I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 453

A day had passed since the day written as recovery and read as resurrection.

Bbareumbo, who had guarded me for ten straight days, was still lying flat on the floor.

Even after giving him an Elixir, seeing him sleep continuously made me wonder if something was wrong with him.

[Vigor is inherently difficult to restore even with an Elixir. A good, deep sleep is the only answer.]

Cain taught me about this. Physical stamina and mental vigor might seem similar, but they are entirely different.

When physical stamina is completely drained, mental vigor slowly depletes, and eventually, one’s Innate Primordial Qi begins to burn up.

The simplest example of recovery was sleep. Fighting non-stop for days on end drains one’s vigor to rock bottom.

Just like a soldier in a trench who hasn’t slept for days passing out into deep sleep despite artillery shells raining down all around him.

’Makes sense, I’d probably pass out if I went without sleep for just two days.’

Let alone Bbareumbo, who went for ten whole days. He stayed awake guarding me without a wink of sleep for ten straight days.

Even after he wakes up, it will take a considerable amount of time to replenish his vigor.

To recover vigor, there was nothing better than eating well and resting well. Medical recuperation existed for a reason.

"Then is there a way to increase vigor rather than physical stamina?"

[There is no way other than pushing oneself to extreme situations. Once you realize where your limits lie, breaking through them becomes simple.]

Hearing that, I was suddenly reminded of the training I’d endured in my dream. Training so excruciating it brought tears to my eyes.

Carrying a ridiculously heavy boat was child’s play. Training without sleep for days, swimming through open seas, and so on.

I wondered if all special forces training was like that, and grew curious at the same time. I turned my head to look at Ludwig.

I saw him quietly polishing his sword.

’Knights in this world are probably close to special forces, right?’

Knights of this world were the equivalent of special forces back on Earth. Ludwig held such immense fame that he was hailed as a "Guardian."

Having trained even the Hero herself, he must know a great deal about training regimens.

"Ludwig-ahjussi."

"Hmm?"

"What kind of training does one have to go through to become a knight?"

"Training methods vary from order to order."

"What about the training for the top knight order in the Holy Kingdom? Not private lessons, but the training required to graduate."

Hearing my question, Ludwig raised his head as if recalling past memories.

After picking his words carefully, he spoke to me.

"Excluding tactical execution abilities... it focuses heavily on what Cain-nim just mentioned."

"Exposing trainees to extreme conditions to build vigor?"

"Indeed. Simulating a pursuit scenario where they undergo training without sleep for days, fighting while wearing Mana Suppressors, and so on. It is quite diverse."

Umjjil!

Was it because the words "Mana Suppressor" came out? Beside us, Lackey—who had been quietly reading a book—flinched visibly.

He even lowered his book sseueuk- to glance nervously at my expression.

Even though it had been quite a while since I removed his collar, it seemed to remain a deeply ingrained trauma.

’Since mana exists here, the intensity of training must be way higher.’

In this world, if a person trains their mana, they can beat a bear to death with their bare hands.

And knight orders were martial groups formed to face monsters several times stronger than bears, as well as human enemies.

Therefore, they must have undergone training several times more grueling than what I experienced in my dream.

"Which among those is the absolute hardest?"

"Undergoing training while wearing a Mana Suppressor. Over eighty percent fail out at that stage."

"Huh? That’s surprising. I thought they’d breeze through it even without mana."

"Because mana serves as a firm breakwater right behind physical stamina. When that breakwater disappears, a person must face the storm directly. Only those who endure this can become true knights."

Saying so, Ludwig clearly defined what a knight order truly was.

"More important than martial strength is surviving to the end to complete the mission. That is priority number one."

"Oh..."

"For this reason, a knight’s realm of martial arts is relatively lower than that of a martial artist from Zhongyuan. Martial artists can dig deep into a single martial art."

I’d heard about it on the Gallery before. The difference between a martial artist and a knight.

Martial artists are deep like a well; knights are broad like a lake.

Because of this, in terms of sheer martial realm, martial artists rank higher, but in real battle conditions, knights hold the edge.

Thanks to this bizarre balance, it was always used as bait for flame wars on the Gallery.

’I’ve even seen Heavenly Demon and Sword Matstar argue about it seriously.’

It was a hilarious sight. I couldn’t utter a single word and just spectated.

Because I knew all too well that the moment I chimed in, I’d be fucking dead.

"Why do you ask that, though? Are you planning to become a knight?"

"No. I was just curious."

"Someone of your caliber could easily serve as a Knight Commander and then some, so you need not concern yourself."

"Aren’t you hyping me up a bit too much?"

Of course, I had undergone similar experiences. Granted, it was inside a dream.

Meanwhile, Ludwig stared at me intently before turning his head to look at Cain.

Cain, catching Ludwig’s glare, spoke to me.

[Have you no conscience?]

"...."

I got hit with a "have you no conscience" accusation from the literal first Paladin.

Having him blabber about Goddess Aris all this time and suddenly hit me with such direct criticism felt bizarre.

[No, wait. It might actually cause problems instead. If you step outside into the world, you will just brute-force everything with that absurd physical spec. You won’t use the brain you’re supposed to be using at all.]

"...."This chapter was taken from novel‌ping.com without permission.

[To make proper use of that brain of yours, staying stuck in the Forest of the Four Seasons is truly your best option.]

Are you insulting me or praising me? I feel like I heard a similar line in my dream too.

I let this topic slide and looked back at Bbareumbo. The guy was still sleeping dead to the world.

By the time Bbareumbo fully regains his vigor, winter will be right around the corner. Ultimately, laying low at the Shelter is the only choice.

’I definitely need to focus heavily on hunting this season.’

I’ll need to continuously gather food supplies to survive the winter. Anything edible must be stockpiled.

I have to head up river to catch plenty of fish and roam around the forest to hunt game.

Since my food larder was right on the verge of being cleaned out, I had no choice.

’Our fatty needs to get ready for winter too.’

The biggest headache was chubby Wonmo’s hibernation.

Right now he was fluffing up with thick fur rather than fat, but soon he’ll need to pack on real weight.

An Owlbear’s daily food intake was terrifying on a normal day, but right before winter, it was exponentially worse.

"Hmm."

"Ggyu-u?"

"Hrmmm..."

"?"

When I stared at him blankly, Wonmo tilted his head.

Compared to before, he had definitely gotten significantly larger. Though he was still as adorable as ever.

"Hey, fatty."

"Ggyu-u!!"

Pak-pak!

When teased as a fatty, Wonmo stomped the ground with his front paws.

Even if he didn’t know the exact meaning, he clearly picked up on me teasing him. Still cute as hell, though.

I silently recorded Wonmo throwing a fit and posted it to the Gallery.

Naturally, the response was explosive. Getting angry every single time he was called fatty—how could anyone not find that utterly adorable?

"Sorry. Want some honey?"

"Ggyuuuu~"

Of course, he might sulk, so I didn’t forget to soothe him.

The moment I gave him honey, Wonmo beamed radiantly and happily gobbled it up.

I wished peaceful days like this could keep flowing on forever, but that was impossible. There were still plenty of busy tasks remaining.

’Busy work aside... I also need to dwell on those dreams.’

How could I trigger those dreams again? Was being pushed to the brink of death really the only way?

However, now that I possessed such a powerful recovery ability, even that method was exceedingly difficult to pull off.

I wanted to dig deeper into it, but conditions were far from ideal. I scratched the back of my head.

’Whatever. For now, I just have to live day by day as hard as I can.’

Just as I was about to start preparing for winter, Lackey caught my eye.

No matter what the rest of us were doing, Lackey just quietly read his books. But something felt off.

"...Lackey-ya?"

"Hmm? Why do you call?"

"That book. How many days have you been reading it?"

I pointed at the book Lackey was holding.

Hearing my question, Lackey glanced at the book title before speaking bluntly.

"It has been long. Why?"

"...."

I had completely forgotten that I needed to return it.

The moment I realized the borrowed books were overdue, I urgently contacted the fixed-handle users.

First was Allfather. I had handed him a book related to quantum mechanics.

Fortunately, Allfather remembered as well and willingly handed it back.

After collecting all the books back from the other fixed-handle users, I headed straight for the library without delay.

Since someone needed to stay behind to protect Bbareumbo at the Shelter, only Cain and I went.

[Overdue by more than 5 days. Disappointed.]

"Sorry..."

As I hurriedly handed back the overdue books, Alex scolded me. I could tell he was angry through the movement of his baseball cap.

I wanted to offer an excuse, but decided against it. To Alex, it would sound like nothing more than an excuse anyway.

[State your reason.]

"Huh? Really?"

[You have kept your promises well until now. I will hear your reason, then consider whether it is a strike or an out.]

Fortunately, the friendship we’d built up until now seemed to pay off.

Or maybe it was just Alex’s internal coding logic. Regardless, I explained the reason for the delay.

Starting from meeting the Flame Horse family, subduing the Burning Griffin, and furthermore, the tide of flames unleashed from the Artificial Sun.

I recounted everything from taking a direct hit from that fire tide, wallowing in pain for days, to finally surviving.

[Uncomprehensible.]

"You mean the Artificial Sun? Well, even I..."

[Surviving a direct hit from a flame wave unscathed. Transcends the category of human.]

"...."

He meant me, not the Artificial Sun. I shut my mouth tight.

When even Alex—a living library in his own right—couldn’t comprehend it, I felt a strange sensation wash over me.

[Regenerative capability exceeding lizards, planarians, sea cucumbers, and trichoplax. Their cellular structures are simple.]Read the latest chapters at novelping . com.

"...."

[Therefore, the organism standing before me is an entity simpler than a single-celled organism.]

"Hey."

[It is a joke. Such syllogistic humor was frequently utilized historically.]

That sounded like an insanely sophisticated insult, but surely I was imagining things. I let out a dry chuckle.

Even so, after hearing my reason, Alex declared it a single strike.

He warned that two more strikes meant an out, which would naturally incur a penalty.

The penalty was being banned from borrowing books for a month. Entering the library itself would still be permitted, though.

"Is there any way to erase that strike?"

[Possible over time, or by fulfilling a request for me.]

"Do you have a request right now?"

[None at present. Will notify if one arises later.]

Come to think of it, Alex was a Mimic managing this vast library entirely alone.

Since he likely cleaned up bugs as well as every speck of dust meticulously every day, things would be fine.

"Ah, right. Speaking of which, do you happen to know anything about the Artificial Sun?"

[A masterpiece of humanity created after the discovery of mana. However, an explosion accident reduced an entire region to wasteland.]

"That region happens to be right next to my Shelter, you know?"

[According to my memory, a massive mana barrier should be blocking the fire waves. Think of it as similar to Chernobyl.]

A mana barrier... I hadn’t checked it directly, but I had a rough idea.

By the way, I heard humanity went extinct shortly after the discovery of mana. And that timeframe was shockingly short.

For an Artificial Sun to be invented within such a brief span of time—what a terrifyingly rapid rate of development.

’Well, electrical civilization was pretty similar.’

Someone once said: suppose human civilization was condensed into a 24-hour clock.

The time it took for that civilization to reach advanced technological invention was a mere 30 minutes.

Mana was an energy source far surpassing electricity, plus AI had developed to an extreme degree.

"There’s probably stuff even worse than the Artificial Sun, right?"

[Of course. Volcanos erupting radiation also exist.]

"Where the hell is a crazy place like that?!"

A volcano erupting radiation, of all things. It sounded hideous just hearing about it.

After letting out a dry laugh, I quickly put on a serious expression.

Because the dream I had previously popped back into my head. Alex had mentioned it before.

AI played a massive role in discovering mana, and that AI grew exponentially during wartime.

Naturally, it was highly likely that the Republic of Korea was dragged into that war too. It couldn’t be helped.

"...You mentioned earlier that World War III broke out back then, right?"

[AI developed during that process.]

"What happened to the Republic of Korea back then? Was it okay?"

[Prospered after expanding its territory.]

If anything, that was good news. Listening more closely, civilian casualties were surprisingly minimal as well.

He even added that while the nation almost took a nuclear strike several times, it was thwarted thanks to military exploits.

’What good does that do now, though? Humanity went extinct all the same thanks to mana.’

However, there was a part here I couldn’t wrap my head around. The claim that humanity went extinct because of mana.

No matter how powerful a person who trained in mana was, they were ultimately just a living creature.

Even I would die helplessly without putting up a fight if a hole got punched through my head or heart.

And who was the absolute best at killing such individuals? Other humans.

With society having advanced alongside science, collapsing helplessly without resistance was hard to comprehend.

’Come to think of it, there might have been people with high mana affinity in special forces units too.’

The very existence of special forces was a collection of human weapons gathered in one place.

They were more than capable of stemming chaos. The problem was that the United States, of all nations, was the first to fall.

That the United States, possessing countless special forces units, collapsed first was strange in itself.

There must be truths left undiscovered that I don’t know about. With that in mind, I asked Alex.

"You said humanity went extinct because of mana, right?"

[Affirmative.]

"Can you tell me the detailed situation? I just can’t understand how mana alone caused extinction."

[No related information.]

"Tsk."

Regrettably, Alex retained no further knowledge on that matter. I’d have to figure this out myself.

Before long, carrying my disappointment, I returned to the Shelter. And...

"...."

"Oh! You’re awake?"

The moment I stepped in, I bumped into Bbareumbo nibbling away at a Fasting Pill.

However, he wasn’t completely healed just yet.

Seureureuk-

Because instead of climbing onto my back, he slumped straight back down onto the ground.

"Looks like you’re still exhausted."

"...."

Bbareumbo didn’t even answer.

Though he wasn’t much of a talker to begin with.