Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Gallery's Lone Reptile
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The absence of a status window didn't change my goals.
Regain a human form through transformation after becoming a spirit beast.
And if I'm going to become a spirit beast anyway, why not the pinnacle among them? Let's aim for the highest position a snake like me can achieve: a dragon.
'That's why I'm moving forward with that in mind.'
Training to become a spirit beast.
A status window? No need for that to become a spirit beast.
So, I'm fine.
Ssss.
'Still, I secretly want to see my status window.'
Honestly, I'm curious.
About wielding power that's only ever appeared in novels or games.
I want kimchi.
'Ah, lunchtime already.'
I confirmed through the post on the Gallery that it was already time for lunch.
The poster 'Let's Eat Rice' reliably uploaded photos with every mealtime, serving as a great indicator for me since I had no way to check the time.
Crunch.
"Shaa."
'Bon appétit.'
Today's lunch: one Amrita.
Since my body was still small, even opening my mouth wide wasn't enough to swallow it whole, so I split the Amrita in half and ate it in two bites.
For now, I was eating it in halves, but once my body grew, I'd surely be able to devour it in one go.
Gulp.
'That was delicious.'
After finishing lunch with two helpings of Amrita and feeling nicely full, I rolled around at the entrance of my cave dwelling.
'With so much Amrita, I don't have to worry about food.'
And it never gets boring— even better.
If Amrita ran low or I got sick of it, I'd have to hunt for other prey.
And if I couldn't find food in the process? I'd naturally have to leave this place and head outside where mana flows more averagely.
Unlike this safe spot where beasts are kept away by the mana, who knows what dangers lurk outside.
For all I knew, I could get snatched up and eaten by a bird of prey the moment I stepped out.
Shiver. Shiver.
'I won't go outside until I'm stronger.'
So, let's outline my plans going forward.
Plans for becoming a spirit beast and for my daily life ahead.
1. Meals.
This is perfectly handled by Amrita.
Just glancing around fills my vision with them—no shortage in quantity, great taste, and above all, no sense of it getting old. It makes me want to keep eating.
Of course! My small body means one is plenty to fill me up.
2. Bedding.
I can just sleep in this cave I'm using now.
Once I get used to the mana, I might venture deeper inside.
And the cool floor makes sleep come easy.
I'm enjoying the cool cave floor right now by rolling around. It's like lying on a floor that's cooled down after running the AC.
3. Training.
Training so I won't lose to anyone even if I go outside.
And becoming a spirit beast is the core of this training.
How to become a spirit beast: accumulate mana in my body.
So, head deeper into the cave, breathe diligently, and build up mana inside me. Can't overdo it yet, so stick to what I can handle.
'Meals: solved. Bedding: solved. Training: solved.'
All three elements are perfect.
Of course, in practice, it's just eat, sleep, and play.
Yeah... it might sound a bit ridiculous. Just look at the Gallery—it's full of people going crazy trying to get stronger.
But what can you do? This is reality. On the plus side, I'm living in ancient times and not in a human body, so it balances out somewhat.
'...Time to check the Gallery.'
Anyway, my plan boils down to eating three meals a day on schedule.
Sleep deeply to maintain a clear mind and calm reason, fully grasping mana adaptation to push deeper inside sooner.
And to avoid boredom, gather info I don't know via the Gallery...
What. Why so jealous.
By the way, posting about this got a great response.
So Gallery Lord doesn't train separately?
If you're jealous, get reborn as a snake like Gallery Lord.
'Once I become a spirit beast, I can transform into a human too, you know?'
Of course, it'll take a while, but with Amrita and abundant mana in what seems like a dragon vein cave, the time should shorten dramatically.
Swish. Swish.
Feeling my tail sway low with my mood, I checked other posts.
Preferably ones fitting the 'ancient era' keyword where I live.
"Sha, shaa."
'5,000 years.'
And that's the minimum benchmark.
I might have been born even further back.
Wondering how ancient 'ancient' really was... now I'm doubting if I can even reach the original timeline.
The ancient era had insanely high mana concentrations compared to now. How much? You know Empire's Sword Master Raine? Yeah, the one-eyed scar guy. Believe it or not, if he went back to ancient times, he'd be treated as just another run-of-the-mill swordsman No. 1.
"Shaa?!"
'No way!'
I know of Raine.
The pinnacle for swordsmen. Sword Master, the Empire's mightiest blade.
And he'd be just some nobody swordsman?
Of course, I'm talking raw power totals. Factoring in his experience, Raine would win. But pure strength vs. strength, no big gap from a regular soldier. Got it?
The reason? Mana abundance, as I said.
Another example: ordinary beasts from ancient times would qualify as magic beasts here. Their cats could beat our tiger magic beasts lololol.
TL;DR: Ancient era had so much mana that Sword Masters were dime-a-dozen swordsmen. And their cats could take down our tiger magic beasts. If reactions are good, Season 2 next time. BB.
"Sha, shaaa!"
'O, ooooh! Super useful info.'
Who would've thought the environment itself had such massive mana.
'So this place is already mana-rich ancient times, and this cave is extreme enough to spawn mana spirit bodies?'
Any other posts?
While searching History Restoration Maniac's posts, a new one popped up.
It was from History Restoration Maniac, right on cue.
"Shaaa!!"
'History Restoration Maniac is a god!!'
How does he write posts so perfectly tailored for me!
This post covers ancient era environments.
As explained before, mana was overflowing. Natural environments were hyper-activated.
Spirits especially wielded massive influence, polarizing environments to extremes.
'Spirits.'
In Jijiyong, spirits weren't popular jobs honestly.
They guzzled mana for attacks that were notably weaker and slower than other skills.
Now, spirits descend to the present via contractors' mana from the spirit realm. But in ancient times, no contractors needed.
Why? Air mana overflowed. Enough to cover descent costs and more, no restrictions. Our begged-for spirit attacks? Just a 'snap' to them—and several times stronger.
If asked for spirits' golden age, I'd say ancient era without hesitation.
But I haven't seen any spirits since arriving here.
The floating mana spirit bodies aren't true spirits—just mana clumps. No count.
Anyway. Spirit activity meant fire spirit zones were constantly scorching, water ones perpetually humid, earth ones rocky overload.
Other spirits shaped environments per their traits.
So, question: what spirit hangs around Gallery Lord's spot?
Gulp.
Who?
Even racking my brain, no specific spirit comes to mind.
No notable heat, humidity, etc., in my two days here.
My take: Gallery Lord's in a border zone.
Where spirits agree to leave the environment neutral—a safety zone.
Want to explain safety zones and origins, but... wrote too long this time.
Got excited over Gallery Lord. Ending here, continue next. Summary: Ancient environments stamped by spirits.
But how do you know so much detail.
Wow, doesn't that make Gallery Lord super strong?