I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 518

The chief gorilla, Wiheuk’s frame collapsed as if sliding down.

Not only had the final blow been driven straight into his face, but a hard rock lay right behind his head.

Even if he had protected his body with Body-Protecting Gangqi, an immense shock would have been delivered. It was no surprise he passed out.

’That was a pretty easy win.’

I looked down at the passed-out chief gorilla with a subtle mix of emotions.

Perhaps because he was a gorilla, even though I struck him right in the middle of his face, there were no visible signs of caving in.

’It’s not like he’s weak, though...’

There’s a term called "ass-struggle." It refers to desperately flailing around just to achieve one’s goal by any means necessary.

What this guy did was pretty close to that. But most of it didn’t work.

At best, the technique where he reversed my mana was threatening, but even that failed to produce any significant effect.

If he had been on the level of that rabbit I saw before—that Explosive Rabbit—maybe things would be different. In the end, the moves he could pull out just didn’t work on me.

’The sword is... over there.’

Leaving the passed-out chief gorilla aside for a moment, I stretched my hand wide!

Soon, the Sword of the Heavenly Demon lying far off vibrated and flew right back into my hand.

Telekinesis, which I had learned before. Perhaps thanks to Unity of Self and Object as well, it didn’t impale my hand or anything.

How should I put it? It felt like a severed arm snapping back into place.

"How come it feels like I fight better when I just brawl recklessly?"

Muttering so, I glanced at the video stream—that is, the Gallery.

I had claimed I’d get advice through them, but far from getting advice, I just ended up joyfully fighting all by myself.

Well, since I managed to claim victory over the chief gorilla with my own strength alone, it’s all the more valuable.

ㄴHeavenly Demon: This lady does not think so. It was a fight where instinct and reason were thoroughly blended—truly an ideal battle.

ㄴSword Matstar: Even if it wasn’t complete selflessness, it seemed close to it.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero: As expected of Grylls-nim! You carried out your revenge so cleanly too! Amazing!

ㄴAllfather: At this point, I want to study Grylls-nim rather than that gorilla.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero: Don’t treat the Herald as a research subject!!!

ㄴAllfather: Come on, can’t I even make a joke? So picky.

ㄴStarlight Lady: I’m really curious about what will happen if you ever come outside.

ㄴPassing Dwarf: First off, you’ll probably be treated as an invasive species. That’s for sure.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu: Isn’t he already an invasive species?

ㄴPassing Dwarf: By the standards of the Forest of the Four Seasons, he’s not an invasive species lol

ㄴKing Reor: I agree with that part.

ㄴSuspiciously...: A splendid warrior. Watching him left me in pure admiration.

Most of the reactions were half praise and half utter bewilderment.

There were comments that didn’t even treat me as a human—no, as a living creature—but I brushed them off lightly.

What mattered right now was the clean-up. First and foremost was bringing the passed-out chief gorilla back to the Shelter.

"I’ll bring this guy back first."

ㄴHeavenly Demon: Would it not be more convenient to take his head?

ㄴSword Matstar: Just as Heavenly Demon-nim said, that would be the easy and convenient way.

"Take his head." Meaning cut off his neck and bring it along.

An act that was highly effective for declaring victory while instantly shattering the gorillas’ morale.

Since it was a standard method used in actual warfare, those two weren’t wrong.

It’s just uncomfortable by my standards, and I wanted to pick a different method.

"I have my own plan."

ㄴPassing Dwarf: You gonna make him a slave like that albino guy?

"Depends on how things go, doesn’t it?"

ㄴPassing Dwarf: But you know it won’t be easy, right? lol

"How did you know?"

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu: Wow, you surprisingly know Grylls-nim well!

ㄴPassing Dwarf: ’Cause he’s simple.

I couldn’t deny it. I chuckled awkwardly and scratched my head.

Just like Lackey’s case, the chief gorilla could be made into an excellent worker.

Since I still had some Mana Suppressors left, things could proceed smoothly. Furthermore, there was a decisive factor.

’He did spare my life back then, after all.’

Just as he showed mercy to me, I was showing mercy to him in return.

Of course, there would be companions who felt dissatisfied. Bbareumbo rather than Lackey would likely feel that way.

So I planned to persuade Bbareumbo. If he couldn’t be convinced, then so be it.

’Above all, he might end up being a big help to me, just like Lackey.’

Lackey calls me master, but that’s just out of habit. In reality, it’s a horizontal relationship.

You can tell by how he tries to pull one over on me with his flashy silver tongue at every opportunity.

The chief gorilla might go through a similar process, so I was keeping him alive for now.

Seu-euk-

Carrying the chief gorilla on my back, I returned to the Shelter.

He wasn’t particularly heavy, but due to the difference in build, it was a bit uncomfortable.

Still, I silently trudged toward the Shelter. As I got closer, the stench of blood grew slightly stronger.Get faster updates on novelpin​g.com.

’They couldn’t have lost.’

Not only Bbareumbo, but Ludwig and Cain were plenty strong too.

So the thought of them losing didn’t even cross my mind. Instead, I just hoped nobody was badly injured.

As the blood stench deepened and I passed through the fallen trees, I arrived at the Shelter.

"Euuu..."

"Kkeo... kkeo-eo..."

It was the scene I had anticipated. Numerous gorillas lay sprawling at the Shelter.

Some had their upper and lower bodies cleanly cleaved apart, while others had limbs blown off.

Since it was a war rather than a simple skirmish, nobody had shown mercy in their strikes.

’It’ll take a long time to restore the place.’

From now on, the gorilla pack would never be able to display their former momentum.

It would be great to claim the gorillas’ territory as my own, but unfortunately, I have my hands full just managing my own affairs.

It would be better to receive assistance from the hobgoblins to manage it jointly. Or devise another method altogether.

[You have returned.]

Cain, who was wiping blood off his blade with a cloth, spoke to me.

Beside him, Ludwig, who was also maintaining his sword, turned his head.

I checked if they were injured. Fortunately, aside from being covered in blood, everyone looked fine.

"Where are the kids?"

[Over there.]

I turned my head in the direction Cain indicated. Sure enough...

Wonmo was sticking his snout into a dead gorilla corpse, showing great interest. Bbareumbo was desperately trying to pull him back.

What was funnier was that Cheongseol was riding on Bbareumbo’s back. It was quite a comical combination in many ways.

[It seems the chief gorilla accounted for most of their combat strength. The others were not particularly strong.]

"Was it Gu-chil? Anyway, where’s the human?"

[Over there.]

I looked where Cain pointed. At first, I thought it was a lump of meat.

But his body twitched intermittently, meaning he was alive for now.

His face had been beaten so badly that it wasn’t just 1.5 times, but swollen to twice its normal size.

He had looked like a beggar to begin with, but now he was an even more unsightly wreck.

[When he was driven into a corner, he immediately tried to go after Wonmo. He even stealthily approached using dinosaur skin.]

"I see. But if he targeted Wonmo, Bbareumbo would have subdued him instantly, right?"

If he took a solid hit from Bbareumbo’s claws, his body would have been sliced into pieces.

Yet Gu-chil only had a face swollen like a steamed bun; his body itself was intact.

[I do not know that far. For whatever reason, Bbareumbo stopped at merely subduing him. And take a look at his face.]

"Looks like it’ll pop if you poke it with a needle."

[You’re probably the only person who would describe a swollen human face like that.]

Leaving Cain’s scolding behind, I slunk closer to Gu-chil.

It was hard to tell because he was puffed up like a freshly baked loaf of bread, but looking closely, there were quite a few claw marks on him.

They weren’t Cheongseol’s claw marks, but seemed to be from Wonmo scratching him properly. Serves him right.

’First, let’s put a Mana Suppressor on this guy.’

Now that the ordeal was over, I began the cleanup.

My party hadn’t killed all the gorillas; they had taken a considerable number as prisoners.

I decided to release a few of them to help clean up together.

Some tried to resist, but as soon as they realized their chief had been subdued, they quickly became submissive.

[What will you do with the bodies?]

"Send them back to their home, of course. We can’t dispose of them all."

The quantity was far too large to dispose of at our Shelter. Above all, it felt uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was the influence of the dreams. In those dreams, I was a battle-hardened soldier.

Even if they were enemies, I believed it was proper to return the bodies of the fallen to their kin.

"Alright. Take the corpses and head back. Don’t try anything stupid since your chief is held prisoner."

Keeping just a few prisoners, I sent the surviving gorillas back.

They’d have to make several trips to move all the bodies, but that was fine. The chief being held here was leverage enough.

After clearing away even the dirt soaked with blood, I moved on to the final tasks.

The chief gorilla was still unconscious. Gu-chil was on the verge of breathing his last.

[What will you do with this man?]

"Well..."

"I will tell you in advance: showing mercy is a foolish act."

Ludwig advised me in a firm tone. I agreed with him on that point.

While there were mitigating circumstances for the chief gorilla, Gu-chil couldn’t be trusted in the slightest.

For starters, stabbing me in the back despite the favor I showed him was bad enough. I could let that pass as expected.

But there were clear circumstances showing he incited the chief gorilla to ignite an unnecessary battle.

’The timing was suspicious, and he put forth a ridiculous proposal from the start.’

I am no saint like Jesus or Confucius. Even those two would probably shake their heads at Gu-chil.

Still, killing him just like this felt like a waste. Was it because of his value as a worker?

’I’d rather recruit another gorilla than use this guy.’

A parasite that only eats up food. That description suited Gu-chil perfectly.Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.

"You hesitate to kill."

"..."

Did he read my mind? Ludwig spoke in a detached voice.

Just as he said, the thought of killing a human felt extremely uncomfortable.

Humans are naturally averse to killing. It’s an instinct ingrained in our genetics.

"If you wish, I shall do it in your stead."

"No. It’s fine. Something just came to mind."

"Speak it here. If it is not convincing..."

Ludwig subtly pressed. Hearing his words, I scratched my chin.

Technically, if it’s showing mercy, it might be showing mercy. The problem was that this place was the Forest of the Four Seasons.

"How much World Tree thread is left?"

"Plenty remains. We used a lot when binding the captives."

"And World Tree thread is famous for never snapping, right?"

Ludwig nodded. Confirming this, I continued.

"Then let’s bind this guy with World Tree thread and toss him across the river. Then we wait until the terrain shifts."

"Even World Tree thread will snap when the environment shifts."

"It’s an experiment."

If it doesn’t snap, great; if it snaps, we just brush it off as a shame.

I could resolve it cleanly without needing to stain my hands with blood.

It was a test I had put off because the burden on our group would be too severe to test on ourselves.

"If we’re lucky, we might even be able to travel back and forth across the river in the future. We can check the timing as a bonus."

It was slowly approaching the time to cross the river. Before that, though, I’d have to head near the World Tree.

Ludwig seemed to deem it a reasonable judgment in its own right, sheath-ing his sword immediately.

Thus, the tense situation wrapped up smoothly, and we finished the remaining chores.

"..."

"Bbareumbo."

But not everything was over. Bbareumbo was staring intently at the chief gorilla.

Surprisingly, his expression was calm. A striking change compared to his terrifying gaze during their first encounter.

They say revenge is thrilling, but perhaps facing it directly felt strange.

"Sorry, but don’t mess with this guy. He’s gonna become a fine worker from now on."

"..."

Hearing my words, Bbareumbo shuffled slowly.

Not toward the chief gorilla, but onto my back, just like he always did.

I thought he’d need persuasion, but that wasn’t the case at all.

"You don’t feel like taking revenge?"

"..."

Bbareumbo didn’t answer. Instead, he responded with his expression.

Lifting one corner of his mouth bitterly, it seemed he had experienced a change of heart.

He was a guy who didn’t talk much by nature, so I couldn’t know his inner thoughts, but either way, it was a good response.

With the decision regarding Gu-chil’s fate concluded, I logged into the Gallery to check the time.

The broadcast had ended a while ago, so I intended to just check the time and turn it off.

[Starlight Lady: Grylls-nim! By any chance, can you keep that person named Gu-chil alive for now?]

"Huh?"

Just then, a message arrived from Starlight Lady. Why did she suddenly send a message like that?

She definitely wasn’t begging for mercy on his behalf, so there must be a reason.

[Wild Grylls: I can keep him alive, but for what reason?]

[Starlight Lady: You see, I recently modified a magic spell! I’d like to test it out on him!]

[Wild Grylls: An experiment?]

[Starlight Lady: Yes!]

When I asked what kind of experiment it was:

[Starlight Lady: I’ve felt this way for a while, but even though it’s the Forest of the Four Seasons, trading was possible through the Gallery, right? I thought, couldn’t we make use of that?]

[Wild Grylls: Do you mean you figured out the Gallery trade mechanism?]

[Starlight Lady: Not completely, of course. That’s why clinical trials are needed hehe]

[Wild Grylls: But living creatures can’t be traded.]

[Starlight Lady: It’s not using the Gallery directly, but using its principle. It should be fine! Probably?]

’Isn’t that usually done with monkeys?’ I wondered.

When I questioned her about this, a reasonable answer came back from Starlight Lady.

[Starlight Lady: This is a case only that person can fulfill. In the case of gorillas, they were born and raised in the Forest of the Four Seasons, so we don’t know what variables might exist. On the other hand, doing it to Ludwig-ssi carries way too much burden.]

[Wild Grylls: So you’re saying only Gu-chil can do this?]

[Starlight Lady: That’s right. Still, it would be best to get his consent.]

I looked at this, pondered briefly, and...

[Wild Grylls: Well, if I tell him I’ll spare his life, he’d probably do anything anyway.]

Found the best solution.