WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 30: Inner Elixir (1)

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With the Fast Sloth's help, I made it safely to the riverbank.

The first thing I did after arriving was check the hose.

Sure enough, it had caught another fish.

Splash! Splash!

“Caught another one.”

It had caught another one in that short span of time. This one was red too.

It was about the same size as the last fish.

It looked like this was the average size of the fish living in this river.

‘I’ll catch it later.’

The Golden Frog was more important right now. Trading with Allfather came first.

That meant getting the Fast Sloth off my back.

I patted its back and asked, “Can you get down for a moment? It’s urgent.”

“...”

Waddle. Waddle.

It slowly climbed down, as if it understood what I said.

Then it stared at me with that stupid-looking face.

It almost felt like it was urging me to hurry up. Probably just my imagination.

‘I need to call the Golden Frogs.’

The one that had seemed to be their leader had jumped out as soon as I put my hand in the river.

Would the others react the same way? I carefully dipped my hand into the river.

About three seconds later, I heard splashing from the middle of the river.

“Ribbit.”

A Golden Frog climbed onto a rock jutting out of the water.

It was smaller than the one I had seen before, but it was still quite large.

The moment it appeared, I hurriedly backed away without a second thought.

I also raised my shield, just in case.

“Kyaaaak!”

The Golden Frog threw its head back. It even made a sound like it was gathering phlegm.

It looked ready to fire venom. But I had already run away.

Aside from the Fast Sloth, which was just sitting there blankly.

“Hey! What are you...!”

“Ptooey!”

Before I could finish shouting, the Golden Frog spat venom.

A purple glob shot through the air at high speed. Its target was the Fast Sloth.

The Fast Sloth watched the purple venom for a moment, then casually tilted its head.

Sizzle!

The venom barely brushed past its face.

It hit a tree and began melting through the bark.

I’d expected it, more or less, but its agility was unbelievable.

‘Now!’

While the Fast Sloth had drawn its attention, I readied my crossbow.

I loaded a Harpoon Bolt and aimed at the Golden Frog.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Kyaak!”

“Kuuuk!”

Other Golden Frogs climbed onto the rock in the meantime.

I had already hidden myself, but the Fast Sloth was still sitting there proudly.

Even a Fast Sloth would have trouble dodging attacks coming one after another...

“Ptooey!”

“Ptoo!”

“Ptooey!”

Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh!

...It didn’t.

It was clearly sitting in one spot, yet it dodged every attack with light twists of its body.

It even looked relaxed, like some reclusive martial arts master.

‘Does that bastard have Observation Haki or something?’

It made no sense otherwise. I exhaled in disbelief.

Still, that was that and this was this. I’d finished preparing.

I aimed at one of the Golden Frogs and pulled the trigger.

Piiing! Thunk!

The harpoon pierced straight through the Golden Frog and sent it plunging into the fast-moving river.

I immediately pulled on the line.

The other Golden Frogs didn’t attack me.

They seemed thoroughly startled that one of their own had been taken down.

Of course, that was only my guess.

Seeing how they all stopped attacking at once, they seemed to know what had happened.

Every creature living in the Forest of Four Seasons was extraordinary.

Splash!

The Golden Frogs dove into the river, apparently deciding to retreat.

They wouldn’t pose a threat for a while. All that remained was cleaning up.

I pulled hard on the line connected to the harpoon.

Before, it had felt like wrestling. Now, I only had to put in a little effort.

“Heave.”

The Golden Frog I pulled from the water was quite large.

Not as big as the one I’d caught before, but around the size of a small puppy.

I still needed to trade with Allfather, but first I had to deal with the fish.

‘I’ll hang this from my waist for now.’

That was something Allfather had taught me.

If purple liquid came pouring out, it meant the venom sac had burst.

No purple liquid was leaking out now. That meant it was safe.

With the frog hunt over, all that remained was the fish.

I had no idea what it had been eating to grow so huge.

‘Things are really plentiful today.’

Lunch and dinner were taken care of now. I lifted the fish, which was busy flopping around.

‘I can’t catch this one with a fishing rod.’

It was still trying to smack my face with its fins.

I clutched the fish tightly with both arms so I wouldn’t drop it.

If I hadn’t gotten stronger, I would’ve lost hold of it long ago.

Waddle. Waddle.

The Fast Sloth climbed back onto my back, and I was ready to head home.

‘It’d be nice if it tasted good, but that’s probably too much to ask.’

Taste didn’t matter. In my situation, worrying about flavor was a luxury.

Besides, I could buy seasonings from the Auction House.

Splash!

After returning to the cave, I put the fish in the iron barrel.

It was still so strong that the barrel shook faintly.

I should forget about trying to catch this thing with a fishing rod. If I messed up, I might end up getting caught instead.

A trap or Fish Trap would probably be safer.

Just seeing two hefty fish made me happy.

‘I should trade with Allfather.’

After organizing my things, I made a post in the gallery.

I asked Allfather to send a trade request if they were around.

[System] Allfather has requested a trade. Would you like to accept?

It didn’t take long for Allfather to send the request.

I gave the Fast Sloth a Fasting Pill and accepted.

[Allfather]: Hello.

[Allfather]: I saw your post and sent a trade request.

[You]: Hello.

[You]: I’ll put up the item right away. The venom sac didn’t burst.

[Allfather]: Thank you.

[Allfather]: This will make my research much easier.

[You]: That’s good to hear.

[You]: Oh, and there’s something I’m curious about.

[Allfather]: Go ahead.

[You]: The Fast Sloth keeps climbing on me and won’t get down. Do you know why?

[Allfather]: You mean the sloth that apparently caught an arrow?

[You]: Yeah. As unbelievable as it sounds, it really caught an arrow.

[Allfather]: To be honest, I don’t know either.

[Allfather]: No such specimen has ever been reported in academic circles.

Even Fatheremon didn’t know what species it was. What kind of place was the Forest of Four Seasons?

As I sighed to myself, Allfather offered a theory.

[Allfather]: I can speculate, though.

[Allfather]: From your post, did you say it shook you down for money?

[You]: Not money. It stole a Fasting Pill from me.

[Allfather]: Perhaps it thinks Grylls is a tree.

[You]: A tree?

[Allfather]: Yes. A tree that provides food.

[You]: That sounds kind of...

[Allfather]: Fucking stupid, but plausible?

[You]: I think so too.

Allfather had bluntly said exactly what I was thinking.

It seemed even Allfather found the idea ridiculous.

Still, it was reasonable enough that there was no other explanation.

[Allfather]: Is it still clinging to you now?

[You]: Yeah. It has no intention of getting off.

[Allfather]: It is not hostile, so raising it would not be a bad idea.

[You]: I don’t hate it either.

[You]: I almost got bitten by a snake today, but this little guy helped me.

After chatting with Allfather for a while, we traded items.

I gave Allfather the Golden Frog’s corpse, and Allfather gave me a poison-resistance pill.

[Allfather]: It would be best to take it after a meal if possible.

[Allfather]: You need to digest it properly.

[You]: Would it be better to absorb this with the Breathing Technique too?

[Allfather]: Yes. It may be easier to think of it as a type of Inner Core.

An Inner Core. I remembered Heavenly Demon’s explanation.

A crystal formed when qi accumulated inside a spiritual treasure’s body.

The mention of an Inner Core suddenly made me curious.

[You]: Allfather, have you ever consumed an Inner Core?

[Allfather]: I have never consumed an Inner Core, but I have consumed a Dragon Heart.

[You]: What’s that?

[Allfather]: It is exactly what it sounds like. A dragon’s heart.

[Allfather]: It contains abundant mana.

I had a rough idea what dragons were.

They were occasionally mentioned in the gallery.

They were powerful enough to treat humanity as beneath notice, though not completely unmatched.

More than anything, I’d heard their numbers were so low that they were endangered.

‘Could there be dragons in the Forest of Four Seasons too?’

If there were, they would be a disaster. I was an incredibly weak human.

How was I supposed to catch something that flew freely through the sky and breathed fire?

[Allfather]: Thank you, as always, for a good trade.

[Allfather]: If you come across any interesting animals, feel free to ask me anytime.

[You]: I saw something that looked like a mix between a chameleon and a snake too.

[Allfather]: What is that supposed to be?

[You]: I thought it was a branch, but it was a snake.

[You]: It changed the color of its body in an instant.

[Allfather]: Oh! That place is full of truly fascinating things!

[You]: Want to come here?

[Allfather]: These old knees aren’t in great shape.

[Allfather]: I’ll pass.

[You]: T_T

That was the end of the conversation. Even Allfather seemed to hate the Forest of Four Seasons.

Well, who would come to a hellhole like this?

I was lucky, at least. Other people couldn’t even use the gallery.

“Hmm.”

I looked at the pill resting in my palm.

It was round, with a striking pale purple color.

It was the medicine I’d received from Allfather.

If I took it, I would gain resistance to poison, just as Allfather had said.

‘First, lunch.’

I put the pill in my pocket and approached the iron barrel holding the fish.

There were only two fish in it, yet the barrel was packed full.

‘How am I supposed to cook this?’

I had lived alone back home, so I knew how to cook.

But I’d only ever used prepared ingredients. Preparing one myself was new to me.

There was only one thing to do in a situation like this. Ask the gallery.

It was better to gain at least a little knowledge than rush in blindly.

[Post title] Need help preparing fish!

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of fish in an iron barrel)

[Post] Can anyone give me advice? It’s fucking huge.

└ Professionals stab the brain with a knife or awl to kill it instantly. If you’re inexperienced, just chop its head clean off.

└ Hit its head with the back of a knife before cutting it. That’ll stun it. Better to go for it then.

└ Gutting it is easy. Just cut open the belly.

Since I was inexperienced, I decided to smack it on the head.

I was going to grill it and eat it right away, so there was no need to age it or anything.

“Kkyuu.”

“Wonmo, wait a moment.”

Wonmo woke up right on the dot when lunchtime came.

Look at those round little eyes begging for food.

I wanted to toss him a piece of meat, but preparing the fish came first.

I wrapped both arms around the fish in the barrel and lifted it.

Flop! Flop!

The fish flopped around as though demanding I let it go, but no chance.

I placed it on the stone slab I had prepared.

It was so large that even the wide stone slab felt small.

‘They said to hit its head hard, right?’

It was too large for an ordinary knife to handle.

This was exactly what Heavenly Demon’s Sword was for.

I wasn’t using its blade, so I could strike it as hard as I wanted.

Bang! Bam! Bang!

After I smacked it around three times, it reacted.

Just like the gallery comments said, its mouth and gills opened wide.

It had been properly stunned. I began preparing it right away.

I used an ordinary dagger rather than Heavenly Demon’s Sword in case I hurt myself.

The dagger was quite sharp, easily slicing through the fish’s flesh.

“Wonmo, want this?”

“Kkyu!”

I cut off the head and gave it to Wonmo. He ate it with great enthusiasm.

He had supposedly eaten rotten corpses before, so a fish head would be nothing.

The Fast Sloth was more interested in Fasting Pills than fish, so I didn’t need to worry about it.

‘Now, cut open the belly.’

Whenever blood seeped out, I rinsed it away with water.

I slowly sliced open the belly of the fish, now quiet with its head removed.

The feeling against my fingertips was unpleasant, but I had to get used to it.

‘Would Wonmo eat the organs too?’

Cutting open the fish’s belly revealed its densely packed organs.

I just had to remove all of them and rinse it out with water.

As I reached inside to pull them out...

“Hmm?”

Something caught in my hand. At first, I thought it was the heart.

But it was too hard to be a heart. I moved my fingers and barely managed to pull it out.

It was a bead about the size of one finger joint.

It was red, just like the fish.

‘What is this? Could it really be an Inner Core?’

Probably not. Spiritual treasures with Inner Cores weren’t that common.

Then again, Adult Mandrakes were apparently everywhere here.

On top of that, I had found the New Moon Spirit Herb right at the beginning.

‘Hmm...’

I stared at the red bead for a while before deciding.

For something like this, I should ask the gallery. More specifically, an expert.

And when it came to experts, Heavenly Demon was the obvious choice. She had been the first person to mention Inner Cores.

There was no risk that she would swipe it from me either, so I could ask without worrying.

[Post title] Heavenly Demon, I have a question.

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a red bead)

[Post] I found this while preparing a fish. It looks similar to the Inner Core you mentioned before. Can you tell what it is?

[Post] If you’re not sure, I’ll trade it to you and send it over.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: It came from a fish?

She replied three seconds after I made the post. That speed was terrifying.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah. I found it while cleaning out the organs.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Hm. It is difficult to say from a picture alone. It could simply be a pearl.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Fish can make pearls too?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: That is what this one knows, at least.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Don’t pearls come from shellfish, not fish?

└ Exactly. Saying something so ignorant with confidence lol

└ Even for an old fart, that’s a bit much;;

└ Maybe she’s just stupid?

└ [Smart Demon]: Ha... I’m embarrassed just watching this.

The unexpected discussion of Heavenly Demon’s lack of common sense made me a little nervous.

Still, she had taught me the Breathing Technique, so I could trust her with this.

└ [Wild Grylls]: I’ll send a trade request. Just check whether it’s an Inner Core or not.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: If it truly is an Inner Core, what do you intend to do with it?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Eat it, obviously. You said it’s good for the body, right?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: This one does not recommend it. As this one said before, your Internal Energy is already oversaturated. Something could go terribly wrong.

I nodded at Heavenly Demon’s advice.

Too much of a good thing could be dangerous. If I ate an Inner Core in this state, it could cause a serious problem.

That left only one option. Give it to Heavenly Demon.

SwordTasteMaster would probably refuse, saying they didn’t want to get healthier.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Then do you want to eat it, Heavenly Demon?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: This one’s realm cannot rise through Inner Cores. This one passed that stage long ago.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Then what should I do with it?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Simple.

Heavenly Demon’s answer was simple.

└ [Heavenly Demon]: Why not put it up at the Auction House?

That was a very carefree suggestion.

‘Should I?’

And I found myself slightly swayed by it.

Footnotes:

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