There are many things in the world that money can buy, but there are also many things that money cannot buy.
Health, heart, time, and so forth. Most are abstract, yet they occupy an immense weight in life.
Among them, health can be considered paramount because in most cases, it is directly tied to ’life’ itself.
No matter how high one’s status, how outstanding one’s wealth, or how grand one’s fame, if health is poor, all of it becomes futile.
Most people live without knowing the importance of health, only to realize it when it is too late.
Even if they try to hold onto their health late in the game, the time has already passed.
Even an Emperor reigning in supreme dignity is nothing more than just another human in the face of failing health.
Let alone the fact that once health deteriorates, it is exceedingly difficult to recover.
As time passed and medicine and technology advanced, new methods of preserving health emerged, but even then, they applied only to a tiny few.
When feeling discomfort somewhere, it was often caused by a completely different part of the body, or it was congenital.
Humans are structured such that from birth, their health inevitably deteriorates over time.
For human beings were creatures promised death at the very moment they were granted life.
Cruelly, however, there are those for whom that cycle is terrifyingly short.
People who were handed a death sentence the instant they were born.
"Kulleok! Kulleok!"
A woman on the bed coughed harshly.
She hurriedly covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
Snow-white hair, eyes as white as snow, and pale skin.
Overall, she evoked the image of pristine white snow, exuding a mysterious aura.
"Haa..."
Having coughed violently, the woman slowly lowered the handkerchief from her mouth.
Dark, crimson blood stained the pure white handkerchief.
Her condition looked dire at a glance, but as if unbothered, she passed the handkerchief to the side.
Standing beside her was a young, brown-haired maid.
"Mary. Please take care of this."
"Ducal Lady-nim."
The brown-haired girl looked back and forth between the handkerchief and the woman with a worried expression.
Her eyes were reminiscent of a fawn’s.
The snow-white woman seemed to read the emotion in those pure eyes and chuckled softly.
To be exact, she tried to smile. However, she did not smile.
Her expression remained stiff and cold, as if frozen solid.
"Wouldn’t it be better to inform the Duke-nim again after all...?"
"It happens all the time. Don’t make a fuss."
"But lately, your coughing has been so..."
"I said I’m fine. Just hand me another one quickly."
The woman spoke in a cold, blunt voice.
At this, the maid, Mary, hesitated before taking the handkerchief and placing it in a basket atop the drawers.
The basket was filled with blood-soaked handkerchiefs.
It showed just how much blood she had coughed up during this time.
"...We are running low on handkerchiefs. I will fetch new ones."
"Right. If there are none, bring tissue paper instead."
"Understood."
Mary did not cast aside her worried gaze even as she stepped outside.
The white-haired woman merely maintained an expressionless face.
Soon, as Mary went outside, the snow-white woman turned her head forward.
A cold atmosphere hung in the room, matching her expression.
"Haa..."
The woman, Selena, let out a long sigh and leaned back against the bed.
Her expression was still rigid, but gloom harbored within it.
She then raised her arm and stared at her own wrist.
It was so delicate and slender that it looked like it would snap if tapped lightly.
Her skin was also unnaturally white, appearing as though painted with powder.
As evidenced by the blood on the handkerchief just moments ago, Selena’s health was severely dire.
In fact, even the phrase "severely dire" fell short of describing it.
’Not much time left.’
Selena thought with an expressionless face.
An incurable congenital disease.
This incurable disease did not merely shorten her lifespan; it explicitly dictated it.
For it was an affliction where death was guaranteed around the time one reached adulthood—around twenty years of age.
According to the physician from the Central Plains, it was the absolute worst of the worst diseases, known as the ’Nine Yin Severed Meridians’.
A condition where yin energy is so overwhelming that balance collapses entirely, slowly destroying the body from within.
Its defining symptom is that blood veins—that is, the Mana Circuits—get blocked one by one.
Mana Circuits are absolutely necessary for a human to live.
In particular, they are deeply linked to the health that Selena so desperately yearned for.
Occasionally, people collapse from heart attacks. This occurs because the Mana Circuits near the heart become blocked due to illness or deteriorating health.
In the past, there was no way to act when a heart attack occurred, but recently, emergency first aid was at least possible through CPR.
’God is truly cruel.’
But the Nine Yin Severed Meridians were a different story altogether.
If it were just a specific part blocked like in a heart attack, that would be one thing, but this was akin to every Mana Circuit in the entire body becoming blocked.
The vessel’s capacity was fixed, yet the contents were excessively abundant, causing even the vessel itself to shatter.
In exchange, one could exert power transcending ordinary people.
When Selena could still move her body, the modifier "genius" was attached to her name.
People even said she possessed an unmatched, peerless talent specifically when it came to magic.
Her mind was also extraordinarily sharp, to the point where even her father, Theodoor, sought her counsel.
’All of it is futile.’
Yet as time passed, everything felt completely meaningless.
To be born into the most authoritative ducal house in the Messiah Empire, endowed with legendary talent, only to die so helplessly like this.
Before the reality of health, everything paled into insignificance.
As time ticked by, the one thing she yearned for most was singular.
To break free from the bed and run around proudly on her own two feet.
Selena knew full well that it was impossible.
Despite receiving every imaginable form of support, her health showed no sign of improvement.
There were a total of three methods to cure Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
Consuming a spiritual beast overflowing with yang energy, direct treatment by a physician, or finally, absorbing yang energy directly into her body.
The first method was practically impossible even with the Ducal House’s authority, wealth, and intelligence network.
Although they frequently surveyed the black market, only things like drugs and human trafficking popped up; there were no spiritual beasts.
As for the second, all the physicians had given up.
It was a surgery of monstrous difficulty, and none possessed the confidence to handle the aftereffects or consequences.
Lastly, the third method... she would rather bite her tongue and die.
Rather than mating with a complete male stranger, she would sooner bite her tongue.
She had no desire to extend her life at the cost of discarding her chastity.
’Besides, such a man hardly exists in the first place.’
For absolute certainty, a man worthy of the modifier ’strongest’ would be required.
However, most of the people currently brought up in debates over the strongest were women.
At best, there was Kadir, acclaimed as the ’King of Magic’, but he was advanced in years.
What was worse, rumors painted him as an eccentric, making the thought uncomfortable.
’I don’t want to die like this, but...’
Dying was scary. That was why she gathered knowledge indiscriminately.
She self-taught alchemy and medicine just to extend her life even by a fraction.
But as knowledge accumulated, it only led to the conclusion that a cure was nearly impossible.
Could there be a moment more despairing than this? Because of it, she had once wept her heart out.
Her parents, keenly feeling their own helplessness, grew darker in expression with each passing day.
Emotion slowly vanished from Selena’s face as well.
For she was now at the stage of slowly accepting despair rather than holding onto hope.
She could no longer even remember when she had last laughed with a heart at peace.
’It’s better than doing nothing.’
Even so, she refused to sit idly by and simply await death.
Selena lifted her head and stared into empty space.
Soon, a window floated up before her eyes.
The Gallery, which she only began accessing after coming to terms with death.
’Originally, I didn’t even want to look at it.’
Anyone, regardless of age or gender, could access the Gallery as long as they met the conditions.
And because of that very issue, many people were reluctant to log in.
There were those who loathed places smeared with human desires.
Selena was one of them, but her mindset changed after her health worsened.
’So much time has passed.’
The period she became absorbed in the Gallery coincided with the drastic decline of her health.
Unable to leave her bed, she did nothing all day except scroll through the Gallery.
At first, she merely lurked with nothing to do, then decided to leave a record and started posting daily countdown logs.
That period had already reached 5 months. In other words, her health had been deteriorating for 5 whole months.
’It’s not as if there are only wicked people here either.’
When she received insults and mockery, she felt disappointed, thinking, Of course, what did I expect?
However, as days went by, sensing that her condition wasn’t a persona but a genuine reality, more and more people began to cheer her on.
Furthermore, the Orange Badge, though eccentric, was a righteous person who immediately slapped bans on those crossing the line with insults.
Because of this, she could access the Gallery with a more comfortable mind than before.
When a person accepts death, they become infinitely free.
Selena, too, gradually grew accustomed to the abyss of desires known as the Gallery, evolving into an exemplary user.
Her dried-up emotions returned, even if only ever so slightly.
Amusingly, most of those revived emotions were ’envy’ or ’jealousy’.
’Why am I like this when even bastards like those live with intact limbs...?’
It was truly ironic. Even so, she could not quit the Gallery.
Especially recently, a peculiar fixed handle had appeared, drawing her attention even more.
’Wild Grylls... Why on earth did this person drop into the Forest of the Four Seasons?’
Exploring the Gallery often meant witnessing events that defied common sense.
Recently, someone who landed in the Forest of the Four Seasons had appeared.
The Forest of the Four Seasons was a region where space shifted from moment to moment, making Gallery access impossible.
Yet he could log in completely fine and had even provided proof multiple times, making him the focus of the greatest attention.
Anyone wanna bet on Grylls’s survival time?
I’d give him about half a month lol
└ Half a month is generous lol
└ He might kick the bucket tomorrow for all we know haha
└ Truly a fly’s lifespan
└ Seems to me God just hates Grylls
└ Wild Grylls) Hey, you bastards. I’m gonna survive to the very end
└ So what did you eat today?
└ Wild Grylls) 3 Fasting Pills...
└ Have you even tasted meat? lol
└ Wild Grylls) No...
└ Want some?
└ Wild Grylls) Create a handle first lol
└ lol
She initially thought of him as simply a pitiful soul, but her perspective changed after conducting a trade with him.
He could have easily swallowed the compass for himself, but he returned it to the end.
Seeing this, it meant he was at least not a rotten person.
’His fly-like lifespan also gives me a strange sense of kinship.’
If Selena had a terminal lifespan, Grylls had a fly’s lifespan.
This subtle dynamic also slowly began to take root in the Gallery.
Occasionally, debates over who would die first cropped up, but they quickly vanished.
The Orange Badge likely deemed it unacceptable and slapped bans on them.
Weighing human lives on a balance was deserving of a ban, plain and simple.
’If only the very first herb he discovered had been a different one...’
That was the thought that crossed her mind every time she saw Grylls’s posts.
The rare medicinal herb he had found by chance: the Crescent Moon Spirit Herb.
Regrettably, the Crescent Moon Spirit Herb specialized in stabilization rather than harboring a specific energy.
She could not express how disappointing that was.
If it had been an herb teeming with yang energy, she would have spared no means or methods to obtain it.
’If that had happened, would Heavenly Demon have been in danger?’
One could deduce as much simply by observing the behavior of Heavenly Demon, who was presumed to have received the Crescent Moon Spirit Herb.
Heavenly Demon was one of the quite famous fixed handles in the Gallery.
Thus, Selena could read her general behavioral patterns.
’Seeing a person with such immense self-esteem treat him like that, it’s certain she received the Crescent Moon Spirit Herb.’
Heavenly Demon was famous for constantly shitposting.
Regardless of what others said, she uploaded continuously.
Thanks to that, Selena could infer Heavenly Demon’s personality from her posts.
A type with incredibly strong self-esteem and confidence.
In particular, her self-esteem was noticeably towering.
Seeing her post all kinds of shitposts in her own my-way style gave away the answer.
’Did "Gal!" mean to scold or rebuke in the language of the Central Plains?’
Yet such a person displayed urgency during the Crescent Moon Spirit Herb incident.
And after receiving the Crescent Moon Spirit Herb, she even treated Grylls with utmost respect.
In truth, Heavenly Demon’s body had been unwell, and it was clear she had received aid from Grylls.
’Grylls, this person... seems a bit like a pushover.’
Selena analyzed Grylls with her signature expressionless face.
Grylls’s personality could be summarized by a single principle:
Speak kindly to be spoken to kindly. This also matched his actions.
Even though he was stranded in the Forest of the Four Seasons where taking whatever he could get was paramount, he strived to repay debts to the very end.
’There are all sorts of fascinating animals.’
Selena frequently checked Grylls’s posts.
Part of it was the strange kinship stemming from his fly-like lifespan, but above all, it was because she felt anxious.
For if this person’s posts ceased, it was synonymous with his death.
’That’s why I’m even more curious.’
That was why she grew even more curious.
What kind of animal would he encounter next to overcome hardship?
Thanks to him, she spent somewhat enjoyable days writing comments, which she rarely used to do.
A ripple, however small, began to form in Selena’s heart.
"Kulleok! Kulleok!"
Chwa-ak!
If only it weren’t for her body deteriorating day by day.
Selena hurriedly clamped her hand over her mouth at the sudden burst of coughing.
Since Mary had gone to fetch handkerchiefs, she had no choice but to block it with her hand.
"..."
Overcoming her dizziness, she looked down at her hand.
Seeing blood pooled in her hand rather than a handkerchief made death feel all the more vivid.
It was a signal that she was finally reaching her limit.
Deolkeok—
"Ducal Lady-nim. I brought the handkerchiefs... Ducal Lady-nim?!"
Mary returned just in the nick of time.
Startled out of her wits by Selena’s appearance, she rushed over.
"...Mary."
"I’ll fetch the attending physician quickly. Today, the blood is..."
"No. It’s fine. It’s enough now."
"Ducal Lady-nim?"
At the words telling her not to call the doctor, Mary looked at her with a disbelieving expression.
Selena read the meaning contained in that face and nodded.
"I really don’t think I have much time left."
"D-Ducal Lady-nim. Giving up so quickly like that..."
"I am also someone with a fair share of medical knowledge. I know my own body’s condition best."
Selena had once gathered any medical knowledge she could lay her hands on just to survive.
But she gained nothing. She only obtained the certainty of her terminal state.
Mary looked at Selena with trembling eyes, but Selena remained firm.
"Thank you for the handkerchiefs. Go rest now. I’ll call you if I need you."
"...Ducal Lady-nim."
"I want to be alone, so hurry along."
At Selena’s cold dismissal, Mary reluctantly stepped outside.
Mary did not forget to cast a worried gaze until the very last moment.
Selena felt her heart warm at the girl’s caring nature.
Even though her expression remained frostily cold.
’I should ask Father to adopt Mary as a daughter.’
It would be her last wish and a reward for Mary, who stayed by her side to the end.
Selena thought so as she leaned her back against the bed.
Her dizziness subsided slightly, but her body grew heavier and heavier.
It was difficult to move even a single step off the bed.
’Is Grylls-ssi... doing alright?’
As she drew even closer to death, someone came to mind.
If she described herself as drawing infinitely close to death, this person was someone hovering right at death’s doorstep at all times.
Barely opening her dimming eyes, she logged into the Gallery.
’Mature... Mandrake? What is this now?’
As expected of Grylls. He found something amazing again.
Although it was a plant rather than an animal, that made her even more intrigued.
’I recall Mandrakes contain yang energy...’
If it’s this, wouldn’t her body condition improve even a little bit?
With such thoughts, she left various comments, only to discover an astonishing fact.
’I might be able to cure it with Mature Mandrakes?’
But there was a catch. A monstrously severe condition.
There had to be at least 6 Mature Mandrakes.
Seeing even one in a lifetime was rare, but six? It was torturous hope.
Just as she was about to completely give up, a comment appeared that she could by no means ignore.
└ Wild Grylls) There’s a fucking metric ton of them here though?
└ Starlight Lady) Huuh?
Flustered, she wrote a bizarre reply. She could hardly believe it.
Even if it were the Forest of the Four Seasons, wasn’t that a bit much? That was her initial thought.
But a moment later, as she looked at Grylls’s post and photo, her mind changed.
’Could it be?’
With Grylls’s help, might she be able to escape this hellish disease?
Selena had also crafted Elixirs before.
Having devoted her entire life to curing her body.
Coincidentally, Grylls also wanted Elixirs rather than money.
As long as she was completely cured, she could provide as many Elixirs as needed at any time.
’Did Heavenly Demon receive aid in a similar manner?’
Suspicion of him being a scammer? No such thoughts arose.
The living witness, Heavenly Demon, was clearly treating him as a benefactor, after all.
Of course, she wasn’t entirely certain whether Mature Mandrakes were effective against Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
Clinging to straws. That phrase suited her perfectly.
’Will Grylls-ssi be able to catch them all in time?’
It wasn’t a matter of days; she was in a situation where she could die as soon as tomorrow.
If only Grylls had discovered them a little earlier, there would have been breathing room.
’Harvesting Mandrakes should take a long time though... Will it be alright?’
Just as Selena was consumed by anxiety, a trade request suddenly arrived.
Wild Grylls-nim has requested a trade. Would you like to accept?
It was Grylls. Selena blinked, staring at the trade request window.
Did he gather them all in that short amount of time? she hoped, but soon shook her head side to side.
’He’s probably giving me what he caught earlier.’
That was the rational conclusion. Let’s not build up false hope.
Putting aside her expectations, she accepted the request.
[Wild Grylls: Hello, Starlight Lady-nim. I gathered 7 Mature Mandrakes.]
[Starlight Lady: Huuh?]
As soon as she accepted the trade, Grylls’s words left Selena thoroughly stunned.
She merely blinked with an expressionless face, but regardless, she was stunned.
’Wait. He collected them all already? How?’
She thought it would take at least a day, but it completely defied her expectations.
[Starlight Lady: You collected them all already? Is that even possible?]
[Wild Grylls: Before they could scream, I beat them down with my fists, and they quieted right down. I even stuffed dirt into their mouths, so it should be safe.]
[Starlight Lady: ;;;]
Selena felt at a loss for words. She blinked a couple of times.
She wondered if harvesting Mandrakes like that was even proper.
Normally, using silence or sleep magic was the best approach.
’Is this what they called Magic (Physical) in the Gallery?’
At any rate, since he said he collected them all, taking them would be fine.
Selena swallowed her saliva and continued the conversation.
Unlike her rigid expression, her written text produced diverse reactions.
[Starlight Lady: Are you really sure about this? Giving all of these precious items to me... You seemed to be in so much pain.]
[Wild Grylls: What if it’s a lie? You can just cut off trades with me next time.]
[Starlight Lady: What if it’s a lie?]
It was truly a pushover mindset. A mentality of "if not, oh well."
Selena let out a breathy scoff before reverting to her expressionless face.
Yet the corners of her lips were lifted ever so slightly.
No wonder Heavenly Demon had been courting(?) him so intensely.
Even if he acted strangely at times, his nature itself was inherently good.
[Starlight Lady: Thank you so much. But since this is so sudden, I don’t think I can give you the Elixir right away, is that okay? Please request a trade next time. That will work.]
[Starlight Lady: Thank you. Thank you so much.]
The spark of hope that had lingered only as embers felt as though it were slowly flaring up.
Holding hope filling her heart, Selena suddenly felt curious.
Grylls was someone closest to death, just like herself.
A body where dying tomorrow wouldn’t be surprising at all.
[Starlight Lady: Grylls-nim. May I ask you one thing?]
[Wild Grylls: What is it?]
[Starlight Lady: If Grylls-nim were to die tomorrow, what would you do?]
There was a famous saying:
Even if the world perishes tomorrow, I will plant an apple tree today.
It was such a cliché answer that it was hackneyed by now.
She thought Grylls might offer a similar response, but his answer strayed far beyond Selena’s expectations.
[Wild Grylls: Why bother thinking about dying tomorrow?]
[Starlight Lady: Then?]
[Wild Grylls: You should think about living today.]
"..."
Think about living today. Those words penetrated Selena’s heart.
She, too, had once harbored a desire to live.
But this cursed body had shattered that desire to pieces.
Ever since then, she merely waited for the day of her death day in and day out.
’But right now...’
She blankly stared down at her thighs.
Now that the trade had just finished, several bright red Mandrakes were sitting atop them.
’I want to live.’
Ddaeng!
Selena rang the call bell without hesitation.
The moment the call bell rang, Mary, who had been waiting outside, came pattering inside.
"Is there something you need, Ducal Lady-nim?"
"Mary. Take me to the laboratory."
"The laboratory?"
"Yes."
Selena issued another request to the bewildered Mary.
"Along with these."
What she pointed to were the Mature Mandrakes.
Mary looked at them and tilted her head.
"What are those ugly plants? Where did you get them?"
"Mm..."
Selena pondered how to explain before opening her mouth quietly.
"Reasons."
For now, she had no choice but to brush it off.