I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 778

I couldn’t take my eyes off the ashes in the urn for a while.

Are these ashes really the Chief God’s—meaning, mine?

Both the inscription left by Aris and the bow placed beside the urn pointed to that.

To anyone looking, it was clear that not only the urn but also the weapon used in life had been enshrined to honor the deceased.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Even the ashes are here... Is it truly yours, Eungong-nim?

ㄴSword Matstar) What really happens now then? haha

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) A resurrection truly befitting a god...!

ㄴAllfather) This is highly perplexing. Though it is a very impolite suggestion, we might need to analyze them.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Can you identify the deceased by analyzing their ashes? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.

ㄴAllfather) If there isn’t a way, we can just make one. After all, even a very faint trace of the deceased’s mana still dwells within the ashes.

Although Allfather’s words somewhat abandoned ethical considerations, honestly, I was tempted by the idea.

Because I was highly skeptical of whether these ashes were truly mine. It was a dilemma in many ways.

However, I decided to put the urn back.

If I actually did something like that, I would be no different from Aragon, who had crossed the line.

Furthermore, it would be an act of insulting Aris, who had shed tears of blood while cremating me.

[The important thing is that you exist here in the flesh. There are still many things we have yet to figure out, so do not be disheartened.]

Perhaps sensing my complicated feelings, Cain offered some comfort.

Just as he said, I was alive and breathing, so there were still many things I needed to look into.

If I were a clone made by Aragon, I wouldn’t have opened my eyes here.

’Even looking at the timeline, there are too many strange parts.’

If I were Aragon’s clone, there would be no reason for Aragon to continue his research.

Moreover, as could be seen from the records found at the base, Aris had inflicted massive damage on Aragon.

Due to that damage, Aragon had no choice but to halt most of his activities.

Since I woke up after that, the timeline didn’t add up.

For now, just knowing that I wasn’t Aragon’s clone was enough.

’How I even opened my eyes is a mystery in itself. Besides, there was also mention of Aris scattering my memories all over the place.’

I didn’t try to guess how she had scattered my memories.

Earth’s technology had always surpassed my imagination.

What caught my attention more was the ink-colored bow stored in the reliquary.

It possessed an extraordinary appearance even at a glance, and despite having been stored in the reliquary for a long time, it showed absolutely no signs of wear.

"I-Is this really the bow that the Chief God used?"

"Hmm..."

Elia asked me, stammering in a rare display of hesitation.

The Gallery was much the same; everyone reacted with immense excitement now that the topic had shifted to the bow.

And for good reason, as far as we had investigated so far, the Chief God’s primary weapon was a bow.

He had subdued the Tyrant Dragon King with a single arrow, and according to Lucas, he had even shot down a flying fighter jet.

He had displayed archery skills that were practically divine, and it was also the martial art that I currently felt most confident in.

’Ever since I first held a bow, it felt strangely natural in my hands.’

I carefully reached out and picked up the ink-colored bow stored in the reliquary.

I wondered if it would completely drain my mana like the Chief God’s arrows, but fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.

Of course, it might just be fine because I wasn’t actively using mana right now.

[The bowstring is unstrung.]

"If it had been stored with the bowstring strung, it would have suffered severe damage."

I replied as I examined the ink-colored bow from various angles.

It wasn’t certain if this was truly the bow the Chief God had favored in life, but I could just ask Lucas.

’It looks like a really ordinary bow.’

It wasn’t a modern compound bow, but a bow hand-carved from wood.

It was the kind of style one would typically see in dramas or movies, and its ink-like dark color was quite striking.

If one were to ask why it was crafted in such a classical manner, Lucas had mentioned it before.

While it could have been made with a modern design like a compound bow, doing so would prevent it from fully absorbing mana.

As a similar example, guns also have an extremely complex structure, making it exceptionally difficult to imbue them with mana.

And since the Chief God’s greatest strength was his ocean-like abundance of mana, it had been crafted in a classical way to fully utilize it.

ㄴSword Matstar) A person who’s already a Divine Archer is going to get even stronger. I won’t even stand a chance now haha.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Hmm. I have seen something on the Gallery. They call it "defeat addiction." It would be wise for you to seek psychological counseling.

ㄴSmart Demon) You do know that’s a vulgar term, right?

ㄴHeavenly Demon) When this lady uses it, it is not vulgar.

ㄴSmart Demon) Please, just don’t use it in real life. Otherwise, you’re dead. Seriously.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) You mean you’re the one who’s gonna die, right?

ㄴSmart Demon) Yeah, I’ll probably die of a stroke. I seriously can’t stand looking at it.

Ignoring the endless chatter of the Gallery’s fixed-nicks, I checked the bowstring first.

I didn’t know what material had been used, but because it was translucent, even finding it wasn’t easy.

I barely managed to find the string by groping around with my hands.

Now that I had found the bowstring, all that was left was to string it.

Kkwaak!This chapter was taken from nov​elping.com without permission.

"Huh?"

But what was going on?

I pulled on the bowstring, but it didn’t budge at all.

Even when I applied a lot of force, it was much the same. It was truly unyielding.

"Gyaaaaaah!!!"

I pulled the bowstring, tensing not only the muscles in both arms but also gritting my teeth.

Even after doing this, the limbs of the bow only bent slightly; stringing the bow was completely out of the question.

Originally, a bow’s power is determined by the elasticity of its limbs, not the elasticity of the string.

Therefore, being unable to even string it meant I shouldn’t even dream of drawing it.

’Do I really have to use mana?’

I stared at the unbudging bow while panting for breath.

I wondered if the limbs would only bend once I proved my identity like some fingerprint recognition, but the probability of that was incredibly low.

Because I had seen with my own two eyes that the limbs did bend, even if only a tiny bit.

It just wouldn’t budge because the tension of the bow’s limbs was ridiculously stiff.

’I’d rather pull Excalibur out of the stone.’

At least Excalibur chose its master; this thing just required brute, monstrous strength, and that was it.

Still, just in case, I asked the others in my party to try stringing it.

"If I string this bow, what will you do for me?"

"I’ll grant you one wish."

"Only one?"

"Three."

I generously counted it as five in my mind. Even so, it would probably just be sweet potato mattang.

At this, Lackey assumed a solemn expression and took the bow.

"If I string this, first of all: I will become Master’s master from now on."

"Oh, look at you."

"Second: I will eat sweet potato mattang with every meal."

"And the third?"

"I’ll save the third one for the rest of my life."

His petty tricks really worked in marvelous ways.

Of course.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

Stringing the bow was completely out of the question.

The fact that the limbs didn’t bend even a millimeter proved it was utterly impossible.

Seeing this, I smirked as if to say ’I knew it,’ which must have made him cranky.

Uuuung!

As Lackey even channeled his mana to reinforce his body—

Ssuuuuuk!

Like a vacuum cleaner sucking up trash, the ink-colored bow completely drained all of Lackey’s mana.

It happened so quickly that I couldn’t stop it in time, and the disaster had already struck.

"Nueooo..."

In the end, Lackey collapsed on the spot, having had his mana entirely sucked dry.

With his tongue hanging out, he looked as though every ounce of strength in his body had been spent.

Fortunately, I kicked him away midway through, preventing a truly dangerous situation.

"See, I told you. Don’t use mana."

[You never said that.]

"Really? He should’ve read the room."

[....]

Beside me, Cain stared at me as if I were trash. Naturally, I ignored him.

For now, I poured an Elixir into the exhausted Lackey’s mouth to restore his energy.

However, since his mana had already been completely sucked dry, it would be difficult for him to even move for a while.

"Ooh! I’ll try this time!"

"Sure, sure. Let’s hear your wishes first."

Even after seeing Lackey fail so miserably, Elia was stepping up.

I knew all too well that she wouldn’t succeed, but I was curious about her wishes, so I willingly handed it over.

"My first wish is to plant a tree with Grylls-nim!"

"Oh, boy."

"The second is to plant a tree with Grylls-nim even when we go outside!"

"Good grief."

"And the last one is... for Grylls-nim to plant a tree just for me!"

Yes. This was so typical of Elia.

The fact that they were all unified under the theme of trees made me let out a dumbfounded chuckle even after hearing them.

"Haah! Haah!"

Though it was utterly impossible.

Elia panted heavily, struggling with the weight.

Since she was far weaker than Lackey, this was already a foregone conclusion.This chapter was taken from novelp‌ing.com without permission.

[By the way, if even stringing the bow is this difficult, will you even be able to nock an arrow?]

"I know, right? How on earth did the Chief God use something like this?"

[That Chief God is you. It is a matter you must resolve yourself.]

I nodded at Cain’s remark.

If I couldn’t even string the bow, I shouldn’t even dream of nocking an arrow.

’But I still have to string it first...’

Did the Chief God really string this with his bare body?

Since he was someone who possessed an ocean-like abundance of mana, it must have been a bit different.

He must have used mana to extremely reinforce his body before drawing the bowstring.

’Should I use mana...’

The arrow I fired when fighting the remnant of the Tyrant Dragon King last time.

Just unleashing my Aura into that arrow had depleted all the mana in my body.

It was a relief that I defeated it with that single arrow; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to even lift a finger.

’Since my mana capacity is much more abundant now than back then...’

In addition, I had many companions to protect me now.

Since there were no signs of enemies attacking the ossuary, I could rest easy.

At this, after taking a deep breath, I grabbed the bow and bowstring and drew up my mana.

Kwagagagwa!

Like a dam bursting, my mana was swept away elsewhere.

The ink-colored bow was greedily absorbing my mana as if it were starved.

Fortunately, I could ’still’ endure it, so I quickly exerted my strength to string the bow.

"Huuup...!"

It was a battle of whether my mana would deplete first or if I would string the bow first.

With every passing second, the amount of draining mana was immense.

What was even more surprising was that a glossy luster gradually began to envelop the dark, ink-colored bow.

The way it gleamed, as if freshly painted with a brush, made it feel alive.

Kgeugeugeuk!

The limbs of the bow gradually began to bend, and the bowstring drew closer to the opposite limb.

Squeezing out every ounce of strength I had, I did not let go of the string.

Uuuuung—

A moment later, the ink-colored bow, having greedily devoured my mana, vibrated faintly.

But I paid no attention to that and focused entirely on stringing the bow.

Just as I had depleted most of my mana.

Cheolkeok!

With a clicking sound, I barely managed to string the bow.

"Puha!"

As soon as I strung the bow, I put it down. My held breath burst out, and I naturally stepped backward.

Although I stumbled from exhausting so much strength in an instant, I didn’t fall unsightly.

After roughly wiping away the dripping sweat, I asked in a trembling voice.

"Huu... By any chance, how many minutes was I like this?"

[It wasn’t several minutes; it didn’t even take twenty seconds.]

"What?"

It felt like five minutes had passed, but it hadn’t even been twenty seconds?

When only a quarter of the mana in my Dantian was left?

I wore a dumbfounded expression before turning my gaze toward the bow.

It was vibrating faintly, as if pleased to have feasted after a long time.

’...Can I really even use that thing?’

I had only just passed the very first step.

To use it fully, I would have to raise my specs far more than now.

I let out a sigh and said in a tired voice.

"...Let’s go back for now. We’ll end today’s schedule here."

I felt like I needed to go home and rest deeply for the time being.

I could just visit Lucas’s flagship tomorrow or the day after to have it verified.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) But isn’t this practically grave robbing? You’re raiding a tomb.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) He raided his own tomb, so it’s not grave robbing!

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Isn’t that exactly what grave robbing is?

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Uh-uh! It’s recovery!

On the Gallery, Asella was desperately defending me.

I chuckled and returned home.

"...Did this get bigger than before?"

"Of course, since trees naturally grow!"

For some reason, the World Tree had grown larger than before.