WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 175: Arena (1)
──────
A new morning had arrived. The weather was clear and sunny.
No strange phenomena today, like swarms of bugs running rampant, rain falling, or unimaginable scenery unfolding.
So much had happened lately that even an ordinary day felt strangely comforting.
‘What's the point, though?’
The day was sunny, but my mood wasn't.
It didn't mean anything in the Forest of Four Seasons anyway.
I looked up at the clear sky and sighed.
There was no telling when that sky would stab me in the back again.
For now, it didn't matter much since I'd only be training indoors, but it still worried me.
‘Isn't there some way to predict the weather?’
I wasn't even hoping to predict snow, pollen, or yellow dust.
There was only one thing I wanted. I just wished I could predict when it would rain.
You could say there were plenty of ways to predict rain, but the question was whether they worked in the Forest of Four Seasons.
‘At least there aren't any dark clouds today.’
The surest sign was dark clouds.
There wasn't a single cloud in the sky right now, but there was no telling when they might start rolling in.
‘Let's stick to the plan for now.’
Training in the morning, outdoor activities in the afternoon.
I began training as usual.
Controlling cold energy through my cultivation method. Swordsmanship practice. Exercises to build my body, and so on.
[Post title] Title) The Succession Ceremony Is Tomorrow
[Post] They'll give us lots to eat, right?
└ It's basically a festival. Commoners can just have fun and drink lol
└ There'll probably be tons of booze. That's the only reason I'm going lmao
└ Don't get drunk and cause trouble, though. Since it's the succession ceremony, the punishment might be harsher.
└ Wasn't there some bastard who threatened a terrorist attack during a festival once?
└ Yeah, the Head Mod immediately leaked their address. Turned out they were an Academy student lol
[Post title] Title) I'm Jealous of the Messiah Empire.
[Post] Succession ceremonies rarely go smoothly. This generation is looking pretty decent.
└ What does it matter if things look decent? If they screw it up, none of that matters lmao
└ Honestly, the Crown Prince hasn't shown us anything.
└ Dog-upvote if you think the Crown Prince will go crawling to Ash like a dog when the country gets into trouble lmao
└ I'm the Crown Prince, and I dog-upvoted it.
└ [AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang]: Please cut the bullsh*t;;
The Gallery was bustling with all kinds of topics.
The Sky Whale, the Flying Mage Tower, the succession ceremony, protests in El Dorado, and more.
People from all over the world gathered in one place, so it was quite a mess.
Well, there was no way to sort them by region, so it couldn't be helped.
The Head Mod wasn't a site administrator who managed the Gallery itself.
‘Come to think of it, there must be administrators who manage the Gallery itself, not just moderators.’
Sometimes I forgot because I'd gotten so used to it.
Who were the administrators who managed and controlled the Gallery itself?
No one currently knew much about the Gallery's origins.
No one knew who made it or when it had appeared, so apparently there weren't even any proper researchers studying it.
‘At the very least, it must have existed after writing was invented. They said it was virtually impossible for illiterate people to use the Gallery.’
Lost in pointless thoughts, I started preparing lunch.
Today's meal was wild boar I'd caught earlier, stored in the box with the ice.
“Here. You eat too.”
“Uu! Thanks!”
“You even know how to say thanks now.”
Kkobong, whose punishment(?) had ended, showed gratitude when I gave Kkobong some boar meat.
Kkobong's language skills were improving by leaps and bounds.
Kkobong could already speak to begin with, and seemed to have a natural talent for it.
Even though I hadn't taught Kkobong, Kkobong understood what I said and what it meant.
“You two can't talk, right?”
“......”
“Kyuu?”
Fast Sloth stared quietly at me, while Wonmo tilted his head.
That gorilla was the strange one, not them. At least, that was what I thought.
Anyway, lunch was taken care of, so I began preparing to explore.
‘I should keep the Ambergris here.’
It was Ambergris from the Sky Whale, which I'd originally kept in my Subspace Backpack.
I wanted to keep it in there, but an unexpected problem had come up.
“Uwooooh!”
“Huh? Huh? What?! Where are you going?!”
Kkobong had nearly floated into the sky.
It was fine if I tied it to a string like a balloon, but if it was tied around Kkobong's waist or strapped to Kkobong's back, Kkobong floated right up.
I had no idea how it worked, but if Kkobong floated up by mistake and the string snapped, it would be a huge disaster.
So, I decided to store the Ambergris in another backpack.
‘I need to apply plenty of repellent. If I block the fireplace too so the smell doesn't leak out, it should be fine.’
All that was left was to cover the cave entrance with cloth.
If the whole cave floated up after all this... well, that would be an accident in the truest sense.
“Let's go.”
“Kyuu!”
“......”
With that, I set off to explore with my dependable animal friends.
Kkobong checked Kkobong's glasses a few times to make sure they were intact, then hurried after us.
Wonmo usually took the lead, but today we were planning to scout somewhere we'd visited before, so things were different.
The old Owlbear cave, where I suspected countless kangaroos had gathered.
It was Wonmo's old home.
‘What are those kangaroos even doing that they're so inactive?’
Unlike the gorillas, who divided up their roles and stayed active, I hadn't seen hide nor hair of the kangaroos since we first met.
Maybe they had a habit of staying in their own territory, or maybe there was another reason.
Since gorillas lived nearby, perhaps they were keeping an eye on them.
Considering the gorillas hadn't invaded my shelter since the Chief Gorilla incident, that theory seemed believable.
‘Peaceful is nice, but...’
There was a saying. If you want peace, prepare for war.
I had no idea who might invade, or when, where, and how, so I needed to scout around and check.
The gorillas were probably fine because their chief was gentle, but I couldn't say the same for the kangaroos.
Besides, when they saw Wonmo, they immediately put him in a headlock. That was hardly gentle.
They didn't go easy on him even after realizing he was a baby.
‘Feels like we're almost there.’
It had been a while since I last came here, but I knew the route.
Each area had a particular marker, and the kangaroo cave's marker was the boundary.
It wasn't hard to find because it lay at the border between the forest and jungle.
As I walked down the path and spotted the familiar cave, I immediately hid when I saw its entrance.
“Shh.”
“Kyuu?”
“......”
Wonmo tilted his head in confusion when I held my hand out behind me.
Still, he seemed to understand and carefully came closer behind me.
Kkobong also read the situation and hid behind me.
‘Are there only two kangaroos guarding the entrance?’
Two kangaroos stood watch at the cave entrance.
It might sound strange to call animals guards, but most animals here were intelligent.
The gorillas even spoke and acted like people, so the kangaroos probably weren't much different.
‘But what kind of muscles are those...?’
The guard kangaroos gave off an overwhelming presence just from looking at them.
Their upper-body muscles stood out most of all. They were so bulky I could see them clearly from here.
They weren't as impressive as Kkobong's, but considering the difference in species and build, they were still remarkable.
What were those kangaroos guarding that they wouldn't even go inside?
‘Come to think of it, wasn't there an opening in that cave's ceiling?’
I was wondering if I could look inside through the ceiling.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A kangaroo came hopping toward the entrance.
The kangaroo then stood quietly in front of the guards.
The guard kangaroos looked it over, as if checking whether it had anything suspicious on it.
Most impressive of all, they even thoroughly checked its front pouch, one of a kangaroo's distinctive features.
“Pung.”
“Puuung.”
Once the inspection was over, they let it inside without any trouble.
I stared blankly at the scene. It was like security at the entrance to a club.
What could possibly be happening inside that they inspected even their own kind?
‘Climbing onto the cave roof and looking through its opening would be best, but...’
Where should I start climbing from? I was thinking that when someone tapped my shoulder.
I turned around.
Kkobong pointed at Kkobong.
The gesture seemed to say that I should leave this to Kkobong.
“...You want me to leave it to you?”
Nod.
When I asked skeptically, Kkobong nodded confidently.
Maybe it was because of the spectacular trolling Kkobong had pulled with the Flame Horse last time, but I couldn't trust Kkobong easily.
‘If Kkobong does it again...’
I'd kick Kkobong out for good.
Deciding to trust Kkobong just this once, I made way for Kkobong.
Kkobong moved carefully at first, then deliberately revealed Kkobong's presence just as Kkobong stepped outside.
“Pung?!”
“Puuung.”
When Kkobong appeared, the guard kangaroos went on alert.
One of them looked ready to run inside at any moment.
Kkobong stared them down, then slowly raised both hands.
It was a silent sign that Kkobong meant no harm.
“......”
“......”
The guards relaxed slightly at the gesture.
Was that all it took?
“Pung.”
“Uu. U.”
“Puuung. Pung.”
“Uu.”
Could animals understand each other even when they were different species?
The kangaroos and Kkobong began talking. I had no idea what they meant.
Still, it seemed to work. Before long, Kkobong looked toward me.
Wave. Wave.
Kkobong waved a hand as if telling me to come out now.
Feeling uneasy, I slowly stepped outside. The kangaroos' eyes focused on me.
“That. Give.”
“What?”
“Delicious thing. Give. Proof.”
Kkobong spoke to me. By delicious thing, Kkobong probably meant a Fasting Pill.
I always carried Fasting Pills in case of emergencies.
I had no idea what it would prove, but I decided to do what Kkobong said.
I could feel Fast Sloth's terrifying glare from behind me, but I tried to ignore it.
“Pung...”
The kangaroo that received the Fasting Pill looked back and forth between me and the pill with a suspicious expression.
Then it broke off about half of the pill and passed it to its companion.
The other kangaroo checked the Fasting Pill carefully and sniffed it as well.
“Nom.”
“Munch munch.”
At last, the kangaroos put the Fasting Pill in their mouths. Would they like the taste?
Carnivores were one thing, but most herbivores had reacted as though it was delicious.
“Puo?! Puoooo?!”
“Puuuuuuu!”
The kangaroos were no different.
Their eyes went wide as they reacted with excitement.
“Puu! Pu!”
“Pu!”
Maybe the bribe(?) had worked wonderfully.
The kangaroos gestured for us to hurry inside.
It seemed we didn't even need to take off our weapons and equipment.
With mixed feelings, I entered the kangaroo cave. Then...
“Uwooooo!”
“Puo! Puoooo!”
I found myself face-to-face with revelry that rivaled civilization.
Two kangaroos were fighting in the center, surrounded by other kangaroos.
Every time the kangaroos traded punches, the cheers(?) grew louder.
I was staring blankly, wondering what the hell was going on, when I noticed something.
‘...Wait. Those are bears?’
The spectators weren't all kangaroos.
There was a family of bears, deer with strangely familiar appearances, and small animals that looked like raccoon dogs.
There were no gorillas yet, but I still couldn't figure out what was happening.
“Uwooooooo!!!”
Then the cheering became even louder.
I turned toward the center and found a sight so absurd it left me speechless.
A kangaroo lifted its fallen opponent, then shoved its own head between the other kangaroo's legs.
The kangaroo that had been forcibly lifted looked startled.
Before long, it seemed to understand what was happening and looked down.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Instinctively sensing danger, it repeatedly struck the other kangaroo's head.
At this rate, the kangaroo below should have buckled under the blows, but once a move was properly locked in, breaking free was difficult.
The kangaroo below then slammed the other kangaroo into the ground.
Boom!
A powerbomb, the kind of move you'd only see in professional wrestling, landed cleanly.
At least professional wrestling had a ring to cushion the impact. This was solid ground.
The kangaroo that took the full impact passed out with its tongue hanging out.
The winner was obvious.
“PuoOOOO!”
The victorious kangaroo spread both arms and roared.
As if answering that roar, the spectators also spread their arms and roared.
The winning kangaroo then strode somewhere, passing through the crowd(?).
Beyond the crowd was a group of kangaroos noticeably smaller than the others.
They seemed to be females, and the winning kangaroo took the female at the very front.
“PuoOOO!”
Returning to the center, the kangaroo proudly declared that this female was its own.
The other kangaroos answered with wild cheers, as if acknowledging it.
Watching the whole sequence, one thought came to mind.
‘...Is that normal kangaroo behavior?’
It felt like I had witnessed something between civilization and the wild.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
