WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 84: Fishman (3)

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When are people angriest?

When they come face-to-face with the person who killed their parents?

When someone steals their lover?

When a con artist takes the money they worked so hard to save?

All of those are valid answers. They have one thing in common: someone took something precious from them.

People can't help but get angry when something precious is taken from them without fair compensation.

And right now, I was feeling anger no less intense than that. Had something precious been taken from me?

Rather than precious, it was something directly tied to my survival. Worse, something I'd gained only after hardship upon hardship had been taken from me.

Right before my eyes. It would've been stranger if I hadn't seen red.

“You bastard!!!”

I'd never felt anger like this before.

Not even when my parents died, or when I saw the face of the person responsible for the accident.

At least that son of a... no, that person had apologized and paid a settlement.

But this shark-headed bastard? It gulped down food someone else had worked hard to make.

It even looked satisfied afterward. There was no way I couldn't be furious.

“Grr?”

The Shark Giant looked puzzled as I charged at it.

It still had no idea what was about to happen to it.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

At least its intelligence wasn't as fish-brained as its head.

Perhaps it sensed that the rage rolling off me was no joke, because the Shark Giant opened its jaws.

Rows of tightly packed teeth, just like a shark's. If those bit down on me, it'd be over.

But trying to bite me was its mistake.

Its posture had already been hunched, and now its body lowered even further.

If it had moved on all fours like a tiger, that would have been another story. But because it walked upright, its balance was bound to collapse.

Crunch!

I easily avoided the Shark Giant's bite by twisting my body to the left.

When its jaws snapped shut, it sounded like metal crashing against metal.

But with its balance slightly off, its entire body was wide open.

‘Big guys are easy for me.’

I aimed for its firmly planted legs. Losing a leg would severely limit its mobility.

It was the tactic I always used against huge creatures like this.

Sometimes it didn't work on targets like a Saber-Toothed Tiger or an Orichalcum Guardian, but...

Slash!

“Guuooh!”

Not this shark bastard. Heavenly Demon’s Sword, overflowing with aura, sliced its leg clean off.

With one leg gone, its balance was bound to tip completely to one side.

Just as I expected, the Shark Giant lost its right leg and fell forward.

It had two arms and two legs like a person, so it managed to prop itself up with its arms, but it didn't matter.

‘Now for the head...!’

Whoosh!

Just as I was about to drive Heavenly Demon’s Sword into its head, I heard a strange sound from my left.

Feeling uneasy, I urgently raised my shield with my left hand without even looking.

Clang!!

“Urgh...!”

A powerful impact traveled through the shield, sending me flying.

I'd expected an attack, so I was able to break my fall even while airborne.

‘Its tail?’

I looked to see what had hit me and spotted a thick tail.

It split at the end like a real shark's tail. Since it was a Shark Giant, it seemed to have all the traits of a shark.

“Kyuyaaaa!”

“Grrraaargh!”

But so what? It had lost a leg.

It couldn't even put up a proper fight while Wonmo clung to its face and scratched it wildly.

Its tail couldn't reach its face either, only swishing about pitifully.

Every now and then, it opened its huge jaws to threaten Wonmo, but Wonmo simply climbed on top of it.

It seemed easy to deal with despite its size, but I couldn't let my guard down.

‘Or is it because there's no water?’

That might have been it. While it thrashed around, I carefully approached.

Once I reached its head, I shouted at Wonmo, who was riding on top of it.

“Wonmo! Move!”

“Kyuu!”

Wonmo really was smart. The moment I shouted, he jumped away.

I drove Heavenly Demon’s Sword into the spot Wonmo had vacated, straight into its head.

Stab!

Heavenly Demon’s Sword, overflowing with aura, pierced through easily.

The Shark Giant flailed for a while after the sword entered its head, then stopped moving entirely.

The tail it had swung desperately in an attempt to break free went still as well. Bright red blood streamed down the Shark Giant's head.

Stab! Stab!

Just in case, I stabbed it a few more times to make sure it was dead.

I didn't know where its heart was, so aiming for the head was safest.

That brought the easy but dangerous hunt for the Shark Giant to an end.

As I shook the blood off Heavenly Demon’s Sword, a question came to mind.

‘Why is something like this here? Is there a sea nearby?’

Before, there had been a Bull Shark that tried to attack a deer, only to get knocked unconscious by a kick.

But that shark and this Shark Giant were different species from the start.

The Bull Shark at least looked like a shark, while this thing was a shark with a human body.

I couldn't tell whether this was unique to the Forest of Four Seasons, or whether it was a monster like Mushroom Man.

‘Come to think of it, the Bull Shark was weird too. There's a lake below us.’

Even if Bull Sharks lived in freshwater, their main habitat was still the sea.

Going by that, there was a high chance the vast lake led to a sea somewhere beyond it.

‘This is driving me crazy. Why would there be a sea in a forest... No, wait.’

Maybe a sea being here wasn't strange at all.

The natural environment changed constantly just across the river.

Sometimes it was a desert, sometimes a snowy mountain, sometimes a swamp.

There could be a sea somewhere in this forest. Common sense could go screw itself.

“Whew...”

I'd have to explore to know for sure, but it was a pretty plausible theory.

Bull Sharks that traveled between seawater and freshwater. And the sudden appearance of a Shark Giant.

Whatever else, I couldn't figure out why the Shark Giant had appeared.

It didn't seem to have followed a smell, since no other animals had come anywhere near.

‘I’ll have to ask.’

The truth was, I didn't know enough about this world's common sense no matter how hard I racked my brain.

In the end, I had no choice but to ask the Gallery.

If nobody else could, Fatheremon, no, Allfather, should be able to clear this up.

[Post title] There are beastfolk here too, right?

[Author] Wild Grylls

[Post] (Photo of a Shark Giant bleeding from its head)

[Post] Do fishmen count as beastfolk too? They're animals, aren't they?

[Post] Basically, this bastard suddenly showed up and stole my lunch.

[Post] I got pissed and killed it, but what the hell is this thing?

└ [Heavenly Demon]: This lady has seen people with animal faces before... but never a person with a shark's face.

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: It looks like a fishman... but fishmen don't look like that either?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Fishmen are beastfolk too?

└ [SwordTasteMaster]: They're monsters. It's the same principle as Sirens, who are mermaids rather than fishmen but are still treated as monsters.

└ [Suspiciously]: Beastfolk need fur at minimum. But that's a fish;;

└ [Wild Grylls]: That's true, but fish are still animals. That's why I asked.

└ [Suspiciously]: Did you try talking to it?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Talk my ass. It ate the fish I worked hard to make, so I killed it.

└ [Suspiciously]: Killing a bastard like that is understandable. Anyway, it isn't one of the beastfolk.

└ [Allfather]: Even I have never seen a species like this. Fishmen aren't mixed half and half like that shark person either... What could it be?

└ [Wild Grylls]: So fishmen don't look like this?

└ [Allfather]: (Photo of a monster-like fishman) This is a fishman.

└ [Allfather]: (Photo of a mermaid with a fish lower body) And this is a Siren, known as a mermaid. Neither one matches that shark.

└ [Wild Grylls]: Uh... does that mean it's a new species?

└ [Allfather]: It would seem so, but I can't say for certain. It could simply be a mutation, or perhaps it is because of the Forest of Four Seasons.

Even Allfather didn't know. Neither did anyone else.

It was a species that had never revealed itself to the world, something nobody had ever seen before.

Just what you'd expect from the Forest of Four Seasons, where all kinds of animals appeared.

└ Come to think of it, wasn't Fast Sloth originally a regular sloth? Didn't they say sloths can't walk?

└ [Allfather]: A good point. In reality, sloths can never walk because of the structure of their legs. But Fast Sloth is different.

└ This forest is fucking weird. I should stay far away.

└ What will show up next;; At this rate, won't an animal with a fucking long neck show up?

└ It'd be fun if it fought with that neck lol

└ That's fucking stupid lol

Could that possibly be a giraffe? Did giraffes not exist here?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Are there horses with horns here?

└ If you mean unicorns, of course there are. Why are you asking?

└ [Wild Grylls]: Just curious.

Horses with horns seemed stranger to me. Was this a cultural difference or something?

Putting the pointless talk aside, the question was what to do with the Shark Giant.

The best option was giving it to Allfather. Allfather would gladly take it.

‘It's not like I'm going to make shark fin soup out of it.’

So I handed it over right away. As expected, Allfather was thrilled.

I wanted to hear the research results too, so I traded it without hesitation.

[Allfather]: Thank you for giving me this day my daily research material.

[You]: You don't need to thank me.

[You]: If you think about it, I'm just getting rid of trash, right?

[Allfather]: Please feel free to throw this kind of high-quality trash at me anytime.

[You]: Ho ho ho.

[You]: Calling it high-quality trash made it sound strange.

[You]: But you said this was the first time you'd seen something like this too, right?

[Allfather]: Yes. I have lived for quite a long time, but I have never seen a species like this.

[Allfather]: Just like with the Saber-Toothed Tiger's heart, it is certain that the Forest of Four Seasons changes things.

[You]: When do you think that change will affect me?

That was what scared me most. The thought that I could be changing without even realizing it.

I wanted to avoid turning into something strange, so I was worried.

[Allfather]: Come to think of it... Grylls, did you say you came from another world?

[You]: Yes, that's right.

[You]: Nobody believes me, though.

[You]: Do you believe me, Allfather?

[Allfather]: Let us consider the matter under the assumption that you did.

[Allfather]: It is not a story I can readily believe either.

It was disappointing, but I could understand. Still, it wasn't bad that Allfather was willing to consider the possibility.

[Allfather]: What do you think mana is, Grylls?

[You]: A force that helps people become stronger?

[You]: Isn't that what it is?

[Allfather]: Theoretically, yes.

[Allfather]: Then do you believe everyone can handle mana?

[You]: Can't they?

[Allfather]: There is much debate in academic circles, but I personally do not think so.

[Allfather]: People call it a difference in talent, but ultimately it is a difference in the vessel, meaning the body.

[Allfather]: Like all animals and plants, humans are animals that evolve.

Allfather brought up evolution. I took those words seriously.

Every animal and plant had reached its present form through evolution. Humans were no exception.

[Allfather]: In the distant past, only the chosen could handle mana.

[Allfather]: But as time passed, more and more people came to handle it.

[You]: That does fit the definition of evolution perfectly.

[Allfather]: Exactly. Now, even those without talent have no trouble sensing mana.

[Allfather]: Then let me ask you a question.

[Allfather]: Were there people where you lived who could sense mana?

Allfather had raised a remarkably sharp question. The moment I saw it, I answered immediately.

It was a very simple answer, one I didn't need to think about.

[You]: No.

[You]: Where I lived, there was no mana. Science and technology had developed instead.

[You]: One bomb could destroy a city.

[Allfather]: So no one could use mana.

[Allfather]: That includes you, Grylls.

[You]: Yes. I felt it for the first time after coming here.

[Allfather]: Then everything fits together perfectly.

The conclusion Allfather reached after countless assumptions was...

[Allfather]: Grylls. Take this to heart.

[You]: Go on.

[Allfather]: You may already be undergoing the process of “evolution.”

That conclusion gave me quite a shock.

Footnotes:

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