WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 154: Lackey (1)
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[Post title] Introducing a New Worker
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of the albino gorilla glaring fiercely with a suppressor around its neck)
[Post] Meet Kkobong, my new worker, acquired through perfectly legal means. Please take good care of them from now on~
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Those eyes look like they want to eat someone. Training them will take time.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Isn't it illegal if they're wearing a dog collar around their neck?
└ [Wild Grylls]: What are you talking about? I don't do illegal things.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: That's just a slave though;; Isn't that illegal?
└ [Wild Grylls]: They caused me harm first, so I merely made them a slave “temporarily,” in accordance with the law.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Slavery was abolished ages ago;; And who made that ruling?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Me.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Hahahahahaha
└ They're saying “me” so confidently lmao
└ Just say you took in a prisoner lol
└ What kind of system is that lmao
└ Is this what being wild means? lol
└ [Starlight Princess]: If you'd like, I can give you a potion that makes them more obedient. Would you like one?
└ [Wild Grylls]: What kind?
└ [Starlight Princess]: It's a potion that kills them if they don't drink the antidote at regular intervals.
└ [Wild Grylls]: That's inhumane;;
└ [Starlight Princess]: Hehe.
└ You're both the same;;
└ I've got a question. What crime would Grylls be punished for here? Animal abuse? Or illegal slavery?
└ Wild Grylls would just get arrested. Why think so hard about it?;;
└ Could anyone even arrest Wild Grylls? They're in the Forest of Four Seasons.
└ We just need to watch. Why are you all analyzing it so hard lol
└ Seeing a gorilla get captured like that is kind of turning me on?
└ ?
└ ??
└ Excuse me?
└ Would you mind dying?
└ Are you beastfolk by any chance?
└ Yeah. And I'm a woman, for the record.
└ Ah. Then it's fine.
└ If you're beastfolk, I guess that can happen.
└ [SuspiciouslySo]: What the fuck do you mean, “that can happen”? Even beastfolk don't do that to animals. That bastard's the weird one, for fuck's sake.
└ It's a talking gorilla. What's the difference?
└ For real lol. Explain yourself.
Everyone seemed to be welcoming Kkobong, the new worker.
There was a suggestion to whip Kkobong whenever they disobeyed, but I ignored it.
No matter how bad my temperament was, I wasn't that bad.
Besides, Fast Sloth would step in the moment Kkobong tried anything against me.
‘I need to treat their injuries first...’
I looked at Kkobong, who was glaring at me while frozen solid.
As if being frozen wasn't enough, Kkobong was bound too.
And since they had been stabbed with a sword, they needed treatment.
“Hey. Kkobong.”
“......”
“Kkobong, I'm talking to you. I told you earlier, didn't I? Your name is Kkobong now.”
I saw no reason to explain it in the Central Plains language, so I continued speaking in Korean.
The Central Plains language might have been Kkobong's native tongue(?), but I was Korean.
They had not only tried to kill me, but also tried to take the shelter I'd worked so hard to build.
I had no intention of being considerate, so I planned to speak only Korean.
“......Wibaek.”
“What?”
“$#%$ Kkobong, #5#! Wibaek!”
What the hell was that? Kkobong screeched something at me.
Going by the general tone, they seemed to be saying I should call them Wibaek, not Kkobong.
Smack!
“Urk!”
“What are you saying? Speak Korean. And from now on, you're Kkobong.”
Their attitude irritated me, so I smacked them on the head.
They'd tried to kill me, so I had no intention of being considerate.
If Kkobong didn't listen, they'd get hit. If they listened well, I planned to reward them.
So all I could do was keep trying(?) until they listened.
“Hey. Look at me properly.”
I crouched down until I was at eye level with Kkobong.
Kkobong met my gaze with a deep frown.
“See this key? It's the key to the suppressor around your neck.”
“@&#$!”
“Why, you...”
People ought to listen until someone's finished talking. When I raised my hand, Kkobong flinched.
They'd already lost to me once, then gotten hit a few more times even while restrained.
I needed to teach them until it was carved into their instincts that resisting me was pointless.
“Anyway, you need this key to take off the thing around your neck. But I'll never give it to you.”
“......”
“You know it too, don't you? Without the martial arts you're so proud of, surviving in this forest would be very difficult.”
Kkobong was an albino gorilla. Albinos had a very low chance of surviving in the wild.
Their white fur stood out, and their poor eyesight made them slow to react.
Kkobong had enough fighting power to make up for that, but with the Mana Suppressor on, they were practically an ordinary gorilla.
“And look over there.”
I pointed to one spot.
There was the project Kkobong had completely destroyed during their rampage.
I planned to work them hard and make them finish it.
“From now on, you're going to help me with woodworking. Got it?”
It was probably better to explain things kindly at first.
Kkobong couldn't understand Korean? Don't worry.
If they couldn't understand, I'd discipline them until they could.
It might take longer since they weren't a foreigner, but an animal...
‘That's not my problem.’
I looked at Kkobong, who remained stubbornly silent.
Their future would be much easier if they listened to me, but they didn't seem to understand that.
It would be best to break their spirit properly, but unfortunately, there wasn't a good way to do that.
‘Torture... I don't want to do that. All I can do is make them accept reality.’
Kkobong probably knew it too. As long as the Mana Suppressor stayed on, surviving in the forest would be difficult.
So until they got the key, there was a good chance they'd remain here.
‘I should untie them first.’
The cold that had frozen Kkobong solid was starting to melt away.
I placed a campfire near them so they would thaw faster.
Their right arm thawed first. The moment it became free, Kkobong reached out.
Their hand stretched straight toward my arm. It looked like they were trying to grab me.
But...
Crackle!
“Aaaaargh!!!”
That only earned them another punishment. The suppressor activated the instant they touched me.
They must have learned one more thing from that. The moment they made physical contact with me, electricity would run through them.
I snorted as I watched Kkobong sit there dazed after getting electrically fried.
“You should've given up.”
“Ugh...”
Judging by the way Kkobong's eyes kept going in and out of focus, they hadn't heard me.
It seemed more electricity flowed through them when they made physical contact than when they used mana.
‘Since it runs on the wearer's mana, I don't have to worry about it running out of power.’
Kkobong was destined to live at this shelter.
While they thawed, I fiddled with the key.
There had been a chance of getting ambushed, so I had no intention of carrying it around.
Someone might say there was nothing to worry about when the suppressor activated upon physical contact, but...
‘They survived in the Forest of Four Seasons. That means they've got serious grit.’
The problem was that this wasn't an unfounded concern.
I was desperately fighting to survive myself.
That albino gorilla had likely walked a similar path.
They were as smart as a human too, so I needed to prepare for the worst.
So who did I give the key to?
“Fast Sloth. You hold on to this.”
“......”
I planned to hand it over to Fast Sloth, my master and the strongest member of our shelter.
First, I made a cord from the wood fibers left over from my work.
Then I threaded it through the hole in the key, tied it securely, and hung it around Fast Sloth's neck.
From now on, no one would ever take the key from us. If Kkobong tried to take it by force?
‘Then they'd get a proper lesson.’
While Kkobong thawed, I went into the cave.
Since I needed to use them as labor right away, I had to treat them.
Frostbite would be difficult to heal, but I could deal with the puncture wound to some extent.
“Here. You can walk now, right?”
“......”
Kkobong had completely thawed, and I had treated all their puncture wounds.
They looked over their quickly recovered hands and feet.
Judging by their expression, they seemed impressed by the Elixir's effectiveness.
“Enough admiring it. Time to work, right?”
“......”
“Look at this bastard. If you don't...”
“Kaishi.”
As I slowly reached out my hand, Kkobong spoke in a hurry.
Even someone as proud as Kkobong seemed afraid of getting electrically fried.
I was pleased by that response for a moment, then explained the work they had to do.
“Your job is simple. You're going to process logs to a specific size.”
“......?”
Kkobong tilted their head as though they had no idea what I was talking about.
They weren't trying to mock me. They genuinely didn't understand, and a sudden reality check hit me.
‘Do I really need to teach them Korean?’
I didn't want to learn the Central Plains language. I couldn't see any reason to.
After letting out a frustrated sigh, I decided to show Kkobong instead of explaining.
“If you can't watch and copy me, you're getting fried again.”
“......”
Maybe threats really did work.
Kkobong uncrossed their arms and paid attention to my warning.
Their dissatisfied expression remained, but it wouldn't last long.
“See this? This is called a saw.”
“......”
“And... Ah, forget it. Just watch and copy me.”
I'd realized I might as well have been talking to a brick wall.
* * *
Humiliation. Utter humiliation.
That was what the albino gorilla, whom Grylls had given the almost affectionate name Kkobong, meaning “lackey,” thought.
One might ask what humiliation a mere beast could possibly feel, but even beasts had emotions.
Kkobong was especially intelligent, intelligent enough to learn human speech.
They could feel more varied emotions than an ordinary animal, including humiliation.
‘One day, I'll escape.’
Kkobong looked at Grylls.
Poor eyesight made it impossible to see Grylls's features clearly, but one thing was certain.
Kkobong had been rejected for being born different from their kind.
There had been a human who taught them language and martial arts without discrimination.
That human came to mind, and curiosity had stirred, but after everything that had happened, it had all disappeared.
Not all humans were the same. There had also been a human who threatened Kkobong before.
The only feelings Kkobong had for Grylls now were humiliation and a desire for revenge.
They had lowered their head for now, but one day, they planned to escape.
‘This tool is truly infuriating.’
To do that, Kkobong first needed to remove the control device around their neck.
Kkobong didn't know what Grylls had said, but judging by the mood, that key was necessary.
The key was currently hanging around some sloth's neck.
That meant Kkobong needed to defeat the sloth first to remove the tool.
“I'm heading up to the river for a bit. Keep an eye on Kkobong.”
“......”
And the opportunity came quickly. Wibaek, no, Kkobong looked at the sloth.
It was small and looked sluggish.
The sharply honed claws were concerning, but Kkobong could handle it if they were careful.
‘Every movement is sluggish and slow.’
Kkobong had noticed that while fighting Grylls. At the same time, a question had arisen.
Why had Grylls fought with that sloth on their back?
Had Grylls used those sharp claws to climb trees easily?
Kkobong had doubts, but in the end, a gorilla was still a gorilla.
A beast incapable of high-level thought like a human.
‘Kill it.’
So Kkobong decided to kill the sloth that looked so dull.
Their actions were as swift as the decision. Kkobong slowly approached the sloth.
Flinch!
“......?”
Something was strange. Kkobong flinched.
The closer they got to the sloth, the stronger the unease became.
What was the source of that unease? Kkobong looked around.
Maybe Grylls was watching? No, that wasn't it either.
‘...Something is wrong.’
As a beast driven more by instinct than reason, Kkobong instinctively sensed danger.
They didn't know what the sloth had, but they knew it was extremely dangerous.
Would Kkobong retreat now? Absolutely not.
Instead, they only felt the need to finish this quickly.
Kkobong gave off a terrifying aura as they looked at the sloth.
“......”
The sloth simply looked back at Kkobong with its usual relaxed expression.
It practically radiated, ‘I'm harmless~’
Who would think this sloth was dangerous?
Most would think it was a miracle the sluggish thing had survived this long.
‘I'm starting to feel a little bad.’
Kkobong felt guilty as they looked at the sloth.
But this was the Forest of Four Seasons, a place where one had to do anything to survive.
A huge fist like a hammer slowly rose above the sloth's head.
The sloth slowly raised its head and looked up at the arm.
Even that action was painfully slow, completely fitting for a sloth. Slow enough to frustrate not just a person, but even an animal.
‘Blame your master.’
Kkobong muttered that and brought the fist down.
Slash!
A snow-white head separated from its body and flew away.
Footnotes:
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