Not long after the Heavenly Demon took Wi Ho-chang’s secret manual.
Before deciding on the detailed treatment of the gorilla tribe, I thoroughly examined every nook and cranny of their territory.
Unlike the hobgoblins who had begun living a civilized lifestyle, the gorillas had built almost no houses.
Calling it a house was generous; it was just the leader gorilla’s residence, and even that was merely a hollow carved into a massive tree trunk.
Rumor had it Wi Ho-chang himself crafted even this. Wi Ho-chang had at least made them function somewhat like humans.
’Still, did Wi Ho-chang really not know about the hobgoblins’ existence?’
It was surprising in a way, but after giving it some deep thought, it made sense.
After all, I preferred staying huddled up in the Shelter all the time myself.
I only explored steadily because grand truths—especially a past unknown even to me—were hidden within the Forest of the Four Seasons.
Furthermore, through the message Wi Ho-chang left behind, I had roughly pieced together the history of the gorilla tribe.
’He entered after the gorilla tribe fought with the sloth tribe.’
Wi Ho-chang had stepped in right when the gorilla tribe had suffered heavy losses.
Although his dantian had been destroyed and he went through considerable hardship, he reportedly subdued the pack with his characteristic lion-like vitality.
Given that even I tended to groan and struggle without mana, he was undoubtedly an extraordinary individual in more ways than one.
’Ah, right. He even achieved Ascension to Immortality.’
Afterwards, he passed on martial arts to the leader gorilla and Lackey brother, eventually undergoing Ascension to Immortality.
What was even more astounding was his dantian. Even though his dantian was destroyed, he actually restored it.
In fact, the notes stated that because his dantian was destroyed, he was able to start over from scratch and reach the Profound Realm.
In other words, unless one destroyed their dantian, exerting full power in the Forest of the Four Seasons was difficult.
Ludwig was gradually raising his baseline, but it could not serve as a fundamental solution.
’Even so, destroying one’s dantian is...’
I had seen posts on the Gallery before—lamenting stories about having their dantian destroyed while fighting formidable foes.
The destruction of a dantian was a severe injury that went far beyond the loss of martial arts.
Usually, when people thought of "dantian," they only thought of internal energy, easily overlooking that its location was below the navel—where internal organs were situated.
That meant destroying a dantian was synonymous with internal organ damage.
If your internal organs ruptured, surviving alone meant you were lucky. Even then, you would have to live with terrible lifelong aftereffects.
’So how the hell did this guy restore his dantian?’
I scoured Wi Ho-chang’s records inside out. As a result, I found a record stating he underwent Body Metamorphosis.
By carelessly munching on random herbs here and there, he experienced Body Metamorphosis at some point.
He was a lucky guy, to say the least. The sad thing was that even a guy like him couldn’t escape the Forest of the Four Seasons.
Ascension to Immortality was essentially his method of escape. The message read as such too.
As expected of a Zhongyuan person, it was full of poetic expressions, but to summarize it:
[Hahaha! I’m getting outta here through Ascension to Immortality! Suck it, losers!]
Amazingly, that was literally what it said. It was a message packed to the brim with cathartic relief.
After checking all of Wi Ho-chang’s survival diaries, I stashed them all inside my Subspace Backpack.
People might ask why I don’t upload such useful info to the Gallery, but the risks involved were a bit too high.
It might be one thing if there were many people who entered unjustly like Ludwig, but most of those who fled into the Forest of the Four Seasons were serious criminals.
So to speak, people with nothing left to lose.
They could easily adopt the mindset of "if I can’t use mana in here anyway, I might as well gamble on destroying my dantian."
Just because I hadn’t seen it didn’t mean there weren’t actual cases of people attempting and succeeding.
’After all, even the Butcher Ogre was a case of a severe criminal grotesquely mutating.’
If anything, it would be far worse, not better.
Having finished the rough investigation like that, what remained was how to treat the gorilla tribe.
I told the leader gorilla to bring over someone who could command this tribe.
Since the leader gorilla was scheduled to stay at our Shelter for the time being, a temporary chief was needed.
"I saw this guy last time, but who’s this?"
"My son."
"Ah."
The leader gorilla brought two of them. His son and grandson, respectively.
The son’s rank was lower than the grandson’s, which was simple enough to explain: it was because of the son’s arm.
I didn’t know where he got hurt, but he was missing one arm. Still, his physical presence rivaled that of the leader gorilla himself.
"Hey, Lackey. Is there a big age gap between you and the leader gorilla?"
"It is similar. Why do you ask?"
"Just wondered if you have kids."
"Do not rub salt on the sore spot. I was kicked out."
Now I felt kinda bad. In reality, the leader gorilla had a face that looked quite old.
Maybe because he was a gorilla, he had quite a few wrinkles. On the other hand, Lackey was different.
Whether it was thanks to eating well and sleeping well up until now, or for some other reason, he was on the younger side.
Though scars were scattered across his face, he didn’t show signs of aging like the leader gorilla.
"#$% #$$%%."
"$% ##$%$"
"#$$% %%^$"
The leader gorilla’s family and Lackey held a conversation in the Zhongyuan language.
It seemed either the leader gorilla or Gu-chil had taught them Zhongyuan language. If not, they had learned it separately.
A moment later, Lackey, having conveyed my intentions as instructed, informed me of the situation.
"They are willing to accept everything."Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
"No complaints?"
"They lost. Thus, obeying the victor’s command is the rule. Master holds the highest rank."
It was a mindset typical of beasts, if anything. Thanks to that, things got a whole lot easier.
I left word that the leader gorilla would stay at the Shelter for the time being, and that I would use the hobgoblins as overseers.
Even with conditions that could be uncomfortable, the gorillas nodded and accepted them. Instead, there was a condition of their own.
"They said not to touch their food."
"Well, that goes without saying."
Defeat alone was sorrowful enough; how miserable would it be if they were starved on top of it?
Since ancient times, the thing that gave conquering monarchs the biggest headache was how to treat the native inhabitants.
One misstep in management, and the natives would all turn into rebels and stab them in the back.
’It’s far better to keep them as a vassal state than to annex them.’
When I could barely handle my own situation right now, I didn’t have the confidence to manage another tribe.
With the business roughly sorted out like this, I first harvested the gorilla tribe’s local specialty.
The local specialty was, naturally, bananas. Among them, a particularly eye-catching pile of bananas stood out.
"What’s up with... the color of those?"
Perhaps because it was the Forest of the Four Seasons, the bananas came in various colors.
Some were yellow, some bore a deep golden hue, and some were green.
But the most striking among them was blue. Is that even safe to eat?
"It’s safe to eat, right?"
"#$$ %%%."
At my question, the leader gorilla’s son harvested the pile of blue bananas.
Then he plucked one and handed it to me—a gesture telling me to try one.
I wondered for a second if he was trying to poison me, but he plucked one for himself first and ate it.
Even with only one arm, he was remarkably adept. He even climbed trees with ease.
’Is it tasty?’
Though suspicious, I peeled the banana. Upon peeling it, a surprisingly well-ripened banana was revealed inside.
Thinking the peel was just blue, the moment I took a bite, my eyes couldn’t help but widen.
’This... tastes like ice cream?’
It tasted like vanilla ice cream. Plus, it was cool.
Vanilla ice cream was basically growing on trees. Do gorillas get to eat stuff like this every day?
If so, why was the leader gorilla so entranced by the candied sweet potatoes? I realized the reason before long.
"$% %%^% #$%."
"It is a banana that rarely grows."
"What? Is it okay to just harvest something like that so recklessly?"
They said it was a banana that only grew on specific dates. Normally, only the leader or high-ranking gorillas ate them.
Yet the reason he gave it to me was dead simple.
"It is because Master’s rank is higher."
"...."
At the very least, it seemed wise to watch my mouth inside the tribe.
However, he said that the bananas already plucked couldn’t be handed out freely. That was due to potential rank issues arising.
So what did I do? For starters, I decided to distribute them to fixed-handle users on the Gallery.
The rest I handed out to the crew back at the Shelter. Starting with Wonmo first.
"Nyam-nyam! Nyam!"
"Is it yummy?"
"Kkyuu!"
The number one highest-ranking member of our Shelter answered with a happy smile. It was a smile that made my heart ache every time I saw it.
After that, I gave bananas one by one to the other little ones, then handed them to the rest of the crew as well.
Thanks to that, I cleared out an entire bunch of bananas. I checked to see if there were any issues with the gorilla tribe.
’I can definitely see their numbers have thinned out. There are still injured ones who haven’t fully recovered yet.’
It was my first time visiting the gorilla territory. But a vast number of male gorillas had participated in the previous battle.
Perhaps because of that, the ratio of males in the tribe was quite low. Females and infants made up the majority.
’Well, I’m sure they’ll manage breeding just fine on their own.’
I had no intention of meddling that deeply. As time passed, they would naturally recover.
Right when I figured it was about time to head back to the Shelter, I felt like someone in our group was missing.
No, not just a feeling—one member was literally missing. A gorilla with white fur and a massive build.
’Where the hell did this guy go...’
Just as I looked around to see where Lackey had wandered off to—
I was able to witness a truly intriguing scene with my own two eyes.
"#$$% $%."
"Ooh-ooh?"
Far in the distance, a gorilla with striking white fur was holding out a banana to a female gorilla.
What’s more, wearing a foolishly goofy smile he never usually showed.This chapter was taken from novelping . com without permission.
The female gorilla didn’t seem particularly offended either, gladly accepting the banana.
At that, his philtrum stretched way out as he wore an even goofier grin.
Not one to miss this opportunity, I immediately snapped a photo and posted it on the Gallery.
Title) Lackey is right on the verge of getting a girlfriend
Wild Grylls
(Photo of Lackey handing a banana to a female gorilla)
(Photo of the female gorilla gladly accepting the banana)
(Photo of Lackey scratching his head like an idiot)
Everyone cheer him on. Looks like Lackey is finally escaping virgin-since-birth status.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon) What a heartwarming sight. It is only natural for a man and woman to be drawn to each other.
ㄴ Sword Matstar) Wow, shit. I’m so damn jealous of that female. I wanna get confessed to by a man stronger than me too.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon) ?
ㄴ Sword Matstar) What.
ㄴ Dude;;
ㄴ But still, envying a gorilla is a bit...;;
ㄴ Hahaha are you seriously jealous of a courted gorilla now?
ㄴ Damn that’s so ridiculous fr hahaha
ㄴ Must be desperate as hell hahaha
ㄴ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Uh, um... hang in there! You’ll meet a good person someday!
Sword Matstar is definitely not normal either. If even Heavenly Demon posted just a question mark, that said it all.
Anyway, I summoned Lackey, who was squirming in pure delight. It was time to head back.
Since we’d be able to visit the gorilla tribe whenever we wanted from now on, there would be plenty of chances.
And so, after finishing all our business with the gorilla tribe, we returned to the Shelter.
Naturally, the leader gorilla accompanied us. Since this guy was still a prisoner, he would be staying at the Shelter.
’Now that the schedule is mostly wrapped up...’
Since all the tasks were done and the sun was beginning to set, one job remained.
Namely, naming the leader gorilla. The leader gorilla originally possessed the name Wiheuk.
But given his status as a prisoner and his upcoming stay at our Shelter, a name change was necessary.
[He already has a name, is there really a need to rename him?]
"Yes."
[Why?]
"Just because?"
[....]
"Just think of it as establishing hierarchy."
Cain showed a reaction indicating he had a lot to say, but wouldn’t say another word.
Afterwards, before preparing dinner, I summoned Lackey and the leader gorilla.
First, I asked Lackey what kind of name would be good.
"Master."
"Huh?"
"I am incapable of doing creative trashy acts like Master. Therefore, I pass it to you."
"...."
Is that a compliment or an insult?
I was slightly dumbfounded, but since he offered to pass, I gladly accepted.
Next, facing the leader gorilla head-on, I pondered what name to give him.
’Chun-sik is... a bit ambiguous.’
Unlike Lackey, the leader gorilla was in a position where he’d have to command the tribe again before long.
Originally, a name was meant to reflect the subject’s identity.
Therefore, more than anything, a name capable of displaying the leader gorilla’s identity was needed.
Therefore:
"Alright, Wonmo. You just have to pick among these."
"Kkyuu?"
I decided to let Wonmo pick the name. It was a name chosen by the highest-ranking member of our Shelter.
I wrote the names Chun-sik, Dolsoe, and Hogu on the ground and handed the choice over to Wonmo.
As soon as Wonmo saw the names, he tilted his head, then waddled over.
"Kkyuu?"
Immediately after, Wonmo pointed at one of the names and looked up at me. It was an expression asking, ’Is this one fine?’
At his incomparably adorable reaction, I stroked Wonmo’s head furiously.
Anyhow, the name Wonmo selected was:
"From now on, your name is Dolsoe."
It wasn’t much different from Lackey.
"Master. Why did you not pick like that back in my time?"
"Want me to change it for you even now?"
"No. I feel like an even worse one would come out."
Lackey submissively (?) accepted it as well.
’Identity my ass, earthy and traditional is the absolute best.’