I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 62

After encountering the chicken that was big enough to rival a saber-toothed tiger, there were no particular dangers.

Of course, occasionally there were snakes, huge lizards, hawks comparable to pterodactyls, and so on.

I spotted all sorts of animals, but fortunately, we didn’t clash.

The Adamanti-whatever shield could be considered an upper-tier version of the Golden Shield.

It was thanks to this shield demonstrating its efficacy whenever things got dangerous.

’At this rate, dinosaurs might pop out next.’

I couldn’t describe how shocked I was when I saw a hawk matching the size of a pterodactyl.

Luckily, the creature had already finished hunting; otherwise, it would have been truly dangerous.

Even the prey that guy snatched up wasn’t an ordinary size either.

’A bird didn’t snatch Wonmo away, did it?’

Wonmo’s footprints and the claw marks left by Speed Sloth still extended straight ahead.

However, after seeing that pterodactyl-like hawk just now, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Because if the trail abruptly ended in the middle, it would mean he had been swept up into the sky.

Speed Sloth might be strong on the ground, but the moment he was abducted into the sky, he’d be rendered helpless.

"Wonmo! Where are you! Answer if you’re there!"

I called out Wonmo’s name as I pursued the trail.

Then, I managed to find what was presumed to be a snake left over from Wonmo’s meal.

A snake whose head had been cleanly exploded and its entire body torn to shreds.

Seeing it squirm occasionally, it seemed it hadn’t been hunted very long ago.

’They’re nearby.’

I had almost caught up to Wonmo and Speed Sloth.

However, the problem was that the tracks weren’t very visible.

At least Speed Sloth’s claw marks were there, but not a single footprint could be seen.

The trees in the area were dense, and there was far too much grass on the ground.

’Just wait till I find you.’

I’m gonna give his butt a real good spanking.

And I’ll demand to know from Speed Sloth why he didn’t stop him. I’ll only let it slide if he has a justified reason.

’...Does letting it slide or not even mean anything?’

He’s stronger than me, after all. That thought crossed my mind briefly, but I forced myself to brush it off.

Before long, as I barely managed to follow the trail, I gradually emerged from the dense forest.

That made it even more of a problem. Leaving the forest meant heading into a different region altogether.

I prayed fervently that they hadn’t entered a place where space warped.

-Ggyuuu-u-u-u!

Some crying sound reached my ears. It was an extremely familiar sound.

There was no one else who made such a cute sound besides Wonmo.

"Wonmo?!"

I snapped my head in the direction of the sound.

It was a remarkably urgent cry. Was he being chased by a wild beast?

Given that he was desperate despite having Speed Sloth with him, it had to be a perilous situation.

"Wonmo! Over here! Over here!"

"Ggyuuu-u-u!"

Wonmo must have heard my voice too, as his cries grew even louder than before.

The thickets in the direction I was looking at began to shake violently as well.

Rustle!

"Ggyuuu-u-u!"

Wonmo burst out of the thicket, with Speed Sloth piggybacking on his back.

My relief at finally finding them was brief; seeing what emerged right behind them, I couldn’t help but be flabbergasted.

Rustle! Rustle!

"Bpi-yak! Bpi-yak! Bpi-yak!"

"Bpya-ak! Bpyak-bpyak!"

The chicks with the striking black bodies I saw earlier.

Not just one, but multiple chicks burst out of the thicket.

Vigorously flapping their wings, they looked quite cute, but the problem was their size.

The sight of human-sized chicks swarming together was immensely threatening.

"Bpi-yak? Bpi-yak?"

"Bpi-yak?"

The chicks chasing Wonmo froze the moment they spotted me.

It seemed they were taking a moment to assess the situation after my out-of-nowhere appearance.

"Ggyuu... Ggyuu..."

Wonmo was holding onto my leg tightly, trembling all over.

From the looks of it, he was terrified of the chicks.

’Well, I’d run away too if I were him.’

From the perspective of Wonmo, who was relatively small, wouldn’t it feel like elephants were chasing him?

Yet the expression on Speed Sloth, who was clinging to his back, was comfortable as could be.

-Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!

It happened while we were locked in a standoff. The clear crow of a rooster echoed from afar.

Hearing that sound, the chicks looked at each other’s faces.

"Bpi-yak. Bpi-yak."

"Bpi-yak."

The chicks exchanged some words with each other, then turned around.

Soon after, the chicks entered the thicket and vanished.

It seemed that loud rooster crow just now served as a kind of recall signal.

"Phew."

"Ggyuuu-u."

Once the situation concluded, I let out a sigh of relief.

Wonmo, who had been clinging to my leg, also felt relieved and slowly let go.

"...Wonmo."

"Ggyu?"

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

At my rebuke, Wonmo tilted his head. It was a reaction that said he didn’t really know.

Right. Saying anything right now would just be like reading scriptures to a cow’s ear.

Since Speed Sloth seemed to have tagged along after seeing Wonmo leave, I couldn’t scold him either.

"Phew. Let’s hurry back. It’s dangerous here."

"Ggyu. Ggyu."New chapters come out on NovelPing first.

When I said to go back, Wonmo tugged at my pants with his beak.

It felt like he was leading me somewhere, so I quietly observed his behavior.

There was a possibility he had discovered something.

I deliberated briefly, then logged into the Gallery.

’There’s plenty of time.’

It took roughly 2 hours just to find Wonmo. Meaning there was still time left before lunch.

However, I couldn’t explore for long. I had to factor in the time to return as well.

Especially, I mustn’t forget the crabs to give to Passing Dwarf.

’First, let’s post that I found Wonmo.’

Fearing Wonmo might run away while I wrote the post on the Gallery, I clamped him between my legs.

While I clamped Wonmo firmly between my legs, Speed Sloth climbed onto my back.

Title: Found the troublemaker

Wild Grylls

(Photo of Wonmo looking up from between my legs)

Found this troublemaker. He’s making my heart drop out of my chest.

Good thing Speed Sloth went along; otherwise, it would’ve taken ages.

└ Heavenly Demon: I am glad you found him. You are not hurt, are you?

└ Wild Grylls: I ran into a massive chicken along the way, but I’m not hurt anywhere.

└ Heavenly Demon: You encountered a chicken? How large was it?

└ Wild Grylls: In terms of height alone, it was way taller than me. The chick was around eye level with me.

└ Heavenly Demon: Hm. I wonder if it is a spiritual beast or simply an oversized chicken.

└ Wild Grylls: Can chickens be spiritual beasts too?

└ Heavenly Demon: All flora and fauna can evolve into spiritual beasts provided the conditions are met.

└ Sword Matstar: How about hunting that chicken for a stamina-boosting meal?

└ Wild Grylls: My head would get crushed first;; It was fucking terrifying, seriously.

└ Sword Matstar: The guy who killed a tiger got scared of a chicken?

└ Wild Grylls: Yes.

└ Sword Matstar: That can happen, I suppose.

└ LOL

└ Look at her accepting it right away LOL

└ Passing Dwarf: Hey kid. When are you giving me my snacks? My friend is whining because it’s taking too long.

└ Wild Grylls: Really sorry. I’ll give it to you today or tomorrow.

└ Passing Dwarf: I trust you’ll give extra bonus service since you’re late?

└ Wild Grylls: Are two crabs enough?

└ Passing Dwarf: Give me some fish instead of that. Want to try eating some.

└ Wild Grylls: I can give it, but you’ll have to clean/gut it yourself?

└ Passing Dwarf: It’s fine (np)

Having checked the reactions on the Gallery, all that remained was returning.

"Ggyu. Ggyu."

However, this guy Wonmo kept pestering me to go somewhere.

Perhaps because it had been a while since he came outside, he seemed reluctant to return just like this.

Since there was plenty of time, there was no harm in granting his request.

Though if it looked dangerous, I’d bolt right away.

"Alright. But if it gets dangerous, we’re running away instantly, got it?"

"Ggyuu!"

At my permission, Wonmo answered with a bright smile.

Looking at that beyond-cute face, I gave a soft chuckle and stroked Wonmo’s head.

’I need to install iron bars at the cave entrance first thing.’

It wasn’t for nothing that people who raised pets installed gates in front of their doors.

Installing iron bars at the entrance was essential to prevent runaway incidents in the future.

When Wonmo stopped taking naps, I’d just have to take him along with me.

"Alright. Let me lead."

"Ggyuu!"

I put Wonmo in front and followed behind him.

Wonmo also seemed to realize this place was dangerous, as he didn’t stray far from me.

He even kept looking back every now and then to check if I was following along properly.

Just as I thought ’So this is why people raise pets,’ Wonmo turned back and cried out.

"Ggyuu!"

The fella pointed forward with his front paw as if saying ’It’s here.’

I turned my head toward the direction Wonmo was pointing.

"A cave?"

It was a cave. And one with a very wide entrance at that.

Unlike the place where the Golden Mushrooms were, there was nothing at the entrance.

Only the dark, gloomy cave entrance was welcoming us.

Because of the eerie atmosphere, entering felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Wonmo. Do we really have to enter here?"

"Ggyuu!"

How is he more adventurous than me? Is it because of a cub’s characteristic curiosity?

After a brief moment of doubt, I told Wonmo to wait a moment and looked around the surroundings.

Since the inside was far too dark, a torch was essential. Coincidentally, I had brought along cloth and oil.

Whoosh!

Now that I’ve lit a torch, it seems okay to enter.

Wonmo only led the way up to the distance reached by the torchlight and went no further.

’It goes downward from here.’

Before long, a downhill path began.

I told Wonmo to step back, then extended the torch forward.

Not only was the slope not that steep, but there were places to step every now and then.

Climbing back up shouldn’t be an issue. Still, caution was necessary.

"Wonmo. Wait for just a second."

"Ggyu?"

I purchased two long ropes from the Gallery.You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.

Then I tied the ropes securely to a sturdy-looking boulder.

’That way, even if we slip, we’ll be safe.’

I tied the ropes around my waist and Wonmo’s waist respectively.

I didn’t tie Speed Sloth separately. Because he possessed magnificent claws.

Now that safety equipment was prepared, I slowly descended the slope.

Even though Wonmo was just a cub, an animal is an animal, so he descended with movements nimbler than mine.

’These shoes are really good.’

Today I’m benefiting greatly from the shoes. Thanks to their anti-slip effect, no accidents occurred.

Even so, just in case, I didn’t forget to be careful.

If I accidentally twisted my foot and broke a bone, it would be a major disaster.

"Phew."

After descending the slightly steep downhill path completely, I let out a breath.

Wondering if the downhill path continued further, I checked with the torch, but there was no more. It was entirely flat ground.

"Woah..."

Looking at the scale of the cave interior, I gasped in admiration.

Even though the only light source was a single torch, it wasn’t a problem.

My eyes could discern terrain and objects even in the dark.

’Dangerous animals... don’t particularly see any.’

Bats, insects, snakes, and the like.

There were only animals that were large in size but couldn’t really be called dangerous.

Even the snakes that could be considered somewhat dangerous seemed timid, slithering away the moment we approached.

However, did they all look like prey to Wonmo?

"Shaaa!"

"Ggyu-kya-ak!"

A petty battle between a snake and a baby owlbear began.

The snake was only large in size, lacking venomous fangs, so it posed no threat to Wonmo.

What’s more, Wonmo’s reaction speed was fairly fast. The snake was utterly helpless.

’An owlbear really is an owlbear after all.’

While Wonmo chewed, tore, tasted, and enjoyed the snake, I explored the interior.

’By the way...’

Shining the torch here and there, I noticed one odd thing.

Setting aside how spacious the cave interior was, how should I put it... it was sparkling.

It wasn’t just one spot, but the entire cave sparkled like gemstones.

Even the ground I was standing on right now glistened with a faint purple light.

’What on earth is this?’

I picked up a stone rolling around on the ground.

Even the stone bore a faint purple hue.

It was a stone that clearly looked extraordinary at a glance.

’I should ask on the Gallery. The dwarf is a dwarf, so he’d probably know well?’

I picked up a few stones. It was for proper confirmation.

And I looked around to see if there were any other peculiar points.

Aside from the entire cave radiating a subtle purple glow, there was nothing special.

’This one looks like a human.’

In the process, I came face-to-face with something shaped like a human—more accurately, a giant.

Beyond looking at it from this angle and that, even touching it didn’t elicit any reaction. It seemed to be a structure formed by chance.

Having scouted the surroundings like that, I finished preparations to return.

"I’ll have to wash up immediately upon returning, if only because of ticks."

"Ggyu?"

"Yeah. You. You. Go back, eat dinner, and go straight to sleep."

Returning to the shelter didn’t take long.

I had conscientiously marked the way coming over, and didn’t stray onto other paths in between.

Thus ended Wonmo’s adventure, which took about 2 and a half hours.

However, only the adventure was over; work was piled up like a mountain.

’I have to eat, find out what this stone is, and wash Wonmo too. Busy, busy.’

First, I posted a question thread asking what the identity of this stone was.

If it was expensive, I’d put it up on the auction house, and if it needed processing, I intended to give it to the dwarf.

’I can just ask him to make crossbow bolts out of it, right?’

With that thought in mind, I posted on the Gallery.

After making the post, I started working. The first task was washing Wonmo.

Since he had been rummaging through thickets, every tick imaginable had to be stuck to his body.

"Ggyuuu..."

"Feels good?"

"Ggyu!"

"You really are royalty, absolute royalty."

Wonmo floated, poking only his face out of the warm bathwater.

Even though we suffered today, considering it as doing some long-overdue exploration, it was fine.

Next, I washed my body clean as well and checked the post.

└ Passing Dwarf: I’m telling you that’s definitely Orichalcum! Fuck, even if I’m a drunkard, I’d know that much.

└ What if you’re wrong? Willing to bet the beer in your hand?

└ Then I’ll admit it LOL

└ Passing Dwarf: Ha, fuck... that’s a bit much...

└ Scaredy-cat LOL

└ It’s Mithril, but you can’t bet beer?

└ Honestly, a dwarf can’t resist beer LOL

└ Praise the Sun: That looks like Orichalcum to me? I’ll upload a photo of what I have.

└ What kind of guy are you that you even own Orichalcum?

└ Praise the Sun: Setan rich guy

└ Holy fuck LOL

└ That answer seriously makes me crave a revolution LOL

"?"

Something strange was happening while I was away.