WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 162: The World Is Wide (1)
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Thanks to Heavenly Demon's explanation that wasn't really an explanation, the users came to a realization.
[Post title] Title) So What If She Really Is Heavenly Demon?
[Post] Whether the assistant moderator is Heavenly Demon or not, what does it matter~
[Post] We can just keep calling her a martial arts fossil~
└ So we can keep cursing Heavenly Demon like before?
└ Yeah. Whether we're cursing the real Heavenly Demon or assistant moderator Heavenly Demon, it's all the same lol
└ What if she really is Heavenly Demon? What are you gonna do about it? lol
└ She can ban you, though?
└ Ah, fuck.
└ Having power is the same in real life and on the Gallery lol
It didn't matter whether Heavenly Demon was real or fake.
They could just roast her to their hearts' content, like they always had.
Of course, Heavenly Demon was a registered user with the mental fortitude to shrug off most insults and provocations.
The users concluded that real life and the Gallery should be kept strictly separate. Sort of.
‘She even fooled me for a second. That’s where a Gallery veteran’s experience shows.’
Heavenly Demon had been an active registered user on the Gallery for a long time.
Her way of speaking might have been old-fashioned, but she hadn't lost her veteran instincts.
When I nearly got scammed, hadn't I confidently started by cursing the scammer out?
On the Gallery, desires masquerading as honesty were simply part of the culture, so it was a fitting response.
‘All I need to do is keep an eye on the Blood Cult.’
I looked at Heavenly Demon's post, its recommendation count rising in real time, then went back.
Everyone was losing their minds over her explanation post.
I wanted to know how the Blood Cult had reacted, but there were too many posts to sift through.
Even if a post related to the Blood Cult appeared, there was no way to know whether it was real.
‘If there are more lunatics like Geumjang, they'll probably post again.’
Until then, I just needed to do my own work. I'd leave what was happening outside to the outside world.
After browsing the Gallery for a bit, I quietly logged out...
[Post title] Title) While Everyone's Distracted
[Post] (Photo of a female elf with an incredible figure)
[Post] Dropping this.
...After saving it first.
I checked to make sure no one was watching, saved the photo, then closed the Gallery.
It was time to get back to work. Kkobong had worked hard sawing, so now I needed to smooth the logs down.
‘Once this is done, we can finally start building the bridge.’
It had already been two days since Kkobong had been hired(?).
Kkobong had shown astonishing efficiency as an excellent worker.
Even with mana restrained, Kkobong's basic physical abilities made Kkobong strong at manual labor.
Thanks to that, we finished preparing the logs in less than three days, even though I thought it would take several days.
“Kkobong. We're going to build a bridge with these now. Do you understand what I'm saying?”
“...”
“I'll take that as a yes. Here, look.”
Now that the logs were ready, it was time to build the bridge.
I explained the structure of a Da Vinci Bridge to Kkobong. I even showed the finished model I'd made.
Honestly, it was simple enough to understand just by looking at it.
I was a little concerned because Kkobong was a gorilla, but Kkobong was smart enough to learn human speech.
“If you understand, try building one yourself.”
I handed Kkobong some branches for a demonstration and gave instructions.
Kkobong pushed up the glasses, then slowly stacked them as I'd shown.
At first, Kkobong seemed unable to get the hang of it, but gradually started putting it together.
Before long, Kkobong finished it much faster than I had the first time.
“Zuò wán le.”
“Oh...”
Kkobong said it was finished and showed me the completed bridge.
It looked like Kkobong understood it perfectly. I was satisfied.
“You get the gist, right? Now we're going to build this over the river.”
“...”
“The river is up there. Where I bring fish from. You know it, right?”
“Let's take the logs up there, then.”
I moved the logs with Kkobong.
Anyone who had carried logs before would know this, but wood was incredibly heavy even on its own.
I'd cut and planed them down, so they were smaller, but wood was still wood.
Even after eating eel and using mana, the most I could do was carry several at once.
‘Kkobong... Seriously strong.’
Kkobong couldn't even use mana, yet carried about as many logs as I did with bare hands.
I already knew Kkobong had an impressive build, but I hadn't expected Kkobong to be stronger than me even after I ate eel.
Kkobong's physical abilities had probably improved to survive in the Forest of Four Seasons. Being a gorilla probably helped too.
After carrying most of the logs near the river, we looked for a suitable spot.
We needed to choose somewhere as narrow as possible, where the current was weak.
I'd measured the width beforehand and made the logs based on that, but you never knew.
‘Come to think of it, there's a mountain across the river today.’
And it was a mountain with cliffs clearly visible.
Beyond those cliffs stood mountains wrapped in a haze that might have been fog or clouds.
It was an incredible sight, but I didn't particularly want to go there. I needed to finish this quickly.
‘First, I should check whether the Golden Frog is around.’
I put my hand into the river. Normally, the frogs should have rushed out.
But none appeared. Could they still be hibernating even though the weather had warmed up ages ago?
Maybe they had moved to another area. Either way, it was great news for me.
I told Kkobong to start building the bridge, then carefully stacked the logs.
“No, not there. Put it here.”
“Woo?”
“Yeah. Right. There. Put it there.”
Kkobong understood my words perfectly, so the work went quickly.
If I'd done this alone, it would've taken at least several days.
There was a reason I gave Kkobong Fasting Pills.
To animals living in the Forest of Four Seasons, Fasting Pills seemed to be like chocolate. They went crazy for them.
“Let's see. The length... One more section and it'll be enough. We're almost done.”
“Hoo.”
“Hang in there, even if it's a pain. Eat this, then we'll take a snack break.”
And so, the bridge was complete. But completing it and moving it were two different things.
We had to hold each end of the bridge and carry it across the river.
‘Just in case, I'll tie myself to a rope.’
The current was strong, so preparing for an accident was essential.
After tying the rope tightly around a tree, I grabbed one end of the bridge and slowly stepped forward.
Kkobong braced the other end firmly so the bridge wouldn't collapse.
‘Ah. Should I have tied each interlocking section together with rope?’
At the very least, I could've poured a little cement on it.
Why did thoughts like this always come to me afterward?
I lamented inwardly for a moment, then kept my balance all the way across the river.
The shoes Passing Dwarf gave me worked so well that I didn't fall midway through.
“Hah!”
The moment I set the bridge down on the other side, I hurried back.
The Da Vinci Bridge was complete. All that remained was to lay planks on top.
It was only a temporary bridge, but it was designed to bear weight, so it just needed a little more work.
I even had cement, so I might be able to make a proper bridge instead of a temporary one.
[Post title] Title) Bridge Complete!
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of the Da Vinci Bridge connecting to the other side of the river)
[Post] Kkobong and I built a bridge together. All that's left is putting planks on top.
[Post] Everyone out there, you're always welcome. Take this bridge to paradise and come see me!
└ [Heavenly Demon]: It feels less like a bridge to paradise and more like a bridge to hell. Am I the only one under that impression?
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: That’s surprising. I felt the same way.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Not bad. Did that gorilla do a good job?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah, Kkobong is fuuuuucking good at it lol I think I'll promote Kkobong from worker to assistant later.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Why don't you make swords together too? lol
└ [Wild Grylls]: Is that possible?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: I can't explain it in words, so figure it out yourself. Just hammer something into shape or whatever.
Passing Dwarf's explanation went like this.
It was difficult for a blacksmith to work alone.
You needed to earn at least the title of “Craftsman” before you could make tools by yourself.
Until then, blacksmiths always worked in teams of at least two.
‘I'll do it eventually, I guess.’
It wasn't urgent, so I took it as advice for now.
If I started making tools myself, I would probably make a pickaxe first.
Besides, Kkobong and I couldn't communicate properly, so it would take a long time.
‘I really need to teach Kkobong Korean.’
I'd thought it earlier too, but the frustration of not being able to communicate was terrifying.
If Kkobong were just an animal that couldn't speak, it would be one thing. But Kkobong was an animal capable of speech, which made it even more frustrating.
My original plan had been to keep talking until Kkobong understood...
‘But Kkobong is way too competent.’
Over the last three days, I'd come to understand just how capable Kkobong was.
It felt wasteful to use that talent only for simple labor.
It was enough to make me think Blood Demon hadn't taught Kkobong martial arts for no reason.
Kkobong wasn't a genius who understood ten things after learning one, but always understood that one thing properly.
Considering how many people couldn't understand even one thing after being taught one, Kkobong had great potential.
“Now, Kkobong. Look at me.”
“?”
“For us to live together smoothly from now on, I need to know what makes things difficult for you too. We need to be able to communicate.”
The moment I said “difficult,” my eyes fell on the suppressor around Kkobong's neck.
Did I feel guilty? Don't make me laugh. That bastard had tried to kill me first.
Without feeling even a hint of guilt, I opened my mouth.
“You've heard everything I've said so far, right? Try saying any of it.”
“...”
I didn't know if Kkobong would understand this either, but I had to try.
I mixed body language in with my words and did my best.
As a result, Kkobong understood what I wanted and nodded.
Then, after thinking for a long time, the words that finally came out were:
“Sh*t.”
“...?”
“Woo woo. F*ck.”
“Hey. Hold on.”
They were some downright earthy curses. I was extremely flustered.
Out of all the words Kkobong could have learned, why those? Was it because my intonation got especially strong when I said them?
There was a saying that the first thing people learned in a foreign language was how to swear.
Besides, I'd cursed a lot while grumbling too.
“What are you supposed to do with that? Don't you know any other words?”
“Kkobong.”
“That's your name. From now on, when I ask you a question and you answer, say ‘Yes, sir.’ Got it?”
I needed to teach polite speech first. But not long after I made that decision...
“F*ck off.”
“You crazy monkey bastard. When the hell did you learn that one too?”
“You.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
We had a very, very long way to go.
* * *
Around the time Grylls started teaching Kkobong Korean, the Gallery and the Central Plains were in chaos over matters related to the Blood Cult.
Although Heavenly Demon had “happened” to pass by and killed a Blood Cult elder, their activities had resumed all the same.
The older generation, who remembered the Blood Cult's former might, trembled in fear, while the younger generation also became wary.
Geumjang's show of force had proven so overwhelming that even the old guard wouldn't have dared stop Geumjang.
It was fortunate Heavenly Demon had killed Geumjang, but the prevailing opinion was that there could be more powerhouses like that.
└ Can't Heavenly Demon just kill them all?
└ What justification would the Demonic Cult have for stepping in? She only came this time to catch someone who was using her name.
└ Honestly, it's better for the Demonic Cult to stay still. They already made it clear people shouldn't mess with them.
└ The Demonic Cult can stay neutral because it has Heavenly Demon. The Martial Arts Alliance is the only one that's fucked.
└ The Martial Arts Alliance isn't what it used to be these days... It's seriously weakened compared to before.
└ Guess it's the Martial Arts Dummy Alliance now...
└ Martial Arts Dummy Alliance lmao
└ Listen to that ring lol
As Heavenly Demon's reputation shot up, wariness toward the Blood Cult grew stronger as well.
In the midst of all this, the Blood Cult members gathered at the “sacred site” Geumjang had mentioned...
“Of course we must make that black gorilla the successor!”
“Absurd! How could we possibly do that when it already has its own troop? We would be better off choosing the white one!”
“No. Why are we choosing a gorilla as our successor...?”
“Shut up! We are being serious!”
“...”
They were in the middle of an unexpected Moron Olympics.
Footnotes:
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