Got a Gallery in the Wild

The deer that had brought the golden apple was treated as a guest, not as part of the family.

After all, the only thing he needed was a warm fire.

So we let him stay in the brick house.

At first, Lackey remained on guard, but it didn’t take him long to lower it.

After all, since he couldn’t use mana, Lackey was fairly weak.

It wasn’t clear whether the deer knew that or if it was simply his carefree nature, but he didn’t seem to care.

And the day after we accepted the deer as our guest.

“Ah…”

I looked at the cave entrance, completely blocked by snow, and let out a sigh.

“It’s here.”

The cold season.

Winter had begun.

***

It hadn’t rained yesterday, but the cold had been so intense that I had already expected this.

That’s why I kept the fireplace burning to prevent the chimney flue from freezing.

Besides, Sloth had been constantly adding firewood, so there was no danger of the fire going out either.

But we couldn’t leave the cave entrance completely buried under snow.

I also had to check on the brick house next door, where the animals lived.

“Mister, aren’t you co…?”

“Rooooonk……”

It turned out Ludwig was still fast asleep.

Maybe it was thanks to the winter coat the dwarves had sent us.

Or perhaps the warmth of the fireplace was simply too comfortable.

Normally, as a proper soldier, Ludwig always got up early.

But he was still snoring.

Although, of course.

It was only six in the morning.

‘Wonmo is already hibernating, but what about Tyran?’

Wonmo had already entered hibernation, his body much fatter and his fur much thicker.

As for Tyran, I had no idea what he would do.

He looked like a reptile, but at the end of the day, he was still a dragon.

Maybe dragons didn’t even need to hibernate.

In any case, the first priority was clearing the snow.

I had built an emergency exit for situations like this.

The exit went through the roof like a chimney and connected to a long shaft.

I had built it in case the snow ever piled up abnormally.

I had even given the roof a slight slope.

The only thing I hadn’t been able to make properly was a lid, so I had to cover it with several layers of cloth.

“Hop.”

I climbed the ladder installed inside the shaft and emerged outside.

The moment I stepped out, a bone-chilling cold greeted me.

And a forest completely blanketed in white.

The same thing had happened the previous winter.

Every time this season arrived, the snow piled up that much.

‘At least the brick house is still standing.’

There was some snow on the roof, but it didn’t seem to have suffered any damage.

Smoke was also rising from the chimney.

That meant Lackey was still keeping the fire going.

Once I’d checked the situation, there was only one thing left to do.

“Mister. Wake up.”

“Mm…”

Ludwig reluctantly got up and came out to help.

When he emerged from the shaft and saw how much snow had accumulated, his eyes widened.

He had never imagined that so much snow could fall in a single night.

But there was no alternative.

I handed him a shovel.

“Let’s get to work.”

“……$%%$#.”

I think he meant something along the lines of.

“Trash falling from the sky.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Why the hell did so much trash have to fall from the sky?

Snow was annoying enough.

But once it froze and turned everything into an ice rink.

That was when the real hell began.

Crackle… Crackle…

As we cleared the snow, we also lit several bonfires here and there.

The only thing left was checking inside the brick house.

The entrance was completely blocked by snow, and since it didn’t have any windows either, it was impossible to see inside from outside.

When we finally managed to get in.

“Rooooonk……”

“……”

Everyone was still fast asleep.

Even the deer who had arrived as a guest.

The fireplace was working wonderfully, because it was pleasantly warm inside.

“Hey. Wake up. Breakfast time.”

“Moo?”

Only then did the animals begin to stir.

The deer also raised his head when he heard me.

But he immediately lowered it again.

He seemed to think that, since he was only a guest, he wouldn’t be getting any food.

“Hey, you. The one with the long neck.”

“Moo?”

“No. Not you.”

Right.

There was someone else with a really long neck.

I wasn’t talking about Largo, but the deer.

The deer looked at me with a slight frown, as if asking why I was calling him.

“Do you want breakfast too? After all, you’re going to spend the whole winter here.”

“……Moo.”

The deer indicated that it wasn’t necessary and lowered his head again.

Then he comfortably settled in to go back to sleep.

Normally, deer and other herbivores sleep with their bodies curled up.

But that deer didn’t even do that.

He was lying completely stretched out, as if he were in the living room of his own house.

‘Well, he says he’ll manage to find food on his own.’

So there was no need to worry about him either.

Besides, that deer didn’t originally live in this area.

Most likely, he had come here solely to spend the winter somewhere warm.

The fact that he had brought a golden apple, something I had never seen before, was proof enough.

“Boss. What’s for breakfast?”

“Boar meat and sweet potatoes.”

Since Wonmo was hibernating, our food reserves were more than sufficient.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, we returned to the cave once again.

During the winter, there was practically nothing to do.

At most, train or go out to gather Ice Flowers.

I would have liked to gain cold resistance from those flowers.

‘But I’m afraid I’ll end up getting another weird ability.’

It would be better to talk about that with StarlightPrincess later.

For now, there was something else I needed to check.

Shine! Shine!

The golden apple the deer had brought the previous night rested in my hand.

It gleamed as though it had been coated in gold leaf.

The legendary golden apple that appeared in so many myths.

It was the size of an ordinary apple.

‘Where on earth did he get something like this?’

Both the honey-filled honeycomb and the golden apple.

Every time that deer visited my shelter, he brought extraordinarily rare items.

I didn’t know whether he possessed some special ability or simply lived near a place where such things were plentiful.

‘First, I should find out what effect it has.’

So I immediately opened the Gallery.

Title) I Got a Golden Apple

WildGrills

(Photo of the deer sleeping peacefully inside the brick house)

(Photo of the shining golden apple)

The same deer who gave me honey last time has now brought me a golden apple.

In exchange, he only wanted to sleep in the brick house.

I accepted, but does anyone know what effect it has? At first glance, it looks incredible.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) It looks like a very delicious apple.

ㄴ Swordmaster) Aren’t golden apples only supposed to exist in myths? I’ve heard that if you eat one, you gain extraordinary abilities.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) What kind of ability?

ㄴ Swordmaster) They usually say they make you younger. Heavenly Demon, you’re from Zhongyuan, aren’t you? You must know about the Herb of Immortality.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) I’ve heard it’s an herb capable of granting eternal life.

ㄴ Swordmaster) In fact, there’s also a theory that the Herb of Immortality is nothing more than a sprout from the tree that bears golden apples.

ㄴ Why do you know so much?

ㄴ Don’t tell me you’re already a certain age…?

ㄴ Swordmaster) Shut up.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Personally, it doesn’t interest me very much. What do you plan to do with it?

ㄴ WildGrills) I’ll eat it first. If I get more in the future, I’ll share them with all of you.

ㄴ AllFather) If it truly is the legendary golden apple, would it be too much to ask for you to at least give me the peel?

ㄴ Here comes the old professor again. LOL.

ㄴ The fact that he’s asking for even the peel shows how serious he is. LOL.

ㄴ Does the peel have effects too?

ㄴ It’s not that it has none.

ㄴ WildGrills) I can give you the peel. Besides rejuvenation, does it have any other effects?

ㄴ AllFather) According to ancient documents, rather than its effects, it’s famous for its symbolic value. When the gods exchanged gifts, golden apples frequently appeared.

So even this world’s myths contained golden apples.

How interesting.

In any case, the best thing to do was eat it.

I would’ve liked to share it with the registered users, but there simply wasn’t enough.

And unlike the golden mushroom, whose effects could be either wonderful or disastrous, this one only seemed to provide benefits.

‘They say an apple in the morning is the best.’

I took out my dagger and slowly began peeling it.

Soon, flesh appeared that shone with an even brighter radiance than the peel itself.

Just looking at it made my mouth water.

Not only did I want to verify its effects, I was also curious about how it tasted.

“Here, have a piece.”

“Thank you.”

“Sloth, you too. Tyran, here.”

“Peep!”

I divided the apple into eight pieces.

I even woke Wonmo from hibernation just to pop a piece into his mouth.

Crunch. Crunch.

“Oh…”

“$%.”

“Peep!”

Sweet.

That was the very first thing I thought after taking my first bite.

There wasn’t even any honey on it, yet an intense sweetness and a wonderful aroma filled my mouth.

Where had the deer found an apple like this?

The curiosity was killing me.

‘I can’t feel any effects.’

Despite the intense radiance it emitted, my mana didn’t seem to have increased by very much.

Then again, my mana reserves were already enormous.

It would be better to check Ludwig’s reaction.

“Mis…”

The moment I looked at Ludwig’s face, I froze.

Because he was so powerful, his affinity with mana was extraordinarily high.

Normally, that slowed down aging.

But he was a soldier.

And one who had survived countless battlefields.

Since he had never experienced a complete bodily transformation, his face still bore many wrinkles and the marks of time.

“…Who are you?”

But now.

The man who had looked like a battle-hardened veteran just moments ago had vanished.

He still had a few wrinkles, but he looked at least ten years younger.

The funny thing was that he kept chewing the apple without noticing anything had changed.

Although at the very least he should have noticed that his body had changed.

“Mister. Look in the mirror.”

“?”

I handed him a mirror.

Ludwig accepted it with a puzzled expression.

But the instant he saw his reflection, his eyes flew wide open.

Then he began touching his face over and over again.

“…Oh.”

That was all he said.

It was obvious he had never expected anything like this.

Then he started stretching, moving his joints, and checking the condition of his body.

Just as his face had grown younger, it seemed his entire body had as well.

His joints moved much more smoothly than before.

‘His legs are still the same.’

That said, his mithril leg remained exactly as it had been.

If Ludwig had grown younger,

what had happened to the other animals?

I checked Sloth first.

“……”

At first glance, I couldn’t find any difference.

The same went for Tyran and Wonmo.

Apparently, those who were still growing or already in the prime of their lives weren’t affected.

‘Or maybe it simply prolongs the period of physical prime?’

Then a thought crossed my mind.

‘What if the deer has been eating these golden apples his whole life?’

He always behaved incredibly calmly despite his youthful appearance.

And he also possessed extraordinary strength.

Perhaps he was much older than I imagined.

I stopped thinking about it for the moment and looked at the remaining pieces.

After sharing the apple with everyone except the deer and the raccoon family.

There was still one final piece left.

‘The deer said he didn’t need it, and the raccoon family turned it down too.’

Who should I give it to?

At that moment, someone came to mind.

A registered user who was especially sensitive about the subject of youth.

Swordmaster.

She’d definitely be happy.

‘Though first I have to send the peel to AllFather.’

After that, I sent Swordmaster a private message.

[Swordmaster: You’re going to give me a piece of the apple?]

[WildGrills: Yes. I happened to have one left over, and it seemed like you wanted it.]

[Swordmaster: When did I ever say that?]

[WildGrills: Wasn’t that the case? Then I’ll give it to someone else.]

[Swordmaster: W-Wait a moment!]

She must have gotten so flustered that she even made a typo.

I couldn’t help smiling.

[Swordmaster: Just so we’re clear beforehand… I’m not some old lady, got it?]

[WildGrills: I would never insult someone who’s helped me so much.]

[Swordmaster: You’re such a good person. Just marry me already.]

[WildGrills: If you’re willing to wait until I manage to get out of here.]

I could now answer those kinds of jokes with a joke of my own.

Swordmaster received the piece of golden apple and thanked me over and over again.

‘Later, I’ll have to ask the deer where he gets these things.’

Perhaps because of the freezing winter cold.

The rest of the day passed without a single incident.

***

Meanwhile, Ash, who had received a piece of the golden apple from Grills.

“…Ah, damn it.”

She let out a curse after discovering the apple’s extraordinary effect.

Why was she complaining if the effect was so good?

One look at her bed was enough to understand.

In truth, Ash already had the appearance of a woman around twenty-five years old, so the golden apple didn’t seem particularly useful to her.

Besides, she had recently consumed the honey Grills had given her, so even her skin had become flawless.

That was why she had eaten the apple simply because she was in a good mood.

Click.

“Huh? What are you doin…?”

The real issue was Ash’s innate talent.

A talent so extraordinary that it seemed like a gift from heaven itself.

Her swordsmanship was astonishing.

But what was truly absurd were her physical abilities.

“…Ash?”

“…Yes. It’s me.”

“…Don’t you look younger?”

Her mother asked in complete bewilderment.

And it was only natural.

Just as a flower is most beautiful the moment it finishes blooming.

A woman’s beauty also reaches its peak when she has just blossomed.

In Ash’s case.

That moment had been when she was exactly eighteen years old.

She clearly remembered receiving countless marriage proposals during that time.

Her mother remembered it just as clearly.

Moreover, since Ash was rather tall for a woman, her beauty stood out even more.

“Yes… well…”

Ash.

Regarded as one of the strongest swordswomen on the continent.

Ended up experiencing an unexpected rejuvenation.

‘Honestly, this isn’t bad at all.’

Unlike at first, she was now completely satisfied.

It wasn’t just that she had become more beautiful.

She had literally grown younger.

‘At this rate, perhaps age will stop mattering altogether.’

And Ash began imagining a rather happy future.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere on the continent, someone was experiencing an unexpected rejuvenation.

“We’re here.”

“Yes…”

The Heroine, Asella.

Had finally arrived at the capital.