WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 106: Hostage (2)

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The two gorillas had broken into Grylls's home again.

One had been subdued by Grylls's bolts, but the other fled desperately.

It pushed through thick brush and dense trees, climbed trunks, and leaped from branch to branch.

It was remarkably agile for such a massive gorilla. That was how urgent the situation was.

"Ooh! Ooh!"

Before long, the fleeing gorilla reached its troop.

The gorilla troop had been in the middle of an impromptu Fasting Pill party.

But when their companion approached with such a desperate expression, they had no choice but to pause the party.

"Ooh?"

"Ooh! Oooh!"

Sensing that something was wrong, the Leader Gorilla stepped forward.

The fleeing gorilla then explained everything that had happened.

After hearing the whole story, the Leader Gorilla's expression turned grave before it gave an order.

"Ooh. Ooh!"

"Ooh!"

First, they would scout the area and watch the situation. They were the ones who had trespassed into someone else's territory.

If the owner of that territory had killed one of their own, they could retaliate then.

After conveying something along those lines, the other gorillas nodded.

"Ooh-hoo."

"Hoo..."

The Leader Gorilla handed its companion a Fasting Pill to calm it down.

It seemed a fight would break out soon.

* * *

After completely subduing one gorilla, what I did next was not kill it, but tie it up.

Honestly, I wanted to cut off its head and put it on a stake, but that wasn't really my style.

More importantly, these guys were pretty intelligent, so there was a lot to consider.

‘If they care about their companions, they'll definitely come back. It's better to keep this one alive for that.’

Seeing their companion dead could make them even angrier.

One gorilla would be manageable, but if several attacked at once, it would be a difficult fight.

Even with Fast Sloth and Wonmo around, I had no idea how strong the gorilla troop was.

What I needed was information. It would be best to use the gorilla I'd captured alive as a hostage and get some information.

‘Let's see. Tie its arms behind its back, tie its legs too... It's probably insanely strong, so I need to bind it tight.’

Gorillas had the greatest muscle strength of any primate. And this was the Forest of Four Seasons.

It was a place where even ordinary-sized animals were far more dangerous.

So I tightly bound the unconscious gorilla with rope.

Thoroughly enough that it could never break free through strength alone.

What about the bolts stuck in its body? I gave the wounds some basic treatment.

The bolts had gone in so cleanly that I just snapped off both ends.

Elixir? There was no way I was giving Elixir to some thieves.

I bought the cheapest Potion from the Auction House and wrapped the wounds in bandages. That was it.

[Post title] Caught a Thief

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a gorilla tightly bound with rope)

[Post] An Anonymous User once said that criminals always returned to the scene.

[Post] Apparently, these gorilla bastards weren't satisfied with Fasting Pills and tried to steal my fish too.

[Post] There were two of them. I shot one with a crossbow and subdued it, but the other got away.

[Post] For now, I'm planning to use this bastard as a hostage and get some information.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: You tied it properly. Since ancient times, those who stole food were punished with flogging.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Food is life to me, so I'm thinking of giving it a harsher punishment than that.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Cutting off its wrists so it can never steal again would not be a bad idea either.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Whoa...;; I'll just go with flogging.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Just cut off its wrists. I heard repeat offenders get their wrists cut off in my country too.

└ [Wild Grylls]: ;;;

This was the kind of decisiveness that suited their era.

It seemed barbaric, but it was also an understandable punishment.

└ [Allfather]: You have it tied up very tightly. From the look of it, it is definitely a gorilla.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Right? I thought these guys were herbivores, but they stole fish too.

└ [Allfather]: It appears their diet has changed. Be careful. Their kind will surely come.

└ [Wild Grylls]: I'm taking that into account. I'm waiting for them.

└ [SuspiciouslySo]: Is that one male or female?

└ Why are you asking that?

└ [SuspiciouslySo]: I heard gorillas have a matriarchal society.

└ Aren't gorillas orangutans?

└ I heard male orangutans travel alone too.

└ How does a beastfolk not even know that? lol

└ [SuspiciouslySo]: So what if I don't know? Fuck.

There were always crazy people showing up in the gallery.

I snickered but didn't respond. I just let them entertain themselves.

If they crossed the line, the moderators would handle it. There was no need for me to step in.

‘That aside, when is this gorilla going to wake up?’

I stared at the still-unconscious gorilla.

It had foamed at the mouth and fainted the moment it saw Fast Sloth.

That made me curious about Fast Sloth's past, but it wasn't something I needed to worry about right now.

Information was what mattered. It seemed best to leave it alone for the moment.

‘How nice would it be if I could talk to animals?’

The ability to converse with animals. A druid, basically.

Since this was a fantasy world, I'd looked into whether there was an ability like that, but there wasn't.

Now and then, someone claimed they could understand animals, but apparently most of them were liars.

‘People all speak different languages too, so animals must be even worse.’

As I entertained useless thoughts, I carefully examined the gorilla.

At a glance, it had a much larger build than mine.

Other than that, it was completely ordinary. I couldn't find anything special about it.

"Sniff. Sniff."

"Wonmo, don't eat it."

"Kyuu?"

I warned Wonmo in case he tried to eat the unconscious gorilla.

All I had to do was wait until this gorilla's companions came.

If they didn't come...

Well, what choice would I have? I'd have to kill it.

Burying the body or tossing it into the river would take care of the cleanup, so that wasn't a problem.

‘Should I dig a hole in advance, just in case?’

Just as I quietly picked up a shovel while considering that...

"Ugh..."

The unconscious gorilla slowly began to regain consciousness.

Seeing it wake up, I quietly put down the shovel.

"Hey. You awake?"

"Uuugh...?"

Still dazed, it looked at me with a confused expression.

It didn't seem to recognize my face yet.

"Oo... Ooh? Ooh?!"

Then the gorilla suddenly began writhing violently.

Judging by its startled expression, it had realized that its body was tightly bound.

Thank goodness I'd used so many ropes. Otherwise, it looked like it would have escaped in no time.

"Auugh..."

That didn't make the wounds from the bolts disappear, though.

The struggling gorilla soon quieted down, unable to bear the pain.

Now that it had settled down, it was time to talk(?).

"Hey. Look at me."

"......"

At my words, the gorilla slowly raised its head.

Its face had been twisted in pain just moments ago, but now it had turned stern.

It was clearly determined not to answer no matter what I did. It really did seem like a person.

‘Not like I can understand you anyway.’

There was no big reason I had spoken to the gorilla.

I just wanted to see its reaction.

I'd planned to decide how to treat it based on that reaction, but it seemed to be quite stubborn.

‘Then what will it do if it sees Fast Sloth?’

I brought over Fast Sloth, who had been quietly standing there and staring into the forest.

Even as I carried it over, Fast Sloth didn't resist at all.

Then I put Fast Sloth down in front of the gorilla's face so it could see.

"You know this gu..."

"Kkiiaaaak!!"

The gorilla nearly had a seizure the instant it saw Fast Sloth.

Even tied up with rope, its panic was overwhelming. It had to be terrified.

I blankly watched the gorilla make a scene, then turned my gaze to Fast Sloth.

Seeing the gorilla thrashing about, Fast Sloth slowly raised a hand.

Just as I was about to stop it, thinking it might kill the gorilla...

Smack!

Fast Sloth gave it a good, satisfying slap across the face.

The gorilla immediately became quiet.

Its gloomy expression was a bonus.

No, it looked less gloomy and more like it had lost the will to live.

‘What the hell has Fast Sloth been doing out here?’

I knew what Fast Sloth was capable of. Speed too fast to follow with the eye, and sharp claws.

I couldn't tell whether it was infamous among gorillas or if this one was unusual.

Still, it had quieted the gorilla down, so that was enough. I rummaged through my bag and took out a Fasting Pill.

I'd brought the Fasting Pills as emergency rations and a gesture of goodwill.

I planned to show it one.

"Hey. Look at this."

"......?"

"You know what this is, right?"

The gorilla's eyes darted wildly when I showed it a Fasting Pill.

It looked like it knew exactly what it was, which was basically an admission that they were the culprits.

There was nothing else to see. I snorted and slowly expressed myself.

"Fasting Pill."

First, the Fasting Pill.

"Fast Sloth."

Then Fast Sloth.

"Staple food. Okay?"

When I mimed eating, the gorilla's face turned yellow.

You might ask how I could tell when its skin was black and covered in fur.

I just felt it. Would you believe me if I said that? Anyway, let's move on.

‘In the end, I'll have to wait until this gorilla's companions come.’

I asked Fast Sloth to keep watch over the gorilla.

Since I didn't know when the gorilla troop would show up, I planned to inspect my weapons.

The first thing I checked was the crossbow that had proven so useful. I cocked it so I could fire at any time.

Rustle, rustle.

"Kyuu?"

"......"

Speak of the devil. Or rather, the gorilla.

Holding my cocked crossbow, I turned toward the sound.

Rustle!

The gorillas began emerging from the bushes, apparently with no intention of hiding themselves.

There weren't one or two of them, but exactly five. One in the center was especially huge.

It stood ahead of the other gorillas, so it seemed to be their leader. More than anything, there was a difference in their equipment.

‘Just like Allfather said.’

The leader had empty hands, but the other gorillas were each holding something.

One was even holding a stone axe, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Making a stone axe meant they understood the concept of crafting.

Their intelligence seemed higher than I'd expected. I needed to stay alert.

"Ooh! Ugh...!"

The hostage gorilla cried out violently when it saw its companions arrive.

But as I said before, it was the one that had been struck by bolts. Its face could only twist in pain.

The gorilla I took for the leader glanced at the hostage, then began watching me carefully.

I also held my sword and shield, ready to fight if necessary.

"Ooh! Ooh!"

"Uooh! Uooh!"

Then the gorillas beside the Leader Gorilla began making a commotion.

It was less of a commotion and more a terrified reaction to something they saw.

"......"

It was Fast Sloth.

Fast Sloth had come up beside me without me noticing.

Most of the gorillas began trembling in fear at the sight of Fast Sloth.

The Leader Gorilla at least managed to keep calm, but its expression had gone rigid.

Fast Sloth's reputation among gorillas must have been terrifying.

Thanks to that, negotiations seemed like they might be a little easier. I immediately began the conversation.

Swish.

First, I showed them a Fasting Pill, the same kind they had taken.

I was asking whether they had taken the bag with these inside.

The Leader Gorilla seemed to understand what I meant and nodded.

"Ooh."

With a short cry, the Leader Gorilla gave some sort of order.

At that command, one of the gorillas brought over an object.

The Leader Gorilla grabbed it, then threw it to me.

Flop.

But it didn't have anything inside, so it dropped halfway there.

It was a bag.

The bag that had held the Fasting Pills.

But there were no Fasting Pills left inside.

‘They ate them all already.’

I had hoped otherwise, but they had eaten them all in that short time. All I could do was sigh.

Would those bastards apologize? Or would they shamelessly stand their ground?

Considering Fast Sloth's reputation(?), they would probably apologize, but who knew.

It would be best to see Fast Sloth's reaction first.

"What do you want to do?"

"......"

Fast Sloth, who had only been staring blankly at the bag in response to my question, slowly began walking.

The gorilla troop did nothing in response. They only watched with tense expressions.

Fast Sloth soon approached the gorilla bound from head to toe.

For a moment, I thought it had half given up and was going to release it...

Slice!

That wasn't it.

Fast Sloth's action went beyond anything I had imagined.

It cleanly sliced through the gorilla's neck with its sharp claws.

Those were the claws that had even cut through an iron drum, and claws I had kept in good condition myself.

They could easily cut through the fragile bones and flesh of an animal.

Splash!

Even as blood gushed from the severed neck, Fast Sloth kept doing what it needed to do.

It pinned down the gorilla's head as it rolled like a ball, spearing it with its claws.

Like stabbing something with a fork.

Still in that position, it slowly raised its hand and threw the head toward the gorillas.

Thump! Thud! Roll, roll, roll.

The severed gorilla head came to a stop in front of the Leader Gorilla.

The Leader Gorilla silently looked down at the head that had rolled to its feet.

It was an act far beyond provocation, practically a declaration of war.

At the same time, I was reminded once more of what food meant in the wild.

‘...Crazy bastard.’

What a badass.

It also felt like it was picking an unnecessary fight.

But when I considered the concept of territory, it was an entirely appropriate response.

Swish.

In the icy atmosphere, the Leader Gorilla picked up the head.

Its expression was solemn, but I could sense a trace of anger.

Whoosh.

The Leader Gorilla tossed the head into the air.

Watching that, I was confused.

It wasn't throwing it at me but upward. What was it trying to do?

Just in case, I stepped forward with my left foot so I could defend myself at any moment.

Fwoooong!

As the gorilla head fell, the Leader Gorilla pulled its right arm back.

When the head reached eye level, the Leader Gorilla thrust its drawn-back right arm forward.

Booom!!!

With a deafening roar.

Fwoooosh!!

The gorilla head flew like a cannonball.

Footnotes:

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