Got a Gallery in the Wild

The Ice Flower is a medicinal herb that only appears in cold regions, and even then, it is extremely rare.

Moreover, it tends to melt if the temperature rises even slightly, and the period during which it blooms is also very short.

A limited winter, a brief lifespan, and vitality as fragile as that of a sunfish.

Above all, it requires land saturated with mana.

With all those conditions combined, it was an extremely rare herb.

But, as always, the Forest of Four Seasons seemed to be the exception.

To begin with, there was no need to even talk about the amount of mana there.

The seasons also changed every week, so its short lifespan was not a problem either.

Just searching a little around the shelter was enough to find them easily.

That was why, to me, Ice Flowers were nothing more than seasonal flowers.

From a season that arrived once every four weeks.

Title) I found another Ice Flower.

WildGrills

(Photo of an Ice Flower)

(Photo of an Ice Flower 2)

(Photo of an Ice Flower 3)

Are these things like seasonal vegetables or something? There are quite a few of them.

└HeavenlyDemon: You’re probably the only person capable of describing such a valuable medicinal herb as a seasonal vegetable.

└Swordmaster: Seriously, every rare herb imaginable keeps appearing here. They’re extremely valuable.

└Then that means he’ll be able to find Ice Flowers every winter, right?

└Looks like it. Wouldn’t the same apply to other herbs? Every season has its own medicinal plants.

└What herbs grew in spring? A whole bunch appeared from spring to summer.

└No idea. Though here, even pulling out any random plant probably counts as gathering a medicinal herb hahaha.

└StarlightPrincess: You didn’t find just one, but several! Do you plan to use them?

└WildGrills: I think obtaining cold resistance would be nice. Besides, I have enough materials, so it seems like a good opportunity.

└StarlightPrincess: I see. But could you give me one of those Adult Mandrakes you talked about yesterday?

└WildGrills: I’ll give you a normal Adult Mandrake and also a Blue Mandrake created with the same method as yesterday. That should make researching them easier.

└StarlightPrincess: I will definitely reward you for your trust!

└WildGrills: Thank you very much.

└DwarfPassingBy: Hey. What about me? Give me one too.

└WildGrills: You smell like alcohol, so stay away. Besides, I don’t have time to turn them into liquor. If I get what I want, I’ll consider it.

└DwarfPassingBy: Ok.

└WildGrills: If it comes to that, I’ll turn them into liquor myself hahaha.

└DwarfPassingBy: What the hell is wrong with this bastard?

└Don’t worry. I’m sure there are more herbs besides that one hahaha.

└What if he finds Sun Grass in the summer?

└No. Sun Grass only grows in deserts. Just like Snow Ginseng only grows in snowy mountains.

└Then, following that logic, shouldn’t the Ice Flower also be in a snowy mountain?

└He’ll figure out a way to find it. We just have to watch hahaha.

After finding more Ice Flowers, I ate a light breakfast and got to work.

The first thing was gathering Mandrakes.

This time I didn’t catch just one, but several.

I sent one to StarlightPrincess and used another to repeat exactly the same process as the day before.

First, I dyed it blue by boiling the Ice Flower and the Adult Mandrake together.

“Guaaarg?! Kuuk!!”

And so the session of force-feeding Elixir through its mouth began again.

For some reason, it reminded me of foie gras.

That dish made from goose liver.

They say they stick a funnel into the goose’s beak and force-feed it to enlarge the liver.

The Mandrake was a plant, so at least that made me feel a little better.

But seeing its reactions still made me somewhat uncomfortable.

Even though I was putting medicine into it, not food.

“Kiyooooooot!”

Smack! Smack!

As soon as the Elixir started taking effect, I hit the Mandrake to calm it down.

‘This should be enough.’

In the end, I sent a total of three Mandrakes.

One normal.

Another combined with an Ice Flower.

And a third one fed both Ice Flower and Elixir.

If StarlightPrincess studied them one by one, she would surely discover something.

I would have liked to send one to AllFather for research as well, but I didn’t have enough.

[StarlightPrincess: Thank you very much. I’ll let you know the results before lunch.]

[WildGrills: Understood. Is the Mandrake combined with the Ice Flower still intact?]

[StarlightPrincess: I suppose the Ice Flower was absorbed by it, because it is still blue. If I had known this, I would have accepted it yesterday.]

[WildGrills: Neither of us knew. Then I’ll wait for the results.]

Since I had entrusted the research to StarlightPrincess, it was time to focus on my own matters.

The first thing was learning how to control my new ability.

I had repeated it over and over again.

If I couldn’t control it, it would end up causing me trouble.

I used aura not only for combat but also for work.

I cut down trees, dug, mined ore, and processed materials.

If everything ended up frozen every time I did that, it would be a massive headache.

‘First, let’s figure out why my mana gives off cold. Did it really transform completely?’

I closed my eyes and activated the cultivation method.

I could clearly feel mana flowing through every corner of my body.

And also an extremely cold sensation.

The mana itself had acquired a cold nature.

However, unlike what StarlightPrincess feared, my circuits were not freezing as they would with Meridian Obstruction.

It was as if my body had already fully adapted.

The mana circulated without the slightest problem.

‘It’s like…’

Like the Arctic and Antarctic oceans, which do not freeze completely.

It’s not that my mana contained salt.

Rather, I suspected that the essence I had absorbed the previous day was responsible.

It wasn’t a bad thing.

But even though I had avoided the worst-case scenario, it was still problematic.

‘I wish it had an on-and-off function.’

How could I separate the cold from the aura?

As I thought about it, an idea crossed my mind.

‘Wait. All mana ends up gathering in the dantian, right?’

The cultivation method accumulated mana in the dantian through breathing.

That meant that even though mana traveled throughout the body, it would eventually return to the dantian.

Then.

What if I separated the cold every time the mana returned and stored it somewhere else?

‘Wouldn’t I end up freezing the dantian itself?’

That sounded pretty frightening.

I stopped the cultivation method.

At times like this, it was best to consult an expert.

[WildGrills: HeavenlyDemon. May I ask you a question?]

[HeavenlyDemon: What do you wish to know?]

[WildGrills: You see…]

I briefly explained my situation.

I wanted to separate the cold from the mana and store it elsewhere.

But I was worried that the cold might end up damaging my dantian.

I needed to know whether that fear was unfounded or whether there was truly a risk.

After listening to me, HeavenlyDemon remained thoughtful for quite a while before responding.

[HeavenlyDemon: I understand what you’re trying to say. And your concerns are reasonable.]

[WildGrills: Is it dangerous?]

[HeavenlyDemon: If you separate it incorrectly, yes. As you fear, your dantian could freeze completely. But if you use the proper method, you can separate it correctly.]

[WildGrills: Could you teach it to me?]

[HeavenlyDemon: Of course. The idea is to create a second dantian inside the first one.]

[WildGrills: That sounds incredibly difficult.]

[HeavenlyDemon: It’s not that bad. If your current dantian is meant for pure qi, then the new dantian you create will be dedicated solely to cold. Wait a moment.]

After saying that, HeavenlyDemon temporarily disappeared.

I tilted my head.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand this idea of creating a dantian inside another dantian.

I didn’t doubt her because she was the expert.

I simply couldn’t grasp the concept.

‘Maybe I’ll have to work without aura for a while.’

Because of this strange ability, my body was going through all sorts of hardships.

I could only let out a bitter laugh.

How much time passed like that?

Shortly afterward, HeavenlyDemon sent me a message.

[HeavenlyDemon: (Picture of a human body with an internal core drawn on it) Can you see it clearly? Inside this internal core, you should see a small circle. The idea is to gather the essence in this way and create another internal core.]

[WildGrills: Ah. It’s like a set.]

[HeavenlyDemon: Isn’t the word set used when several things are gathered together?]

[WildGrills: It’s a mathematical term. It’s not used that often.]

[HeavenlyDemon: I see. In any case, if you understood it, that’s enough. Now that you know the principle, it would be best to practice.]

[WildGrills: Isn’t there any other advice?]

[HeavenlyDemon: The second formula I taught you will be of great help. I’d like to teach you the third one, but I think it would be better to postpone it. I have a feeling you’d end up becoming stronger in another strange way. And now even your energy possesses cold.]

[WildGrills: Understood. Thank you very much for the advice.]

[HeavenlyDemon: I will always be waiting. If you need help, don’t hesitate to tell me.]

No matter how much I thought about it, HeavenlyDemon was an invaluable connection.

She had shared all of that advice with me without the slightest reservation.

Moreover, she added that it would be better to learn the third formula only after mastering control over both cold and aura.

And, ideally, she recommended waiting until I could use Sword Aura, in other words, Aura Blade.

I agreed with that as well.

‘If I end up becoming stronger in some absurd way again, I’ll be the only one who suffers for it.’

As someone once said, my aura might end up piercing the heavens.

Hoping nothing like that would happen, I returned to practicing my internal cultivation method.

I recited the second formula HeavenlyDemon had taught me and visualized the corresponding image while separating mana from cold.

Shaaaaaa—

The cold slowly began to separate, as if a chemical reaction were taking place.

Following HeavenlyDemon’s instructions, I placed that energy in the center of my internal core.

As if drawing a circle within another circle, I forcibly compressed it.

Psssh—

However, perhaps because it worked in a way similar to Aura Blade, it was far from easy.

Every time I managed to condense it, it would collapse instantly.

Moreover, mana itself flowed through my body as fast as a wave, making even separating it difficult.

‘I can’t give up.’

Aura Blade manifested outside the body.

This was happening inside it.

Compared to that, this should be easier.

Without becoming discouraged, I continued separating the different energies over and over again.

How much time passed?

My efforts finally bore fruit.

Just before lunchtime, I succeeded in forming a tiny sphere of essence, barely the size of a grain.

‘Now, if I want to use the cold…’

All I had to do was touch that essence, and it burst instantly like a balloon.

Reforming it wasn’t difficult either.

I had already walked that path once.

If I continued expanding it little by little, I would eventually be able to use normal aura in everyday life.

Until then, I would have to keep working without aura whenever possible.

‘I can consider it exercise.’

I checked the time.

It was already noon.

Just then, I received a message from StarlightPrincess.

The timing was perfect.

She had promised to inform me of her results before lunch.

This was the right moment.

[WildGrills: What results did you get?]

[StarlightPrincess: First, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?]

[WildGrills: The bad news.]

[StarlightPrincess: It seems that obtaining cold resistance through the Ice Flower is practically impossible. It might be possible if you completely disregard safety, but no matter how much I rack my brain, some kind of risk always appears.]

So, to obtain cold resistance, one had to consume the Ice Flower while accepting considerable danger.

That disappointed me for a moment.

But then a question arose.

‘Then what about the people who did obtain cold resistance? Were they just lucky cases?’

As soon as I thought that, I immediately asked.

[WildGrills: What about the people from ancient times? You said some obtained cold resistance after consuming Ice Flowers, although others died.]

[StarlightPrincess: Do you remember the pufferfish example you mentioned earlier? This is completely different.]

[WildGrills: Different?]

[StarlightPrincess: Yes. Normally, with pufferfish, people discovered which parts were safe through countless attempts. But with the Ice Flower, it was different. They simply ate it.]

[WildGrills: They simply ate it? Then how did they survive?]

StarlightPrincess explained the difference in the most straightforward way possible.

[StarlightPrincess: It would be like a person capable of chewing and swallowing a raw pufferfish without suffering any effects. In other words, they were simply extraordinarily strong people.]

[WildGrills: …]

So only monsters could eat it.