I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 506

Western Mana Cultivation Methods and Eastern—that is, the Central Plains’ Internal Cultivation Arts—could be quite different.

Unlike the versatile Western Mana Cultivation Methods, Internal Cultivation Arts possessed distinct individuality and strong, unique traits.

Like the saying that one must dig a single well deep to achieve great success, Internal Cultivation Arts had the advantage of rewarding deep, persistent focus.

In exchange, they lacked versatility, limiting the martial arts one could execute depending on the specific Internal Cultivation Art.

Therefore, martial arts techniques were often modified to fit the Internal Cultivation Art. It was safe to say the reverse virtually never happened.

No matter how you looked at it, the Internal Cultivation Art was the root. Changing the root was no different from changing the seed itself.

Thus, Internal Cultivation Arts were mostly secret family heirlooms; the moment a secret art was stolen, that clan was practically finished.

As such, beyond being secret treasures, they were the very tradition of the clan, and generally, people wouldn’t even dare dream of recompiling an Internal Cultivation Art.

"What did you say?! Recompile the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?!"

"Look here. I must be hard of hearing in my old age."

"No. You heard correctly. The Heavenly Demon said she will recompile the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."

"Why on earth...?"

Even for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which welcomed outcasts and was accustomed to change, it was no different.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a deep-rooted Internal Cultivation Art handed down ever since the founding of the Cult.

It had produced countless powerhouses to this day, and its apex stood right before their eyes in Yoo So-wol.

Normally, an even fiercer backlash should have erupted, but the Heavenly Demon was the Heavenly Demon.

Furthermore, because her realm was vastly higher than the current elders, a few minor protests were all that emerged.

’What on earth is she thinking?’

Even Wi Seol-ak, watching this unfold, could not comprehend Yoo So-wol’s decision.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was an Internal Cultivation Art passed down through generations of the Divine Cult. Wanting to alter it was equivalent to changing the roots.

It meant the very founding purpose of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult could be upended at its core. It was only natural that the elders, who rarely interfered in ordinary matters, reacted so fiercely.

"Heavenly One. We obey the will of Heaven. However, when snow falls in summer, shouldn’t we at least know why it falls?"

One of the elders spoke. She was an elder who looked like a gentle, virtuous grandmother.

Yoo So-wol also knew well who the old woman was. She was one of the elders who had doted on Yoo So-wol quite a bit in the past.

The elder’s meaning was clear.

While the Heavenly Demon’s will was identical to Heaven’s will, if that will suddenly flowed in reverse, wasn’t it natural to want to know the reason?

In truth, the announcement Yoo So-wol made was akin to snow falling in summer—no, it was a cataclysm far exceeding that.

"It seems I spoke too casually. I shall tell you in advance: I have no intention of altering the roots."

Yoo So-wol explained in detail so the elders wouldn’t misunderstand. She knew the temperaments of the elders well.

The purpose of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was to be a sanctuary for outcasts—a place where countless people gathered.

Among them were people overflowing with unique traits, and occasionally those who failed to fit into society.

Naturally, shifts occurred frequently. Thus, Demonic Cultists were extremely accustomed to change.

Yet the fact that they reacted so fiercely meant this matter was uniquely grave.

No matter how headstrong Yoo So-wol was in all things, she could not easily disregard the elders’ opinions.

"I have attained enlightenment. It is not about wielding the power of Heaven, but becoming Heaven itself."

"Is that not a passage already written in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?"

One of the elders expressed doubt. Either way, it still sounded like touching the roots.

However, Yoo So-wol’s thoughts seemed different, so curiosity took precedence over anger.

The same went for the other elders. They became curious about Yoo So-wol’s true intentions.

"It is the difference between scooping seawater into a jar and throwing the jar into the sea. This minor distinction will surely grant monumental power to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."

"Ah..."

"It sounds subtle, yet it is a vast difference indeed."

The elders marveled at Yoo So-wol’s words. They roughly grasped what she was striving for.

Since all of them possessed high levels of martial realm, they understood the underlying meaning.

"..."

Except for one person: Wi Seol-ak, who spent his days enthusiastically scouring the Gallery.

That was clearly a trick Grylls had used. Yet it didn’t feel like a mere trick.

Words inherently carried different weight depending on who spoke them. Coming from Yoo So-wol rather than Grylls, the weight behind it felt entirely different.

’...For real?’The source of this chapter is novelp​ing.com.

There were surely many among the elders who enjoyed using the Gallery. That was a certainty.

However, Wi Seol-ak was the only one here who knew Yoo So-wol’s online identity.

The elders could simply brush it off, thinking, Heaven has attained enlightenment!

On the other hand, for Wi Seol-ak, it was an absurd situation in more ways than one.

’...She’ll manage fine on her own. Having reached the Profound Realm, her vision must have broadened anyway.’

Whatever. He just hoped she wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Thus, Yoo So-wol dismissed all the Demonic Cultists. She planned to recompile the Internal Cultivation Art herself.

As mentioned before, this was not replacing the roots, but refining them.

An effort to ensure the roots possessed a sturdier and more resilient vitality.

’It is closer to pruning. Yet this concerns the roots, not the branches.’

Yoo So-wol unfurled the Heavenly Demon Divine Art manual in her private quarters. A divine art filled with countless passages.

Normally, divine arts were composed of vast treatises, but what she had given Grylls was a separate summary she made.

Because from her perspective, it was just things that could be briefly summarized. Of course, knowing everyone had individual differences, she hadn’t tampered with it further back then.

This time was different. She recalled the process Grylls had gone through to achieve Unity of Self and Object.

’The Heavenly Demon Divine Art also merely wields the power of Heaven in the end; it does not truly become one with it.’

Unity of Self and Object. The realm of becoming one with the tool held in one’s hand.

What if this realm were applied broadly to become one with Heaven? Furthermore, what if one became one with Nature itself?

Artificially triggering earthquakes, striking lightning, and the like. One could showcase power akin to a god.

’This would require entering the Realm of Life and Death, not just the Profound Realm.’

Normally, entering the Realm of Life and Death led to Ascension to Immortality. The reason was simple.

Because if the ’physical flesh’ could not withstand the mind and failed to ascend, it meant death.

Yoo So-wol had experienced something similar in the past—an incident where her physical body nearly collapsed, unable to endure her internal energy.

Had Grylls not helped her back then, she wouldn’t be standing here today.

’Yet my benefactor’s flesh withstood internal energy despite his realm being lower than mine. A truly bizarre existence.’

He was also a being that suited her quite well. Yoo So-wol smiled.

The stronger Grylls became, the strangely better Yoo So-wol felt.

It was her sentiment toward her savior, and she also wished to spar with him in a martial duel someday.

’Only with the earth beneath can Heaven truly exist.’

Thinking thus, Yoo So-wol racked her brain as hard as she could. As expected, editing it—let alone recompiling—was absurdly difficult.

Though she had received extensive education since childhood, pioneering an uncharted path was always complex.

Still, she did not give up. Grylls might be unaware, but he had re-framed the realm of Unity of Self and Object anew.

It was just that most people laughed it off due to the peculiar nature of the Gallery.

"Mmmm... I do not know if this is proper. No, doing it this way would make it too convoluted for my benefactor."

Yoo So-wol did not leave her room for a long while.

Altering passages for the sake of just one person was a truly daunting task.

Two days had passed since Tyranno became a full member of our household.

During those two days, I recovered my body step by step, reaching a point where I could fight right away.

In the process, I even received advice from Sword Matstar. Honestly, I didn’t quite get it, but advice was advice, so I dutifully took it to heart.

’Did she say it was natural to be lost because of the sensation of detaching and reattaching an arm?’

What a fantastic metaphor, seriously. Still, it helped a lot.

In the end, it meant I had to get used to the feeling of detaching and reattaching an arm.

As for archery, she said something like there was no feeling of alienness due to my natural talent.

I thought, Should I just shoot my bow excitedly instead? but suppressed the urge tightly.

"Lackey. Can you chop firewood with the edge of your hand?"

Upon hearing the advice to swing my arm like a sword, I asked Lackey.

Lackey had been taught martial arts by the Blood Demon, Wi Ho-chang.

That martial art primarily featured palm strikes as its standard attack, but he surely knew other fist techniques too.

"Is slicing important rather than beating?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

"It is difficult, but possible. I just see no need to do so."Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.

"Hmm."

Even Lackey brought up the "no need" part. It was a bit troublesome.

I was in a situation where I had to awaken the sensory feeling to use a sword more effectively.

Sword Matstar gave me advice, but the fact that it was hard remained unchanged.

’So... with the mindset of transferring the feeling of slashing with a sword over to my arm...’

I tried hard to awaken the sensation while resting at the Shelter. However, the reality was that effort alone wasn’t enough to yield results.

To begin with, I couldn’t even use my own body properly.

[There is a simple method. Drawing a triangle with one hand while drawing a circle with the other.]

The moment I heard Cain’s words, I tried to follow them. And failed miserably.

It required moving left and right brain halves separately, so how could it be easy?

Ultimately, I decided to execute the practice Cain mentioned first.

[While you’re at it, try practicing writing with your left hand too. It will become much easier.]

"You know quite a lot, don’t you? Did you do this when you were alive?"

[It was hard when I was alive. It became easy after I ended up in this body. Am I not controlling the Dullahan and its horse separately right now?]

"Aha."

It was a convincing answer right away. Operating a rider and a horse separately would certainly make it easy to understand.

I practiced trying to move my right and left hands separately during every break.

I even wrote in my diary using only my left hand as much as possible. If these efforts piled up, I’d eventually see results.

Even though my work increased, I pressed on with the sole belief that it would bear fruit. Time was the only thing I had plenty of.

Of course, that didn’t mean I only cared about myself. As I had mentioned before:

Since we never knew what threats were coming, I was going to raise our average combat power.

To do so, I had to roam around the forest to find good food.

’The primary goal is bringing Ludwig up to full combat readiness.’

Even now, Ludwig was helpful enough. It was just that he was lacking compared to the others.

Ludwig himself often expressed frustration.

Saying how his body clearly felt lighter than before, yet he couldn’t unleash full power, making him feel suffocated.

"Master. What are these?"

"Food for betting."

And so, I finished preparing to head to the Kangaroo Arena.

A place where countless people—no, animals—gathered.

It was a spot the Spirit Deer frequented, and one where many rare foods could be found.

"If we’re lucky, there might be food that helps Ahjussi Ludwig."

"You do not need to trouble yourself on my account."

Ludwig spoke with a tone of apology. To which I replied:

"You don’t have to feel sorry because I’m gonna work you even harder in the future. You’ll probably end up cursing me later."

"..."

[Ludwig. That insidious man is someone who would work even a leg-impaired person like you like a slave. You must never be fooled by his kindness.]

Senior Cain beside him even gave advice. What a heartwarming senior-junior relationship this was.

Anyway, bundling up all kinds of food, I headed to the Kangaroo Arena. It felt like a really long time since my last visit.

Since it was nearby, Lackey and Bbareumbo were more than enough as companions.

"Puruk?"

Eventually, we arrived at the Kangaroo Arena. At the cave entrance, kangaroo guards were still standing guard.

I stealthily held out food to them. Freshly made candied sweet potatoes.

"Puo."

Having received their entry ticket (?), the guards cleared the path in satisfaction. And then...

"...What? Why are they here?"

"I do not know either."

Looking at the gorilla pack inside, I couldn’t help but be flabbergasted. But that wasn’t all.

’Why is that human here?’

For some reason, Gu-chil was also included among the gorilla pack.