I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 487

If human civilization’s starting point was ’fire’, the era when that civilization developed rapidly was the Industrial Revolution.

An age where nearly 10,000 years of accumulated human technology exploded almost simultaneously.

However, where there is light, shadows exist as well. As explosive as the growth was, the resulting damage was equally severe.

The first thing that comes to mind is the atrocious conditions of the workers. It was literally an era where human beings were ground to pieces.

And the alpha and omega of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine, and what developed from it was the steam locomotive.

A colossal iron horse moving solely by mechanical power. The railway built for such a train to pass through.

’Does this mean there’s a city near here?’

I’ve seen it in numerous survival documentaries.

When stranded in the wild, the moment you discover a railway, you can rest easy from that point on.

It doesn’t matter if it’s an unused, dilapidated railway. The fact that trains operated in the first place means a city exists.

Therefore, if one follows this railway as it is, they will eventually reach a city or a large town.

↳ Allfather) Railroads like that are usually used to move mine carts.

↳ Passing Dwarf) Isn’t there a mine at the end of this tunnel?

↳ Smart Demon) That sounds dangerous. That lizard we saw before might pop out.

However, the fixed-handle users thought differently. Most assumed it was for mine carts rather than trains.

This was unavoidable; in the outside world, the steam engine hadn’t even been invented yet.

Perhaps because mana existed from the beginning of time, scientific development had formed a strange imbalance.

That didn’t mean they relied solely on mana, either. A prime example was Teleport magic.

One might think that as long as they had this magic, transportation issues wouldn’t be a concern.

The reality was the exact opposite. Unless it was moving truly precious items, Teleport had clear limitations.

Starting from massive energy consumption to a non-negligible loss rate.

Weighing every detail, the losses outweighed the gains, leaving direct transport as the only real answer.

"It doesn’t look like a cart used in a mine... but the tracks of a train."

[What is a train?]

"It’s easiest to think of it as an iron horse that runs at high speeds."

[Do you mean the things found where the library was?]

What Cain mentioned was automobiles. Specifically, automobiles equipped with mimics.

In a way, they were similar, yet completely different. The problem was how to explain it.

I woke up here after living in modern civilization, but from their perspective, it was full of things that were hard to comprehend.

"Hmm... since I can’t explain it well with words, I’ll draw a rough picture to show you. It looks like..."

I drew a picture on the ground to show everyone.

A long train moving on top of tracks. In essence, it was similar to a massive series of interconnected carts.

The difference from a cart was that it propelled itself forward. Its cargo capacity was also beyond comparison.

[Are you saying something so large and long moves under its own power?]

"Not under its own power alone. It requires fuel."

[Still, remarkable. To think something this heavy moves purely by mechanical force without even mana.]

The reason Cain was so astonished by the concept of a train was simple.

The train was one of the pinnacles of human civilization created before mana was even discovered.

It literally operated on pure mechanical force, so from the perspective of someone of this world, it couldn’t help but elicit admiration.

↳ Allfather) By any chance, what else moves purely by mechanical force like the train Grylls-nim mentioned?

"Airplanes would be a classic example. Not like the ghost ships floating around outside right now, but things shaped like this used to fly using only mechanical force."

I drew an airplane on the ground. It resembled the fighter jet Starlight Lady had summoned before.

A few fixed-handle users asked about the principles behind it, but I confidently replied that I didn’t know.

Not knowing such things didn’t hinder daily life. As long as you paid money, you could just ride them.

↳ Heavenly Demon) It seems to have developed far too excessively.

↳ Sword Matstar) In reality, it was probably way more advanced than it looks, right?

↳ Starlight Lady) When we witnessed the Artificial Sun, it was truly wondrous.

↳ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Ahem!

As awe toward the ancient gods continued, Don’t Abandon the Hero naturally puffed up her chest with pride.

She seemed to do that whenever the achievements and inventions of the gods she served were revealed.

The problem was that ancient humanity became too powerful and brought about their own destruction.

That wasn’t all. Most periods of rapid technological surges were times of war.

’They’d probably be horrified even if I just told them about the Holocaust, right?’

I probably didn’t need to tell them that. In the first place, the history I knew was irrelevant here.

What I wanted was just one thing: how humanity developed and subsequently fell after the discovery of mana.

If I follow the railway and find a city, I should be able to get a rough glimpse of that history.

I decided to mute the fixed-handle users’ chat for a moment and follow the railway.

"I’ll take out the Light Crystal Orb first. The tunnel is quite dark."

Having made up my mind to pass through the tunnel, I prepared thoroughly.

There was no telling what lay beyond that tunnel, and this tunnel might not be the end of it either.

’Usually, they don’t dig just one tunnel.’

Activating the Light Crystal Orb, I moved forward.

Considering the small size of the light at the exit, the distance seemed quite far.

Just in case, I even activated my Eye Lantern during the process. Strange creatures might be inhabiting the inside of the tunnel.

In the tunnel discovered last time, Flesh Golems were nesting, and beyond it, a Flesh Aberration was sealed.

"Cheongseol. When I give the word, get ready to tear space right away. Got it?"

"Ppaeek."Visit nоvelping.com for the full chapter.

"Lackey, you get ready too."

"Understood."

So I cautioned Cheongseol and Lackey.

While Cheongseol took a bit of time to tear space, Lackey could do it instantly once prepared.

With that, I began slowly walking toward the other side of the tunnel. There didn’t seem to be any creatures inhabiting the tunnel either.

Shashashak!

Except for an absurdly large cockroach.

"Hiaaaak!"

"W-What is it, Master?!"

[Are you alright?!]

Neither the swarms of bugs that infested every summer, nor spiders with countless legs.

I wasn’t afraid of any of those, but that hideous creature was horrific.

One might ask if I was really frightened by a mere cockroach, but that cockroach was the size of a human torso.

"T-That...!"

"That? It’s a cockroach, Master."

[Don’t tell me you were startled by a mere cockroach?]

No. I mean, if something the size of a human torso is crawling on the floor, who wouldn’t be startled?!

And it’s a cockroach, of all disgusting things. Even Australia, where all insects are massive, would have to bow down to this.

"...You avoid dung because it’s dirty, not because you’re scared, right?"

"Cockroaches are not dung, Master. They are excellent emergency rations."

Lackey admonished me with a genuinely puzzled expression.

Just as he said, cockroaches are often treated as emergency rations in the wild.

All they do is crawl on the ground, and their reproductive rate is so immense that eating them freely is fine.

Of course, that applies strictly to wild animals. To a civilized person, they were nothing more than pests.

"Sure. To you, maybe. From now on, whenever you’re hungry, eat only cockroaches."

"I repeat, they are emergency rations, Master."

"I really want to show you that movie."

Trains and cockroaches. Combining those two naturally brings to mind a certain movie.

My buddy even told me to make sure to eat sweet red bean jelly when going to see that movie.

I forced myself to push that scene away quietly and moved forward. Fortunately, the cockroaches didn’t attack us.

Kwajik! Kwadeudeok!

"...Ah. Seriously, please."

↳ Sword Matstar) What is that hideous-looking thing?

↳ Allfather) That’s a house centipede. Famous in Central Plains as a money bug.

↳ Heavenly Demon) I have heard of it. They say it often lives in the homes of the wealthy.

↳ Passing Dwarf) The cockroach actually looks better visually;;

↳ Starlight Lady) Ugh;;

Instead, I witnessed something even more horrifying: the sight of house centipedes devouring the cockroaches.

It was... a sight hard to describe in words. With dozens of legs attached, it evoked an instinctive sense of revulsion.

Even Lackey, who treated cockroaches as emergency rations, knitted his brows.

To make matters worse, an even more serious situation arose.

"Jjiririk. Jjirik."

"Jjirreureuk."

As if devouring the cockroaches hadn’t satisfied them, the swarm of house centipedes began staring intently at us.

The way their antennae twitched felt like they were asking, ’Can we eat these guys too?’

I desperately hoped those things had high intelligence so they would back off after seeing Tyranno.

Shashashak!

That hope shattered into pieces in just five seconds. Large house centipedes swarmed toward us in a horde.

Just looking at them was disgusting enough, but seeing them swarm in a horde made it hard to even speak.

Still, this was actually better. It meant I could slaughter every last one of them.

"Lackey! Prepare fire magic! Tyranno, you prepare your breath too!"

"Understood!"

"Ppiik!"

Insects are weak to fire. Those things were no different.

The ones approaching close were marked by the three of us: me, Cain, and Ludwig.

Lackey and Tyranno spewed flames to block their approach as much as possible.

And Wonmo...

"Wonmo! It’s fine to tear them apart, just don’t eat them!"

"Kkyuu!"

Utilizing the signature weight class of an Owlbear, he violently tore the house centipedes apart.

Currently, Wonmo’s build was between a medium and a large dog.

Furthermore, Wonmo’s hide was quite tough, so the house centipedes’ fangs couldn’t pierce it.

"Don’t bully our Wonmo!"Follow the newest chapters on no⁠velping.com.

Seogeok!

Of course, that didn’t mean I sat back and watched.

Inflicting harm on our shelter’s mascot and the Gallery’s Gallery Master could not be forgiven.

It was around the time we slowly broke through and approached the end of the tunnel.

Shashashak! Shashak!

The swarm of house centipedes hesitated, then frantically began fleeing somewhere.

Not just one, but that massive horde fled in an instant, raising questions.

However, a horde of that size fleeing meant a far more powerful entity was approaching.

This was information I had naturally acquired after living in the Forest of the Four Seasons for quite a long time.

Deudeudeudeu—

Sure enough, as soon as the house centipede swarm vanished, the earth trembled. At first, it was a faint vibration.

The vibration gradually grew stronger, until at last the epicenter could be realized.

The location where the vibration echoed was precisely ahead—at the tunnel exit.

Looking toward the tunnel, a light caught my eye.

A light so powerful that even the Eye Lantern bowed down to it. Ultimately, blinded by the glare, I turned off the Eye Lantern.

Ppaaaaang!

The moment I turned off the Eye Lantern, a noisy horn blasted into my ears.

Beyond merely blasting, it felt like a warning sound, as if shouting at us to run away immediately.

"...No way."

"Master. What on earth is that..."

"Forget asking, run fast!"

Ppaaaaang!

Before Lackey could even ask, I shouted loudly. There was no time to explain now.

Fortunately, the group didn’t raise any objections to my command and followed suit.

We ran back the way we came as if our lives depended on it. The vibrations and sound coming from behind drew closer.

"Lackey! Teleport! Teleport!"

"Move!"

Just when the sound reached critical proximity, Lackey executed Teleport right on time.

Thanks to the Mythrilcon Gloves, every single member was teleported outside the tunnel without exception.

Even so, it wasn’t over. I immediately yelled to the group.

"Get off the tracks! Quick!"

Ppaaaaang!

As soon as the group carried out my urgent command, something rushed past at high speed.

A lump of iron with a generally blunt shape. A train had passed by at immense speed.

’A train is in operation? How does that make any sense?’

Is a mimic operating this too? I wondered, but I couldn’t be sure up to that point.

For now, waiting for the train to fully pass was the priority.

Deolkeong! Deolkeodeong!

Befitting a freight train, a considerable amount of time passed just for it to go by.

I grew curious about where that freight train was heading, but it wasn’t something to worry about right now.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"I am fine."

"I am also fine."

Fortunately, no member of the group appeared to be left behind. This was all thanks to Lackey’s Teleport magic.

For a train, it had rushed in at a very fast speed, and we hadn’t entered too deeply into the tunnel.

How much time passed like that? As the freight train completely passed, the dizzying moment came to an end.

Perhaps because it was a standard freight train, nothing else happened aside from it passing by quickly.

"Phew..."

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief. This was completely unexpected.

No matter how many wild things happen in the Forest of the Four Seasons, who could have anticipated something like this?

’Could there really be a surviving civilization left?’

It made no sense, but the Forest of the Four Seasons is a place where only nonsensical things happen.

Without confirming it directly with my own eyes, I couldn’t even know the detailed cause.

Accordingly, I decided to enter the tunnel once again. There was still time left.

"If nobody is injured, we’ll head out right away."

After checking the party’s condition, we re-entered the tunnel.

Fortunately, the house centipedes that attacked us earlier no longer showed themselves.

They seemed to take a brief rest whenever that train passed by.

It was great news for us, but you never knew. Another train might come hurtling down.

"Let me pick up the pace a bit."

Thus, with quick steps, we headed toward the exit as fast as possible.

There were no interruptions along the way, nor did any train charge at us.

As time passed, we emerged smoothly outside the tunnel, and...

"Mmm... I had a feeling, but..."

"Master. What kind of forest is that again?"

I let out a groan at the sight of the gray forest visible before my eyes—that is, the sight of a ’metropolis’.