I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 509

Gu-chil had personally witnessed the martial prowess of the Blood Demon, Wi Ho-chang, with his own two eyes.

The Orthodox-Demonic War, fought with life on the line between the Righteous Faction and the Blood Cult. In that massive war, he saw the true worth of the Blood Demon.

Martial artists famed enough to possess nicknames collapsing like straw at a single flick of his hand was standard.

And how robust was his physical body? Even with countless weapons impaled across his entire frame, he steadfastly unleashed his martial arts.

What was most impressive was when a battle flag was thrust straight through his back. Enduring firmly even in that state, his vitality was truly like that of a lion.

Because there were countless people who clearly witnessed that martial prowess, the Blood Cult was able to remain reasonably intact even after Wi Ho-chang’s defeat.

Of course, once the Heavenly Demon appeared—possessing martial prowess no less than Wi Ho-chang’s—it all became futile.

At any rate, Gu-chil was one of the people who had witnessed Wi Ho-chang’s vitality, which was why he could harbor such thoughts:

That a person is never dead until they actually die. That if one fights stubbornly to the end, they can take down at least one more opponent.

’But that guy didn’t even go near near-death state. What the hell is he?’

Gu-chil tended to look down on people weaker than himself like insects, yet he still treated them as human to a minimal degree.

However, even he had no choice but to refer to Grylls as ’that thing’ after seeing his beyond-bizarre behavior.

And small wonder, since Grylls had taken a bear’s front paw head-on to the head and effortlessly endured it.

That wasn’t all. He had planted his fist straight into the bear’s jaw, sending it out cold in a single punch.

He couldn’t even find a trace of Internal Energy being used. He had performed such an outlandish feat through pure External Arts alone.

Even Wi Ho-chang was a human whose body could be pierced by blades, but that guy was completely off the charts.

’What on earth... what on earth happened all this time?’

Denial swept over him. Gu-chil was certain that Grylls must have spent his time peacefully and lazily.

Because when people have something to lean on, they naturally become lazy. And Grylls had the Gallery.

He was highly likely to have relied on that, so growing strong in such a manner made zero sense.

’What trick did he use? Only a few months have passed.’

Above all, what Gu-chil found most unbelievable was his growth rate.

Grylls was definitely someone who didn’t even know the absolute basics of Internal Energy.

Even if one had refined it since childhood, it would still be far from enough—yet he achieved such explosive growth as an adult?

Even an epoch-making genius displaying this kind of growth made no sense. It was at the level of a mutant, not a genius.

"Ooo-ooo. Ooo."

"Oo-ho-ho."

Not only Gu-chil, but also the gorilla pack that came with him was agitated.

Gorillas had a high baseline weight class too. But even so, they weren’t tough enough to take a bear’s paw strike and just shrug it off.

Beyond broken neck bones, having their heads completely severed would be normal. Naturally, they couldn’t help but stir in shock.

’If his External Arts have hardened to that extent, even that guy Wiheuk’s Internal Heavy Palm Technique won’t mean much.’

Flustered for only a moment, Gu-chil methodically assessed Grylls’s overall power.

Wiheuk’s martial level was exceedingly high even in Gu-chil’s eyes. He must have reached at least the Transcendent Realm.

If he had operated in the Central Plains, he would have made quite a name for himself. Consequently, he had mastered various techniques.

The technique that bypassed external durability to strike the interior—the Internal Heavy Palm Technique—was naturally mastered by him as well.

Though it was said he broke Grylls’s arm with that skill before, the Internal Heavy Palm Technique was a tricky martial art to use.

What’s more, since Grylls had attained External Arts on par with the Vajra Indestructible Body, unless it struck his internal organs, it wouldn’t inflict major damage.

Tuk-tuk—

It was right then. Someone tapped on Gu-chil’s shoulder while he was organizing his thoughts.

Turning his head, he saw the accompanying gorilla companion pointing at the arena.

It was Gu-chil’s turn. Fortunately, because it was a tournament format, he wasn’t matched against Grylls right away.

Furthermore, Gu-chil’s opponent was a bear. A bear of similar stature, though not quite as big as Grylls’s earlier opponent.

’...Right. The bear must be weak. I’ve been steadily training my External Arts too.’

Exactly thirty seconds passed after that.

Peok!

"Keook!"

Gu-chil screamed in pain. The bear’s front paw strike was incredibly agile and heavy.

He hurriedly blocked with both arms, but it was difficult to endure the shock transmitted beyond them.

Even if he had trained in External Arts, a bear was a bear. And a bear born and raised in the Forest of the Four Seasons at that.

Of course, Gu-chil had achieved his own results, so he merely screamed without suffering major damage.

’He took this to the head and held his ground? Does that make any sense?!’

It simply served to remind him once again of Grylls’s monstrous durability. Gu-chil gritted his teeth and held on.

He didn’t have the weight class to foolishly push forward like Grylls. However, he possessed martial arts refined over a lifetime.

Peok! Peok! Peok!

As if to prove that he had deliberately taken the hit at first, Gu-chil drove the bear back with a ruthless barrage.Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.

He had endured a period of bitter suffering to be recognized in the gorilla pack, and further, to ascend to the rank immediately beneath Wiheuk.

That time was by no means in vain. Gu-chil pushed the bear relentlessly without pause.

"Kkueo-eong..."

In the end, the bear collapsed at Gu-chil’s hands. Countless fist impressions were stamped across the bear’s body.

An achievement accomplished through simple External Arts alone. It was deeply satisfying.

’I have technique that guy lacks. This is enough.’

That conceited moment did not last long either. In terms of time, about ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, Gu-chil found himself facing not Grylls, but one of his companions.

A gorilla with white fur, unlike other gorillas. He had seen it on the Gallery right before visiting this place.

’This guy has poor eyesight. I should make good use of that.’

Having gathered some information of his own, he judged that he would win without major losses.

However, Gu-chil’s information had stopped several months ago.

During that time, most of the penalties harbored by the albino gorilla, Lackey, had vanished. What did this mean?

Peok! Peok! Peok!

"Kaaak!"

It meant that while not entirely overwhelming, he lost by a fairly large margin.

Though Lackey was currently obsessed with magic and other pastimes, he was fundamentally a stellar martial artist.

A martial artist to whom the Blood Demon, Wi Ho-chang, had earnestly imparted teachings in his later years. That wasn’t all.

Although he had loitered lazily at Grylls’s shelter, the food he ate there was extraordinarily potent without exception.

Empty Sky Stone Milk, World Tree honey, and even Dragon Gastrolith steeped liquor, among others.

Just one of those was enough to potentially trigger a Body Metamorphosis, yet he had consumed them on a near-daily basis.

Not growing strong after consuming such things? That would be a subject worthy of research instead.

At any rate, unlike Grylls, who had literally just built up his raw physical bulk foolishly, Lackey had grown evenly in mind, energy, and body.

"Kkkeeee..."

"Hey, Lackey. I don’t know martial techniques, but is that guy strong?"

"He is of average level. Still, his body is solid."

"Like me?"

"Comparing him to Master is like comparing an ant to an elephant."

"I get what you mean."

There was no need to even go to the finals. Grylls’s party swept all the victories before that.

Grylls merely glanced at Gu-chil once before collecting everything he could take.

Sharing a portion of the rewards with the goblin group who had declared forfeit on his account was a bonus.

He paid zero attention to Gu-chil and the gorilla pack.

"Kuuuk..."

"Ooo-ooo. Ooo."

"Ooo-ooo."

As Gu-chil got up while groaning, the gorilla pack supported him.

Since he held the rank second only to Wiheuk, this was a given level of respect.

"Let go of me! You damn gorilla bastards!"

Of course, unable to master his temper, Gu-chil merely cursed at the innocent gorillas.

The gorilla pack brushed it off as if this weren’t their first time dealing with such outbursts.

As beasts living in the wild, the orders of higher-ranked members were absolute.

’This won’t do. If that bastard grows any further...’

Gu-chil glared at Grylls’s party as they left the cave. It was growth far beyond expectations.

They would continue to grow in the future, so what would happen if he left them alone like this?

A situation would surely arise where even the leader gorilla couldn’t handle them. This had to be stopped at all costs.

Conveniently, it wasn’t just him who witnessed it; the other gorillas had watched together as well.

’We have no choice but to strike first. Before those guys strike us.’

Of course, Grylls had no intention whatsoever of striking the gorilla pack. But there was no way Gu-chil could know that.

Honestly, from an outsider’s perspective, Grylls’s group was extremely threatening despite their small numbers.

Furthermore, the probability that Grylls’s side held a grudge against the gorilla pack was very high.

First of all, wasn’t Wiheuk’s brother, Wi Baek (Lackey), who had been banished from the pack, right there?

What’s more, the sloths who lost past territorial battles and were reduced to a tiny number.

And going further, Grylls himself, who possessed a past record of defeat at Wiheuk’s hands.You are reading on novelping . com, the official source.

It was a combination that wouldn’t be strange at all to harbor revenge. And that combination had gotten stronger?

’That guy Wiheuk also realizes they’ll become a threat. He’s only staying still because it hasn’t manifested visually before his eyes.’

The moment Gu-chil judged it as such, he returned directly to the gorilla territory. He planned to inform Wiheuk of this fact.

Grylls’s group had become far stronger in combat power than before. Leaving them alone would only pose a dire threat.

Though they had already sprouted, they must be completely trampled down and uprooted entirely.

’Besides, Wiheuk himself has a record of victory in territorial wars...’

However, there was a point where Gu-chil was mistaken.

Originally, territorial disputes rarely arose from intentional invasions; more often than not, they were unavoidable.

The prime example was a population explosion. In the Forest of the Four Seasons, where food was abundant, an increase in population was a natural flow.

The ancient territorial war between gorillas and sloths had also erupted due to this very phenomenon.

However, having lived in the civilized world, Gu-chil had no choice but to fall under a deep misunderstanding.

The bigger issue was that Wiheuk considered Gu-chil a fellow disciple of the same lineage and treasured him quite a bit.

"We must make preparations quickly. At the very least, send scouts over there. The Lesser Demons who allied with those guys sent scouts to us too, didn’t they?"

"The casualties would be too great."

"There are three guys over there who harbor ill will against you alone. And their power is steadily growing. In the wild where power is law, do you think that guy will be any different?"

"...."

Having received the report through Gu-chil and the gorillas who accompanied him, Wiheuk pondered deeply.

Just as he said, Grylls’s party held ill will toward the gorilla pack—specifically toward Wiheuk.

Though they were animals, it didn’t mean they lacked emotions, and because this was the Forest of the Four Seasons, their intelligence was high.

High intelligence meant they could devise various plans. The other side might even launch a preemptive surprise attack.

"We must launch a surprise attack first. Since those guys have even formed an alliance with the Lesser Demons, a swift victory is the only answer."

"The sloth over there is likely comparable to me. It will be difficult to handle."

Wiheuk refused. Gu-chil’s words made sense, but the risk was far too great.

Furthermore, from what he heard, his brother—Wi Baek’s—skills also seemed to have increased.

Although the pack’s power had risen thanks to Gu-chil, from Wiheuk’s perspective, it was extremely uncomfortable.

"Have you spoken with them? By your logic, knowing their intentions first is the priority."

"The leader ruling over that side is a human. Humans can stab a blade into your back at any moment."

At least, Grylls was not such a villain. It was purely Gu-chil’s own biased opinion.

Was it because Wiheuk knew animals had diverse personalities too? Or was it because Grylls’s party presented a tangible threat?

"...Understood. Then pick the target you will handle. I will take on the human or the sloth."

"I’m going to kill that damn white fur first. He humiliated me."

"My brother is strong. Do not underestimate him."

"I know. That’s why I came back after getting beaten up."

The serpent’s tongue began to beguile the pack.

"Then what will we do about the dragon? A dragon hatchling is there."

"I know what happens if we touch that dragon hatchling too. Avoid touching it if possible and focus only on the others. Our target is that human."

It seemed rather flimsy, yet it held a strange logic. Wiheuk felt uncomfortable, but decided to risk it for the pack’s future.

Even if things went wrong, he and Gu-chil in front of him would bear the cost with their lives.

"Understood. And I will state this right here."

"State what?"

"If we lose, we will answer for it with my life and yours."

"Ha. I have zero intention of losing, though."

"Master said it. That he too acted arrogantly and met his downfall. The same could happen to you. Take heed."

’Just a gorilla, acting all grand.’ Gu-chil muttered inwardly while nodding his head.

Around the time Gu-chil heightened the sense of crisis to incite the gorilla pack—

"Master. What is for lunch today?"

"Hmm. Is there anything you want to eat?"

"I want to eat the leftover candied sweet potatoes from earlier."

"Eat in moderation. You’ll get fat if you keep that up."

Grylls’s party was peacefully worrying about lunch.

"By the way, you met that human after a long time—do you have any particular thoughts?"

"Not really? Even if he’s filthy, he seems to be living pretty well."

They really had no thoughts about it whatsoever.