I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 593

Living in the Forest of the Four Seasons, there was something I felt deep in my bones.

Modern civilization—specifically, Earth’s civilization—was ridiculously convenient.

The invention of the steam engine was truly a once-in-a-species breakthrough that humanity would never replicate.

Since I had been doing every single task by hand up until now, I naturally began to yearn for automation.

I had occasionally watched blacksmiths making weapons on You*ube, and even they utilized the benefits of modern civilization to some extent.

It was safe to say that very few people actually solved everything with a single hammer in hand like I did.

"This is so exhausting I feel like throwing up."

"Master. My arms are numb."

"Keep swinging."

Had we been hammering for over an hour? Even as Lackey grumbled, I silently kept striking with the hammer.

Just crafting a new anvil—and making it myself, at that—took well over two hours.

An anvil required an overwhelmingly larger amount of minerals compared to swords or other tools. Above all, it had to be incredibly hard.

The anvil I received from the dwarf was sturdy enough, but the problem was that the raw materials for the tools I wanted to craft were all extremely rare.

In fact, it was a miracle it had lasted this long. So, the moment the anvil split in half, I messaged the dwarf.

[Wild Grylls: (Photo of the anvil split in half)]

[Wild Grylls: Hey. Is your anvil on the verge of breaking too?]

[Passing Dwarf: Huh? Hold on.]

[Passing Dwarf: (Photo of a severely cracked anvil) What the hell? Why is my anvil like this? This has been passed down since my great-grandfather’s time.]

[Wild Grylls: That’s because the tools I gave you are too powerful. I’ll craft a separate anvil and send it to you.]

It seemed the dwarf had only just realized it. Fortunately, while his tools were powerful, the items he crafted were ordinary.

Thus, only after handing over a new anvil to the dwarf could I begin crafting the sword in earnest.

[Passing Dwarf: You’re doing it by hand? The difficulty gap between that and just pouring it into a mold is massive.]

[Wild Grylls: But it yields a much better sword.]

[Passing Dwarf: True. I’ll send you a quick video, so try following along.]

Kindly enough, the dwarf even filmed and sent a video of how he crafted swords.

Although he described himself as a mere loafer who did nothing but drink, a dwarf was still a dwarf.

Folding metal over metal like paper before hammering it again, sprinkling special powder to minimize loss, and so on.

Since he showed me the entire process, I was able to follow along reasonably well.

[Wild Grylls: Fuck, this is incredibly hard. I’ve even made axes before, so why is this so difficult?]

[Passing Dwarf: That was just hammering, but this is metallurgy lol]

It was ridiculously hard. Even though I had crafted all sorts of tools up until now, this was on another level.

Just as the dwarf said, unlike ordinary tools, crafting an excellent sword was a whole different dimension of difficulty.

It looked so easy in the video, but that was only because the dwarf was absurdly skilled.

[Passing Dwarf: Where are you failing? Tell me, and I can give you some feedback.]

[Wild Grylls: When I’m hammering, the sword just snaps in half midway through.]

[Passing Dwarf: That’s usually because you heated it in the fire for too long. If it were ordinary iron, it would be fine, but since you mixed all kinds of metals, you have to find the right timing yourself. Anything else?]

[Wild Grylls: (A video of fireworks basically going off every time I hammer)]

[Wild Grylls: (A video of Lackey freaking out because of the fireworks) It ends up like this.]

[Passing Dwarf: Lmao, holy shit, Hahaha]

Fortunately, even though all kinds of bizarre incidents occurred, the core foundation of hammering remained the same. The dwarf also diligently gave me feedback.

As a result, I had no choice but to pour more than a full day into crafting the sword.

’At this rate, I won’t be able to finish them all by the New Year.’

Originally, I had planned to distribute swords to the three of them: Yoo So-wol, Ash, and Asella.

All three were warriors who used swords, and we had gotten to know each other over Christmas.

Since they were connections I wanted to maintain in the long run, I wanted to give them gifts to commemorate it.

But now, I realized that let alone three, it would be difficult to give even one.

’Crafting aside, performance and stability are the key issues.’

Since I mixed the three legendary metals, there was no need to verify the performance. The key was stability.

In the worst-case scenario, the sword might snap clean in half the moment I gifted it.

I had to present a fully finished product somehow for everyone to feel at ease.

’I also need to make... a hilt, right?’

The crafting, which had started with such high spirits, had to be temporarily halted due to various obstacles.

Of course, while I stopped making three, I managed to complete one somehow.

It lacked a hilt, leaving only the bare blade, but this was enough for now.

’Even if it’s a bit late, I should take my time and give them out slowly.’

Giving them within January would be plenty. That was my decision.

It was better than rushing the process and giving them something unsightly.

Besides, I wasn’t just planning to give swords to those three; I was also considering other regular users.

’I want to give a shield to Praise the Sun.’

I turned my head and looked at the shield hanging on the wall of my house. Praise the Sun’s Golden Shield, which I had put to incredibly good use.

Because I had handled it roughly, it was dented here and there, and in the end, I kept it as a decoration, but I still maintained it regularly.

’Although I’ve given him many things so far, he did say that shield was originally a family heirloom.’

I had given Praise the Sun many things. However, that shield was a family heirloom.

When he readily handed it over, he said it wasn’t that important of an item. That might actually be the case.

But the mere fact that he had given away a family heirloom made it more than worthy of a proper return gift.

’Given Praise the Sun’s personality, he’ll likely use it as a decoration or an emergency fund.’

Unlike the others, Praise the Sun wasn’t a warrior but just a normal(?) wealthy resident of Setan.

Unless it was equipped with a stealth function like dinosaur leather, it would be nothing more than a high-performance shield to him.

Therefore, it was more of a gesture to say "please look after me in the coming year."

’The problem is Princess Chaenggu... This person is a real headache.’

There was no one trickier to gift than Princess Chaenggu.

She was someone who would literally give you her liver and gallbladder if you just consistently cheered for Chaeyu.

Even when it came to material things, she didn’t care about Mithril or Adamantium. Orichalcum was all she needed.

For the record, I was also consistently cheering for Chaeyu, and his performance was actually great. He was proudly holding a solid first place.The source of this chapter is novelping . com.

Looking at Princess Chaenggu’s chat and post history, it seemed the coach had some sort of realization, and they had a very successful transfer market, or something like that.

’But directly supporting Chaeyu is a no-go. It’s a double-edged sword.’

I knew they were already doing some unofficial marketing, calling it "The team cheered on by the Herald of God!"

They couldn’t do it openly because they had to be mindful of the Holy Kingdom, with whom they recently established diplomatic relations, but the rumor had already spread far and wide long ago.

In this situation, it was glaringly obvious what kind of consequences direct support would bring.

"Wonmo. Repeat after Daddy."

"What is it?"

"First, put this on..."

Therefore, I turned to our cute mascot, Wonmo, for a favor.

An adorable charm that would make Princess Chaenggu—who only cared about cheering for Chaeyu—absolutely melt. Wonmo was more than enough.

"Daddy. This is uncomfortable."

"If you bear with it and wear it, Daddy will make you something delicious."

"Daddy is the best!"

I easily coaxed the whining Wonmo with food.

Thus, after taking photos and videos of Wonmo wearing Chaeyu’s uniform, I immediately uploaded them to the Gallery.

Title) Chaeyu fans, look here. Wonmo has something to say

Wild Grylls

(Video of Wonmo wearing the uniform and bowing to wish everyone a Happy New Year)

Go Chaeyu!

Our Shelter’s mascot, Wonmo, is cheering for you!

ㄴHeavenly Demon) How adorable. To receive cheers directly from Wonmo, it seems Chaeyu will be filled with blessings in the coming year as well.

ㄴSword Matstar) But doesn’t Wonmo need a stepmother too? Haha

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) (An emoticon staring intently)

ㄴSword Matstar) What?

ㄴStop pretending you don’t know, woman lol

ㄴWhy is that staring emoticon so funny lol

ㄴI’m watching you shudders

ㄴBut Sword Matstar is a sub-manager, so what happens if she gets warned?

ㄴShe’ll get banned. Forever.

ㄴShe’s really walking a tightrope lol

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Kyaaaa!!! I love it so much! What a touching and cute year-end gift! When you come outside, I’ll give you a deep kiss!

ㄴI’m jealous. A kiss from the precious Demon Race.

ㄴAre you a solo-for-life by any chance?

ㄴNo, no;; It’s because the Demon Race is so conservative about chastity that they make Elves look wild. If you even kiss, you absolutely have to get married.

ㄴWhat kind of stubborn chastity rule is that?

ㄴInstead, you have to physically defeat a Demon Race woman to get a kiss.

ㄴAh. If that’s the case, I respect it.

ㄴHow is that conservative? That’s just wild and raw lol

ㄴBut it’s funny how it actually makes sense because they’re the Demon Race lol

ㄴThe most important thing: Princess Chaenggu never said she was a woman.

ㄴIt’s fine. If you treat a man like a woman, he becomes a woman.

The reaction was exactly as expected. Princess Chaenggu was practically dying of joy.

She even went so far as to send a private message to express her gratitude.

She also sent a new uniform as a year-end gift. Apparently, it was the design from this season.

[Wild Grylls: Are you serious about kissing me when I come outside? Haha]

[Princess Chaenggu: Yes. I’m totally serious, haha]

[Wild Grylls: I heard the Demon Race is incredibly strong, so I don’t think I can win against you?]

[Princess Chaenggu: Oh, come on. I can just defeat you, Grylls-nim, haha]

[Wild Grylls: ? Excuse me?]

I said it in jest, but the response was completely unexpected.

I roughly knew through exploring the Gallery that the Demon Race’s concept of chastity was conservative.

And that because they were a race that revered strength and victory, there was a custom-like tradition where one had to defeat their partner to marry them.

[Princess Chaenggu: What era do you think we’re living in to have such outdated mindsets? A woman can totally defeat a man and claim him.]

[Wild Grylls: Uh... is that so? Won’t the elders get angry if they see that?]

[Princess Chaenggu: Don’t worry about that either. Someone just said it earlier. If you treat a man like a woman, he becomes a woman.]

[Wild Grylls: I guess... so?]

[Princess Chaenggu: And I like women.]

[Wild Grylls: ...?]

[Princess Chaenggu: Hehehe. Come here!!!]

[Wild Grylls: Kyaaaaah!]

Since she belonged to the Demon Race of all things, she might actually be serious. I wondered if I would meet her at least once when I went to watch Chaeyu’s match someday.

After chatting with Princess Chaenggu, I sent a message to another regular user.

It was Allfather, whom I had previously tasked with researching the arrow. I wanted to check the progress of his research while offering my year-end greetings.

[Wild Grylls: Hello, Allfather-nim. Is the research on the arrow going well?]

[Allfather: Yes. I have deduced a few things.]

[Wild Grylls: Could you share them with me?]

[Allfather: First, I must inform you that there is a weapon with the exact same properties as this arrow.]

Allfather explained about Gula, the cursed demonic sword that once gained notoriety.

He said that just like this arrow, it sucked up all of its wielder’s mana, leaving them completely drained and ruined.

Although it currently slept deep within a volcano, there could be more weapons like it.

[Allfather: The Chief God used a wide variety of weapons. Therefore, if this arrow was indeed used by the Chief God as you claim, Grylls-nim, other weapons might possess similar effects.]

[Wild Grylls: He wasn’t some kind of weapon master, so are there actually records of the Chief God using that many weapons?]

[Allfather: There are barely any, but according to mythology, a few records do exist.]

[Wild Grylls: Why would such a person be recorded simply as the Chief God instead of the God of War? That’s strange.]

Aris was the Goddess of War and was revered as the ’Martial God’.You are reading on nove‌lping.com, the official source.

Every martial art in this world was based on Aris.

Furthermore, the two disciples who spread breathing techniques to the world were also disciples of Aris.

’She is a deity truly worthy of the title of Grandmaster.’

Aragon also left significant achievements, including magic, but fell slightly short compared to Aris.

Even so, even Aragon enjoyed higher recognition than the Chief God. The Chief God was an entity with an almost bizarre lack of records.

[Allfather: As I mentioned before, there are numerous records of the Chief God physically subduing the Twin Gods. He was strong, to say the least, and certainly not weak. Even you, Grylls-nim, lack technique but are ridiculously strong, aren’t you?]

[Wild Grylls: Are you saying the Chief God just had an absurdly high weight class like me?]

[Allfather: It is strictly in the realm of speculation. However, if the cursed sword and the arrow were truly the Chief God’s weapons, he must have possessed an amount of mana unimaginable to humanity.]

As expected of Allfather. He had proposed a highly credible hypothesis based on a single arrow.

In reality, the Chief God had literally thrown mountains and sliced the dragon known as the Tyrant Dragon King in half.

He had instantly subdued an entity that even Aris had struggled against. His martial might was beyond question.

’I’m getting more and more curious.’

Why did Aris, Aragon, and even the forgotten gods refer to him as ’Teacher’?

And why did that teacher completely vanish without a trace? I felt myself getting drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery.

After expressing my gratitude to Allfather, I gifted him the dragon bones I had collected earlier.

We also exchanged warm wishes for a Happy New Year. I would surely maintain my connection with this regular user as well.

[Heavenly Demon: Sir. Are you there?]

It was about time to prepare for the New Year. A message arrived from the Heavenly Demon.

Guessing it was probably a message wishing me a Happy New Year, I sent a reply.

[Wild Grylls: Yes. What’s the matter?]

[Heavenly Demon: I shall bestow a gift upon you.]

[Wild Grylls: A gift?]

[Heavenly Demon: Do you know what a sky lantern is?]

I knew what it was. A small paper lantern released into the sky.

They were used in various festivals, and sometimes people made wishes on them.

[Heavenly Demon: In the Central Plains, there is a custom of releasing sky lanterns every New Year. I hope you will participate as well.]

[Wild Grylls: Even though we are physically apart, it will feel like our hearts are connected. Thank you.]

[Heavenly Demon: Hearts being connected... Yes. Just as you say, connecting our hearts is what matters.]

With the sky lanterns received from the Heavenly Demon, my New Year preparations were complete.

Of course, I had to do what needed to be done first. I stood up and went outside.

Since it was the New Year, everyone was staying awake to wait until dawn, so no one was sleeping.

Fortunately, thanks to taking a nap during the day, there was no sign of fatigue at all.

"Guys. Take one each."

"What is this?"

"It’s a sky lantern. Write your wish on it and release it. It’ll be beautiful."

[Ah. I am familiar with that culture. I have done it a few times myself.]

Perhaps because it was a visually beautiful tradition, it seemed to have existed even back when Cain was active.

After explaining how to use them to everyone, I set off again. Soon, I arrived in front of the World Tree.

Though it was a plant and couldn’t speak directly, I still wanted to express my gratitude.

Jol-jol-jol-jol—

"You worked hard too. I’ll be in your care in the future as well."

I expressed my gratitude while sprinkling Empty Sky Stone Milk here and there.

As if the World Tree understood my feelings, a gentle breeze blew by.

The wind was natural, so I couldn’t be sure if it truly reacted, but it certainly felt that way.

Hwareuk—

As midnight drew near, I lit the sky lantern gifted by the Heavenly Demon.

The lantern had my wish written on it. The content of the wish was nothing grand.

’Just let me get out of this godforsaken forest.’

Lackey and Dolsoe, as always, wrote down wishes about wanting to eat lots of delicious food.

Cain wrote a devout prayer directed toward Aris. And finally, Bbareumbo...

[Family]

He had left only a single, deeply touching word. It was even written in Korean.

He had spent quite a bit of time just to write that one word, but what did it matter?

Thus, after everyone wrote down their wishes, I waited for midnight to arrive.

’Please...’

Soon, the moment the time hit 00:00 on the Gallery’s clock.

’May I leave this forest and find happiness.’

My family and I released the sky lanterns high into the air.

Though their numbers were meager, they were so bright they created the illusion of stars ascending into the sky.

An eventful year had ended, and the New Year had arrived today.

It had been chaotic both inside and out, but most of it yielded good results.

Especially during Christmas, we had made memories that could never be forgotten.

’My age is... No, never mind. There’s no point in counting.’

I watched until the light of the sky lanterns was no longer visible, then quietly began cleaning up.

The family members also helped clean up without a word and lay down in their respective beds.

For the record, Dolsoe used the bed that Ludwig used to use. Leaving it abandoned wasn’t a very good idea anyway.

And so, the morning of the New Year dawned.

"Master. Something strange popped up in front of my eyes."

"What is it?"

"Welcome to the Continental Integrated Gallery."

"...?"

From the very morning of the New Year, I was faced with something mind-blowing.