WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 150: Countermeasure (2)

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[Post title] Made a Sign

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of the sign)

[Post] I'm planning to install this sign where it can be seen from across the river.

[Post] I wasn't originally planning to put up a sign by the river, but I saw someone across it today;;

[Post] It happened so fast that I couldn't get a photo, but I think it was someone sent by the Holy Kingdom. Yeah.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Did you really see a person?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah. He was riding a giraffe and fighting lions.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: That's the long-necked animal you mentioned before, right?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: With a neck like that, it seems like it wouldn't be able to see what's in front of it;;

└ [Wild Grylls]: I don't know. I didn't ask it myself.

└ Won't that giraffe come with him when he crosses over?

└ For real lol That's another mouth to feed if it does lol

└ With a neck that long, doesn't it have nowhere to rest?

└ That too, but it might have a nasty temper;;

└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: That's a great idea! Other survivors will be able to see it too!

└ Could you have been mistaken? It's the Forest of Four Seasons. Maybe it showed you an illusion.

└ The description is way too detailed for an illusion. We'll just have to wait and see lol

└ What if that person kills Grylls?

└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: That will never happen! Ludwig is a kind person!

└ Even kind people can turn cruel when survival is on the line, Head Mod;;

└ I'm worried about that too. Ludwig might be fine, but what if another survivor comes over and starts causing trouble?

At first, the comments were exactly what you'd expect from the Gallery, but soon all kinds of concerns followed.

Let's say there really was a survivor in the Forest of Four Seasons. They might see the sign and cross the river.

But what then? What if that survivor had malicious intentions and harmed me?

‘It's not impossible.’

When it came to survival, every animal was no different from a competitor.

The same was true even among members of the same species.

And since I couldn't speak this world's languages, persuading them wouldn't be easy either.

‘I'll have to make the most of the Gallery.’

Even an absurdly strong Sloth had difficulty finding food in the Forest of Four Seasons.

If I hadn't had the Gallery, I would have starved to death too.

Being able to use the Gallery was an advantage in a remote place like this.

I could show them the Gallery and use it for interpretation too.

‘Recruiting them comes first. In the end, manpower is what matters.’

There were things people could do and things the Gallery could do.

Comments similar to my thoughts began pouring in right then.

There was occasional swearing mixed in, but I didn't pay it much mind.

‘Let's put up the sign first.’

It was big, but that wasn't a problem. I had my Subspace Backpack.

Soon, I carefully positioned it where it would be easy to see from across the river.

I could check on it from time to time while collecting the Fish Trap.

‘Crossing the river is a problem too.’

It wasn't just the width. The current was far too strong. It seemed difficult to cross without a boat.

I wondered if someone could leap across, but thinking someone capable of that had survived without any injuries was already optimistic.

The more survivors there were, the more likely it was that some of them had trouble walking.

If I hadn't had the Elixir, I would have had to live with a disability myself.

‘I need to build a bridge.’

Someone might ask what good a bridge was when the space across the river changed in real time.

But only the space across the river changed. The river itself always remained the same.

That meant there would always be a space with similar conditions on the other side.

‘First, I need to measure the distance.’

I took a rope out of my Subspace Bag. I always carried simple tools with me.

Then I tied a dagger to the end of the rope and threw it toward the other side.

Not into the space on the other side, but right up to the boundary.

‘The river really is quite wide.’

I marked the rope and pulled it back.

I was about to return when I paused and looked at the space across the river.

The Forest of Four Seasons contained all kinds of environments. Right now, that space was filled with fog.

What could be inside that fog? Could there really be survivors in a place like that?

‘No matter how I think about it, I'm one of the lucky ones.’

Leaving the Gallery aside, simply being able to survive was a huge blessing.

If I'd ended up in a foggy area, a volcanic area, a desert, or a snowy mountain... Just imagining it was terrifying.

‘What kind of place was that person in? Don't giraffes live in grasslands?’

There had also been lions surrounding him. They were animals that lived in grasslands.

Still, I couldn't be certain. Kangaroos lived not far from here.

Just like humans, an animal's habitat was wherever it adapted to live.

‘I should make the swords first and build the bridge slowly.’

Even a temporary bridge would take a long time to build, unlike swords.

Besides, I needed to check what Papa Raccoon was capable of.

Of course, Passing Dwarf was the expert at sharpening swords, so I decided to ask them.

[Passing Dwarf]: Every time I see you, I think this.

[Passing Dwarf]: You have a tendency to look at the world way too optimistically.

[You]: What are you talking about?

[Passing Dwarf]: I know you're happy because you saw a survivor,

[Passing Dwarf]: but you shouldn't make decisions carelessly when you're in a good mood.

[Passing Dwarf]: Think it over at least two or three times.

It was heartfelt advice. At first, I wondered what they meant.

Passing Dwarf, who usually just traded jokes with me and laughed their head off, was saying something like this.

It meant I was making a reckless choice. It was a kind of harsh advice.

‘Um...’

I kept my mouth shut and thought about what the dwarf was concerned about.

My plan to throw supplies, specifically weapons, across the river for the survivor.

I'd decided weapons were better than food.

Mithril and Orichalcum were everywhere around me.

‘...Could something like a gorilla use them?’

The gorillas looked different, but they were practically no different from prehistoric humans.

Some of them used crude weapons, and Chief Gorilla could even use mana.

Imagine those creatures getting their hands on Mislicon swords. Forget survival, the entire ecosystem would collapse.

‘Come to think of it, they said there were monsters too.’

Goblins, orcs, gnolls, ogres, and all the other creatures that always appeared in fantasy stories.

They were even more dangerous because they knew how to use tools.

This was a place where even primates used mana. Why wouldn't those bastards be able to use it?

If I wasn't careful, I would be personally creating a threat that could become the worst possible danger.

‘Tsk...’

It left a bitter taste in my mouth. Like Passing Dwarf said, I seemed to have gotten a little excited after finding a survivor.

In the end, I gave up on throwing swords across the river. There were too many risks.

Still, I should make a separate sword for Ludwig. As a spare.

‘Let's build the bridge first.’

I asked Passing Dwarf about this too. I told them I was making something temporary and asked if they knew of anything good.

I wanted it to be arch-shaped because I needed to account for the river rising from rain.

If even Passing Dwarf didn't know, I planned to put together a simple one and reinforce it little by little.

[Passing Dwarf]: There is one way, but I don't know if you can do it alone.

[You]: What is it?

[Passing Dwarf]: It's called a Da Vinci Bridge.

[Passing Dwarf]: It's a construction method that's been used since ancient times.

[Passing Dwarf]: I heard it's pretty simple, so it was often used in wars.

[You]: Da Vinci? Did he mean the Da Vinci I knew?

[You]: I couldn't help being a little surprised by such a familiar name.

[You]: Cement was one thing, but Da Vinci was the name of a famous person, so it bothered me.

[You]: Da Vinci?

[You]: Is that a person's name?

[Passing Dwarf]: Dunno?

[Passing Dwarf]: I only know it's been used since ancient times.

It seemed better to ask Allfather about this.

What mattered right now wasn't its origin, but the method.

[You]: Can you tell me how to make it?

[Passing Dwarf]: Explaining it is easy, but making it will be a pain.

[Passing Dwarf]: You'll have to build it yourself.

[You]: But can't that guy just jump over?

[You]: Do you think someone can cross a river like that?

[You]: Besides, he might have hurt his leg.

[Passing Dwarf]: Lol, then just mass-produce Elixirs and throw those over.

[Passing Dwarf]: That would be better.

It wasn't as if I hadn't thought of that.

But...

Just having Adult Mandrakes wasn't enough to make Elixirs.

If I asked Starlight Princess, she would obviously say she'd make them for me, but it would be embarrassing to keep asking her.

More importantly, the Mandrake population was visibly starting to decrease.

‘When I consider everything, I'm in danger too, aren't I?’

After thinking it over two or three times, the dwarf's advice was right. This wasn't the time to relax.

Seeing a survivor must have made me so happy that my intelligence dropped.

‘He said not to make decisions when you're happy. That's exactly right.’

It had only been twenty-two days. Just twenty-two days, yet I missed the presence of other people so much I was going crazy.

Then I saw a survivor, and my brain must have short-circuited for a moment.

‘I can't be this optimistic.’

Shortly afterward, Passing Dwarf explained how to make a Da Vinci Bridge.

Naturally, they explained it through a Gallery post. The structure itself wasn't difficult.

They even uploaded a video of themselves assembling one with sticks, which made it easy to understand.

Understanding it was easy, but making it out of wood already felt overwhelming.

└ [Passing Dwarf]: If it's too much of a pain, want me to make it for you?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Nah. I need to account for the space across the river, so I'll make it myself.

└ [Passing Dwarf]: Then I'll give you a hand plane. Use this.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Thx thx.

└ [Passing Dwarf]: By the way, what if an animal crosses over instead of a person? Did you think about that?

└ [Wild Grylls]: I need a bridge because of the Golden Frogs too. Those bastards are gatekeepers.

└ [Passing Dwarf]: Ah. Right, that makes sense.

After receiving a hand plane from Passing Dwarf, I began building the bridge in earnest.

The first thing I needed to do was log trees. Not for Firewood, but for bridge-building materials.

I didn't use mana. My cold energy could ruin the work.

Crack!

A huge tree fell over. I could process it piece by piece.

I set aside the branches for firewood and charcoal, then cut the large trunk down to the proper size.

‘This is really hard to do alone.’

When would the space across the river change into grassland? I hoped it would happen soon.

‘Still, a Da Vinci Bridge? Could it really be the Da Vinci I know?’

There were strange things about this world, like cement.

Was this Da Vinci the one I knew, or was it just a coincidence?

It was something worth pondering, but I decided to put it aside for now.

‘Who cares?’

Survival was what mattered.

* * *

While Grylls was diligently logging trees to build a temporary bridge, Ludwig, the holy knight riding the giraffe, found himself in a difficult situation.

It wasn't that the giraffe had betrayed him. In fact, it had emerged victorious from its battle against a pride of lions.

Thanks to the giraffe's towering height, it had practically been a siege battle.

The lich hadn't been a problem either, because the Mislicon sword Grylls had given Ludwig performed remarkably well.

The sword reacted strongly to even the faintest trace of mana. Mana density was incredibly high in the Forest of Four Seasons, making it difficult to use mana.

Difficult, but not impossible. With enough concentration, it could be done to some extent.

It was like trying to force an elephant through the eye of a needle, so Ludwig couldn't even bring out five percent of his usual power.

Even so, the Mislicon sword's performance was exceptional, and it had been a great help to Ludwig.

“Ngh...”

That help had clear limits.

After the fierce battle, Ludwig rested beneath a large tree.

He groaned as he looked at the wounds the lions had inflicted.

Both arms were unharmed, fortunately, but his right foot had been bitten.

Lions were already known for their terrifying bite strength, and these lions lived in the Forest of Four Seasons.

They had literally crunched through his steel boot, leaving him seriously injured.

‘This is bad. I don't see any medicinal herbs that could be used for treatment.’

He had handed all his healing agents, including Potions, to Lace.

Other than the Mislicon sword, he had entered the Forest of Four Seasons practically empty-handed.

At first, chance and luck had combined to make survival easy, but it seemed that luck had run out.

‘Considering infection, it would be best to cut it off...’

Thinking through the worst-case scenario, he looked around.

It was nothing but an endless grassland. There was nowhere to hide or rest.

A cave? Every cave he had found so far contained three-headed lions or monsters just as dangerous.

‘Could what I saw back then have been an illusion?’

Ludwig recalled what had happened then.

The person across the river, who had looked like someone from the Central Plains.

He had been so stunned by the sight that he had suffered this injury.

At least it was only his foot. If he hadn't been riding the giraffe, his life might have been in danger.

‘If it wasn't an illusion...’

He turned his head toward the river. A landscape different from before stretched out before him.

Previously, the river had separated Ludwig from a forest, but now all he could see was desert.

He had briefly been glad to find a place where he could get water, only for even that river to change completely.

‘If the skin begins to necrotize, I'll have to amputate it.’

For that, all he could do was watch how it progressed. Ludwig frowned and raised his head.

It seemed he would have to use this large tree as a temporary shelter.

In his current condition, it would be dangerous to go anywhere.

‘I will endure until I see the forest by the river again.’

Having made up his mind, Ludwig turned his head.

The giraffe lay there with its body curled into a ball.

‘I need to take that thing with me too.’

Ludwig was growing increasingly fond of the giraffe.

Footnotes:

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