Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 14

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 14: Mandrake (1)

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It was pretty common to wreck your body while digging. Shoveling was brutal work to begin with.

Without any know-how, you couldn't move properly the next day. Luckily, I had military service under my belt.

I knew a few tricks, so I could manage. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been able to move all day.

'Don't they have anything like pain-relief patches?'

Rubbing my knotted muscles, I logged onto the gallery to look for some.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any. Maybe that was the limit of their era.

Instead, I made a post asking whether there was any medicine for sore muscles.

[Post title] What's good for sore muscles?

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] Got a crick while digging yesterday.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Mana Cultivation Method is good for sore muscles.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Mana Cultivation Method isn't some cure-all...

└ [Heavenly Demon]: It seems you do not understand. An Inner Energy Cultivation Method, more precisely Qi Circulation and Breath Regulation, is effective against sore muscles.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Any herbs instead?

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Just leave sore muscles alone if you can. If you treat them with medicine, your muscle mass won't increase as much.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: That is new knowledge to me. Are you certain?

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Probably? I have a constitution that gets stronger just by breathing.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Much like this lady.

└ [Wild Grylls]: What the hell...

└ These basement gallery lurkers are really saying shit like that LOL

└ Does a constitution like that even exist?

└ If it did, the government would've snapped them up.

└ LOLLLLL

I wished I had a constitution like that too. I sighed.

It looked like I should just endure the soreness. It wasn't bad enough that I couldn't move at all, so I could bear it.

Today's work would be rough, though. If I pushed myself any harder, my piss might turn Coke-colored tomorrow.

'Forget the soreness. I want a damn wash.'

I hadn't washed in three days, and I felt disgusting. Oil was streaming down my face.

That didn't mean I could go to the river. I couldn't trade my life for a shower.

At least the forest was cool and dry. If this had been a jungle, it would've been the worst.

'I'll buy water for now. It hurts to spend the money, but what choice do I have?'

I needed to maintain a bare minimum of hygiene if I didn't want to seriously harm my health. At the very least, I had to wash my hands.

I bought a large supply of water at the gallery Auction House. It felt wasteful, but I had no other option until I found another river.

The water came with a bucket, and I tested its quality before washing.

'I bought it from an Auction House. It's not like I can trust it blindly.'

Thankfully, just like the reviews said, it was perfectly ordinary water. Water drawn from a well, even.

I washed my face, hands, feet, and finally the areas where sweat collected most with that water.

I used soap too, choosing an almost scentless one like I'd been advised yesterday.

After a quick wash, I dried myself thoroughly with a towel from the Auction House.

It wasn't a shower, but I already felt much fresher.

Crunch, crunch.

"Ugh... Bitter. So bitter."

Breakfast came next. The Fasting Pills were disgustingly bitter, and my face twisted as I chewed.

What was amazing about these pills was that just a few nearly erased my hunger.

Like the Heavenly Demon had said, they must have been made from herbs that were good for the body. I didn't feel hungry at all.

There wasn't enough to make me feel full, of course. Still, I was satisfied enough.

'Meat is a luxury in my situation.'

I should've been grateful that no carnivores were coming to this cave right now.

After finishing breakfast, I looked into the sack of Fasting Pills.

There were still plenty of Fasting Pills left, but the remaining supply wouldn't last long.

I could ask the Heavenly Demon for more, but she'd said they were made from precious herbs. It would be nothing but a nuisance.

'I can't depend on the gallery. I need to remember that.'

Normally, it was impossible to access the gallery in the Forest of Four Seasons. For some reason, though, I could.

Which also meant I had no idea when I might suddenly lose access.

I needed to improve my abilities in preparation for that day. It was something I kept reminding myself.

'Today, I'll head in the opposite direction from the river.'

It was where I'd dumped the Mad Dog's corpse and where the Owlbear had appeared.

I hadn't even dared set foot there for a while because of the Owlbear.

That was no longer the case. I needed to take risks to raise my chances of escape by even 0.01 percent.

I wanted to make this place a safe zone, not live as some off-grid hermit forever.

Choosing to live here in the first place would be the worst possible option. Even if it took time, I still held onto hope of escape.

'I'll bring the sword and shield.'

I left the crossbow behind. It was too bulky, and in an emergency, it had fewer uses than the sword.

The time it took to reload after one shot was especially long. That alone could get me killed.

Besides, I needed to practice the basic swordsmanship SwordTasteMaster had posted. I studied it little by little whenever I had time.

'When holding my ground, put my left foot forward...'

Before setting out, I checked my stance. The sword-and-shield fighter was an extremely well-balanced class.

A shield gave you such a sense of security that you didn't have to worry about losing momentum.

People even said shields were so overpowered that ancient gladiators had them taken away.

'Let's go.'

With a little tension, I stepped out of the cave. The half-dug hole from yesterday sat at the entrance.

Once I got back from exploring, I'd have to dig some more. Just thinking about it was horrifying.

Still, I couldn't avoid it. Being alone really sucked.

[Post title] Let's gooo exploring!

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a forest viewed while holding a sword and shield)

[Post] Going the opposite direction from the river today.

[Post] It's where the Owlbear showed up before.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Is that not dangerous? You have many Fasting Pills, so I think it would be best to master an Inner Energy Cultivation Method first.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: The Heavenly Demon is right. How about training inside before you go?

└ [Starlight Princess]: You're not really about to die in a second, right...?

└ [AllHailTheSun]: It would be pretty sad if you died after I went through the trouble of giving you that shield.

└ [Passing Dwarf]: My crossbow is crying, I tell you...

└ [Wild Grylls]: Can't you all cheer me on...? If the Owlbear shows up, I'll run right away...

└ So sulky LOL

└ We can't help it, we're actually worried LOL

└ It just means they care that much.

└ The gallery will be sad if you die.

It was nice that so many people cared about me, just like the comments said. Was this why people used galleries?

Unlike actual attention junkies, I desperately needed conversation with other people.

Without the gallery, how would I have survived the loneliness?

'No. The Mad Dog would've killed me.'

Thinking that, I headed toward the area where the Owlbear had appeared before.

The spot where I'd dumped the Mad Dog's corpse was surprisingly clean.

A few bones, scraps of flesh, and part of its head remained, but it was much better than leaving it untouched.

If the Owlbear hadn't dealt with it, maggots and bugs would have been swarming over it, filling the air with a foul stench.

'Still, I shouldn't get too close.'

Using the Mad Dog's corpse as a landmark, I turned right. The trees were thick there.

Open spaces were a little dangerous. If I ran into the Owlbear, I probably wouldn't be able to escape.

Considering its house-sized body, it could probably knock down trees too, but I had to raise my odds of survival however I could.

'There are a lot of trees here.'

As I pushed through them, I didn't forget to mark my path with my sword.

If the place started to feel strange, I planned to turn back without a second thought.

Space itself twisted and turned as though it were my own life, so I needed to be especially careful.

"Ugh. Huh?"

After passing through the densely packed trees, I found a clearing.

It was quite large, and wild plants grew thickly throughout it.

'...Is a boss monster going to appear?'

In games, boss monsters always jumped out in places like this. Just in case, I stepped back toward the trees.

The location might suddenly change, so I had to be careful.

After observing the area, I realized that was unlikely.

The clearing was fairly wide, but I couldn't find anything unnatural about it.

The trees surrounding it made it seem like this was simply an unusual place.

'Why? Why is only this place so distinct?'

The boundary was clear even if it wasn't unnatural. Without lowering my guard, I checked the plants in the clearing.

Looking closer, they weren't weeds but plants bearing fruit. Bright red fruit, like raspberries.

They might have been poisonous, so I had no intention of eating them. Instead, I took a picture and posted it on the gallery.

[Post title] Does anyone know what this is?

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a plant bearing raspberry-like fruit)

[Post] Anyone know what this is? There are tons of them here.

└ Aren't those raspberries?

└ They look more like radishes. Look at the leaves.

└ Radishes grow fruit?

└ They do, but I think those look a little different.

Most users decided they were radishes. Honestly, they did look like radishes.

So radishes really did bear fruit. Would it be okay if I pulled one up?

└ [Allfather]: Huh? You shouldn't pull that out carelessly. This is only a guess, but it could be a Mandrake.

└ [Wild Grylls]: What's a Mandrake?

└ [Allfather]: A plant that screams when you pull up its root. Hearing the scream won't kill you, but it will seriously damage your hearing.

└ Don't people die if they hear it scream?

└ That's what I thought too.

└ [Allfather]: That is a distorted rumor. A Mandrake's scream causes temporary confusion, but not death.

└ Then why did people say it killed them?

└ Allfather Human greed. Mandrakes are extremely rare plants. People often kill each other while trying to claim them. In most cases, their confusion was treated as a mitigating circumstance.

└ Holy shit.

└ People are scarier...

└ Humans really are trash.

└ Why did humans suddenly catch a stray?

└ Humans are always behind stories like that LOL

└ Fucking speciesist.

Either way, pulling up the root would only be a little noisy. My life wouldn't be in danger.

Still, hearing damage would be a pain, so I needed to prepare.

└ Seriously. Do you think Mandrakes are weeds? LOL

└ This is the Forest of Four Seasons. It might actually be real.

└ It won't be too late to decide after they pull it up.

└ If it's a Mandrake, that's huge.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Are Mandrakes expensive?

└ Is that even a question...? They're one of the main ingredients for Elixirs.

└ They're a huge pain in the ass to harvest, so the Auction House would go crazy if you listed one.

└ [Allfather]: (Plant photo) (Photo of a human-shaped root)

└ [Allfather]: It'll be easier if you compare it to these.

As people argued back and forth, Allfather posted photos. I compared the plant to them.

Its outer appearance was identical, but the fruit was different. The fruit in the photo was green, while the fruit in front of me was red.

'Are the fruits ripe?'

Just in case, I bought earplugs from the Auction House. They were similar to the ones from Earth.

Apparently, the military used them too, though I didn't know much about that. As long as they sealed my ears tightly, that was enough.

Since the root was supposedly close to human-shaped, it wouldn't be difficult to identify.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Do I just pull it out? I won't hear the sound.

└ [Allfather]: If you are ready, pull it out cleanly, as if you are pulling up a radish.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Okay.

So I just had to grab it and pull hard. I got to work immediately.

I had earplugs on, so I'd be fine even if it screamed. The description even said they could block the sound of cannon fire.

Maybe that was exaggerated. Still, the reviews made them seem reliable.

After letting out a tense breath, I pulled with all my strength.

"Here goes...!"

Fwoosh!

There was a slight snag halfway through, but it came out without much trouble. I immediately checked the shape of the plant's root.

The gallery had told me Mandrakes had human-like forms.

Not a complete human shape, just an appearance that vaguely resembled one.

"Huh?"

What I'd pulled up was stranger than that. More precisely, it looked like an actual person.

It wasn't simply human-shaped. Its proportions were exactly like a person's. Its limbs were clearly defined, and even its facial expression was distinct.

It even had beard-like fuzz on its chin. It looked less like a human-shaped root and more like someone had copied a human body exactly.

Its arms were folded too, making it look incredibly imposing.

'Why is it so red? Is this a Mandrake or red ginseng?'

It looked like a Mandrake, but it was far too different. I thought I should ask directly.

Flash!

The moment I logged onto the gallery, the root that had had its eyes closed suddenly snapped them open.

Its whole body was red, so at first I didn't realize its eyes had opened. I only understood after it slowly unfolded its arms.

"Huh?"

"Huuuuup...!"

While I stood there in shock, the root began drawing in a long breath. That was when I started feeling uneasy.

Just as I hurried to let go, exactly what Allfather had mentioned happened.

[Woooooooooah!]

A scream, no, a monstrous roar pierced straight through my earplugs. Without them, it would've gone beyond damaging my hearing and burst my eardrums.

Frowning, I staggered back. I let go of the Mandrake as I covered both ears.

Was it going to burrow back underground? I carefully opened my tightly shut eyes.

"......"

"......?"

Why was the thing just standing there? It had only roared for a moment before folding its arms again.

Because it looked exactly like a person, it felt like it was staring up at me with a sulky expression.

Allfather had said it would scream until it buried itself back in the ground. What was going on?

Rumble!

An earthquake suddenly struck as I stood there confused. I nearly lost my balance.

A roar followed by an earthquake. That didn't seem like a good sign.

'I'll grab this and go.'

I hurriedly seized the Mandrake. I firmly covered its mouth so it couldn't roar again.

The root was so thick that covering its mouth was difficult, but both hands were enough.

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"

The Mandrake must not have expected me to cover its mouth, because it started flailing. Well, who told it to stand around with its arms folded?

If I got out of here like this, that'd be it. I moved without hesitation.

Pop! Pop!

"Uh...?"

What the hell were those? I froze just as I was about to leave.

Red, human-shaped things were rising from the ground by themselves.

The entire clearing heaved like corpses buried in a graveyard were climbing out.

They looked exactly like the Mandrake that had roared earlier.

They included men and women of all ages, but their red bodies made it clear that they were all Mandrakes.

'I'm screwed.'

I was anxious. No, it was worse than that. I had a terrible feeling.

Holding the Mandrake in my hands, I turned around. I had a rough idea what those things would do.

Hadn't the Golden Frog done something similar just yesterday?

The difference was that I could block the frog's poison with my shield. Roars were different.

Running far away was my only answer. Especially since both my hands were busy covering the Mandrake's mouth.

"Sssuuup!"

"Huuup!"

Just as I reached the dense trees again.

[Woooooooooah!]

A massive shockwave slammed into my back.

* * *

[Post title] What do you do if you get hit by a sound-wave attack?

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] A group of Mandrakes screamed at once. Can someone tell me how to treat it?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: A sound-wave attack and screams? Were you struck by a Lion's Roar?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Something similar, at least.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: How badly are you hurt?

└ [Wild Grylls]: My ears keep ringing.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: It seems you took a proper hit. Are you unable to hear, or is there blood coming out of your ears?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Thankfully, I don't have those symptoms. I was wearing earplugs.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Your hearing should not be damaged, then. You will recover quickly with enough rest. You will suffer from tinnitus for a while, however, so I shall get you medicine.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Thank you. Have you been hit by a Lion's Roar before too, Heavenly Demon?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: I have. I personally tore out their throat so they would never make a sound again for the rest of their life.

└ Wild Grylls Holy shit.

└ What the hell did you do for all the Mandrakes to scream at once?

└ [Wild Grylls]: I pulled one out, and when it started roaring, all the others came out on their own.

└ ??? I've never heard of that.

└ Are those really Mandrakes?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Wait, I'll take a picture and post it.

[Post title] Is this really a Mandrake?

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a battered red Mandrake)

[Post] It looks exactly like a person, but why is its body so red?

└ What happened to that thing? Its face looks like it got beaten to hell.

└ [Wild Grylls]: It was being so damn loud that I grabbed its head and slammed it into a wall. Then I shoved dirt into its mouth.

└ LOLLLLLL

└ LOL

└ That's seriously too cruel LOL

└ Silence spell, physical version LOL

└ Aren't Mandrakes plants? Do they even feel pain?

└ Yeah, they're closer to monsters, so they feel pain. But this is my first time hearing about someone beating the shit out of one to make it quiet LOL

└ But do Mandrakes look like that?

└ I heard they looked human, but that is an actual person.

└ At that point, isn't it just a monster instead of a Mandrake?

└ Mandrakes normally look vaguely human in an unpleasant way. That thing looks exactly human, so it's even weirder.

└ Isn't it some hundred-year-old Mandrake or something?

└ LOL What is it, wild ginseng?

└ I checked a book, and it says red Mandrakes are a superior Mandrake species.

└ What book did you check?

└ An Herb Encyclopedia. It says they're really valuable.

└ How valuable?

└ It says superior Mandrake species are more valuable.

└ LOL Was that book written by a quack?