I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 747

Mimics are biological AIs, which past humanity used quite usefully.

They are roughly similar to robots, but they can be considered an existence closer to a higher concept.

However, as a long time passed, old humanity went extinct, and as they took root in the new world, they came to be treated as monsters.

Since even rivers and mountains change in ten years, a Mimic, being one of old humanity’s creations, was no different.

’In particular, they said Mimics consume an immense amount of energy, right?’

The reason why the Mimics we know became monsters close to ’traps’ was also due to this.

Originally, Mimics consumed massive amounts of energy, and outside of the Forest of the Four Seasons, there weren’t many places that could supply it.

Therefore, because it was difficult for them to even maintain their form, they parasitized places like walls, chests, and doors.

After parasitizing like that for a while, they would devour prey when it came along, becoming the monsters we know.

’Even humans eat all sorts of things when they are starving to death, so a Mimic wouldn’t be any different.’

Of course, there were also Mimics meant purely for security rather than biological AI, so it was hard to generalize.

The Mimic in which Cain had been sleeping was close to a security type, after all.

Finding a Mimic with an ego like Alex was not as easy as one might think.

"What is your name?"

[Matthew.]

"And the friend behind you?"

[David.]

In that sense, the farmer Mimics could be considered truly rare existences.

What made them even superior to Alex, who guarded the library, was that they could even operate massive machinery.

Even humans have to go through quite complex tests to get a commercial driver’s license, and many can’t get one at all due to a lack of talent.

Yet these Mimics were easily driving a giant tractor and truck.

"Is there a reason you are farming here?"

[Master ordered it.]

I sat down next to the Mimic who introduced himself as Matthew.

To be precise, Matthew was still sitting in the driver’s seat, and I had simply sat down on the flat area next to him.

Even though he had been treating me like a giant stick bug until just now, he changed once I spoke in English.

While Alex knew countless languages because he was a library curator, Matthew only knew English.

"Who is your master?"

[The farm owner.]

"You must at least know his name, right?"

[There is no reason for us to know.]

I scratched my head at Matthew’s flat reply.

Unlike Alex, he felt like a robot that only followed programmed inputs.

’No, wait. Come to think of it, Alex is also moving according to the previous curator’s last will.’

It was better to just accept that Mimics are originally like that.

But thanks to this, I learned about their ’master’, so it wasn’t a complete waste.

Seeing how he managed not only this vast cornfield but also highly intelligent Mimics, it was extraordinary.

’Who could it be? To give orders to Mimics, they must be far from ordinary.’

As everyone knows, most animals living in the Forest of the Four Seasons are highly intelligent.

Teaching Mimics how to operate various machines meant that the person themselves possessed that much knowledge.

Heavenly Demon: Whether that master is favorable to you or not is the key.

Sword Matstar: Could it be other gods? It might be a case like Lucas-nim.

Starlight Lady: As far as I know, there is no god who rules over agriculture or farming.

Allfather: It might not be that there isn’t one, but rather that the records have been lost.

Praise the Sun: If it’s a god in charge of farming, they must be of quite a high status.

It was while I was sitting on the tractor, pondering. The fixed-handle users were sharing their respective opinions.

Since ancient times, in any mythology, the god who ruled over agriculture was of a very high status.

Even in Greek and Roman mythology, didn’t the chief god, Zeus, walk on eggshells in front of Demeter, the goddess of the earth?

No matter how much they were gods, if the god of agriculture decided to go on strike, they themselves would have nothing to eat.

’It’s not for nothing that ancient people said all other seasons are just part of preparing for winter.’

Passing Dwarf: Isn’t Lucas-nim handling agriculture instead? Since you need barley to drink beer, farming must be important.

Princess Chaenggu: It means there is a god who handles agriculture itself. Is your head full of beer?

Passing Dwarf: I don’t want to hear that from you.

Princess Chaenggu: I’ll specially fill it up with Mephisto-brand beer for you ^^

Passing Dwarf: Fuck

Let’s ignore the banter between the Dwarf, Princess Chaenggu, and Kaylin.

Seriously, I could never get used to Kaylin’s way of speaking.

In reality, she was close to a cold-hearted princess, yet in the Gallery, she was a hooligan crazy about football.

’The world is truly unpredictable.’

Anyway, putting this aside.

In this vast cornfield, the possibility of them being a real god couldn’t be ruled out.

They might be entangled with Aris or Aragon, or they might be living leisurely like Lucas.

The most important thing was whether they were friendly or hostile to me.

’They won’t suddenly point a shotgun at me, claiming it’s private property, right?’

In fact, even pointing a shotgun might be on the milder side. There wasn’t even any guarantee that they were human.

But even so, I couldn’t ignore it, as I was in a situation where I had to hurry back home.This chapter was taken from nov​elping.com without permission.

Whether I found a World Tree or the region where I used to live, I would be able to move much faster.

"Friend. Does your master happen to look like me?"

[He doesn’t look like a big bug like you.]

"Stop treating humans like bugs. I asked if he looks similar."

[Similar.]

Then why did you treat me like a bug? I wanted to ask, but I held back.

It seemed he didn’t possess diverse knowledge like Alex. He felt like he only knew exactly what he knew.

I checked the coordinate tracker while Matthew was driving. The direction we were heading was fine.

It was just that I didn’t know where the end of this vast cornfield was.

Since the cornfield stretched even beyond the horizon, it took a considerable amount of time.

"How long do you work?"

[Until it’s finished.]

"..."

See? When I asked a question, only that kind of answer came back.

It was really best to do nothing until it was finished.

I also wondered if some dangerous animal might attack us midway.

"Kieeeek!"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

A giant eagle descended like an arrow from the sky.

Its size was comparable to a pterodactyl, and its speed was incredibly fast.

Though not as fast as the Three-Legged Crow, it would be quite troublesome if one didn’t stay alert.

Just as I silently drew my sword while watching the eagle.

Taang!

A gunshot echoed from afar, and then...

Peok!

A large hole opened in the descending eagle’s body, and it plummeted powerlessly.

Just how powerful was it to leave such a massive hole?

I stared blankly at the eagle’s corpse, which had fallen and become fertilizer, and turned my head.

Nothing was visible where the sound came from, but the gunshot from earlier echoed like a reverberation.

’If they can shoot down an eagle from that distance, it means they’ve noticed my presence too, right?’

Seeing how they didn’t attack me unlike the eagle, they seemed to have some intention of talking.

It was a relief, but this was someone who had taken down an eagle living in the Forest of the Four Seasons in a single shot.

Moreover, they had brought it down instantly with a gun, not an arrow.

’Lucas said it, didn’t he? Unlike cold weapons like bows, guns have complex structures, making it tricky to infuse them with mana.’

Therefore, they had no choice but to make it powerful from the start or customize it individually.

Whatever the case, there was no denying that their dexterity was outstanding.

Even if it wasn’t a creation of Lucas, the God of Blacksmiths, it would be possible to manufacture to some extent through AI.

I waited quietly until the Mimics finished all their work. If I waited, I would eventually face their master.

Dudududu...

As time passed and the sun reached its zenith, the engine of the smoothly running tractor shut off.

Glancing at the driver’s seat, I could see that Matthew had turned off the ignition.

"Is it break time?"

[It is lunch time.]

"..."

They strictly keep to their schedule, surprisingly. I chuckled.

And what did these guys eat for lunch? They ate the corn they had just harvested.

Since corn was scattered all over the place, it might be completely natural.

I also ate a simple lunch while keeping an eye on the direction where the gunshot had come from.

’I don’t even know the reason they manage a territory of this size... I have no choice but to meet them in person.’

After lunch ended, the tractor and truck operated again. The corn was leisurely harvested once more.

It was an oddly healing situation, but I couldn’t pay attention to it because of the gunshot from earlier.

How much time had passed since then? It was when I was watching ahead with the telescope Praise the Sun had gifted me before.

’...I see it.’

I muttered softly to myself.

It was barely visible even with the telescope, but I could make out the rough outline.

’...It’s a normal-looking house.’

It was a house made entirely of wood, the kind you would see in the American countryside.

It looked like it was only roughly maintained. But the house wasn’t the only thing visible.

A man sitting on a chair in front of the house.

Wearing overalls typical of the countryside, just like Matthew, he was waiting quietly.

His straw hat was pulled down low, making it hard to recognize his face.

’Is he a real farmer? Why is a farmer here?’

The situation seemed to be falling deeper and deeper into a labyrinth. Before long, I would face him.

I didn’t take my eyes off him even as the tractor approached the end of the farm.

The farmer watching me from afar was the same. Since he was wearing a straw hat like Matthew, I couldn’t make out his face.

’But what was that gunshot earlier?’

The farmer in overalls didn’t have any weapon.

He was just waiting with his arms crossed. That made me even more alert.Read this novel at novelрing.com for the best experience.

If he had been holding a weapon, it would have been one thing, but I had no idea how he might attack.

Dudududu...

Finally, the tractor reached the front of the farmer’s house and stopped, as if today’s harvest was over.

Soon, Matthew came out of the driver’s seat and climbed down from the tractor.

Looking like a slime but wearing a straw hat and overalls, his appearance was quite cute.

Moreover, he wiggled and crawled toward his master. Not just Matthew, but the Mimic called David was the same.

[Master. Finished all work.]

"Yeah. Good job."

The farm owner replied in a husky voice to the Mimic’s report.

Subsequently, the Mimics went inside the house, leaving only the farm owner and me to face each other.

’Why is he so huge?’

I hadn’t realized it when looking from afar, but the farm owner’s height was terrifyingly tall.

Even by a rough estimate, he seemed to easily exceed 2 meters.

His build was also fearsome; even though he wore overalls, his muscles couldn’t be hidden.

"Um... hello?"

So I greeted him first. First of all, I had to find out who this person was.

But was my greeting slightly uncomfortable for him? The farmer flinched and slowly lifted his straw hat.

Thanks to that, I could clearly see his face. A thick beard and a rugged appearance.

And finally, pupils vertically slit like a reptile’s.

"...Huh?"

If nothing else, I was dumbfounded upon seeing those vertically slit pupils.

If he were an actual reptile, it would be one thing, but the being in front of me looked like a ’human’ by all accounts.

A reptile that could transform into a human... as far as I knew, there was only one.

"Seeing that you speak the language of the invaders, you must be one of them or their descendant."

The farmer spoke. No, he didn’t open his mouth.

Just like with Vanir, it was a voice that pierced straight into my mind. It was a voice with a powerful resonance.

While my suspicion gradually turned into certainty, the farmer reached his hand into the air.

Ssuuk-

Surprisingly, what he pulled out of thin air was none other than a gun.

And a pump-action shotgun commonly seen in the United States, at that.

Cheolkeok!

The farmer very skillfully loaded the shotgun and aimed it at me.

Normally, I would have drawn my sword immediately, but since there was still room for dialogue, I raised both hands.

Perhaps the farmer also noticed my intention, as he spoke in a slightly softer voice than before.

"I will ask you two questions, invader."

"..."

"Your name."

At that question, I pondered whether I should give my real name or a pseudonym that sounded like a real name.

But whatever I gave, there was no way a dragon from the Mythological Age would know it.

Since my name was only known to the Twin Gods.

"...Grylls."

"A pseudonym. State your true name."

Did he use magic? The farmer noticed immediately.

In the end, I had no choice but to state my real name.

"Park Jong-hyuk."

"Park. Jong. Hyuk. I have never heard of it. Are you a descendant?"

"Is that a question too?"

"Tch. I shall ask the other question."

Seueuk-

As if it were the most important question, the farmer aimed the shotgun precisely at my head.

In a touch-and-go situation, the question that came out of the farmer’s mouth was:

"The Goddess of War, or the God of Magic. Choose one."

It was a question that sounded quite chilling, more so than expected.

I already knew that dragons from the Mythological Age were trapped in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

So there was a high probability that he also knew about the civil war the gods had waged.

I pondered over those words, and deciding that I couldn’t lie, I brought out the truth.

"I’m just a human who knows nothing. So I can’t choose."

"..."

"Who should I choose?"

At those words, the farmer slowly lowered his gun.

"...The Goddess of War."

"..."

"At least, it would be better for you to choose the Goddess of War."

He answered in a voice filled with various complex emotions.

"Otherwise, I would have blown your head off."

I couldn’t even begin to fathom what on earth Aragon had done.