Gallery 39 - Dumpster

I Gained a Gallery in the Wild - Eps 39 Fireball (2)

There is a saying that if you have no teeth, use gums.

It means that if your best option is gone, you should consider the next best thing.

For me too, now that magic as the best solution was gone, I needed to choose a second best option.

Still magic but with a bit of physics mixed in.

Similar to a fireball but different in nature.

Pong!

I pried out the cork buried deep in the neck with difficulty.

I was able to open it thanks to the opener that the dwarf gave me when he gave me the liquor.

"Ugh...!"

I couldn't help but frown as soon as I opened the cork.

I don't know how to express this sensation.

A vicious liquor reek clubs my nose by force.

Like a thug forcing its way in and shoving out every other smell.

"Gah!"

It was so strong that even DizSpeed hanging on my back gasps.

Seeing that the usually silent guy is holding his nose, it must be truly terrible.

'They gave this to drink? It's like poison.'

I'm really curious about the alcohol content. It must be sky-high.

At this level, it seems like I could mix in a little oil.

‘Should I just take a sip?’

Throwing it out is waste, so I will sip a mouthful.

Even if I get drunk, it's not a problem. I have the internal energy cultivation technique.

I've once heard that using the technique help drives off drunkenness.

I looked at the alcohol still emitting a terrible alcoholic scent and quietly brought it to my lips.

Gulp—

Taking one sip, I unexpectedly felt sweetness.

There was a bitter taste typical of alcohol, but the sweet note is stronger.

‘Not bad?'

At this level, I could probably drink it like soda. Or so I thought

For exactly 2 seconds.

"Hueo! Euhaaargh!"

This is weird. I definitely drank a liquid, so why did it feel like my throat was on fire?

Did I swallow fire? No, did I drink hydrochloric acid? (D: Basically cleaning agent alcohol.)

I clutched my throat in agony. And then I realized.

That dwarf bastard really handed me poison.

And right after that realization, I felt my life flash before my eyes. I couldn’t die like this.

While I crawled over the floor groping for an elixir, the pain gradually subsided.

If the pain hadn't subsided, it would have been severe enough for me to consume an elixir.

"Ugh...."

I rubbed my still-stinging throat. A few tears leaked out.

Whatever the dwarf gave, it was not liquor but poison itself.

There’s no other explanation for why my throat hurt like I had acid reflux.

No exaggeration, downing hydrochloric acid straight wouldn't be this painful.

‘The dwarf is not crazy enough to give poison on purpose.’

Do they truly drink that and call it liquor? My respect grew.

I sighed and went outside for a moment. To drink water.

After drinking water from the hose the burning pain at least went away.

‘That stuff alone seems flammale?’

I don’t think I need to fill it entirely with oil.

Muscle Mushrooms are still mushrooms after all, so they should catch fire easily.

It would be troublesome if I filled it too much and the fire spread.

'Let's first check if it burns well.'

I stepped back into the cave and sprinkled a little liquor on the ground.

Then I applied a flint to a roughly picked-up branch. It caught fire well because it was a dry branch.

Using just a flint could be dangerous, so this kind of effort was necessary.

Hurrah!

"Oh."

It lit brightly as soon as I brought the flame close.

Given its high alcohol content, it seemed to ignite well.

At this rate I can just hurl the liquor.

'Now that I think about it, the bottle is glass too? Perfect.'

Having confirmed its effectiveness, all that's left is making it.

Making a Molotov cocktail is simple yet subtly difficult.

Mess up and I go up in flames. Its power is no joke.

I heard they even used it to take out tanks in war.

'Let's get some oil first.'

I planned to mix the oil and alcohol in the right ratio.

Like I said earlier, filling it purely with oil could lead to unpredictable results.

At the very least, shouldn't it be easy to extinguish when needed?

'Add some sand too.'

Just hearing ‘sticky oil and sand’ sounds ideal.

I got vegetable oil. They were selling it in the auction house.

I just put the sand that was lying around and dried it.

Finally, the most important wick. This is a bit tricky.

'If it burns too quickly, I'll be in danger.'

It must burn slow enough yet catch well.

Considering all that, cloth seemed like the best option. But I still need to experiment it.

I bought scrap paper, old newsprint, cloth, and other things that could burn at the auction house.

'Cloth is the safest after all.'

The experiment confirmed that cloth was the most suitable.

I immediately stuffed a piece of cloth into the bottle’s mouth. Even with chopsticks it was tough.

Lastly, I flipped the bottle to check for leaks.

The cloth was of thick material, so there didn't seem to be any particular problem.

---

Title: Learned Fireball.

(Picture of a makeshift Molotov cocktail)

From now on, call me a fire mage.

---

ㄴ PassingDwarf) ??? Isn't that the booze I gave you?

ㄴ WildGrills) yeye, it is. That shit was strong as hell lol

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Don’t tell me you threw it out without drinking?

ㄴ WildGrills) Nono, I had a sip. Thought I’d die lol

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Asshole smh

ㄴ WildGrills) Are you insane lol? Do you really drink that as liquor? I'd rather chug disinfectant alcohol

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Still costs a fair bit tho lol

ㄴ Why did you make a Molotov cocktail? What are you going to do?

ㄴ WildGrills) To catch Muscle Mushroom. If their bodies burn the spores will burn too, right?

ㄴ A direct approach. Didn't know you knew how to make Molotov cocktails though ;;

ㄴ WildGrills) How do you usually kill them? Magic?

ㄴ Just throw an oil bottle and a torch, and that's it. That's safer.

ㄴ Grills’ alone, so that's probably better

ㄴ Magician (Physical) lmao

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Fireball is really easy.... It's not difficult....

ㄴ WildGrills) Master?

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) No, just a little sad. Discovering the intricacies of magic one by one is such a thrilling feeling.

ㄴ Is this Magic (Mathematics)?

ㄴ Magic is originally an in-depth study of math

ㄴ What’d you mix in? Did you add oil?

ㄴ WildGrills) I’m only pouring in about half oil. The rest is alcohol and sand. If the fire spreads, I’m fucked up.

ㄴ You’re not planning to just burn everything and then douse it with water, right?

ㄴ WildGrills) I'll cover it with sand. I'm not that stupid.

ㄴ You know well? I almost reported you as an arsonist lol

ㄴ WildGrills) Go ahead and report me. I'd be happy lolol

ㄴ lolol

ㄴ lmaoo

ㄴ lolol

ㄴ AllFather) If a Muscle Mushroom catches fire, you should better be careful. It'll explode as soon as it spreads spores.

ㄴ WildGrills) I'll be careful. Are the spores very weak to fire?

ㄴ AllFather) They are, but it’s also instinct. When life is threatened, spreading offspring is a biological imperative.

ㄴ WildGrills) Thanks for the tip. I'll go catch it right away.

ㄴ Do you really have to

ㄴ WildGrills) Yeah. Rabbit passes there. I need it gone to set a trap

ㄴ Guess no other choice then

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) You gonna use the golden shield I gave you?

ㄴ WildGrills) I’ll take it for now. Even one blocked hit matters.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) I’ll give you an even better one later. Just wait.

ㄴ WildGrills) This one’s fine though...

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) I'm not fine with it.

The preparations are complete. What remains is to properly equip myself.

I didn’t need the crossbow, so I packed everything else.

The Molotovs were a bit of a hassle. I probably need to get a small bag.

‘Let’s just grab something quick.’

I got a small bag from the auction house. It's a bag that can be hung around the waist.

Stored the Molotovs and elixirs in there. Also tossed in the bottle of oil just in case.

I thought that was it, but then I remembered something unexpected.

'Ah. I need a shovel too.'

A shovel to smother fires. That’s necessary.

I held the sword and shield in each hand and slung the shovel on my back. Done.

Now it’s time to go hunt the Muscle Mushroom.

"Guard the house well."

"....."

I entrusted the house to DizSpeed, who had already come down from my back, and moved on.

Round Fluff was taking a peaceful nap even as I left. Let's forgive it because he’s cute.

All preparations were done. I walked with a hint of tension.

Killing the Muscle Mushroom would let me set traps and catch the small animals around it.

It also lets me see inside the cave it blocks.

'What's inside?'

Actually, the traps is one thing, but I was curious about the inside of the cave.

There’s gotta be a reason the Muscle Mushroom is standing guard there.

'It's not a dungeon or something, right? With the mushroom literally being the gatekeeper.'

If so, this was no different from poking a hornet’s nest.

Haven’t they always said curiosity killed the cat?

Half-worried, half-excited, I headed toward the Muscle Mushroom’s territory.

Rustle—

During the journey, something jumped out from the bushes.

Long ears with a cute and adorable appearance.

"Squeak?"

It was a rabbit. A rabbit suddenly appeared.

The moment it saw me, it arched its back aggressively. Its long ears shot up too.

Anyone could see it was a cautious attitude. Yet the way it nibbles its mouth is quite cute.

"Hey. Go away. Shoo. Shoo."

I wasn’t planning to hunt it right now, so I lightly nudged it with my sword.

Perhaps even that action felt threatening to the rabbit?

Kkaang!

The rabbit kicked the sword hard. Not the blade, but the flat side.

Judging by the crisp clang, it packed serious power.

So much so that I staggered, almost losing my balance.

"No. What the..."

I couldn't hide my bewilderment as I watched the rabbit fled into the bushes.

I nearly fell from a single kick.

Guess rabbits from the Forest of Four Seasons are built different.

If that kick had landed directly, my bones would’ve at least cracked, huh?

'Seriously, what kind of forest is this?'

Now even rabbits are dangerous. It's absurd.

Looks like if I’m setting traps, they’ll need to be the lethal kind.

Otherwise, that rabbit will smash all the traps.

My head already hurts thinking about it, but mushroom hunting comes first.

“…Found it.”

I traced the familiar path and arrived at where the Muscle Mushroom was.

It's still camped in front of the cave like a gatekeeper.

As long as I don't approach, it won't wake up. I carefully took out the Molotov cocktail from my bag.

Tadak!

I lit the wick with a flint and it flared up.

I stared at the Muscle Mushroom, which still didn’t budge an inch.

Guess it's the type that reacts only when you get close.

"Euryaa!"

I threw the Molotov cocktail with a fierce shout.

The bottle spun, drawing rings of flame in the air.

The mushroom kept its roots in the ground until the very moment the Molotov cocktail hit.

Crack!

Soon the Molotov cocktail smashed into pieces upon hitting the mushroom's body.

Hwaryureureuk!

A raging inferno engulfed the entire mushroom.

The easily flammable oil and alcohol intensified the flames, and the sand stuck to it stickily.

"Kuuuuuu!"

Sensing danger, the Muscle Mushroom began wrenching its limbs free from the ground.

I did not miss that opening and charged as planned.

The heat was fierce but it was only for an instant so I could endure it.

Sogok!

I cut off one leg with my sword before it could pull out one of its legs.

No matter how muscular, you fall when you lose a leg.

Kuung!

The Muscle Mushroom fell to the ground after losing one leg.

The flames roared even stronger.

Peobeobeong!

“Argh!”

A small explosion suddenly went off.

Luckily I was far enough. Any closer and I would’ve been caught in it.

It was firework-level at best, but burns were still serious injuries.

'It released its spores.'

AllFather's advice was spot-on.

Trying to spread its offspring, it released spores that all burst in the flames.

The mushroom struggled for a while, and only after its entire body caught fire did it gradually settled.

Perhaps because it was a mushroom, the burning smell wasn't unpleasant but rather somewhat fragrant.

'Not that I'm eating it though.'

Thanks to the strategy I had devised beforehand, I caught it easily.

Still, I plan to wait a bit longer for a confirmation kill.

Crackle! Crackle!

Time passed, and the muscle mushroom was now charred black. The flames are slowly dying out.

I figured that was enough, so I took the shovel from my back.

Then I covered it with sand to smother the fire completely.

'Might attract beasts with that smell.'

The fragrant smell might attract beasts.

I thought about what to do, and decided to move the mushroom.

‘Just in case there are embers, I should push it to a place with less grass.'

I pushed it all the way to a corner with my shovel.

Even if beasts come, they'll be more interested in the mushroom than the cave.

With the cleanup finished, I peered into the cave that the Muscle Mushroom had gatekeeping.

The angle of sunlight left the interior pitch-black.

I can see ahead without difficulty even in dark places.

But I think I need a torch to properly investigate.

'Good thing I brought cloth scraps.'

I roughly picked up a big branch from the ground.

Wrapped it roughly with cloth, then lit it with a flint.

Fwoosh!

When I lit the torch, the interior of the cave instantly brightened.

The inside is generally similar to where I live.

It felt comfortable, being spacious without any shortcomings in all directions.

'Not bad....'

I was scanning the walls when I froze.

Thanks to the torch, I could see what lay at the back of the cave.

Not a dangerous beast. Just something so glaringly out of place that it made me flinch.

Twinkle! Twinkle!

"...Mushroom?"

A golden mushroom was radiating brilliant light.

'Is it a poisonous mushroom?'

No one in their right mind would want to eat something that looked like that.

---

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