Got a Gallery in the Wild

I’m already tired of even saying, “I’ve seen it all in this life.”

The Forest of Four Seasons is a collection of mysteries that simply cannot be solved.

The best thing to do is accept that quickly and move on.

After all, I recently met a talking gorilla.

I think it’s best to just go with the flow.

That said, while documenting everything meticulously.

‘Why is everything I find so useless?’

What I need are supplies for survival.

Not resources like these.

Of course, with these materials I could make armor and all kinds of tools.

But that takes too much time, and I don’t even have a furnace.

It was exactly like a chicken rib.

It wasn’t even useful for making stone tools like a prehistoric man.

‘And I can’t even sell this.’

I let out a sigh.

It seems impossible to extract this entire mithril vein.

Unless I literally tear up the entire floor, I have no choice but to leave it where it is.

Although, looking at it positively, it at least means I have practically unlimited resources.

If I manage to build a furnace and develop blacksmithing skills, I couldn’t ask for anything better.

‘The problem is that it’ll take years.’

I sighed once more and turned around.

One way or another, the work wasn’t going to do itself.

My daily routine.

A routine that had already become familiar.

Go up to the river, fish, and eat until full.

For some reason, only one fish was caught today.

That left a bitter taste in my mouth.

‘Good thing I still have reserves.’

For now, I still had some breathing room.

But if the fish kept appearing one at a time, sooner or later I’d have problems.

I ate breakfast alongside my animal friends and set off.

First, I had to deliver an adult Mandrake to IWillBeADuke.

After that, I would go to the orichalcum cave to collect some orichalcum.

Originally, I planned to use it to build a door, but that plan had already been abandoned.

Even so, it wouldn’t hurt to stockpile a few pieces for the future.

‘I’ll build the furnace after lunch.’

From what I’d heard, it would require both brains and physical labor.

It was better to do it calmly.

According to the dwarf, molten metal reached temperatures comparable to lava.

And mithril had an even higher melting point.

‘He also said I’d need charcoal…’

It was essential for reaching higher temperatures.

After all, I had to melt metal.

Just thinking about it gave me a headache, although there was one positive aspect.

The size of the furnace.

Since I only needed to melt ore, it didn’t have to be very large.

But that didn’t mean I could relax.

After all, I’d be working with fire.

A double-edged tool.

‘Good thing I’ve been stockpiling charcoal.’

Originally, I only used it for washing clothes or removing odors.

I never imagined I’d end up using it for a furnace.

As always, charcoal was a universal wonder.

I’d have to produce much more of it in the future.

With everything prepared, I headed off to collect the adult Mandrake and the orichalcum.

As always, the sloth hung from my back, and Wonmo served as my adorable bodyguard.

Thud! Thud! Bam!

“Kyueeek! Kyueeeek! Kkueeek!”

First, the adult Mandrake.

At this point, I had completely mastered the capture method.

Although calling it a method was an exaggeration.

Basically, it consisted of beating it unconscious.

After capturing it, I headed to the orichalcum cave.

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any dangerous beasts along the way.

It was a route I already knew, and I stayed alert the entire time.

‘Orichalcum acquired. Though does this stuff not need refining either?’

As I picked up several pieces of orichalcum from the ground, that thought crossed my mind.

Maybe it didn’t need processing at all.

After all, both DemonPrincess and KingLeor used it immediately after receiving it.

Although that could also be a unique property of orichalcum.

I’d have to ask the dwarf.

WildGrills has registered an item for trade.

[WildGrills: Here you go. I hope it brings you good fortune.]

[IWillBeADuke: Thank you very much!]

[IWillBeADuke: May the Goddess’s blessing be with you!]

After returning to the cave, I exchanged items with IWillBeADuke.

The way she mentioned the Goddess’s blessing made me wonder if she was originally from the Holy Kingdom.

‘Now that I think about it, adult Mandrakes can be traded without any issues.’

So the system considered them to be without an ego.

And that was despite the fact that those creatures not only emitted terrifying screams but also acted in swarms.

It was strange, but I decided not to think about it too much.

Thinking too hard about it would only give me a migraine.

‘Not bad. They’re durable.’

The shoes I received from IWillBeADuke were exactly as they appeared in the video.

Their main feature was durability.

In fact, they seemed better than the ones made by the dwarf’s friend.

That said, they sacrificed comfort in exchange for toughness.

‘But they’re perfect for me.’

I’d use the dwarf’s shoes when traveling through familiar areas.

And I’d use IWillBeADuke’s shoes when exploring new places.

That was the best way to divide their usage.

Inside the cave, I’d continue wearing sneakers.

‘I need to get another pair.’

Since each type of shoe had a different function, I also needed a spare pair.

So I posted another message in the gallery.

Some people might think the matter was already settled.

Title) Looking for another pair of shoes

WildGrills

I’ve successfully received the shoes given to me by DwarfPassingBy and the ones given to me by IWillBeADuke.

However, I think I’ll end up using them for different purposes, so I’d like to obtain another pair as a backup.

Just like before, I’ll give an adult Mandrake to whoever provides a suitable pair.

└HeavenlyDemon: And when exactly do you plan to deliver my sword?

└WildGrills: I-I’ll give it to you right away!

└HeavenlyDemon: It was a joke. There’s no need to rush. Take your time.

└Swordmaster: What are you going to give her?

└HeavenlyDemon: He says he’ll personally forge a genuine silver sword for me.

└Swordmaster: Ah, damn. I’m actually jealous. Even I’ve never used a sword made of mithril…

└HeavenlyDemon: Hmph. Perhaps you should have been more generous.

└Swordmaster: I gave him elixirs too, damn it…!

└WildGrills: HeavenlyDemon gave me her own sword, so I want to repay her. Would you like me to make one for you too, Swordmaster?

└HeavenlyDemon: That fool. So that’s why he said that.

└Swordmaster: Honestly, it sounds tempting, but I’m fine. Unlike a certain someone, I can become strong even with a cheap sword. Hahaha.

└HeavenlyDemon: I have an iron mace.

└Swordmaster: Hey, you wretch.

└But is Grills going to make it himself? Wasn’t he going to have the dwarf do it?

└DwarfPassingBy: That was the plan, but the mana concentration in the mithril was too high, so I returned it. If it melts, it explodes.

└And orichalcum is fine?

└DwarfPassingBy: Yes. Thanks to its mana-absorbing property, orichalcum isn’t a problem. But only orichalcum.

└Grills, you bastard. You were handing out bombs to people.

└Sounds like you were trying to murder them.

└WildGrills: I didn’t know either;; That’s why I’ll have to make it myself.

└DemonPrincess: I’m making very good use of the orichalcum you gave me. I’ve already finished the surveillance recording orb I mentioned yesterday, so let me know whenever you need it.

└WildGrills: Understood.

As soon as I saw DemonPrincess’s comment, I immediately sent her a message.

I planned to give her orichalcum as a reward. The more she had, the better.

[DemonPrincess: If you tap the orb twice, it’ll open like an eye. Just think of it as watching in whatever direction it’s facing.]

[WildGrills: Thank you. And how do I view what it recorded?]

[DemonPrincess: Just tap it twice again to close the eye, and then tap it three times. To watch the recording, keep your hand pressed on it. But be careful! Once you watch the recording, it’ll automatically be deleted.]

[WildGrills: I’ll be careful. And thank you.]

[DemonPrincess: And what do you say when you’re grateful?]

[WildGrills: I hope Chayu wins next season!]

[DemonPrincess: Hehe. Very good.]

I examined the CCTV orb DemonPrincess had given me.

It was a color close to dark purple and roughly the size of my face.

‘Will I have to hang it up like a block of meju?’

Installing it was work too. Still, I planned to spend the entire day inside the cave today, so there was no need to use it immediately.

I examined it from several angles and then tapped the orb twice.

Tap. Tap.

Flash!

“Whoa.”

Just as DemonPrincess had explained, it opened like an eye.

It looked like the eye of a reptile.

Just looking at it was unsettling. It clearly conveyed the feeling of “I am watching you closely.”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

When I tapped it three times, the eye silently closed.

Then I pressed it with my finger.

Flash!

With that sound, a holographic window appeared.

What it showed was my own face.

My face viewed from above.

“Wow.”

No matter how much I looked at it, my skin had really improved.

I couldn’t find a single flaw.

I stared at the projected image for a moment and then closed the window.

I already knew how the CCTV worked, so it was time to train.

You can’t skip training for even a single day.

‘Besides, starting today I’ll begin consuming inner cores.’

I planned to learn HeavenlyDemon’s second formula.

From what I understood, it was about reading the flow rather than simply leaving the body in the hands of heaven.

It seemed like it would be harder to understand than the first formula, and that worried me a little.

But it didn’t matter.

If I didn’t understand something, I would simply keep crashing into it until I did.

I never thought it was going to be easy.

‘I’ll consume the inner core after lunch, once digestion is finished.’

The fish also had effects similar to a spiritual medicine.

If I consumed the inner core immediately after eating, I might end up overdosing.

It was better to avoid unnecessary risks and wait for the food to settle.

‘And I also need to get a crab for the dwarf.’

It was a very busy day.

I couldn’t postpone anything.

So I had to start as soon as possible.

After lunch, I planned to immediately build the smelting furnace.

It didn’t need to be very large.

It only had to melt mithril into liquid metal.

Even so, I would need to obtain several materials through the dwarf.

Especially the most important of all.

Stones capable of withstanding high temperatures.

After all, they would need to endure over a thousand degrees.

‘Fortunately, he said he’d give them to me.’

He had also said he would give me a bellows for injecting air.

He was practically providing all the materials.

When I asked whether he was really okay with that, he replied that simply sharpening a mithril sword was more than enough payment for him.

Whenever I saw things like that, I thought it was truly typical of a dwarf.

Splash! Splash!

When I arrived at the river, I found two fish caught in the trap.

At least that was good news.

Afterward, I put them in the oven, ate, and began preparing myself.

But first, there was something I wanted to check.

The mithril behind the cave.

It was fantastic that it regenerated infinitely, but there was something that bothered me.

‘What exactly is the mechanism behind this regeneration?’

Its recovery ability was comparable to that of a planarian.

Moreover, only the part I had extracted the previous day had regenerated.

I was also concerned about where its core might be.

And I was worried about the possibility of it awakening as a Guardian.

‘I must not let my guard down.’

The amount of mithril I had extracted yesterday was considerable.

Now all that remained was to melt it and pour it into a mold.

Once I felt I had everything ready, I sent a message to the dwarf.

[WildGrills: Hey. Are you there?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Yes.]

[DwarfPassingBy: Did you catch the crab yet?]

[WildGrills: I’m going to build the furnace first and then go get it. And I also want to ask for some advice.]

[DwarfPassingBy: About what?]

[WildGrills: Mithril is an extremely rare mineral, right?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Calling it rare is an understatement. Do you know how many mines exist in the world? If someone finds a mithril mine, it makes the newspapers.]

[WildGrills: And orichalcum?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Yes. Most of it ends up in the hands of the Magic Towers, but it’s on the same level as mithril.]

[DwarfPassingBy: By the way, when you found the orichalcum cave, the newspapers went crazy.]

That’s how important it was.

Since I’d been trapped here for so long, I had absolutely no idea what was happening outside.

Sometimes I’d hear that something had made the newspapers, but I never paid attention.

I thought they were just insignificant remarks.

[DwarfPassingBy: So, why are you asking? Trying to show off?]

[WildGrills: No. I want to hear an expert’s opinion.]

[DwarfPassingBy: Hmm. I see you know something. Then speak, ignorant mortal. What do you wish to ask?]

[WildGrills: Damn. ;;]

[WildGrills: Maybe I should look for another dwarf.]

[DwarfPassingBy: Haha. You won’t find many dwarven metallurgy experts wasting their time in the gallery.]

I sighed.

[WildGrills: Right now I have mithril and orichalcum, correct?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Showing off again?]

[WildGrills: Let me finish talking. What do you think would happen if I melted both of them and made a sword?]

That was what I wanted.

An alloy of two legendary minerals.

Since I had so much of them around me, they no longer impressed me that much.

But for people outside, especially a dwarf, the reaction would be different.

[DwarfPassingBy: An alloy? You want to mix mithril and orichalcum?]

[WildGrills: Yes. Doesn’t it sound good?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Damn. That’s like making fried rice with caviar. Hahaha.]

He laughed as if the idea were absurd.

But then he wrote.

[DwarfPassingBy: Let’s do it immediately. Do you need anything? Tell me what we need. I’ll get everything.]

[WildGrills: You think it’s that good of an idea?]

[DwarfPassingBy: My balls are trembling with excitement right now.]

“How disgusting…”

In the end, he was still a dwarf.