Gallery 17 - Dumpster

I Gained a Gallery in the Wild - Eps 17 Health (2)

It was her final hope, her last desperate last struggle.

That was Selena's state of mind as she arrived at her personal laboratory.

Her research space was equipped with everything comparable to a agic tower's laboratory.

It was evidence of her desperate attempts to somehow cure her body.

Her health had deteriorated so much that visiting the lab was almost impossible. But today was different.

"Mary. Just do what I say. Okay?"

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

"It’s not that hard.... Cough! Cough! Keugh!"

Selena abruptly started coughing and hurriedly covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

Mary approached quickly in alarm, but Selena raised her hand to stop her.

"Haaah...."

Once it subsided, Selena lowered the handkerchief from her lips.

The cloth was filled with thick, blackened blood, like a pooling puddle.

Originally it would just dampen the handkerchief, but the fact that blood had pooled meant...

'If not today, then tomorrow.'

She didn’t have much time left. Selena gripped the handkerchief tightly.

The pooled blood slowly began to soak the handkerchief.

Then she glanced at Mary, who was watching with concern, and nodded.

With her body in this state, Mary would need to be her hands and feet.

“We’re short on time, so let’s begin. First, bring that extractor over here.”

"Yes!"

"Next, connect the extractor to the charger..."

Selena instructed Mary step by step.

At first, Mary fumbled around due to urgency, but she made no mistakes.

She wasn’t as brilliant as Selena, but she was sharp in her own right.

In fact, it was actually impressive that she was this capable despite being of common birth.

'I should consider sending Mary to the Academy.'

Before long, Mary finished preparing everything just as Selena asked.

All that remained was extracting the essence from the mature mandrake.

Once extracted, she would adjust it with various herbs so the human body could handle it.

“Next step is… Cough, cough! Kuh!”

“M- My Lady!”

Just as they were approaching the final stage, Selena broke into a coughing fit.

She didn’t even have time to raise the handkerchief to her mouth before thick black blood came pouring out.

"K- Keuh... Qu− Quickly... E- Extract...."

“B- But…!”

"Hurry.... Do it...! Cough!"

"Y- Yes!"

Breathless from coughing and vomiting blood.

Selena forced herself to keep giving orders.

She had come this far, so she absolutely could not give up.

She fought to keep her vision from fading into darkness.

“M- My Lady! S- Something’s wrong!”

"What... Cough! What it is?"

"Tha- That...!"

To make matters worse, there's a problem with the mandrake.

Gritting her teeth, Selena steadied her ragged breathing and looked.

Just as Mary said, the mandrake that had been unconscious until just now was squirming around.

It meant it had fainted but was now waking up. This is quite troublesome.

'I couldn't get a pot because I was in a hurry...!'

Mandrakes must be processed unconscious to avoid accidents.

If they regain consciousness during extraction, their scream could destroy the extractor.

That’s why you either use magic or plant it in a pot to keep it quiet.

Currently, Selena's body is too damaged to use magic.

She couldn't bring a pot because she was in too much of a hurry.

It was a truly critical moment. The only fortunate thing was that only one had regained consciousness.

While pondering what to do, Selena suddenly had an ingenious idea.

'They said it quiet down if you hit them?'

That's what Grills told her.

She quickly became quiet after punching the mandrake.

It was a bit barbaric and not scientifically proven, but it was an emergency.

"Mary! Cough! Beat it to death!"

"Eh? Beat it?"

“Yeah, hit it! If punching is too hard, grab the stem and slam it on the floor! Cough, cough!”

Though her breathing troubles had eased, every time she spoke blood sprayed from her mouth.

Mary looked back and forth between Selena and the adult mandrake with bewildered eyes.

Her expression showed she was contemplating what to do first, but she decided to follow Selena's orders.

Kwak!

"Eung?"

It was when Mary grabbed the stem of the mature mandrake.

The mature Mandrake, with whisker-like fine hairs on its chin, quietly opened its eyes.

Smack! Thud! Whack!

"Kkuek?! Kuek! Kueek!"

And then it had no choice but to close its eyes again.

Mary grabbed the stem and thrashed it around.

It did let out a scream, but not enough to cause complete confusion.

"It- It's done!"

"Then now let's extract... Kugh! Let's start with the extraction."

“Yes!”

Mary started extracting the mandrake essence as instructed by Selena.

As she started extracting, the mature mandrake stuck in the extractor shriveled little by little.

Drip— Drip—

Golden liquid falling drop by drop into the glass bottle connected to the extractor.

Seeing that shimmering essence filled Selena with hope.

Just looking at the luminescent essence made her feel healthier already.

“Cough! Cough!”

"My Lady, your handkerchief..."

"No. I’m fine."

Of course, the feeling was nothing more than just a feeling.

Selena looked at her clothing after the cough.

Now even her clothes were soaked in crimson blood.

Each cough spilled enough blood to fill a bowl.

Drip— Drip—

As time passed, they had extracted almost all the essence from the mature mandrakes.

The mature mandrakes had shrunk to about the size of a baby's palm.

The bright red color had turned completely white.

Having extracted every bit of essence, even their vitality had disappeared.

“I think it’s almost done. What should I do next?”

"All that's left is.... Gulp! Gulp! Huh...!"

Selena’s eyes went wide. She could hold the cough.

The problem was the shortness of breath that came next.

She tried to somehow regulate her breathing, but it didn't work.

Her vision began to black out, and a throbbing sensation came over her as if her brain activity was stopping.

'Ah. No...!'

Even Mary's urgent cry sounded like an echo as her consciousness faded.

Selena barely managed to hold onto her consciousness and reached out her hand.

Toward the essence they had just extracted. She gestured urgently for it to be given to her.

Drinking the essence without purifying it was tantamount to suicide.

However, in a situation where her life was at stake, Selena was in no position to be picky.

Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

Mary understood the gesture and poured the golden liquid directly into Selena's mouth.

Selena could feel its scorching essence running down her throat.

Could this fiery substance truly heal her?

It was hope rekindled like an ember. She couldn't give up.

'M- Must circulate the mana....'

Even as consciousness slipped away, she forcibly tried to circulate mana.

But her mana circuits, already completely blocked, were unlikely to respond.

It was maddening and unfair, but Selena refused to surrender.

A thin thread of survival instinct spurred her on.

Just before losing consciousness completely, what she felt was.

Duguen!

It was the vivid sound of her heart beating.

*****

"My Lady! Lady Selena! Come to your senses! My Lady!"

Mary tapped Selena's shoulders to check for consciousness as she lay collapsed on the floor.

She had been sitting in a wheelchair, but lost consciousness and toppled over.

Without Mary's intervention, she might have cracked her skull open in the fall.

Even so, with no signs of waking, Mary couldn't help but panic.

'L- Let's call someone first!'

Stomping her feet anxiously wouldn't help anything.

Mary carefully turned Selena's head to the side just in case.

If she vomited blood again like before, it could flow back into her airway.

Just as she was about to stood and leave the laboratory.

Crackle!

A strange noise reached Mary’s ears. She hesitated at the sound.

The noise came not from the laboratory equipment, but from Selena herself.

With unease in her eyes, Mary turned back toward Selena.

Crackle! Crack!

“Uh... Uhh?”

Mary was baffled. A bizarre sight was unfolding before her.

Selena's skin was white as snow. However, it was white in a bad way.

Her skin was so pale due to blocked mana circuits preventing blood circulation.

Now that skin was peeling away bit by bit and revealing new skin beneath.

It was no longer that deathly pale but softly glowed as though it had never seen sunlight.

Most remarkable were the faint blood vessels becoming visible beneath the new skin.

It was evidence that Selena's completely blocked mana circuits were beginning to circulate again.

Ttududuk! Ttuduk!

It wasn't just her skin. Selena's muscles and bones had also undergone a noticeable transformation.

Her body had been unable to perform even the simplest movements because of Nine Yin Severed Meridians.

However, the situation changed as the internal energy, or mana, began to harmonize,.

The vast mana was reshaping her body into a vessel worthy of its power.

In the language of the Central Plains, this was called Ultimate Metamorphosis. (환골탈태(換骨奪胎).)

Normally, such a phenomenon would require both immense mana and profound enlightenment.

But Selena's body had been suffering from Nine Yin Severed Meridians.

While lacking harmony, her mana itself was sufficient, and her talent fulfilled the requirement for enlightenment.

Udeudeudeuk! Udeuk!

The sickly appearance vanished completely, replaced by distinctly feminine curves.

Her snow-white hair fell out and grew back again and again, only to settle at its original length.

The pure white hair that shimmered like moonlight accentuated her beauty.

Finally, her face.

Originally beautiful, her features now seemed even more radiant after the metamorphosis.

Though many things changed overall, Selena's condition could be defined with a single phrase.

She had gained a body that was much 'healthier' than before.

"Mmm...."

When the brief yet lengthy Ultimate Metamorphosis ended, Selena regained consciousness

When Selena let out a groan, Mary snapped out of her daze and urgently asked.

"My Lady! My Lady! Are you awake?!"

"...Mary?"

"Yes! It's me, Mary!"

“What in the world happened... Huh?”

Selena unconsciously sat up and her eyes widened in surprise.

Lying down had given her a clear view of her own body.

And the first thing she saw was her chest.

Unavoidable, as it was the first thing visible when looking down.

'Were my breasts always this large?'

Selena touched her chest and tilted her head in confusion.

Her body had always been devastatingly frail..

A body she thought had no charm whatsoever as a woman.

But now that soft mound of flesh was visible to her eyes and tangible in her hands.

In terms of size alone, it was something others might envy.

'It's not just my chest. My arms too...'

Selena examined her arms with an entranced expression.

No longer skeletal, but fleshy like a normal person's.

Even her skin wasn't pale, but a healthy-looking white.

A complexion where blood vessels faintly showed through the skin, giving a hint of color.

"...."

“Um, My Lady? Is there something you want to say...?”

Suddenly!

Just as Mary spoke in a careful tone.

Selena suddenly shot upright.

Mary was startled for a moment, then shocked that Selena could stand on her own.

“My Lady! You’ll strain yourself if you...!"

Tap!

Mary's words were left unfinished again.

Selena had stood confidently on both legs and unexpectedly started running.

Not walking, but running. As if skipping walking altogether and going straight to running.

And barefoot at that. Mary felt her heart leap into her throat.

"My Lady! Where are you going! My Lady!"

Selena paid no heed even at Mary's urgent shouts from behind.

She just ran, and ran, and ran more.

Occasionally, she heard the astonished voices of the servants who worked at the mansion.

Selena ignored them. She just kept running.

'I can run. I really can run!'

She didn't stop her sprint. Even though she sometimes staggered, she continued.

When was the last time she had run like this? She couldn't even remember.

No. Perhaps she didn't remember because she had never run before.

Even walking had been a struggle, yet now she was running effortlessly.

Selena ran out of the mansion with a feeling as if she owned world.

Though her face that hardened over time still seemed stiff, the corners of her mouth were unmistakably turned upward.

“Se, Selena?! Y- You...!"

"Ch- Child! Where are you going!"

Her parents, who had just returned, were startled at the sight of her.

Of course, seeing a daughter who couldn't leave her bed now running like a wild horse was shocking.

And in bloodstained clothes, no less. In vulgar terms, she must have looked like a madwoman.

"Huft!"

Regardless, Selena caught her breath in the mansion yard.

Even after all that running, she felt no trace of exhaustion.

Only the pounding of her heart echoed clearly.

'I’m not even coughing.'

Even the cough that had clung to her all her life had completely vanished.

She felt no abnormalities in her body.

It was so surreal that it almost felt awkward.

'My mana circulation is perfectly smooth now.'

It wasn't just clean but incredibly fast.

It felt like completely blocked in the past, but not anymore.

The harmonized mana was circulating through every corner of her body.

'There’s no pain anywhere.'

A miracle happened.

What else could she call it but a miracle?

Selena looked up at the bright sky and closed her eyes.

‘Thank you, Grills.’

The person who granted her a new life and a miracle.

A benefactor who had readily bestowed kindness without ever meeting face to face.

What kind of person are they? She was growing more and more curious.

Her facial muscles naturally relaxed, and a happy smile formed on its own.

“Selena!”

"My child! Are you alright?!"

"My Lady!"

Just as Selena was savoring her newfound life.

Her parents and Mary shouted urgently from behind.

At their frantic voices, she opened her eyes and turned around.

The family she loved more than anyone was looking at her with concern.

"Yes! I’m completely fine now—Blaaargh!"

Chwaaaah!

Selena stopped talking and lowered her head mid-sentence.

At the same time, something poured out of her mouth, it was blackened dead blood.

And it wasn’t just about one bowl but easily more than two bowls' worth.

"Kuaaak! Keughhh!"

Tuk! Tuduk!

It wasn't just blood pouring out. Black clumped masses fell too.

They were waste that hadn’t been expelled during her Ultimate Metamorphosis.

Her previous physical condition had been so poor that the toxins had coagulated into solid chunks.

“Aah...”

“M- Madam! Get a hold of yourself!”

"...."

From the viewpoint of her family who knew nothing, the situation was not just horrific but grotesque.

Selena’s mother fainted, and her father barely managed to catch her.

Even Mary, the last one remaining, seemed nauseated as her complexion turned pale.

"Cough. Cough. Eueueuh."

Selena frowned.

Spewing rotten blood and waste from her mouth produced a stench that was no joke.

She wanted to grimace, but her facial muscles weren't quite cooperating yet.

'I need to wash up.'

Now she could wash by herself without Mary's help. Selena felt a sense of anticipation.

First, clearing up her family's misunderstanding was the priority.

Selena approached her bewildered family and spoke to them quietly.

With half-dried blood still on her face and her usual blank expression, she looked downright terrifying.

"Mother. Don't worry. I am now health-BLEURGH."

Selena vomiting black blood with an expressionless face.

That bizarre sight made her family nearly faint all over again.

“Aaah...”

“P- Please pull yourself together! You can’t pass out too!”

There's still a long way to go.

****

Meanwhile, at that same time in the gallery...

---

Title: Grills. Thanks.

Author: PassingDwarf

(Photo of mature andrake soaked in alcohol)

It seems like I'll be able to drink alcohol after a long time

---

ㄴ Wild Grills) Hey, you crazy dwarf bastard. You made that expensive thing into alcohol?

ㄴ Passing Dwarf) What's the problem?

ㄴ Wild Grills) I told you that stuff is fucking expensive. And you made liquor out of it?

ㄴ Passing Dwarf) My choice. Got a problem?

ㄴ Wild Grills) From now on, sharpen your knife with gold. You bastard

ㄴ lmao

ㄴ lmfaoo

ㄴ Sharpen your sword with gold lololol

ㄴ That would be fucking infuriating lmaoo

ㄴ Ah can't resist home-brewed liquor tho lolol

It was peaceful again today.