I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 760

As mentioned before, an environment that is good for humans to live in is also good for animals to live in.

It is not for nothing that bugs the size of a human palm periodically appear in Australia.

And I realized once again just how powerful bugs could be, and we struggled more than expected.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Their martial power is not strong, but their sheer numbers are the problem.

ㄴSword Matstar) They really keep coming endlessly.

ㄴSmart Demon) Originally, in war, when dealing with a strong martial artist, wheel tactics are sometimes used.

ㄴAllfather) I understand that wheel tactics are extremely inefficient, though.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Wouldn’t they use it if they could definitely take down strong figures like Heavenly Demon or Ash?

ㄴInternal Cultivation Master Robert) Deploying such prominent figures to a place like that doesn’t make sense in the first place, but it is indeed excellent for achieving the objective.

It was no exaggeration; they really came endlessly.

If only a few had swarmed in at first like rhinoceros beetles, I wouldn’t even have grumbled.

Because in the Forest of the Four Seasons, even the ground you step on is dangerous, and you can’t let your guard down even around the bushes.

But bugs are precisely the kind of existence that fits the expression ’infesting.’

Because a terrifying volume of them rushed in as an endless swarm, our stamina was severely depleted.

Wiiiiing!

Among these, the most troublesome ones were by far the mosquitoes.

Perhaps due to their blood-sucking habit, they flew at us whenever they got the chance.

Even though we had meticulously applied bug repellent, it didn’t seem to work on these guys.

"Lackey. Are you okay?"

"I feel like I am gradually getting tired."

[These mosquitoes are absorbing mana, not blood.]

What was even more annoying was the staple diet of these mosquitoes.

As everyone knows, the staple diet of normal mosquitoes is animal blood.

However, the mosquitoes inhabiting the Forest of the Four Seasons absorbed mana instead of blood.

As they swarmed relentlessly, a mosquito bit Lackey’s arm, and that was where the symptom manifested.

"Master. My internal energy is not circulating near my arm."

It had blocked the internal energy heading toward the bitten area. The characteristic itchiness of a mosquito bite was a bonus.

Fortunately, it could be treated with an Elixir, but as mentioned earlier, these damn bugs didn’t even give us that kind of time.

We had barely exterminated all the mosquitoes, but there was a hunter that didn’t miss this opportunity.

Buuuuung!

"Ah, seriously."

The clever hunter of the sky, the dragonfly.

I had clearly reached out my arm to treat Lackey, but in the blink of an eye, I was floating in the sky.

At least I wasn’t the only one caught. Glancing to the side, Elia was also caught by another dragonfly.

"Ah! Grylls-nim! Did you come to save me!"

"I was just caught too, what are you talking about?"

Well, regardless of being caught by the dragonfly, I attempted to escape.

Since it was an urgent situation, Elia also displayed her resourcefulness.

Kwang!

She drove a branch of the World Tree into the dragonfly’s body and exploded it right there.

Unable to withstand this, the dragonfly was literally blown to pieces.

What did I do?

Jjwaak! Jjwak!

I simply ripped apart the legs of the dragonfly that was holding me.

Since I had the strength, there was no need to use my head, so to speak.

Falling to the ground wasn’t an issue either, since swinging Mistilteinn would take care of it.

"Hold on tight."

"Yes!"

After grabbing the arm of Elia, who was falling with me, I swung Mistilteinn to move back to our original position.

Because the dragonfly’s flight speed was so fast, it took a bit of time to get back.

"Up we go."

"Master. Are you now going so far as to have an aerial date with a female?"

"Shut up before I confiscate your candied sweet potatoes for a week."

As soon as we returned, Lackey spouted nonsense, but I easily ignored him.

More importantly, I had to make sure Elia was okay.

Because I didn’t know what kind of harm the dragonfly might have inflicted on her in that short span of time.

"You’re not hurt anywhere, right?"

"It was great to see so many trees!"

"Did she hit her head?"

"That female was already damaged to begin with, Master."

I couldn’t deny that. I chuckled.

But I had to get serious right away, because our stamina consumption was simply too severe.

Just when we managed to overcome a situation, other bugs would swarm, giving me a headache.

’First, I need to find a place to rest.’

It had been about an hour since we entered the bugs’ nest.

Having fought continuously during that time, we couldn’t help but be physically exhausted.

"Elia. You’re really okay right now, right?"

"I’m fine!"

"Even as you say that, your chest is heaving heavily. Be honest."

"...I am a little tired."

Elia’s stamina consumption was particularly severe.

Unlike us, who had gained excellent stamina through numerous expeditions, Elia had little experience.

Normally, she probably lacked the time to train her personal martial prowess due to fulfilling her duties as the Elf Queen.Visit novelping . com for the full chapter.

’I didn’t expect this.’

Because of Yoo So-wol’s example, I thought high-ranking people were basically of a sturdy build.

Especially since Elves are a race that rivals the Demon Race, and their basic martial power is strong.

Without looking far, didn’t Mephisto’s princess, Kaylin, possess one of the most renowned martial powers in the world?

I thought Elia would be similar, but it was a misjudgment.

’It’s not that her stamina is weak. She just can’t endure the Forest of the Four Seasons.’

If another month had passed, she would have endured to some extent.

Because during that month, there would have been plenty of Inner Cores to consume or prey easy to hunt for nourishment.

Right now, it was neither here nor there, so stamina management was essential.

Furthermore, the sweltering heat also played a part in the extreme stamina depletion.

Therefore, we had no choice but to go to a cave or an area where bugs wouldn’t gather.

Pareureureuk!

"Lackey. Fire."

"Understood."

Even as we headed toward a place to rest, the bugs attacked relentlessly.

Among them, the ones that attacked the most were beetles, which was natural since they are the most diverse type of bug.

The problem was that those beetles were charging to eat us. Moreover, just as their types were diverse, the traits they possessed were also diverse.

Peong!

"Argh! Wh-what is this smell...?!"

"It’s h-hot, and I feel like throwing up...!"

"Wind! Wind magic...!"

The prime example was a bug that sprayed a terrible toxic gas from its rear.

The toxic gas it sprayed was not only foul-smelling but also carried extreme heat.

If we hadn’t used cold energy, our skin would have suffered severe burns.

Hwiiiiing!

Fortunately, Elia used wind magic to blow all the toxic gas to the opposite side.

It could have been a disaster if we were even slightly late, but thanks to her timely response, we were able to handle it without delay.

Of course, since we inhaled the toxic gas, we quickly healed ourselves with Elixirs.

No matter how sturdy my body was, if my respiratory system was damaged, it would inevitably cause major setbacks in managing my mana.

ㄴAllfather) It’s a bombardier beetle. A unique specimen among bugs.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Perhaps because it grew giant in the Forest of the Four Seasons, it looks incredibly dangerous.

ㄴSuspiciously...) It reminds me of the skunk Beastfolk. Their farts are also their weapon.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Were there skunk Beastfolk too? I haven’t even seen them on the Gallery.

ㄴSuspiciously...) That’s because they are a minority tribe.

ㄴInternal Cultivation Master Robert) If they are a minority tribe rarely mentioned even on the Gallery, they must be tricky to deal with.

ㄴSuspiciously...) They are currently ignored in politics because they don’t bring in votes.

ㄴInternal Cultivation Master Robert) Hmm. That’s strange. Didn’t the recent leader of Wydd receive votes from minority tribes?

ㄴSuspiciously...) Due to the resulting reverse discrimination, the opposing votes also rallied. The mayor of the capital is an example of that.

Whether politics came up or not, I started with what I had to do.

The bombardier beetle had currently sprayed its toxic gas generously and fled somewhere.

I heard that they show such a reaction when threatened by a predator, or something like that.

"Master. I think the smell has seeped into my body."

"Bear with it. Even if we find a place to wash, it’ll be teeming with bugs anyway."

[It is quite convenient not to have a nose at times like this.]

While someone was suffering from the stench, another was dripping sarcasm like that, making anger boil up inside me.

’Come to think of it, Allfather said he invented a magic that grants senses even to the undead....’

Couldn’t I ask Lackey or Elia to learn it sometime soon?

After thinking about that for a brief moment, I quickly finished reorganizing and moved on.

Since Elia’s stamina was draining by the minute, we had to find a safe zone.

"Master! There is a cave here!"

"Oh!"

Lackey, who usually had good observational skills, found a suitable cave just in time.

Just as I thought about quickly entering to take a rest.

"Um... Grylls-nim?"

"Yeah?"

"I hear an ominous sound inside there...?"

At that question, I looked back toward the cave.

Contrary to Elia’s words, no particular sound could be heard.

"Female. Is your hearing also superior just because your ears are long?"

"You know that’s a racially discriminatory remark, right?"

"What is racial discrimination? I saw it on the Gallery, but it doesn’t resonate with me."

"Wouldn’t you feel bad if I called you a monkey-like bastard, Lackey-ssi?"

"I was originally a monkey."

"...."

What a fellow, completely free from racial discrimination.

I chuckled while looking at Elia, who was lost for words, and then focused on the cave again.

Although Elia was eccentric, she didn’t talk nonsense, so it wasn’t a bad idea to listen closely.

Syasyasyasyasyak! Syasyasyasyak!

It was true. The sound of something crawling rapidly inside the cave could be heard.

Sounds that brought a wave of anxiety just by listening.

Without delay, I activated my Eye Lantern.The source of this chapter is novelpi​ng.com.

Paat!

As soon as the Eye Lantern turned on, a part of the cave lit up brightly.

The problem was what happened next.

Chwajajajak!

Just like Moses parting the Red Sea, the moment the Eye Lantern’s light shone, pitch-black things parted.

It was the same even when shining it elsewhere. Wherever the light illuminated, it wasn’t darkness but pitch-black things that retreated.

’Bugs’ that prefer dark places and react sensitively to light like this are extremely limited.

"...Lackey."

"Speak, Master."

"Let’s pour oil in there and burn it down."

That was a cave that should not exist.

Up until now, I had encountered not only cockroaches but also those hideous house centipedes.

That made those things feel even more atrocious. A colony filling the entire cave—just imagining it was horrifying.

Hwareureuk!

So, I burned them down cleanly.

Since they were cockroaches that extremely disliked light, they wouldn’t even be able to come outside.

Just in case, I personally blocked the cave entrance with an ice pillar, so there would be no way for them to escape.

"Let’s look for another place. There must be a place to rest somewhere."

There wasn’t.

Even if we searched with our eyes wide open, it was only teeming with bugs, and no place to rest could be found.

"I think this place is relatively better?"

"Master. Look above your head."

"What is it?"

I had barely tried to rest properly under a tree, but strange things were clinging closely above my head.

They were round, large bugs, and it didn’t take long to realize they were ’ticks.’

"Kiriririk!"

"Argh!"

Ticks larger than soccer balls fell and charged at me.

Seriously, what kind of tick is larger than a soccer ball?

Since it was obvious what would happen the moment we got bitten by those, we quickly got out of there.

Since managing our stamina was essential to fight, running away was the answer.

"Should we just burn down this entire forest?"

"That is also a good method."

How on earth did the lion and the animal pack try to survive here?

In fact, the complete lack of any trace of them suggested they might have already been eaten.

Even I was experiencing a continuous battle of attrition, causing my stamina to deplete more and more.

’Surely Vanir didn’t mean this was a livable place, right?’

Perhaps she meant it was livable strictly by her standards as a dragon.

From the perspective of tiny humanity, this den was a literal hungry ghost hell, but to a dragon, they were just actual bugs.

I let out a sigh and checked the time. Lunchtime was gradually approaching.

"Th-there is an apple tree over there!"

"An apple tree?"

Out of nowhere, Elia shouted that she had found an apple tree.

Turning my head, there indeed stood a tree bearing numerous apples.

’Apples growing perfectly fine in a place infested with bugs? Does that make sense?’

While I harbored doubts, Elia trotted toward the apple tree.

Having gone through so many hardships, she seemed to crave something sweet.

But feeling an instinctive uneasiness, I stopped Elia in her tracks.

"Elia. Hold on."

"Yes?"

"Step back. I have something to check."

No matter how I thought about it, it was suspicious that fruit was growing perfectly fine in a bugs’ den.

This meant one of two things: either those apples contained a deadly poison,

or... they weren’t apples, but something pretending to be apples.

Kwaak!

First of all, I pierced an apple with the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Nothing happened up to this point, but that wasn’t the end.

Soon after, I threw the apple onto the ground and crushed it with Mistilteinn.

As soon as the apple was crushed, it splattered its contents in all directions.

Kkumeutl! Kkumeutl! Kkumeutl!

The problem was that it showed it wasn’t fruit pulp, but was teeming with maggots that weren’t even 1 cm long.

No, it wasn’t just teeming; the entire apple was made of maggots.

The juice that burst out earlier wasn’t fruit juice either, but the blood of maggots.

’If she had taken even a single bite of this apple....’

It was obvious what would have happened without even watching.

But there was something even more serious.

"Lackey."

"Speak."

"Burn that tree."

It was the tree itself.

The moment my command fell.

Kkumeutl! Kkumeutl! Kkumeutl!

The entire apple tree wriggled violently and convulsed.