I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 547

A colossal divine tree, and a person bound helplessly to its trunk.

A sight that felt mysterious, strange, and ultimately even bizarre.

Although it looked as if someone had been forcibly sealed away, the bound person’s expression was undeniably peaceful.

Smiling, even—if anything, it looked close to a sense of relief.

Jol-jol-jol-jol—

A river of beer starting from the roots of the World Tree. Looking closely, it wasn’t the only river.

On the left flowed a snow-white river, characterized by a faint, sweet aroma.

On top of that, carbonated bubbles rose to the surface. I carefully dipped my finger in and tasted it.

’This is cider?’

It wasn’t just a cider river. Next to it flowed a pitch-black river presumed to be cola.

Rivers flowed in six directions centered around the massive tree. It seemed the World Tree served as a kind of factory.

I had no idea on what principles it operated, nor why this person was bound here.

Thus, further investigation was necessary. I slowly approached the bound figure.

Whether the rest of the group instinctively felt danger or were held back by the mystical atmosphere, they did not draw near.

ㄴAllfather) Judging by the face, it appears to be a woman.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) A woman bound to a divine tree. It has a solemn feel to it.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Could this person also be related to Aris-nim...?!

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Slap her cheek to wake her up.

ㄴPraise the Sun) What a true lunatic, lolol

I’d bet money that Dwarf over there is drinking alcohol again.

Otherwise, there’s no way he could make that kind of joke in a moment like this.

I gave a dry chuckle and slowly looked over the bound woman.

Though she was bald with all her hair fallen out, her sharp bridge of the nose and intelligent features stood out.

What was even more surprising was that despite obvious ages having passed, her skin harbored not a single blemish.

Moss clinging to parts of her was unavoidable, but her skin itself was quite pristine.

’She’s Western.’

I could also tell she was Western, not Asian.

But that was all. No other unusual features were visible.

It would be one thing if there were at least a building, but there was only this solitary tree standing tall.

’It feels like touching her recklessly would be dangerous...’

The ancient humans I knew—that is, Earthlings—were creatures obsessed with leaving records.

People who left records by any means necessary to pass them down to future generations.

Such was the case with the shipwreck, and so was Alund, the master of the City of the Dead.

I thought that surely this person must have left a similar record.

Since Aris had appeared every time before, this instance would likely undergo a similar process. At that, I looked around the surroundings.

’Nothing particularly catches the eye, though.’

It was a place where numerous rivers converged, essentially serving as the center.

There was no telling what might happen if I carelessly touched the bound woman, but...

’Can’t be helped.’

I ordered the party to prepare for battle just in case. Adding a command for Lackey to prepare a Teleport on top of it.

Since mana usage might become impossible like during the Colossus incident, I checked everything thoroughly.

Soon, with the party fully prepared, I slowly reached out toward the bound woman.

Seureureuk—

As I reached out, the World Tree activated a defense mechanism. Vine shoots extended from where she was tied.

Originally, vine shoots were embedded into the bound woman’s body like power cables.

But as if sensing danger instinctively, other shoots branched out.

When I hastily pulled my hand back, the vine shoots naturally retreated as well.

"Ssueup... This is scary."

ㄴHeavenly Demon) It looks almost as if it’s asking you to commune with it.

ㄴSword Matstar) Now you commune with trees too?

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Isn’t it because he already raised a World Tree!

ㄴLet’s Grow Trees) That makes complete sense! Hurry and try to commune with that World Tree!

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Aren’t you talking way too recklessly just because it’s not your business?

ㄴPraise the Sun) Didn’t you just tell him to slap that woman’s cheek?

ㄴSuspiciously...) So it’s true that the relationship between Elves and Dwarves is terrible.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) You can’t even make alcohol, yet your double standard is severe-yong.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Fuck, what did you just say?

Princess Chaenggu’s provocation and the Dwarf’s fit. Mind you, this fit wasn’t limited to just one Dwarf.

Perhaps because a literal Meat Forest and Wine Pool was discovered, a flock of fixed-nickname Dwarves had flooded in.

Most were unknown handles, but seeing them fly into a rage at Princess Chaenggu’s words proved they were definitely Dwarves.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Try acting up more~ Did you forget I’m a Blue Badge-yong?

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Orange Badge-ya. What do you think of that? She’s running her mouth relying on her mod armband!

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) This is a warning! If you do it one more time, I’ll strip your mod badge and ban you for three days!

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) I’m sorry-dang.Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.

ㄴSword Matstar) Is that how mod privileges get revoked?

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) No! I’ll give it back to her though!

ㄴHeavenly Demon) How transparently hypocritical.

ㄴSword Matstar) Haha;;

I ignored the fixed-nicknames fighting amicably among themselves. For now, I just needed to do my job.

Reaching my hand out and pulling it back repeatedly, I gauged the World Tree’s reactions.

The World Tree at our Shelter possessed a consciousness, but this one felt slightly different.

As if it moved strictly according to set command prompts. There was a way to verify properly.

"Cheongseol-ah. Is this World Tree the same as the one growing at our Shelter?"

I asked Cheongseol, who was biting onto my back. Cheongseol was a Nidhogg directly connected to the World Tree.

Therefore, she should be able to determine whether the divine tree was a World Tree or simply a similar species.

"Ppeaek."

"She says it’s similar, but different. It’s just a tree."

Meaning it had no ego. Hearing this, I made up my mind.

If it truly lacked consciousness, checking how this tree reacted wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Steeling my heart, I activated my Body-Protecting Gangqi. Just in case, I also asked Bbareumbo.

Requesting him to immediately intercept if any ominous sign appeared from this tree. Since Bbareumbo’s reaction speed surpassed mine, I could trust and rely on him.

Seureureuk—

When I reached out my hand, vines extended toward me just like before. I did not back down this time.

Soon, vines began wrapping around my hand. It was a peculiar sensation.

"Eueum..."

"?!"

It was shortly after the vines wrapped around my hand. To my astonishment, the bound woman uttered a faint groan.

Seeing this, I was so startled I almost pulled back, but managed to barely suppress the urge.

Following the groan, the woman slowly lifted her head, and her closed eyes opened.

At first her gaze was dim and unfocused, but after blinking a couple of times, it returned to an intelligent blue.

"...Ah."

"...Are you alive?"

A sigh that was barely a sigh escaped the bound woman’s lips.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but ask that question absentmindedly.

But that lasted only a moment; the woman formed a meaningful smile and spoke quietly.

"Finally..."

She spoke in English, yet it rang clearly in my ears. And then...

Pasasak—

Those were her final words. A massive crack erupted across the woman’s face, and she crumbled into dust, scattering away.

Before there was even time to be flustered, the bound woman’s body disintegrated into dust and blew away.

In a situation that defied all understanding, the dirt floor began to squirm.

Ssuuk!

What shot up from the dirt floor was none other than a vine. Following that, the vine began transforming into a human shape.

Nor was it a simple shape. The facial features were distinct, and skin even formed over it.

Just like how the chicken plant grew earlier, this vine seemed to undergo a similar process.

Soon, two vines transformed into perfect human shapes, forming a posture where two people faced each other.

"...Aris-nim?"

[That face is Aris-nim. And in front of her is...]

Ludwig and Cain were the first to speak up.

Naturally so, as one vine had transformed into Aris. The other was the bound woman from just now.

Apparently, records had been embedded within the plant. I had no intention of trying to comprehend how that was even possible.

For now, what mattered most was what those people were discussing. Thus, I watched quietly.

[Are you really going to remain here?]

[Yes. Because this is my kingdom and the garden I cultivated.]

[Then I have no choice but to kill you.]

Two women conversing across a single table.

The problem was that the contents of their conversation were exceedingly brutal. Aris proudly declared she would kill her, while the bound woman snorted in disdain.

’Why is it that every time Aris appears, her records only involve killing someone?’

Did Aris have a broken personality, or was there another reason? I guessed the latter.

Meanwhile, the woman who had snorted spoke in a reproaching tone as if it were absurd.

[If Teacher saw you like this, what would he have said? Would he truly have been pleased?]

[...]

[Rather, he would have praised me more. At least I am walking my own path.]

[Shut up before I rip that mouth open.]

[Oh my. Threats now?]

The situation differed from the laboratory and Alund.

At least in those two cases, the other parties had committed wrongdoing first, whereas right now Aris was losing the verbal argument.This chapter is updated first at novеlping.com.

It was a difficult situation to easily judge who was right or wrong. For now, watching was best.

[I am waiting for the day Teacher returns. Until he leads this world once more.]

[Teacher has departed far away. He will not return.]

[As you said, he merely left. Because he was miserably strong.]

Miserably strong. For some reason, those words irked me a little.

If someone is strong, they’re strong—why attach the description "miserable"?

[When you think about it, this whole mess is because of you siblings. You ignored Teacher’s command not to fight among family, so why do you say our choices aren’t allowed?]

[...]

[Aris-ssi. As you know, our humanity once crossed beyond destruction into the brink of extinction. And it was Teacher who gathered all remaining humans on Earth to rebuild.]

[So rest...]

[Rest? How do you know what mistakes the indigenous people of this planet we barely found will make? Even with mana, people are ultimately people. As long as they possess intelligence, conflict is inevitable!]

It was somewhat misanthropic content. But it couldn’t be denied.

Just as the bound woman said, half of human history had been filled with war.

This world wasn’t much different. It was only relatively peaceful now; in the past, all sorts of bloody warfare had been waged.

At the center of it were the Holy Kingdom and Mephisto. Signing a peace treaty was practically a miracle.

[Fighting, and fighting again, until one day guns are invented, atomic bombs appear... and eventually even artificial intelligence arises.]

[...]

[And what next? What if an energy resource higher than mana appears? Is there any guarantee they won’t walk the exact same path we walked? They are already familiarized with mana!]

[...]

The woman’s voice grew increasingly heated. Aris merely stared at her silently.

Was she truly lost for words, or was she taking a listening stance for now?

A moment later, letting out a long sigh, the woman spoke quietly. She looked somewhat exhausted.

[So just... just leave quietly. I simply want to fulfill my duty.]

[...Sera-ssi.]

[Speak.]

It seemed the bound woman’s name was Sera.

Aris looked at Sera with a complicated expression, then quietly opened her mouth.

[What... job did you say you had before meeting Teacher?]

[I was a biotechnologist.]

[Then you must have analyzed Teacher’s genes.]

[Of course I did. Though I couldn’t properly figure them out until he departed.]

[If you put his genes into another person...]

[Unable to withstand the excessively absorbed mana, their upper body or lower body would burst. He had a constitution where mana accumulated just by breathing.]

[...]

[In the first place, isn’t the breathing technique you created just a scientific analysis of Teacher breathing?]

Aris tried to say something, but stopped. Sera did not add anything further either.

Soon, Aris stood up from her chair. Looking at it, she seemed to intend to leave Sera behind.

[Where are you going?]

[To do my job.]

[You really are a human butcher. Who are you off to kill this time?]

Aris said nothing to Sera’s sarcasm. She merely turned back silently.

Sera snorted at her back and stood up from her seat as well.

Seureureuk—

That was the end of it. The vine that had transformed into human form returned to the ground.

Soon, as if nothing had happened, the area fell silent. I rubbed the back of my neck.

’What on earth happened...’

I could roughly infer the past, but that was all.

I wasn’t sure for what purpose Sera had created this Meat Forest and Wine Pool.

"Haa... Hm?"

I let out an inner sigh and looked down at the ground. Something noticeable was lying dropped there.

Neatly square, it looked like a card. Seeing it, I quietly picked it up.

"This is..."

"Is something written on it?"

As I picked up the card, the rest of the party quietly interjected.

Meanwhile, I read the text written on the card. Rather than detailed content, it was closer to a business card.

Although it was in English, this much was easy enough to read.

"The name is Sera Howard Meyer."

I knew the name. The record showed it earlier.

But there was only one thing that caught my attention.

"Environmental activist...?"

I instantly realized why she had created the Meat Forest and Wine Pool.