I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 574

A grassland usually refers to a field covered in grass, but the grassland I’m talking about is the kind where lions and gazelles roam wild.

Unlike the forest, which has a somewhat complex food chain, this is a place where you can observe the ecosystem at a single glance.

The variety of animals couldn’t be called diverse, but precisely because of that, it was easy to perceive clearly who was strong.

"Pwooooo!"

And no matter which world you go to, the elephant is the ultimate beast of prey.

Even in the Forest of the Four Seasons, it was no different. If you see an elephant, steering clear of it on your own is the best course of action.

Besides, what if that elephant evolved in a weird direction? It’s best to avoid confronting it whenever possible.

It was already at an absurd weight class, and now it had undergone an equally absurd evolution, so that went without saying.

’What on earth is that?! What kind of experiment did they do for it to evolve like that?’

That was my exact situation right now.

I was frantically fleeing to avoid a "herd" of elephants equipped with sharp blades instead of tusks.

If it were just one, maybe, but elephants naturally travel in herds.

Their majestic menace fully lived up to the title of destroyers of nature, leaving even me with no choice but to run until the soles of my feet wore out.

Fortunately, the herd of blade-tusked elephants didn’t seem to be chasing me specifically, as they stampeded off in another direction.

The ground where they had passed through was gouged deep. Truly terrifying power.

"Ludwig ahjussi. Are there elephants like that on the outside?"

"I have never seen an elephant with blades instead of tusks."

[Is that even an elephant to begin with? It didn’t have a long trunk, and its exterior was covered in a hard shell.]

Ludwig’s testimony was followed by Cain’s doubt. In fact, I agreed with Cain’s questioning.

While the elephants roaming the gorilla territory had been relatively normal, the ones we just encountered were entirely different.

Should I call it closer to a bull with the size of an elephant? It was roughly close to the ultimate lifeform from a certain space strategy game.

When those things roamed in herds committing endless destruction, there was no choice but to run.

"Though it is odd. That monster shouldn’t originally be here."

"What do you mean by that? Sounds like you’ve seen it before."

It was while we were catching our breath. Ludwig brought up something meaningful.

He stared at the herd of elephants charging off into the distance, stayed silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"I do not know if it was the same place, but I too was once in a similar grassland. I saw that beast back then."

"Well, that’s..."

"However, the problem is that I saw them across the river from here."

I tilted my head upon hearing Ludwig’s words, wondering what the issue was.

But soon, remembering the nature of the Forest of the Four Seasons, I realized it wasn’t a matter to brush off lightly.

"...Across the river means a different space altogether, right, not this grassland?"

"It was an area where only desolate rocks existed. I saw them clashing with each other using their tusks there."

"Yet those guys are here now..."

Although the Forest of the Four Seasons is chaos itself, it surprisingly maintains the balance of its ecosystem quite well.

Furthermore, native creatures rarely try to leave their respective regions. This was something I realized previously.

Was it when I was practicing archery without a clue using Mythricon arrows? Back then, I shot into the desert across the river and woke up a native inhabitant.

The problem was that the native inhabitant was a Giant Sand Worm the size of several apartment buildings.

The moment it realized I was the one who disturbed its rest, it retaliated with a sandstorm.

’Prey itself would have been much more abundant in the forest...’

For a creature like the Giant Sand Worm, it wouldn’t have been odd for it to become the ruler second only to Vanir.

However, whether due to a strong sense of territory, it never crossed the river into this side.

"Maybe as the domains became fixed, things got chaotic."

[Are you saying an ecological disturbance has occurred in the Forest of the Four Seasons just like outside?]

"That’s highly likely."

If Ludwig’s words were true, the Forest of the Four Seasons would fall into severe chaos for a while.

Animals never seen before would likely appear everywhere. Just like that elephant herd.

Not to mention that the outside world was currently suffering because parts of the forest had opened up.

Because they failed to handle a single hedgehog in time, native creatures were pouring out in swarms.

’...Wait a minute. Then what happens to the weather?’

I lifted my head and looked up at the sunny sky characteristic of the grassland.

Grasslands had starkly contrasting climates, with dry and wet seasons clearly divided.

And our Shelter was a place where seasons changed every week. If the two domains had merged into one?

’That means even the weather could change.’

I realized it with certainty. If the weather in the Shelter and the grassland was identical, it meant they had already merged into one.

The problem was that we had to wait to figure out whether the baseline climate would follow the forest or the grassland.

Since winter was due to arrive soon, we could assess it slowly when it came.

’If the weather ends up being identical...’

Aside from being able to make clear plans, it seemed things would be quite noisy for a while.

I let out a sigh and stood up from my spot. Since the elephant herd had left, it was time to move again.

Since today was meant for just a quick scout before returning, I wasn’t planning on going too far.Find the original chapter at novеlping.com.

"Cheongseol. Can you Teleport across the river?"

"Ppae-aek."

"She says she can."

Fortunately, Cheongseol’s spatial movement worked without a hitch. This added credibility to the hypothesis that the domains had merged into one.

I looked up at the clear sky before setting off with the group.

Vast as the grassland was, if there was a suspicious structure, that’s where I planned to go.

"Master. I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Wouldn’t there be a being like Vanir here as well?"

Hearing Lackey’s words, it really seemed plausible.

In fact, Vanir had mentioned that her kin lived all across the forest.

The problem was whether they would be friendly like Vanir. If they were hostile, it would be a headache in many ways.

It would be best to avoid running into dragons if possible.

’Since we have Tyranno with us, maybe we can gain their favor.’

Optimism wasn’t always good, but that didn’t mean I could only think of negative possibilities either.

I kept walking while weighing every possibility I could think of.

Even when considering possibilities, given the nature of the Forest of the Four Seasons, there was no telling what variables might pop up.

So it was best to stay on guard at all times.

"What is that? I have never seen a bird like that before."

"That’s an ostrich. In the place I used to live, it’s known as the largest bird in the world."

Along the way, we encountered a flock of ostriches. They looked like ordinary ostriches on the surface.

I wondered what kind of secret trump card these guys were hiding.

After all, even Kirin and Largo possessed frightening weight classes, so the ostriches would likely be similar.

"Kaaaah!"

"Kaaaaah!"

Just in time, a convenient situation erupted. A pack of beasts hiding in the tall grass ambushed the ostriches.

At first, I thought they were hyenas, but they were closer to ferocious dogs with massive frames.

For some reason, their appearance looked familiar, making me wonder until I instantly recognized them.

’Aren’t those Mad Dogs?’

The very creatures that had given me a hellish time the moment I woke up in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

If not for Sword Matstar’s goodwill back then, I would have had to cut off at least one arm.

I wondered if those bastards lived in the grassland too, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was how the ostriches reacted.

Would they get devoured by the Mad Dog pack like this, or would they showcase some astounding ability?

Ppeol-leok!

The ostriches were the latter. The ambushed ostrich lightly dodged the Mad Dog’s attack and immediately flapped its wings.

I wondered if the ostrich was actually going to fly into the sky, but a phenomenon far worse unfolded right before my eyes.

Pa-ba-ba-bak!!!

Countless feathers were fired like arrows from its massive wings.

The feathers were so hard that they embedded deep into the Mad Dogs’ bodies.

"Kaaaah!"

Naturally, the Mad Dogs hit by the feather barrage shrieked in pain.

Realizing soon after that they had picked the wrong opponent, they even pathetically turned to flee.

The problem was that the target they ambushed was an ostrich. An ostrich running at full tilt is fast enough to catch up to a car.

So what happened?

"Kyaaaaak!"

Jjaa-aa-ak!

What else? A public execution.

They grabbed each limb of the fleeing Mad Dogs with their beaks and tore them right apart.

I don’t know if animals understand the concept of execution, but it was a terrifying sight.

└ Sword Matstar) Could those things rip a human apart too?

└ Starlight Lady) Judging strictly by their strength, it seems possible...

└ Allfather) Such strength in a bird. Truly astonishing.

"It’s my first time seeing it too."

Let me state in advance that real ostriches don’t have bullshit abilities like that. Normally, they should be the ones eaten by Mad Dogs.

Yesterday, Heavenly Demon told me that it wasn’t the lion chasing the horse, but the horse chasing the lion.

Even if it looks like a normal grassland on the surface, this is not a place where you can expect a normal food chain.

"...As you all just saw, let’s pass by quietly. Got it?"

There was zero benefit to needlessly poking them. It was best to just slip by silently.

"However, Master. Wonmo has already gone over there."

"..."Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.

Our little bundle of curiosity, Wonmo, always causes trouble at times like this.

The moment I heard Lackey’s words, I whipped my head toward the ostrich flock.

The ostriches were waddling around, seemingly interested in the dismembered Mad Dog corpses.

I hurriedly rushed toward Wonmo. Provoking a flock of ostriches meant no guarantee of survival.

"Oowung?"

"Wonmo-ya. That’s not food. Yucky, yucky."

I barely snatched Wonmo back while keeping a nervous eye on the ostriches.

Fortunately, the ostriches merely glanced at us before moving away as if uninterested.

"Wonmo-ya. This is a place Daddy doesn’t know well either. So you have to stick right by my side, okay?"

"Eung!"

"You have to look Daddy straight in the eye when you answer, right?"

"..."

"Now you don’t even answer. My cute little Wonmo."

Opening his eyes wide like round buttons—I really couldn’t get over how cute he was.

After squishing Wonmo’s cheeks to my heart’s content, I looked around.

Apart from the ostrich flock, nothing particularly noteworthy caught my eye.

At best, a massive river was visible, but I had zero intention of going anywhere near it.

’Undoubtedly, hippos and crocodiles live there.’

Though not quite on par with elephants, hippos are famous weight-class bullies.

Stories of crocodiles bitten in half after messing with a baby hippo are wildly famous.

Of course, I heard they’re weaker than rhinos and naturally fated to be hunted by lions.

’I can’t afford to take unnecessary risks.’

Unlike the area around the Shelter, the unknown surrounded us on all sides here. I knew full well that I was just a frog in a well.

Therefore, today I planned to thoroughly investigate only, and flee immediately if things felt dangerous.

And so, after taking a long detour around the river, I came across an interesting sight.

"Woah. Could this also be a World Tree?"

"It does not glow like the World Tree, Master."

A tree easily matching the scale of the World Tree stood firmly in place.

It seemed to be the second largest tree I had ever seen. The first was, of course, the World Tree.

└ Allfather) That is a baobab tree. Its defining feature is an appearance like an upside-down tree.

└ Starlight Lady) It probably stores an abundant amount of water inside.

└ Passing Dwarf) Ain’t that thing alive and moving too?

My admiration was short-lived; hearing the Dwarf’s words made me pause in my tracks.

I had intended to rest for a moment, but I almost forgot that this place was the Forest of the Four Seasons.

In fact, none of the trees I had encountered so far were normal, were they?

Seeing that tree standing alone so rigidly made it deeply suspicious.

’I don’t really need to rest yet anyway.’

Tap, tap—

It was right as I was thinking that. Bbareumbo, clinging to my back, tapped my shoulder.

Bbareumbo rarely ever taps my shoulder. Not unless he spotted something others failed to notice.

At this, I turned my head to look in the direction Bbareumbo was pointing. As I turned, the companions looked over as well.

Prowl— prowl—

A lion. A lion of ordinary size was sauntering over toward us.

Without a single hint of threat, approaching with a relaxed expression.

It didn’t have three heads like the one Ludwig had encountered before. It was a truly ordinary-looking lion.

Soon, when it reached our vicinity, the creature opened its mouth.

"Ooooh~"

"...?"

"Ooo-yeah~"

What. What did I just hear?

Did it just hum a song out of its own mouth?

Regardless of the completely unbelievable situation unfolding—

"Ohhhh~"

The lion leisurely sat down in the shade of the baobab tree to take a rest.

"...Master. Let’s not mess with him. He seems insanely strong."

"I agree with my brother. Master. It would be best not to provoke him."

"...Are you serious?"

Just what on earth did these guys sense from him?