I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 428

Ash had been in a very good mood recently. The reason was extremely simple.

Because the martial prowess of the man she had marked as a candidate for marriage was making leaps and bounds.

At first, and up until recently, her stance had been to watch and see how far he would grow.

Her stance changed after this recent battle with the Butcher Ogre.

’It is definitely this man.’

With pure physical force, he had slain a mutant Ogre—and one that even used an Aura Blade at that.

He had properly demonstrated what true strength was, instilling conviction within Ash.

That Grylls was a talent who would one day stand equal to her or surpass her.

It hadn’t even been a year, yet his physical abilities had grown to monster-level proportions.

’When was it that I became that strong?’

As seen when she played an active role in the Cantata region last time, Ash’s physical strength was extraordinarily high as well.

To the point where she could lightly hurl an adult man with one hand.

However, reaching that realm had taken a considerable amount of time.

Even considering the unique environment of the Forest of the Four Seasons, Grylls had drastically shortened that timeframe.

’His body’s inherent durability was pretty tough, too. He was completely fine even when the Flesh Golem slammed him down.’

That was difficult even for Ash. Of course, if it had been her, she would have killed it before that happened.

It was only reasonable to view this as Grylls’s unique advantage. He knew how to fully leverage his strengths.

The part where he could be called a genius of battle was his adaptability.

No matter what enemy or condition he encountered, he formulated tactics for an efficient response, executed them, and crushed the foe.

Considering that every single judgment swayed the outcome in a life-or-death battle, this was a remarkably outstanding ability.

’The issue is that his techniques are simple...’

Grylls’s battle method was simple yet efficient.

He overpowered enemies he could crush with weight class, and against those he couldn’t overpower with weight, he used all sorts of abilities to deal with them.

It would be great if techniques could be added to this, but unfortunately, there seemed to be no opening for that.

Because training External Arts in the time it took to polish techniques was far more effective.

’Heavenly Demon seemed to be steadily supporting him anyway.’

Ash recalled the number of times she had helped Grylls so far. She couldn’t remember clearly.

She only remembered giving him an Elixir when he was bitten by Mad Dog in the early days.

Good-natured Grylls would say that alone was plenty to be grateful for, but...

’Reality is a different story. In the end, one naturally leans toward the person who gave the most help.’

Ash set a new goal. To become the person Grylls would want to see first when he escaped outside.

She felt Heavenly Demon pushing ahead rapidly. It was a sense of crisis, so to speak.

’Part of me wants to reveal that I’m the one helping Starlight Lady...’

However, she intended to hide this as much as possible. The reason was simple.

It was a sort of surprise. The fact that Sword Matstar, who had helped him in the Gallery all this time, was also steadily aiding him in reality.

What would Grylls’s reaction be upon finding out? Wouldn’t he be beyond shocked and deeply moved?

Just imagining it was thrilling. Crucially, physical proximity brought emotional proximity.

If the summoning succeeded, they would naturally meet, and she planned to share all kinds of conversations.

That Heavenly Demon from the distant Central Plains? She could simply maneuver things so they’d never even meet.

’After this and that happens, and then...’

Ash flashed a sly smile—a smile she would never show others.

However, that smile didn’t last long. Imagination was free, but reality was reality.

Regardless of the summoning ritual, she had to lead Grylls to be conscious of her.

To do that, giving steady support was ideal, but...

’How do I make that man conscious of me?’

The problem was that she had nothing fitting to give.

Techniques? Unless taught directly in person, he wouldn’t feel the effect.

Though she consistently uploaded swordsmanship lectures to the Gallery, she couldn’t know if Grylls was reading her posts.

’Judging by when he fought the Butcher, he seems to be reading them regularly though...’

When fighting the Butcher Ogre, he abandoned the shield and used only the sword.

Looking at that situation alone, one could confirm his swordsmanship had improved, but it was still uncertain.

Also, giving Grylls practical items rather than techniques was better. It was just hard to do.

"Mmm... Not easy."

Even after mulling it over, nothing particular came to mind. At best, it was just giving battle advice.

Grylls said that alone was enough, but Ash felt anxious.

[Sword Matstar: Grylls-nim? What are you doing right now?]

So she sent Grylls a message, wondering if he needed anything.

Since she had nothing proper to give unlike others, she was asking directly.

[Wild Grylls: Hello. I’m currently pondering something.]

[Sword Matstar: What kind of concern?]

[Wild Grylls: Whether to discard the shield and go pure swordsmanship, or just keep doing what I’ve been doing.]

By perfect timing, it was a dilemma tailored for Ash. Her eyes glinted.

However, she couldn’t get overly excited. She objectively analyzed Grylls’s fighting method.

As mentioned earlier, his fighting style was a head-on clash grounded in overwhelming weight class.The source of this chapter is NovelPing.

On top of that, he exhibited exceptional archery talent. His long-range suppression power was more than sufficient.

He occasionally used frost energy, but it was better treated as an exception.

’In truth, it’s better to rely on one’s own physical force rather than weapons.’

In Swordmaster Ash’s estimation, for Grylls, ’breadth’ was important, not ’depth’.

Swordsmanship or whatever, it was better to develop his ability to excel at combat itself.

’Which happens to be what I do best.’

Apart from her title of Swordmaster, Ash could wield numerous weapons.

During her performance in the Cantata region last time, hadn’t she picked up whatever weapon was lying around to slaughter opponents?

If you wield any weapon like a ’sword’, it is a sword. That was Ash’s stance and the foundation of her martial arts.

[Sword Matstar: Wouldn’t keeping things as they are be fine too? Is there a reason for your change of mind?]

[Wild Grylls: I feel like I can slowly get by bare-bodied without a shield now.]

[Sword Matstar: ;;;]

Ash let out a dry laugh in absurdity. It was a truly Grylls-like response.

Yet she couldn’t judge it as foolish. That was revealed in Grylls’s follow-up message.

[Wild Grylls: Just kidding, the shield did do its job so far, but at crucial moments I always end up using bare hands. Did you happen to watch the video?]

[Sword Matstar: I watched the video where you pulled the mutant Ogre up with a grapple.]

[Wild Grylls: I feel like situations like that will happen often from now on.]

Wise. Indeed, at crucial moments Grylls utilized his surrounding environment in the right place for offense and defense.

If such moments were frequent, a shield would be cumbersome. To this, Ash replied.

[Sword Matstar: I can understand if that’s the case. In fact, the reason countless knights abandon shields is passivity. Having a shield turns most actions passive, putting you at a disadvantage.]

[Wild Grylls: Was there nobody who beat people up with shields?]

[Sword Matstar: All those people are fucking dead.]

[Wild Grylls: I won’t act up.]

"Pfft!"

Ash let out a snort. Grylls instantly deflating was quite cute.

Though Grylls fought like a beast in combat, he was very gentle as an individual.

Beyond gentle, he was practically a good-natured soul. That was likely why she was drawn to him even more.

’Even if martial power is strong, if character is ruined, he’s out on the spot.’

Strength and character were passing marks. Appearance could not be judged yet.

Surprisingly, Grylls’s face was barely known.

He never posted his face in the Gallery, and it was hard to catch a glimpse of it in live video streams.

’It doesn’t matter even if he’s ugly.’

Even if he looked like a gorilla, she would be completely satisfied. In fact, that might be even better.

Because if he fought like a beast with a handsome face, it would be extraordinary in many ways.

[Sword Matstar: Anyway, if you’re dropping the shield, what other techniques are you considering? You’ll be utilizing archery too, right?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. I think harassing enemies whenever they pull far away isn’t a bad idea.]

[Sword Matstar: In that case, you’d better hone your weapon swap ability. You could get counterattacked in the middle while fumbling around.]

Ash earnestly taught him, pouring in her own know-how.

Combined with the mindset of raising a prospective husband (?), she couldn’t be more passionate.

Hearing Ash’s advice filled with flesh and bone substance, Grylls fired off a few questions.

[Wild Grylls: Ah, right. Is there also a technique to retrieve weapons?]

[Sword Matstar: Are you talking about Telekinesis? That’s surprisingly easy.]

[Wild Grylls: Easy?]

[Sword Matstar: Yes. Since you’ve been using the same sword all this time, it’ll be even easier. It’s like...]

She informed him about various techniques useful in battle.

Of course, these weren’t things one could master immediately just by being told. Practice was required.

[Sword Matstar: How about it? Easy, right?]

[Wild Grylls: (Photo of the Sword of the Heavenly Demon piercing through his palm) Yes. Easy.]

[Sword Matstar: ...What on earth happened?]

[Wild Grylls: When I followed your instructions, it flew over extremely fast? Maybe because I have a lot of mana.]

[Sword Matstar: You need to aim based on the pommel, not the tip of the blade!]

Even if accidents erupted occasionally, they could be smoothed over.

It was a frequent occurrence for accidents to happen whenever Grylls learned new techniques.

Besides, now that his mana had vastly increased, the scale was entirely different.

Knock, knock, knock—

["Ash eonni. Are you inside? Let’s start moving soon."]

It was while she was wholeheartedly instructing Grylls. Selena spoke to her.

Hearing that, Ash asked her to wait just a moment. Her conversation with Grylls hadn’t finished yet.

[Sword Matstar: I’m sorry. I think I have to go now.]

[Wild Grylls: That’s a shame. But thank you so much. It helped a lot thanks to you.]

[Sword Matstar: Before I go, can I ask you one thing?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. Go ahead.]

[Sword Matstar: Couldn’t you have asked that Heavenly Demon person about things like this?]

Even after asking the question, Ash was slightly tense. Fearing a response implying she was inferior to Heavenly Demon.

Of course, given Grylls’s personality, the probability was very low. Yet nuance existed, didn’t it?Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.

A painful answer like "it just ended up this way" might come out.

’I don’t know if I coolly revealed my identity, but...’

She wanted to save that as a last resort, specifically for when Grylls’s summoning succeeded.

While Ash was thinking that, Grylls sent a reply.

[Wild Grylls: What you two handle is different, so it’s hard to give a definitive answer.]

[Sword Matstar: Different?]

[Wild Grylls: If Heavenly Demon-nim handles depth, then Sword Matstar-nim handles breadth.]

An answer that was neither disappointing nor ecstatic. Yet it was satisfying.

Because it meant she was involved in Grylls’s growth. She felt she could log off the Gallery with a light heart.

Before that, there was one last thing to ask. Truly the final question.

[Sword Matstar: Then Grylls-nim, do you want to become like the Heavenly Demon of Central Plains, or do you want to become like Swordmaster Ash?]

[Wild Grylls: If I had to choose...]

Grylls went quiet, perhaps contemplating for a moment. Ash held her breath and waited.

What kind of answer would come? She desperately hoped he would choose her.

However, the martial prowess Heavenly Demon displayed recently was truly overwhelming.

If he picked Heavenly Demon, she hoped he would explain why. And...

[Wild Grylls: Ash’s side gets me turned on more, right?]

[Wild Grylls: Ah. Typo. Not turned on, my mind leans more toward Ash.]

"Hell yeah!!!"

At Grylls’s answer, Ash clenched her fist and cheered.

Her shout was so loud that people outside voiced confusion, asking what was going on.

At this, Ash called back that it was nothing, calming her excited heart as much as possible.

[Sword Matstar: Could you tell me the reason?]

[Wild Grylls: When I watch Ash’s attacks, they’re surprisingly simple. It’s just that simplicity flows smoothly like water, making it look like a dance. It’s exactly the style I want.]

[Sword Matstar: Then what about Heavenly Demon?]

[Wild Grylls: She’s awesome, but it’s too overwhelming for me to imitate.]

Satisfying answers came one after another. In truth, Ash’s swordsmanship itself was surprisingly simple.

Because as techniques polished from commoner origins, there were only fundamentals.

Those fundamentals were so overwhelming that they merely appeared flashy. Indeed, he had an eye for combat.

’Since the concept of cutting is the most vital aspect of a sword.’

Her shoulders automatically puffed up. Ash continued speaking, unable to hide her grin.

[Sword Matstar: That’s a good answer. They say Ash’s fundamentals are extremely solid, so it’ll definitely be helpful.]

[Wild Grylls: Right? Fundamentals are easy to train, so that’s great.]

[Sword Matstar: I have to go now. Have a nice day!]

[Wild Grylls: Have a nice day too, Sword Matstar-nim. Thank you for today’s lesson.]

"Ha. He really chooses only the sweetest words to say."

How could such a good-natured guy exist? She was liking Grylls more and more.

Of course, liking him was one thing, but business was business. She didn’t exit the Gallery.

[Sword Matstar: Hey.]

[Sword Matstar: Janitor-nim.]

[Heavenly Demon: What is it?]

Instead, she simply sent a message to Heavenly Demon.

She sent the message while wearing a toothy grin that only appeared when she was overjoyed.

[Sword Matstar: (Photos of messages of Grylls praising her) Look at this haha]

Ash, having flexed to Heavenly Demon to her heart’s content...

[You have been blocked.]

[Block Duration: 3 hours]

[Reason: Reflect on your actions.]

Was blocked. But it didn’t matter.

"Ash eonni?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"You look like you’re in a great mood, did something happen?"

"Something happened."

Because her mood was already at its peak.

"What an irritating brat."

Meanwhile, Heavenly Demon Yoo So-wol mulled over the message Ash had sent.

Grylls’s words made sense, but somehow... a subtle jealousy bubbled up inside her.

What made her decisively angry was the content regarding martial prowess in reality.

The implication that because Heavenly Demon was too overwhelming, he was drawn to the Swordmaster for technical aspects.

’Ash, is it...’

Yoo So-wol fell silent in thought for a moment.

’When I have spare time, I must head to the Western Kingdoms.’

She harbored a plan that would burn a hole through someone’s stomach.