Gallery 40 - Dumpster

I Gained a Gallery in the Wild - Eps 40 Swindler (1)

I stared at the mushroom that shone bright gold.

The mushroom emitted its own golden glow even when I extinguished the torch.

That must be what the Muscle Mushroom had been guarding.

'It definitely looks poisonous at first glance.'

It's easier to assume that most mushrooms contain poison.

And brightly colored plants and creatures are almost always toxic.

So the chance this golden mushroom is toxic is very high.

'It’s fascinating, though.'

I slowly approached the golden mushroom.

As I got closer, I realized the mushroom was much larger than expected.

Only a little smaller than the fish I caught before, which is huge for a mushroom.

‘A certain mustached character would probably eat this?'

Suddenly, I thought of a plumber character wearing suspender pants.

If that character ate this, wouldn’t they grow bigger or stronger?

Just bumping into monsters and bouncing off them?

Even while having such useless thoughts, I didn't lower my guard.

It might move like the Muscle Mushroom did.

Fortunately, the golden mushroom didn't suddenly stand up. It just sparkled.

'What on earth is this?'

While examining it, I kept watch behind me.

For safety, it would be best to pick it and head back.

'Let's put on gloves just in case.'

I put on the gloves I had kept in my pocket.

It was big enough to need both hands, but that didn’t matter.

I could hang my sword at my waist and carry the shovel and shield on my back.

'Come to think of it, I need a scabbard.'

Swords normally have separate scabbards, but HeavenlyDemon's sword didn't.

Either it never had one or he forgot when she gave it to me.

I will ask her in the private chat when I trade for Byeokgokdan soon.

Uwutuk!

"Hm?"

I opened my eyes wide. It seemed firmly rooted and wouldn't pull out easily.

No. Mushrooms don’t have roots, do they? It just wouldn’t come loose.

“Gruaaaaaah!”

Pong!

Only after squeezing out every bit of strength did I barely pull it free.

The backlash almost made me fall but I barely kept my balance.

I looked where it had stood and saw a neat round hole.

'Had it been growing for quite a long time?'

It must’ve been rooted so deeply it bored a hole into the stone.

I carefully held the golden mushroom with both hands and stepped outside.

As I stepped outside, a savory scent tickled my nose.

It's the scent coming from the blackened, burnt Muscle Mushroom.

'Let's hurry.'

I quickly moved my feet to avoid encountering beasts.

Part of me wanted to poke around with HeavenlyDemon’s sword.

But indulging my curiosity further might cost me my life. Better to resist.

Duguen!

I suddenly felt a headache while walking quickly.

The sudden headache made me frown, but I couldn't easily ignore it.

'What’s this?'

I grimaced but didn’t stop moving.

The headache passed soon but the unease remained.

Perhaps this olden mushroom is the problem. I should reach the hideout quickly.

'At least no one attacked me.'

After arriving at the hideout, I inspected the golden mushroom again.

It really is quite large. I'm also curious about what it does.

I took a picture of the mushroom and posted it on the gallery.

---

Title: Anyone know this mushroom?

Author: WildGrills

(Photo of golden mushroom compared with hand)

It’s a mushroom I found in the cave that the Muscle Mushroom was blocking.

It shines ethereally with a golden color, but it has poison, right? The size is really big too.

---

ㄴ Starlight Princess) It's a pretty mushroom. But it's better not to eat mushrooms

ㄴ WildGrills) I brought it because I thought it was fascinating. I have absolutely no intention of eating it.

ㄴ I'll give you 100 billion yura if you eat that lol

ㄴ I'll give you 100,000 gold lolol

ㄴ Starlight Princess) You guys are really mean.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Look at that radiant glow. You got that from a cave?

ㄴ WildGrills) Yeah. It was even hard to pull out.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Just looking at it screams ‘I'm poisonous’, doesn't it?

ㄴ WildGrills) So I'm thinking of just keeping it as an ornamental piece.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Not bad as a decorative piece.

Everyone said it looked fascinating after seeing the golden mushroom.

But while they all called it pretty, no one seemed to know its true nature.

In the end, only AllFather was left...

ㄴ AllFather) Hoho. You’ve found something strange again I see.

ㄴ WildGrills) Do you know what this mushroom is?

ㄴ AllFather) Of course I do. Throw it away immediately.

ㄴ WildGrills) What?

A comment came asking me to dispose of it quickly. I couldn't help but question this.

The comment that AllFather left afterward came as quite a shock to me.

ㄴ AllFather) Did you experience any headaches or dizziness when you brought it?

ㄴ WildGrills) I did have a slight headache, but it disappeared right away.

ㄴ AllFather) The medicine I gave you before must have worked. Symptoms would normally appear just from being near it.

ㄴ WildGrills) What even is this mushroom?

ㄴ AllFather) Its name is simple. Golden Mushroom. It’s one of the rarest mushrooms, sometimes called the king of mushrooms.

As expected of the Forest of Four Seasons. A place where all sorts of flora and fauna live.

It's even called the king of mushrooms. I wondered in what sense it was a king.

ㄴ WildGrills) If it's a king, isn't that a good thing?

ㄴ AllFather) With other things maybe, but mushrooms contain both positive and negative meanings. Which should I explain first?

ㄴ WildGrills) Let me start with the negative ones.

ㄴ AllFather) Just one bite and all your internal organs will melt. Same with bones and muscles.

ㄴ WildGrills) ;;;

It sounds brutal just hearing about it.

Not only bones and muscles but even organs melting away.

Even drinking a bucket of hydrochloric acid wouldn't do that much.

That just shows how deadly its poison is. Naturally, I had no choice but to stay away.

ㄴ WildGrills) What about the positive side?

ㄴ AllFather) If you're lucky, you can regenerate those melted organs, bones, and muscles. Beyond regeneration, your body itself will advance several levels.

ㄴ Isn't that Complete Body Transformation?

ㄴ Just hearing it sounds like it yeah?

ㄴ AllFather) It’s not just simple Complete Body Transformation. According to legend, one may gain the body of a god.

ㄴ WildGrills) Ohh.

So that’s why it’s called the king of mushrooms. High risk high return.

So I shouldn't eat it. There's no reason why I should deliberately eat this.

Just imagining my entire body melting away made me dizzy.

ㄴ AllFather) Even someone completely immune to poison would be in danger. So I recommend you throw it away.

ㄴ WildGrills) Is immunity to poison meaningless in this case?

ㄴ AllFather) According to legend, I understand the odds are 50-50. It doesn't discriminate between people at all.

ㄴ WildGrills) I should throw it away then. Or would you like to take it for research purposes?

ㄴ Why don't you give it to us?

ㄴ I’ll eat it and let you know yeye

ㄴ You not value your life?

ㄴ My life’s already ruined so might as well try eating that lol

ㄴ Why is your life ruined?

ㄴ Went all-in on Caspel Mine stocks and lost everything

ㄴ Why ?

ㄴ Mine collapse

ㄴ Ah ;;; hang in there

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Intriguing, but it seems to be a dangerous mushroom. This One isn't particularly attracted to it either.

ㄴ SwordMaster) You scared?

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Hm. I suddenly feel the urge to swing a mace.

ㄴ SwordMaster) Mb ;;

ㄴ Lmaoo Already getting a taste for power

ㄴ Won't this make them develop bad habits?

ㄴ The modwill take care of it

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Can't you make booze with that?

ㄴ WildGrills) Not with mushrooms. There was someone who died after drinking mushroom broth

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Who was that? What an idiot.

ㄴ WildGrills) That's my father. Fucking bastard.

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Ah. Really sorry ;;

ㄴ WildGrills) Jk lol My father passed away in an accident

ㄴ PassingDwarf) Sick bastard

ㄴ PassingDwarf) No no ;; I'm sorry. Just sorry ;;

ㄴ Lolololololol

ㄴ Lmao

ㄴ He came to his senses right after cursing Lmaoo

ㄴ Shocked lolol

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Can’t you just keep it for decoration?

ㄴ WildGrills) I heard even being near it causes headaches and dizziness?

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Just seal it in glass. I really like the golden color.

ㄴ AllFather) If I may, I think it would be more valuable for research. If you give it to me, I'll compensate you well enough not to feel slighted.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) I can also give you enough not to feel slighted? How much money do you need?

ㄴ WildGrills) I don’t really need money...

Right now, I have more money than I know what to do with.

I'm satisfied with just the Owlbear’s corpse.

The real problem is not being able to buy what I need despite having money.

LongLiveTheSun realized that too and replied right away.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Come to think of it, that's true. Is there anything you want?

ㄴ WildGrills) I want to escape here.

ㄴ LongLiveTheSun) Uh... sorry. That probably won't work. Just give it to that magician.

ㄴ AllFather) I don’t have anything fitting to give either. Is there something you need?

I can't put the golden mushroom up for auction.

I don't want to hear news of someone dying after eating it the next day.

But it's also ambiguous to sell it for money. The risk is too high.

Literally speaking, it's like a chicken-rib situation ((something of little value that you can't bear to throw away)). After contemplating, I wrote a comment.

ㄴ WildGrills) If I had to say, maybe armor? That would do I think.

ㄴ SwordMaster) That's a good idea. Since it's a forest, leather armor would be better than iron armor.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Rather than that, how about learning protective energy technique?

ㄴ WildGrills) How do you even use that?

ㄴ SwordMaster) Mr. Grills can't even use aura sword yet. It'll take a long time before he can use aura shield.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Not aura sword but sword energy. And not aura shield but protective energy technique.

ㄴ SwordMaster) Same difference. Do you really have to nitpick?

Again, they're fighting again. Why are these people so desperate to eat each other alive?

But as everyone knows, HeavenlyDemon is currently a sub-mod.

Even sub-mod has the authority to ban.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) What did thou say? It sounds to This One like thou want to be hit with the iron hammer.

ㄴ SwordMaster) Ha, damn ;; You're really too much. Mr. Mod, are you seeing this?

ㄴ DontAbandonTheHero) Sub-mod! Please restrain yourself a little!

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Hmm. Very well. I shall overlook it with my generous magnanimity.

ㄴ SwordMaster) ;;;

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Huh? Why do you need armor? I gave you a uniform!

ㄴ WildGrills) Can that actually protect me?

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) That’s such a rude thing to say! The uniform developed by Mephisto has performance beyond leather armor!

ㄴ WildGrills) Fr?

ㄴ It’s true. Some people even go to dungeons wearing just the uniform lol

ㄴ It's pricey, but the convenience and performance are better than leather armor.

ㄴ WildGrills) Why’s that?

ㄴ Because there are so many people who stab with knives

ㄴ It’s for player protection. Sports is basically a small battlefield anyway.

ㄴ It should be fine even if hit by magic arrows? lol

ㄴ WildGrills) ;;;

Aside from cultural development, it seems barbarism was also reflected in the era.

I looked for another uniform just in case.

It's unreasonable with HeavenlyDemon's sword, so I used an ordinary dagger.

Jjuuk! Jjuk!

"Oh?"

I slashed the uniform with the dagger, but it stayed intact.

Still just in case, I stretched the uniform long and stabbed it with the dagger.

Still fine. It fits me perfectly.

‘The forest has beasts, yes, but it’s the small wounds that are more dangerous.'

Even a tiny scratch could lead to serious trouble if poison or bacteria penetrate.

But despite its performance, the uniform is too thin.

If I overlay leather armor on top of this, I could have an even better effect.

ㄴ WildGrills) The uniform is nice. But I think I need leather armor just in case. It's too thin.

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Then how about wearing multiple layers of the uniform~?

ㄴ WildGrills) Are you a genius?

ㄴ ChaengguPrincess) Hehe I’m kind of smart you know~

ㄴ eah. Yet still just an idiot cheering for Chae-U lol

ㄴ Just go around wearing the uniform lol Whatever you wear, it'll be a one-shot anyway.

ㄴ One hit straight to Aragorn’s side~

In the end, I replaced additional armor with more uniforms.

Later, I tried giving the mushroom to ChaengguPrincess, but she refused immediately.

She didn’t want it even as decoration and just gave me a few more uniforms instead.

'I'm only receiving from this person.'

She said it's enough if I cheer for the team, but I feel bad. If I find something good later, I'll definitely give it to her.

Anyway, I postponed deciding what to do with the golden mushroom.

It’s such a risky item that it’s hard to decide what to do with it.

'Round Fluff might eat it...'

I need to store it somewhere as inconspicuous as possible.

Being golden, it would catch the eye no matter where I put it, but I had a place in mind.

The box that came when the dwarf gave me something last time. I stored it inside that box.

And so Round Fluff, who has a good sense of smell, wouldn’t catch the scent, I placed the box outside the cave.

The elixir was already kept in a different box so that wasn’t a big deal.

If I'm really short, I can just buy from the auction house.

'Good. That's it.'

With the golden mushroom taken care of, I looked up.

Though just slightly, the sun had begun to set. It’s about time to prepare for night.

'Since spores might have gotten on my clothes, I should wash them right away.'

Another day had passed.

******

In the deep of night when everyone was asleep. A forest where only the sound of insects could be heard.

From the cave, the faint crackle of a campfire could be heard.

Following that came the quiet sound of a person’s breathing, the breathing of a beast, and so on.

Everyone was sleeping in their own way. A very peaceful scene.

Clunk! Clunk!

Amid the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, a rough noise erupted.

The noise didn’t come from inside the cave but from outside. It was the box outside.

The box continued making dull thudding sounds before eventually toppling over.

Degurureu—

The contents spilled out as it fell over.

Even in the darkness of night, it was a mushroom that gleamed gold.

Swoosh—

Amazingly, the toppled golden mushroom lifted itself up.

On the mushroom's body, tiny arms and legs that were not visible before had sprouted.

The arms and legs were infinitely shabby and cute compared to the Muscle Mushroom.

But having limbs meant it could move.

Blob, blob, blob—

The golden mushroom moved its short two legs toward the dark forest.

Very secretly, so that no one could find it.

Until the golden mushroom had completely vanished, only soft breathing echoed in the cave.

Time passed like that, and morning came.

“What? Where’s the mushroom?”

Grills only realized later that the mushroom had disappeared.

He had sensed something was off the moment he saw the box outside had toppled over.

When he immediately checked, lo and behold. Wasn't the golden mushroom that had been stored inside gone?

"No, no way...!"

Grills opened his eyes wide. He felt like he knew why the mushroom was gone.

He stopped searching through the boxes and hurried into the cave.

"Round Fluff! Open your mouth!"

"Kyuu...?"

“What did you eat yesterday? You didn’t eat the mushroom, did you?!"

Grills pried the poor Round Fluff's beak.

Fortunately, Round Fluff didn't eat the mushrooms. He just slept peacefully.

After completing all his checks, Grills sighed in relief. He didn’t bother inspecting DizSpeed.

That one had such an uncanny sense that it wouldn’t have even gone near the mushroom.

Grills was relieved but also had doubts.

"No. It doesn't even have feet, so where did it go?"

But it did have feet, in fact. Grills just had no idea.

Such was the mystery of the Forest of Four Seasons.

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