I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 749

Although I learned many facts from Gerdi, to be honest, it was hard to believe all of them.

It wasn’t that I was defending Aragon at all, but rather that I needed to hear both sides of the story.

For all I knew, Gerdi could be deceiving me. I shouldn’t just blindly believe him.

’Though it’s still the same that Aragon is plotting something.’

From Gerdi, I got a rough grasp of what kind of atrocities Aragon had committed.

Although his exact plan was unknown, he had spared the Mythological Era dragons instead of killing them.

Of course, this only applied to dragons who were obedient to him; he was merciless to the rest.

"Weren’t there people who followed Aragon?"

"I don’t know that much."

Gerdi replied while smoking a cigar. This was as far as his knowledge went.

To sum it up roughly, a large faction including Aragon had fought against Aris.

Aris also had a faction, but it was extremely small, and her position was close to a third party, so she was virtually alone.

And for some reason, Aragon began to threaten the dragons.

"It felt like he wanted to use us as massive lumps of mana."

"Lumps of mana? Do you mean Dragon Hearts?"

"Probably? From what I heard, it seemed like he was experimenting to see if a human could withstand a Dragon Heart."

"Is that even possible?"

"It’s impossible. In the first place, you guys would explode and die before you could withstand that much mana."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him at his confident reply.

Gerdi also shrugged, as if noticing the meaning of my gaze.

"For the record, I didn’t do it. Another guy did the experimenting."

"So humanity had a reason to be hostile toward you."

"Nonsense. You invaders also experiment on monkeys or animals when necessary, don’t you? It’s the same for us."

It was an answer that might sound shameless, but that was the average dragon’s way of thinking.

Since they were actually once worshipped as gods, humanity must look infinitely weak to them.

"At least we don’t experiment on our own kind. Back in the day, when I went out for Amusement..."

"Yes, yes, I get it, so just eat your corn."

Since they are a long-lived species, ’back in my day~’ seemed to be a basic passive trait.

Earlier, too, we were talking fine, but he drifted off like that, and time flew by.

Originally, I planned to wrap up the conversation and head toward the World Tree, but before I knew it, it was night.

’It was fun, though.’

It went beyond just being fun. Every single thing he said was astonishing.

He had actually mentioned his own lair, which would be outside the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Although a long time had passed and the lair was highly likely to have been raided, he still gave me detailed information.

So what happened? I casually raised my head and checked the Gallery.

Title) ???: My lair, you say?

If you want it, I shall give it to you...

Find it! For I have left my treasures there!

ㄴIs it really there?

ㄴThat’s why we have to look for it lol

ㄴAh lol if it were near my house, I would’ve looked for it hahaha

ㄴForest of the Four Seasons exploration, lair exploration, there’s so much to do lol

Various reactions came up, but most of them were like that.

Not just an ordinary dragon, but a lair left behind by a dragon from the Mythological Era.

If they could find it, making a fortune was one thing, but they could leave a thick stroke in the history books.

’He said the location, in modern terms, is the Messiah Empire, right? Is this empire truly blessed with good fortune?’

Including the Sword Master Ash, the previous emperor’s achievements were outstanding enough for him to be praised as a wise ruler.

The current emperor, Arnold, was still difficult to evaluate, but the mainstream opinion was that he was handling the chaotic political situation well.

"Hey. I’m letting it slide because it’s me, but don’t do that in front of others. Got it?"

"Would you like a piece of candy?"

"What flavor is it?"

Anyway, chatting and playing around like this, a day flew by.

No matter how capable I was, wandering around the forest late at night was madness, so I waited quietly.

Ageujak! Ageujak!

"...Doesn’t your jaw hurt?"

"It’s crunchy and delicious. You try some too."

"I’ll pass."Get faster updates on novelping dot com.

I newly realized that a beast could chew and eat corn whole.

It was absurd to see him holding a cob of corn in one hand and eating it as if he were eating a banana.

But this was nothing. The next morning, I couldn’t help but be shocked by Gerdi’s bizarre behavior.

Jjuaaaaap!

I brushed off his return to his original form—that of a giant dragon like Vanir.

But with his huge mouth open, he literally vacuumed up the corn piled up yesterday.

He wasn’t some pink, round creature, yet he sucked them in so cleanly that it was baffling.

"Kkeouk. That was a good meal. Next time, I should try planting something else."

"Weren’t you only planting corn?"

"If you eat the same thing for a hundred years, you’re bound to get sick of it."

He’s talking like someone who’s been eating fried dumplings for ten years.

Afterward, the Mimics led the tractors and trucks and set off to plant crops again.

It was a situation that passed in an instant, but I didn’t forget what I had to do.

"Then, can you take me to where the World Tree is now? If taking me there is difficult, just tell me the direction."

"Do you take me for some cheapskate? Just wait. I’ll send you right there."

Saying so, Gerdi, in his dragon form, began to draw a magic circle on the ground.

Since he knew the location, it seemed he intended to send me via Teleport.

If a dragon, of all beings, had to draw a magic circle himself, it must be a really far distance.

"Now. Step on here."

Hearing that, I stepped onto the magic circle.

At the same time, the magic circle glowed. I waited for the magic circle to activate.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Huh? That magic circle is a bit strange. I don’t see any structure related to Teleport at all.

ㄴAllfather) Indeed. Something is strange.

ㄴSmart Demon) Isn’t it just because it’s a magic circle used by a divine dragon?

ㄴAllfather) That could be, but it’s rare for the structure itself to change...

But hearing the words of the fixed-nicks made me anxious. The light of the magic circle was growing stronger and stronger.

Wondering if Gerdi was perhaps backstabbing me, I hastily backed away from the magic circle.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"No. It’s just..."

"Are you worried I’m going to backstab you? I’m hurt. Otherwise, go by yourself."

It was a checkmate. If I didn’t get his help, it would take much longer.

It was a distance so far that only a dragon directly using a magic circle could reach it.

The companions at home were waiting for me day after day, so I couldn’t waste time.

"...Alright. I’ll trust you. Instead, can you just tell me what kind of magic circle this is? It doesn’t seem like Teleport."

"It’s not Teleport. The concentration of mana near that tree is too dense, so if you make a slight slip, you’ll drop into some weird place."

"Then this is..."

"Instead."

Gerdi grinned in his dragon form and said quietly.

"Sending you directly is fine."

"...Wait. What did you..."

Hwaak!

Before my words could even finish, the light of the magic circle became more intense than before, and then.

Piyuuuung!

My body began to fly high into the sky, as if a ballistic missile had been launched.

"Ueooooeok?!"

The intense air resistance covering my entire face made it hard to even scream.

I hastily pulled myself together, but there was only one thing in my sight.

-See you later! Friend!

It was Gerdi, casually waving his hand from the ground.

The vast cornfield was barely visible, but compared to Gerdi’s size, it was infinitely humble.

After a brief moment of confusion, I first assessed the current situation.

Gerdi sending me to the World Tree was closer to ’physics’ rather than magic.

If he had any sense, he would have also kept a safe landing magic in mind.

ㄴStarlight Lady) There were only pure physics-related formulas, though?

He didn’t! This damn golden lizard bastard!

He probably guessed I was the Chief God and pulled this kind of stunt.

He was a dragon who had even enjoyed Amusement, so he must have known very well how fragile humans are, as he had said so himself.

’Seriously, just wait until I meet you later.’

I’ll make sure to give you a massive screw-you.This chapter was taken from novelping(.)com without permission.

With the help of the World Tree and Nidhogg, round trips aren’t difficult.

Therefore, there are plenty of opportunities, and I just need to scheme on how to screw him over.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) But when are you coming down?

ㄴSuspiciously...) It seems like you’ve been flying in the sky for over 5 minutes.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Why not take this opportunity to realize the secrets of Void Flight?

ㄴSmart Demon) Seriously, is there nothing but martial arts and the Heavenly God in your head?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Silence.

Just how long had I been flying that I could leisurely read the conversation history of the fixed-nicks?

But this was also brief; before long, a huge tree came into my sight.

It was definitely the World Tree of this region that Gerdi had mentioned.

’Surprisingly, it’s just standing there all alone.’

Maybe the World Tree I found last time was the unusual one.

’More than that, putting aside getting closer to the World Tree, when am I going to go down?’

Surely the propulsion(?) won’t end only when I collide with the World Tree like a real ballistic missile, right?

Just as anxiety was creeping up, thankfully, my body began to head downward.

The problem was that it wasn’t a landing, but a crash—meaning I began to plunge headfirst.

I quietly closed my eyes and wrapped Body-Protecting Gangqi around my entire body.

As I’ve mentioned time and again, I don’t know how to use elegant techniques like Yoo So-wol or Ash.

Kuuuung!!!

I just tanked it with my body.

The moment I crashed into the ground, dirt and dust covered my face and body. The noise piercing my ears was a bonus.

The impact delivered to my body wasn’t that great. Knowing this would happen, I had made my Body-Protecting Gangqi thicker than usual.

"Oh dear..."

Of course, absorbing the impact itself was impossible, so there was no way to prevent the stiffness.

It was amazing that falling from such a height only resulted in stiffness.

After quickly checking if there was anything wrong with my body, I turned my head and faced the World Tree.

’Surprisingly small?’

It was on the smaller side compared to the World Tree near my house, the first World Tree I had found.

However, it was only small ’for a World Tree’; it was still larger than most large-scale buildings.

’There’s nothing much to see around it either.’

A World Tree situated in a vast wilderness.

Although a bizarre sensation washed over me in many ways, the fact that I had to get closer didn’t change.

Accordingly, I gradually approached the World Tree, and a subtle sensation began to envelop me.

A warm yet familiar feeling. It was the sensation I felt every time I got close to a World Tree.

Seueuk—

Finally, when my hand made contact with the giant trunk of the World Tree.

Paat!

A pure white cluster of light burst from the World Tree, and at the same time, the space itself was altered.

The wide-open wilderness was plastered with drab gray buildings, and the blue sky also turned into a gray sky filled with dark clouds.

One might think it was an unfamiliar space, but it wasn’t at all.

Because this city was a place very familiar to me.

’This is... my hometown.’

Specifically, the charnel house where I had personally brought my friends.

Just as I wondered if I wasn’t supposed to be recalling only the memories of that place.

Pallak—

The sound of a book page turning reached my ears.

Looking toward where the sound came from, I saw myself.

Me, blocking the entrance of the charnel house like a gatekeeper, leisurely reading a book.

ㄴSword Matstar) Is that thing he’s sitting on... by any chance a human corpse?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) The dignity of a supreme ruler stands out.

I wasn’t even guarding the entrance normally.

For I was sitting on two piles of corpses instead of a chair.

There seemed to be at least dozens of corpses strewn around.

In the midst of this hard-to-believe sight, the book I was reading was...

’...The Bible?’

It was a Bible, now completely worn and tattered.