I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 94

Human bones are relatively easy to tell apart from those of other animals.

Even compared to apes that resemble humans, they stand out. It’s just easy to distinguish.

Round back of the head, square jaw.

This was definitely a human bone. I was certain of it.

Title) Found human bones

Wild Grylls

(Picture of a human skull)

Found a skull in what I assume used to be an owlbear’s cave. This is a human bone, right?

↳ Heavenly Demon) It indeed appears to be a human head. Are there no other bones?

↳ Wild Grylls) There are way too many bones around to search properly.

↳ Sword Matstar) Looks like one to me?

↳ Anonymous) Definitely.

↳ Anonymous) If that’s not a human bone, what else could it be?

↳ Anonymous) Seeing how it’s turned into white bone, a lot of time must have passed.

↳ Anonymous) There were humans in the Forest of the Four Seasons??

↳ Anonymous) Sure there were. They just all fuckin’ died like those bones.

↳ Anonymous) Is that Grylls’ future by any chance?

↳ Anonymous) Probability is sooooo fucking high lol

↳ Anonymous) That’s a grand senior right there. Why haven’t you paid your respects yet, what are you waiting for?

↳ Anonymous) Are you fucking insane lmao

↳ Anonymous) Fuck. Is that something you say to him? hahaha

↳ Anonymous) Man, you really know how to completely drain someone’s motivation lmao

↳ Anonymous) Hahahahaha

↳ Anonymous) Lmao

↳ Starlight Lady) You people are truly awful. How can you say such things as human beings?

↳ Anonymous) Be honest. You smirked too, didn’t you?

↳ Starlight Lady) My emotions are dried up, so I didn’t even laugh.

↳ Anonymous) Woah there. It was just a joke, don’t take it so seriously.

↳ Anonymous) fr, you must live a really boring life.

Just in case, I asked the Gallery, and they confirmed it was a human bone.

And an old one at that. You could tell just by how only white bones remained stranded there.

’It wasn’t a head injury, though.’

The skull was remarkably clean. Intact without a single fracture.

I began searching to see if there were other bones.

But I had to give up quickly.

I wasn’t an archaeologist; how was I supposed to distinguish human bones buried among countless animal bones?

Simply confirming that a human had been here was enough.

’Was this person dragged here by the owlbear?’

I needed to explore the surroundings a bit more. Setting the skull down, I wandered around the cave.

The cave itself was quite spacious, so there were plenty of areas to look over.

"Here is..."

Then I found a place that couldn’t easily be overlooked—a space right next to the nest.

Two high-standing walls. Beyond the gap between them lay a fairly wide space.

I poked my head through the gap to take a peek.

"...."

Bones. A human skeleton lay quietly, leaning against the wall.

Unlike the bones eaten by the owlbear, it maintained a complete form.

I slipped inside the space and thoroughly looked around.

"Oh..."

The space behind the walls was larger than I expected. And cozy.

Although cobwebs clung everywhere and dust had piled up over many years, taking that into account, it still felt cozy.

Above all, what caught my eye were the furniture and equipment placed throughout the area.

Most were made of wood and had largely rotted away, but a few barely maintained their shape.

’Is this a stone axe?’

A tool made by tying stone to wood that was practically on the verge of crumbling.

The front part of the stone seemed to have been ground down as sharp as possible.

Judging by how it was fixed to the wooden stick, it looked like the maker had woven the fiber themselves.

Unlike me, who had the Gallery, traces of someone starting from scratch were visible everywhere.

’But these marks are...’

I ran my hand over the ’marks’ carved into the ground. A very familiar sight.

Because they were identical to the tallies I carved on my wall every passing day. Tally marks recording days survived.

However, tallies like these were usually made on walls, not the ground. Curious, I looked around.

’That wall’s full, that one too...’

A structure enclosed by walls on all sides, completely covered in tally marks.

It seemed they ran out of wall space and had resort to marking the floor.

A detail showing just how long this person had survived.

"...."

A vague wave of emotion rushed over me like a tidal wave.

Despite surviving for so long, this person ultimately turned into a pile of white bones.Find the original chapter at nov​elping.com.

Even though I had the Gallery... could I really endure as long as this person did?

They had survived far longer than I had, which meant they must have been much stronger than me.

Yet they died. Alone, unrecognized by anyone, leaving behind nothing but a sea of survival tallies.

This person could very well be my future. That thought crossed my mind.

"Haa..."

It was an indescribable feeling. Whether to call this despair or enlightenment, I couldn’t tell.

If I hadn’t known anything, I might have clung to hope until the very end... but seeing this left me feeling lost.

Can I really get out of here? No, before that, can I even survive?

’...I have to try.’

Survival tallies carved not just on the walls, but on the floor as well.

It looked to be well over two or three years at minimum. I didn’t know how this person died.

I looked around to see if I could find the cause of their death.

The Forest of the Four Seasons was a place that had made even me—someone who knew nothing—stronger.

Someone who had survived two to three years here couldn’t have died a meaningless death.

"Hmm?"

Searching every corner of the space, I suddenly spotted something.

A chest sitting along the edge. Despite the passage of time, it still held its shape.

Judging by the thick layer of dust, there were no signs of insects like spiders going in or out.

’Still, just in case...’

I gently poked it with the tip of my sword. In case something sprang out of it.

Fortunately, my anxiety was groundless; it merely rattled a few times with no further signs of danger.

’What’s inside? Did they hoard bottles like me?’

Holding a faint sense of anticipation, I slowly opened the chest.

Dust billowed up, making me cough, but soon I was able to see the contents.

"...Books?"

There wasn’t much inside. Just a few books, and that was it.

Surprisingly well-preserved, the books were in fairly good condition.

I picked up a book carefully, worried the cover might tear off.

Some writing was inscribed on the completely worn-out cover.

’As expected, I can’t read this.’

I didn’t know a single language of this world. Looking at the script, it vaguely resembled a European language.

In situations like this, the Gallery is best. I thoroughly took photos of the interior space.

Title) I found where a survivor lived

Wild Grylls

(Picture of the space between the walls)

(Picture of the skeleton leaning against the wall)

(Picture of survival tallies carved everywhere)

(Picture of stone and wood presumed to be the survivor’s items)

(Picture of a book with text written on it)

(Picture of the chest where books were stored)

I came across a secluded spot next to the owlbear’s nest and went inside.

Inside, there was a skeleton and survival tallies carved all over the place.

The most fascinating thing among them are these books. Which country’s script is this?

↳ Heavenly Demon) It is certainly not of the Central Plains.

↳ Sword Matstar) It’s not the script of the Messiah Empire either. First time seeing it.

↳ Princess Chaenggu) It’s not our language either~

↳ Praise the Sun) Not Setan’s either. Nor Alfheim’s.

↳ Anonymous) Looks like an ancient language, doesn’t it?

↳ Anonymous) That’s not enough to tell. Post more.

Everyone’s response was that they didn’t know. Since there were few countries, there should be few languages, so it was weird.

For now, it seemed best to follow the anon’s advice. I flipped the book page.

A musty book smell wafted out, but I could endure it.

’It’s yellowed with age, but it’s readable.’

Now I just had to post this to the Gallery.

I hoped someone would recognize it.

Title) Showing more of the book

Wild Grylls

(Picture of a page densely filled with text)

Will this do?

↳ Heavenly Demon) It is even less like that of the Central Plains.

↳ Sword Matstar) Not the Messiah Empire either. Could it be the script of the Iris Kingdom?

↳ Allfather) It is not the script of the Iris Kingdom either. However, it looks familiar. Please wait a moment.

↳ Starlight Lady) Could it be the script of the Holy Kingdom?

↳ Don’t Abandon the Hero) I have never learned a script like that!

↳ Suspiciously...) It’s not the language used by beastfolk either though?

↳ Anonymous) If no one knows it, isn’t it the script of a fallen nation from long ago?

↳ Anonymous) High possibility! At least it’s definitely a nation from over 50 years ago. No country has fallen in the last 50 years.

↳ Anonymous) Grylls, you really picked up something insane.This story is hosted at nov⁠elping.com.

↳ Wild Grylls) What good is it if it can’t be translated? This is important to me too.

↳ Anonymous) Why is it important?

↳ Anonymous) Because it’s a survival log?

↳ Wild Grylls) Yep. Because it’s a survival log, it could be a huge help to me. I definitely need it.

Books can serve as a bridge connecting the past to the present.

If that bridge collapses along the way, countless records and technologies are likely to be lost.

There is a reason people burn books first when they want to erase records.

’If it’s an ancient script, will it be even harder to decipher?’

No matter the nation, as time flows, many things change.

Language is no different. Past and present languages have many differences.

This is natural, for no one knows what history might unfold in between.

Why, even the Republic of Korea had several words altered due to the influence of the Japanese colonial period.

Moreover, comparing Hunminjeongeum created by King Sejong the Great to modern Korean reveals a distinct difference.

’There are quite a lot of books like this.’

Turning the pages, I checked the other books.

The other books were similarly well-preserved, crammed full of unknown text.

How great would it be if I could decipher all of this? It would be of immense help to me.

’I should just upload them all.’

Translation only worked through the Gallery anyway. Rather than piecemeal, it was better to post them wholesale.

Careful not to damage the books, I carefully put them back into the chest.

Then I placed the chest straight into my Subspace Bag.

Afterwards, I looked around for anything else useful, but found nothing of note.

’Is that necklace around the skeleton’s neck about all that’s left?’

A necklace hung from the skeleton’s neck. A pendant, to be exact.

A pendant set with a red gem that looked quite expensive.

Taking it didn’t seem like it would serve any purpose.

So I left it so the skeleton could wear it until the end.

’This person must have missed human company too, right?’

I gazed at the skeleton leaning lonely against the wall.

Beyond lonely, it felt pitiful, moving me to pity.

This person must have wanted to escape to the outside, but couldn’t fulfill that wish.

’Prisoners are sent here with their eyes gouged out, but this person even wrote books.’

They must have been stranded, or had some other circumstance.

Gazing quietly at the skeleton, I accessed the Gallery.

Then I bought a suitable sack and gathered up the skeleton piece by piece into it.

’Hang in there until I move you.’

Was it because I always faithfully observed my parents’ death anniversaries back home? Or just my nature?

Leaving it abandoned like this didn’t feel like proper etiquette toward the deceased.

Even if the bones presumed eaten by the owlbear couldn’t be helped, this set was fully preserved.

After packing the bones into the sack, I stepped outside the hidden space.

Stepping out, Wonmo was playing with a butterfly near the nest.

"Wonmo. Let’s go."

"Kkyu!"

That’s it for today’s exploration. Time to head back to my cave and photograph the books to post.

Deciphering the book’s contents as fast as possible would allow me to gain all sorts of information.

’And conduct a memorial service while I’m at it.’

I didn’t know if the concept of a memorial service existed here, but I ought to do it anyway.

They might represent my potential future, but as someone said, aren’t they a grand senior?

The legacy left behind by this senior would prove to be an immense asset to me.

After returning to my cave as time passed, I unpacked everything and looked around the surroundings.

To find a suitable spot for a grave.

’I’ll bury them over there.’

Of course, I wasn’t going to bury them right away; my plan was to post the books to the Gallery first.

I pulled out the chest containing the books and pushed it to one side.

’Has anyone found anything on the Gallery?’

A little time had passed since I posted the book pages.

By now, they ought to have figured out what kind of writing it was to some degree.

With that expectation in mind, I logged into the Gallery.

↳ Allfather) Could you quickly take photos of the next pages and show them to us? This old man’s excitement is keeping his lower half from settling down.

↳ Anonymous) Sir;;

↳ Anonymous) This guy gets vulgar whenever he sees something interesting;;

↳ Anonymous) What the hell is that for him to react like that?

↳ Anonymous) Supposedly guessed to be written by the brother of the Immortal King? Likely from the Balkan Kingdom?

↳ Anonymous) Holy shit, why is that coming out of nowhere there?

↳ Anonymous) Fuck, if that’s real, scholars worldwide are gonna lose their minds.

↳ Anonymous) Historians get excited while academy students shed tears lmao

It seemed Allfather had succeeded in deciphering it.