WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 145: Neighbor (3)
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Having Papa Raccoon do the work for me meant I had less to do and saved a lot of time.
Right now, time was worth more than gold. No, more than diamonds.
So I planned to manage the raccoons tactfully enough that they wouldn't grow dissatisfied.
‘Still, how am I supposed to build their house?’
Since they would be neighbors I'd see often, I thought about making them a small shelter in the yard.
The question was how to build something the raccoons would like.
They had already made themselves such a neat nest, so I had no intention of making them move again.
I was only planning a shelter. Somewhere they could rest comfortably in front of a campfire during the cold winter.
‘A house would be too much. A shelter should be just right.’
As long as it was designed to let them fully enjoy the campfire's warmth, that would be enough.
But I had enough on my plate, so I couldn't build it right away.
The blast furnace and oven came first, not a shelter for the raccoon family.
Like I said earlier, the raccoons already had a nest, so it would be fine to make it when I had time.
‘I should at least lay out a mat for them.’
I checked the wind direction. Relative to the cave entrance, the wind was blowing from behind.
If nothing else, the wind had been consistent, which made planning easier.
‘More importantly, Wonmo can't start seeing them as food.’
Wonmo had been plump before going into hibernation, but he had already lost all that weight.
In less than ten days, he had gained weight dramatically, then lost it just as quickly.
Fast Sloth, on the other hand, seemed somewhat resistant to the cold. Nothing had changed for them.
‘It's been three weeks since I got here.’
Today marked exactly twenty-one days, or three weeks.
Another week would make four weeks. One month.
At first, time had seemed to drag like hell, but lately it was the opposite.
Winter days ended quickly, and I'd only stayed in the shelter, so time probably felt like it was passing faster.
‘That's not a good thing.’
It was good to gain experience. But that was separate from getting information that could help me escape.
Adapting and escaping were two different things.
Still, it wasn't as if I had gained nothing.
I'd learned something very valuable. When winter came, I shouldn't even think about escaping.
The moment I got swept away by an avalanche, my life would be in danger too.
Crackle! Crackle!
“Kiing.”
“Keng.”
I was working out the overall shelter design when Mama Raccoon and Baby Raccoon gathered around the campfire.
Papa Raccoon was out working, granted, but why had the two of them come?
‘What's stuck on that stick?’
The stick in Baby Raccoon's hand especially caught my attention. Something was skewered on it.
As one question led to another, Baby Raccoon carefully held up the stick with both hands.
Then they glanced at me and cautiously walked over.
“Kiing.”
Baby Raccoon held out the stick they had been clutching so carefully.
For a second, I wondered if they could handle fire like Papa Raccoon.
That wasn't it.
I could clearly see the golden-brown grub roasted on the stick.
Most creatures living in the Forest of Four Seasons were huge, even when young.
Baby Raccoon alone was about the size of a small dog.
Likewise, the grub skewered on the stick was no ordinary size either.
“...You want me to eat this?”
“Keng.”
When I pointed to myself and asked, Baby Raccoon answered affirmatively.
Wondering what this was all about, I looked at Mama Raccoon. She had both paws tightly clasped together.
Her eyes clearly said, “Please accept my child's kindness.”
What kind of raccoon made that expression?
‘I'm not thrilled about eating bugs, but...’
I couldn't refuse a gift they had gone out of their way to give me.
If I just shut my eyes and ate it once, it should be manageable.
“Thanks. I'll enjoy it.”
“...”
The moment I thanked them, Baby Raccoon scampered away and hid behind Mama Raccoon's back.
They seemed shy. Still, judging by the way they peeked out from behind Mama Raccoon, they were clearly waiting for my reaction.
I couldn't crush a kid's(?) expectations like this. It was a gift from a neighbor.
I looked over the surprisingly well-cooked grub, then ate it in one bite.
At least it had been cooked, so it should taste like protein...
Squish!
“...”
...Or so I thought, but a deeply ominous sound came from inside my mouth.
At the same time, something wet and sticky started pouring out of it.
Was the problem that I had applied human standards to an animal? Or had Baby Raccoon accidentally undercooked it because they were young?
Holding back the disgust and nausea rising from my stomach, I forced myself to chew the grub.
‘...Right. In an emergency, you have to eat them raw anyway.’
I couldn't disappoint Baby Raccoon, so I kept eating.
Swallowing it was the worst part. Calling it the worst texture and taste of my life still wouldn't be enough.
“It's, it's good!”
“Kiing! Keng!”
“Kiing.”
When I gave a thumbs-up, Baby Raccoon jumped around in delight.
Mama Raccoon patted the kid's head, but kept nervously watching me.
It looked like Baby Raccoon had definitely given me something undercooked.
[Post title] Baby Raccoon Gave Me a Gift
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of Baby Raccoon holding out a stick)
[Post] (Photo of a stick with a thick grub skewered on it)
[Post] And that wasn't all. Baby Raccoon roasted this over the fire and gave it to me lol.
[Post] It was a little undercooked, but I endured and ate it.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Every time I see them, I think they are such polite creatures.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Blech. Why is that grub so huge? Is that because it's from the Forest of Four Seasons too?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Probably? Everything here is huge.
└ Was the bug good?
└ It looks nice and fat. Looks tasty.
└ Eugh. Are there people who like eating bugs?
└ Don't knife-ears eat them? They've got that nature-friendly image, so they probably eat bugs too.
└ [LetsGrowTrees]: Huh! We don't eat bugs! Elves are a race that likes meat too!
└ Elves eat meat? I can't imagine it.
└ That's probably just prejudice. Knife-ears are insanely good at politics, so they built up that nature-friendly image.
└ Yeah, I heard they took advantage of it because they stand opposite demonkind. Plus, they have the World Tree.
└ They still get a lot of hate for planting trees, so that image is still there. But they don't eat bugs lol.
└ What do Dark Elf people eat? They're in the desert, so they probably don't have much meat either.
└ [AllHailTheSun]: They've got sweet dates. Why would they need meat? lol
└ There are a fuckton of Dark Elves who got diabetes from eating those lol
└ They really are sweet. One of their biggest exports.
└ So, Grylls. Was it good? That nice fat thing looks delicious.
└ [Wild Grylls]: The moment I bit into it, all its guts burst and spilled out of my mouth.
└ Gyaaaaaah!!!
└ Aaaaaagh;;
└ Ugh;; I feel like I'm gonna throw up just imagining it.
└ So did you eat all of it?
└ [Wild Grylls]: How could I not? Baby Raccoon was watching me expectantly;;; I forced it down.
└ Baby Raccoon gave it to you just to fuck with you lol
└ Pure evil lol
└ It was a devil raccoon lol
└ Devilcoon lmao
└ [Starlight Princess]: That's strange. As far as I know, raccoons usually wash their food in water. Why did they roast it over a fire?
└ There's someone who still doesn't understand the Forest of Four Seasons. There's a reason for that.
└ [Starlight Princess]: What is it? If you're going to say more nonsense, leave.
└ All the raccoons that washed their food in water already died. Didn't you see the river in front of Grylls's place? A frog spraying deadly poison came out of there lol
└ It... makes sense!
└ The Forest of Four Seasons, making them defy even their instincts. Damn.
└ [Starlight Princess]: For once, that wasn't something idiotic.
I'd heard that raccoons washed their food in water.
It was always funny seeing a raccoon despair after washing cotton candy and watching it disappear completely.
Still, they were great learners. I remembered that after losing cotton candy two or three times, they stopped washing it.
Maybe the raccoons in the Forest of Four Seasons had learned the same thing. That water was far more dangerous than fire.
‘Is that why they can handle fire too?’
Like someone said, it was strangely convincing. It wasn't completely impossible, either.
Afterward, I took a bite of smoked meat to wash away the disgusting lingering taste in my mouth.
It was closer to a palate cleanser than a meal, more of a snack.
‘Bananas are the best snack, though.’
Thinking about snacks reminded me of the banana a gorilla had given me.
The banana it threw at me, telling me to eat it instead of a Fasting Pill and get lost.
It had been a shameless trade, but the banana itself had been delicious.
Still, that banana was a specialty that only grew in the jungle(?).
I didn't want to go into the gorillas' territory, so I had no choice but to endure the craving.
‘Does this forest not have fruit or anything?’
There were lots of mushrooms, but hardly any fruit. And even when there was fruit, it only looked like the kind I didn't want to eat.
After wasting a moment on pointless thoughts, I closed my eyes and operated my cultivation method.
The shelter's overall design was mostly complete. All that remained was waiting for the next season.
I didn't have anything else to do until then, so training was the answer.
‘The cold energy is gathering, little by little...’
Separating the cold energy and mana was going smoothly too.
Everything was hard at first. Once you got properly into the rhythm, it became easier.
That didn't mean I could neglect swordsmanship training. I knew too well how important balance was.
“Phew.”
By the time I finished training, it was already lunchtime.
Just as I started wondering whether I should eat lunch...
“Keeeeeeng!!! Keng!!!”
A raccoon's cry came from outside. It was closer to a scream.
Judging by the voice(?), it sounded like Papa Raccoon.
The moment I heard it, anxiety surged through me, and I hurried outside.
No one was in the yard, but the scream had come from the raccoons' nest.
I armed myself and headed toward their tree.
“Sssslither-”
“Keng!! Keng!!”
As expected, my neighbors were in danger. A huge snake was climbing the tree.
Papa Raccoon stood at the entrance to the nest, fiercely resisting with a torch in one hand.
Mama Raccoon and Baby Raccoon were probably inside.
“You bastard!”
I immediately charged at the snake. Maybe it sensed me too.
Thump!
Amazingly, it slightly curled its body, then sprang backward like a coiled spring.
Its elasticity was incredible. It moved like a creature from the Forest of Four Seasons.
“Shaaah!!!”
After moving to another tree, the snake launched itself at me again.
I could see venom dripping from its fangs inside its huge maw.
The old me would have panicked, but I had grown somewhat used to the Forest of Four Seasons.
I lightly twisted out of the snake's charge, then brought my sword down.
Slice!
With Heavenly Demon’s Sword and aura behind the strike, the snake's body was cleanly cut in half.
That wasn't all. Starting from the wound, its entire body gradually froze.
I'd fought a Steel-Scale Snake before, so I didn't bother holding back just in case.
Flail! Flail! Crack!
The snake struggled desperately at first, but before long, its entire body froze solid.
I didn't stop there. I cleanly cut off its head too. That should have killed it for good.
‘If a snake that should be hibernating has woken up...’
That confirmed it. Winter really was coming to an end.
I kicked the frozen snake head far away and turned around.
Papa Raccoon, still holding the torch, looked like he could finally breathe again.
“You okay?”
“Keng.”
Papa Raccoon bowed his head, clearly grateful.
The family, who had poked their heads out of the hole, thanked me too.
‘They would have been eaten if they hadn't had the torch. Good thing they did.’
Most animals feared fire. Snakes were no exception.
Papa Raccoon could even breathe flames, so the snake must have been wary.
It had been a hidden card, so they had probably just been watching each other carefully.
For a moment, I thought I should spread snake repellent near the tree soon. Then the raccoon family climbed down.
“Keng!”
They tapped the frozen snake's body.
Did they want to eat it?
“You want to eat it?”
“Keng.”
“Hmm...”
I looked down at the snake. It was big enough for us to share.
I'd never eaten snake before, but... I couldn't throw away perfectly good prey.
Even if we had leftovers, that wouldn't be a problem now that I had a refrigerator.
“Sure. Let's eat it.”
“Keng.”
At my approval, Papa Raccoon returned to the nest as if telling me to wait.
Then he came back holding something.
“Keng!”
Papa Raccoon had brought a mushroom. It looked like an ordinary brown mushroom.
I wanted to avoid mushrooms whenever possible, but there had to be a reason he brought it.
Maybe he even knew what it did.
That thought suddenly occurred to me.
“What effect does this have? I'm a little wary of mushrooms...”
“Keng.”
Did Papa Raccoon understand me? Instead of answering, he demonstrated.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
He vigorously thrust his hips back and forth.
His arms swung back and forth hard too.
I didn't need him to spell out what that meant.
Whether they were human or animal, men were all the same.
‘...But even if I ate it, what would I use it for?’
Was Papa Raccoon showing off because he had a mate, or teasing me about it?
Footnotes:
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