I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 631

Bacteria and viruses are impossible to see with the naked eye.

In particular, viruses are much smaller than bacteria, making a specially made microscope an absolute necessity.

Therefore, there was a high probability that what was visible to the eye was neither bacteria nor a virus, but this was the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Furthermore, since they were inside the Sky Whale, which was suspected to have been modified by the gods, it wouldn’t be strange for absolutely anything to exist here.

’But what’s the point of making bacteria bigger? They’re still just bacteria, aren’t they?’

I fell into thought as I watched the bacteria wriggling in front of my eyes like paramecia.

Whether they grew in size simply because this was the Forest of the Four Seasons or because a god had intentionally enlarged them, I didn’t know, but one thing was certain.

Getting rid of them would make things much easier going forward. Since they took after the appearance of bacteria, they were bound to be a nuisance.

’Since it hasn’t eaten anything right now, stomach acid won’t be secreted.’

I looked away from the bacteria for a moment and glanced around.

Even though I was illuminating the area with a Light Crystal Orb that had a fairly wide range, the ceiling was nowhere to be seen.

It was the same even when I looked around using my Eye Lantern. The throat had been wider than most caves, but the stomach took it to a whole new level.

"Master. Should I use fire magic? They look like they’d melt easily."

"No. It’s best to avoid high-firepower magic as much as possible in here. Have you forgotten where we are?"

At my scolding, Lackey grumbled. However, he didn’t offer any proper rebuttal.

And for good reason—this was the inside of the Sky Whale’s stomach, completely different from any other region.

If we carelessly used a high-firepower attack and damaged the internal organs, it would trigger a major disaster.

We had come here to deal with the parasites inside, but we might end up making the illness even worse.

"Then are we going to eliminate them one by one?"

"Hmm."

I stared at the teeming bacteria (presumably) and pondered. There certainly were a lot of them.

Moreover, I couldn’t even be sure if they were actually bacteria. So, I came up with an idea.

’I should try spraying Holy Water.’

Holy Water was a liquid that acted as a sort of disinfectant. It should be effective against bacteria as well.

Furthermore, unlike normal disinfectants that require a gastric lavage if swallowed, Holy Water was a liquid that was perfectly safe to drink.

Though not to the extent of an Elixir, I had heard rumors that drinking Holy Water could heal internal organs.

Chwaaak!

When I sprayed the Holy Water I had received from Asella, the bacteria visibly convulsed.

They couldn’t make any sound since they didn’t have mouths, but I could practically feel their agony.

I wondered if they really were just giant bacteria, but then something even more surprising happened.

Peong!

The bacteria hit by the Holy Water swelled up and burst on the spot.

As they exploded, some kind of liquid splattered in all directions. Fortunately, Lackey deployed his shield, so we didn’t end up covered in mucus.

Kkumteul-kkumteul-kkumteul—

As their companions literally exploded, the other bacteria began slathering that mucus all over their own bodies.

I wondered if that mucus was resistant to stomach acid, but I set that thought aside.

Since they could be easily dealt with using Holy Water, I decided to just pass by quietly for now, as long as they didn’t provoke us first.

They looked like house centipedes and were so numerous that dealing with them one by one would be a massive headache.

’And considering the location, the pain wasn’t in the stomach, but somewhere else.’

I unfolded the anatomical chart that Allfather had given me. As an added bonus, I compared it with the map I had seen in the throat earlier.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a huge difference between the two, but the map was much more detailed.

’It’s hurting near the heart... How do we get there?’

In humans, the stomach and heart are close together, but in whales, it’s a bit different.

Furthermore, because of its colossal size, it was extremely easy to get lost. Just as I was letting out a frustrated sigh at this...

"Master. Look at that."

"Huh?"

"There’s something square embedded there."

Lackey pointed somewhere. Turning my head in that direction, I saw a square object installed right on the stomach wall.

If we weren’t careful, we could have easily walked right past it. Lackey usually had a knack for finding strange things, so I was glad I brought him along.

While I wondered what it was, I noticed there was even an operational button beneath it.

I doubted whether it would actually work, but seeing how this place was decorated like a Theme Park, the chances were high.

BEEP—

As expected, the moment I pressed the button, light leaked from the panel installed on the stomach wall.

It seemed energy was being constantly supplied, just like in the Theme Park. Now we could obtain some information from this.

[Welcome, everyone, to the exploration of the Sky Whale’s body.]

Just like what we saw at the Theme Park, a video began projecting in a holographic format.Read this novel at no⁠velping.com for the best experience.

Starting with a broadcasting voice that carried a heavy AI vibe, the guidance began.

[This is the stomach of the Sky Whale. It is also a place connected to all other organs.]

"...."

[If you pass through the stomach, you will arrive at the Sky Whale’s small intestine. After passing through the large intestine, you will ultimately be excreted as feces.]

"Master. Are we going to become poop?"

"We’re not going that far."

When Lackey asked in an anxious voice, I answered immediately.

Of course, if we found nothing wrong even after reaching the heart, we might have to check all the way down there, but...

[For those who wish to reach the heart, please pass through the stomach to reach the small intestine, then follow the separate guidance to travel along the blood vessels to reach the liver. After reaching the liver...]

The announcer explained while kindly projecting a hologram. Thanks to that, I had a rough idea of the path.

To reach the heart, the place we had to go was the liver. The liver is one of the most important organs, often referred to as the body’s chemical factory.

’Every time I look at this, I can’t even fathom what kind of modifications they made.’

It could strictly be seen as animal abuse, but it was absurd that it didn’t seem to affect the Sky Whale negatively at all.

The Sky Whale’s loss of vigor was due to being neglected for a long time, not because they had modified its interior however they pleased.

’In fact, maybe it managed to endure for so long precisely because of those modifications.’

Anyway, now that we knew how to get to the heart, all that was left was to move.

First, our primary goal was to pass through this incredibly vast stomach. Fortunately, no stomach acid was secreted along the way.

It had feasted to its heart’s content yesterday, but today it had to starve because of the surgery (?).

Since it had easily endured without eating for a long time, one day of fasting would be plenty.

Instead...

"Uwoooo..."

"Whoa, shit. What is this?"

The things it had eaten yesterday threatened us in their half-digested states.

If they were giant bacteria like those house centipede-like things from earlier, it would have been one thing, but these hideous, slime-like creatures were approaching us.

ㄴAllfather) It looks like a shark that’s only half-melted.

ㄴStarlight Lady) It looks like that shark giant we saw last time, doesn’t it?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) That is true, but it also looks somewhat like a fishman.

The Sky Whale’s habitat was the ocean. And the ocean of the Forest of the Four Seasons was a demonic realm teeming with all kinds of monsters, including Krakens.

Since it must have traveled around eating all sorts of things there, it wasn’t strange for something like this to exist.

Jjeojeojeok!

So, I froze them immediately. Freezing them with cold was better than roasting them with fire.

Besides, they might be covered in stomach acid, so striking them directly was not a good choice.

Kwajib!

I kicked the frozen monster, shattering it into pieces.

The other ones crept toward us as well, but I subdued most of them with cold.

Since they were all half-melted by stomach acid and unable to exert their full strength, the difficulty wasn’t very high.

However, there was one disappointing thing: the Inner Cores they held inside their bodies.

Whether the Inner Cores had also melted in the stomach acid or the Sky Whale had already absorbed them, not a single one was in sight.

’The ones that made it past the stomach might be the real obstacle.’

Either they possessed resistance to stomach acid like the bacteria, or their physical weight class was just absurdly high.

Since the Sky Whale was perfectly fine no matter how carelessly its interior was modified, it would probably be fine even if such creatures showed up.

Or perhaps there was a defense mechanism to block those creatures. Whatever the case, caution was necessary.

"Master. Are we just going to leave these blocks of ice behind?"

"They’ll melt on their own. It’s not like there’s absolutely no stomach acid."

I said so as I quietly put on my gas mask. It was getting a bit harder to breathe, making this an unavoidable measure.

I could endure the stench, but other factors were the problem, so it was a necessary precaution.

After everyone in the party put on their gas masks, we passed through the stomach, which must have been several hundred meters long.

Until we passed the stomach and reached the small intestine, no other threats presented themselves.

"Whoa. This is seriously huge."

"It looks like the hermit crab we have at home."

"That’s not a hermit crab, it’s a clam."

Instead, a massive clam was blocking our path.

It was a clam so gigantic that it made me wonder how the whale had even swallowed it. How could a clam be much larger than a two-story building?

There was no benefit in provoking it, so just as we were about to pass by...Read the latest chapters at n⁠ovelping.com.

"Ptu!"

"?!"

The clam, which had shown no reaction until we got close, suddenly spat out a green liquid.

Because I backed away the moment I saw the signs, none of us were hit.

Chiiik!

Instead, a melting sound reached my ears, indicating that the liquid was highly acidic.

It wasn’t melting the stomach wall, but rather dissolving the half-melted stomach byproducts.

’Is it a gatekeeper or something?’

It really might be playing that kind of role.

Since it didn’t take any action as long as we stood still and didn’t try to pass.

After pondering what to do for a moment, I decided to break through head-on.

"Lackey. Deploy your shield. We need to find out how strong that acid is."

"Understood."

I layered Lackey’s shield over my thick Body-Protecting Gangqi.

Following that, I stealthily approached the side of the clam, waiting for the bastard to spray its acid.

"Ptu!"

As expected, the clam spat out a green acidic substance.

I backed away, adjusting my distance so it barely grazed us.

Then, I stared at my arm where the liquid had splashed, waiting to see the results.

Chiiiiik!

The acidic substance had melted about half of the shield Lackey deployed.

As long as it didn’t fire indiscriminately, we should be able to offset it with the shield and advance.

Still, just in case, it would be better to make thorough preparations. Conveniently, there was something perfect for an experiment.

"Guys. You know those house centipede-like things we saw earlier? Let’s collect the mucus they sprayed when they exploded."

"You’re not going to say we should smear that on our bodies, are you?"

"I am. If we coat it over our Body-Protecting Gangqi, it should be manageable."

"...."

Lackey and Dolsoe followed my opinion with expressions that said they had a lot to say but would choose not to.

As for Bbareumbo... well, he had his usual peaceful expression, so I let it slide.

ㄴAllfather) Oh, by the way. If so, could you perhaps send some of that mucus to me as well? It seems to have highly valuable potential for research.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Me too. If it’s truly resistant to acid, it might be very useful for potions in the future.

As a bonus, I gifted the mucus to the two researchers. Since both were smart people, they would handle it well on their own.

Soon, after coating our Body-Protecting Gangqi with the mucus, we stealthily slipped past the giant clam.

"Ptu! Ptu!"

As expected, the clam spat out the green substance.

The speed itself wasn’t very fast, but the problem was the droplets splashing in all directions when they hit the ground.

I couldn’t do anything about the fine mist of droplets splashing around.

Even so, it couldn’t pierce our three-layered barrier of Body-Protecting Gangqi, shield, and mucus.

"Let’s move quickly. Before that bastard does something else."

Thanks to that, we were able to reach the passage leading to the small intestine. It would be fine if we just passed through like this.

However, the world never works out exactly the way you want it to.

"Kkwaaaaak!"

"?!"

Suddenly, the clam went wild and charged straight at us.

I wondered how a creature without legs could charge, but when I looked closer, I realized why.

Flap! Flap!

It was flying.

You might think it makes absolutely no sense, but the clam was flapping and flying toward us.

Soon, it opened its massive maw, and I witnessed rows of sharp teeth bristling inside.

"Ah, seriously."

I grumbled inwardly.

"What a truly shitty forest."

I immediately pulled out Mistilteinn, a weapon perfectly suited for striking.