WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 123: Sidegrade (3)

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It was a sidegrade neither I, Heavenly Demon, nor even SwordTasteMaster had expected.

It wasn't bad, exactly, but it had evolved in such a weird direction that I didn't know what to make of it.

‘Would it be a little better if I could condense it?’

In the end, I had no choice but to change the direction of my training.

Before advancing to the Aura Blade stage, I would focus on compressing my aura.

Once I got the hang of forcing it into a condensed form, I could give it cutting power.

When I asked the gallery about it, everyone said that process would be difficult too.

As they'd repeatedly mentioned, Aura Blade and beyond were a matter of talent. There was nothing I could do about it.

‘It won't explode, right?’

Condensing it still made me uneasy. Even SwordTasteMaster had never seen a case like this.

What kind of aura would Future Me manifest?

Would I swing an aura that shot up into the sky, or would I wield a normal(?) Aura Blade?

‘...Getting stronger in some dumbass way isn't so bad.’

I was getting stronger, at least. This wasn't the time to be picky.

Especially when I intended to keep consuming Inner Cores.

Even if Smart Demon had given me a storage container, that didn't mean the Inner Cores wouldn't run out.

All I could do was train steadily. I had to get stronger somehow.

“Kyuuu...”

“Wonmo. You're awake?”

Some time passed, and Wonmo staggered out of the cave. His sleepy eyes were adorable.

Fast Sloth was riding on Wonmo's back, wearing the exact same expression as always.

After that, we had breakfast. Three fish had been caught in the Fish Trap.

I planned to train after eating, but I had something to do first.

I needed to send Passing Dwarf a message.

I asked why Mislicon, an alloy of Mithril and Orichalcum, glowed.

It looked pretty when mana was poured into it, but otherwise it was a dull silver.

I could have just let it go since it was a good thing, but this was a new material unlike anything else. I needed to handle it carefully.

[You]: So, did you figure out why it glows?

[Passing Dwarf]: How would I know in one day?

[Passing Dwarf]: Research doesn't just get done overnight;;

[You]: It isn't dangerous, right?

[Passing Dwarf]: Couldn't find anything particularly dangerous.

[Passing Dwarf]: The problem is that it's too good.

Nothing dangerous, but it was too good. That was Passing Dwarf's conclusion.

After thinking for a while, I asked for another opinion. It was related to advice Passing Dwarf had given me before.

[You]: You told me to be careful about who I gave Mislicon to, right?

[Passing Dwarf]: Yeah. It's an alloy that'd cause chaos the moment the world finds out about it.

[You]: Then what if we make it common?

[You]: Just spread it everywhere.

[Passing Dwarf]: Wow. You really know how to start a war, you bastard.

[Passing Dwarf]: You said you were a soldier, but you're fucking scary.

[You]: I'm joking.

[You]: Seriously.

I'd only said it as a joke, but it seemed like Passing Dwarf had taken me seriously.

That probably meant this alloy had that much value and power.

I barely cleared up Passing Dwarf's misunderstanding before bringing up what I wanted to say.

[You]: I want to give some alloy to someone other than you too.

[You]: Do you know Allfather?

[Passing Dwarf]: Ah, I know that mage.

[Passing Dwarf]: A registered user said the Undying King is trapped in his refrigerator.

[You]: I can roughly guess who it is.

[You]: Anyway, I want to give him some alloy and ask him to research it. Is that okay?

[Passing Dwarf]: Yeah, not a bad idea. Give it to him already so I can drink.

[You]: Was researching it really that fucking annoying?

[Passing Dwarf]: I love alcohol more than minerals lol

[You]: Sheesh;;

At this rate, he'd really die of liver cancer. Anyway, I took Passing Dwarf's opinion on board.

I wanted to give alloy as gifts not only to Allfather, but to the other registered users too.

‘Would it be weird if I gave PrincessChaenggu some to use as glow sticks...?’

Even I thought it was a stupid idea. But come on, glow sticks.

For now, it'd be best to give Allfather an ingot of alloy. It would be for research.

[Allfather]: Ooh. An alloy of Mithril and Orichalcum?

[Allfather]: This time, you didn't discover it. You actually made it...!

[You]: Yes.

[You]: I gave some to another registered user too, but he seems busy drinking.

[You]: Could you identify any potential dangers?

[Allfather]: Of course.

[Allfather]: Is there anything you would like in return?

[You]: Nothing in particular.

[You]: I'm giving it to you for research purposes too, Allfather.

[Allfather]: Thank you.

[Allfather]: My lower half keeps getting hard lately.

[You]: Want an Adult Mandrake?;;

[Allfather]: No, thank you.

[Allfather]: I'm still in my prime.

[You]: Ah.

[You]: Also, if possible, you don't need to make a verification post.

[You]: It's so distinctive that posting it might make it possible to identify you in real life.

[Allfather]: I'll keep that in mind.

I gave Allfather some alloy too. Naturally, in ingot form.

As for the glow sticks for PrincessChaenggu... I left that alone. The more I thought about it, the dumber it seemed, so I put it off.

If possible, I should only make tools I could use. This was enough.

‘Time to eat an Inner Core.’

Afterward, I consumed an Inner Core while training.

As I'd said before, it was better to eat Inner Cores as quickly as possible.

I worried I might suddenly fall asleep like I had yesterday, but it was needless concern.

I ate the Inner Core and recited the mnemonic verses. That was it. Nothing special happened.

‘Other than feeling more energized, it seems the same?’

Had my body already adapted to Inner Cores? I hoped so.

Morning training passed like that, and lunchtime quickly approached.

As I headed upriver to catch fish, I suddenly remembered the dream I'd had yesterday.

‘Come to think of it, there was a huge tree yesterday, wasn't there?’

As NecromancyIsLove had said, it might have been an out-of-body experience rather than a dream.

If that phenomenon was real, there was a high chance that the enormous tree I saw existed too.

But it was very far away, so I wouldn't be able to go there right away.

It was at least six hours away on foot.

Given how the Forest of Four Seasons wrecked your sense of direction, it might take even longer.

‘Considering I was floating in the sky... I might have to budget more than a day.’

I thought about it as I collected the fish caught in the Fish Trap.

If that was the case, it was too dangerous. The reality was that even my shelter wasn't safe yet.

Besides, I might run into monsters like Chief Gorilla.

It would be better to master Aura Blade before setting out to explore.

I had no idea how long that would take, but safety came first.

I'd already decided to stay here for a long time, so there was no need to rush.

‘All I need to do is suppress my curiosity.’

Curiosity killed the cat, and in this forest, curiosity was the same as risking my life.

I hadn't even secured the safety of this shelter yet.

It was unlikely that the gorilla troop would invade again, but I never knew when they might change their minds.

“...”

Was it because I'd thought of the tree? The moment I returned to the shelter, I looked toward the corner.

The sapling LetsGrowTrees had gifted me was growing well.

‘Too well, actually.’

It had originally barely reached my knees, but it had already grown to my chest.

It hadn't even been a week. How much bigger would it get after a month?

Wondering whether this was normal, I made a post in the gallery. I didn't send a private message.

I wasn't as close to them as I was to the other registered users. There was just something about them.

[Post title] LetsGrowTrees, please take a look at this.

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a rapidly growing sapling)

[Post] It's only been a few days, but it's already this big. Is that normal?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: It is growing well. I would like to grow one myself.

└ Don't accept saplings gifted by pointy-ears. Those things are seriously bad.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Why are they bad?

└ Alvenheim is fundamentally a country rich in mana. Plants growing near the World Tree are even more so.

└ Because of that trait, they suck up way too much of the soil's fertility. Plant one, and the land starts turning into a desert.

└ [GrowBigAndStrong]: An elf came to our village and planted a tree too. The entire year's harvest was ruined. That was the first time I saw my father cry.

└ [LetsGrowTrees]: Hmm! It is growing much better than I expected! Normally, it takes half a year!

└ [Wild Grylls]: I see. But is what the comments above say true?

└ [LetsGrowTrees]: You could say it is true. It was something we did not anticipate either. That is why we focus on planting them in areas rich in mana!

└ You fucking knife-ear. Just don't plant them, fuck.

└ You pointy-ears are destroying nature;;

└ Can no one do anything about these bastards? What is their country doing?

└ They're already issuing statements, but the Elven Queen ignores all of them. Isn't that why people are saying there might be a war?

└ [LetsGrowTrees]: As I have consistently said, Alvenheim does not want war! We only want to plant trees around the world!

└ That's the same as asking for war, you crazy bastard;;

└ If I punch you in the face and leave a bruise, can I say I put makeup on you instead?

└ [LetsGrowTrees]: That is violence!

└ That's what you people are doing;;

└ These people are just lol. The elves completely lost it after the Queen took the throne.

└ Didn't she say Alvenheim was the world's greatest country, and that elves at its center were the center of the world?

└ Yeah, apparently the elves all got high on that line after the Queen said it in a speech lol

└ Honestly, it was one hell of a speech lol

I couldn't tell if it was bait or if they meant it.

Going by what I heard, the sapling was a type of invasive species... but seeing it grow so well, it didn't feel real.

‘Could it be because there's a lot of mana in the soil?’

I touched the dirt with my hand. It looked like ordinary soil.

But it must have contained the dense mana unique to the Forest of Four Seasons.

That made me curious. What would happen if I planted crops in this soil?

‘The sapling grew in no time. Would normal crops grow even faster?’

Most trees grew slowly. Usually, you had to measure their growth in years.

But seeing how this sapling had grown, its growth rate was clearly abnormal.

‘I hadn't planned on farming...’

Seeing how quickly the sapling was growing, it might not be a bad idea to consider it.

Rather than scatter seeds at random, I would need to decide on a location first.

Space was already getting tight, and setting aside land for farming would complicate things.

‘Is that why people in the past cut down trees to farm?’

I nodded, newly understanding why people in the past had done it.

I could either find land to farm, or send the soil outside.

One of those would probably work. Just then, a registered user I assumed was a farmer left a comment.

I planned to make a post asking about it and naturally create an opening to talk to them, but...

[Post title] Breaking News. Holy Kingdom El Dorado. Holy Knight Order urgently dispatched to the Forest of Four Seasons lol [34]

I spotted something I couldn't simply brush aside.

If it were just bait, that would be one thing, but it had been posted only moments ago, and comments were already pouring in.

‘Isn't this country getting hammered by public opinion right now?’

I couldn't understand it at all. A blunder now would only make things worse.

I was dumbfounded for only a moment before opening the post.

[Post title] Breaking News. Holy Kingdom El Dorado. Holy Knight Order urgently dispatched to the Forest of Four Seasons lol

[Post] None other than the Pope personally gave the order. Says the Pope will bring down God's hammer on those who wag their wicked tongues lol

[Post] Apparently, the Holy Knight Order has assembled an investigation group and is heading for the Forest of Four Seasons right now lol

└ Is this for real? No matter how I look at it, this feels like an own goal.

└ Maybe they're taking a hard line because they feel wronged too?

└ Nah, they're trying to divert attention. Kadir released a statement last time, remember? They heard it and realized they were fucked, so they're stalling for time.

└ What gives these people the confidence to send the Holy Knight Order into the Forest of Four Seasons?

└ According to the Pope, Grylls can use the gallery, so they should be able to as well. Is that why the Pope sent them?

└ What a crazy bastard;; But it won't really work, right?

└ If they can use the gallery, Grylls went through all that hardship for nothing lol

Who was it that said the young suffered for the old?

I thought it was a saying limited to the world where I used to live, but apparently not. It was all the same everywhere.

‘...Will they really be able to use the gallery?’

Still, for me, it was something close to hope.

It didn't change the fact that the Pope had done something wrong, but people had been sent here regardless.

‘I hope they come as far as where I am.’

People really were selfish.

Footnotes:

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