WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 27: Thief (1)

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I stared at the red fish completely blocking the channel.

Stones had been placed around the channel to control the current.

Since I'd dug this makeshift channel with a shovel, it wasn't very deep.

It must've wandered into the channel and gotten stuck.

The current was strong, and its body fit the channel perfectly, so it couldn't have been easy to get out.

‘Why is it so huge?’

It was large enough to fill the entire channel.

When I first saw it, I thought it was a catfish rather than an ordinary fish.

Still, aside from its red body, it looked like a normal fish.

Most fish were fairly narrow, but this one was wide too.

I'd need both hands to pick it up.

I didn't know much about fish, but I was sure it wasn't a catfish.

‘It's edible, right?’

I watched the fish flop around nonstop.

It was desperately trying to get out, but the water was too shallow.

Its mouth stuck out of the water, opening and closing. It looked like it was struggling to breathe.

Flop! Flop! Flop!

“That thing's strong.”

I wrapped both arms around the violently flopping fish and lifted it.

It was nearly as big as my torso, making it hard to keep my balance.

It'd be a problem if it jumped back into the river, so I got as far away as possible.

For now, I planned to carry it to the cave and keep it in a tub.

‘I'd better run, just in case.’

Running into a wild animal on the way would be a pain.

If that happened, I could use this fish as bait and get away.

Fortunately, nothing like that happened, and I made it back safely.

“Kyuu?”

“No. You already ate.”

Wonmo immediately showed interest when I brought in the fish.

I made Wonmo back off, then put the fish in a metal tub.

Since the tub was empty, I didn't forget to add water.

Once I did, the red fish calmed down a little. Looking at it like this, it really was huge.

Wonmo and I usually used this tub to wash ourselves, yet the fish filled it completely.

[Post title] Big Catch

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a red fish the size of a shield)

[Post] The water wasn't coming out of the hose properly today, so I went up there and found this guy blocking it. It was seriously huge.

[Post] I already ate breakfast, so I'm planning to have this guy for lunch.

[Post] Looks like I'll finally get to feast for the first time in ages lol

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Oh. That is an extraordinarily large one. Judging by its size and color, it is no less impressive than a Sunfire Carp.

└ [Wild Grylls]: What's that?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: It is a spiritual treasure infused with the energy of the sun. A truly rare creature. Still, I only said it resembles one. The chance that it is genuine is low.

└ [Wild Grylls]: How can I check if it's real?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: You must first see whether it possesses an Inner Core.

An Inner Core. Wasn't that something like how clams made pearls?

I wasn't sure, but I figured it probably had effects similar to an elixir.

Of course, I didn't think this thing was really a spiritual treasure.

Even if it was, it didn't matter. I'd already decided it would be lunch.

└ Why does every little thing turn out to be a spiritual treasure? lol

└ Is that really a Sunfire Carp?

└ Who knows. Grylls needs to check.

└ Wasn't there something similar to a Sunfire Carp?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: If you mean the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp, then yes. As the name suggests, it is a carp that has lived for ten thousand years.

└ [Starlight Princess]: In the past, I would've told you to cut it open right away, but there's no need anymore.

└ Wasn't “the past” literally yesterday?

└ [Starlight Princess]: To me, it was the past. Every day felt like a year.

└ I guess it could feel that way.

└ Maybe it feels like being born again?

└ Waaah. I was reborn. Gimme milk.

└ What a psycho lol

└ LOL

└ Lmao

└ [Starlight Princess]: You are all as hopeless as ever. What a bunch of idiots. ^^

Still, it was my lunch now.

Whatever the Gallery said, this thing was going to become my lunch.

That meant I ought to reinforce the shelter this morning instead of exploring.

Wonmo might eat the fish otherwise.

Even now, he was staring intently at the metal tub, waiting for an opening.

“Tsk!”

I warned Wonmo as he reached for the fish.

Wonmo looked at me with eyes so round they were practically bulging.

His expression said he had no idea what he'd done wrong. That innocent face made him even cuter.

“You can't eat that. I'll give you honey after lunch.”

“Kyuuu.”

“Good. Our Wonmo's such a good boy.”

After patting Wonmo on the head a few times, I looked around.

Before building a wall, I first needed to clear out the trees.

Maybe that was why my chest already felt tight. When was I going to clear all of that?

‘Every little bit adds up. I have to do it.’

Grumbling to myself, I walked over to a tree. Why were they all so thick?

Still, I felt good today. I gripped the axe tightly and swung hard.

After swinging it a few times, I'd gotten the hang of it and could use my hips more easily.

Crack!

“Huh?”

The second the axe struck the tree, a puzzled sound slipped out of my mouth.

What I saw was completely different from yesterday.

Yesterday, I had to strike it over and over just to make a dent. Not today.

The axe blade had sunk deep into the tree.

Even the sound was different.

‘What is this? Is this tree weaker than yesterday's?’

The axe itself couldn't have changed in the meantime.

I was in better condition today, and maybe this tree was weaker.

The question still wasn't answered, but it worked in my favor, so I let it go.

‘Good enough.’

Crack! Crack! Thunk!

After another three swings or so, I checked the middle of the trunk.

Amazingly, it was almost cut through. If I chopped the other side, it looked like it would fall.

‘Already?’

Up until yesterday, I'd spent all day swinging an axe just to cut down one tree.

Then I'd run into an Owlbear and faced a crisis.

There were too many questions to simply say it was a different tree or that I was feeling better.

Still, there was one thing that came to mind. Something had changed since yesterday.

‘Was it really because of the breathing technique?’

That was likely. It was the only difference from yesterday.

There was no downside to becoming stronger. Strength was especially important in an environment like this.

‘I need to work harder from now on.’

A single breathing technique had shortened my labor time this much. What a strange world.

There was the way fantasy and martial arts mixed together, and the existence of superhumans who could blow up mountains.

Yet those people didn't believe a single bomb could wipe out a city. Their very existence was basically a nuclear weapon.

‘I really want to see the outside world.’

The Gallery's view of the world was narrow and deeply subjective.

Though Alvenheim, the elven country, was treated poorly everywhere.

After getting lost in useless thoughts, I moved to the other side of the tree.

If I cut here, the tree would fall in the direction I wanted.

Crack! Crunch! Creak!

After a few more strikes, the tree began to sway.

I checked the direction, then kicked it.

The towering tree slowly began to fall with a loud creak.

Boom!

I'd felled a tree in less than ten minutes. The work had gone far too quickly.

I looked at the fallen tree and checked how I felt.

I was a little tired, but not enough to need rest.

‘Just a little more, then I'll rest.’

After cutting down one more tree, I finally felt tired.

But I only felt tired. I could still easily cut down another tree.

After cutting down three trees in total, I registered them in the Auction House.

‘It's starting to look wider.’

Maybe because I'd cut down four trees so far, the area around the cave had become more open.

I smiled, feeling oddly proud, then went into the cave for a proper rest.

Sss... Sss...

Wonmo was taking a nap inside the cave.

Like I said before, Wonmo was still a cub. He'd probably sleep all day.

‘The fish is fine too.’

It was resting quietly in the metal tub without even the energy to flop around.

I put down my axe and logged into the Gallery to see whether anything had happened.

Nothing particularly stood out, but one thing caught my attention.

‘The Head Mod's been less active.’

The Head Mod was the Gallery administrator, but their activity had slowed down a little.

Normally, users posting porn, gore, or extreme profanity should've been banned.

[Post title] Pics of Older Women

[Post title] All Elves, Drop Dead

[Post title] Gross Warning) Picture of My Hand

Those posts had been up for ten minutes and were still there.

Normally, they would've been taken down instantly. This time, they weren't.

The users took it as an opportunity and started indulging their desires without restraint.

“......”

Pretending I wasn't interested, I quietly clicked on a few posts myself.

Out here in the wilderness with nothing around, the Gallery was my only entertainment.

It wasn't an urgent need, of course. It was more like something to look at.

I was too busy trying to survive to have time for anything else.

[Post title] Grylls, Please Take a Look.

After refreshing several times, I spotted a familiar registered user.

‘Allfather?’

Normally, I would've ignored it, but I recognized the username.

I immediately opened the post.

[Post title] Grylls, Please Take a Look.

[Author] Allfather

[Post] The item I promised you is ready. Please initiate a trade whenever you wish.

It looked like the medicine Allfather mentioned before was complete. The medicine made from the Golden Poison Frog.

They said eating it would grant permanent poison resistance, so I definitely needed it.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Have you finished all the medicine you mentioned before?

└ [Allfather]: Yes. I made enough for ten days. For the rest, I think I'll need more specimens.

└ [Wild Grylls]: If I catch a Golden Frog, I'll give it to you right away.

└ [Allfather]: Thank you. I will wait.

If I gained resistance to poison, my chances of survival would rise dramatically.

To do that, I needed to hunt another Golden Frog.

I'd gotten a decent rest at just the right time, so I took the crossbow resting against the wall.

The bolts that had pierced the Owlbear's head last time were still intact.

‘It's strange.’

I had been in such a hurry back then that I put the entire Owlbear up in the Auction House with the bolts still stuck in it.

Maybe because the bolts stuck in its head weren't counted as part of the listing, they had fallen out on their own.

I'd nearly lost the bolts and harpoons I'd worked so hard to obtain.

Creeeak-

I pulled back the crossbow string. It drew easily.

Before, I had to use all my strength to pull it back. Now, clenching my teeth was enough.

‘My strength has definitely improved.’

That confirmed it. I hadn't simply chosen a weaker tree to chop.

My physical strength had genuinely increased because of one breathing technique.

It was such a dramatic change that more questions came to mind than amazement.

I should make a post in the Gallery soon and ask Heavenly Demon or SwordTasteMaster for advice.

‘Everything's ready...’

I checked Wonmo, who was sleeping soundly, and the fish in the metal tub.

Nothing looked like it would cause a problem. All that remained was hunting the Golden Frog.

Just in case, I brought my sword and shield as well.

I also didn't forget to put several Fasting Pills in my pocket.

Once I'd finished preparing and stepped outside the cave...

‘A thief won't break in, right?’

With that ridiculous thought in my head, I headed toward the river.

* * *

It was after Grylls had left for the river to hunt.

The only sounds in the cave were the fish splashing and the young Owlbear's soft breathing.

Other than that, the area around the cave was utterly quiet. Birds chirped now and then, but there was nothing to worry about.

Rustle-

Then a rustling sound came from between the thick trees.

At first, it seemed like nothing more than wind.

It wasn't.

Swish-

An animal emerged from between the densely packed trees.

It had short legs compared to its long arms. Long, sharp claws extended from its fingertips.

The animal, covered entirely in fur, moved very slowly. Painfully slowly.

It walked on the ground with long arms like a gorilla, and its destination was clear.

Splash! Splash!

The metal tub holding the fish.

Its advance was painfully slow, but no one was standing guard.

It would eventually reach the tub, no matter how long it took.

The animal moved as leisurely as its relaxed face suggested.

“What?”

If not for Grylls, who had returned after forgetting the antidote.

The animal had nearly reached the metal tub when it heard Grylls's voice and turned its head.

Even that movement was agonizingly slow.

Grylls, suddenly face-to-face with an unexpected thief, muttered quietly.

“...A Sloth?”

Footnotes:

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