Got a Gallery in the Wild

‘I’ll win it back.’

It was a phrase used not only by hardened gamblers, but in many other situations as well.

In fact, it suited people who dreamed of getting rich in one stroke more than true gambling addicts.

“Ah, seriously. Just trust Lackey this once. You know he’s strong too, right?”

“……”

As soon as I wagered three Bigu Pills, Sloth stared at me intently.

He was only staring at me, but it was absolutely terrifying.

“It’s only three, three. If we win, we’ll get a whole lot more Bigu Pills!”

“……”

“If Lackey loses, I promise I’ll never bet again.”

After my desperate attempts to persuade him, Sloth finally accepted the wager.

That said, the arena only opened from noon until just before sunset.

So what did I do until then?

I trained for a while and browsed the Gallery.

Title) Arnold, the New Emperor of the Messiah Empire

(Video of Emperor Arnold greeting the crowd from an open-top carriage.)

(Photo of Emperor Arnold receiving flowers from a child.)

(Photo of Emperor Arnold giving a speech.)

Starting today, a new sun has risen for the Empire.

ㄴLook at him, he’s so handsome. He’s a sun in another sense too. LOL.

ㄴYou’d better not even think about exercising. This is a warning.

ㄴWhat exercise is an emperor going to do? He’ll be busy processing documents every day. LOL.

ㄴBut why is he alone? The previous emperor had someone by his side.

ㄴBecause Emperor Robert married young. As far as I know, Arnold still isn’t married.

ㄴHe’s not married at that age? Could it be that…?

ㄴDon’t start with that nonsense. He had a fiancée, but their engagement was broken off.

ㄴTheir engagement was broken off?? With the Crown Prince?

ㄴYes. I think it was Lady Mercedes. Anyway, they say the engagement was canceled because she was gravely ill.

ㄴCould that be a lie?

ㄴNo. Among the nobility, it was an open secret that she was on the verge of death.

The images that appeared in the Gallery usually showed exactly what the person who posted them was seeing.

In other words, they were practically real photographs.

And that meant the incredibly handsome man in those pictures had to look exactly the same in person.

‘He’s ridiculously handsome.’

The stereotypical Western heartthrob.

Rather than looking masculine, he possessed a refined kind of beauty.

It would have been nice to be born with a face like that.

‘…Although it would be useless in the forest.’

Before falling into the Four Seasons Forest, I probably would have had a very comfortable life.

But here, that meant nothing.

Your face didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered was your physical ability.

Even so, I still felt a little envious.

Women probably lined up for him.

I was about to leave a comment, but decided against it.

There was no point.

Title) Ash Also Attended the Succession Ceremony

(Photo of Ash wearing her uniform.)

(Photo of Ash looking directly at the person who posted it.)

(Photo of Ash smiling with a mischievous grin.)

(Video of Ash walking toward the Imperial Palace.)

Is this woman really over thirty years old? She looks like she’s barely in her twenties.

ㄴSeriously, she’s gorgeous. If she hadn’t been so picky, she’d have been married a long time ago.

ㄴIs Ash still single?

ㄴYes. But it’s not that she couldn’t get married; she simply didn’t want to.

ㄴShe says she won’t marry a man weaker than herself. LOL.

ㄴWhat a waste of such a beautiful face. LOL.

ㄴMore than her face, I think she’s actually pretty tall.

ㄴYeah. She must be almost as tall as the average man.

ㄴWhy is her skin so beautiful? Does she take really good care of it?

ㄴShe doesn’t need to. It takes care of itself. After all, she’s a Swordmaster.

At last, I got to see Ash’s face, which I had always been curious about.

Just as the rumors said, she really was beautiful.

Whenever you searched for her name in the Gallery, you could barely find any photographs.

There were only a mountain of rumors.

They said she almost never left her house.

That was why there were so few pictures of her.

‘The uniform looks great on her too. But her skin?’

I looked closely at her skin.

It was so smooth and radiant that it practically glowed.

Then I realized why it looked familiar.

It was very similar to mine.

That had to be the effect of the honey I ate yesterday.

It was almost like taking a rejuvenation medicine.

Although I had no idea how long the effect would last.

‘Hmm whatever. Better not overthink it.’

Even if that registered user I always talked to turned out to be Ash, so what?

The world was huge, and she was a swordswoman of tremendous prestige within the Messiah Empire.

She probably took constant care of her skin.

And if not.

Maybe her body simply maintained it that way.

Title) Didn’t They Say Selena Had an Incurable Disease?

(Video of Selena getting out of the carriage.)

(Video of Selena drawing the attention of a crowd.)

(Video of Selena waving to the people.)

(Photo of Selena with her usual expressionless face.)

(Photo of Selena 2.)

(Photo of Selena 3.)

She came to the succession ceremony. What the hell is going on?

ㄴDamn… She’s unbelievably beautiful. Is she an elf?

ㄴNot even elves are that beautiful.

ㄴShe literally glows. LOL.

ㄴEveryone’s only looking at her face. LOL.

ㄴWouldn’t you stare too if someone that beautiful showed up?

ㄴThey say people in her territory have been saying she’s improved tremendously lately. Judging by the color of her complexion, she seems to have made a complete recovery.

ㄴWasn’t she extremely thin before? She only had a pretty face; her body was incredibly frail.

ㄴI studied with her at the Academy. She was so thin it looked like she’d break if you so much as touched her.

ㄴNow she’s just filled out a lot more. LOL.

ㄴCan a person really change that much?

ㄴBy the way, why did the person who posted this take so many pictures?

ㄴBecause she’s beautiful.

ㄴOkay, I’ll buy that.

ㄴLook at them all saying, ‘I’ll buy that.’ LOL.

Perhaps because the ceremony brought together so many people.

As more and more nobles arrived, more and more different faces began appearing in the Gallery.

And among them all, the one who stood out the most was, without a doubt, Selena.

Ash also had white hair, but hers had a faint bluish tint.

Selena’s, on the other hand, was a completely pure white.

And her skin was as white as snow, making it impossible not to compare her to everyone else.

‘But her skin too…?’

Selena’s skin also glowed in a very unusual way.

And on top of that, she was said to have suffered from an incurable disease.

Putting those two things together.

I couldn’t help thinking of StarlightPrincess.

She had also suffered from the Nine Yin Severed Meridian before being cured thanks to my help.

‘Although I guess that doesn’t really matter either.’

After all, StarlightPrincess was an extremely important person to me.

She was the one who constantly supplied me with elixirs.

If I said something unnecessary and ended up offending her, I’d be the only one who suffered.

Besides, I only had suspicions.

I had no proof.

And even if I went around the entire Gallery spreading those theories, hardly anyone would believe me.

I continued reading the posts about the succession ceremony while checking the time.

It was almost the perfect time to have lunch and head to the arena.

“Haa!”

“Kyuuu!”

“Haa!”

“Kyuu!”

I got up and saw Lackey and Wonmo practicing straight punches.

He wasn’t teaching me anything, but he was teaching Wonmo.

I felt a strange mix of emotions, but decided to let it go, thinking that, after all, animals understood each other.

Besides, watching Wonmo throw those tiny punches with his adorable little arms was just too cute.

At this rate, I might even have to teach him an internal energy cultivation method too.

“It’s time to go.”

“Kyuu!”

“……”

After finishing all our preparations, we headed toward the arena.

Sloth didn’t seem happy at all that we were betting the Bigu Pills, but he ended up accepting it.

We finally arrived at the arena.

Just like the previous day, two kangaroos were guarding the entrance.

“Puo.”

Unlike yesterday, they let us in without any trouble.

I thanked them briefly and went inside.

As soon as I crossed the entrance, I could already feel the lively atmosphere.

“Puoooooo!”

“Uoooooo!”

A kangaroo celebrated with both arms raised while the other kangaroos in the stands responded with cheers.

Shortly afterward, the victor disappeared alongside a female.

Even though I already knew this happened every summer during mating season, it still felt ridiculous every time I saw it.

‘Today’s participants…’

But the important part was the tournament contestants.

I turned my head toward the VIP area.

All kinds of competitors were there, including bears.

Even the deer was there.

I didn’t know whether they’d come simply because they were bored or for some other reason.

“Lackey, take these Bigu Pills and sit over there.”

“Understood.”

“If anyone gets upset when they see the pills, give each of them one.”

Just in case the animals were displeased by the wager, I even gave him a few pills for them to try.

Naturally, I could feel the fierce gaze of Sloth, who was still clinging to my back, but I pretended it didn’t exist.

Lackey walked over to where the participants had gathered.

Then he placed the Bigu Pills alongside the other prizes.

Maybe it was because a new competitor had appeared.

Or maybe because he’d only wagered three Bigu Pills.

“Grrr.”

“Snort.”

The bear and the deer made their displeasure abundantly clear.

As soon as Lackey saw their reaction, he did exactly what I’d told him.

He handed one Bigu Pill to each animal.

At first, they all looked confused.

But the moment they tasted them, their attitudes changed completely.

“Kuooo? Kuooooo!”

“Snort…?!”

Not just the bear.

Even the deer, who always maintained a cold and distant attitude, opened his eyes wide.

It seemed that, to the animals of the Four Seasons Forest, Bigu Pills were something like processed food.

And exceptionally high-quality processed food at that.

Would it be something like chocolate?

In any case, betting the Bigu Pills was no longer a problem.

Now all that remained was for Lackey to win.

Title) Lackey Enters the Arena

WildGrills

(Photo of Lackey sitting in the VIP section.)

Everyone cheer for Lackey.

This guy is taking home the prize.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) He doesn’t look out of place at all. It’s like he belonged there from the beginning.

ㄴWhat did you bet?

ㄴWildGrills) Bigu Pills.

ㄴAnd Sloth didn’t say anything?

ㄴWildGrills) He looked at me like he wanted to kill me. So we have to win no matter what.

ㄴWhat if Lackey loses on purpose?

ㄴWildGrills) Then I’ll fry him with electricity. LOL.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Looks like there’ll be betting again today! This time I’ll earn tons of points!

ㄴKingLeor) You still have points left? Didn’t you lose them all yesterday?

ㄴDemonPrincess) I still have 100 points left! I’ll get rich with these!

ㄴKingLeor) Don’t come asking me for emergency relief later. ;;

ㄴDemonPrincess) Even if I did, I’d never ask you!

ㄴI hope those two go bankrupt together. LOL.

ㄴYeah, that would be absolutely hilarious. LOL.

ㄴSunForEver) Hmm. I think I’ll start by calmly betting 1,000 points.

ㄴHow many damn points do you have? ;;

ㄴSunForEver) 1,000 points. LOL.

ㄴDamn. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

ㄴThis guy is completely insane. LOL.

ㄴSunForEver) Only those who possess the heart of a beast can become rich.

With the arena now open, the users also prepared their bets.

And so, the tournament began.

“Snort.”

“Guaaaaah…”

“No… this…”

Lackey was utterly crushed by the deer.

I couldn’t believe what I’d just witnessed.

I never imagined he’d lose to a deer, even without being able to use mana.

‘No, wait. It defeated the bear. Could it be that the deer is absurdly strong?’

Just looking at those enormous, magnificent antlers, I could understand its power.

From the very beginning, it looked like the ruler of an entire territory.

Even so, I never imagined Lackey would lose so overwhelmingly.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Noooooooo!!! My points!!! My points!!!

ㄴKingLeor) Stuff that damn gorilla immediately!

ㄴSunForEver) If you’re going to stuff him, give him to me. I’ll sell him to recover my money.

ㄴHere come all the people who lost betting on Lackey. LOL.

ㄴNow I understand why gladiator owners get so furious. LOL.

The Gallery also began filling up with people who had suffered massive losses after betting on Lackey.

And, to make matters worse.

Sloth’s gaze was even more terrifying than before.

‘…I’d better head back.’

I returned to the shelter with Lackey, who was still dazed.

After taking that brutal hit from the deer’s antlers, it took him quite a while to regain his senses.

“Can you walk?”

“Ugh… He… is… strong…”

The fact that Lackey admitted someone was strong was a statement in itself.

And he was visibly frustrated.

Even though he hadn’t been able to use mana, it was still a humiliating defeat.

At least he’d made it to the semifinals or something like that.

I suppose that was some consolation.

‘As long as that deer keeps competing, we’d better not enter again.’

I couldn’t think of any way to defeat it.

And I couldn’t remove Lackey’s limiter either.

It would be best to just watch.

Thinking that, we were heading back to the shelter when.

“Huh?”

We were already close.

Then I saw something strange.

A yellow figure was sticking up among the tall trees.

What the hell was that?

Had another strange animal come to visit us?

With that question in mind, I finally reached the shelter.

“……”

“……”

And then we came face to face.

With whom?

With the Holy Knight riding a giraffe.

His armor was so filthy that parts of it were even dented.

And he looked absolutely miserable.

Just looking at his face, I could imagine how much he’d suffered all this time.

“……@#$”

Thunk!

He muttered something incomprehensible, then collapsed to the ground.

When he fell from the giraffe’s back, the impact echoed loudly.

Startled, I immediately ran over to him.

I was happy to have finally met another person.

The last thing I wanted was to end up dealing with a corpse.

“A-Are you okay?! Wake up!”

“$%@#%”

I couldn’t understand a single word he was saying.

Just as I was starting to panic.

Grrrrrrrrr.

A deafening rumble came from the Holy Knight’s stomach.

It was so loud and so clear that I couldn’t help feeling awkward.

The Holy Knight barely opened his eyes and muttered softly.

“$%#%”

I couldn’t understand his words.

But I thought I understood what he meant.

‘I’m hungry.’