I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 816

Defeating the tentacled monster wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

For one, I had Holy Water, which was practically a hard counter, and the combat power of the remaining survivors was also quite outstanding.

Thanks to that, after cleanly incinerating the tentacled monster’s corpse, we cleaned up the aftermath and became acquainted with the survivor group.

"Thank you so much! We thought we were all going to die!"

A survivor expressed his gratitude to me with a bright smile on his face.

Surprisingly, the words coming out of his mouth were in the Holy Kingdom’s language, but his appearance caught my eye more than that.

I could overlook the appearance that looked as if a lizard’s face had been directly pasted onto him.

After all, it wouldn’t be impossible if a Lizardman had somehow drifted all the way here.

But the horns protruding from his head like the Demon Race, and physical traits much closer to a human than a Lizardman, were not.

Crucially, the fact that he even used magic fluently indicated that he belonged to an entirely different race.

"Master. These people used magic earlier."

"I don’t know if it’s due to the influence of the mist, but their firepower was strong."

Lackey and Elia also whispered to me, as if they instinctively sensed that something was unusual.

Just in case, we used Korean, which only we could understand, instead of the Holy Kingdom’s language.

Fortunately, the survivor didn’t seem to know Korean, as he was waiting for my response.

"...You speak the Holy Kingdom’s language well."

"You mean the language I’m using? It’s the standard language used in the village where I live. I heard that people who occasionally come from the outside also use it."

Perhaps because we had helped them, the survivor generously shared valuable information without even being asked.

I focused on the word ’village’ among those.

’If it’s to the extent of a village, does that mean they are self-sufficient?’

If they were just a simple group of survivors as the gas-masked man had said, they would have used terms like ’base’ or other titles instead of ’village.’

And if they came from that village, it would surely be of great help to us.

"Yes. Well... that’s right. But how did you guys end up being attacked by that monster?"

Even though I had obtained information about the village, there was still a lot lacking.

Taking advantage of their goodwill felt quite uncomfortable, but considering they might be related to ’Manatology,’ I had no choice but to remain on guard.

They looked perfectly fine on the outside, but there was no telling when they might suddenly change.

"Ah. Before that, I should introduce myself. My name is Miren Windsinger. I lead the scout squad."

"Windsinger?"

His name was ordinary, but the surname attached to it was rather unique.

Should I say it was a surname that sounded far more elven than even the Elves?

Perhaps interpreting my doubt differently, Miren spoke.

"Ah. Do you perhaps know my surname?"

"No. I just thought it was a nice name."

"I see."

"Is there some secret to your surname?"

"According to the elders, it’s the surname of our great ancestors from the past, but I don’t really know. Haha."

Miren replied with a genial laugh.

Unlike the Lizardman tribe, which was primitive and had rather rigid rules, he seemed to have an easygoing personality.

"You said you’re a scout squad, but how did you get caught by that monster?"

"Actually..."

Miren’s explanation was as follows.

The village selects a group of people to go outside at regular intervals to create a ’map.’

The city shrouded in mist seemed to have no rules, but they were actually quite clear, which made a map essential.

Miren’s group had followed the map, but they encountered an unexpected situation.

Thus, they were on the verge of being wiped out by the tentacled monster before barely escaping with their lives.

"Is this kind of thing common?"

"No. As long as we have a map, we can avoid the territories of those monsters. But for some reason, the monster changed its territory. It seems other monsters had a dispute."

"Do they invade each other’s territories?"

"Monsters are no different from beasts, after all. Given the chance, they’re busy devouring one another."

Hearing the explanation, I thought I roughly understood the cause.

"I think it’s because of us...?"

"Shh. Be quiet."

Just as Lackey muttered, there was a very high possibility it was because of us.

After all, the monsters we had defeated just now numbered two.

If not for the Holy Water, we would have gone through quite a grueling process for both monsters.

"Miren! The cleanup here is done!"

It was while we were sharing various stories with Miren.

The voice of one of his companions who was cleaning up cut in between us.

I wanted to gather more information, but it seemed I would have to figure it out slowly.

"It looks like we should head back soon. Ah, by any chance, would you like to come to our village?"

"We’d love to."

There was no reason to refuse.

Since we could verify whether that village was truly entangled with Manatology.

I wanted to ask outright, but I had to be cautious as it might arouse suspicion.

"By the way, I didn’t even know our savior’s name."

"I’m Grylls."

"I’m Lackey."

"I’m Elia."

I introduced Wonmo on his behalf, and the last one remaining was Cain.Get faster updates on novеlping.com.

Since Cain was hollow inside and practically close to an undead, he looked like a heavy knight clad in massive armor on the outside.

Therefore, even when he greeted them plainly, they just found it fascinating and moved on without harboring doubts.

"By the way, Miren-ssi, are all of your companions from the same village?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Because everyone’s faces look different."

Although I hadn’t noticed well earlier due to the mist, the appearances of Miren’s companions were indeed diverse.

Some had lizard heads like Miren, while others had reptilian skin with only horns.

"Ah. That? It’s because there are people who married those who occasionally came from the outside."

"Ah."

ㄴPassing Dwarf) There are a lot of adventurous lovers in this world.

ㄴSuspiciously...) I can guarantee 100% that they are humans.

ㄴSmart Demon) Isn’t that a bit too narrow-minded?

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Hybrids always have to have human blood mixed in, so isn’t that obvious?

Hearing the fixed-handle users’ conversation, I was momentarily speechless.

Indeed, the vast majority of hybrids were between humans and other races.

There were occasional rumors of non-human races marrying and having children, but they were unconfirmed.

In any case, seeing that they married people from the outside, it seemed like a truly peaceful village.

’Do I have a prejudice?’

I wondered if I should subtly bring up Manatology, but I suppressed the urge.

This was a place where bizarre things happened constantly, and above all, I didn’t know what their ’common sense’ was like.

"Are there no people who have gone outside the mist?"

"Is there a need to go out? It’s true that the mist is dangerous, but according to the outsiders and the elders, the mist actually protects us. Do you think so too, Grylls-nim?"

"Hmm..."

I couldn’t deny it. In a way, it was true.

Although Manatology monsters swarmed inside the mist, paradoxically, they were blocking external threats.

Just imagine if the water deer that troubled us kept rushing in without end.

It was a relief that the Manatology, which acted as a hard counter to overwhelming numbers, stood firm; otherwise, it would have been horrific.

"Yes. Well... there are plenty of vicious things out there. It would be fine if they were just simply strong like the monsters here, but there are many bizarre ones too."

"Could you tell me more about them?"

Miren’s eyes sparkled as he showed curiosity.

It seemed his yearning for the outside of the mist was strong.

"I don’t see why not. In exchange, there’s something I want to know too."

"Ask anything."

"How does this mist affect us? Is it really okay to just breathe it in?"

Miren’s companions had bare faces, without gas masks or filters.

It made me feel like a fool for having fretted over what side effects there might be every time I inhaled the mist.

"We naturally have high mana affinity, so we’re fine. Otherwise, problems arise."

"What kind of problems?"

"You lose yourself."

Miren gave the exact same answer as the gas-masked man.

An answer that was philosophical yet close to direct: losing ’myself.’

"...Though we say that, it’s actually close to getting dementia."

"Pardon?"

"Dementia, dementia. Since you lose your memories, it’s basically the same as dementia."

"..."

To think they dismissed such a clearly serious symptom as mere dementia.

I was momentarily dumbfounded, but it was easier to think of it as the village’s unique slang.

"The problem is what comes right after. What do you think is left when you lose your memories?"

"Only a shell would remain?"

"Only a shell and the instinct to survive remain. Consequently, you become a monster."

"..."

The instinct to survive.

Every Manatology we had encountered so far became a monster solely due to that instinct.

One might wonder what kind of principle could turn a human into such a monster, but the human body was originally a bizarre thing.

For example, there was a mother who exhibited superhuman strength to save her son trapped under a car.

It was later revealed that every single one of her muscles had ruptured, and even her bones were broken.

If mana interfered with that, all sorts of things would happen.

"Then, Grylls-nim, could you tell us what you did on the outside?"

It was while I was lost in thought.

Hearing Miren’s words, I pondered over my deeds on the outside.

Naturally, I couldn’t talk about my time on Earth, and the rest was entirely my life in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

At best, there was only the Miracle of Christmas and the Heavenly God Martial Festival, but even those were vague.

Since the time I had spent living there was far too short.

"Just... lived normally, I guess."

"Master did?"

From behind, Lackey retorted as if telling me not to talk nonsense, but I lightly brushed it off.

Since he also spoke in Korean so Miren couldn’t understand, it was close to a joke.New chapters come out on novelping dot com first.

"However, since I rarely leave the place where I live, it might not be that interesting. If there are countries I’ve visited, it’s just the Holy Kingdom of Avalon and the Central Plains, those two?"

"The Central Plains? Did you just say the Central Plains?"

At the mention of the Central Plains, Miren’s eyes shone even more intensely.

Not just Miren, but his companions as well.

Because of the dense mist, they had no choice but to huddle close together, naturally overhearing our conversation.

"Do you know about the Central Plains? Did an outsider tell you about it too?"

"Yes. There’s actually an outsider who recently entered our village. He said he came from a massive country called the Central Plains."

"..."

I’m already getting a bad feeling about this.

The moment I heard those words, I stole a glance at Lackey.

Lackey also seemed to have realized something, wearing a look of disbelief.

At this, I asked with a somewhat cautious tone.

"By any chance, is that outsider’s name..."

"He said his name is Gu-chil. He claimed to be the descendant of the great Blood Demon."

"What a persistent bastard."

I lamented the moment I heard that familiar and tiresome name. Since I spoke in Korean, they wouldn’t understand.

Gu-chil, whom we had sent away leaving only his clothes behind due to Starlight Lady Selena’s experiment.

I thought he had died in some ditch somewhere, but to think he was actually living well here was absurd.

"If it’s Gu-chil, it’s that guy, right? The pervert ahjussi Gu-chil."

"I heard he was completely naked when they rescued him?"

The other companions whispered among themselves.

Since he was a recently arrived outsider and such a peculiar case, it seemed everyone knew about him.

From what I overheard, he had suddenly appeared in an area directly ’managed’ by the Elders, and now he was apparently doing well in the upper town.

"The upper town? Then is there a lower town too?"

"The lower town is where ordinary people like us live. The Elders live in the upper town."

"You’ve been calling them the Elders since earlier, but what kind of people are they?"

"They are incredible people. Countless people are consumed by the mist and lose themselves, but not a single one of the Elders has ever done so."

The more I hear, the more suspicious it sounds.

Should I secretly have them drink some Holy Water later?

"Ah, by any chance. Would you like to try drinking this?"

"What is this?"

"It’s just sweet water."

For now, I distributed the Holy Water to these people first.

Perhaps because they were thirsty, they all drank the Holy Water without any issue.

"Kya! It’s really delicious. I feel like energy is surging through my body."

"It’s tasty. Is this really just water?"

"Do you happen to have any more?"

Surprisingly, Miren’s companions were perfectly fine even after drinking the Holy Water.

Since a Manatology would convulse at even a single drop, this was quite unexpected.

In other words, it meant they were not Manatology, which made it even more puzzling.

’Just what kind of place is this village?’

I needed to gather more information while they were showing goodwill.

"Then you must know about the Blood Demon too?"

"According to Gu-chil ahjussi, he was a great man who once conquered a country called the Central Plains, is that not true?"

"Well, we can’t say it’s not true."

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Currently, this lady is the one ruling it.

Yoo So-wol grumbled, but now was the time to watch my words.

Though I wanted to tell them that the current ruler of the Central Plains was the Heavenly Demon, there was no telling what Gu-chil had told them.

"By the way, the Holy Kingdom of Avalon? What kind of country is that?"

"It’s a place that worships Aris, the Goddess of War. Do you know about Aris?"

At those words, Miren scowled deeply as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

"Aris? Are you talking about that notorious evil god?"

"...Pardon?"

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) What the fuck? What kind of nonsense did that lizard bastard just spout?

He had given a completely unexpected answer.

While I was flustered and momentarily speechless, Miren blurted out words in rapid succession.

"The Elders told us. Aris is a notorious evil god and the goddess who trapped us inside this mist."

"Uh..."

"I heard that my ancestors used to roam freely, but they were cursed and trapped because of that evil god."

I can’t exactly deny it...

’Who on earth taught them that?’

At that same time, in the Holy Kingdom of Avalon.

"Let go of me! I must immediately punish those impure...!"

"Calm down. If you go without any preparation, it will only be hard on you."

"Then are you telling me to just stand by?! They insulted Goddess Aris?!"

"If they truly are the descendants of dragons, then from their perspective, it isn’t exactly wrong."

Ludwig had no choice but to break a sweat trying to hold back the raging Asella.