I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 653

There is a term called cosmic horror.

The emotion felt when facing something that humans can never oppose, reject, or even properly comprehend.

A fear rooted in helplessness, which can be felt not just in fantasy but in reality as well.

A prime example is bathophobia, the fear of the deep sea. The ocean is a region about which almost nothing is known, on par with outer space.

Especially in the deep sea, not a single speck of light enters, leaving only darkness, and even the creatures living there look grotesque.

This fear arising from endless unknowns and overwhelming power is cosmic horror.

And right now, I could vividly feel that fear from an overwhelming power.

’There wasn’t... just one? Does this even make sense?’

I gaped as I looked around at the Mechanical Krakens housed in the hangar.

The raid of the Mechanical Kraken, which was practically a natural disaster itself, beyond a mere catastrophe.

Setting aside the Colossus since we had sought it out ourselves, and even the dragon Vanir hadn’t attacked us out of the blue.

But the Mechanical Kraken was different. Not only did it attack us from the very beginning, but it also destroyed the entire surrounding area.

’He said these were all for mineral harvesting... then how strong are the combat-use ones?’

Did it mean that entities on par with the Colossus were lined up here? My breath caught in my throat.

Even the dragons of the Mythological Age had faced these monsters, and some had even gained the upper hand.

Hadn’t even Aris struggled greatly against the Tyrant Dragon King?

The being who sliced such a monster in a single blow was their Sovereign, the Chief God.

I couldn’t even begin to grasp how powerful the Chief God truly was.

"Did you... craft all of these yourself?"

[I didn’t do it alone. Do you happen to know someone named Alund?]

"I’ve entered a city built by him before. Though it has all vanished now."

[Aris smashed that place too, didn’t she?]

"Uh..."

How should I explain this? Rolling my eyes, I decided to tell the truth.

It was fine up to entering the City of Alund, but the moment the remaining records ended, it had attacked us.

In the end, the city squirmed like liquid before transforming into a Colossus, and we barely defeated it thanks to Vanir’s timely assistance.

[A dragon? A dragon came and helped you?]

"Ah."

But I realized too late that I had made a slip of the tongue. Hearing Lucas’s tone grow slightly harsh, I thought, ’Uh-oh.’

To them, the dragons of the Mythological Age were enemies. Moreover, they were archenemies who had fought fiercely for dominance over the world.

No matter how much I explained that it was a good dragon, Lucas was highly unlikely to believe me.

’Even elderly folks back home throw a fit the moment North Korea is mentioned.’

Because of this, I had no choice but to walk on eggshells. Making excuses would only make things worse.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a while. I watched his expression, waiting for Lucas to speak.

[...That fellow didn’t do anything terrible to you, did they?]

"Pardon? Ah... yes. Just look at Tyranno. Their trust is so high that they even entrusted this child to me."

"Ppik?"

Seizing the opportunity, I brought Tyranno over and showed him to Lucas. Tyranno tilted his head, radiating cuteness to his heart’s content.

I wasn’t sure if he hadn’t noticed Tyranno’s presence until now, or if he just thought of him as an ordinary(?) dragon hatchling, but it seemed I could smooth things over.

[Well... if that’s the case, then it’s a relief. At least you didn’t get involved with one of those nasty-tempered ones.]

"You have a surprisingly neutral view on dragons."

[Neutral, my foot. I just don’t want to get involved with them. The number of my machines they broke alone exceeds hundreds.]

As if even caring was a hassle, Lucas waved his hand and changed the subject.

It was a relief, but I needed to be careful in the future. Hadn’t the same thing happened in the City of Alund?

The incident where they immediately turned hostile the moment they realized it was related to a dragon. It had almost ended in disaster.

"Hmph. Grumbling about some junk getting broken."

[Quiet, mutt.]

"I’m not a mutt!"

Heukgu took the opportunity to needle him slightly, but only ended up suffering the loss himself.

Well, from Heukgu’s perspective, he probably thought it was necessary to lighten the mood.

In any case, moving on, I followed behind Lucas and examined the Mechanical Krakens in detail.

They were highly similar in form to the one that had raided my home before, and as I drew closer, the sense of intimidation was no joke.

"Surely not all of these are operational, right?"

[They were operational in the past. But ever since that fellow Alund vanished, maintenance has been difficult, so they’re currently inoperable.]

"From what I saw, Alund seemed to be an expert in artificial intelligence, wasn’t he?"

[That’s right. But it’s strange. No matter how badly he got beaten by Aris, knowing his personality, he would have made a backup at least...]

"...."

So Alund’s consciousness might be somewhere around here. It was a highly plausible story.

Since Alund must have been one of the gods who followed Aragon, he would have certainly taken measures.

"Then do you also know about Sera?"

[Sera? You mean that vegetarian?]New chapters come out on no‌velping.com first.

"Yes."

[You’ve met quite a few of them, haven’t you? What happened to her?]

"I saw her integrated with a tree, but the moment she saw me, she turned to dust and vanished."

[She went peacefully, then. If you find news of the others, let me know.]

"Do you know about the Theme Park?"

[What on earth is that? What have those guys been doing out there anyway?]

Seeing that he didn’t even know about the Theme Park, it seemed he was in a body that couldn’t leave this place.

Since his body was mechanical, he probably couldn’t move around freely.

[Well, we can talk about that slowly. Why do you think I showed you this place?]

"Uh... to show off?"

[That’s true too, but I actually want to ask for your help.]

"Help? Didn’t you ask me to bring the transport ship earlier?"

[Something else besides that. If you are truly the Sovereign, there is a way to prove it.]

"?"

Earlier he told me to split my head open to check if I had a brain, so what was it this time?

By the time I harbored doubts, we arrived at the repair facility at the end of the hangar.

It looked like a facility for repairing damaged Krakens, and indeed, numerous mechanical arms were in the middle of repairs.

"Isn’t that the one Master smashed?"

"Uh... probably not? The one I broke had its center pierced through."

Fortunately(?), it wasn’t the one I had smashed. If it had been, Lucas would have noticed my identity right away.

In any case, the Kraken under repair was somewhat strange. Its balance was tilted to one side, standing askew.

[It ended up like this because materials are scarce. Normally, we could even repair the collapsed floor, but it’s difficult right now.]

"Are you asking me to get materials?"

[No? See that collapsed part over there? Support it until the repairs are finished.]

"...?"

I narrowed my eyes, wondering if I had misheard. I even tilted my head.

So, lift that giant Kraken and hold it up until the repairs are done, is that it?

"Is such a thing even possible?"

[The Sovereign would have lifted it easily with just one arm. He was someone who threw mountains, after all.]

"So if I am the Sovereign, I should be able to lift this effortlessly?"

[It’s a very simple and clear method of verification. What do you think?]

"...."

I was lost for words. Partly because it was absurd, and partly because it was actually true.

The Sovereign I knew—that is, the Chief God—actually had a track record of throwing an entire mountain.

If someone asked if a human could do that, the only answer I could give was, "It’s possible because he is a ’god’."

"If I do this, what reward will you give me? Will you upgrade my gear?"

[An upgrade to the level of Revolution is difficult, but I can do it. It seems your mana pool is incredibly vast as well.]

"Sss... what the hell, let’s do it."

There was no reason I couldn’t. Besides, getting a gear upgrade made it a win for me.

The problem was whether I could lift this heavy Kraken, but honestly, I felt like I could.

Hadn’t I pulled the iron chains connected to the floating island last time? I lightly warmed up and headed toward the tilted section.

ㄴSword Matstar) Watch your back when you lift it! Whatever you do, absolutely watch your back!

ㄴAllfather) Isn’t that a bit too blatant?

ㄴSword Matstar) A man’s back is his life, isn’t it? Haha

ㄴHeavenly Demon) A woman’s waist is important as well. You are far too passive.

ㄴSword Matstar) Oh my. Are you finally understanding my heart now?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) I am saying that passive women lack charm. That is why you remain an old maid.

ㄴSword Matstar) You fucking bitch?

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Both of you, please calm down...!

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Hero-nim. Your mouth is smiling.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) I am n0t!

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Doesn’t look like a typo to me.

Let’s ignore their bickering. After checking if my body was in good condition, I accelerated the mana inside me.

As the mana circulated tightly, the muscles throughout my body were stimulated. Once I warmed up a bit more, I should be fully capable of lifting it.

Soon, the moment I felt all my muscles activate, I immediately channeled strength into my arms, back, and furthermore, my thighs, lifting the Kraken.

"Huuup!"

Kkigigigik-

Rather than just shaking, the Kraken slowly rose while making its characteristic metallic screech.

I squeezed my body into the gap, which had opened up much wider than before.

The Kraken, which had risen, came back down, but that was no problem. Squeezing my body in was the top priority.

"Huuuup!"Visit novelping(.)com for the full chapter.

Concentrating strength in my thighs, I slowly lifted it. It felt as if I were weightlifting.

This sensation of tightly pulling not only my thighs and back but even the muscles in my neck.

It was proof that I was using my entire body rather than focusing on just one part.

[Just hold on a bit! I’ll repair it right away and finish up!]

"H-How long...!"

[An hour?]

Deolkeong!

Hearing that it would take an hour, my strength momentarily drained away. This guy had to be joking.

But this was a task I had to endure to upgrade my sword.

Chijijik- Chijijik-

[Wow. You’re holding up incredibly well, aren’t you? Do you happen to know Atlas from Greek and Roman mythology? He’s the god who shoulders the heavens, and you look exactly like him right now.]

"Shut up and just fix it quickly!"

[Alright, alright. Stop nagging.]

I wasn’t nagging; it felt like I was dying. I gritted my teeth and endured.

Fortunately, my companions didn’t just stand around playing; they offered me quite a bit of help.

Giving me water from time to time, the children acting cute, and so on.

"Wiggle, wiggle. Wiggle, wiggle."

"You little bastard...!"

Except for Lackey, who was teasing me by shaking his butt in front of me.

That punk is doing that even though he knows he’ll get scolded later. He’s a real Sun Wukong.

"Brother. You tease him to your heart’s content too. Now is the chance."

"Won’t we get scolded?"

"We’re going to get scolded plenty in the future anyway, so shouldn’t we tease him to our heart’s content now?"

I should strip him completely naked later and kick him outside. Just like how my parents used to punish me in the past.

Still, it wasn’t completely unhelpful. Lackey teasing me like that actually gave me more strength.

"Lackey. Do you want to try holding it? This isn’t as heavy as it looks."

"Don’t lie. The veins on Master’s head are popping out."

"I’m just exaggerating."

"Hide your trembling voice first."

As expected, it didn’t work. In mythology, Heracles used a trick like this to coax Atlas back.

Letting out a hollow laugh, I steadfastly shouldered the Kraken. I didn’t run out of strength midway.

Just like that, how much time had passed?

[It’s all done. You can put it down now.]

The long, arduous task was finished. The moment I heard those words, I slowly released my strength.

The Kraken, which normally would have tilted, stood upright. It seemed the work had been completed successfully.

"Aigo. I’m dying..."

[It seems your strength hasn’t fully returned yet. I suppose this is just a glimpse of it.]

While I was exhausted, Lucas came down and spoke to me.

Hearing those words, it was hard to grasp just how powerful the Chief God had been.

"Just how strong was that Sovereign? I know he actually threw a mountain, but wasn’t there something even more extreme?"

[There are many, many. For example...]

Lucas pondered for a moment, then spoke as if a funny incident had crossed his mind.

[The time when a missile failed to launch, so he threw it himself to make it detonate?]

"...."

[But because he threw it too hard, the missile didn’t even detonate. It just pierced straight through and that was it.]

"Was he even human?"

[Looking at you right now, would anyone call you human either?]

It was a clear fact, so I had nothing to say.

Still, it was nice that an upgrade was possible, but...

[Ah, dammit. The furnace isn’t working. Hey. Let me ask one more favor.]

"What is it?"

[Your body is tough too, right? You just need to withstand the temperature of lava.]

"...."

Are you kidding me right now? At this rate, he’s going to ask me to endure the heat emitted by a neutron star.

In the end, I postponed the sword upgrade for later. Since repairing this was enough for now anyway.

Only one thing remained.

"Study, Park Kkobong."

"Uuu... it’s hard, Master..."

"No food if you can’t do it."

"You’re really too much, Master."

Making Lackey study.