somewhere?’

Finding that room seemed far wiser than checking random retail corners.

The moment that thought occurred, I ignored the various section doors and searched for the sign.

The building’s interior was vast, making the sign tricky to spot, but I found it soon enough.

’Staff Only... Here it is.’

Authorized Personnel Only sign.Enjoying the story? Read on at novеlping.com.

Just as every door had harbored all sorts of traps, a special room had to lie beyond this one.

Taking a deep breath, I turned around. Cain stood right behind me.

"I’m going in."

[Mm.]

I opened the door very slowly. As it opened, a dark, gloomy space was revealed.

It wasn’t pitch black, but simply dimly lit.

A heavy stench of blood wafted out, strong enough to make me grimace involuntarily.

"Ugh... what’s with this smell..."

[I am fortunate to be unable to smell.]

Cain cracked a silly joke behind me, but I brushed it off.

I retrieved the Light Crystal Orb and turned around to call the rest of the party.

"Cain-ssi, call the others..."

Teop!

Before I could even finish my sentence, something grabbed my arm.

And pulled violently, dragging me into the darkness. It had approached without the slightest presence, leaving me utterly helpless.

[Grylls...!]

Kwang!

Startled, Cain shouted, but it was too late. The door slammed shut first.

Neither of us had let our guard down. It was simply that the owner of this building executed its attack with extreme swiftness.

Kudangtang!

"Kheu-euk...!"

Dragged forcibly, I fell flat on my butt.

Thankfully, I rapidly wrapped myself in Body-Protecting Gangqi, or it would have hurt quite a bit.

Gently rubbing my backside, I stood up slowly. Aside from dragging me, it hadn’t launched any follow-up attack.

’What on earth is this?’

Pondering in confusion, I summoned the Light Crystal Orb. Before long, light spread brightly, exposing the inner space.

The layout of the inner room revealed was... a slaughterhouse. Yes, slaughterhouse was the fitting term.

A slaughterhouse complete with specialized butchering machinery and countless meat hooks suspended in midair.

Given the building’s massive size, it seemed a dedicated slaughterhouse had been set up separately.

’Even if a meat shop is large, wouldn’t slaughterhouses usually be separate? In the first place, you’re supposed to age meat in cold storage.’

Was it because it was America, or was there another reason?

Even in a baffling situation, I resolved to keep walking. Finding Wonmo took precedence over everything.

Relying on the orb’s light, I walked on, quickly realizing the bloody stench was growing closer.

"Kkyu-u... kkyu..."

"Wonmo?!"

At the same time, a tiny voice reached my ears.

A whimpering groan as if in pain. And a voice painfully familiar.

The moment I heard Wonmo’s voice, I rushed forward in a panic. Soon enough, I closed in on the sound.

"Wonm...!"

Seeing Wonmo’s condition—or rather, the surrounding environment—I was struck with horrified disbelief.

Countless corpses hung dangling from meat hooks. And a wide variety of corpses at that.

Ranging from ordinary beasts to unidentifiable lumps of raw flesh.

In the center hung Wonmo, pierced through by a meat hook, dangling painfully.

Swallowing the surge of rage rising within me, I drew my bow and arrow.

Pieing! Chaekang!

With a single shot, I snapped the thin iron chain. As soon as the chain snapped, I lunged toward Wonmo.

I managed to catch him right before he hit the ground. Then, I checked his condition.

His abdomen had been clean pierced by the hook. It was a miracle he was a naturally tough owlbear; any other creature would have died long ago from such a wound.

Seeing this, I poured an Elixir over him without a second thought. Thanks to that, Wonmo’s wound healed completely.

’He lost too much blood. For a full recovery, it’ll take...’

Seueuk-

While I was giving Wonmo emergency treatment, a shadow subtly crept into view.

The moment I saw that shadow, I turned around without delay.

Chwareureuk!

A massive meat hook lunged out from the dark, aiming straight at me.

Moving like a fishing line attempting to hook me, I hurriedly swung my sword.

Chaekang!

Since I struck to deflect, it wasn’t cut through. I hadn’t coated the blade in Aura Blade either.

"Keureureuk..."

A beastly growl sounded from the dark. Yet it did not reveal its form.

It knew this darkness gave it the advantage. That meant high intelligence.

Furthermore, being in a position where I had to protect Wonmo put me at a severe disadvantage.

’It deliberately kept Wonmo alive without killing him. That means he was bait...’

This fellow was no joke. I activated Eye Lantern.

Since the Light Crystal Orb had clear limitations, I had to force the creature to reveal itself.

Perhaps not anticipating Eye Lantern, the creature fully exposed its appearance at first.

A height far towering over an ordinary ogre. Crimson skin like raw meat.

In one hand, a meat hook; in another, a massive cleaver you’d see in a butcher shop.

Lastly, it didn’t have two arms, but four. Each arm gripped either a meat hook or a giant cleaver.

"Kuaaaa!!!"

The Butcher Ogre bellowed a monstrous roar.

Jjeoeok!

Simultaneously, its abdomen split vertically down the middle, exposing a hideous, gaping mouth.