WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 142: Combination (5)

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I was dumbfounded to hear that only those born naturally strong could gain cold resistance, but it was too early to give up.

What Starlight Princess had just told me was bad news. There was still good news to come.

I hoped it would give me some hope.

[You]: What's the good news?

[Starlight Princess]: There's no risk of you developing Severed Meridian Syndrome.

[Starlight Princess]: The ability will also be permanent.

[Starlight Princess]: And one more thing.

[Starlight Princess]: You won't freeze to death, either.

[You]: Didn't you say I wouldn't gain cold resistance?

[Starlight Princess]: That's a separate matter.

[Starlight Princess]: Once you face the danger of freezing to death, beyond mere hypothermia, your body will react.

[Starlight Princess]: You'll probably enter hibernation on your own, then wake back up once the weather gets warmer.

[You]: Is that the same principle as Wonmo hibernating right now?

[Starlight Princess]: It's a little different.

[Starlight Princess]: How should I put it... Grylls, you're specialized for survival.

[Starlight Princess]: Normally, you would die of hypothermia, but instead, you'll endure without dying.

[You]: That's... good, right?

[Starlight Princess]: It's better than having nothing, isn't it?

[Starlight Princess]: Just be careful. If you collapse somewhere like a snowy mountain where the weather and seasons never change, you'll sleep forever while still alive.

That would be hopeless. I'd be neither alive nor dead.

Still, just as Starlight Princess said, it was an extremely useful ability for survival.

For someone like me, who always had to consider the worst-case scenario, it couldn't have been better.

It was a shame I wouldn't gain cold resistance, but I was still grateful.

[You]: What would have happened if I'd eaten a blue Mandrake?

[Starlight Princess]: There's a high chance you would've become an ice person.

[Starlight Princess]: Your body would have turned pale, then blue like that Mandrake. Your hair would have turned white too. You would've looked little different from the undead.

[You]: Brrr... Good thing I added Elixir.

[Starlight Princess]: :

[Starlight Princess]: That's because I told you how to make it safe.

[You]: Thank you so much for telling me.

[Starlight Princess]: It's nothing.

[Starlight Princess]: I've learned more because of you too.

[Starlight Princess]: Feel free to ask me anything else you're curious about.

[You]: What does ordinary Mandrake Essence do?

[Starlight Princess]: Since it contains yang energy, it warms the body.

[Starlight Princess]: It also improves the body's regenerative ability, making it a perfect ingredient for Elixir.

[You]: Then can I infuse a blue Mandrake in alcohol?

[Starlight Princess]: It's not impossible, but...

[Starlight Princess]: There's a high chance the alcohol will freeze first.

[Starlight Princess]: And it would be dangerous too.

[You]: I understand.

Since the subject had come up, Starlight Princess gifted me Elixirs, two of them, no less.

After thanking her, I started getting things in order.

'I've sorted things out for the most part, so...'

Time to get to the remaining work. Building a stone icehouse had become pointless, so I started by designing the shelter.

I needed to make it sturdy enough to withstand any natural disaster.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy. Something worse than an avalanche could strike.

'Should I line the drainage ditch with cement too?'

Now that I knew cement was available, I could think of all sorts of places to use it.

Still, I'd never done manual labor.

I'd only used cement a few times in the military.

The officers usually handled the actual application themselves. I just helped from the side.

'Come to think of it, I did all kinds of things in the military.'

With a snort, I browsed the Auction House for cement.

Cement was used in many ways, especially in construction, so quite a lot of it had been listed.

I'd assumed there wouldn't be any at all, which made it feel a little anticlimactic.

If I'd known sooner, if I'd at least searched for it, the oven and blast furnace might not have been swept away.

'I need to put up barricades too... There's so much to do.'

That avalanche had wiped out so much. All I could do was sigh.

More than anything, I needed barricades. The difference between having them and not having them was huge.

They had bought me time during the Saber-Toothed Tiger attack too.

'I should ask the dwarf for this. I can't give them alcohol, though.'

Starlight Princess had said it might be dangerous, so I decided to put that off.

After drawing up plans to make the shelter sturdier, I geared up right away.

I needed sand to mix with the cement. I knew there was sand downstream.

"Fast Sloth. Keep Wonmo safe."

"......"

I left Fast Sloth in the shelter with Wonmo, who was hibernating.

Maybe Fast Sloth didn't want to move either, because it just sat in front of the fireplace and watched the flames.

It seemed humans and animals alike hated going outside in the cold.

That was the perfect opportunity for me.

If Wonmo was asleep, the other animals were probably less active or hibernating too.

Even the snakes that always popped out and got on my nerves should pose less of a threat now.

'I need a shovel and a sack. The ground could be frozen, so I'll bring an Ignition Stone and firewood too.'

It was great that I could fit all of it into the Subspace Bag.

Even the weight wasn't much of a problem. Since it saved so much space, it felt far lighter than it should have.

After checking several times that I hadn't forgotten anything, I headed for the river.

'It's been a while since I went downstream.'

I thought as I walked along the completely frozen river.

Since I was already out here, it wouldn't be bad to visit the lake and get some food too.

It wasn't that I hated smoked food. This was for Fast Sloth's meals.

'It's getting dangerous to keep feeding it only Inner Cores.'

I gave it Inner Cores every meal, and the supply was gradually shrinking.

Winter had come out of nowhere, so I hadn't been able to store food Fast Sloth could eat.

It was only because I'd saved up so much until now that I hadn't run out already.

'And I don't know when Heavenly Demon will give me Fasting Pills.'

Not to mention the gorillas had stolen every last Fasting Pill.

I had to endure somehow until Heavenly Demon sent more.

'The sand... Wow. It's frozen solid.'

When I arrived downstream, I saw that even the sand had frozen.

It was right where the water directly touched it, so it couldn't be helped.

I had no choice but to take out the firewood I'd prepared from the Subspace Bag.

I only needed to keep a fire going until the sand thawed.

Crackle! Crack-crackle!

The warm campfire was nice as it melted the sand, and I started to feel pleasantly relaxed.

I watched the flames for a while before a thought suddenly struck me.

'Wait. Couldn't I just dig it up with a pickaxe and thaw it later?'

Come to think of it, that was the better method.

I was going to mix it with cement anyway, so there was no reason to thaw it first.

I could just mix it with hot water.

People said human intelligence often kicked in late. I was exactly that kind of person.

'Ugh. I'll call it experience.'

Grumbling to myself, I checked the sand. It was still hard.

It looked like I had time to visit the lake while it thawed.

Even so, I stayed alert. I never knew what might jump out at me.

'Nothing in sight.'

There were no giant crabs, and the ordinary crabs were frozen stiff.

If anyone asked whether they were edible, I'd say they were naturally frozen for preservation.

After putting several crabs into my sack, I looked around.

The entire lake had frozen over, forming something like a road.

'I could scout around if it comes to that, but...'

There was no reason to push myself. I collected the crabs and headed back downstream.

The moment I returned, I came across a rare sight.

"Huff."

"......"

A deer.

A deer was resting beside the campfire I'd built.

Was it the same deer that had knocked out a Bull Shark with a single kick from its hind legs?

I quietly watched the deer, then moved slowly.

That kick might come at me if I wasn't careful.

'What is it, some kind of thug?'

I never imagined it would take over my campfire during the short time I was gone.

It had the intimidating presence of a thug. If I messed with it, I felt like I'd be in serious trouble.

Still, I needed the sand. I moved carefully to show that I had no intention of harming it.

Even as I approached, it only sat by the campfire without doing anything.

Thump! Thud!

It didn't even react when I dug up sand with my shovel.

Maybe it didn't want to move because of the warmth, or maybe it had realized I wasn't a threat.

'The nonchalance of the strong?'

This was a forest where herbivores were strangely powerful.

Sloths, gorillas, and now deer.

Carnivores might be predators, but these things were just thugs.

'I've gathered about enough sand...'

How long was this thing going to keep sitting there?

It kept staring me down, which was incredibly unnerving.

Still, it hadn't harmed me. That was good enough. I'd already accomplished my goal.

Clatter! Crackle!

Before leaving, I added a few more pieces of firewood.

It was my way of showing that I had absolutely no intention of fighting it.

The fire burned stronger. Maybe it understood what I meant, because the deer finally turned its head away after staring at me the whole time.

'This should be enough, right?'

I threw the rest of the firewood into the campfire and returned to the shelter.

The deer had no intention of leaving the fire until the very end.

A small incident had happened, but I returned after getting what I came for.

'I'll leave the sand in the sack and put the crabs in the icebox.'

An icebox was an insulated container filled with ice. I decided to call it that for convenience.

The moment I stepped into the shelter, I noticed something strange.

Fast Sloth was still watching the flames, and Wonmo was still hibernating.

Then who was the one pressed up beside Fast Sloth?

'What? I definitely put up a metal fence and a tent too.'

There was no sign that either the tent or the metal fence had been taken down. That meant it had entered another way.

Fast Sloth wasn't on guard, so it didn't seem harmful.

Still, I couldn't let my guard down. I approached slowly to check what it was.

"Keeeeng..."

"......"

When I got closer, I recognized it.

It was the raccoon that had approached when I lit a campfire in the yard before.

The raccoon that had stuck its paw into the fire, then put the flames clinging to it into its mouth.

'Why is it here?'

I stared at the raccoon in confusion.

Then I noticed wounds on its legs and back.

There was no sign it had entered through the entrance, so it didn't look like it had arrived while fleeing a predator.

"Hey. Where did you come from?"

"Keeeng...?"

I couldn't figure it out, so I approached quietly and asked.

The raccoon looked puzzled when I came closer, but only for a moment. It slowly rose to its feet.

I wondered if it was going to fight, but it did something unexpected.

"Keeeng... Keeng..."

It neatly brought its two paws together, looking deeply apologetic.

Anyone could tell it was apologizing.

Its cute appearance, combined with that gesture, made me feel sorry for it.

It was much more polite and well-behaved than certain gorilla bastards.

"Keeng... Keeeng..."

The raccoon pointed toward the fireplace, still looking terribly wronged.

Thanks to that, I could roughly figure out what had happened.

It looked like it had gone down the chimney and fallen inside.

It was almost miraculous that it had only been scraped up and hadn't been burned.

'That really is unfair.'

It had even apologized, so I couldn't kill it.

If it had acted shamelessly like a raccoon dog, I would have been cold to it.

Besides, Fast Sloth seemed to understand the raccoon's grievance and remained still.

I patted the raccoon's head to show it not to worry.

The raccoon seemed relieved by the kindness and looked relaxed.

"Wait here for a moment."

"Keeeng?"

It was hurt, so I needed to apply some Elixir. I used Animal Elixir to treat the raccoon's wounds.

The raccoon seemed startled when its injuries healed in an instant, touching itself all over. It was cute in a different way from Wonmo.

"How is it? Feeling okay?"

"Keeeng! Keeng-keeng!"

The raccoon repeatedly brought its paws together to express its gratitude.

Were all the animals in the Forest of Four Seasons this smart? It was amazing.

As I watched with satisfaction, the raccoon looked around before heading for the fireplace.

Just as I started wondering what it was doing, the raccoon's strange behavior began.

Swoosh-

It stuck its paws straight into the roaring fire.

It didn't just put one paw in like last time. It put both paws in together.

I wondered what it was doing.

"Keeeng!"

"......What's that?"

The raccoon held out its neatly joined paws toward me.

Its paws were blazing with fire, yet it didn't seem hot at all.

I didn't know how to react when, perhaps sensing my bewilderment, the raccoon dropped the fire gathered in its paws downward.

Whoosh!

The fire fell like water before quickly dying out.

I focused on the fact that the fire had fallen like water.

If fire could fall like water, couldn't I put it in a bottle?

That thought made me prepare an empty bottle.

The raccoon gathered fire in its paws again, then dropped it into the empty bottle I held out.

Fwoosh! Whoosh!

The fire that fell into the bottle didn't go out and kept its shape.

It kept burning even after I sealed the bottle with a stopper, cutting off the oxygen.

When I looked closely, I saw it was burning around a round orb.

'What is this?'

Fire that burned without fuel or oxygen, defying everything I knew about science. What did that mean?

Unable to figure it out, I looked at the raccoon.

The raccoon seemed to understand the meaning of my gaze and stuck its paws into the campfire again.

"Mmph."

Then it put its burning paws into its mouth.

"Fwooooo!"

Fwoooosh!!!

A massive flame burst from its mouth.

The cave became bright in an instant.

All I could do was gape at it.

'What kind of forest has a ninja living in it?'

While I was still reeling, a sharp smack rang out.

"Kegeng!"

Fast Sloth smacked the raccoon on the back.

It had the stern air of someone telling it not to play with fire.

Footnotes:

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