Got a Gallery in the Wild

To properly understand the effects of my aura, I bought water from the auction house.

Someone might say that I could have simply melted the ice I had stored in the box, but if my suspicions turned out to be wrong, I would have to go back to the river and cut more ice.

I did not want to go through that hassle, so this time I simply bought water.

Then I poured it into an iron container and placed the sword inside.

All that remained was to do the same thing as before—activate the aura and wait for the result.

Crack!

The moment I activated the aura, the water began freezing at an incredible speed.

But it was not only the water that froze.

The ice started spreading throughout the entire iron container.

If it continued like that, I would end up losing the whole container, so I hurriedly pulled it away.

Apparently, the effect only applied to whatever came into direct contact with the aura, because the ice did not trap the sword itself.

‘Won’t I be able to control this?’

The fact that the water froze was fantastic.

I had obtained an incredible ability.

But if I could not control it, it would stop being a blessing and become a poison.

I did not know whether mana itself had changed, but it was obvious that I needed to investigate it more thoroughly.

‘For now, it seems I can regulate the intensity depending on the amount of aura…’

After several tests, I discovered that I could adjust the power of the effect.

However, I did not know how to turn the cold on or off.

Nor did I know whether it was permanent or if it would disappear over time.

After thinking about it for a long while, I decided to ask in the gallery.

Title) Come and behold…

WildGrills

(Video in which a sword covered in aura freezes the water in a container)

My sword is hungry…

Just kidding. Does anyone know why this is happening?

While cutting trees, an entire tree froze, so I ran a test and it turns out my aura has acquired an ice attribute.

Also, I cannot activate or deactivate it at will. Does anyone know how?

└HeavenlyDemon: What beautiful sword energy. It even shines. It is more beautiful than what those people from the Northern Sea use.

└WildGrills: The people of the Northern Sea control ice?

└HeavenlyDemon: Most of them do. But they achieve it through their martial arts. Do you happen to know any technique related to ice?

└WildGrills: No. I only know the formula you taught me.

└HeavenlyDemon: How curious. Perhaps your internal energy acquired an icy nature on its own.

└Swordmaster: I think HeavenlyDemon is right. It is not as if elemental auras do not exist, but normally you must learn a special technique. In Grills’ case, it seems the mana itself possesses the ice attribute.

└WildGrills: Can I really not turn it on and off?

└HeavenlyDemon: I do not know about that. As I said before, even the Northern Sea Ice Palace obtains that power through martial arts.

└Swordmaster: I have never seen a case like this either. I have seen people control fire or lightning, but never mana itself possessing an elemental attribute.

└With that ability, you do not really need an ice storage or anything like that anymore, do you?

└Hahaha. He wanted a refrigerator so badly, and in the end he became one himself.

└Why does this guy become stronger in the weirdest ways?

└Seriously, even the way he gets stronger is ridiculous hahaha.

└StarlightPrincess: Just as the others said, it seems the essence mixed with your mana and gave it an icy nature. This is also completely beyond my expectations.

└WildGrills: So it is not a bad thing?

└StarlightPrincess: If your body had not been able to withstand the cold, the first thing to freeze would have been your own mana. You could even have developed a condition similar to my meridian blockage. It would be best to take precautions.

└WildGrills: I will keep that in mind.

└AllFather: There are some documented cases in which mana artificially acquires the nature of an element. There are references to this in ancient texts.

└WildGrills: Did those people go through a process like mine?

└AllFather: No. Most received injections directly into their mana circuits. And the results were not exactly good.

└WildGrills: What do you mean by not good?

└AllFather: Those who received ice essences ended up with their organs completely frozen, as though they had suffered a meridian blockage. Those who received fire essences could not withstand the heat, and their mana circuits ended up melting.

└WildGrills: Dammn…

└AllFather: Just in case, it would be advisable to follow StarlightPrincess’s advice and obtain more Adult Mandrake essence.

└WildGrills: And why did you not tell me this before?

└AllFather: Because you were using elixir at the same time. Elixir is not a simple common potion. It heals the body while it absorbs and adapts to the essence. I was referring to cases where only the pure essence was used.

So this was not an ability I could simply celebrate without concern.

I had been able to absorb it thanks to the formula HeavenlyDemon taught me.

Without that, the result could have been disastrous.

I would have to wait and see, but it was possible that side effects might appear later.

I needed to be prepared.

└SunForEver: With that alone, you will never have to worry about ice for the rest of your life. Wouldn’t you give me one? I bet selling ice would be a fantastic business.

└WildGrills: Sorry, but I only had one Ice Flower. Besides, I do not know what side effects it might have.

└SunForEver: I am not planning to drink it myself anyway, so I do not care about the side effects. What a shame you do not have any more Ice Flowers.

└WildGrills: Who the hell were you planning to give it to?

└SunForEver: That is a secret. If you find another one, would you be interested in making a deal?

└WildGrills: First I would have to find one. Besides, I still did not get the ability I wanted.

Although I had gained an ice attribute, I had not gained resistance to the cold.

And depending on how it developed, this ability could end up becoming a double-edged sword, so practice was essential.

After all, too much of anything is bad.

‘Will I be able to use this with my bare hands too?’

What if I applied aura to my hands instead of the sword?

Would ice appear as well?

Curiosity got the better of me.

I shattered the ice in the container with a hammer, filled it with water again, and submerged my hand.

Crack!

As expected, the water froze completely once more.

It seemed that it worked even without a weapon.

‘It will be useful when I run out of weapons.’

I rely heavily on equipment.

I practically do not know how to fight barehanded.

That was why this ability might help me survive a desperate situation.

Although, as I had already repeated several times, if I could not control it, I had no idea what kind of danger it might bring me.

‘For a while, I will have to focus on learning how to control it.’

The truth is, I am busy.

I have to train swordsmanship, practice the cultivation method, and learn how to control this new ability.

Is that why people say it is better to focus on one thing at a time?

I think the best approach will be to learn to control the cold only to the point where I can handle it properly.

‘It is not like I am going to use an Ice Age or anything like that.’

Even if this is a fantasy world, a power on that scale should be impossible.

Well, there are also people capable of cutting mountains with a sword, but they are in a completely different league.

After finishing organizing everything, I continued cutting trees.

Since the ice attribute prevented me from using sword energy, I had no choice but to rely on pure physical strength.

Even so, my body had become quite strong, so I gathered enough wood without too much trouble.

‘It’s about time for dinner.’

Is it because it’s winter?

The sun seems to set especially early.

As far as I know, the length of the day depends on revolution, not rotation.

If it really gets dark earlier, then it’s not a local phenomenon but something affecting the entire planet.

‘I’ve heard of places where the sun never sets.’

But I had no way of knowing.

After all, this is the Forest of Four Seasons, so I let it go.

Afterward, I ate smoked tiger meat and added more firewood to the fireplace to warm myself up.

Despite everything that had happened, our adorable Wonmo was still sleeping.

It seemed that when winter arrived, he simply slept to recover energy.

‘Well, he’s still a baby.’

Besides, most animals had also reduced their activity.

So far, the only real threats had been the blizzard and the avalanche.

And even though I had no experience, I now knew that both could be prevented.

‘I need to build an emergency exit. I suppose I’ll have to make it the same way I made the chimney.’

After seeing the power of the avalanche, it was clear that it would have to be made of bricks.

Even when the avalanche came, the chimney remained intact.

At the very least, it was not swept away.

Though wear and tear is inevitable, so I’ll have to inspect it from time to time.

‘Is there anything better than mud…? I guess cement.’

Does cement even exist in this world?

Or is there some similar material?

On Earth, many ancient structures survived for centuries.

City walls, for example, sometimes could only be destroyed with cannons.

People in the past built civilizations using whatever they had available despite technological limitations.

I’ll do the same.

I’ll use everything I can to survive.

‘I’d better ask the gallery. Not necessarily the dwarf. He himself said he might not know something if it isn’t his specialty.’

It was something the dwarf repeated frequently.

Everything he had taught me so far was something he had personally researched.

Title) Does anyone know a better way to bind bricks together?

WildGrills

(Photo of the chimney)

So far I’ve been fixing them together with mud, but is there a better method?

I’m asking because I want to build something sturdier if it ever collapses. I feel like mud has its limits.

└StarlightPrincess: As far as I know, castles used to be built with a mixture of sand and lime.

└DwarfPassingBy: Yep. The lady above is right. More specifically, there’s something called cement. Mix it with sand and you’re done.

└WildGrills: Cement? The same cement I know?

My eyes widened.

Did cement exist in this world too?

I hadn’t even mentioned the word because I assumed it didn’t exist, and yet it appeared immediately.

I never imagined it would even have the same name.

└DwarfPassingBy: And what kind of cement do you know?

└WildGrills: You mix it with other stuff, smear it on, and after a while it hardens.

└DwarfPassingBy: Then you know exactly what it is. With all the money you have, why haven’t you used it until now?

└WildGrills: I never imagined it existed ;; By the way, when was cement invented?

└DwarfPassingBy: No idea. It’s been around forever. The only thing I know for sure is that dwarves invented it.

└WildGrills: You’re not lying to me, are you?

└DwarfPassingBy: Want to make a bet?

└AllFather: He isn’t lying. There is even a theory that the dwarves’ rapid technological development was due to the discovery of cement. After all, it strengthens the very foundation of everyday life.

└DwarfPassingBy: Ah… Why did you have to say that? I could’ve gotten something out of him in return.

└WildGrills: Even if that were true, I’m sure the only thing you’d ask for is alcohol hahaha.

└AllFather: However, there are suspicious aspects. For the era in which it appeared, it was far too advanced a technology, and scholars have debated it extensively. That is why we speak of a discovery rather than an invention.

└WildGrills: You mean it appeared out of nowhere?

└AllFather: Exactly. The gift I gave you is a similar case. It cannot even be manufactured with current technology.

The gift AllFather was referring to was the spatial backpack.

Although it did not ignore weight, it completely eliminated the limitations of space.

It was an extraordinary tool.

└AllFather: The most widely accepted theory among scholars is that it is an ancient artifact that survived by chance.

└WildGrills: An ancient artifact?

└AllFather: Yes. From the era when the gods still descended into the world. An age beyond the reach of modern humanity.

An ancient civilization like the ones that appear in novels and manga?

Something like lost technology?

A civilization that disappeared, leaving behind only a few traces.

Since there were similar cases on Earth, I was not particularly surprised.

You don’t even have to look far.

Just think about ancient Egypt.

Even today, we do not fully understand how they built the pyramids.

‘Although, after military service, you start feeling that the pyramids probably could have been built through sheer human labor.’

In any case, I put that topic aside and returned to what mattered.

Now that I knew cement existed, the next step was learning how to use it.

The dwarf seemed to know at least the basics and explained them to me.

└DwarfPassingBy: If you’re going to put it between bricks, mix it with sand, not dirt.

└WildGrills: Why?

└DwarfPassingBy: No idea. My father always said that’s how it should be done.

└WildGrills: Ok.

└Strangely enough, that inspires confidence hahaha.

└Isn’t that exactly the same as when academy professors tell you to do something?

└Yeah. The students just do whatever the professor says. Nobody really knows why hahaha.

‘Will I have to go downstream or to the sea?’

Around here, everything is dirt.

There’s no sand.

I could only find it downstream or on the coast.

Even in winter, I would rather avoid the sea.

Downstream is probably the better choice.

I’m not planning to build it immediately, but I should start gathering materials now.

‘The auction house doesn’t sell sand.’

After checking the auction house for a bit, I left another comment for the dwarf.

There was something else I wanted to ask besides cement.

└WildGrills: Hey. Do elemental weapons exist?

└DwarfPassingBy: Yeah, of course. Lightning-attributed hammers, swords wrapped in flames, things like that. Why?

└WildGrills: And how are they usually made? Naturally?

└DwarfPassingBy: Usually, yes. For example, the Hammer of Lightning was born after a bolt of lightning struck it from the sky. Though its owner was electrocuted to death hahaha.

└WildGrills: And what about fire weapons? Did their owners burn to death?

└DwarfPassingBy: No. I heard that sword was stuck in the middle of a volcanic crater. But why are you asking?

└WildGrills: I was wondering whether they could be made artificially. Something like infusing the essence I drank into a sword during the forging process.

└DwarfPassingBy: There he goes again with his nonsense hahaha. First find another one of those Ice Flowers, then we’ll talk.

└An ice sword sounds awesome lol.

└But even if you made one, you wouldn’t sell it.

└WildGrills: It would just be for decoration hah.

Just as the dwarf said, it would be impossible unless I found more Ice Flowers.

And even if I did find another one, I had no intention of combining it with a sword.

‘Well… maybe if I found two or three more.’

After continuing to chat about trivial things, the day finally came to an end.

The Sloth continued staring at the fire while I slept.

I suppose I can leave the task of adding more firewood to him.

And so the next morning arrived.

When I woke up and saw the completely clear sky—

“Wow. Another one of these?”

While cutting trees, I found another Ice Flower.

“There’s another one here… and another one over here… Why are there so many?”

And it wasn’t just one.

There were several.

All I had to do was look around among the trees for a bit to find them.

‘Could it be like a seasonal food?’

As if they were wild vegetables.