WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 132: Click (4)

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I finally realized something. This goddamn forest was the exact opposite of childlike innocence.

Things that looked obviously dangerous, like bears, tigers, and Guardians, were actually manageable.

Their appearances instinctively warned you of danger. You could tell your life would be at risk if you didn't deal with them.

The little things were different. Things that looked ordinary, or were genuinely tiny, were far more dangerous.

It was the same in martial arts novels.

Watch out for children, the elderly, and women.

Small creatures had survived in the Forest of Four Seasons despite their tiny bodies. What did that mean?

It meant they had at least two ways to properly screw someone over.

Why two instead of one?

One was an obvious move meant to threaten the enemy.

The other was an unexpected final move meant to catch the enemy off guard.

I figured you needed both to survive in the Forest of Four Seasons.

Until now, that had mostly been a guess.

Getting hit by that Spiny Pufferfish had convinced me.

'Small peppers are hot. That saying fits perfectly.'

Except this pepper wasn't merely hot. If I ate it, my body would literally melt.

At this rate, would a yellow mouse that shot lightning bolts show up later?

Or maybe a dinosaur that breathed fire would start wandering around.

Why was I suddenly saying this?

"Wuh-Wonmo."

"Kkyu?"

"D-dad's body wun't move."

I'd been poisoned by a spiny pufferfish's venom, and half my body was wrecked.

My slurred speech was the least of it. My body wouldn't move the way I wanted it to.

I kept dropping things whenever I tried to pick them up, and I could barely walk without staggering.

It was only because I somehow managed to keep my balance and return to the cave that I didn't collapse in the middle of the forest.

Swish-

Fast Sloth, who had been quietly watching after noticing how serious my condition was, handed me something.

An Elixir filled with sloshing golden liquid. I barely managed to take it and gulp it down.

That wasn't all. I also drank the antidote I'd prepared beforehand.

Finally, I used the Inner Energy Cultivation Method. I did everything I could.

"Ugh..."

As time passed, my body returned to normal. Strength began flowing back into it.

Letting out a long breath, I replayed what had just happened. That had been way too close.

'If I hadn't had the medicine Allfather gave me, I would've collapsed right there.'

I only got off this lightly because I had poison resistance. Without even that, I would've died on the spot.

The name of pufferfish poison was tetra-something.

Anyway, it was the deadliest poison in the world.

And since that thing lived in the Forest of Four Seasons, it could only be more vicious, never less.

'This is the kind of place where the little things are the scariest.'

I'd been steadily applying bug repellent so I wouldn't get bitten by bugs.

What if I got poisoned by some bug, or a wound developed a secondary infection?

I didn't even want to imagine it.

I carefully checked whether anything was wrong with my body and whether my senses had fully returned.

Maybe it was the combination of Elixir and antidote, but I couldn't feel any particular problems yet.

The fact that the Inner Energy Cultivation Method was working smoothly meant I was probably fully recovered.

All the Gallery users agreed that there was nothing better than a cultivation method for checking your physical condition.

'If I'd lacked even one of those things, my life would've been in danger. The Gallery seriously saved my life.'

This was a place where one moment of carelessness got you killed. I had to stay alert about everything if I wanted to live.

'And maybe I should make a proper door...?'

I looked at the iron fence blocking the entrance. It reminded me of the siege earlier today.

Animals that had presumably lost their homes in the heavy rain had tried to force their way into mine.

Thankfully, the aura I'd built up until now made it easy to stop them, but I had no idea what would come next.

If a strong creature like Fast Sloth had threatened me into handing over my home... it would've been a little difficult.

'At least when it rains, I need to tighten up my defenses.'

I planned to use the same strategy of defending with the iron fence as a shield.

If I put up a door for no reason, I wouldn't be able to counterattack. More than that, it would probably get smashed apart quickly.

One wild boar charge could make the door I worked so hard to build collapse like my shattered heart.

'If I'm unlucky, I might have to fend off a wave once a week.'

Grumbling to myself, I stood up. My body had recovered, so there was no time to mope around.

Just as the Shark Giant had come to my shelter before, I had no idea what animal might come this time.

For at least a day or two, I would have to stay on guard.

Crackle! Crackle!

The first thing I did was light the campfire. I needed to dry out the damp surroundings after the rain.

Then I went back up to the river, gathered the fish flopping on the ground, checked the drainage ditch, and so on.

By the time I finished everything, evening was slowly approaching. The sky was growing dark.

'Will tomorrow be day eighteen?'

I thought as I marked the cave wall. It had been about three days since the investigation group incident.

If someone named Ludwig had really entered the Forest of Four Seasons, then today would have been the end of his first day.

Would he still be alive? Or would he be dead? Unlike me, he wouldn't even have an Elixir.

'If I'd known this would happen, I would've given him a bottle of Elixir too.'

Regret was regret, no matter how early it came. I prayed that Ludwig would somehow make it to where I was.

Honestly, if even that prayer wasn't answered, then whatever was up there had a heart smaller than a sardine's.

Rumble!

...I almost said that, but there was nothing I could do about the way things went. I glanced outside.

Despite the thunder, it didn't rain. Was the sky really listening to me?

'Nah. Just a coincidence.'

Trying to deny it, I logged into the Gallery. What had people been talking about while I cleaned up?

Normally, all kinds of garbage posts would fill the Gallery, but lately, most of the discussion had been about the investigation group.

It was still the same now. More than half the current Bait was about El Dorado or the investigation group.

Bait usually went cold fast, but since this was somewhat tied to reality, it seemed to be lasting longer.

'Nothing especially interesting.'

The only fresh Bait worth mentioning was about the Messiah Empire, specifically the emperor.

The emperor, who had been sick and on death's door, had recovered.

Apparently, he was the one who had led the Messiah Empire to prosperity.

He had fully supported Ash, who was now famous as a Swordmaster, and enacted beneficial policies as well.

But that was about it. His diplomacy was just so-so, so "an emperor for domestic affairs only" suited him perfectly.

[Post title] If the emperor gets back up, what happens to the crown prince?

[Post] Honestly, I hope Crown Prince Arnolly inherits the throne as planned. I fucking hate the emperor.

└ Why do you hate him?

└ Because the policies that fucking emperor pushed made magic item prices skyrocket.

└ Ah, lol. I know what you mean.

└ Aren't the side effects still serious even now?

└ Yeah, things are only a little better now.

└ If he hadn't pulled that shit, public sentiment wouldn't have gone straight into the gutter lol.

└ The current Messiah emperor seriously shouldn't be allowed to handle diplomacy lol.

└ [AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang]: That was only back then. Wasn't it fine afterward? Policies are meant to be judged over the long term.

└ Don't give me that shit. Do you know how much it still costs to import magic items from the Iris Kingdom?

└ That bastard's probably a noble. That's why he has no idea how hard commoners have it.

└ [AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang]: No. His Majesty was looking ahead. He will surely be judged favorably by future generations.

└ So what? We're struggling to make a living lol.

└ And SwordTasteMaster's posts raised the continent's average combat power, so it doesn't mean shit anyway lol.

└ Can't we just call him fucking incompetent? Why are you so damn long-winded? lol

└ [AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang]: You unedukated vermin. Do you know who my father is?

└ Why? Your mom never told you?

└ Ooh, lololol.

└ Scary, scary lol.

└ What does that mean?

└ They're insulting him by implying he grew up alone with his mother, without a father lol.

└ You really have to explain that one? lol.

Well. It was the usual Gallery, a place where every kind of joke flew around.

But it was nothing but political posts right now, which made it way less fun.

Seeing as Head Mod wasn't stepping in, maybe they were away.

Heavenly Demon only removed posts that went too far, nothing more, nothing less.

'They said there's a Chaeyu match tomorrow, so that's a relief.'

Political Bait would obviously get crushed beneath the dopamine from every goal.

What kind of casualties would there be tomorrow? Would PrincessChaenggu end up among them?

I was planning to stay at the shelter again tomorrow anyway, so I could browse the Gallery without worrying.

If I wandered around for no reason, some strange bastard might come looking for my shelter.

'I'll have to get by on smoked food until tomorrow.'

Someone might catch the scent and come looking, like the Shark Giant.

Of course, there was no guarantee another creature like that would show up. There was just no harm in preparing.

'But why does it feel so cold?'

Maybe it was because it had been a downpour instead of normal rain. As the moisture dried, the temperature dropped too.

Thank god for the campfire. Otherwise, I would've already been shivering.

The uniform PrincessChaenggu had gifted me helped as well. The long sleeves and pants held in warmth nicely.

'I should use the pelt as a blanket.'

The tiger pelt I normally used as a carpet would serve as a blanket today.

The weather had suddenly turned cold, and the campfire alone didn't seem like it would be enough.

Human bodies were fragile. I had to keep myself warm somehow.

One mistake, and I might ascend to the heavens in my sleep.

Crackle! Crackle!

I added firewood to the campfire, raising the temperature in the cave even more.

I could feel the cold slowly fading. It was getting nice and cozy.

"Kkyuu..."

"..."

My cave companions came close to the campfire to warm themselves too.

Wonmo even lay flat on the floor and tried to sleep.

'But why does he look like he's gotten so fat?'

I'd noticed him getting plumper as time passed... but now he was completely round.

He was so round that I half expected him to start rolling across the floor like his name suggested any day now.

Still, he was cute, so it was fine. Being round made him even cuter.

Besides, getting fat in the wild meant he had stored up that much energy.

'He's a baby. It's good for him to eat a lot.'

Food was scarce here to begin with. Gaining weight itself was a good thing.

Maybe because I practiced the Inner Energy Cultivation Method, but instead of gaining weight, it felt like I was only putting on muscle.

I knew that muscle, especially human muscle, wasn't very energy-efficient compared to other animals.

'Not like I can choose not to build it.'

Danger was everywhere, so muscles were a necessity. They might not be efficient, but there was no helping it.

After posting in the Gallery that I was done with my work for the day, I lay down on the floor.

The chilly weather naturally made me curl up.

"Fast Sloth. You should cover yourself with a blanket too. It's cold."

"..."

I covered Wonmo separately, then offered one to Fast Sloth.

But Fast Sloth only stared at me without doing anything.

I spread the blanket out and urged it again.

"Come in here."

"..."

Fast Sloth slowly backed away. Did it hate me that much?

'Wait. Come to think of it, that bastard still hasn't washed, has it?'

Its body had to be crawling with mold and bugs. I'd forgotten.

In the end, Fast Sloth went to sleep a little distance away. It was near the campfire, so I wasn't worried.

Before going to sleep, I quietly closed my eyes and circulated the mana inside my body.

Rather than the cultivation method, I wanted to feel mana itself. That alone could serve as training.

'I still can't get a feel for Aura Blade.'

Could I really control the aura that kept increasing day and night?

Suppressing my anxiety, I fell asleep.

The weather kept getting colder, but I could endure thanks to the campfire.

After that eventful day passed, morning came.

"Brrrrrrrr..."

I woke up early in the morning from the bone-chilling cold. Why was it so damn cold?

It was hard to believe one downpour had turned the weather into this mess.

'F-fire... I need to light the fire first...'

Wrapping my arms around myself, I went outside. And then...

"...Huh?"

A completely white forest greeted me.

Forgetting the cold, I looked around at the snow-white scenery.

White everywhere I looked. White stuff had piled up on the oven and blast furnace too.

The identity of that white stuff was...

"...Did it snow?"

Snow.

I muttered blankly.

Why this place was called the Forest of Four Seasons.

"...This is seriously fucked."

I felt like I understood the reason a little better.

Footnotes:

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