I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 445

To be completely honest, the situation wasn’t great. No, it was downright terrible.

The tidal wave of flames spewing from the Artificial Sun was powerful enough to alter the environment itself.

Although humanity had advanced boundlessly, natural disasters could only be prepared for or mitigated; directly controlling them was near impossible.

And the fiery tsunami cascading from that Artificial Sun was essentially a natural disaster created by humanity.

’I don’t even know how far the aftermath will spread. It might even reach the Shelter.’

I hastily blocked the cave entrance. The fire surge hadn’t reached us just yet.

The mouth of the cave was quite wide, making it difficult to seal off, but we had an excellent shield.

[Will blocking it like this suffice?]

"Yes. Cain-ssi, you’re the first line of defense."

Cain, the horse, and finally the coffin. Using this three-piece set, it was possible to hold it off to some extent.

Additionally, Lackey’s magic was included. But the most crucial element was me.

Jjeojeojeok!

I froze the entire cave entrance over. But this wasn’t the final line of defense.

Most unfortunately, the cave entrance faced directly toward the Artificial Sun. Which meant it would take the full brunt of the fiery waterfall.

Even if we stacked lines of defense layer upon layer, catastrophic damage was inevitable.

’I have to block it, no matter what.’

I glanced back. The party, including the Flame Horse family, were stiff with tension.

Since this happened due to my own mistake—or near-mistake—it’s only right that I take responsibility. I plan to stop it by any means necessary.

Hwaaak!

In the meantime, the area near the cave entrance brightened in an instant. I turned my head to look toward the entrance.

A terrifying wave of fire was surging toward the entrance. The color of the wave was far from ordinary.

Glimmers of a color close to pure white flickered within it. Heat radiated off it before it even got close.

’...It’s coming.’

The wave of flames pouring forth from the Artificial Sun.

Staring straight into that wave gave me the illusion that time was slowing down.

It looked like wild, turbulent lava raging forward. I watched it silently before quietly closing my eyes.

And then...

Kwaaaaa!

Cain’s first line of defense and Lackey’s second line of shields were broken through with ease.

Chiiiiik!!!

Only after the flames hit me directly—the final line of defense—was the onslaught barely held back.

The scorching heat was incomparable to the Gryphon’s flames. I grit my teeth hard.

"Kueah... Keuheop?!"

It was hard to even breathe. Inhaling felt like my lungs were bursting into flames.

The steam completely obscuring my vision was just an added bonus. Frankly, I could barely even open my eyes.

An eyeball is naturally full of moisture. Even though I was maintaining my Body-Protecting Gangqi, that moisture felt like it was evaporating away.

In the end, I had no choice but to keep my eyes closed and concentrate entirely on my Body-Protecting Gangqi. The only thing I could trust right now was my mana.

’The speed of mana consumption is...!’

My mana had already been cut in half from fighting the Gryphon earlier. Now, it was draining even faster.

Furthermore, the wave of fire wasn’t just a brief surge. It relentlessly pressed against me.

Since there was no telling when this wave would end, I had to focus entirely on mana management.

’A way to gain mana from the outside...!’

A single second felt like an hour. I racked my brain.

However, I was struggling just to keep Body-Protecting Gangqi activated. I didn’t have the luxury to think clearly.

Ultimately, there was only one thing I could do: chant the mnemonics of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art that Heavenly Demon had taught me.

’The heavens are...’

I quietly recited the mnemonics taught by Heavenly Demon in my head, increasing my mana efficiency.

Though the intense heat rendered me unable to breathe properly, this was the best I could do.

And so, as I endured the pain, waiting for the fiery tsunami to recede...

Shaaaa-

The mana inside my body was completely depleted.

Chiiiiik!!!

The Body-Protecting Gangqi and frost melted away in a literal instant, unleashing monstrous heat upon me.

Because it was white flames rather than red flames, the pain transcended imagination.

If I were to be engulfed by the flames like this, my body would never hold out.

’The Gryphon... How did the Gryphon absorb it...?’

I recalled the Phoenix Gryphon. That creature absorbed the power of the Artificial Sun to boost its recovery.

I didn’t think I could become like that. I just needed mana.

’Can’t I somehow take in that intense heat and convert it into mana?’

However, that thought didn’t last long either. My Body-Protecting Gangqi was right on the verge of running out completely.

At the same time, the thick stench of burning flesh filled the air. The terrifying heat had reached my skin.

Following the pain, once I caught the scent, one truth flashed vividly in my mind.

’I’m going to die.’New chapters come out on novelping dot com first.

Forget absorption or anything else—I was going to die because I couldn’t endure that heat.

I have to live. I burst open my held breath and began breathing.

The heat that had only hit my skin flooded deep into my insides. I felt agony far more gruesome than before.

Yet there was no alternative. If I collapsed, the party behind me would be in grave danger.

I was only enduring this because it was me; if the party faced that heat, they would suffer catastrophic harm.

Chiiiiik!

Was it thanks to forcing myself to breathe? The rapidly drained Body-Protecting Gangqi began to replenish itself once more.

Apart from that, however, the fiery tsunami was still pouring over me. I couldn’t fall like this.

’I am...’

I couldn’t recall things like the mnemonics of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art anymore.

’To die here...’

Only a single thing filled my mind.

’Did I survive until now...’

The will to survive, to live no matter what.

’NO...!’

It was purely that.

Hwaaaak-

An eternity seemed to pass. Strangely enough, I felt no pain.

The burning energy lingered inside my body, but even that turned into mana before long.

I made only a single attempt: trying to turn mana into cold frost. Not a single other thought crossed my mind.

Was this the trance state Heavenly Demon had mentioned before? It was a state where I found myself questioning, "How am I even doing this?"

"..."

I barely managed to open my eyes amidst my fading consciousness. Upon opening them, the fiery tsunami was nowhere to be seen.

Only Cain’s Dullahan and coffin, which had served as the first line of defense, stood right there.

Judging by how they neither spoke nor functioned, they seemed temporarily broken due to the fire surge.

Wiiiiing-

My ears were ringing, and my mind was hazy. I felt like I might collapse at any second.

However, as mentioned earlier, there was no pain. Nor did I smell burning flesh anymore.

Seueuk-

Fortunately, a very faint sensation of moving my body still remained.

I slowly turned my back to check if the party was safe.

Though everyone wore shocked expressions, they looked completely unhurt.

"-----"

"-----"

"-----"

Strange. They were definitely saying something, but I couldn’t hear it properly.

Judging by their lip movements, they were probably asking if I was alright. Just as I was about to say I was fine...

"...?"

I managed to lower my head and realized what kind of state I was in.

At first, I thought it was charcoal. It looked pitch-black, smeared here and there with something resembling dirt.

However, it didn’t take long to realize that this lump of charcoal was my ’hand’.

It wasn’t just my hand; everywhere else was the same. My entire body had turned into charcoal, and my skin was completely scorched and fused together.

There was a reason I hadn’t felt any pain. The intense heat had burnt away even the sensory nerves responsible for feeling pain.

’...Dammit.’

I uttered a quiet curse in my mind, and...

Kooung!

I lost consciousness right then and there.

"Master!"

"Grylls!"

"Kyuuuu! Kyuu!!"

Thanks to Grylls’s heroic sacrifice, the party was completely unharmed, without a single scratch.

However, Grylls’s condition was extraordinarily severe. First and foremost, the question was whether he was even alive.

Ludwig checked Grylls’s current state. Even to an untrained eye, it was critical.

His entire body had turned into charcoal, and the stench of burnt flesh reeked. Describing him as a living corpse fell far short.

Even Ludwig, who had witnessed countless deaths, concluded that "there is no hope."

Just as he grit his teeth at the overwhelming severity of the situation...

"Walker! That! Let’s cure him with that!"

Lackey shouted in an urgent voice as if something had struck him. Ludwig quickly caught on to what he was referring to.

He was probably talking about the Elixirs inside Grylls’s Subspace Backpack.

Indeed, an Elixir could virtually be called a panacea, but... this was far too severe.

Even though he had steadily gathered Elixirs until now, they would be grossly insufficient.

"That will not be enough. The other things are..."New chapters come out on nоvelping.com first.

"There are plenty of other things! There’s World Tree honey, plenty of Inner Cores! There’s Empty Sky Stone Milk too!"

"..."

"If we mix Empty Sky Stone Milk and Elixir, it’ll be enough to submerge his body!"

Listening to Lackey, Ludwig found himself becoming increasingly persuaded.

Besides, attempting various remedies was far better than doing nothing at all.

Ludwig decided to adopt Lackey’s method and immediately gave instructions.

"First, it would be best to pour a bottle of Elixir into his mouth so his breathing does not stop."

[He is still breathing, so time is of the essence.]

Just as Cain said, Grylls was still breathing despite having turned into a lump of charcoal.

Of course, his life signs were gradually fading, so they couldn’t afford to delay.

Shortly after, they returned straight to the Shelter. For some bizarre reason, the Shelter was completely intact.

The tidal wave of fire had clearly spread as if to swallow the entire forest, making it a bizarre phenomenon.

’Still, it doesn’t matter.’

Ludwig prepared the iron tub he usually used for bathing.

Into it, he poured every single Spiritual Medicine he could find, starting with the Elixirs.

Empty Sky Stone Milk, World Tree honey, World Tree leaves, Inner Cores, Mature Mandrake, and finally, even the Dragon Gastrolith that had been soaking in medicinal liquor.

Dumping every healthy item imaginable into it filled the iron tub to the brim. However, a problem still remained.

"There is a problem."

"What problem?"

"We must submerge him up to his head... but if we do, he will not be able to breathe."

The breathing hole was the issue. Currently, Grylls’s whole body had turned into charcoal.

They had to create a separate air channel, but one wrong move carried the risk of suffocation.

"Master’s internal organs are almost burned out too. It is better to let it seep all the way inside."

"No matter how tough Grylls is, he is a living being. Breathing is absolute necessity."

While the two were squabbling, Bbareumbo, who had been quietly watching them, turned his head.

Where he turned his gaze was Grylls, who was barely holding onto life. In a situation like this, swift decisiveness was required.

Poongdong!

And so Bbareumbo dumped Grylls right into the iron tub. The party members engaged in debate were startled out of their wits by his action.

Just as they were about to demand what he was doing, a significant change occurred within the iron tub.

Beugeulbeugeulbeugeulbeugeul-

The liquid inside the iron tub began to boil. Seeing this, the party felt puzzled.

Even though Grylls had become a lump of charcoal, his body temperature itself hadn’t been that high.

For the liquid to boil like that meant there was another reason.

"...There must be a reason."

"The Chief’s judgment will be accurate."

Moreover, it was none other than Bbareumbo’s judgment. A creature that was usually sluggish, but fast when speed was needed.

If they had kept debating, it was highly likely Grylls’s life would have been put in even greater danger.

Thus, while they waited over Grylls who was submerged up to the top of his head in the iron tub...

Seueueuk-

This time, a reaction came from the direction of the World Tree.

Just like when it absorbed contaminated Inner Cores or cores, it began extending its branches.

Those branches soon reached toward the tub containing Grylls and gently pulled it closer.

It didn’t end with merely pulling it close. An anomaly occurred among the lush leaves of the World Tree.

Dduuk- dduk-

It was dew. Dew dripped from the leaves of the World Tree.

The dew fell precisely into the tub holding Grylls. Seeing this, Cain spoke quietly.

[I understand that the dew of the World Tree originally possesses effects rivaling an Elixir.]

"..."

[In the first place, the Elixir is an invention modeled after the dew of the World Tree.]

Was this a repayment for providing abundant nourishment all this time? Ludwig’s expression turned complex.

It almost looked as if nature itself was laboring to save Grylls.

And so, after a long period of time, the dark night approached.

As night fell, the party decided to stand guard. But even that proved unnecessary.

"Chief. Aren’t you sleeping?"

"..."

Because Bbareumbo was standing motionlessly in front of the iron tub.

Bbareumbo glanced at Lackey and waved his hand nonchalantly.

It was a gesture telling him that he would watch over it, so go to sleep.

"..."

Even in the night when everyone slept, Bbareumbo silently stared only at the iron tub.

Beugeulbeugeulbeugeul-

Only the quiet sound of bubbles rising in the iron tub echoed softly.