I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 784

Actually, it was a situation I had more or less expected.

The Nidhogg was a mythical beast that guarded the roots of the World Tree, just as the widely known legends said.

Therefore, if someone were to affect the roots of the World Tree, they had no choice but to react sensitively.

It was only natural, considering the mana erupting from the World Tree’s roots and the fact that dried roots were their staple diet.

That was why, when countless Nidhoggs tore through space and glared at me, I was able to remain relatively calm.

If I hadn’t anticipated this, my entire body would have frozen stiff, and I wouldn’t have been able to react at all.

"...And so, I need to use the roots of the World Tree. There won’t be any damage."

"Krrr."

"’How can we trust that?’ he asks."

Right now, I was persuading the Nidhoggs who were only poking their faces out from beyond the torn space.

Naturally, they were all adults, and some of them even had whiskers.

They seemed to be Cheongseol’s family, and seeing them like this made me realize just how young Cheongseol really was.

"I’m raising Cheongseol right now, so can’t you trust me? I’m raising her like my own child."

"Haljjak?"

I appealed to the old Nidhogg’s question by showing them Cheongseol.

Cheongseol, who had been licking my cheek, even made a cute sound when I held her up.

Since I had fed her well and let her sleep well up until now, she was plump and had a beautiful coat.

Besides, she had recently shed her skin, so she was larger than before.

"Krrr. Krk."

Seeing this, Cheongseol’s mother said something to the other Nidhoggs.

At her words, the Nidhoggs listened quietly and then nodded their heads.

It seemed like things were flowing in a positive direction, but I couldn’t let my guard down even for a second.

Although the intelligence of a Nidhogg is very high, it is not on par with a human’s.

There was nothing more foolish than judging such a creature by human standards.

"Krrrrk. Krk."

"Kyarrrr."

"Krrr."

After discussing among themselves, the whiskered Nidhogg turned its head toward me.

At the same time, the other Nidhoggs disappeared back beyond the torn space.

It seemed the discussion was over. I swallowed hard and awaited the conclusion.

"Krrr. Krk."

"’We will permit you to access the roots of the World Tree.’"

As soon as I heard Lackey’s translation, I cheered inwardly.

But since the conversation wasn’t entirely over, I didn’t let it show.

"Krrrrk."

"’However, we only permit this World Tree, not any other World Tree.’"

"I was planning to do that anyway."

Other World Trees were physically too far away, and there were too many hazards around them.

The World Tree at my house was safe only because it was at my house; I wouldn’t even dream of going anywhere else.

"Krrrrk. Krk."

"’If the roots of this World Tree are damaged, you must take responsibility and feed Cheongseol until she becomes an adult.’"

"Of course, that’s... wait, what?"

I blinked at the rather out-of-the-blue statement. For a moment, I didn’t understand what it meant.

At this, the old Nidhogg slowly explained, and it was about the ecology of Nidhoggs.

Countless creatures lived in the roots of the World Tree, and naturally, there were many spiritual beasts that fought over territory with the Nidhoggs.

In particular, the eagle owl I had seen before was a prime example, being practically the arch-nemesis of the Nidhoggs.

"Krrrrk."

"’For us, the roots are our personal territory. We will establish these roots as Cheongseol’s territory, so it would be easiest for you to think of it that way.’"

"Uh... so to sum it up, this World Tree will belong to Cheongseol, but I have to fend off any threats that come its way until then on my own, right?"

"Krrr."

"’Simply put, it means everything is your responsibility.’"

"Mmm..."

In exchange for freely managing the roots of the World Tree, it meant taking responsibility for Cheongseol.

Furthermore, any responsibility arising from touching the roots would be mine.

It wasn’t much different from before, but the scope of responsibility had expanded significantly.

In particular, having to take charge of Cheongseol until she became a proper adult was no small burden.

"How long does it usually take for a Nidhogg to become an adult?"

"Krrr."

"’The more she eats, the sooner she will mature.’"

So that was why Cheongseol’s mother trained her every day not to be a picky eater.

There was a reason why she consistently took Cheongseol away from me every winter, despite the trust we had built up.

Thus, we reached an amicable agreement, and I was able to touch the World Tree again.

"Is there no reaction?"

"None."

"There is no notable reaction coming back."

"Hmm."

I crossed my arms at the news that there was no reaction to speak of.

It was as if the magic Selena had taught me had no effect.

Of course, since it was such a completely different method, it was too early to be disappointed.

Rather, just getting a feel for it highlighted Selena’s genius.

"What do you guys think? You can say whatever comes to mind."

"First of all, it seems to be spreading throughout the entire tree, not just the roots."

"I agree. In the end, directly contacting the roots seems like the best way."

After hearing their feedback, I nodded and immediately informed Selena.

As soon as Selena learned of my situation, she said she would look for another way and asked me to wait just a moment.

Since it was no different from doing a computer’s job with bare hands, I waited patiently.

And before long, Selena came up with a result.

[Starlight Lady: I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?]

[Wild Grylls: Tell me the bad news first.]

[Starlight Lady: I think tracking it with simple magic is almost impossible.]This chapter was copied from n​ovelping.com without permission.

Finding the Gallery server—that is, the Tower of Babel—with magic was impossible.

As soon as I heard this, a wave of regret washed over me, but there was still good news left.

Above all, Selena was the kind of person who would force open any gap to make a loophole.

Seeing that she had flatly concluded it was ’impossible,’ there had to be a reason.

[Wild Grylls: Since Starlight Lady-nim spoke so firmly, there must be a reason.]

[Starlight Lady: Yes. To put it simply, let’s say I bought a potion from a shop. Just because I bought it from the shop doesn’t mean I know where the potion was manufactured.]

[Wild Grylls: Couldn’t we just ask the shopkeeper?]

[Starlight Lady: We could, but what if the shopkeeper demands a price, or asks back, ’How should I know that?’ Then we’re stuck. Besides, the reverse-tracking method you gave me, Grylls-nim, is also incredibly complex. We’d have to figure out in detail how the potion was manufactured and distributed, find the merchant guild that handles it, and then find the place that trades with that guild.]

[Wild Grylls: Dyu... dyutya...]

[Starlight Lady: The tail would wag the dog, and by the time we figure it all out, there’s a high probability that the other side will have already set up defenses.]

It made perfect sense. As expected of Selena.

Even if the World Tree acted as a router or transmitter, hacking it to pinpoint the server’s location was ’almost’ impossible.

If Aragon had been on my side, it might have been possible. This was a matter of knowledge, not wisdom.

’It’s not like Selena has devices like computers or cell phones, either.’

The fact that she could reach such a conclusion solely through theories grasped from books was already at an amazing level.

If it were me, I would have just babbled "dyutya-tya" without understanding a single thing.

’Looking at this, the Chief God really had great luck with people.’

Even though Aragon had committed a betrayal after the Chief God entered eternal sleep, his luck with people was truly remarkable.

Even if Selena managed to find a way, they would have surely installed thorough security.

[Wild Grylls: Then what’s the good news?]

[Starlight Lady: Although it’s a really simple and crude method, I thought of a more reliable way.]

[Wild Grylls: Hearing the words ’simple and crude’ come out of Starlight Lady-nim’s mouth means it’ll at least be gentlemanly for me. What is the method?]

[Starlight Lady: To use the analogy from earlier, we keep a constant eye on the shopkeeper. And we watch for when the shopkeeper receives an order from the merchant guild. If there’s a potion in that ordered shipment? We immediately tail the merchant guild to find the manufacturing site.]

[Wild Grylls: Oh...]

It really was a simple and crude method. But nothing was more certain than this.

Following that analogy, I listened to Selena’s detailed theory.

Theories that emptied my mind unfolded, but the conclusion was one.

[Wild Grylls: So you’re saying we just need to find the root connected to the Gallery server and slowly trace it up, right?]

[Starlight Lady: It’s highly summarized, but that’s exactly correct.]

[Wild Grylls: That sounds like a really easy method.]

Attacking the hardware directly, rather than the software.

It was like beating up the person who set the password to find it out, rather than trying to crack it through the computer.

Tracing the wire connected to the router to find the main server body.

It was undeniably a crude method, but it was foolproof.

[Starlight Lady: But it’s not perfect. After all, you have to travel along the World Tree’s roots, not on the surface.]

[Wild Grylls: I think the surface and the World Tree’s roots are equally dangerous. Plus, the space won’t be tangled up in a mess like it is on the surface.]

[Starlight Lady: That part would indeed be an advantage. First, the method I thought of is...]

Starlight Lady explained the detailed method to me.

Since it was a simple and crude method, magic wasn’t particularly necessary, but there was something needed just in case.

That was a magic that gave color to mana, which was nothing more than a parlor trick.

It was a magic also used in fireworks, and the reason for using it was simple.

[Starlight Lady: It will be very useful when reverse-tracking. You can use this, right?]

[Wild Grylls: No? To someone who couldn’t even use a Fireball and had to run around throwing Molotov cocktails.]

[Starlight Lady: Ah.]

Why did that single ’Ah’ make my heart ache so much?

Afterward, I step-by-step prepared according to the method Selena had taught me.

"Master. What are you making?"

"A syringe?"

"It’s incredibly long for a syringe. It looks like a skewer."

"Actually, I’m making it to stick it in your butt."

"Heek."

While trading jokes with Lackey, I crafted a long skewer.

I made it out of Mythricon so that I could infuse it with my mana more abundantly.

Adamantium was specialized in durability, while its mana sensitivity was rather average.

’Now, she said to stab this directly into the World Tree’s root and inject my mana, right? And then use Unity of Self and Object to feel the flow.’

Up to here was very easy, but what came next was the most important part.

Namely, accessing the Gallery and determining if there were any anomalies in the flow of mana.

If a very minute change occurred? That would be the path leading to the main Gallery server.

[Starlight Lady: It’s highly likely to be a truly minute change. So, it would be best if many people accessed the Gallery simultaneously.]

Coordination was of the utmost importance here.

Since the people who could access the Gallery had to log in at the same time to bring about a meaningful change.

Therefore, only Cheongseol and I would go to the World Tree’s roots, while the rest would wait at my house.

"When I give the signal, everyone access the Gallery. Got it?"

"Understood."

"Yep!"

Kwak!

Following that, I thrust the pre-prepared skewer deep into the roots of the World Tree.

Normally, the Nidhoggs would have thrown a fit, but I had even obtained their permission.

All that was left was to make my mana permeate deep into the roots.

’Even though there are over dozens of split roots right now...’

One of them had to be connected to the Tower of Babel.

I slowly closed my eyes and gradually injected mana into the World Tree’s roots.

Going beyond mere injection, I even used Unity of Self and Object to feel the mana flowing within the World Tree’s roots.

Kwaaaa!

A river? No, it was a tsunami itself.

The speed of the mana flowing within the World Tree’s roots was practically a tsunami.

Even more surprising was that instead of flowing in one direction, it repeatedly dispersed into dozens of branches and returned.This story is hosted at novelpin‌g.com.

A single misstep could sweep away all of my mana, and I doubted whether I could find it here.

’It’s better to be swept away instead.’

I chose to become one and be swept along, rather than resisting stiffly.

Inwardly, I recited the verses that the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol, had taught me, and I felt myself gradually assimilating.

Haljjak!

Cheongseol licked my cheek from the side, almost breaking my concentration.

However, I realized only belatedly why Cheongseol had licked my cheek.

Without even realizing it, cold sweat was pouring down my forehead.

I was flustered, not knowing why this was happening, but I didn’t lose my focus for now.

"...Now!"

A moment later, I shouted to the party waiting beyond the torn space.

At the same time, perhaps because the party had accessed the Gallery, a major change occurred in the roots split into dozens of branches.

The reason I called it a major change rather than a minute one was because the direction of the flow had completely reversed.

I wondered if this was a mechanism designed to prepare for when someone used a crude method like mine.

’Let’s not panic. There must be an awkward spot.’

I calmly tried to find the thread.

First, I instructed the party to repeatedly log in and out of the Gallery every five seconds.

As those actions repeated, the flow of mana naturally became chaotic.

’Only the direction of the flow is changing; there’s no place that’s out of sync. There must be a place that’s out of sync.’

And that place was highly likely to be the signal of the Gallery server.

If I could just find the signal, I would be able to identify the root, so I didn’t lose my focus until the end.

"Haljjak! Haljjak! Haljjak!"

Cheongseol licked my cheek with increasing frequency.

Though I didn’t perceive it, sweat seemed to be pouring down like rain once again.

In my heart, I wanted to scold Cheongseol, asking why she was licking my sweat.

A long time passed like that, and surprisingly, I couldn’t find any awkwardness until half of my mana was consumed.

’If I concentrate just a bit more...’

Still, I couldn’t give up.

If I lost this sensation that was just within reach, there might not be another chance.

A moment later, just when my mana was on the verge of being completely depleted.

Ppigeut—

I was able to find a point that was out of sync.

It was strange, as if a switch that had been pressed was turned off again.

I immediately released cold air, attempting to force that part to freeze.

Kwaaaa!

"Ugh?!"

In an instant, I lost consciousness from a sensation that felt like my mana was ’backflowing.’

Ttiring!

"Ah!"

Selena, who had been helping Grylls with all her heart and soul at the mansion.

She had been staring blankly at the Gallery when she let out an exclamation at the notification that a message had arrived.

She wondered if it was a message from someone else, but it wasn’t.

’Did he succeed?’

With a pounding heart, Selena entered the chatroom with Grylls.

[Wild Grylls: www.gallery.com/archives15135143]

"...?"

But what on earth was this?

Instead of a conversation, Grylls had sent some English text.

’Isn’t that the spell formula used to access the Gallery? No, wait. There’s something more at the end.’

She didn’t know about the front part, but she had never seen ’Archive’ at the end before.

Wondering why Grylls had sent such a thing, Selena, as if possessed, uttered the spell formula.

Paat!

And then, some video unfolded before her eyes.

Just as she wondered if Grylls had fallen into danger, the video began to play.

Kkiiiiik!

As soon as the video played, what caught her eye was some cargo.

The video continued, showing the cargo being flung wide open to reveal countless bananas stored inside.

The video showed the bewildered expression of a man who saw this.

And at that moment.

[Surprise, motherfucker.]

With a savory curse, a Black man walked up confidently, and the video ended.

"...?"

Having been cursed at out of nowhere, Selena couldn’t help but fall into utter confusion.

And around the same time, to Asella.

[Allahu Akbar!]

"Huh?"

Instead of a video, a link that only played a voice was sent.

And a very dangerous voice at that.

"’God is great’? Is this a prayer to the god that Grylls-nim served? Why did he send me this?"

Asella’s confusion was brief.

"Ah! As in, I should use this from now on?"

She almost reached a truly, truly dangerous conclusion.

While Asella was also caught in a state of utter bewilderment like this.

[I suddenly got a message from Grylls?]

[I’m an anon, but a post suddenly got written on its own;;]

[wtf what is this lololol]

[Who is this ahjussi?]

Memes from his days on Earth began to backflow.