I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 505

Those who had fought Ash even once or observed her closely all said the same thing in unison.

Ash was a matchless genius, and there would be no ’genius’ in this generation who could compare to her.

Kadir, Asella, Kaylin, and so on. There were many renowned powerhouses in the world, but none had shown the level of sheer genius Ash possessed.

The ability to replicate anything after seeing it just once. The learning speed to execute a concept immediately upon hearing the theory.

And finally, a constitution that accumulated mana steadily just by breathing. Ash was the living embodiment of what the Central Plains called the Heavenly Martial Body.

However, despite possessing such peerless talent, at some point she stopped training passionately.

Her prospects for marriage were already completely blocked because she was far too strong; becoming even stronger would leave her with zero hope.

The problem was that her talent itself was so extraordinary that even while just lounging around, her strength gradually increased.

Furthermore, thanks to her genius of understanding ten things from hearing just one, she could attain enlightenment merely from famous quotes by great historical figures.

So recently, she had been desperately suppressing her realm from rising. After all, not climbing any higher wouldn’t cause any problems in her life.

If her marriage prospects—which were already as narrow as a needle’s eye—got blocked any further, they would be completely sealed off. Yes, that was what she initially thought.

’It’s not that he lacks talent, but how should I put it... His body balance feels strange.’

However, seeing the video Grylls left behind right before passing out recently changed her mind.

Since Cain and Ludwig were by his side, she believed his swordsmanship would improve.

Originally, technique was something that advanced by leaps and bounds if one had teachers nearby.

Yet due to Grylls’s massive physical scale, the moment he got used to something, his balance crumbled.

Honestly, it was at the point where taking a blunt weapon as his primary weapon to beat everything to a pulp would be better.

What was even funnier was that while his sensory balance was the problem, his sheer skill was visibly rising.

Comparing the older videos with the recent one made the difference strikingly obvious.

’It’s probably because he grew from a child’s level to an adult’s. I had a phase like that once too.’

Ash roughly understood Grylls’s problem. That was why it was all the more puzzling.

Grylls’s growth rate was so steep it flabbergasted even Ash. Especially the mana-related aspect—it was jaw-dropping.

Although he had recently reached the realm of Unity of Self and Object, Grylls’s sense of balance had become bizarre yet again.

To the extent that even Ludwig and Cain reacted as if there was nothing they could do about it.

’I really want to help him out somehow...’

Ash found Grylls’s wasted talent immensely regrettable.

If he could add refined technique to that ferocious physique, it would be tremendously advantageous for his survival.

However, Grylls possessed a physical frame that was hard to even call human.

Just as having arms and legs didn’t make everyone the same kind of human, Grylls was similar.

It would be better to teach martial arts to a gorilla instead. Even though a gorilla had short legs, its arms were roughly similar.

’Actually, teaching martial arts to a gorilla is hard in itself. Gorillas walk on all fours using their arms, after all.’

Suddenly, the question crossed her mind: How on earth did the Blood Demon teach martial arts to a gorilla?

Considering the learning capacity of Chief Gorilla and Lackey, they were plenty genius in their own right.

However, genius or not, given their different anatomy, the Blood Demon must have suffered no small amount of trouble.

Grylls was similar. That was why Ash agonized.

’He said his senses distorted after reaching Unity of Self and Object, right? Could this be the issue?’

She meticulously read not only Grylls’s posts, but also the comments. Every single one of his words was a clue.

Her duties as a Blue Badge? She could just skim through those half-heartedly. Hadn’t Selena mentioned it before?

That Asella being the Orange Badge was a given fact, and to make the most of this advantage, pretending not to know was best.

Meaning the Orange Badge had no reason or justification to ban Ash. As long as she controlled it so nobody accused her of slacking off, she was fine.

’Unity of Self and Object... Unity of Sword and Body...’

Ash slowly closed her eyes and muttered to herself inside.

If she wanted to help Grylls, it would be far easier if she at least satisfied the same ’conditions’ as him.

Originally, she had realized Unity of Sword and Body long ago thanks to her inherent genius. That was a story from over ten years ago.

However, Grylls’s Unity of Sword and Body—no, Unity of Self and Object—was on a completely different plane from what she knew.

’Not scooping seawater into a jar, but submerging the jar into the sea.’

Quietly sitting cross-legged, she visualized that image. In truth, she had already grasped the general concept to some extent.

Of course, taking Grylls’s words literally required many prerequisites. First was the amount of mana.

Unless one possessed mana as vast and grand as an ocean, Grylls’s enlightenment held little meaning.

It was a realm likely attainable only after reaching at least the stage beyond Sword Master—that is, Grand Sword Master.

To put it simply in Central Plains terms, it was the Profound Realm. And almost no one was known to have reached the Profound Realm.

’Except me.’

However, Ash was different. Though she neglected training on a daily basis, her mana reserve itself was bountiful.This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.

With just a tiny bit more effort, she could ascend to the Profound Realm, but she intentionally refrained.

Because she wished to decline getting any stronger. If possible, she wanted to match Grylls’s realm.

’Since it’s just a slight twist on Unity of Sword and Body, my realm won’t rise significantly.’

Ash conceptualized Grylls-style Unity of Self and Object through meditation.

Though called "Grylls-style Unity of Self and Object" in name, what Ash was displaying right now was the very Unity of Self and Object everyone spoke of.

She cast the jar into the giant ocean inside her mental image. Bubbling sounds echoed as the jar gradually filled with seawater.

Uuuung!

Before long, a reaction came from the wooden training sword. Ash slowly opened her eyes.

Upon opening her eyes, Asella came into view, having crept up stealthily without making a sound.

Asella hurriedly apologized for it, but Ash paid it no mind. Because...

Uuuuuung!

She had filled the jar completely with seawater. An Aura Blade emanating not from the weapon, but directly from her body, enveloped the wooden training sword.

While not ignorantly massive like Grylls’s, the mechanism itself was identical.

’So this is how it feels. It’s on a whole different level compared to Unity of Sword and Body.’

Ash gasped in admiration, savoring the current sensation.

Unity of Sword and Body, in the end, could never escape the feeling of using a tool. However, Unity of Self and Object was entirely different.

It felt as though she had gained an extra arm. To be exact, it felt like her fingers had grown longer.

"...Is this the true realm of Unity of Self and Object?"

Seeing this, Asella was half bewildered and half dumbfounded.

She knew Ash was a genius, but this was a completely different story.

It felt like seeing someone who materialized the useless delusions spouted by people on the Gallery into reality.

Of course, since an example like Grylls was right there, it couldn’t be called pure delusion. But as everyone knew, Grylls was beyond the bounds of humanity.

"Yes. I followed the method of a famous person on the Gallery. But now that I’ve actually done it, the whole feeling is completely different."

"Umm... Before asking what it feels like, why did you do such a thing...?"

Asella asked carefully. The realm of Unity of Self and Object had already taken a backseat.

At this, Ash belatedly let out a sheepish "Ah," with a bashful smile. She had spilled her inner thoughts out of sheer joy.

Fortunately, she hadn’t blurted out all of her internal thoughts. Ash made an excuse.

"I was curious. I wondered what that person’s Unity of Self and Object felt like. Thanks to that, I realized that what I understood previously was only half-baked."

"It’s that remarkable?"

Coming from Ash of all people, even Asella couldn’t help but be shocked.

At first, her heart was filled with suspicion, but now she felt pure curiosity as a martial artist.

"Yes. Asella-nim, you have also mastered Unity of Sword and Body, haven’t you?"

"I am still lacking. I prioritize my identity as a cleric rather than a martial practitioner."

"I see. But if you set your direction starting now, you will be fine."

At Ash’s advice, Asella nodded with a reluctant expression.

She intended to take it to heart, figuring it would help rather than hurt.

"However, there is something to watch out for. Unlike Unity of Sword and Body, it feels like your very senses are twisting."

"Your senses?"

"Yes. The phrasing is a bit strange, but... it feels like repeatedly detaching and reattaching an arm?"

As mentioned earlier, Unity of Sword and Body relied heavily on the awareness of using a tool.

In contrast, Unity of Self and Object carried the awareness that the tool became one’s own body, causing severe confusion.

Repeatedly detaching and reattaching an arm in real-time inevitably disrupted one’s sensory balance.

"Asella-nim can easily master it too if you put in the effort. This is quite easy."

"Ahaha..."

Asella gave an awkward smile. Having frequented the Gallery lately, a certain meme image came to mind.

A meme where a newbie asks, "Is this easy?" and an expert replies, "It’s easy!"

Except the ground the newbie stood on wasn’t deep at all, whereas the ground the expert stood on plunged down like a cliff.

It portrayed an extreme difficulty—the expert just didn’t notice because their legs were long enough to reach all the way to the bottom.

"I’ll try when I have some free time. Since I’m rather short on time right now..."

"What a pity. Shall we spar, then?"

"No. I only came by to see Ash-nim. I still have a lot of work to do."

It wasn’t a refusal; she was genuinely busy. She had only planned to show her face and head back in the first place.

With that, Asella bowed politely to Ash and departed. Naturally, Ash was left alone in the training ground.

"Phew..."Find the original chapter at novelрing.com.

For some reason, Ash let out a sigh of relief. Truthfully, there was something she hadn’t mentioned.

The reason she mastered Unity of Self and Object. That reason was precisely Grylls’s technique.

’No wonder he’s lost when it comes to refining his technique.’

Right now, Grylls was likely struggling not just with training techniques, but with tool usage itself.

He probably had no idea himself, but having mastered Unity of Self and Object, she could intuitively tell right away.

’You shouldn’t swing the sword like an arm; you have to swing your arm like a sword. If he can’t realize this, it’ll be tough for him.’

Then how did he manage to use a bow so well? That was simple.

It was because Grylls possessed a natural, innate talent for archery—a talent that focused on instinct rather than theory.

On the other hand, since swordsmanship focused on theory, it inevitably led to more thoughts—that is, idle distractions.

When we swing our arms, do we stop to think before swinging? We just swing right away.

It was a tiny difference, but for Grylls, it would be a vital clue to open up a path forward.

’Since I’ve achieved the realm of Selflessness, I’m relatively better off. It seems Unity of Self and Object and Selflessness are mutually complementary.’

The State of Selflessness was simple. Everyone had experienced doing something difficult without thinking at times.

And then, suddenly, a thought would pop up: How am I even doing this?

The moment that thought struck, the task would be ruined. That was the State of Selflessness.

Of course, explaining it was easy, but mastering it required overcoming countless hurdles.

’Actually, it seems Grylls has half-realized it too...’

Every time she watched Grylls fight, a thought crossed her mind: Is he really someone with zero combat experience?

No matter how extraordinary his talent, Grylls fought excessively well.

Even in unfamiliar battles that ordinary people—or even Ash herself—would rarely experience.

He somehow found counter-strategies and utilized the surrounding environment in the right places at the right time.

The highlight among them was his raid on the giant frilled lizard.

Who else would decide to use massive heavy machinery to slay a lizard?

He even acted the instant he made the decision, so calling it the State of Selflessness was no exaggeration.

’First, let’s send him a message.’

Ash brushed aside her distractions and sent a message straight away.

Conveying this sensation to Grylls would surely be a massive help.

[Wild Grylls: So you’re saying I should slash with the feeling of swinging my arm?]

[Sword Matstar: Yes. Don’t think of it as holding a sword in your hand. Just swing your arm, and it’ll be much easier. If you delve a bit deeper into it, think of it as freely controlling a sixth finger.]

[Wild Grylls: I feel like a mutant for some reason...]

[Sword Matstar: Why act like it’s news now?]

[Wild Grylls: Don’t hit me when I’m already in pain.]

"Heheh."

Ash smiled for the first time in a while.

Meanwhile, around the same time at the Demonic Cult of the Central Plains.

Following the Heavenly Demon’s declaration, the Central Plains churned busily day in and day out.

Reports flooded in of a certain village being invaded, troops storming another village, and so on.

The political landscape grew grim due to war, to say nothing of the economy.

Fortunately, because the Demonic Cult found a full-scale armed clash burdensome, only probing battles continued.

Under such circumstances, no small commotion swept through the Demonic Cult.

"It has been a long time."

"Indeed. I haven’t seen you at all since the Heavenly Demon ascended the throne."

The elders of the Demonic Cult, who usually lived leisurely, had gathered in one place.

Unless the Demonic Cult was in grave peril, the elders generally enjoyed their leisure.

Yet their gathering in one place meant that the direction of the Demonic Cult was changing, or an incident of equal magnitude had erupted.

"Elders, hear me."

Furthermore, there was only one person endowed with the authority to summon the elders.

Sitting loftily on the throne unlike the elders was the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol.

She looked down at the elders and quietly spoke.

"I intend to recompile the Heavenly Demon Divine Art anew."

Yoo So-wol dropped a bombshell.