I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 632

The giant clam charged at us, flying through the air.

Dribbling acidic substances from its open shell, the way it approached resembled a rabid dog.

The common denominator was that both were fucking crazy.

"Pwaaaak!"

As the creature drew close to us, it spewed acidic substances from its mouth.

No matter how secure our three-layered barrier was, it would eventually melt if we kept taking hits.

In the end, this meant we had to settle this quickly rather than dragging it out. Realizing this, I shouted to the party.

"Avoid that liquid at all costs if you can! Lackey, don’t fight—just focus on replenishing the shield whenever it melts!"

"Understood!"

"Dolsoe, destroy that shell as much as possible! Since it’s hard, blunt strikes will work best!"

"Acknowledged."

Lastly, I granted Bbareumbo autonomy. As always, he was our insurance policy.

Meanwhile, the clam approached us, opening its massive mouth wide.

Thanks to that, I could clearly see it—the pearl glowing inside.

Gleaming brilliantly, it practically advertised to everyone, ’I am the weak point.’

Kwardeuk!

Did it change its strategy to eating us since it couldn’t melt us with acid?

The creature’s massive maw snapped shut, and everything went pitch black.

However, its maw hadn’t closed completely. Because I was holding it open with my bare hands.

I had blocked even the stomp of a giant frilled lizard’s forefoot last time, so this was nothing.

"Dolsoe, now!"

I exerted immense strength to prevent the clam from escaping.

Acidic mucus poured out from the opening, but I endured the discomfort.

Since everything would be resolved once we smashed its shell anyway.

"Huuup!"

Kwang!

While I held it in place, Dolsoe took the high ground on top of the clam.

Following that, he delivered his signature powerful Palm Strike, unleashing a massive explosive sound.

With the martial arts inherited from the Blood Demon combined with his physical weight class, which had increased drastically while living at my shelter.

Kwardeuk!

No matter how hard the clam’s shell was, it had no choice but to be half-destroyed.

At the same time, a change occurred. The clam’s mouth opened wide on its own.

Though it had transformed into a monster due to the nature of the Forest of the Four Seasons, it still retained the characteristics of a clam.

Normally, we could have just blasted it with fire to force it open, but since we were inside the whale’s body, we had to refrain from using fire as much as possible.

Banjjak! Banjjak!

As the shell opened wide, a brilliantly glowing green pearl revealed itself.

As a bonus, teeth bristling like harpoons surrounded the pearl to protect it.

It was tricky to deal with, but nothing is easier to handle than an enemy that exposes its weak point.

"Hryaa!"

I leaped high into the air and swung Mistilteinn forcefully toward the green pearl.

As if equipped with an automatic defense mechanism, the bastard spat green mucus toward me.

However, because Lackey was constantly replenishing the shield, there was no issue at all.

Chwajajajak!

Along with that came Bbareumbo’s timely support. He completely scattered the mucus with his sharp claws.

Kwang!

Thanks to them, Mistilteinn, imbued with my strength, struck down upon the pearl.

Kwardeudeuk! Jjaeng-geurang!

Cracks spread across the green pearl, and before long, it shattered like glass, scattering in all directions.

With the green pearl, which was practically its main body, completely destroyed, the clam also ceased to move.

However, the acidic mucus remained, so we had no choice but to be careful.

Banjjak! Banjjak!

Upon destroying the green pearl, I discovered another orb inside it.

It looked like an Inner Core, but how should I put it... it looked highly toxic.

Normally, Inner Cores tend to be blue, but this one was distinctly green.

’They said Inner Cores with poison are purple or green, right?’Read the latest chapters at NovelPing.

I wondered if acidity was also considered a poison, but I just let it go.

Besides, when I first fell into the Forest of the Four Seasons and went to the river, hadn’t there been similar creatures?

The Golden Frogs—they were creatures that shot poison, and that poison could actually dissolve trees.

Fortunately, I had received a crossbow from the dwarf and dealt with them well, but if I had left them alone, managing drinking water would have been a nightmare.

ㄴAllfather) Huu. Huu. To think there are so many research materials...!

ㄴSmart Demon) Snap out of it. Didn’t you see it melting things earlier?

ㄴAllfather) That is precisely why it piques my curiosity.

ㄴSmart Demon) Crazy bastard;;

As soon as the pearl was dealt with, Allfather posted a greedy comment.

Well, I could just toss him a few byproducts. However, for the acidic substances, I received a specially treated tool.

’The shell isn’t particularly hard, so I should just take the Inner Core.’

The only thing obtained from the clam was the Inner Core. I could just clean up roughly and finish.

Leaving it like this didn’t matter, as it would naturally be swept away once the Sky Whale fed.

"No one’s hurt, right?"

"I am fine."

"I have no issues either."

The party was also fine. Now we could move on again.

And so, it was when we passed the stomach and reached the passage leading to the small intestine.

It was a passage of similar width to the throat, with the only difference being the sticky liquid on the floor.

I worried if this was also acidic, but fortunately, it was just sticky.

"Master."

"What is it?"

"It seems I need a pair of shoes."

"You’re finally taking a step forward as a civilized being."

Perhaps finding the sensation highly unpleasant, Lackey grumbled.

Dolsoe was just quiet by nature, but judging by his grimace, he seemed to share similar feelings.

But what could we do? Regret is regret, no matter how early it comes.

It seemed I would have to craft shoes right after this exploration ended. Laughing inwardly, I moved my feet.

[Path to the Liver]

"How kind."

It was while we were walking endlessly down the passage. A signpost was standing right in the middle of the path.

Was this the separate guidance the announcer had mentioned earlier?

Anyway, I shrugged it off, thinking a guide was a good thing. Now it was time to enter the circulatory system, not the digestive system.

The circulatory system included major organs of the body, such as the heart, liver, kidneys, and so on.

The place we had to reach was the heart, which was practically the beginning and the end. We still had a long way to go.

ㄴAllfather) The liver acts like a factory for humans and most animals. It’s safe to say that alchemy is practically occurring inside the body.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) I only know that a good liver helps you recover from a hangover quickly.

ㄴAllfather) That is also correct... but usually, such cases occur when one drinks so much that even the liver cannot detoxify it.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Then if you remove the liver, do you get drunk faster?

ㄴAllfather) Keep your crazy talk to a moderate level. You might as well commit suicide if you’re going to do that.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Too bad

The dwarf spouted some crazy nonsense in the middle, but I let it pass. In any case, just as Allfather said, the liver is the most important organ for any animal.

Furthermore, it is a part where death is guaranteed the moment it suffers a fatal injury, much like the heart.

I heard it was because it lacked muscle, making it impossible to stop excessive bleeding or something like that.

’But I can’t even begin to guess what the gods might have done to it.’

The probability of them having modified it in some bizarre way was high. It was the liver, of all places.

While the heart would cause death if messed with even slightly, the liver was an organ with immense regenerative capabilities.

Even if it suffered nearly 70% damage, it could recover as long as it was treated properly.

Ancient humanity might have shaved off pieces of it bit by bit under the pretext of research.

’Well, this is also just speculation.’

I wouldn’t believe anything until I saw it with my own eyes. I had made that resolve while living in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Of course, even with such a resolve, the Forest of the Four Seasons was a place that constantly made you blurt out, "How the hell does something like that exist?"

It was a region where not being bound by common sense was the most important thing. Thinking so, I headed toward where the liver was located.

Chik-chik-chik-chik!

"...Oh, shit."Get faster updates on nove‌lping.com.

And the moment I arrived at the liver, I was so dumbfounded by the ’factory’ that came into view that I was left speechless.

It wasn’t a metaphor; it was a literal factory. A factory where steam escaped from large chimneys and loud noises echoed from within.

For a moment, I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn, but that wasn’t the case. Because Lackey had found a map attached to the wall.

"Master. It says ’Liver’ here."

"...."

"But is our liver supposed to look like that? Something is weird."

"No. This place is what’s weird."

There was only ever a metaphor about it being the body’s chemical factory, but who would have guessed there would be a literal factory inside?

I cleared up Lackey’s misunderstanding and looked around. Even if I wanted to maintain my composure, it was difficult to do so.

And with good reason—it wasn’t just a single factory; it was structured more like a so-called ’industrial complex.’

I didn’t know what kind of crazy bastards had installed a factory inside a whale’s body, but I could tell they had lost their minds.

ㄴSword Matstar) The Sky Whale isn’t a creature directly created by the gods, is it?

ㄴAllfather) The Sky Whale is a whale raised directly by the gods... but even I am starting to lose my certainty.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) There was also Heukgu, whom the Chief God raised, so it’s not that strange!

Asella was right. Hadn’t the gods created even a dog made of shadows?

Whether they caused genetic mutations or built an industrial complex inside a whale’s body, nothing was strange.

With even dragons spewing high-heat breath, it was best not to be bound by common sense.

’But why on earth did they build a factory here?’

Even though a long time had passed, this factory had not stopped operating.

Whether it hadn’t stopped even when the Sky Whale was abandoned, or if it started operating again once the whale began its predatory activities, I didn’t know.

For now, we needed to enter that factory and check. The more we dug, the more puzzling things kept popping up.

Chik-chik-chik-chik!

Before long, as we entered the factory, we could see a very familiar structure.

However, we couldn’t fully enter. Whether due to danger or security, it was blocked by a large glass wall.

It was strictly for observation purposes. This made me even more curious.

’Why did they make a place like this?’

It was while I was looking around various parts of the factory.

I found something, perhaps a separate device set up to guide visitors through the factory.

It was a device to explain the factory’s purpose. Just like the one we found above, there was a button.

As if it were the natural thing to do, I pressed the button and waited for the hologram to turn on.

Chijijik—

[Welcome, everyone, to the Sky Whale’s liver. I am...]

The explanation began as the hologram turned on. At first, it was nothing more than a self-introduction.

Meanwhile, I checked the inside of the factory beyond the glass wall, where something was being manufactured.

I couldn’t find any particular anomalies, which puzzled me, but before long, the woman in the hologram explained.

[Let me tell you what this factory was built for. This place mass-produces the energy source required for ship construction.]

"...What?"

An energy source for ship construction? What on earth did that mean?

While I blinked in bewilderment, the hologram spoke first.

[The Sky Whale is a creature genetically modified from Earth’s blue whale. Just as its heavy body flies through the sky, flying ships can also fly through the sky.]

"...."

Additionally, the substance extracted from the Sky Whale’s liver has the effect of suppressing aging, drastically extending our lifespan.

"...."

Come to think of it, I had heard of this before. Whales are animals that live long, slow lives.

’I think I understand how the gods have managed to stay alive until now.’

They truly were remarkable beings.

But what was more worrying...

ㄴAllfather) The gods have achieved eternal youth and immortality on their own.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Eternal youth and immortality. The Emperor would surely charge in with his eyes lit up.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Come to think of it, the Emperors of the Central Plains were all obsessed with eternal youth and immortality, weren’t they?

ㄴSmart Demon) They used a shortcut using the Immortal Herb, but it failed spectacularly.

...was that they had shown at least a glimpse of eternal youth and immortality.