I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 444

A Gryphon.

A legendary mythical beast famed for possessing the head and upper body of a hawk and the lower torso of a lion.

Combining the ruler of the skies and the king of the earth, it was renowned for its immense power.

One could easily tell just from how Ludwig, a battle-hardened veteran who had seen it all, visibly panicked the moment he laid eyes on the Gryphon.

What about its temperament then? Quite a few media outlets depicted Gryphons as docile creatures.

Attacks on humans were extremely rare, and they mostly remained as apex predators of their respective territories.

But that was strictly under the premise that their territories were clearly demarcated from human domain.

In the distant past, before civilization was established, Gryphons were monsters every bit as ferocious as dragons.

Not only was their combat power immense, but being aerial flyers made them notoriously tricky to handle.

"Kieeeeeek!!!"

And now, a Gryphon shrouded in blazes was threatening us.

Merely letting out a screech made the entire space scorch as though set ablaze.

On top of that, it was using the Artificial Sun as its nest. In every respect, it possessed an utterly catastrophic appearance.

’You expect me to fight that thing and win?’

No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t muster an ounce of confidence in victory.

Even an ordinary Gryphon was formidable, but this one had absorbed the energy of an Artificial Sun.

Part of me wanted to quietly slip away, but it was already too late.

Peolleok!

As the Gryphon flapped its wings, a wave of fire washed toward us.

It meant the beast had already recognized us as hostiles. Which was only natural.

Intentional or not, we had trespassed into the territory of a blazing Gryphon.

Heck, I myself would be on extreme alert if an uninvited stranger barged into our Shelter.

"Lackey!"

At my call, Lackey clenched his Mythricon Gauntlet tightly.

Having already prepared his spell in advance, a translucent shield generated instantly alongside his motion.

Kukwaang! Kwang!

A massive tide of fire engulfed the entire barrier. It was dense enough to completely obscure our vision.

That wasn’t all. Despite actively maintaining Body-Protecting Gangqi, a staggering heat pressed through.

Having absorbed the Artificial Sun’s power, it made sense, but this was far too dangerous.

’I can’t guarantee the kids’ safety like this.’

I quickly scanned our surroundings. Wonmo caught my eye, trembling in sheer terror from the Gryphon’s overwhelming pressure.

Tyranno and Cheongseol were no different. Though offspring of a dragon and a Nidhogg respectively, hatchlings were still hatchlings.

Being overwhelmingly weaker than full-grown adults, their instinctive fear was natural. Seeing this made my mind up.

"Cheongseol! Tear open spatial magic fast! Let’s retreat for now!"

Retreating immediately. There were several reasons behind my decision.

First was the confined space. That monster could unleash fire at will, while we were barely scraping by just defending.

Second was the Artificial Sun. As long as that orb existed, the beast possessed an infinite supply of energy.

Lastly was the safety of the young ones. Unlike beasts we fought previously, protecting them while fighting was impossible here.

’It’s an aerial creature, so an open area might be even more dangerous, but...!’

If it pursued us outside, it would likely threaten us by swooping through the wide-open sky.

Yet this place was hardly better. While flight was constrained, crimson flames and endless energy supply were deadly obstacles.

Whether in open terrain or a tight room, the beast held a massive advantage, but outside was relatively better.

Especially when heat seeped through Lackey’s shield; taking a direct hit would mean unimaginable consequences.

Jjwaaaak!

Hearing my yell, Cheongseol immediately tore open a rift in space.

Our destination was outside—specifically, where Cain and Largo were waiting.

My plan was to instruct them to flee outside quickly, then deal with the beast at a steady pace.

"Kieeeeeek!"

Kwajijik!

Realizing we were trying to escape, the Gryphon launched an immediate attack.

Leaping from the Artificial Sun, it struck downward with its razor-sharp hawk talons.

The strike was so ferociously powerful that even the shield boosted by the Mythricon Gauntlet shattered instantly.

"Get in fast! Hurry!"

Panicking, I hurriedly shoved the companions into the spatial rift.

Thus, after Ludwig and then Lackey stepped through the rift—

Jjeojeojeong!!

The barrier barely hanging on shattered like glass. Instantly, a blast of scorching heat flooded in.

I hadn’t even managed to thrust my body through yet. I shouted urgently:

"Just go! I’ll find a way out!"

"Th-That...!"

Chaeng!

Ludwig yelled back frantically, but it was already too late. I had already thrown myself aside to dodge the Gryphon’s incoming assault.

With that, the spatial rift sealed shut, naturally leaving only myself and the flaming Gryphon in the room.

"Grrr..."

The Gryphon, shrouded in undulating blazes, glared at me. Just looking at it was blinding.

The heat was so intense I couldn’t even measure it. Without frost energy, my flesh would have cooked long ago.

’Can I win this?’

Swallowing hard, I glared right back at the Gryphon. The sheer pressure emanating from its presence was overwhelming.

One might ask about the Butcher Ogre, but that fellow was more on the annoying side.

Living in the Forest of the Four Seasons had sharpened my fundamental survival instincts to a razor’s edge.

Countless encounters had accumulated into raw instinct, screaming that this thing was lethal.

’...Then I’d better draw up my mana too.’

Uuung!

I steeled myself to take the offensive aggressively. The aura channeling into the Sword of the Heavenly Demon flared with intense radiance.

Running away here was impractical anyway. The moment I turned my back, those talons would snatch me up.

Therefore, knocking it unconscious or inflicting equivalent massive damage was crucial.This story is hosted at n‌ovelping.com.

"Kyaaaa!"

As I gathered my aura, the Gryphon opened its beak wide and pounced.

Because the space was confined, it couldn’t fly freely, leaping forward like an aggressive lion instead.

Kwaang!

Evading its front paw slam with a nimble step, I slashed downward with my blade.

Though it stood on all fours, its height rivaled that of the Butcher Ogre.

Which meant the moment I successfully dodged, a massive opening presented itself.

Seogeok!

Perhaps because I had gathered aura and combined it with frost energy, its front leg was sliced cleanly off.

But that victory was short-lived; the severed limb instantly regenerated.

I definitely felt the sensation of cutting, but it was like slicing through formless matter—pure fire.

’Every damn creature in this forest has super-regeneration.’

It felt ridiculously unfair. I grumbled inwardly.

Cases like this usually meant one of two things: incredible intrinsic healing, or siphoning energy from an external source.

The Gryphon was almost certainly the latter. After all, wasn’t an Artificial Sun sitting right beside it?

’Meaning unless I stop that orb, victory isn’t guaranteed...’

If stopping it wasn’t an option, there was another way: drawing it away from the Artificial Sun.

Formulating various plans in my mind, I re-engaged in combat.

"Kieek!"

Peolleok!

Sensing that my aura was no joke, the Gryphon flapped its wings.

Tight as the space was, there was plenty of headroom to leap upward.

Hwaaaak!

Leaping lightly into the air, the Gryphon showered flames with its wings. I turned my sword upside down and flared my frost energy.

Blistering heat reached me, but thankfully I sustained no burns or severe injuries.

Chiiiiik!

Instead, clouds of dense steam billowed up, momentarily obscuring my vision.

But it was fine. Even shrouded in steam, my Eye Lantern instantly pinpointed its location.

Conversely, the beast hadn’t locked onto my position yet. Now was the chance.

Chwaak!

A surprise ambush! A massive arc of aura sliced the Gryphon’s body clean in half.

Of course, the moment it split in two, it regenerated immediately. It was like fighting an immortal—its recovery speed was astounding.

"Kiaaaaak!"

Hwareureuk!!!

Enraged to the maximum, the flames clinging to the Gryphon’s body burned with even greater intensity.

A subtle change also occurred with the Artificial Sun: its luminescence dimmed slightly compared to before.

As expected, that Artificial Sun was supplying it with energy.

’It’s not like I can just chop that orb in half either.’

Whether I could cut it was questionable, and I certainly couldn’t handle the catastrophic aftermath if it exploded.

One mistake, and a Chernobyl-like catastrophe like the one in the video recording would erupt.

In the end, baiting the Gryphon outside was the best option. I surveyed my surroundings.

’Wait. Come to think of it...’

Despite the Artificial Sun and the blazing Gryphon being here, the room itself was surprisingly intact.

Aside from a few scorch marks, the structure remained solid even after that massive historical explosion.

It must have been made of a material extraordinarily resistant to heat. Realizing this, I acted.

Hwaaaak!!!

As the Gryphon flapped its wings, a torrent of fire even fiercer than before poured forth.

Slicing a slab off the metal floor with my sword, I hoisted it up with one hand.

Kwaaaa!

Just as predicted, the Gryphon’s flames failed to pierce the improvised wall I held.

It didn’t absorb the heat, but the material was simply immensely heat-resistant.

’I should tear off a steel plate and use it as a shield.’

Taking a direct hit from that inferno would overwhelm even my Body-Protecting Gangqi.

I ripped off one of the metal panels scattered around. It served quite well as a makeshift shield.

Thus, whenever the Gryphon launched a flame attack, I blocked with the shield and met its physical assaults directly.

Surprisingly, the Gryphon’s raw combat prowess wasn’t all that terrifying. The insane regeneration was the real problem.

"Kiaaaaak!"

Jjeong!

The Gryphon’s talons clashed against the Sword of the Heavenly Demon. I froze for a split second.

The Gryphon’s claw, which had sliced easily earlier, didn’t cut this time.

’It’s adapting to my attacks.’

A war of attrition favored the monster. It was time to switch tactics.

I looked up toward the ceiling. The gaping hole in the roof caught my eyes.

It was a bit risky, but there was no other way. I had to draw it away from the Artificial Sun.

Hwareureuk!

A surge of flames even hotter than before came sweeping in. I raised my makeshift shield.

Beyond just holding up the shield, I channeled frost energy through it.

Chiiiiik!

Thick steam billowed out once more. Now was my chance.

Straining my legs, I leaped toward the open ceiling. Thanks to my consistent training in External Arts, I reached it effortlessly.

The Gryphon was still wandering confusedly within the steam below. In that case, I should leave it a little gift.

Kgigigik! Piing!

Firing an arrow, I provoked the Gryphon’s attention.

Shortly after, the arrow exploded with a Kwaang!. But here, an issue arose.New chapters come out on nоvelping.com first.

Engaging the Gryphon had caused me to shatter my usual self-restraints. I had loaded far too much aura into the shot.

Consequently, the blast radius far exceeded my expectations, delivering a significant shockwave to the Artificial Sun.

Beonjjeok!

"...?"

The light emanating from the Artificial Sun flared intensely. Just as a sinking feeling told me something terrible had happened—

"Kiaaaaak!"

The Gryphon flapped its massive wings and rocketed toward me in the sky.

At this rate, I’d be caught. But I had been waiting for this exact moment.

Chiiiiik!

I leaped directly onto the Gryphon’s back. It was a split second, but my reaction speed had heightened to a level even Bbareumbo would praise.

An ordinary person would have been cooked to a crisp the moment they landed on a blazing Gryphon. But not me.

With my Body-Protecting Gangqi combined with frost energy, I could endure it to a degree.

"Uuuuugh...!"

Chiiiiiiik!!!

Clinging to the Gryphon’s body like a cicada to a tree, I squeezed out every drop of energy.

Just as I had done with the flame moth earlier, I intended to freeze the Gryphon’s body solid.

Being separated from the Artificial Sun, its regeneration should have slowed. Of course, the Gryphon wasn’t stupid either.

"Kiaaaak! Kiaaaak!"

Panicked, the beast thrashed wildly to shake me off. But I had already sheathed the Sword of the Heavenly Demon and held on tight.

Clinging like glue, shaking me off wouldn’t be easy. A brutal battle of endurance commenced.

Naturally, if it flew back to the Artificial Sun, all this effort would be meaningless. I waited for that crucial turn.

Seeing the beast soar high into the clouds and attempt to double back toward the Artificial Sun—

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

Ujijik! Ujik!

I personally grabbed its wing with my bare hands and ripped it off. A crude method, but immensely effective.

Since its regeneration was already dulled, it couldn’t instantly restore a whole wing.

Thus, the Gryphon plummeted toward the earth. I could feel its regenerative capability waning rapidly.

"Master!"

"Are you alright?!"

Having crashed outside, the rest of the party heard the commotion and rushed over.

By then, I was already wrestling the Gryphon on the ground.

Since the group had arrived at just the right time, I called out for assistance.

"Quickly, hit it with anything cold!"

In my rush, I blurted out an odd phrase, but my companions understood completely.

First, Cain bound the Gryphon tightly with his iron chains.

Lackey also fired a water cannon, dousing the flames clinging to the Gryphon’s body.

Jjeojeojeok! Jjeojeok!

Before long, the Gryphon’s body slowly froze over into solid ice. Its thrashing ceased.

Simple and crude as the method was, it worked. The Gryphon’s body was now completely frozen solid.

As the fire extinguished entirely, its full appearance was finally revealed.

’...It looks pretty ordinary.’

It was genuinely just an ordinary Gryphon. It had clearly mutated due to the Artificial Sun’s influence.

With this, even the Gryphon was slain. All that remained was returning to the Flame Horse to report this.

"Phew... That was tough."

"Are you unhurt?"

"About half my mana got drained, but I’m alright."

"...Only half?"

"By my standards, half is a huge amount, isn’t it?"

Hearing my words, Ludwig looked utterly bewildered.

Yet a reluctant look of acceptance washed over his face as well. Just as I chuckled softly—

"Master. I would like to ask one thing."

"What is it?"

"Why is that happening over there?"

I looked toward where Lackey was pointing. It was toward the subterranean lab.

But something was wrong. What should have been a silent facility...

Beonjjeok!

"...Huh?"

A colossal pillar of intense light erupted into the sky. That pillar was colored the exact crimson hue of fiery flames.

The instant I saw it, my instinct screamed to run, but a moment later, a certain family flashed in my mind.

’...The Flame Horse. What about the Flame Horse family?’

If we fled right now, what would happen to the Flame Horse and its family?

No matter how fire-resistant the Flame Horse was, even it couldn’t survive heat of that magnitude.

However, Cheongseol’s teleportation magic was limited to once or twice at most, and even then, it required a cooldown.

Meaning we couldn’t rely on Cheongseol’s spatial teleport right now.

"...Everyone, run to the Flame Horse family!"

For now, we had no choice but to sprint on foot.

Right around the time we closed in on the Flame Horse family—

Kukwaaaaang!!!

The pillar of light literally ’exploded’.

The moment I saw that terrifying spectacle, I roared at everyone:

"Take cover!!! To the corner of the cave!!!"

A tsunami of roaring fire began sweeping toward us from afar.

Right now, all we could do was survive until Cheongseol’s ability came off cooldown.

’Can we survive this...?’

A calamity that made mere beasts and monsters look like child’s play had come rushing upon us.