Gallery 14 - Dumpster

I Gained a Gallery in the Wild - Eps 14 Mandrake (1)

There are quite a few cases of getting a sore back from digging. Digging itself demands brutal labor.

Without know-how, moving properly the next day is impossible. Fortunately, I've been to the military.

I was lucky that I had some know-how, otherwise I would have been unable to move all day.

‘Don’t they have pain patches here?’

I connected to the gallery while caressing my knotted muscles. Wondering if something like a pain patch existed.

Too bad, I couldn't see any sign of pain patches. Probably limited by the era.

Instead, I posted asking for muscle pain remedies.

---

Title: What's good for muscle pain?

Author: WildGrills

Got a stiff back yesterday from digging

---

ㄴ SwordMaster) Mana cultivation techniques are good for muscle pain

ㄴ WildGrills) Mana cultivation isn't some miracle cure ;;

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) You seemst not to understand. Internal energy technique, basically breathing exercises, do help with muscle pain.

ㄴ WildGrills) Isn't there any herbal medicine besides that?

ㄴ SwordMaster) Usually it’s best to just let muscle pain run its course. If you treat it with medicine, you won’t build as much muscle.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) This is knowledge This One hears for the first time. Art thou certain?

(D: Tried this way of speaking. Might try to use it once or twice.)

ㄴ SwordMaster) Maybe? I have a constitution that gets stronger just by breathing

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Similar to This One’s constitution

ㄴ WildGrills) What the ;;

ㄴ Basement-dwelling gallery nerds spouting nonsense lolol

ㄴ Does that kind of constitution even exist?

ㄴ If it did, some country would snatch them right up

ㄴ lmao

I wish I had such a constitution too. I sighed.

In the end, I'll have to endure the muscle pai. It’s not so bad I can’t move at all, so I’ll just deal with it.

Today’s work would suck, though. If I push further, my urine might turn cola-colored tomorrow.

'Muscle pain aside, I just want to wash up.'

Not bathing for three days is making me feel grimy. Especially my face, it’s so oily it’s practically dripping.

But I can’t risk going to the stream. A shower isn’t worth dying for.

At least the forest is cool and not too humid. Jungle would've been the worst.

'Let's buy water first. It's a shame, but can't be helped.'

Maintaining minimal hygiene is key to avoiding serious health issues. I at least need to wash my hands.

I bought a large quantity of water from the gallery auction house. Though the money was regrettable, there was no choice until finding another river.

They included a bucket with the water, but I decided to test the quality before using it.

'At least it's from the auction house, so it should be trustworthy.'

Fortunately, it's ordinary waters just as the reviews said. And water drawn from a well, at that.

I used it to wash my face, hands, and feet, and also rinsed any sweaty spots thoroughly.

During this process, I also used soap, following yesterday's advice by using soap with almost no fragrance.

After a quick rinse, I dried off with a towel from the auction

It wasn’t a full shower, but I already felt so much refreshed.

Crunch— Crunch—

"Ugh… bitter. So bitter."

Breakfast followed. Chewing the disgustingly bitter byeokgokdan grain pills made my face naturally scrunch.

What's truly remarkable about this byeokgokdan is that despite merely chewing a few pills, there's almost no sense of hunger.

As HeavenlyDemon said, they must be loaded with all sorts of beneficial herbs, so I don’t even feel hungry.

Of course, given the small quantity, I didn’t expect to feel full. Still, it was satisfying enough.

'In my position, meat is a luxury.'

I should be grateful no carnivores have stumbled into this cave yet.

After I finished my breakfast, I peeked into the bag of byeokgokdan.

There was still a decent amount left, but it wouldn’t last much longer.

I could ask HeavenlyDemon, but since it's made with precious herbs, that would be nothing but an imposition.

'I can't rely on the gallery. I have to keep this in mind.'

Normally you can’t access the gallery in the Forest of Four Seasons. I’m an exception for some unknown reason.

In other words, I don't know when gallery access might become impossible.

I need to prepare capabilities for that time. I remind myself of this every day.

'Today, I’ll head in the opposite direction of the river.'

That’s the direction where I left the Mad Dog corpse and saw the Owlbear.

Because of the Owlbear, I hadn’t dared set foot there for a while.

But not anymore. I need to take risks to raise the possibility of escape even by 0.01%.

My plan was to establish a safe zone starting from this area, but I have absolutely no intention of living as a complete naturalist.

The very act of choosing to live here was the worst choice from the beginning. Even if it took time, I still held onto hope for escape.

'I'll bring the sword and shield.'

I didn't bring the crossbow. It’s too bulky and less useful than a sword in emergencies.

Especially since reloading takes forever, which could be a fatal flaw.

Moreover, I need to practice the basic swordsmanship SwordMaster posted. I've been carefully studying it whenever I have time.

‘When defending, move your left foot forward…’

Before setting out to explore, I checked my stance first. Sword-and-shield warriors excel in balance.

The sturdiness of the shield provides immense stability, so there’s little risk of being overwhelmed in momentum.

I’ve heard that shields were so overpowered that even in ancient gladiatorial times, they sometimes banned them.

'Let's go.'

I stepped outside the cave with a slight tension. The half-dug hole from yesterday remained at the cave entrance.

Guess I’ll have to keep digging after exploring. Just imagining it was dreadful.

But I can't not do it either. Being alone is truly sad.

---

Title: Exploration time

WildGrills

(Photo showing me holding a sword and shield, looking into the forest)

Today, I’m heading in the opposite direction of the river.

For reference, it’s where the Owlbear came out

---

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Isn’t that dangerous? You have plenty of Byeokgokdan, wouldn’t it better to master the internal energy technique first

ㄴ SwordMaster) HeavenlyDemon is right. How about training inside first and then going?

ㄴ Starlight Princess) You're not really becoming a mayfly, are you...?

ㄴ Manse the Sun) It'll be a bit much if you die after I gave you a shield

ㄴ Passing Dwarf) My crossbow is weeping, weeping....

ㄴ WildGrills) Can't everyone cheer me on...? I'll run away as soon as Owlbear appears.

ㄴ Looking glum lololol

ㄴ But we're genuinely worried so can't help it lolz

ㄴ That just means you have a lot of interest yeye

ㄴ The gallery will be sad if you die

Like they said in the comments, it’s nice that so many people care. . Maybe that’s why people stick to the gallery?

But unlike genuine attention-seekers, I’m in a situation where I desperately need human interaction.

If I didn't have the gallery, how would I have survived from loneliness?

'No, I would've died to Mad Dog.'

With that thought, I moved toward the area where the Owlbear had appeared before.

When I arrived at the place where I had dumped out the Mad Dog’s corpse, it was surprisingly clean.

A few bones, bits of flesh, and some of the head were left, but it looked far better than leaving it to rot.

If the Owlbear hadn't taken care of it, maggots and insects would've swarmed and spread a terrible rotting stench.

'Still, I won't get too close.'

Using the Mad Dog’s remains as a landmark, I veered to the right where the trees were packed densely.

Open spaces are somewhat dangerous, as there's a high probability I couldn't escape if I encountered an Owlbear.

Of course, considering its house-sized bulk, it could probably bulldoze through trees, but I needed every bit of survival advantage I could get.

'There are quite a lot of trees.'

As I pushed through the trees, I made sure to mark my path with my sword.

If anything felt off, I planned to turn back immediately without hesitation.

This place shifts around as chaotically as my life, so I have to be extra careful.

"Heup. Huh?"

Once I got through the thicket, I came upon an open clearing.

It was quite a large clearing, completely overgrown with weeds.

'...Maybe a boss monster will appear?'

In games, boss mobs tend to pop out in places like this. Just in case, I started backing toward the trees.

I needed to be careful as the location could change suddenly.

After observing the surroundings, I realized that the place was unlikely to shift.

Looking at the trees surrounding the clearing, it seems this place is just unique.

Looking at the trees standing around the open space, this place just seemed unique.

‘Why? Why is this spot so distinct?’

Even if it’s not unnatural, the boundary is really obvious. Keeping my guard up, I inspected the grass.

Looking closely, they weren't weeds but plants bearing fruit. Bright red berries like wild raspberries.

I didn't think about eating them since they might be poisonous. Instead, I took photos and posted on the gallery.

---

Title: Does anyone know what this is?

Author: WildGrills

(Photo of plants bearing raspberry-like fruit)

Does anyone know what this is? There's a ton of them here.

---

ㄴ Isn’t that a raspberry?

ㄴ Looks like a radish than a raspberry? The leaves look like that

ㄴ Do radishes even have fruits?

ㄴ They do, but these look a bit different

Most users thought it was a radish. To be honest, it does look like a radish.

It seems radishes do bear fruit after all. Then maybe I could pull one out?

AllFather) Oh? You shouldn't pull it out carelessly. My guess is it might be a mandrake.

ㄴ WildGrills) What's a mandrake?

ㄴ AllFather) It's a plant that screams when its root is pulled. earing the scream won’t kill you, but it’ll cause severe hearing damage.

ㄴ Doesn’t hearing the scream kill you?

ㄴ I thought so too

ㄴ AllFather) That’s a misconception. A mandrake’s scream induces a temporary confusion state, but it doesn’t cause death.

ㄴ So where did the story about dying come from?

ㄴ AllFather) Because of human greed. Mandrakes are extremely rare plants. People often kill each other while trying to obtain them. Most cases are excused because of the induced confusion state.

ㄴ Whoa that’s scary

ㄴ Humans are scarier ;;

ㄴ Classic human behavior

ㄴ Why are you suddenly bringing up humans now?

ㄴ Whenever something like this happens, it’s always humans lol

ㄴ Fuck this racist bastard

Anyway, if you yank the root out, it’ll just be a bit noisy and not lethal.

But hearing damage would be troublesome, so preparation is necessary.

ㄴ For real though. You think mandrakes are weeds? lol

ㄴ It's the Forest of the Four Seasons. Could be real

ㄴ It's not too late to judge after they pulls it out

ㄴ If it’s a mandrake, that’s a jackpot

ㄴ WildGrills) Are mandrakes expensive?

ㄴ You call that a question ;; It's one of the main ingredients for elixirs

ㄴ Harvesting is so damn tough, so if you put it up on the auction house, it'll be a mess?

ㄴ AllFather) (A rough photo of a plant) (A rough photo of a human-shaped root)

ㄴ AllFather) This will help you compare.

Amidst the back-and-forth debate, AllFather posted photos. I compared those photos with the plant.

The outside looked the same, but the fruit was different. The photos showed green fruit, while mine are red.

'Are the berries ripened?'

Just in case, I bought earplugs from the auction house. Similar to Earth's.

They say it’s the kind used by the military, but who knows. As long as they block the ears tightly, that's all that matters.

Since the root was close to human form, identifying wouldn't be difficult.

ㄴ WildGrills) Can I just pull it out? There won't be any sound, right?

ㄴ AllFather) If you're prepared, just pull it cleanly like you would a radish.

ㄴ WildGrills) k

Basically, just give it a solid tug. I got right to it.

With earplugs on, I should be fine even with the screams. It even says in the description that it blocks even the sound of cannons.

Might be slightly exaggerated. But reviews seem convincing.

After exhaling a tense breath, I pulled with all my might.

"Heuaaap.... tah!"

Ssuuk!

I felt a slight jolt in the middle, but managed to pull it up without much trouble. I immediately checked the root.

The gallery said that mandrakes have a human form.

Not a complete human form, but a shape close to human.

"Huh?"

But the one I pulled out was even more unusual. If I had to describe it more precisely, it actually looked like a real human.

Not just a human-like shape, but with exactly human proportions. The arms and legs were distinctly defined, and it even had a clear facial expression.

To go a step further, there was a patch of fine hair resembling a beard at its chin. It wasn’t merely shaped like a person, it was as if someone had forcefully molded a human form into a plant.

Its posture, arms crossed, was supremely imposing.

'Why is the color so red? Is this a mandrake or red ginseng?'

It did look like a mandrake, but it's way too different. I should probably ask directly.

Flash!

It happened just as I was accessing the gallery. The root, which had its eyes closed, abruptly snapped them open.

At first, I didn’t even realize it had opened its eyes because the entire root is red. But I realized it belatedly after it slowly uncrossing its arms.

“Huh?”

“Heuuuuuuup…!”

While I was flustered, the root started to inhale deeply. That’s when I sensed danger.

Just as I hurriedly tried to drop the root, the situation AllFather mentioned unfolded.

[UWAAAAAAAAAAAA!]

A scream, no, a screech pierced through my earplugs. Without the earplugs, my eardrums would have burst beyond hearing damage.

I winced and backed away. In trying to cover both ears, I ended up letting go of the mandrake.

Could it be going to burrow back into the ground? I carefully opened my tightly shut eyes.

“...”

“.....?”

Why is it just sitting still? After that one deafening screech, it simply crossed its arms again.

Having the exact appearance of a human, it gives the impression of looking up at me with a sunken expression.

According to AllFather’s explanation, it should keep screaming until it gets reburied. So what the hell was this?

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

Just as I was puzzling over it, an earthquake suddenly started. I nearly lost my balance.

First a screech, now earthquake? Nothing about this felt like a good sign.

'Let's just grab this and scram.'

I quickly seized the mandrake. I roughly grabbed its mouth to prevent it from screaming.

The root itself was so thick that it was hard to cover its mouth, but two hands did the trick.

"Mmph! Mmm! Mmmph!"

It flailed, apparently not expecting me to gag it. Who told it to cross its arms?

If I can just get back like this, it's over. I moved my legs without delay.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

"Huh...?"

What on earth are those things? I stopped in my tracks.

Red things shaped like humans were rising from the ground.

It looked like corpses buried in graves suddenly standing up, flipping the entire clearing upside down.

They looked identical to the screeching mandrake just now.

Though mixed with men, women, young, and old, they were the same red hue, all unmistakably mandrakes.

‘I’m screwed.’

This wasn’t just unease. I’m doomed.

I turned my back with the mandrake still in hand. I can roughly guess what these things are about to do.

Didn't the Golden Frog do something similar yesterday?

The difference is that the frog’s poison could be blocked with a shield. But a screech is different.

The only answer is to run far away. Moreover, I'm currently blocking the mandrake's mouth with both hands.

"Seuuup!"

"Huuuup!"

By the time I reached the dense trees again.

[Woooooooooooo!]

A massive shockwave slammed into my back.

*****

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Title: What do I do if I get hit by a sound wave attack?

Author: WildGrills

A bunch of mandrakes screamed all at once, so does anyone know how to treat that?

---

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Sonic attacks and screams? Did thou get hit by a Lion's Roar?

ㄴ WildGrills) Sort of.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) How badly are thou hurt?

ㄴ WildGrills) My ears keep making a ‘piiiii’ sound.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) It looks like thou got hit hard. Any hearing loss or bleeding?

ㄴ WildGrills) Thankfully, I don't have any of those symptoms. I was wearing earplugs.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Then thy hearing should not be damaged. With sufficient rest, thou will recover quickly. But thou will suffer from tinnitus for a while, so I'll get thou some medicine.

ㄴ WildGrills) Thanks. Have you ever been hit by a Lion’s Roar, HeavenlyDemon?

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Yes. This One tore their throats to ensure they would never make a sound again for the rest of their lives.

ㄴ WildGrills) daym

ㄴ What the hell did you do to make mandrakes scream in a group?

ㄴ WildGrills) I pulled one up, it screamed, and suddenly all of them came out on their own?

ㄴ ??? I’ve never heard of that?

ㄴ Are you sure those are mandrakes?

ㄴ WildGrills) w8, uploading pics

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Title: Is this really a mandrake?

Author: WildGrills

(Photo of a battered red mandrake)

Looks exactly human, but why's it so red?

---

ㄴ Why's it like that? Looks like it got the crap beaten out of it

ㄴ WildGrills) It was making so much noise that I grabbed its head and slammed it against the wall. I also stuffed dirt in its mouth.

ㄴ lmfaaoo

ㄴ lmaoo

ㄴ That's too much lolol

ㄴ Silence spell (physical) lolz

ㄴ Isn’t a mandrake a plant? Does it even feel pain?

ㄴ yeye they're closer to monsters so they do feel pain. But this is the first time I've heard of making them quiet by beating the crap out of them lol

ㄴ But does a mandrake look like that?

ㄴ It's supposed to somewhat resemble humans, but that's a real human

ㄴ At that point, isn't it just a monster?

ㄴ Mandrakes are usually unpleasant because they’re vaguely humanlike; that one is exactly human, which is way creepier

ㄴ Isn’t it some 100-year-old mandrake or something?

ㄴ lolol It's not wild ginseng, what are you on

ㄴ I looked it up in a book, and apparently red mandrakes are a higher species of mandrake?

ㄴ What book?

ㄴ Encyclopedia of Medicinal Herbs. Says they're ultra-rare.

ㄴ How rare?

ㄴ It says it's rarer because it's a higher species of mandrake

ㄴ lolol is this from some quack's book?

ㄴ Fr lol

ㄴ It’s by a highly respected scholar ;;

ㄴ Aren't mandrakes used in elixirs? Would these work too?

ㄴ eah that's why they only cultivate mandrakes in magic towers

ㄴ If it's a higher species, how potent is it?

While everyone debated the red mandrake.

ㄴ AllFather) Oh. Aragorn almighty. It appears to be a mature mandrake.

AllFather-emon, no, AllFather showed a reaction close to shock.