I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 553

Title) Kids who brought home a friend

Wild Grylls

(Video of me scolding the kids while a black wolf pup casually walks by in the background)

Just casually strolling past while I’m scolding them;;

Currently assessing the situation.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) It’s really adorable how all of them turn their heads together when you ask what that thing is.

ㄴSword Matstar) Wow. How is it that every single one of them is so cute?

ㄴStarlight Lady) Makes me want to raise one myself.

ㄴYou mean an Owlbear, right?

ㄴㄴㄴ Pretty sure she means a dragon.

ㄴThe moment you bring a hatchling to your fief, that domain is getting destroyed lol

ㄴWhat about a Nidhogg?

ㄴNidhogg hasn’t even been discovered yet;;

ㄴWait, what’s that guy passing by in the back? Looks like a wolf?

ㄴWasn’t it a puppy instead of a wolf?

ㄴHard to tell since it’s a pup. Dogs and wolves look pretty similar when they’re babies.

ㄴEither way, cute is cute, so raising it should be fine, yeah.

ㄴFinally raising a normal creature lol

ㄴHow the heck are you raising an Owlbear, a Dragon, and a Nidhogg lololol

ㄴPlus a singing Rain Frog too, yep.

Before heading out to investigate, I uploaded the video I had just taken to the Gallery.

I had originally recorded it because the kids acting guilty was so cute, but it yielded an unexpected result.

I glanced at the Gallery’s reactions and then looked ahead. Normally, it would be about time to sleep.

However, given the situation, I couldn’t sleep and was busy observing the creature before me.

Pak-pak-pak-pak!

A wolf pup whose entire body was pitch-black, looking as though it had been drenched in ink from head to toe.

The pup was vigorously scratching its chin with a hind leg. In appearance, it was unmistakably a wolf pup.

Its large ears were perked up, and its face dripped with the distinctive cuteness of a baby animal.

However, perhaps because it was thoroughly dissatisfied with the current situation, its expression was somewhat grumpy. Seeing this, I asked my companions,

"We roughly know who this is, right?"

"I think I know."

[I believe I do as well.]

Lackey and Cain answered. Meanwhile, the taciturn Ludwig responded with a nod.

As one could gather from the group’s responses, this wolf pup was none other than the shadow wolf.

And rather than a mere pup, it was extremely likely to be the shadow wolf itself.

If so, for what reason and how did this shadow wolf come to our shelter?

"Who brought him here?"

To find out, I lined up the kids and asked. Tyranno, Wonmo, and Cheongseol—the three of them were lined up side by side, exchanging guilty looks.

The kids were all smart, so they must have understood what I said.

The way they tiptoed around looking guilty was undeniably cute, but I had to know what happened.

"So you’re not gonna talk, huh?"

However, I had underestimated the children’s loyalty.

While the adults were working, the kids had been playing ball and games together.

Their bond had grown as tight as could be; they were definitely not the type to betray one another.

"If you tell me, I’ll give you extra food tomorrow."

"Ppi-ik!"

"Ppae-aek!"

The moment I said those words, Tyranno and Cheongseol pointed at Wonmo without a second of hesitation.

Truly a magnificent friendship.

"Ggyu! Ggyuuu! Ggyu!"

Wonmo clattered his beak repeatedly, seemingly no small bit shocked by his friends’ betrayal.

I had heard from Allfather before that an Owlbear clattering its beak meant it was genuinely furious.

It was similar to a rabbit thumping its hind legs on the ground.

’I roughly guessed as much, but...’

Before coming back to the shelter, Wonmo had exhibited suspicious behavior a few times.

I thought it was just because he found some Dark Shadow Herbs, but to think there was such a backstory.

"Wonmo."

"Ggyuu...?"

I called out to Wonmo softly. Wonmo, who had been scolding his friends, froze instantly and looked at me.

As if sensing his impending doom, his eyes turned glossy and tearful. He looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.

"I won’t scold you, so tell me honestly. Why did you bring him here?"

I pointed at the wolf pup and asked. Even while I was scolding Wonmo, the pup had been quietly watching us.

Wonmo glanced sideways at the wolf pup, then opened his mouth hesitantly.

"Ggyuu... ggyu..."

"He says it was smaller than this at first. He brought it because it looked like it was in pain."

Lackey translated from the side. So he brought it out of pity.

I couldn’t help but be slightly surprised. Normally, it wouldn’t have been strange at all if he had eaten it.

Even though Wonmo lived in our shelter, his wild nature was still intact. That much was obvious just from his habit of trying to eat whatever was on the ground whenever he got the chance.

"Ggyuuu..."

"He says after bringing it, it got bigger, and then they played together. He says it’s a good friend."

"Hrm..."

I scratched my cheek as I listened to the full story from Wonmo.

Setting aside the fact that he brought it out of good intentions, I wondered if the shadow wolf had used some kind of trick.

Yet surprisingly, there were traces indicating that the shadow wolf had actually played quite well with the kids.

’It’s clearly made of shadows, so why is it so scruffy and dirty?’Read the latest chapters at novelpi‌ng.com.

Physical laws shouldn’t apply to it, yet patches of dirt were smudged here and there on its coat.

I gently patted the head of Wonmo, who was eyeing me nervously, and then walked over to the shadow wolf.

Wonmo, realizing that I was letting it slide lightly, beamed with a bright smile.

"Ggyuaaa!"

"Ppiiik!"

"Ppaeeaek! Ppaeaek!"

Even so, he didn’t forget to punish the traitors(?).

Both Tyranno and Cheongseol were stronger than Wonmo, but perhaps stung by a guilty conscience, they were busy running away.

I chuckled at the sight, then turned to face the shadow wolf.

The shadow wolf’s legs used to be nearly as thick as palace pillars, but right now, it was small and compact.

It was probably due to the effect of sunlight. I had completely destroyed the screens installed between the sky and the ground, after all.

"Who are you? You’re the fellow I know, right?"

"And what if I am?"

A prickly response flowed from the wolf pup’s mouth. Even its voice had changed.

Originally, it had been dignified and heavy, but now it sounded close to a boy whose voice hadn’t broken yet.

Synergizing with its immensely cute appearance, it felt like something straight out of a cartoon.

"Thought so. I have a lot of things I want to ask—will you answer them all for me?"

"I hate liars."

A sharp retort came back. Although it tried to pack the same dignity as before, given the voice, it only came off as prickly.

Well, considering we were trying to kill each other in the past, it was understandable.

Still, I needed to gather information. Above all, this fellow was someone the kids considered a friend.

Even if I didn’t want to see his face, it meant we’d be bumping into each other often in the future.

"Come on, don’t be like that. Are you saying you won’t play with the kids anymore?"

"A grand body such as mine, playing with such brats?"

"Why don’t you wipe the dirt off your body before talking?"

"..."

The wolf lowered its head and looked at the dirt smudged on its body.

With the evidence already so clear, there was no way out.

Looking embarrassed, the fellow cleared its throat with a fake cough, then spoke again in a sharp tone.

"Hmph! Do you even realize what kind of mess you’ve caused?"

"What mess did I cause?"

"If you’re so curious, why don’t you go see for yourself?"

Should I just slather soybean paste on him and boil him up? Where on earth did he learn such bad manners?

However, we were the ones at a disadvantage here. We were planning to pass through that zone toward the World Tree soon.

In the Forest of the Four Seasons, the value of information was immense. Since everything was unknown, the information the wolf possessed was exceedingly precious.

"I had my reasons too. I have a reason I must go to the World Tree."

"To escape this forest? Don’t make me laugh. As I said, if you were a real Earthling, you would have escaped long ago."

"I keep telling you, I really am an Earthling."

"I heard about your real name earlier as well. It wasn’t that difficult name, it was Grylls. How can I possibly trust you?"

"No, that’s my real... Hah. Forget it."

I had been using it because my real Korean name was hard to pronounce, but somewhere along the line, it had become my real name. Explaining it was too much hassle, and it didn’t seem like it would matter much anyway, so I let it slide.

What was important wasn’t that, but gaining even a little bit of this fellow’s trust.

"Then what about Aris, Aragon, Lucas, Sera, Alund?"

"...Why are you mentioning those names?"

"Seeing how you call them ’those names’, you know them too, right? What are you really?"

When I brought up the names of the publicly known gods—and furthermore, the gods I had discovered while exploring—the wolf reacted.

It looked slightly flustered, yet puzzled. As expected, this fellow had close ties to the Mythological Age.

"Why should I have to tell you..."

"Answer nicely before I slather you in soybean paste."

I said threateningly, activating my Eye Lantern. If he tried to act cheeky again, I was genuinely planning to scorch him.

I felt sorry for the kids, but I had no desire to raise a creature that was neither cute nor polite.

"Ahem. Hmph."

Having suffered from the Eye Lantern before, the wolf flinched visibly.

It then eyed me nervously before reluctantly opening its mouth.

"I was standing guard under orders."

"Orders? What orders?"

"That guy over there."

The shadow wolf gestured with its snout toward somewhere.

Turning my head, I saw the kids grappling and wrestling with each other.

"I was waiting until that lizard kin’s corpse completely vanished."

"Lizard? You mean Tyranno—no, a dragon?"

"Correct."

"There’s an actual dragon corpse?"

The wolf nodded. I had roughly guessed it, but it was still quite surprising.

At the same time, a question arose. Why did the gods issue an order to guard a corpse?

No matter if it was a dragon from the Mythological Age, death was inevitable. Eventually, it would just return to the earth.

’Could it be an undead?’

Then I suddenly recalled the surrounding area that had been packed with the undead.

If a dragon from the Mythological Age were to resurrect as an undead, such an overreaction made complete sense.

"Did the dragon resurrect as an undead?"

"To be precise, I was preventing its resurrection. Those lizard bastards unconditionally resurrect unless their entire body is burned to ash."

"Is that even possi..."

I was about to ask if that was even possible, but caught myself. In this place, it was better to just accept whatever happened without overthinking.Enjoying the story? Read on at nove​lping.com.

After all, Cain himself had essentially died and resurrected, hadn’t he? And through pure technology, no less.

Those were Mythological Age dragons that waged war over the world against Earthlings possessing such technology.

They too must have possessed power tantamount to gods. I didn’t even have to look far; Vanir was living proof.

"Fortunately, so much time has passed that its physical body will not be able to regenerate. Even so, it sent its servants to bring nutrients, but I blocked them all."

"Ah. So eating that pig-tiger was..."

"It was to prevent it from receiving nutrients."

Listening to the story, I felt things were getting progressively more serious. It felt as though I had poked a hornet’s nest.

However, I wondered if such a thing was even possible when the World Tree was right nearby.

The World Tree was originally a sacred tree presumed to have been planted by the gods.

"Is that possible even with the World Tree right there?"

"What does it have to do with the World Tree? That is a separate matter."

"I heard Earthlings planted the World Tree. It has free will too, right?"

"All it does is send and receive transmissions."

So it was just a signal tower. That’s why the Gallery had spread throughout the entire world.

Anyway, if a semi-corpse—no, a dragon in a corpse state—were to act, it would be a major headache.

It was practically the final gateway to reach the World Tree. Therefore, I needed more information.

"As long as we pass that corpse, we can reach the World Tree, right?"

"If you can pass it, that is."

"Will that fellow attack us?"

"Stating the obvious. A beast lacking reason will only follow its instincts."

Now I had to deal with a dragon on top of everything else. At least it was a relief that it was an undead dragon raging without reason.

If it were intact... I didn’t even want to imagine it. It would be no different from fighting Vanir.

Since it was blocking the path, I intended to find a strategy to clear it.

And that strategy was something this wolf fellow knew better than anyone.

"You know a definitive way to deal with it, right?"

"Destroying the heart is the end of it. Or burning it with fire."

"If it’s that easy, why couldn’t you do it?"

"My role was merely to prevent its resurrection. Besides, it was something that would die eventually if left alone."

I felt a bit guilty, as if I had caused unnecessary trouble by stirring things up. I scratched my head.

In any case, we had decided to subjugate the undead dragon—no, the Bone Dragon.

We had to defeat that fellow to get close to the World Tree, so there was no helping it.

Leaving it alone would also be a problem, as unintended sparks might fly over to our side.

"Since it’s fundamentally an undead... Holy Water should work on it too, right?"

"What is Holy Water?"

"Something like this."

In response to the wolf’s question, I showed him the Holy Water. It was given to me directly by Asella.

It looked like ordinary water on the outside, but it was extremely lethal to the undead.

Just pouring Holy Water caused the undead to literally melt away.

I didn’t know the exact mechanics, but I knew it was imbued with holy power.

"This is... a vaccine. Though a fairly ordinary one."

"A vaccine? Then is there a virus too?"

"Of course there is."

Vaccines and viruses. Unfortunately, the wolf’s knowledge ended here.

By what mechanism the virus created undead, or what holy power actually was—

Though he couldn’t explain the detailed principles, the wolf offered an expression.

"They said it. That this was the second penicillin."

"Penicillin? That blue mold stuff?"

"I do not know well. I only know it as such."

"Hmm..."

The second penicillin. I got the general idea.

Of course, what mattered wasn’t that, but its effectiveness. Would it work on the Bone Dragon as well?

"It should work."

"Then..."

"Provided you have enough of it to build a dam."

"..."

I guess I’ll have to ask Asella for favors bit by bit. In any case, thanks to him, I learned a lot of information.

Of course, we weren’t going tomorrow. Hearing from the wolf, we had a buffer of about half a month.

Originally, it would end once he regained his strength, but since I had destroyed the screens, subjugation was the only answer.

"Then you’ll have to live here from now on too."

"Indeed."

"Should I give you a name?"

"I already have a name—"

"From now on, your name is Heukgu."

"Hey."

Whether Heukgu was dumbfounded or not, I ignored it.

"Hey guys! Stop fighting and say hi to Heukgu!"

"I have my own name! I told you I have a name!"

"Comrade. I had a name once too, before I suffered the same fate."

"What are you now?! Get away from me?!"

We had welcomed a new family member.

Around the time Grylls was welcoming a new family member...

"Sigh... Should I ban them?"

Asella had been contemplating banning a certain person for quite a long time.

’A-Ah, or sh-should I send a photo like Ash-nim did too...?’

A naughty imagination was an added bonus.