I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 75

With the vote on the trade cooldown ongoing, I started with my chores.

Starting with setting up the fish traps in the river again, all the way to maintaining my tools.

I maintained the Sword of the Heavenly Demon with extra care. The presence of this sword directly impacted my survival rate.

But how many times in my life had I ever maintained a sword?

At most, I had only sharpened kitchen knives. So I exercised even greater caution.

Title) Dwarf, help.

Wild Grylls

I want to polish and maintain my sword, give me some tips.

└ Passing Dwarf) Empty-handed?

└ Wild Grylls) You evil bastard.

└ Passing Dwarf) Hand over some crabs first LOL

└ Wild Grylls) Ah, right. If I give you crabs, will you give me tips?

└ Passing Dwarf) Would I stop at tips? I’ll throw in oil paper and a whetstone too.

└ Wild Grylls) Oh;;

└ Passing Dwarf) But if you don’t give crabs, no deal.

└ Wild Grylls) I fought the Guardian and fought otters, can’t you give me a break?

└ Passing Dwarf) If you’re really tired, you can give them to me tomorrow. But three of them.

└ Wild Grylls) OK;;

I guess I should just go. Even though I was a bit tired, grabbing crabs wasn’t hard.

The mana absorbed by the Guardian was quickly recharged after running my Mental Cultivation Method.

Whether it was because the Forest of the Four Seasons was so rich in mana, a few deep breaths were enough to recharge.

’Since I haven’t done any sword maintenance at all.’

It was better to start doing it consistently from now on.

If I neglected it and it broke at a critical moment, I’d be screwed.

Finishing my preparations to a reasonable extent, I scanned the cave.

Wonmo was taking a nap, probably because he had easily devoured a whole fish.

Speed Sloth, as usual, stared at me intently with a completely relaxed expression.

"I’m going somewhere for a bit. Keep a good eye on Wonmo."

"...."

Requesting Speed Sloth, I blocked the entrance with an iron fence.

That way, even if Wonmo woke up midway, he wouldn’t be able to escape outside.

’Elixir, Fasting Pills, smoked food, crossbow... got everything.’

From the World Tree Gloves gifted by Let’s Grow Trees to the backpack to put the crabs in. Everything was perfect.

However, having engaged in combat twice today, I intended to avoid fights as much as possible.

Furthermore, some injuries sustained from the Guardian still remained.

But if a beast backed me into a corner, I’d have no choice but to fight.

’If worst comes to worst, I’ll draw their attention with smoked meat.’

Even if it was salty as hell, meat was still meat.

Using it as bait while sneakily making my escape would buy me some time.

’If they spit it out for being too salty, well...’

I wasn’t sure. Wouldn’t it still be better than Fasting Pills?

Rechecking my equipment, I took a small sip of the Elixir.

The subtle pain lingering in my stomach settled down even further.

Now it was time to depart. This wasn’t an exploration; once I got the crabs, it was over.

However,

’Heading straight down the river makes it easy.’

The problem was that there was no telling what might pop out of that river.

Didn’t a pack of otters I’d never seen before just appear moments ago?

Worried there might be animals like crocodiles, I walked a little distance away from the river bank.

’Last time, I met an iguana around here, right?’

An insanely huge iguana, too. A guy boasting a size no smaller than a crocodile.

Luckily it was a coward and fled as soon as it saw me, but I ran into it again later.

Because it had snatched up the giant mosquito I killed and scrambled away.

Tracing the familiar river path, I headed toward the lakeside where the crabs lived.

Swaaaaa—

As I drew closer to the lakeside, the width of the river broadened immensely.

Not quite like the Han River... but regardless, a large-scale downstream reach.

Far more fish would be living here than in the swift-current upstream.

Kwaaaa! Pungdong!

I could even see whales, which I thought could only be found in the ocean.

I had seen it last time too, but it was still unbelievable.

At this rate, sharks might live in the river too. Since this was the Forest of the Four Seasons, it wasn’t impossible.

"Huh?"

It happened as I walked downstream with a baffled feeling.

Some deer was drinking water from the river.

Not the Spirit Deer I saw this morning, but a normal deer.

Seeing its antlers, it seemed to be a male. Quite large antlers, at that.

’I should intentionally make loud noises.’

Who said it again? In the wild, herbivores are more dangerous than carnivores.

Unlike carnivores, people often end up in the grave by letting their guard down around herbivores.

So it was better to reveal my presence rather than provoke it unnecessarily.

Jeobeok— jeobeok— jeobeok—

Even though I made loud footsteps, the deer didn’t budge at all.

Instead, it glanced in my direction and went right back to focusing on drinking water.

Just as I raised an eyebrow, wondering if this bastard was ignoring me—

Kwaaaaaa!!

Something massive erupted upward from the river.

Rows of teeth the size of my fist lined its wide-open maw, and its body was vastly larger than the deer.

Shocked at having felt zero presence, it took only a short moment to figure out its identity.

’Crazy shit. There really WAS a shark?!’

It was a shark. And a shark of colossal size.

Big enough to swallow a deer in a single bite.

But where was this place? Was this not the Forest of the Four Seasons, where even Speed Sloth was absurdly powerful?This chapter was copied from novelpin‌g.com without permission.

Hwik—

As if expecting this situation, the deer abruptly stopped drinking.

Spinning its body half a circle, it launched a powerful back-kick straight toward the open mouth of the shark.

Ppagak!

The deer’s back-kick struck the shark precisely on its snout.

A shark’s snout is a well-known weak spot. But getting hit by a deer’s back-kick?

Cheolpeok!

Taking a clean counterhit, the shark flopped motionless onto the riverbank.

Judging by the total lack of movement, it seemed knocked out cold.

The deer, acting as if nothing mattered, began gulping down river water again.

"...."

A deer drinking water right beside a knocked-out shark. What kind of absurd combination was this?

Quietly keeping an eye on the deer, I tiptoed forward.

Fortunately, the deer didn’t seem interested in me either, not even sparing me a glance.

’...First, let’s post this on the Gallery. Maybe deer in this world are just naturally strong.’

Considering there was even a species called Spirit Deer, it wasn’t impossible.

I took a picture capturing both the drinking deer and the knocked-out shark beside it clearly.

Title) A deer just caught a shark.

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a deer drinking water next to a knocked-out shark)

A shark attacked a deer in the river, but the deer knocked the shark out with a back-kick.

Do deer in this world beat sharks too?

└ Heavenly Demon) It appears to be a deer possessing deep Internal Energy. Be careful.

└ Wild Grylls) Same with Speed Sloth, can you really feel that just from a photo?

└ Heavenly Demon) Are you ignoring the knocked-out shark next to it?

└ Wild Grylls) Ah.

└ Sword Matstar) Wow. Even I’ve never caught a shark, that’s fascinating. Don’t sharks normally live in the ocean?

└ Wild Grylls) There are not only sharks but whales living in the river here too.

└ Sword Matstar) What a truly insane forest.

└ Allfather) That is a bull shark. A shark capable of traveling between salt water and fresh water. A similar animal would be the saltwater crocodile.

└ Wild Grylls) Then what about that deer?

└ Allfather) It is simply a deer. Appears to be an insanely strong deer.

└ Wild Grylls) ;;;

└ My common sense is shattering right now. Is that even real?

└ Setting aside sharks living in a river, what the hell is up with the deer LOL

└ Speed Sloth too, why are herbivores so fucking strong? What is this place?

└ Seriously a crazy forest LOL LOL

As expected, that deer was abnormal. My common sense wasn’t broken after all.

I closed the Gallery and glanced back, wondering what the deer was doing.

"Peureuk."

"...."

Oh dear. When did this bastard sneak up behind me?

Staring at the deer that had approached silently and without a trace of presence, I froze stiff.

Its size matched my eye level, but the pressure radiated by its antlers was no joke.

’Am I... fucked?’

Stepping back stealthily, I took a defensive stance. The deer stared blankly back at me.

Then it let out a Peureung! snort and turned its body around.

Without even making a sound with its steps, the deer trotted lightly into the forest.

Soon after, the deer vanished completely into the woods.

"Phew..."

I exhaled deeply. I nearly had a heart attack.

Giving off such overwhelming pressure for a mere deer. If we fought, I probably would have lost.

Even if it hit a weak spot, even a shark got knocked out by its back-kick.

No. Before that, reacting to and dodging an ambush from a shark inside the water was already insane.

’When will I be able to react to something like that?’

In reality, it was hard for me to react even to Speed Sloth’s attacks.

I could barely block with my shield, but I was still a long way off.

Sighing at the Forest of the Four Seasons that felt stranger the more I knew about it, I moved forward.

Kwaang! Kwang!

It happened when I was almost at the lakeside. A loud noise reached my ears.

The sound came precisely from the lakeside. A noise akin to demolishing a building.

’What’s that?’

Wondering what it was, since it was a sound I had never heard in the forest before.

Soon after arriving at the lakeside, I realized the true identity of that noise.

Kwadudeuk! Kwang! Kwagang!

By any chance, do you know monster movies where giant beasts fight?

Kaiju movies where abnormally enlarged animals or giant monsters clash and obliterate their surroundings.

I was witnessing that in real life, and in real-time.

’...What the hell is that now? A crayfish?’

I had seen crabs big enough to compare to apartment buildings.

But a crayfish the size of an apartment was a first.

Even more, the two of them were exchanging pincer strikes while battling each other.

Watching a clash of giant monsters in real life instead of a movie was absurd.

Teoong!

Right as I was watching the spectacle in a daze—

The giant crayfish’s pincer slammed hard into the giant crab’s face.

A broken chunk of carapace flew straight toward my direction.

My eyes widened as the approaching carapace grew larger, and I hurriedly raised my shield.

Kwaaaaang!!!

"Nueok?!"

With a ringing sound like a bell tolling, my body blew backward. It was an unbelievable impact.New chapters come out on novelping(.)com first.

The only consolation was that thanks to proper blocking and break-falling, I didn’t suffer major damage.

Groaning quietly, I stumbled back onto my feet.

"What in the world..."

A piece of hard carapace was no different from a chunk of concrete shrapnel.

Do I really have to go into the area where those monsters are fighting? At this point, wouldn’t Dwarf cut me some slack?

But strike while the iron is hot; having come all this way, returning empty-handed was tough.

Instead, I’ll wring everything I can out of Dwarf. I took a few photos and a video.

Naturally, these were meant to be posted on the Gallery later. I was curious to see Dwarf’s reaction.

’Let’s quickly grab crabs and head back.’

While the giant crab and giant crayfish fought, the smaller crabs were still going about their business.

Meaning they were eating stuff off the ground. Broken carapace fragments caught my eye around them.

They seemed to be eating carapace pieces chipped off during the battle between the giant crab and giant crayfish.

Here and there, crabs crushed splat under falling carapace pieces were also visible.

Kwagang!

"Euhik!"

Just as I picked up a crab, a piece of carapace crashed down right beside me.

Clutching a crab in each hand, I hastily bolted away.

As much as I wanted to collect more, I couldn’t because it was way too dangerous.

Since I didn’t know when a shell fragment might drop on my head. Damn this hellish forest.

"Huu. Huu."

Only after fleeing far past where the carapace fragments fell could I finally catch my breath.

The crabs held in both hands were busy squirming in an attempt to escape.

I stuffed them into my backpack and steadied my breathing.

’Now all I have to do is return.’

Kwaang! Kwagagang!

Explosive noises thundered behind me, but I tried my best to ignore them.

No. Honestly, it was hard to ignore. Shell fragments could still fly all the way to where I was.

Checking behind me whenever a loud noise erupted, I returned to the shelter.

Having already fought two battles today, filming a disaster movie (?) on top of that drained all my energy.

"Euaaa..."

"...."

As I returned to the cave and collapsed onto the ground, Speed Sloth patted me.

You’re the only one who comforts me directly. Thank you so much.

Giving Speed Sloth a Fasting Pill, I logged into the Gallery.

I planned to share everything I experienced on the Gallery.

Title) Dwarf. Got the crabs.

Wild Grylls

(Photo of giant crab and giant crayfish clashing)

(Photo of carapace chunks broken off from the fight)

(Video of giant crab and giant crayfish fighting)

I barely managed to get them by pushing through these bastards fighting. I hope you appreciate my hard work...

└ Heavenly Demon) You are undergoing rare experiences that even I have never encountered. By the way, what on earth is that fighting the crab?

└ Sword Matstar) Isn’t it a crayfish? Judging by appearance, it looks like a crayfish.

└ Heavenly Demon) It is my first time seeing a crayfish of such magnitude.

└ Sword Matstar) It’s not just Blue Badge-nim, all of us are seeing it for the first time;;

└ Passing Dwarf) Wow;; What the hell are those bastards? Is that really the lake you went to last time?

└ Wild Grylls) Yeah, when I went there, they were fighting over territory or something?

└ Passing Dwarf) Crazy. But what about the crabs?

└ Wild Grylls) (Photo of crabs inside the backpack) Here. You’re not worried about me?

└ Passing Dwarf) Should I be?

└ Wild Grylls) Never mind.

└ Are there monsters or animals bigger than that in the world?

└ Right there in the post.

└ Besides the Forest of the Four Seasons, dumbass.

└ There probably are... but aren’t most of them legendary creatures?

└ At least dragons exist, but those are even bigger than that.

└ There are deer beating sharks, crabs and crayfish the size of buildings LOL LOL What kind of place is this LOL

└ Real talk, it’s like an onion, the more you peel it the more crazy shit comes out LOL LOL

The Gallery was, as expected, full of praise (?). Saying how they got to see a rare spectacle thanks to me.

But since I myself had barely survived another day, I couldn’t get swept up in that mood.

’My energy is completely drained.’

I didn’t want to do anything, but now I felt like doing even less than nothing.

Today’s exploration ends here. I’m definitely not stepping outside again.

’...Wait, I have the cigars, right?’

Suddenly, the World Tree Cigar given by Let’s Grow Trees crossed my mind.

Because my body was so exhausted, I wanted to put something in my mouth.

But I couldn’t just waste food. A cigar was just right.

’I thought I’d never smoke a cigarette in my life...’

Was this how smokers felt? To think I’d end up smoking a cigarette when I didn’t even touch one in the military.

Taking out one cigar from the box, I examined it from various angles.

On the surface, it looked like an ordinary cigar. The leaves were probably World Tree leaves.

I suddenly wondered how effective it was, considering it was supposed to be such an expensive cigar.

’I’ll light it with the Ignition Stone.’

Tadak! Tak!

Holding the Ignition Stone to the tip of the cigar, smoke began to slowly curl upward.

As the smoke billowed, I hesitated for a brief second before slowly inhaling.

Normally cigarette smoke is harsh, and cigars are far harsher.

But far from being harsh, the World Tree Cigar gave off a refreshing, cool sensation.

It definitely had a minty flavor, but it was several times cooler, leaving only pure refreshing coolness.

On top of that, vitality surged back into my worn-out body.

’...It tastes great.’

It was truly delicious.