Gallery 56 - Dumpster

I Gained a Gallery in the Wild - Eps 56. The tiger died (3)

| Note
I'm sorry for noticing very late. I've updated chapter 50. Now the content is chapter 50 and not 49

The heart is the most vital organ for any living creature.

You can survive without one kidney, and you can even lose a lung and stay alive as long as the heart is intact.

But if the heart fails, even only partial, the likelihood of death increases drastically.

Blood, which is essential to all organs. The heart that supplies that blood.

Even the brain, which governs all thought, is just a squishy jelly without blood.

Could it be that the reason blood kept flowing, despite so much already lost, was because the heart was still alive?

All the organs including the brain had died, yet it feels like the heart alone is 'living.'

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A heart larger than my head was loudly flaunting its vitality.

It flaunted its solitary resilience while every other organ, including its owner, had ceased functioning.

‘What the actual fuck is happening?’

I feel like my common sense is being completely denied.

The heart is still beating even though the head was severed?

And it’s been more than six hours since it died?

Was this Saber-Toothed Tiger bastard not a tiger but a zombie or something?

No, wait. Even a zombie is at least a walking corpse.

There are absolutely no conditions for the heart to beat, yet it's pulsating as if alive, making my mind go blank.

‘L- Let’s just deal with the other organs first.’

Rigor mortis... anyway, it's something similar to that. That's what I thought.

My common sense told me that rigor mortis usually only occurs in muscles.

Screw that. This world isn’t one where the common sense I had applies anymore.

The slaughter comes first, so I'll finish what I need to do and then gather my thoughts.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Somehow, I removed all the internal organs until only the heart remained.

I debated whether to cut it out or not, but decided to do it.

The arteries and veins were so tough that it was a struggle even with an aura-infused dagger.

Plus, blood gushed out erratically with every cut, making it quite a headache.

"Phew."

Only after removing the heart could I finally catch my breath.

I held the heart, which was much larger than my head, with both hands.

Even with all surrounding blood vessels torn away, the heart was still beating as if it were alive.

'Is this... possible? A heart beating on its own?'

I carefully moved the heart while still wondering.

I placed it in the same tub I used before to store the Golden Mushroom.

Perhaps because of its size, even the tub felt small.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Even the box rattled with every beat of the heart.

The heart showed no signs of stopping. I watched with mixed feelings before moving my steps.

'Let's just do what needs to be done.'

I have to finish the butchering and also throw the organs in the river.

If the heart is still beating by then... I don't know. I'll have to ask the gallery.

I washed the inside of the Saber-Toothed Tiger 's gutted carcass.

Then I separated it by parts as the gallery had instructed.

Just in case, I checked for signs of decomposition but found no problems.

"Smoking it... is that my only option?"

I looked at the neatly butchered chunks of meat and thought it over.

I had previously given up, worried that predators might sniff it out.

But giving up on this much meat is also stupid.

Should I choose an uncertain future, or consider immediate safety?

Even if I discard the inedible parts, the amount is still enormous.

“…Yeah. Let’s go with smoking. Come to think of it, the most dangerous thing is running out of food.”

I realized this while fighting the Saber-Toothed Tiger. At least I can fight and win against beasts.

But food? Can I really endure a food shortage?

There's a ‘Byeokgokdan’ emergency food source, but that's now DizSpeed's staple food.

Considering the gallery connection could be cut off anytime, smoking was the best option.

"I should ask the gallery."

Perhaps there's another way to preserve it.

I posted on the gallery before the meat spoiled any further.

---

Title: Anyone know how to preserve meat for a long time

Author: WildGrills

I got a ton of meat from butchering the tiger. Would like to store it if possible, but smoking is the only method I know.

Anyone know other ways?

---

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) May I offer some advice?

ㄴ WildGrills) That would be great for me.

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) First, you’ll need a lot of salt. Salt draws out moisture from meat. That way, it lasts longer.

ㄴ WildGrills) Can I smoke it in that state too?

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) It's even better! I'll post instructions in a bit, so you can just follow along.

ㄴ WildGrills) Thank you so much. But how do you know this?

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Some of it’s from books, and some from my own research. Since I stay home all the time, I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge here and there.

ㄴ Didn’t you say you basically never leave your bed?

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Yes. And?

ㄴ Then perhaps that 'knowledge' is....

ㄴ Oh my. Lewd.

ㄴ So that's what it was...

ㄴ Ah lolol I understand lolol

ㄴ StarlightPrincess) You people are seriously morons.

I can trust and follow StarlightPrincess's advice.

I bought a lot of salt. It was quite expensive, but I was willing to spend the money.

'Let's store the meat in jars.'

Coincidentally, there was a jar in the exact shape I wanted on the auction house.

I bought five jars of suitable size. I could put the meat and salt in these.

I didn't put the meat in whole. I cut it into bite-sized pieces so salt could be applied evenly.

It was a tedious task, but one I gladly endured for proper meat preservation.

“Trim off the fat too.”

As I steadily repeated this process, the jars became filled with meat.

It was the same for the other jars. They are full of meat mixed with salt.

Thanks to that, I felt a bit more at ease. If StarlightPrincess was right, the meat would now rot much more slowly.

Moving these to the relatively cool cave was the final step.

'Let's dispose of the waste first before preparing for smoking.'

I wiped away the sweat trickling down my face and turned my head toward the tub.

The tub containing the heart was still shaking slightly. Looks like it’s still beating.

"Haah, really."

I was so dumbfounded I couldn't speak. This is as absurd as the Golden Mushroom disappearance.

I wonder if the heart will eventually grow legs and disappear.

I said it as a joke, but I actually laughed nervously because I thought it might really happen.

"DizSpeed. Get on my back. Let's go dump this."

"....."

It's time to empty the iron tub full of blood and innards.

The iron tub was not only large but also heavy and hard to carry, but there was a way.

I could use the leftover rope from the auction house.

If I could carry the iron barrel itself like a backpack, I could move it without difficulty.

"Can you hang on behind me?"

"....."

DizSpeed chose piggyback instead of hanging on my back.

It was a little, no, quite uncomfortable, but I endured it thinking I just had to bear with it this once.

The river wasn't far anyway. If something happened, DizSpeed could handle it.

Walking laboriously like that, I was able to reach the familiar river.

Splash! Splash!

“Oh! Looks like we caught a lot!”

Quite a few fish were caught in the fish trap I had installed yesterday. A whopping three.

They were big enough that just 3 fish filled the trap completely.

With a sense of satisfaction, I dumped the innards and blood from the iron tub into the river.

It felt a bit like illegal dumping, but it wasn’t sewage and just guts, so it should be fine.

Tudadadada!

As I dumped the blood and intestines, a huge school of fish swarmed in.

There were so many that you could probably step on the fish and cross to the other side of the river.

I hurried to finish, worried that I might msifire.

I felt like I might get eaten too if I wasn't careful.

What fish are these...

I see why fish are caught every day. There are just a ton of them.

Despite the strong current, far more diverse creatures lived here than I expected.

'I'll collect the trap later.'

Since I still had things to do, I postponed collecting the fish trap.

I wasn't worried since they wouldn't be able to escape once they were caught in the trap.

Having taken care of the innards, I returned to the cave.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The heart was still beating even after I got back. I was so dumbfounded I couldn't speak.

At the same time, I realized. That heart has some kind of special power.

Since I had no idea what it was, I had no choice but to ask. I posted on the gallery.

---

Title: Is it possible for a heart to beat even after death?

Author: WildGrills

I killed a Saber-Toothed Tiger, but its heart still beats.

It's still beating even after I butchered it. I can post a video if you don't believe me.

Is this even possible? Really curious, so I'm asking.

---

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) How long has it been since it died?

ㄴ WildGrills) I think at least six hours.

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) In that case, I do not know. This One has also seen a heart beating, but it was not long after death.

ㄴ WildGrills) Don't tell me that was a person?

ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) It was? Is there something wrong?

ㄴ WildGrills) No.

ㄴ SwordMaster) What do you mean ‘just the heart is beating’? I don’t get it.

ㄴ WildGrills) Want me to show you? Might be a little gross though.

ㄴ SwordMaster) Yes.

ㄴ WildGrills) (Video of beating heart) How is it?

ㄴ SwordMaster) Wow ;; Is that possible?

ㄴ WildGrills) I don't know either, that's why I'm asking lol

ㄴ Look at the size lol. Why is the heart so big?

ㄴ You'll get it if you see the Saber-Toothed Tiger picture lol It's fucking ing huge

ㄴ Was it big down there too?

ㄴ Why are you asking that, you dumbfuck

ㄴ Fuck one might be curious

ㄴ AllFather) What a strange phenomenon. It is rare for a heart to beat on its own.... Did you not feel any kind of energy inside?

ㄴ WildGrills) Hmm. I’m not really sensitive to that sort of thing...

ㄴ AllFather) This is my speculation, but there must be something inside the heart that is maintaining its activity. A prime example would be an inner core. Would you be willing to slice the heart open?

ㄴ WildGrills) What nothing inside?

ㄴ AllFather) I can guarantee it. There's no effect without a cause in this world. Something inside the heart is making the heart beat.

ㄴ WildGrills) I'll think about it.

ㄴ Grills, have you noticed any signs of spoilage in the meat?

ㄴ WildGrills) I'm not sure due to my limited knowledge, but there wasn't any discolored parts.

ㄴ I knew it. It seems that because the heart was beating and circulating blood, the decay process was slowed down.

ㄴ WildGrills) Ah. Is that so?

ㄴ That's just my guess.

ㄴ DontAbandonTheHero) Ugh! That's gross! Excuse me, but may I block the comments!

ㄴ WildGrills) What happens if you block comments?

ㄴ DontAbandonTheHero) The video doesn't disappear completely! The comments just get hidden!

ㄴ WildGrills) If you find the video offensive, feel free to do that.

ㄴ DontAbandonTheHero) Thank you for your cooperation!

ㄴ WildGrills) Do you know why it act like that, Mod-nim?

ㄴ DontAbandonTheHero) No! But as AllFather-nim said, there's definitely something inside! Or how about grilling and eating it! Heart is really chewy and delicious!

ㄴ PassingDwarf) That's my drinking snack. Don't touch it.

ㄴ DontAbandonTheHero) Ahh! I'm sorry!

ㄴ WildGrills) What's with you now ;;

There was a brief commotion. Like AllFather said, I think it would be better to cut open the heart.

Even if there's nothing inside, it's not a big deal. It won't harm me.

I took the heart out of the tub and held it in both hands.

The moment I held it with both hands, it seemed to throb even more violently.

'Blood might splatter, so I should change my clothes first.'

First, I changed into the uniform that had been demoted to work clothes.

Then, I placed the heart on a flat stone and stared at it.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Was there really something inside as AllFather had said?

If so, could it be an inner core? That most likely.

I picked up the dagger I used for butchering. My mind was made up.

Whatever is inside, let's cut it open. It won't kill me.

Kuk—

'Of all things, even the knife couldn't cut the heart.'

No matter how hard I sliced with the dagger, not a single wound remained.

Rather, the heart beat even stronger as if telling me not to harm it further.

But this is the kind of thing that just makes you more stubborn. I infused the dagger with aura.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but activating aura feels easier than yesterday.

'No matter how tough, a heart is still a heart.'

I brought the aura-infused dagger to the heart.

Uuuuuuung!

"Huh?"

Then the heart started swelling up as if it was angry.

It went beyond simply swelling; the blood vessels bulged out grotesquely.

This is ominous. I hurriedly let go of the dagger and backed away.

Soon the heart trembled with a burr, then.

Kwagwagwang!

A huge explosion with a blue flash.

As I faced that explosion, only one thought came to mind.

'Fuck.'

---

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