Got a Gallery in the Wild

Title) I got an egg.

WildGrills

(Photo of a gigantic egg)

I stole an egg. A turtle showed up in the middle of it and scared me, but somehow I managed to bring it back.

Tonight I’m eating eel and tomorrow I’ll have this for breakfast.

└HeavenlyDemon: You did not kill the turtle?

└WildGrills: I didn’t have time, and it was very strong, so I gave up.

└HeavenlyDemon: I recommend hunting the turtle. They say turtle meat is delicious.

└Swordmaster: Have you tried it before?

└HeavenlyDemon: I once tried something called Yongbongtang, a soup that had turtle in it.

└Swordmaster: Yongbongtang does not use turtle, it uses softshell turtle, woman;;

└Lmaoooo

└I can’t believe it haha

└Though surprisingly a lot of people confuse them, right?

└Yeah, but if you see them there are very obvious differences.

└Every time I see HeavenlyDemon, I seriously feel ignorance overflowing from her in every direction;;

└SmartMind: It cannot be helped. She is someone who devoted herself only to martial arts from a young age. You know what they say, whoever digs only one well reaches greatness.

└Even so, this is too much;;

└DwarfPassingBy: You’re going to eat that?

└WildGrills: Yes. Obviously I have to eat it. It took a lot of effort to get this food.

└DwarfPassingBy: I want to try it. Couldn’t you trade it for good equipment?

└WildGrills: Sorry. Today the giant shark stole my fish, so I have no room to spare.

└DwarfPassingBy: Tch. What a shame. Then get me one later.

└WildGrills: Nope;; That sea is not a sea, it’s a living hell. I barely survived.

└DwarfPassingBy: Tch. What a shame. But if you get the chance, give me one.

└WildGrills: Do eggs go well with alcohol?

└DwarfPassingBy: Egg soup for hangovers.

└WildGrills: ;;;;

└Lmaoooo

└I never thought about using it for hangovers lmao

└Do dwarves need hangover remedies?

└Of course. Otherwise we cannot work.

I returned after exploring that hellish beach.

Octopus tentacles coming out of the sand to wrap around my legs, transforming turtles, lasers fired from mouths.

The forest was already a headache, but the sea was just as bad or even worse. Just thinking about it made me dizzy.

I probably would never go back there. I had no reason to return if I did not plan on crossing the sea.

‘The sea itself is full of things even more dangerous than the land…’

What kind of absurd monsters exist in the sea of the Forest of Four Seasons?

Even just the shark that came up the river already had human arms and legs.

And the turtle could change the shape of its legs depending on the terrain.

I did not even dare imagine what else could exist there.

‘Though most of them seem fairly intelligent.’

Could it really be as AllFather said? Could it be because they went through evolution?

Their intelligence seemed to have increased quite a lot.

Sloth and Wonmo understood what I said surprisingly well.

And the turtle, the moment she saw the egg, frowned with a fierce expression.

Overall, they displayed intelligent behavior far removed from normal animals.

‘……Then what about animals like monkeys or gorillas?’

Don’t tell me they became as intelligent as humans.

It worried me even more because I had heard something while heading toward the sea.

‘Those were definitely monkey sounds.’

That leopard-like animal had been launched out of the forest and fallen into the river.

It was fairly large, yet it got blown away without being able to do anything.

And from inside that forest came noises that sounded like monkey screeches.

“Haa……”

I let out a deep sigh.

I guess sayings like “after one mountain comes another mountain” exist for situations like this.

How the hell am I supposed to get out of this hellish place?

Every bit of common sense I knew is absolutely useless in this forest.

‘Besides, since this is another world, even basic common sense lost its meaning.’

I was practically starting from zero.

Realizing that only now perhaps meant that until this moment, I had been too optimistic.

And was I going to give up because of that?

As I have said many times already, absolutely not.

Even if only out of pride, I will get out of here no matter what it takes.

And then I will point directly at the gods and ask them why, out of all possible places, they threw me into this fucking hell.

What intention they had in bringing someone here who, despite difficulties, had been living just fine.

‘I think I need to modify the plan.’

Now I understood that this place was far crazier than I imagined, so I also needed to change my plans.

Wait for someone to help me?

The only answer to that is the gallery.

After all the posts I made, people feared the Forest of Four Seasons even more.

Even monsters as strong as HeavenlyDemon and Swordmaster reacted saying “what the hell is that forest?”, so that said everything.

In other words, the only way was to escape through my own means.

And for that, I needed to become stronger.

At first glance, it might seem like nothing had changed since the beginning, but there was one difference.

‘This is no longer a starting point, but a shelter. Not just adaptation and survival, but a stable life. And finally…’

The time limit had practically become indefinite.

At first I wanted to escape this forest as quickly as possible, but that changed.

Because the more I rushed, the more it seemed like the Forest of Four Seasons forced me to retreat.

So even if it takes a year, or even more, I have to endure.

I must become strong enough that nothing can harm me.

‘And for that, I’ll have to handle things carefully so the gallery’s support never gets cut off.’

Especially my relationship with the moderator, HeroDontThrowAway.

If I accidentally annoyed him and ended up with a permanent ban, I would be finished.

But even so, I do not want to worship gods. I would not do that even if I died.

‘Since I also cannot lie, I’ll just have to avoid the topic.’

If the moderator brought up faith or religion again, the best option would probably be to avoid the conversation.

While slowly reorganizing the modified plan, I turned my head.

The barricade had a gap because the saber-toothed tiger had destroyed it before.

‘I think I should ask the dwarf about that.’

‘Now that I think about it, I also need to make sure my body does not evolve in a strange direction.’

If, as AllFather suggested, my body was truly evolving little by little to adapt to the Forest of Four Seasons, then I needed to try directing that evolution toward something positive.

For example, greatly increasing the amount of time I practiced the internal circulation method to become more compatible with mana.

Or constantly exercising to encourage a body that developed muscle more easily.

‘Maybe 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, and 100 squats a day would be enough?’

It was training that reminded me of a certain bald character, though with one important difference.

There was no running.

Cardio here was very simple.

You just walked around without thinking, and eventually something attacked you.

Then you had no choice but to breathe desperately to survive.

And because of that, I preferred not to do it.

‘Now that I think about it, StarlightPrincess said she worked out.’

I should ask her later what kind of exercise she used to do.

If she used machines, I was thinking of asking whether she could help me.

Even the auction house sold simple workout equipment.

So I immediately sent her a private message.

Now that the trade restrictions had been removed, it was also possible to talk one-on-one.

[WillGrilds: Hello, StarlightPrincess. Are you there?]

[StarlightPrincess: Hello! What is it?]

As if she had just been browsing the gallery, StarlightPrincess replied immediately.

For a moment, I smiled in satisfaction seeing her so lively again, but I quickly got to the main point.

[WildGrills: Actually, I’ve been thinking about starting to exercise. What kind of exercise do you do, StarlightPrincess?]

[StarlightPrincess: Didn’t you say you didn’t have time to exercise?]

[WildGrills: It’s just that the Forest of Four Seasons turned out to be much more terrifying than I expected. I think I have to assume it’ll take at least a year to escape.]

[StarlightPrincess: A year? It seems your mindset changed. Before, you looked like you wanted to get out as quickly as possible.]

[WildGrills: If I don’t want my mind to break, I have no other choice.]

It was not an empty phrase. It was the truth.

Rigid things are the easiest to break.

That was why I needed to become more flexible, so I would not break so easily.

In my case, I extended the deadline to get rid of despair.

[StarlightPrincess: I see. I understand very well how you feel. But you still have hope, right?]

[WildGrills: If I didn’t have hope, I would’ve hanged myself a long time ago.]

[StarlightPrincess: You did well.]

[StarlightPrincess: No matter the situation, never abandon hope.]

[StarlightPrincess: Just as I was able to recover completely after meeting Mr. Grills, perhaps you will also meet someone who changes your destiny.]

[WildGrills: Thank you for your words.]

[WildGrills: By the way, what exercises do you normally do and how much do you train?]

[StarlightPrincess: Since I haven’t been recovered for very long, I only do basic bodyweight exercises. Sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and lastly, running.]

……Don’t tell me StarlightPrincess is also going to end up becoming that bald guy.

That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I immediately dismissed it.

There was no point thinking nonsense.

[WildGrills: I see.]

[WildGrills: So you don’t use exercise equipment, right?]

[StarlightPrincess: It’s because I’m only just beginning to exercise. You’re a beginner too, aren’t you, Mr. Grills?]

[WildGrills: Not exactly.]

I had already exercised during military service.

The military is a place where you absolutely have to train in order to keep up with the drills.

And since I also lived on a regular schedule, ending up with a good body was inevitable.

Of course, after leaving the service I returned to how I used to be.

But at least those memories still remained.

[StarlightPrincess: Then let’s start together with basic exercises. I’ll even give you protein supplements.]

[WildGrills: You really don’t need to do so much for me;;]

[StarlightPrincess: Don’t you want elixir? Understood.]

[WildGrills: Excuse me?]

[StarlightPrincess: I’m not joking. Elixir is a potion that accelerates regeneration. And muscles…]

Then StarlightPrincess began her long explanation.

She also explained the principle behind how muscles grow stronger.

According to her, muscles become stronger during the regeneration process after being damaged by exercise.

[StarlightPrincess: That’s why the special protein supplement I made greatly accelerates that recovery.]

[StarlightPrincess: What do you think? Isn’t it amazing?]

[StarlightPrincess: It even removes muscle soreness!]

[WildGrills: That sounds really impressive.]

Since I did not understand even half of what she said, I decided to just nod and clap.

From what I understood, she had taken the regenerative ability of the elixir and focused it entirely on muscle recovery.

[StarlightPrincess: So after exercising or training, drink this.]

[StarlightPrincess: You will definitely become stronger.]

[WildGrills: Thank you.]

[WildGrills: I really do nothing but receive help from you.]

[StarlightPrincess: Compared to saving my life, this still is not enough.]

[StarlightPrincess: And Mr. Grills.]

[WildGrills: Go ahead.]

[StarlightPrincess: As I told you before, never abandon hope.]

I silently stared at StarlightPrincess’s words.

Just from our conversation, she had noticed the change in my mental state.

She had probably sensed something.

[StarlightPrincess: Preparing yourself also is not a bad option, instead of simply waiting and doing nothing.]

[StarlightPrincess: But never abandon hope. Seriously.]

[WildGrills: I’ll keep that in mind.]

[StarlightPrincess: Ah. Since we’re talking about it, how about writing a diary?]

[StarlightPrincess: It helped me a lot emotionally.]

[WildGrills: A diary?]

[StarlightPrincess: Yes. A diary is a way of leaving something behind.]

[StarlightPrincess: And it also lets you reflect on yourself.]

[WildGrills: Isn’t writing in the gallery enough?]

[StarlightPrincess: That only shows desires, not who you truly are.]

[StarlightPrincess: I think a diary really shows the person writing it.]

A diary.

I thought about it for a moment.

It was not a bad suggestion, but there was something making me hesitate.

Shortly afterward, I bought a notebook from the auction house and wrote my name.

(Photo of a notebook with the name “Park Jonghyuk” written on it)

[WildGrills: Can you read what it says here?]

[StarlightPrincess: It’s the first time I’ve ever seen those letters.]

[StarlightPrincess: And I know almost every language…]

[StarlightPrincess: What country are they from?]

[WildGrills: They are letters from the country where I lived.]

[WildGrills: So they are characters that do not exist in this world, right?]

[StarlightPrincess: At least I’ve never seen them.]

Tsk. I see. What a shame.

Just as I expected, she did not know Hangul.

Though it would have been stranger if she did know it.

That was why I hesitated so much about writing a diary.

‘But it’s not a bad idea either.’

Now I expected to remain here for a very long time.

And a diary would probably become proof of how long I had endured.

Especially because written records could help me predict things in the future.

Data slowly accumulating to increase my chances of survival.

That does not sound bad.

And it does not matter if nobody else recognizes it.

Because I already have good people around me.

I could simply treat it as a hobby to relieve boredom.

[StarlightPrincess: Uh… Mr. Grills.]

[WildGrills: Yes, go ahead.]

[StarlightPrincess: Don’t get too depressed. I’ll remember you.]

Huh?

What kind of misunderstanding is this person having?