WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 21: Owlbear (2)
──────
Every animal was cute when it was young.
There was even a saying that their cuteness helped them survive by stirring pity in their enemies.
No matter how vicious an animal was, most of them gave off a lethal kind of cuteness as babies.
“Kyuu?”
Just like the baby Owlbear in front of me.
It only tilted its head, yet I felt a critical hit straight to the heart.
If I had to describe this baby Owlbear, it would be this.
A fluffy-looking little ball of fur was staring at me with big, round eyes.
Adult Owlbears had faces fierce enough to terrify anyone, but this baby’s face was incredibly gentle.
Still, this was the wild. Even an Owlbear would have a hard time surviving out here as a baby.
So what should I do now?
“Psst, psst, psst. Psst, psst. Come here.”
“Kyuuu.”
What else? Pet it, obviously.
When I wiggled my fingers, the Owlbear tilted its head, then slowly approached.
It pressed its nose against my hand and started sniffing. That was an animal’s instinct.
While it sniffed my hand, I slowly moved my other hand.
Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.
“Kyuung?”
I petted its head with my hands, something no four-legged animal could ever do.
The baby Owlbear opened its eyes wide at the sensation it had never felt before and looked at me.
Those big, round eyes, the tufts of fur sticking up from its head like an owl’s.
How could a creature this cute exist? It was only about the size of a medium-sized dog, so it wasn’t too threatening.
“Prrr. Prrr.”
The Owlbear closed its eyes and made a strange sound, apparently enjoying my touch.
I petted its head for a while, then quietly entered the Gallery.
[Post title] Found a baby Owlbear
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of a baby Owlbear)
[Post] (Photo of a baby Owlbear)
[Post] (Video of petting a baby Owlbear)
[Post] (Video of a baby Owlbear smiling)
[Post] I killed its mother and found this little one on the way out. Seriously cute.
└ So fucking cute lol
└ Look at that soft, fluffy fur
└ Definitely different from an adult;;
└ You killed that little thing’s mother? You’re a real bastard.
└ Orphan maker holy shit
└ Orphan maker lmaoooo
└ Lmao
└ Lmao
└ Grylls, you’re an orphan too. Did you really have to make one?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Its mom was trying to kill me, I had to survive too;;
└ Fair. Survival comes first lol
└ [Heavenly Demon]: It is certainly cute. Such a fluffy little thing, I would like to hold it once.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Right? Just like me.
└ Heavenly Demon ?
└ ?
└ ?
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: What the fuck. If you’ve got a problem, let’s go.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Impudent thing. I would like to hug you until you burst.
└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: Three-hour ban!
└ [Wild Grylls]: ??? Wait, why?
└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: Cute things require ten photos and three videos at minimum!
└ [Wild Grylls]: That was a rule?;;
└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: I just made it!
└ [Wild Grylls]: Excuse me?
└ The authority of the Head Mod, damn
└ Tyranny!
└ Lmaoooo
└ Lmao
└ Can I post my face, then? I’m cute too lol
└ [DontAbandonTheHero]: Posts that provoke disgust are bannable!
└ Lmaoooo
└ Lmao
└ Look how firm that answer was lol
Most people had good things to say about the baby Owlbear.
Then again, it would’ve been strange if anyone’s heart didn’t melt at the sight of such a fluffy little thing.
The wild was always cruel, though. I found one particular comment.
└ What’s the point of cute? You’ll have to kill it anyway.
└ Why would you kill something that cute?
└ Boo. Trash!
└ No, fuck. Are you going to raise it, then? The moment it gets hungry, it’ll eat Grylls first.
└ I heard about a noble who raised an Owlbear. Went on vacation for a bit, came back, and got eaten.
└ Holy shit. Can you even raise one?
└ Feed it well and its loyalty is insane. Don’t feed it, and you become the food lol
└ Lmao
└ And this is the wild. How are you supposed to raise that thing?
└ Do you really have to kill it? It’s too cute.
└ It doesn’t look very big either. Might’ve just been born.
I looked at the Owlbear after reading those comments.
It was rubbing its face against my hand, clearly loving the attention.
Just looking at it melted away my foul mood, but a wild animal was still a wild animal.
Owlbears in particular were notoriously voracious, and apparently ate their owners all the time.
“Kyuuung. Kyuung.”
This cute little thing?
I looked at it sadly.
To be blunt, killing it myself would probably save me trouble later.
Someone might ask why I couldn’t raise it, but I was barely keeping myself alive.
Even wealthy nobles had trouble raising one. What chance did I have?
‘It’s hard enough to get food from the Auction House.’
If it were that easy, I would’ve bought some for myself already.
It was a shame, but there was nothing I could do. Killing it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
It would be better to release it back into the wild. That was what I decided.
└ [Wild Grylls]: I’ll release it into the wild for now. It’s hard enough to keep myself fed.
└ You don’t have any sense of responsibility?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Fuck, its mom tried to kill me. What responsibility?
└ That is a fair point.
└ Accepted that fast lmao
└ Why not buy meat from the Auction House? Grylls, aren’t you rich?
└ [Wild Grylls]: If it were that easy, I would’ve bought it and eaten it already.
└ No, seriously;; You’re rich. Can’t even afford to feed one little one?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Why should I raise it in the first place? I’m saving money too, just in case.
└ How much money do you have?
Let’s see. How much money did I have again?
I had received quite a lot from Allfather last time, so I had some room to spare.
But raising an animal took a massive amount of money.
Especially one that wasn’t a dog or cat, but a “bear” as big as a mountain.
It was still a baby, but its appetite wouldn’t disappear just because of that.
└ [Wild Grylls]: I do have plenty, but investing it in this is kind of...
└ Are you an idiot? You can take the Owlbear around as a bodyguard.
└ [Wild Grylls]: What do you mean?
└ You know how strong Owlbears are. Once it grows up, nothing is more dependable. Just treat it like an escort knight and take it with you.
└ That... makes sense!
└ No lie, that’s actually a great idea.
└ It probably would be better to raise it.
That comment was extremely convincing.
I looked at the Owlbear.
This cute ball of fluff would grow into that vicious monster.
And if I could keep its appetite satisfied, its loyalty would be very high too.
‘...I’m lonely too.’
The Gallery existed, but it couldn’t compare to interacting with another living creature.
I met the curious eyes of the Owlbear looking up at me.
Using this little thing as a bodyguard didn’t seem like such a bad option.
If I ran short on money, I could sell Mandrakes or hunt Golden Frogs.
‘But what does it eat?’
Bears were omnivores that even ate rotting corpses. This thing, though, was an Owlbear.
I made a post on the Gallery to find out what Owlbears ate.
[Post title] What do Owlbears eat?
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] Title says it all.
└ Probably eats anything?
└ Like the comment above says. Think of its diet as the same as a bear’s.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Does it like honey?
└ It’ll fucking love it lol
Good. Should I give it some as a test?
I entered the Auction House and searched for honey.
I didn’t forget to carefully read the reviews, just in case.
Apparently, one seller’s family had run an apiary for three generations. Their proof was something else.
└ How do we know it’s real honey?
└ (Photo of a face swollen from bee stings)
└ Ah, yes;; I’ll take two bottles.
└ That’s some solid proof lmao
It was roughly like that. Thanks to it, I could buy some without worrying.
After buying the honey, I bought a large wooden spoon too.
I scooped up some honey, then held it out to the baby Owlbear.
“Kyuu?”
“Try it. It’s tasty.”
“Sniff. Sniff.”
The baby Owlbear had apparently never seen honey before and was wary of it.
It felt like such a waste to watch the honey drip from the spoon.
Still, perhaps because its sense of smell was sharp, it soon opened its beak wide.
“Nom.”
“Is it good?”
“...”
The little thing took one bite of honey, then froze for a moment.
“Kyuuuuu!”
“Uh, hey?”
“Kyuaaaa!”
It let out bizarre cries and started scarfing down the honey.
Startled, I put the jar on the ground and backed away a couple of steps.
“Chomp chomp chomp chomp!”
“...”
It sure knew how to eat with gusto.
It was strange seeing such a long tongue come out of that short beak.
The baby Owlbear was completely distracted by the sweet taste of honey, something it had never eaten before.
I didn’t even get one bite. I should’ve tried some first.
Still, it seemed to like it, so that was a relief. It would take some time to finish all of that.
‘What should I name it?’
The little thing I had decided to raise for my survival and mental well-being.
I had never owned a pet, but even I knew a name was important.
‘It’s a fluffy ball of fur... Fluffy?’
Was that too careless? Still, nothing fit better.
Asking the Gallery to name it would probably be... a bad idea.
I could already picture all sorts of bizarre names coming up.
“Fluffy.”
“Chomp chomp chomp chomp!”
“Fluffy?”
“Chomp chomp chomp!”
Was it too busy eating honey to look over here?
Well, I’d decided on a name already. I could get it used to it slowly.
First, though, I needed to post a picture. How could I keep something this cute to myself?
[Post title] Picked a name
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of a baby Owlbear eating honey)
[Post] Its name is Fluffy. Named it that because its fur is fluffy. No objections accepted.
└ You really put no effort into that name lmao
└ How’s that any different from calling it Spot? lol
└ For real lol
└ [Wild Grylls]: Then you name it lol
└ [Heavenly Demon]: How about Wonmo, meaning round fur?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Ma’am?;;
└ No surprise you’re a boomer lmao
└ The name is kind of catchy. Wonmo!
└ Your name is Wonmo from now on lol
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Fluffy isn’t bad either. It’s cute.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Nothing else comes to mind?
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Is it female or male?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Give me a second.
The instant I saw that comment, I carefully moved around behind the Owlbear.
Then I lowered my head and saw two round little balls.
Definitely male. There was no surer way to tell.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Male.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Alexander II. What do you think? Cool, right?
└ Wild Grylls ;;;
└ Isn’t that the name of a general?
└ Yeah, a famous Messiah general lol
└ If it were female, it would’ve been Alexandria lmao
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: How about Naldo?
└ Who’s Naldo?
└ There is one. A football player from Chaeyu.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: You caught me lol
└ Caught what? Lmao
└ Look at the shamelessness lol
└ [AllHailTheSun]: Go with Sultan. He has the face of a king.
└ In what way? That pig?
└ [AllHailTheSun]: Pigs are one of the signs of a king too.
└ Really?
└ [AllHailTheSun]: Yeah. I bet my son on it.
└ Why are you betting your son? Lmao
Look at this. Every kind of bizarre hybrid name was coming out.
Better to just call him Fluffy than ask the Gallery.
The Gallery didn’t seem to agree.
└ There are too many names. We should decide by vote.
└ Fluffy, Wonmo, Alexander, Naldo, Sultan. Five names?
└ Anything else to add? If not, I’ll post it right away.
└ Wouldn’t it be better if Grylls posted it?
└ No, no. He’ll definitely pick Fluffy.
└ [Wild Grylls]: ??? I’m the owner, why are you deciding on your own?
This was ridiculous. I was the one raising him, so why were they naming him whatever they wanted?
But who were Gallery users? People who never listened to anyone else.
Naturally, they ignored my opinion and started the vote.
[Post title] Vote for the baby Owlbear’s name
[Post] 1. Fluffy: 1%
[Post] 2. Wonmo: 39%
[Post] 3. Alexander: 21%
[Post] 4. Naldo: 19%
[Post] 5. Sultan: 20%
[Post] By majority rule, Wonmo has been chosen! Bang, bang, bang!
└ [Heavenly Demon]: You all have a good eye. I am pleased.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: No. How did it become Wonmo? That old-fashioned name?
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: I cannot accept this.
└ [AllHailTheSun]: What a shame. He has the face of a king.
└ [Wild Grylls]: No. He’s my pet. Why are you deciding on your own?;;
└ [Heavenly Demon]: If you dislike the name, call him whatever you wish. I shall respect your opinion.
└ You can feel the disappointment through the post;;
└ Grylls, are you really going to refuse when an elder asks you so nicely?
└ If you refuse, you’re a real bad guy.
└ [Wild Grylls]: ;;;
What a fucked-up situation.
Now I had no choice but to call him Wonmo.
Heavenly Demon had helped me many times too, making it hard to refuse.
I rubbed my face and sighed. Why did I care what the Gallery thought?
‘Still, Wonmo isn’t such a bad name... is it?’
Wonmo.
It sounded like a name someone would give in an old country village.
So homespun it almost sounded simpleminded.
‘Well, at least it isn’t Cletus.’
Hmm. Maybe Cletus would have been better. I wasn’t sure.
I looked at the baby Owlbear, now Wonmo, still eating honey, then quietly opened my mouth.
“Wonmo.”
“Kyuu?”
No. You didn’t look up earlier.
Why did you look up at the name Wonmo?
I stared at the baby Owlbear, Wonmo, with a dumbfounded expression.
The more I looked at those round eyes, the calmer I felt.
‘Ah, screw it.’
I walked closer. Honey was dripping from his beak.
Then I petted his head and made sure he learned the name.
“Your name is Wonmo from now on. Got it?”
“Kyuu!”
He smiled brightly, as if he liked the name.
Why?
* * *
Around the same time.
“Hehe.”
Heavenly Demon, Yu Sowol, wore a satisfied smile.
The name she had suggested, Wonmo, had become the baby Owlbear’s name.
The Gallery was already clamoring for more pictures of Wonmo.
That alone showed how powerful Wonmo’s appeal was. What could be more satisfying than this?
‘Wonmo received such a great response from the Gallery too. Grylls must be happy.’
If Grylls had heard that, he would have foamed at the mouth.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
