I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 500

Calming down the throwing-a-tantrum Tyranno was by no means an easy task.

She blasted Breaths around, screaming that she would keep living here and never go back home.

Fitting for a dragon’s offspring, even her tantrums were extraordinary. Of course, to an adult dragon like Vanir, it was nothing more than cute whimpering.

The same went for us watching from a distance. Although the Breaths spewing from her mouth were slightly threatening, they were manageable enough to overlook.

-Kraaaak! Kraaa! Krarak!

"Bbi-eeeng...."

Unfortunately, Tyranno’s rebellion did not last long.

Because Vanir, thoroughly angered, bellowed out in a voice bordering on a full roar.

No matter how much Tyranno was a hatchling, a child was still a child. When a parent took a forceful stance, she had no choice but to obey.

While it might not be ideal from an educational perspective, they were dragons. Applying human common sense was meaningless.

It was a situation where I couldn’t really offer advice, nor should I. This was between Vanir and Tyranno.

"Bbi-eee-eeng...."

In the end, big fat tear drops began streaming from Tyranno’s eyes. She really didn’t want to leave.

A child’s tears would be incredibly difficult for any parent to face. Vanir, however, remained resolute.

Whether dragon child-rearing was naturally strict or if it was just Vanir herself, she cleanly ignored it.

In the wild—especially in a place like the Forest of the Four Seasons—raising them tough was important. But being protected before growing strong was equally vital.

"Bbi-eeng... bbi-eeng...."

Tyranno turned her head toward me while shedding tears. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do for her.

Beyond advice, Vanir’s choice was simply correct. Right now was a time to prioritize what was right and wrong.

"Tyranno. Staying by my side will only endanger you. You’ll be safer with your mother."

"Bbi-eee-eng...!"

"She is asking if she can stay here for as long as her mother was asleep."

In dragon terms, she was essentially requesting to stay for just one more day.

This matter also required asking Vanir’s opinion, not mine. I turned my head to look at her.

As expected, Vanir shook her head sideways. An unyielding stance with not a single inch of compromise.

Ultimately, Tyranno’s stubbornness broke under that resolve first. She collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bbi-eee-eng...! Bbi-eee-eng...!"

"Kyuuu... kyuung...."

Was it because they were both younglings? As Tyranno cried as if the world were ending, Wonmo quietly approached.

He even placed his paw on her head as if asking if she was okay. His cute face became stained with gloom.

What was Cheongseol doing? She didn’t really care and was just licking my cheek.

She seemed to think it had nothing to do with her. I wondered what it would be like when Nidhogg eventually came to take her back.

Either way, since Vanir’s determination was set in stone, Tyranno’s departure could not be stopped.

Still, it was true that we had made countless memories together, so I wanted to give her one last present.

"Tyranno. Eat this one last time before you go."

Candied sweet potatoes are all I can make for you. It’s your last supper.

Tyranno looked at the candied sweet potatoes I cooked with a gloomy expression.

Then, as I fed her piece by piece with chopsticks, she kept shedding tears. It felt strange.

’It’s like a death row inmate having their last meal.’

Even funnier was that Vanir was also showing interest.

I poked a piece of candied sweet potato with a chopstick and subtly passed it over to Vanir.

"Would you like one?"

-Ahem.

Vanir pretended not to care while quietly taking the candied sweet potato. The problem was the chopstick.

Even though it was a wooden chopstick, she chewed and swallowed the whole thing. Being a dragon, her definition of food seemed remarkably broad.

-Sweet and delicious. A pity about the taste of wood, though.

"Chopsticks aren’t meant to be eaten. Even Tyranno only ate the candied sweet potato."

-If it is too sweet, my child’s teeth will rot.

Changing the subject out of awkwardness, huh. Besides, dragons don’t have issues even if their teeth rot.

Last time, she bit into Mithril incorrectly and lost a tooth. But by the next day, it grew right back.

They say sharks regrow lost teeth too, so it might be a similar principle. Or maybe it was just a baby tooth.

Peurreok! Peurreok!

A moment later, Vanir dispelled her Polymorph and flapped her massive wings, soaring into the sky.

Upon Vanir’s colossal head, tiny Tyranno was perched comfortably.

Slumped over, she stared wistfully down at me as if she wanted to leap toward me this very instance.

It looked like a kid who wanted to play longer at her uncle’s place, but was being dragged away by her mom.

"Ah, by the way. May I ask one thing before you go?"

-Speak.

"Is it alright if I keep growing the World Tree?"

Originally, as soon as Vanir saw the World Tree I planted, she blasted a Breath to burn it down.

However, realizing the necessity of the World Tree, I risked danger to nurture it.

As a result, I was able to obtain countless byproducts from the World Tree, which even possessed purifying abilities.This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.

Burning it down now would cause far more loss than gain. But dragons were hostile toward World Trees.

Although Vanir was born at the tail end of the Mythological Age, prejudice was something that couldn’t easily be helped.

-It does not matter. That World Tree is already subservient to you. Rather than me, you would be wise to worry about other World Trees.

"Uh... what do you mean by that?"

-Just because they are plants does not mean they do not compete for prey. In some ways, they are fiercer and more cunning than animals.

I thought I understood what she meant. Even a World Tree wasn’t without competitors.

In fact, the World Tree’s roots spanned a vast territory. The fierce struggles taking place down there were an extra factor.

Furthermore, an ecosystem no less intricate than the forest above was formed within the roots. It was hard to grasp what might happen.

At least the fortunate thing was that our Shelter’s World Tree was on our team. I ought to manage it more thoroughly.

-Ah. And I must leave you with these words before I go.

"What words?"

-Thank you for protecting my daughter.

Peurreok!

Leaving behind a heartfelt expression of gratitude, Vanir soared high into the air.

She seemed to flap her wings lightly, yet a terrifying gale whipped up.

Good thing I prepared in advance just in case; otherwise, the furniture would have been blown away in heaps.

Peurreok! Hwiiiing!

At long last, Vanir and Tyranno departed from our Shelter. Before long, Vanir shrank into a tiny dot in the distance.

One of our companions simply returned to her proper place, so why did it feel so bittersweet? It meant we had grown fond of her during that time.

I harbored the lingering regret, but pushed it aside. We would surely meet again someday.

What to do now was maintenance. As evidenced by cooking the candied sweet potatoes, my muscles had recovered.

Now that my physical body was restored, what remained was Internal Energy. I recalled the battle against the Colossus—no, the Mechanical Sand Worm.

’Unity of Sword and Body... was that it? That’s roughly what I heard.’

I reminisced while holding the Sword of the Heavenly Demon in my hand. The sword that had originally plunged right into the Colossus’s head.

I heard Vanir retrieved this sword after defeating the Colossus. I caused her trouble in so many ways.

Woooong-

Recalling the sensation from back then, I activated Aura Blade on the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

To my surprise, the Aura Blade enveloped not just the blade itself, but the entire sword.

To be precise, it felt as though the Body-Protecting Gangqi wrapping around my body had extended to cover the Sword of the Heavenly Demon as well.

The large and magnificent Aura Blade remained, but it took on a much firmer shape than before.

Even when I increased the amount of Aura, there was no strain felt on the Sword of the Heavenly Demon whatsoever.

It felt as though the Sword of the Heavenly Demon had become a part of my own body.

"Does anyone know what state this is?"

I asked my companions while maintaining this current state.

Since they knew more about Aura Blades than I did, they would give me advice.

My companions looked back and forth between me and the Sword of the Heavenly Demon, offering their respective opinions.

"Sorry, Master. Usually, I only throw fists, so I don’t really know. Instead, I heard something from Master. He called it Unity of Self and Object, a realm reachable when you fully channel your Internal Energy into an object."

"Then what about a brawler like you?"

"Though temporary, when channeling Internal Energy, one reaches a state akin to the Vajra Indestructible Body. The body is the weapon itself, becoming one with that weapon. That’s what I heard."

"I don’t really get it."

It seemed Lackey operated on a different track since he fundamentally used fist techniques.

All Streams Converge into the Sea, or Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea—just as all rivers meet at the sea, martial arts are similar.

However, that applies when reaching the absolute end; the intermediate process is bound to differ.

In the end, I set aside Lackey’s advice for later and asked Ludwig.

"Regrettably, I have not reached the Unity of Sword and Body, nor the Unity of Self and Object."

"Huh? Ludwig-ssi, didn’t you say you were the Guardian of the Holy Kingdom?"

"Being good at combat and having deep martial comprehension are two different matters. I was merely the former."

It was quite surprising. A warrior of Ludwig’s caliber hadn’t attained the Unity of Sword and Body.

Of course, as he said, combat strength and depth of martial arts ought to be separated.

I mean, hadn’t I also resorted to every desperate trick under the sun just to prevail over all sorts of monsters?

Accumulating those experiences enhanced adaptability and, furthermore, built up raw combat power.

Ultimately, while weight class matters, skill is paramount. The reality was that every time I sparred with Ludwig, I got utterly demolished.

’On the flip side, Ludwig only has one coin to burn.’

While I could go reckless, Ludwig had no choice but to exercise extreme caution in everything.

Especially having been a soldier, he must have been obsessed with caution. It was natural that his theoretical realm was low.

That didn’t mean his combat power was weak by any means. Ludwig was, after all, renowned as the Guardian of the Holy Kingdom.

’A strictly superior version of Ludwig happens to be right beside me.’

Finally, I sought Cain’s opinion. He was someone who had even undergone Ascension to Immortality.

He surely would have realized at least the Unity of Sword and Body as a basic foundation. Yet an unexpected answer came forth.

[I am sorry, but it is difficult for me to give a detailed explanation as well.]

"Why is that?"You are reading on novel⁠ping.com, the official source.

[When I was active in life, I was the only one who had reached the Unity of Sword and Body. Moreover, the average combat power back then was abysmal, so theories were lacking.]

He lived right after the Mythological Age. An era where Aris could directly intervene.

Due to various factors, theories were bound to be vastly lacking. They simply relied entirely on instinct and sensation.

One might ask where the term Unity of Sword and Body came from, but it was originally a pre-existing realm.

Without looking far, the Goddess of War, Aris, was right there, so they must have wielded martial arts using her as the standard.

[Still, I can at least say this. The conventional Unity of Sword and Body and yours are vastly different.]

"In what way are they different?"

[The Unity of Sword and Body that we know is the Unity of Self and Object—that is, the weapon and body becoming one.]

He claimed he didn’t know well, yet he was explaining it thoroughly. Still, I listened quietly.

The term Unity of Sword and Body was used simply because so many people used swords, but originally, Unity of Self and Object was the accurate term.

And Unity of Self and Object was the realm of becoming one with a tool, allowing it to move like one’s own limbs.

To push one’s technique to the absolute pinnacle, Unity of Self and Object was essential.

[However, yours is... somehow different. The problem is that I cannot articulate what makes it different.]

"Can we just pass it off as ’all’s well that ends well’?"

[I just hope the sword does not move on its own one day and plunge into your hand.]

Cain wasn’t being sarcastic; he was genuinely concerned.

And with good reason, since a similar thing had happened last time.

I learned Telekinetic Grab from Heavenly Demon and used it, only for the sword to pierce right through my palm.

It was a situation where the Sword of the Heavenly Demon could suddenly fly straight into my head while I was performing Internal Energy Regulation.

Feeling anxious, I made a post on the Gallery. There were two people who could solve this situation.

Title) Martial Arts Masters Come On

Wild Grylls

(Photo 1 of the Sword of the Heavenly Demon and body enveloped in Aura Blade)

(Photo 2 of the Sword of the Heavenly Demon and body enveloped in Aura Blade)

(Video of the Sword of the Heavenly Demon and body enveloped in Aura Blade)

Anyone who watched my video knows my realm increased while fighting the Mechanical Sand Worm.

At first I thought it was Unity of Sword and Body? Unity of Self and Object? But when I asked, they said it’s slightly different.

I did use a bit of a trick, so I’m curious if this is correct.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Indeed, the shape of the Sword Gang is quite peculiar. I have never seen such a form before.

ㄴSword Matstar) I know, right? By any chance, can you freely change the shape of your Aura?

ㄴWild Grylls) It’s possible, but to do that I have to change the aura wrapped around my body first. That’s the only way the shape changes.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) I think I roughly understand what this phenomenon is.

ㄴSword Matstar) Me too. It’s ridiculously crude, but a method so typical of Grylls-nim.

ㄴAnyone know what that means?

ㄴPutting it in cigarette terms, normal Unity of Sword and Body is holding a cigarette in your mouth and blowing smoke rings and even star shapes. But that bastard Grylls literally turned his whole body into a cigarette and is blasting smoke however he wants.

ㄴWhat kind of insane analogy is that?;;

ㄴStill made perfect sense though lolol

ㄴSo the conclusion is that Grylls is an idiot.

ㄴYup, correct.

ㄴWait, listening to the explanation, isn’t Grylls’s Unity of Self and Object the real deal?

ㄴOnly he can pull it off, how is that the real Unity of Self and Object lolol

ㄴI’m just saying based on the literal meaning of the words lol

ㄴWild Grylls) I know I’m an idiot, so please don’t insult me.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) By any chance, what mental imagery did you visualize when reaching that realm?

Mental imagery. I recalled my memories from that moment.

Imbuing my Aura into a weapon was like forcing water into a tiny container.

If I made one mistake, the container would overflow, so I used another trick.

’There was a movie I watched in the past. I applied that concept.’

If you can’t fill a broken dam with water, then throw the dam into the water instead.

The Sword of the Heavenly Demon was the same. Rather than filling it with Aura, plunge it entirely into my Aura.

When I shared all of this, Heavenly Demon replied.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Impressive. Truly impressive. It was actually I who was trapped within divine arts.

ㄴWild Grylls) Huh?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) It means you need not be bound by me. Henceforth, I shall advise you as an equal fellow martial artist.

ㄴWild Grylls) ...?

I had no idea what was what, but being praised felt good regardless.

ㄴSword Matstar) Then you must wield swordsmanship well too, right? It must be extremely destructive.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Where do you think you are snatching my first disciple? Go away.

ㄴSword Matstar) Aren’t you a greedy one? Didn’t Heavenly Demon-nim just say so yourself? That Grylls-nim has grown beyond your hands.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Exchanging advice on equal footing is perfectly fine.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Before I ban both of you, focus on your duties as sub-mods!

Please don’t fight.