Got a Gallery in the Wild

When a tiger dies, it leaves its skin behind. When a person dies, they leave their name behind.

It is a proverb that expresses human nature, saying that one must accomplish great deeds in life in order to leave behind a brilliant name for future generations.

Humans possess the greatest intelligence among all animals, but as living beings they still retain their basic instincts.

One of them is the desire to leave something behind.

Whether it is children, a name, or achievements.

It is not for nothing that so many people live and die for “honor.”

Because depending on their honor, it determines how great the name they leave behind to future generations will be.

That is how strong the human desire to leave a legacy behind truly is.

And diaries also fit within that.

Even if they seem childish, they are one of the deepest hobbies that exist.

People write diaries for many reasons, but in the end they all become acts of “leaving records behind.”

Especially the diaries left by great figures possess immense academic value, to the point of changing history itself.

But even the diaries of ordinary people cannot be considered worthless.

Because even if they seem insignificant at first glance, they contain an entire life within them.

Through those diaries, one can gain wisdom or use them as lessons.

They possess enough value on their own.

‘……Did I say something unnecessary?’

Hair and skin as white as snow.

A cold and elegant beauty.

Selena, the woman who had regained her vitality thanks to Grills’s help after suffering from an incurable illness, felt uneasy.

Her expression remained as cold as always, but the trembling in her eyes clearly reflected her emotions.

‘What if Mr. Grills got hurt by what I said?’

Selena understood Grills’s situation very well.

A certain death and a death that could come at any moment.

There was a subtle difference between the two, but they shared something in common.

Both were close to death.

Now, thanks to Grills’s help, she had completely escaped the fear of dying, but that did not mean that fear had disappeared.

On the contrary.

She knew better than anyone how terrifying death could be.

That feeling of thinking you might lose your sanity at any moment.

Although the fear had gradually faded once she reached the stage of “acceptance,” she still remembered that feeling clearly.

‘People in situations like Mr. Grills’s usually start writing diaries when they enter the stage of acceptance…’

Writing a diary is something good.

Leaving something behind already has meaning in itself.

But people who are close to “death” normally begin writing diaries once they have reached acceptance.

Quietly waiting for death or preparing for it, without knowing when it will come.

It is something fairly common.

And, from the outside, it looks very much like a final act of resistance.

‘Did he really come from another world?’

The problem was Grills.

Selena carefully observed the photograph he had sent.

The image of a notebook with unknown characters written on it.

Even she, who had mastered numerous foreign languages, had never seen such a language before.

No matter how remote a country may be, languages usually share similarities.

It can be considered a kind of dialect.

But what Grills showed was not a dialect.

It was an entirely new writing system.

‘If he really came from another world, then even if Mr. Grills leaves behind a diary, there will not be a single person capable of understanding it.’

Diaries are embarrassing things to show to others.

But ironically, they are also born from the desire for someone to understand you.

If someone truly wished to completely hide their secrets, they would simply keep them in their heart instead of writing them down.

Selena had also written diaries with those same feelings.

Even after recovering, she still reread them from time to time.

‘How sad and miserable it must be.’

A legacy that nobody will recognize.

No.

A legacy that nobody will be able to understand.

The only traces Grills could leave behind were his posts in the gallery.

If at least it were a language she knew, perhaps she could have received his diaries.

But because he came from another world, even if she received them she would not be able to decipher them.

‘The best option would be for Mr. Grills to teach me his writing system, but…’

Would someone struggling to survive have time for something like that?

Of course not.

Death was approaching Grills every hour.

Even today he had written in the gallery that he almost died again.

‘Mr. Grills helped me out of pure goodwill. I also must repay him somehow.’

Selena reflected.

How could she preserve his legacy in the best possible way?

Beyond the saying about not losing hope, one must always prepare for everything.

Sometimes she sent him elixirs or delicious snacks, but that still was not enough.

‘……Yes. I’ll do this.’

After a long yet brief reflection, Selena made a decision.

‘I will copy all of Mr. Grills’s post history in the gallery. And I will also record his actions.’

The gallery’s records are not eternal.

Just as the dead no longer speak, the gallery also deletes the records of the dead.

If all of a user’s posts disappear, it means that person died.

And if Grills’s records disappeared, it would mean exactly the same thing.

‘If I cannot help him directly, then at least I will make sure his death is not meaningless by recording it.’

It was the only thing she could do.

Selena once again lamented the insufficiency of her own abilities.

She had tried to analyze the Forest of Four Seasons mathematically, but she could only reach one conclusion.

Impossible.

That thought had arisen after seeing the video of the ocean flowing into the river.

‘So that the people lost in the Forest of Four Seasons will not die in vain.’

Grills’s survival records might someday become an invaluable resource for other people trapped in the forest.

Thinking that, Selena began reviewing the traces Grills had left behind.

The very first post he had made.

Grills’s completely confused message after suddenly appearing in the Forest of Four Seasons.

‘So he was already suffering even back then…’

The fact that he had been chased by a pack of Mad Dogs immediately after helping HeavenlyDemon.

Then the appearance of the Guardian.

How he almost lost an arm after being bitten by a Mad Dog, but managed to survive thanks to Swordmaster’s help.

And even the record of when he found an adult Mandrake and she was able to recover completely because of it.

Even though only ten days had passed, countless events had already occurred.

So many that simply organizing his actions required quite a lot of time.

‘I should also write about the fixed users…’

Because it was a gallery, there were far too many peculiar people.

Parasites… no, idiots… no, morons…

For now, she decided to exclude the anonymous users with human forms.

Although sometimes they gave important information or taught useful things, like how to prepare fish.

Aside from a few relevant cases, most of the anonymous users only left ridiculous comments.

‘The death battle against the saber-toothed tiger and the heart with the same structure as a Dragon Heart…’

The more she thought about it, the more this idea arose in her mind.

How on earth had Grills managed to survive in a hellish forest like that?

Even with the gallery’s help, the Forest of Four Seasons was a place where even the truly strong could not endure.

It was enough to look at the gallery history to see all kinds of dangerous beasts appearing one after another.

‘He must have exceptional combat sense.’

It was not for nothing that HeavenlyDemon and Swordmaster had taken an interest in him.

His talent was extraordinary.

But the most surprising thing was the intelligence he displayed in the gallery.

When dealing with DwarfPassingBy or the anonymous users, he spoke like a complete delinquent, but with the fixed users he was incredibly polite.

Even though the gallery was based on anonymity, there was a courtesy and kindness that he could not hide.

That was what caught Selena’s attention the most.

‘What exactly did Mr. Grills do before arriving here?’

He displayed astonishing adaptability.

He had even already built a base.

And even more interesting was the resentment he felt toward the gods.

In truth, it would be strange if someone in Grills’s situation did not resent the gods.

But his was not a simple complaint.

The seriousness he conveyed bordered on blasphemy.

‘And even so, he still keeps fighting to live.’

The deeper she looked into him, the stranger he seemed.

And his actions were just as strange.

Selena slowly continued recording Grills’s actions while writing in the book.

‘From what has been revealed so far…’

Kindness to repay kindness.

Absolute coldness to cut ties the instant someone betrayed him.

Courtesy as a foundation, but enough familiarity to casually swear with people he trusted.

A sense of justice that respected order even in desperate situations.

But also the intelligence to discreetly manipulate that order whenever there was a valid reason.

That was the personality of Grills that could be seen through his gallery records.

‘He definitely said he was an orphan, so what kind of life did he live to end up with a personality like this?’

Orphans inevitably grow up with certain deficiencies.

It was not discrimination.

It was simply something natural.

Everything they were originally supposed to receive from their parents disappears, making them more influenced by their environment than anyone else.

That is why orphans often develop defensive mechanisms and rough personalities.

Even though Grills argued with the dwarf, he did not show any roughness.

He was surprisingly normal.

‘Though maybe it is only because this is a gallery…’

Perhaps everything was the result of careful calculations.

But that possibility seemed very low.

Because if that were the case, it would have shown.

‘And if that were true, he never would have helped HeavenlyDemon.’

Selena slowly continued writing the record about Grills.

She did not know what would become of those records in the future, but she was certain they would have a great impact.

Especially in research related to the Forest of Four Seasons.

Knock knock—

“Princess. It’s Mary. May I come in?”

Just as she was reviewing the gallery and organizing the records, Mary called from outside.

At that, Selena closed the book for a moment.

She still had no intention of showing it to anyone.

“Come in.”

Creeeak—

When Selena gave permission, the door slowly opened.

And the one who appeared behind it was Mary, the maid who had remained by her side until the very end.

Mary respectfully bowed her waist and greeted her.

“What is it?”

“The duchess said that…”

“You will soon have to call her mother. Don’t you think that sounds too formal?”

“M-my lady?”

Selena’s words startled Mary, causing her to quickly raise her head.

Selena’s face remained completely expressionless.

It even conveyed a certain coldness.

“You will soon be adopted as her daughter. So you should start getting used to it.”

“B-but how could I possibly…!”

“You must.”

“Y-yes!”

Unlike the warm atmosphere of the gallery, the Selena of the real world still used a cold tone.

She could not help it.

The incurable illness had gradually erased even her emotions.

Although lately she had improved quite a lot.

Selena rose from her seat.

The duchess—in other words, her future mother—had called for her, so she had to go.

Before, she would have needed a wheelchair.

But now she could proudly walk on her own two legs.

“Mary.”

“Yes?”

“Take my hand. Let’s go together.”

“B-but…!”

“It’s a request from your sister.”

“Y-yes!”

Well, it would still take a long time before Mary truly felt close to her.

Selena began walking while affectionately holding Mary’s hand.

Before, human warmth had always felt unbearably scorching to her.

But now it only felt soft and warm.

It no longer burned at all.

‘Please let Mr. Grills not lose hope.’

Selena silently whispered to herself.

***

At the same time, Grills, who had decided to start writing a diary.

“Wow.”

He let out an exclamation while looking at the diary he had written as a test.

His expression even showed admiration.

Even if nobody else would acknowledge it, it did not matter.

It was enough to use it as a kind of database or encyclopedia.

But then an unexpected problem appeared.

“My writing skills got stuck at elementary school level.”

His writing was unbelievably terrible.

No, it was far worse than simply “bad.”

So bad that even he himself was shocked when reading it.

I tried to steal a turtle egg. Then the turtle mom appeared. The turtle mom transformed into a land turtle and shot a laser at me. I got scared.

That was more or less the format.

It truly could be considered an “objective” diary.

Grills carefully reviewed the diary he had written and then shrugged.

‘Well, nobody’s going to see it anyway.’

Unlike everyone else’s concerns, he remained incredibly positive.