WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 166: Premium (1)
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Summer.
The season of sweltering heat and all kinds of rampant bugs.
In the Republic of Korea, mosquitoes were the classic example.
They were bugs specialized in pissing people off to a degree that even “rampant” didn't cover.
Their bites itched like crazy, they buzzed by your ear while you slept, and they were damn hard to catch.
If cockroaches were disgusting, mosquitoes were annoying. That was how people often put it.
People had even come up with “creative” ways to kill mosquitoes.
Well, lately, summers had gotten so hot because of global warming that mosquitoes weren't seen much.
You might spot one or two buzzing around in late summer or early fall, at most.
But the bugs in the Forest of Four Seasons...
They were impossible to put into words.
Winter brought blizzards, spring brought pollen dust storms, and summer brought swarms of bugs.
As if announcing the start of summer, an enormous swarm had descended, blotting out my entire field of vision.
‘Where the hell did this many bugs come from?’
I brought Kkobong, whom the bugs had chewed, bitten, tasted, and enjoyed, into the cave.
After I hurriedly applied bug repellent, the bugs stopped coming near Kkobong.
It was bug repellent with decent reviews, but it worked even better than I expected.
Bzzzzzzzz!!!
After rescuing Kkobong, I looked outside the cave.
A horrifying swarm of bugs covered the entire Forest of Four Seasons.
They completely filled my vision, and the noise was loud enough to grate on my nerves.
It sounded like a helicopter was hovering overhead.
‘When I first started living here, it must have been mid-to-late summer at the latest. There weren't anywhere near this many bugs back then.’
Was it because it was early summer? Or was this unusual?
Had Rais Kraone written about it in the diary too? Questions kept coming to mind.
‘Is the raccoon family okay? I'm worried about them.’
If this situation was unusual, I was deeply worried about the raccoon family.
Kkobong still wouldn't have been able to get the bugs off without the repellent.
The raccoon family would have an even harder time.
At least they weren't locusts. If they had been, they might've eaten every scrap of flesh off them.
‘...Come to think of it, a locust swarm would be a real disaster.’
Locust swarms were infamous.
The Republic of Korea had winter, so bugs weren't much of a threat, but regions that stayed warm year-round were different.
Once a locust swarm came through, it wrecked every farm in sight.
Korean locusts were merely irritating pests, but locusts in climates warm all year were disasters.
‘I'm glad the temperature changes so much here.’
If the weather stayed warm all year, those bug swarms would show up whenever they felt like it. Just imagining it was horrifying.
Anyway, I couldn't do anything until the swarm left, so I settled for smoked food for breakfast.
What about Kkobong's meal? I asked Fast Sloth directly.
Fast Sloth shook its head.
It told me not to feed Kkobong. Apparently, it was serious about establishing discipline.
Kkobong was already out of it after getting attacked by the bugs anyway.
‘The fish are outside. Are the bugs going to eat them?’
If I'd known this would happen, I would've at least put lids on the containers.
If I was unlucky, I might have to throw away all the fish I'd collected so far.
I had plenty of food after catching that wild boar yesterday, but waste was still waste.
‘At least I have to protect the Inner Cores.’
It wasn't only because they were valuable. I had no idea what might happen.
What if a bug that ate an Inner Core grew bigger? That would be truly horrifying.
There was winter, so there probably wouldn't be any drastic changes, but I couldn't be sure.
As I watched the swarm rage outside without ever entering the cave, I opened the Auction House.
I bought the bug repellent with the best reviews among those I'd purchased there.
I'd applied it throughout the cave just in case, but it was strange that a swarm this huge didn't even seem to consider coming inside.
‘Is it really because of this?’
I had to test it. I picked up a suitable rock and applied bug repellent to it.
Just in case, I slathered it on until it was nice and sticky.
Whoosh!
When I threw it in an arc, the bugs scattered along the same arc.
The rock hit the ground, rolled for a bit, then stopped.
Bzzzzzzzz!
Before long, the bugs started avoiding the area around the rock.
Maybe they hated the smell, because the range kept getting wider.
‘This stuff really works?’
No wonder it had such good reviews.
Bug repellent that worked even in the Forest of Four Seasons. For the record, the snake repellent was made by the same registered user.
I bought more repellent from the Auction House and made a post.
I wasn't trying to advertise. I just wanted to show everyone the current situation.
[Post title] Title) What the Hell Is This?
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Video of a swarm of bugs covering my entire field of vision)
[Post] (Photo of Kkobong after getting attacked by bugs)
[Post] I woke up and it was still pitch-black outside, so I checked and it's all bugs;;
[Post] At this point, I can't do anything at all, so I'm just holed up in the cave.
[Post] Oh. Does anyone know something good for bug bites? This bastard Kkobong got bitten and is scratching the hell out of itself.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: I have seen locust swarms before, but this is my first time seeing one so thick you cannot see ahead.
└ [Wild Grylls]: How would you deal with something like that, Heavenly Demon?
└ [Heavenly Demon]: This lady does not particularly like bugs either. Do you avoid shit because you are afraid of it, or because it is filthy?
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: People who say that are always the ones who get scared, though?
└ [Heavenly Demon]: How laughable. Me, frightened by mere bugs?
└ Post photos of cockroaches or money bugs and see if she comments.
└ Feels like you'd get banned instantly lol
└ I get cockroaches, but don't post money bugs. I fainted when I saw one.
└ A money bug is a house centipede, right?
└ Yeah. In the east they call it a money bug, in the west they call it a house centipede.
└ [Starlight Princess]: I can make some medicine. Did you get bitten too, Grylls?
└ [Wild Grylls]: No. I'm fine because I applied repellent. Kkobong only got bitten because it slept outside.
└ [Starlight Princess]: All right. I'll send it over soon, so please wait just a little!
└ [Wild Grylls]: Thank you. Should I give you an Inner Core or something?
└ [Starlight Princess]: I'm not making an Elixir, so I'll pass.
└ [Allfather]: A swarm of bugs that large appearing... What a grotesque yet mysterious situation. The diary also mentioned something similar.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Something similar?
└ [Allfather]: Yes. It tells of a certain area being covered in a black swarm of bugs. It seems the area where Rais Kraone lived was outside its range.
└ [Wild Grylls]: So it's only happening here?
└ [Allfather]: Yes. According to the diary, it disappears quickly, so you needn't worry.
That was a relief, but there was something I was curious about.
How a swarm that huge could disappear.
Nobody was sucking them up like a vacuum cleaner, yet it was supposed to vanish soon. It was hard to believe.
└ But they aren't entering the cave? Even with the tent blocking them, that must be rough.
└ [Wild Grylls]: I applied repellent. The stuff I'm using works really well.
└ What are you using?
└ [Wild Grylls]: The one with good reviews. It's made by the Icon Trading Company. Is it okay if I mention that?
└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: A little advertising is fine! After all, you'll personally bear the consequences!
└ Head Mod is here. What have you been up to lately? Still getting chased around?
└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: I'm at a harbor, fishing! Things have been peaceful lately! Oh! And Mr. Grylls! Has Ludwig still not arrived?!
└ [Wild Grylls]: I haven't heard anything yet.
└ Grylls. Show us how well it works. How good is it?
└ [Wild Grylls]: (Video of the bug swarm flying around to avoid repellent on a rock) Like this. Pretty good, right?
└ That is seriously fucking good? Hahahaha
└ I'm buying one too. Adventurers and explorers must use these all the time.
It seemed I had somehow ended up advertising the product.
Still, it was a firsthand review from an actual user. It didn't seem like it would be a problem, so I decided not to worry about it.
I killed some time on the Gallery, but...
In the end, I had no choice but to wait until the swarm disappeared.
‘Or should I apply repellent to myself and go outside?’
That might be a better idea. The moment it occurred to me, I applied repellent all over my body.
Then I cautiously stretched an arm outside the cave to check.
Bzzzzzzzz!!
The bugs didn't come anywhere near my arm. It was the same even when I stepped entirely outside.
Even when I stretched out my arm to grab them, they all avoided me as though they were one collective organism.
The effect was incredible. I should only use this repellent from now on.
‘Let's see. The fish...’
Flap! Flap!
The moment I saw the container of fish, I realized my worries had been pointless.
Why? The fish were going wild as they feasted on bugs.
It was like whales opening their mouths wide and waiting for food.
The fish would probably be fine if I just left them alone. That only left the raccoon family.
Patter, patter!
When I headed toward the tree where the raccoon family lived, I saw quite a sight.
Papa Raccoon was diligently tending a bonfire beneath the tree.
The bugs were avoiding the smoke rising from it.
“Keng! Cough! Cough!”
But Papa Raccoon had to keep the fire, and the smoke, going continuously.
It was pitiful to watch, so I applied repellent to Papa Raccoon.
Just in case, I gave the family an entire container to make things easier for them.
Having done what I needed to do, I returned to the cave.
The swarm avoided me even on my way back, which felt strange.
‘I should buy around ten bottles.’
It seemed like it would come in handy, so I immediately entered the Auction House.
I thought I might as well leave a review too, but...
[System] [Sold Out]
“...?”
The moment I saw the sold-out notice, I could only blink.
“What the hell?”
Where had all my stuff gone?
* * *
The Gallery Auction House had brutally high fees, but its ability to bypass distribution covered all of that.
However, money earned through the Gallery couldn't be cashed out into the real world. That was its most critical drawback.
Because of that, most products listed in the Auction House were individual items, meaning the quantities were extremely limited.
On top of that, they were often used as a form of advertising.
From a merchant's perspective, it was neither more nor less than that. There wasn't much benefit to it.
“Boss! Requests for bug repellent supplies are pouring in!”
“Uh... Huh?”
“Boss! The Adventurers' Guild has requested repellent as well...!”
“Uh...”
Marshall, the head of the Icon Trading Company, couldn't understand the current situation.
Marshall had been working hard as usual, dreaming of the company's future, but what was this?
At some point, demand for bug repellent had exploded, clearing out all their inventory.
The requests were for an enormous quantity. It was the first time Marshall had ever seen bug repellent become this popular.
“W-Why is this selling? What did we even do? What we put on the Gallery was just advertising.”
“Well... Have you been on the Gallery?”
“Not lately.”
“Someone who used it in the Forest of Four Seasons posted a review.”
“The Forest of Four Seasons?”
Marshall tilted their head at the secretary's words.
Marshall knew well enough about the registered user surviving in the Forest of Four Seasons.
But that was all.
Marshall was busy with real life, and the company couldn't receive supplies from the Forest of Four Seasons anyway, so Marshall had long since put it out of mind.
“Yes. The Forest of Four Seasons. That demonic realm where nobody knows what exists.”
“I know someone is desperately surviving there. But that person wrote a review?”
“They showed a video of even the bugs in the Forest of Four Seasons avoiding it. Do you know what that means?”
Of course Marshall did. Marshall's mind raced.
This was an opportunity. An unmatched, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But there was a problem, and that was the ingredients for the repellent.
‘...I was selling the stuff Father made for me.’
The repellent had been made with Marshall's father's wisdom and help.
In other words, Marshall would have to run themself ragged to acquire the ingredients.
Repellent wasn't even the company's main product to begin with. Repellent was everywhere, and there were too many competitors.
After much deliberation, Marshall gave the secretary an order. They needed to put out the immediate fire first.
“First, organize the incoming orders in order and determine the total quantity required. Demand rose suddenly, so we can't guarantee we have enough.”
“Understood.”
“And make sure to secure a minimum amount, then keep supplying that survivor regularly. That's the most important thing.”
Marshall was cautious, but Marshall wasn't someone who turned away an opportunity.
“How about supporting them with goods from our trading company while we're at it?”
“Goods...?”
“Yes. Supplies needed for survival.”
The outside world kept busily turning.
“See if I ever post another review.”
As a premium label appeared on the repellent in real time, Grylls ground their teeth.
Footnotes:
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