I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 851

The obnoxious dragon had paid another visit to my house, picking up right where he left off yesterday.

If there was any difference, it was that he hadn’t started acting like a total pain the second he arrived.

Yesterday, he’d dragged thunder and lightning in with him the moment he touched down, causing every kind of nuisance imaginable, but today was different.

Aside from bringing liquor, he was too busy enjoying a normal bit of downtime.

Bzzzt!

"Ah, seriously."

Of course, having to change the bathwater again—after busting my ass to do it in the first place—was annoying as hell in more ways than one.

And I couldn’t just dump it anywhere, either; dumping it into the river in front of the house yesterday had caused a full-blown disaster.

The instant I poured out the wastewater(?), sparks crackled across the entire river, leaving fish and all sorts of critters floating belly-up.

It was such a disaster that actual industrial waste might have done less damage, leaving me utterly speechless.

’What the hell is that lizard’s deal? Considering he drags thunderbolts around wherever he goes, he’s definitely no ordinary beast.’

I looked up at the sky.

Unlike yesterday, when dark storm clouds had packed the sky to bursting with rumbling thunder, it was remarkably clear.

Not a single cloud was in sight, though the biting chill typical of winter was blowing hard.

’Does the thunder roll depending on his mood? Hmm.’

I turned my head and looked toward the guest house.

By now, the dragon and the rest of the crew would be having a blast playing mahjong in there.

The only difference was that the companions who were supposed to have evacuated were still hanging around.

Of course, it was too early to let my guard down, so I stayed alert.

’What’s his real angle?’

I opened GalWiki and searched for information on dragons from the Mythological Era.

Mythological Era dragons were beings powerful enough to practically be called ’gods.’

Not only did the surrounding terrain shift according to their whims, but they could alter the very ’environment’ itself.

To clarify, that was ’environment,’ not ’weather.’

Unlike weather, environments don’t change easily under normal circumstances.

An ordinary forest turning into a desert in under an hour, or transforming into a glacial expanse covered in ice, and so on.

Yet dragons possessed enough immense power to make that happen, and each individual was said to wield distinct abilities.

While some commanded thunder and lightning like that dragon over there, others could make snow fall or draw up magma from deep underground.

If ancient humanity had blended magic with science, dragons used magic as naturally as breathing.

’Is it more impressive to cast it as naturally as breathing, or to break it down with technology and recreate it?’

Pointless thoughts crossed my mind for a moment, but I shelved them for later; right now, I wanted to figure out that dragon’s true purpose first.

With that in mind, I whipped up our homestead’s specialty, candied sweet potatoes, and entered the guest room.

-Hu! It’s a f—king Hu! Did you see that?!

"T-This makes no sense! How could a Hu pop up from that?!"

-That’s skill, you bastard!

The moment I stepped inside, an entertaining scene greeted me, whatever had just transpired.

There was Lackey clutching his head in despair, and the obnoxious dragon sitting across from him, grinning with pure dopamine rushing through his veins.

The rest of the gang—namely Bbareumbo and Heukgu—wore expressions of utter pity.

If you’re wondering how Heukgu is playing mahjong, it’s best not to overthink it.

"Having fun, I see. Here are the candied sweet potatoes."

-Oh! Perfect timing! Landlord, why don’t you play a round too?

"Master! This guy is a scammer! Never trust him!"

-Your skill and luck just suck, when did I ever cheat?

"Then prove you didn’t cheat!"

Maybe I should teach Lackey the presumption of innocence sometime soon.

There’s truly nothing more maddening than demanding someone prove a negative.

-Proof? This is the only proof I have to show.

But the obnoxious dragon went one step further.

With a dead-serious face, he raised a hand, radiating a distinctly menacing aura.

All traces of the gambler from moments ago vanished completely.

Just as I flinched on instinct, his hand moved toward his face.

He stuck out his tongue, touched his thumb to it, and planted his pinky against his forehead.

Right as I was wondering what in the world I was looking at, the dragon announced with total confidence:

-Look. This is all the proof I have.

"What is that supposed to be now?"

-It means I swear on my mother’s honor.

"...."

Who the hell did that bastard learn that from?

Dumbfounded, I stared at the dragon.

No one from South Korea could fail to recognize that gesture.

And contrary to what many people might think, it was a fairly time-honored(...) Korean method of proof.

’At least the meaning seems to have softened a bit, but still...’

Unlike what the dragon thought, the original meaning was profoundly vulgar and provocative.

Maybe it evolved over time, but either way.

"Hey. Who taught you that?"Enjoying the story? Read on at novel⁠ping.com.

Without realizing it, I dropped the honorifics and spoke informally.

The dragon might have taken offense, but he was already riding a total dopamine high.

-This? Learned it from my superior.

"A dragon has a superior?"

-There’s someone like that. Don’t bother asking. It’s a pain.

Clank—

The dragon waved his hand dismissively.

At the same time, the restraint collar wrapped tightly around his neck rattled harshly.

Neither Vanir nor Gerdi had worn a restraint collar like that.

Everyone seemed to have their own circumstances, so I decided to let it slide for now.

’There’s still time before Vanir gets here...’

Would this dragon actually stay at my place until then?

How would they react if they ran into each other?

I had a lot on my mind, and a mountain of questions piled up.

But asking them during such a fun moment could lead to who-knew-what, so I pushed it off to later.

-Therefore, these candied sweet potatoes are mine to enjoy.

"Kuh... Next time, for sure...!"

Leaving them to their mahjong, I headed back to the main house.

Specifically toward the storehouse where various provisions were kept, to check on the food items the dragon had handed over.

Bzzzt! Crackle!

First was the essence shaped like a dark storm cloud.

I had stored it in the freezer just in case, and it was completely intact.

Next was the liquor he’d brought along on today’s visit.

Bzzzt!

Sparks crackled through the drink as well, and when I took a small sip earlier, it felt like carbonation.

Except it was such a spicy carbonation that it numbed the tongue, making it nearly impossible for normal people to drink.

?Passing Dwarf) Hey. Can’t you please spare some of that booze? Just let me try one cup.

?Praise the Sun) How long are you gonna keep whining for it;;

?Don’t Abandon the Hero) Ask one more time and I’m hitting you with a 24-hour ban!

?Passing Dwarf) That’s so harsh T_T

Of course, the dwarf wasn’t one to just pass this by.

Though if a dwarf drank this, there was a strong chance he’d lose his sense of taste entirely.

My own tongue wasn’t just numb—it felt scorched dry, so imagine what it would do to him.

’Drinking this like it’s nothing. Is his stomach made of steel or something?’

Surely he isn’t going to drink this for dinner.

But bad feelings have a way of always coming true.

-So what I’m saying is, huh? By rights, I was supposed to grow up in a great place.

"That’s already the third time you’ve told that story."

-I know, kid. Just listen.

He showed zero intention of leaving today.

Getting hooked on board games was one thing, but once the booze hit him, he started venting about his miserable life.

Wondering what the hell to do with him, I brought him over to my house first.

What if he got totally plastered and threw up in the guest room?

Cleaning up dragon vomit of all things was something I’d gladly pass on.

?Allfather) That would have made a wonderful research subject; what a pity.

?Heavenly Demon) Truly a bizarre fellow. Researching vomit, of all things.

?Allfather) Many people research feces, so vomit is rather mild by comparison.

?Starlight Lady) At least feces is directly tied to health, but vomit is a bit....

?Passing Dwarf) Come to Mountain if you want. It’s everywhere here.

?Don’t Abandon the Hero) Stop talking about disgusting things!!!

Seriously, when will that guy’s burning academic zeal ever cool down?

He even invented weird magic driven solely by that academic passion, so he really was an incredible person in his own way.

-Hic. Where was I?

"Guest. Wouldn’t it be about time for you to head back?"

Sitting at my table, the dragon was throwing what could only be called a drunken fit.

He was slurring as he downed the booze he’d brought himself—Lightning Liquor, that is.

If he crashed at my place like this, what came next was as plain as day.

’Hundred percent. At this rate, this bastard’s puking before morning.’

Of course, that was assuming he kept drinking.

Right now, he only had a slight buzz and wasn’t slurring his words yet.

In the first place, it made no sense for a creature as grand as a dragon to get drunk off a few drinks.

-Head back? Leave a place this fun to go where?

"Your home."The source of this chapter is novelping . com.

-My home? That boring-as-shit place? Not going. I’m not going back.

Throwing a full-on tantrum now, our obnoxious dragon.

The urge to just toss him into the guest room flared up fiercely.

-Hey, landlord. Let me ask you one thing.

"What is it?"

-What’s your name, landlord?

Come to think of it, I hadn’t told him my name.

There hadn’t been any reason to give my name to begin with, since our relationship was strictly host and guest.

Still, he asked, so it was polite to answer.

"Grylls. Just call me Grylls."

-Grylls, huh... Guess that figures.

Guess that figures? A rather strange response.

-Aren’t you curious about my name, landlord?

"Not particularly."

-Fine. I shall grace you with my name. My name is...

Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr!

It was right as the obnoxious dragon was about to reveal his name.

The restraint collar around his neck vibrated loudly, demanding attention.

To think the restraint collar I’d assumed was just fashion(?) would vibrate so violently.

The mood turned awkward in an instant, and the dragon grimaced with annoyance.

-Ah, shit. Right at this damn timing...

Muttering under his breath, the dragon tapped the collar twice.

The collar ceased vibrating, and the dragon spoke.

-Why’re you calling? I was...

[You seem to be taking it quite easy over there. Dolos.]

An elegant woman’s voice flowed from the restraint collar. It was quite a melodious voice, yet it felt tightly suppressed, as if she were barely holding back her rage.

-I told you not to use that damned name, didn’t I?

[Dolos is just Dolos. More importantly... I distinctly told you to do your job, and you’re just playing around without a care in the world?!]

The woman’s elegant voice rose higher and higher before erupting into a furious shout.

It sounded pretty loud even to us, so imagine how loud it was for the dragon, Dolos.

He tried to pull the collar as far from his ears as possible, but since it was locked around his neck, there was only so much he could do.

[Stop fooling around and get to work right now! Or I’ll blow that necklace to pieces!]

-Fine. I got it.

Vrrr—

The vibration of the collar stopped completely.

Dolos stared at the restraint collar and muttered softly under his breath.

-Fucking El’ar. What’s the harm in playing a little?

"...El’ar?"

I quietly repeated the name that came out of Dolos’s mouth: El’ar.

I’d seen it on GalWiki, specifically in an article related to ancient humanity.

She was listed as one of the gods, and an expert in a specific field.

Rustle—

It was right around the time I was racking my brain about El’ar.

Dolos let out a deep sigh and slowly rose from his seat.

The way he dragged his feet made it glaringly obvious that he hated having to work.

Sensing the sudden shift in the air, I quietly took a couple of steps back.

If he was just leaving, I could brush it off, but the atmosphere had turned ominous.

The instincts and intuition honed in the Forest of the Four Seasons were screaming at me.

That this guy was dangerous.

Swish—

So instead of speaking, I gestured for the others to back away.

Catching on that something was wrong, the others carefully retreated.

-Well then...

Rumble—

A moment later, Dolos, who had been dragging himself up, murmured quietly.

-Time to work.

CRACK!

As he gathered fierce thunderbolts in his hand.

BOOOOM!!!

Like a beast swiping its claws, he slashed a vicious claw of lightning straight at me.

CRASH!

My body punched cleanly through the wall of my house, sent hurtling into the distance.

-Bwahahaha! Let’s do this!

Unfurling his colossal wings, Dolos flew straight toward me.