Gallery 33 - Dumpster

I Gained a Gallery in the Wild - Eps 33 Inner Core (4)

HeavenlyDemon told me. Inner core is one of the precious treasures.

I heard it put the world in uproar the moment one comes out on the market.

Martial artists usually invest vast amounts of time to ascend to the next realm.

It is difficult to obtain internal energy that transcends time unless someone have some talent.

That's why they're greedy for inner core. With it, one could leap directly to the next realm.

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Title: Inner core popped out again

Author: WildGrills

(Photo of a red inner core)

I slept hard after being sick yesterday. Washed up right away and, thinking I’d finish off today’s fish, cleaned it, but what’s this?

Inner core popped out again? Should I just toss this up on the auction house?"

---

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Thou awake? This One worried because thou posted nothing for some time yesterday.

ㄴ WildGrills) I passed out like I had been knocked unconscious right after reciting the verses. Is that normal?"

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) This is the first I've heard such a story. This One guesses that thy body couldn't handle the internal energy and performed self-defense.

ㄴ WildGrills) But since my body’s fine, that means it’s okay.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) If thou say thou art fine, then thou art fine. What do you plan to do with that inner core?

ㄴ How much it be?

ㄴ Gimmegimmegimmegimmegimmegimme

ㄴ How do you know if that's real lolol I'll eat it and do QC

That's the dilemma. Who should I give this inner core to?

If it were up to me, I wanted to give it to the fixed nicks. But even that wasn't easy.

ㄴ WildGrills) I should prioritize those who helped me.

ㄴ SwordMaster) I'm fine.

ㄴ WildGrills) Except SwordMaster.

ㄴ SwordMaster) ?

ㄴ WildGrills) I'm joking lolz So should I give it to you?

ㄴ SwordMaster) I don’t want to get healthier. A Mandrake I can pass to someone else, but I can’t hand that over, so don’t give it.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) You treat an inner core like it’s trash? Have you truly reached such a realm?

ㄴ SwordMaster) Yes.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Thou art so confident This One can't say anything more.

SwordMaster refused because they didn't want to get healthier.

Then what about the others? I waited for them to comment.

ㄴ WildGrills) Roughly, the fixed nicks I can think of are PassingDwarf-nim, StarlightPrincess-nim, ChaengguPrincess-nim, LongLiveTheSun-nim, and AllFather-nim?

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) I've received too much... I think it should be given to someone else.

The first to leave a comment was StarlightPrincess.

She's one of the fixed nicks who consistently leaves comments, even if not as much as HeavenlyDemon.

Seeing her comment that she doesn’t need an inner core, I replied.

ㄴ WildGrills) Are you sure you don’t need it? Don’t you want to care more for your health?

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) I’m perfectly content as I am. Body maintenance is more important than mana.

ㄴ WildGrills) Body maintenance?

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Yes. I started working out yesterday. Since I never could before, I think I’ll get really into it.

Considering she tried to name Round Fluff as Helliny, is she becoming a gym rat herself?

She said she had spent most of her life in bed, so her desire to exercise must be strong.

(D: I’ll start using she/her since Grills already infer her gender throught the names. I only vaguely remembered it so tell me if I’m wrong.)

Anyway, with StarlightPrincess also refusing, I waited for the other fixed nicks.

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) This One not particularly attracted to it either. It is ambiguous to sell and ambiguous to give to anyone.

ㄴ WildGrills) Chaenggu-nim, want it?

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) I don't really need to eat it. I'd rather give it to the Chae-U players.

ㄴ You might really get arrested for that

ㄴ Is inner core also considered a drug?

ㄴ Not a drug, but if there’s a rapid mana change they do test you

ㄴ But isn’t inner core legal? It’s inner core

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) It's legal but not ethically right~ And what’s the point if your mana increases~? Sports prohibit the use of mana~

ㄴ Yeye, ChaengguPrincess is right. Increasing mana isn't always a good thing

ㄴ Haven't there been athletes who achieved enlightenment but suffered severe slumps?

ㄴ Why the slump if they gained enlightenment?

ㄴ It’s because their bodily balance breaks down. Sometimes they got disqualified for unconsciously using mana

ㄴ WildGrills) Then could you at least give me some clothes?

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) There's no proper use for it~ Sorry~ I'll just give you clothes~

ㄴ WildGrills) Perhaps do you have long pants...?

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Not right now, but if you want, I can get some for you~ Do you want material like the uniform~?

ㄴ WildGrills) Yes. Then let's exchange that.

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) One cheer of ‘Go Chae-U’ is enough~

ㄴ WildGrills) Go Chae-U! Wishing you the Champs!

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Good~ hehe

ㄴ lololololol

ㄴ Chae-U will win lololol

ㄴ KingLeore) Fuck that's hilarious lmao

ㄴ KingLeore) lmao Pardon me, Mr. Grills. Do you know what place Chae-U is in right now?

ㄴ WildGrills) What place?

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Shut up. Before I gave you a visit.

ㄴ KingLeore) Ooh my, so scary ha Anyway what place is Chae-U? A whopping 8th!

ㄴ WildGrills) That's a little low. How many matches are left?

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) There are 5 games left but it's okay hehe Even if the Champs is difficult, we'll enter the Master Cup~

ㄴ KingLeore) Talk after making it to Champions lol

Here we go again. Those two seem to fight quite often.

KingLeore, in particular, would argue whenever ChaengguPrincess appears.

It didn't look that good to me. ChaengguPrincess has helped me after all.

ㄴ WildGrills) Let's stop there. Anyway ChaengguPrincess-nim doesn't need it, right

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Yep~ Can't give it to the players either~

ㄴ WildGrills) Understood. Figh, Chaenggu!

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Thank you hehe

ㄴ KingLeore) Cheer for Leore too.

ㄴ WildGrills) I'm not a bat-like person haha

(D: Person who cheers both sides)

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) I like you more now~ I'll quickly get those pants for you~

Since ChaengguPrincess also said she doesn't need the internal pill, I looked for other.

ㄴ AllFather) As I said before, I’m not in a body that can do anything with an inner core. Give it to someone else.

ㄴ WildGrills) Understood.

ㄴ AllFather) I'd rather have rare creatures instead than that.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Just put it on the auction house. And don’t think about squeezing money out of me.

ㄴ WildGrills) I wasn't thinking about extracting money...

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Just kidding. Not really interested. The mature Mandrake you gave me before is more than enough.

AllFather and LongLiveTheSun refused as well. They too are the type who only ask for what they actually need.

In the end, the only one left is PassingDwarf but....

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Just give me more Mandrake. So I can brew more alcohol with it.

ㄴ WildGrills) Right. It was my mistake to ask you. How's the barricade coming along?

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Just trade at lunch and tell me if it’s not enough.

ㄴ WildGrills) No thoughts on using the inner core as payment?

ㄴ PassingDwarf) I asked for some booze.

ㄴ WildGrills) (·•᷄‎ࡇ•᷅ )

The dwarf was just a drunkard. Maybe because he’s a dwarf, he loved alcohol a lot.

In the end, all the fixed nicks I know expressed their refusal.

HeavenlyDemon said they didn't need it because they had already given one. Something about receiving too much.

'Eh. Whatever.'

The pondering did not last long. I put the inner core up on the auction house.

Inner core is inner core, but cleaning the fish is more important.

I gave the head and guts to to Round Fluff, and washed the insides cleanly like I did yesterday.

The hose wasn't clogged today, so the water flowed out.

'It did taste good.'

I'll have a hearty breakfast and use that energy to repair the hideout.

At noon I can set up the barricades I get from the dwarf.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

The cast iron pan purchased from the auction house. The fish placed on top was browning nicely.

I removed all the scales and even seasoned it with salt.

I also cut the flesh into smaller pieces. Eating it whole yesterday was far too uncomfortable.

“Here, Round Fluff. Eat this."

Not that I ate alone.

I gave a few pieces of the well-cooked fish to Round Fluff.

When giving it, I didn't hand over the entire pan but passed it with chopsticks.

Being Korean, chopsticks are more comfortable than a fork.

"Kyuu!"

Round Fluff's eyes sparkled and ate the fish with great relish.

Considering his size, this much was nowhere near enough.

In human terms, it's close to an appetizer. I plan to give meat later.

"Do you want some?"

I showed DizSpeed the cooked fish and offered it.

I know he’s herbivorous, but he might be interested.

Nod—

DizSpeed nodded slowly and accepted.

I thought he only ate plants, but apparently not.

Well, it makes sense since he was originally trying to steal fish.

I picked up the well-cooked fish with my chopsticks and held it near his mouth.

Slowly— Slowly—

"...Eat a bit faster."

How can even opening his mouth be so slow?

This was the same creature that had once threatened me at the fastest speed in the world.

It's truly a creature I can't understand even if I wanted to.

Having given fish to both of them, all that’s left is to fill my own stomach.

Because I shared evenly, the amount is dreadfully lacking compared to yesterday.

But that's okay. When I feasted alone yesterday, the two of them stared at me.

Their eyes had practically screamed, ‘You’re eating all that delicious stuff by yourself?’ sohow could I not feel guilty?

'There's plenty anyway.'

The fish is so big I have to hold it with both arms.

Giving them a few pieces won’t leave me short of what I can eat.

I think yesterday's fever might have been from indigestion.

Though, as HeavenlyDemon said, it was probably due to an excessive surge of energy.

“Delicious.”

My stomach felt full after neatly finishing the fish.

Instead of a toothpick, I used a fish bone to pick out what was stuck between my teeth.

There was nothing to throw away. The cleanup is a bit awkward, yet once it is buried in the ground that is the end.

'I should start moving soon.'

But I shouldn't get too comfortable.

I am not planning to settle here, so getting lazy already would be a disaster.

'Before that, I'll use the cultivation technique.'

Since I ate a hearty breakfast, I gathered mana using the internal energy cultivation technique.

I didn’t forget to recite the verses HeavenlyDemon taught me yesterday.

Though the poetic expressions were obscure, visualizing them made it somewhat easier.

'If the first verse is like this, how difficult will the second one be?'

Surely they wouldn't combine to form something as complex as Gwandong Byeolgok.

If so, even memorising it would be a climb.

‘But I still have to learn it.’

I focused, steering the mana through my body with the cultivation technique.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but I felt a stronger and more agressive energy than yesterday.

Not like a calm river but like powerful, crashing waves.

It's not bad. Thanks to that strong power, the rotation speed became exceptionally faster.

"...."

After completing the energy circulation, I slowly opened my eyes.

Then got the languid face of DizSpeed.

"Uwak! You startled me!"

"......"

"Hah... Stop startling people.”

I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I sighed.

While I appreciate not being disturbed, standing right in front of me like that is bound to startle anyone.

'Round Fluff.... is already asleep.'

Our cute Round Fluff was sunk into a heavy nap.

As expected of a cub, it seems to only know eating, sleeping, and poop.

It’s good thing that the poop happens outside the cave.

Crawl— Crawl—

As I readied to move, DizSpeed climbed onto my back.

While this is becoming familiar, I suddenly remembered this guy's hygiene situation.

'This guy hasn't washed, has he?'

I should heat up the bath water first. Otherwise, I might get sick.

AllFather said so. He has ticks, but various bugs living there.

He even said there's a high probability of mold growing, so I needed to wash him thoroughly just like Round Fluff.

'I've eaten all the fish. Perfect timing.'

I immediately cleaned the iron tub and filled it with water.

Now I just need to wait until the water gets hot. Let's think about temperature control later.

Until then, I shovelled a spot to install the barricade.

I plan to set up the barrier wall in a rectangular format based on the cave entrance.

Thunk! Thud!

'It digs surprisingly easily?'

It was the same with logging, but shoveling wasn't difficult at all.

Normally a shovel should feel somewhat heavy, but there's none of that.

This must all be thanks to the internal energy cultivation technique. Manual labor seems effortless now.

"…Done already?"

The problem is it became too easy. The groundwork was done in less than 30 minutes.

Just neatly place the wall into the dug pit and cover it again with dirt. Done.

The trees got in the way here and there, but that's something I can gradually log.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwajik!

Even that logging was finished in 30 minutes. An incredibly fast pace.

Originally, it should feel like cutting trees, but now it was closer to destroying them.

Because of that, once their center broke the trees fell with ease.

Just smash the center and push it with my foot.

I had grown so strong so fast it actually startled me.

'Good is good, I guess.'

I scratched my head looking at the miserably fallen trees, then shrugged my shoulders.

I listed every logged tree at the auction house except one.

That one remaining will be my firewood.

Speaking of firewood, I recalled the bathwater I had earlier.

Worried it might be boiling, but thankfully it was just steaming gently.

"Alright. Now it's your turn to wash."

"....."

Crawl— Crawl—

As if understanding my words, DizSpeed came down from my back.

At first he thought it would slip into the bath on his own.

But no, he started heading back into the cave instead.

It seems to be running away because it doesn't want to bathe. Slowpoke that he is.

“Hey. Not there. Over here.”

"...."

In the end I lifted him and tried to put him in the iron tub.

No. Rather, I tried to.

Kwaak!

It clung to my arm like it didn’t want to fall.

He was even trembling all over. Looked afraid.

Baffling for a creature that could spot and snatch arrows with his eyes.

"....Hey."

"...."

"Do you hate taking a bath?"

No answer. He’s not one that can talk in the first place.

But his stubborn resistance made his dislike clear.

Even so, I couldn’t give up on hygiene. I tried to put DizSpeed into the tub.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each time, it moved around different parts of my body with nimble movements.

As if my body is a tree, he slipped out this way and that.

And at an incredible speed at that. As if entering the tub meant death.

"Ah, really! Do whatever you want! I’ll just wash myself!"

"...."

I finally gave up.

At my declaration of surrender, DizSpeed finally moved slowly.

"...Is what you thought I'd say!"

"?!"

Sike, you punk.

I grabbed his arm when he let his guard down.

Now that he had his arm, he had no choice but to obediently go in.

Even if one arm remained free, he could do nothing.

Chwak!

It was all my misconception.

DizSpeed swung his remaining arm toward the iron tub.

The tub split cleanly into pieces and scattered warm water everywhere.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t do anything. He could.

In the quiet atmosphere, I looked at DizSpeed. He stared back.

DizSpeed seemed to be saying this with his expression.

—What can you do?

Another loss added to my record today.

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