LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 1
< Chapter 1 >
On some Japanese website, a post about ghost stories had been uploaded.
「There’s a site in Korea where sometimes nude photos of grandmothers and grandfathers are posted. What’s really strange is that the users on that site don’t seem to care at all… There are even people who collect those photos, claiming to use them for something.」
It was a ghost story that would shock anyone.
ㄴHuh? There can’t be such a site… Nude photos… of grandmothers?
ㄴThere’s no site administrator?
ㄴCollecting such photos? I don’t think it’s true www
ㄴNude photos of grandmothers and grandfathers being posted? And there’s someone collecting them?
ㄴMore frightening than that… I heard there’s an unpaid administrator who deletes those photos.
ㄴHuh? Unpaid? That’s even scarier…
In some sites, there’s an administrator who repeatedly views and deletes strange pictures without pay. You might think such a terrible thing couldn’t be real, but it is. It actually existed. It’s just my story.
Military service completed, college graduate, unemployed, 26 years old.
What do I do?
‘I’m the administrator of 17 minor galleries.’
I’m the one who deletes those pictures of grandmas and grandpas. I say it proudly, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m just cleaning up the mess in the galleries. No matter how cool I pretend to be, I can’t hide the stench of crap coming from my body. Today, like usual, I spent my day deleting crappy posts.
‘I never intended to go this far at first.’
I took over the position without much thought. Who would like cleaning up crap for no pay? I thought I’d do it briefly and then pass it on to someone else, but it wasn’t that easy. As I managed the galleries, I grew attached to them. And so, dedicating myself to the galleries, I eventually became a super admin, managing 17 galleries.
What is an admin? It’s an unpaid position managing galleries without any honor. There’s only responsibility, but one thing was certain.
‘Fun.’
My primal desire to have a space to talk and have fun without thinking too much. That’s what led me to be an administrator of the galleries. But even that seems to be coming to an end.
‘I’ll have to give up my position once I get a job.’
It’s time to shift my focus more from online to offline. This is also referred to as entering the ‘Gate of Reality,’ or ‘Reality-gate’ for short. If you work in real life, your online time naturally decreases. It’s inevitable. But getting a job isn’t easy either.
While others grit their teeth and dedicate themselves to job hunting,
Me?
An ‘unemployed’ man living a comfortable life with a few inherited buildings.
Treating job hunting more like a hobby, I’ve already faced dozens of application rejections.
At this point, I wonder if I’m just not compatible with society.
Might as well try poking around here and there.
Today, as usual, I sent off a perfectly written resume…
And then logged back into the gallery.
I stumbled upon a post that I just couldn’t skip without clicking:
─Blissfully Unaware Russian Feminist Current State.jpg
The title alone grabs attention.
What about Russian feminists and their current state? Why ‘blissfully unaware’?
As I click on the first post that greets me, I’m inevitably blasted by a tactical nuke, as usual.
I feel like gouging out my eyes and rinsing them under running water, but now I’m used to it.
“Sigh.”
But maybe because it’s dawn, there seems to be quite a lot posted.
Damn brats.
Is it a curse that activates at dawn?
When dawn breaks, people’s true nature awakens.
All kinds of disruption. Sexually explicit posters. Deceivers. And so on.
I’m almost thankful for those who post erotic stuff.
Other posts leave deep psychological wounds.
I will not forgive those who hurt my heart with their harmful content.
Click, click.
With a few clicks, I banned their IP and deleted the posts.
“Phew.”
Having dealt with the familiar distasteful posts, I moved on to another gallery.
And internally grumbled.
It’s a gaming gallery, why is no one talking about games?
I left the posts about the fashion of middle-aged women in Dongtan New Town and Osaka, Japan.
Politics, religion, society, gender conflict incitement, hatred, gore images, etc.
I swiftly and accurately clicked to remove them.
This one’s deleted. That one too. You, a 72-hour ban.
“Ah.”
This time, I was hit by a reverse tactical nuke.
Isn’t it unfair to attack without giving me a chance to press the back button?
I’ve seen it countless times, so it doesn’t affect me, but it’s still powerful.
This is something I’ll never forget.
I’ll probably remember it until the day I die.
I’ve been hit by tactical nukes hundreds of times.
Once you get used to it, it’s like they dredge up something new from a dystopian world.
Damn, how many versions are there?
I stopped counting after Tactical Nuke ver.13.
I can’t possibly memorize the names of all the grandmas and grandpas in the world.
‘Still, today has been relatively calm…’
Maybe I’ve been dipping my feet in the abyss for too long.
Even after being bombarded by tactical nukes dozens of times, my reaction remains indifferent.
This isn’t something good. It’s not a skill I can brag about.
Anyway, today, as always, I guarded the gallery while intermittently playing mobile games.
No disturbances in the galleries I manage… no crappy posts. Not bad.
As I was managing the gallery, an eye-catching post grabbed my attention.
Title: What the heck does Moderator do?
Running 17 minor galleries? Lol
Are you AI? How can a person manage 17 places? Lol
ㄴMust be AI lol, no way this is a human
ㄴFor real lol, even visible 24/7
ㄴManages 17 galleries for free?
ㄴAbsolutely not a human lol
ㄴEh? Scary lol
ㄴJust now, when the tactical nuke was launched, it got deleted instantly. Really, always a swift cut
ㄴDamn, stop posting them
ㄴWait
ㄴStop it, I said!!!!!
Reading such posts, I might have been expected to get angry.
But being recognized online actually made me feel good. Unintentionally, the corners of my mouth curled up into a smile.
In reality, I may be an unemployed college graduate, but online, who am I?
“Administrator of 17 galleries.”
I proudly said this to my tired reflection in the mirror and then turned my gaze out the window.
The slowly rising sun and the brightening world indicated it was time to sleep.
The sunrise means the other guardians are waking up.
In line with this, the daytime-active sub-administrators, or ‘Padak’, began to appear one by one.
Operating the gallery until their active hours and then going to sleep has been my routine.
In fact, I’m just a nocturnal, unemployed person who sleeps during the day, but let’s attach a cool reason to it.
‘Administrator responsible for the gallery.’
Definitely cool. Confirmed.
Thinking this, I threw myself onto the bed.
I meticulously closed the blackout curtains to block out the sunlight and laid my head on the pillow.
Drowsiness began to set in.
‘I’m not living with a broken pattern, I’m just living faster than others.’
My usual sleeping hours are from 11 PM to 5 PM… So, I’m living 12 hours ahead of everyone else. My body is in Korea, but mentally, I’m on Argentine time. Makes sense, right? Or not, whatever.
Yawn…
I’m sleepy. As I yawned lazily, I remembered something I had forgotten. I need to make sure to take this. I swallowed the vitamins I had left by my bed with some water and lay back down.
Of course, I don’t fall asleep right away. You can’t call it going straight to sleep. I read through unread articles on my phone.
It’s fun to visit places other than the galleries I manage. Fighting off sleep, I browsed through translated comic posts. Entering the post with the most likes and comments, I saw a comic that make unicorns bleed from their eyes.
─’Lack of Decency, Episode 3 [281]’
“Ha. This is what I call a comic.”
Eliminated due to lack of moral fiber. But it’s fun. After reading comments like ‘This isn’t something a virgin would know…!’, I moved on to another gallery.
Next destination: the modern game gallery. Posts about the results of games they’ve played or what new games are coming up dominated. The new release ? Trash. Any games worth playing? None. Now, there were no more galleries to browse.
As I was just about to turn off my phone,
[You have been appointed as the administrator of the Otherworld Gallery.]
A notification from the app popped up.
‘Otherworld Gallery?’
What’s the Otherworld Gallery? Is it related to anime or comics? Or is it a refuge operated by another gallery? Just by the name, I couldn’t tell what the gallery was about.
What on earth do they do here? I became curious. If I like it, I’ll manage it casually. If not, I’ll just ditch and run with the money.
[Do you accept the appointment as gallery administrator?]
[Yes]
With a light touch, the scenery around me changed instantly.
“Oh.”
It’s white. A white space with nothing around swallowed me. Goosebumps rose as fear washed over me. Lying in the white space, I felt a foreign presence. As I slowly got up, text appeared before my eyes.
《You have been appointed as the administrator of the Otherworld Gallery.》
“Ah.”
This is so cliché. Dizziness hit me hard, and I closed my eyes.
* * *
How many hours had passed? When I struggled to open my eyes again, the white space had disappeared like a dream.
What is this? My surroundings now looked like a normal house. All my belongings were here, similar to the house I lived in, but with one difference: where there used to be a computer, there was nothing. Instead, an hologram the size of a computer screen was floating in front of me.
《Focus your consciousness to connect to the Otherworld Gallery.》
《Please operate the Otherworld Gallery according to the principles.》
The Otherworld Gallery…? Lying on my bed, I recalled the galleries I knew.
Title : What’s this? A new admin suddenly appeared.
ㄴHappy about the new trash, lol.
ㄴDid you get a good laugh?
ㄴAh, start by getting rid of the fucking tactical nukes!!
ㄴIf it were me, I’d have wiped them all out lol.
Title : Yawwn~~ Demon King-chan have awakened~~ !!! > <
ㄴGoing to sleep, too cute.
ㄴDemon King-chan : This guy is absolutely overrated lol.
Title : Elf Queen’s naked walk of shame.jpg
ㄴDoes it smell like a chicken coop around the Elf Queen?
ㄴPurifying those elf bastards, yeah.
Title : Honestly, isn’t the hero act getting old by now?
“…….”
This is the Otherworld Gallery…?
My head began to feel foggy.
* * *
First, I took a deep breath.
Then I logged into the gallery.
Basically, I have the authority of a Moderator, an administrator.
And my ID is set as ‘Moderator.’
The yellow badge next to my ID particularly caught the eye.
‘Am I really just managing things?’
Is there no risk of messing up the operation, getting sued, or eating beef soup with a cold?
As I clicked around the gallery, I found a gear-shaped button.
Click.
A light touch of my finger, and a new window opens.
『Gallery Manager Mode』
─Management Level: 1
─Points: 0
『Moderator’s Gallery Shop』
【Weapons】
【Armor】
【Accessories】
【Consumables】
【Food】
【Miscellaneous】
There are no other interfaces besides this.
Clicking on the shop tab, various items appear.
The most eye-catching are the foods.
A range of delicious-looking dishes are lined up.
Among them, I found the most appetizing thumbnail.
【Golden Rosé Chicken】
(Well-fried chicken.jpg)
─5 points
I’m a bit hungry, and my mouth waters.
I want to eat this, but how do I earn points?
Since they are gallery management points, can I get them from the gallery?
I closed the window and headed back to the gallery.
Title: If you’re curious what Moderator is doing, recommend this lol
ㄴRecommend recommend lol
ㄴIsn’t this guy unfamiliar with our culture?
ㄴHaven’t written a post for a while, right?
ㄴIn my opinion, he got scared by what he saw and ran off lol
ㄴBombarded with tactical nukes and all kinds of bait posts, it’s crazy here lol
ㄴMight have been hit by a tactical nuke for real lol
ㄴStop the tactical nukes!!!!!!!!!!
ㄴWaiting
ㄴI said stop!!!!
A different word, but is it automatically translated to ‘tactical nuke’?
Curious, I clicked on the next post, and frowned.
‘Why are there tactical nukes here too. Damn.’
How is it the same here?
Reading these posts is making my head spin.
What should I do with these guys?
I found one I didn’t like.
─If you want to feed Moderator a tactical nuke, recommend this lol
【Would you like to block this user?】
─Block Duration: 10 minutes
─Reason for Blocking: Get out
I decided to test it and gave a 10-minute ban.
Then, a notification alarm sounded.
【You have earned 1 point.】
“Ooh….”
Do I get points just for performing my duties as an administrator?
Then what happens if I delete posts arbitrarily?
I found one particularly well-written post.
Title: Keke, posting something robust and cool
(An image of a dwarf holding an impressive hammer.jpg)
How is it? Just made it ㅇㅇ
ㄴKeke
ㄴDwarf dude keke, hits the spot kekeke
ㄴEven so, it won’t work on humans
ㄴCrazy dude keke
ㄴDo dwarf-made weapons look like crap to you?
ㄴWon’t work on humans? Are you talking about something pathetic?
ㄴWe call the things made by humans ‘pathetic’
ㄴKekekekekeke
ㄴKekekeke
ㄴPathetic weapon feature: Made by humans kekeke
ㄴLook at that dwarf dude hammering down keke
ㄴEase up on the damage keke
‘Dwarf dude hits the spot.’
This fits well in the otherworldly gallery.
If I delete this, there will be a reaction. I pressed delete as a test.
Ding.
Again, an alarm rang.
【1 point has been deducted.】
‘Hmm…’
There seem to be some principles to follow.
I must operate within the lines since they asked me to manage properly.
‘It’s just like any other minor gallery?’
Deleting crappy posts. Banning crappy people. Cutting off disruptors.
I decided to start by taking down those who spam.
ㄴPosted
ㄴBy
ㄴSomeone knows this guy’s address, I’ll buy it for a high price
ㄴSomething
ㄴWhy does this dude keep doing this?
ㄴTacti
ㄴcal
ㄴNuke
ㄴPlease someone kill this evil person
ㄴPosted
ㄴBy
ㄴSomething
Is this a diary?
I clicked on a post out of curiosity, only to find it filled with just tactical nuke pictures.
These types of guys are an automatic ban.
You too, get out.
【Would you like to block this user?】
─Block duration: 1000 days
─Reason for blocking: You too, get out
There’s no limit on blocking duration here, which is nice.
These troublemakers need to be banned for years to get the message.
‘I’d feel sorry to ban them for 10 years.’
So just 1000 days. It’s the least mercy I can offer.
Take it, reflect, and come back.
【The user has been blocked.】
The alarm rang, and my points went up!
【You have earned 5 points.】
‘Kuh! Thanks for the chicken!’
I didn’t hesitate to buy the Golden Rosé Chicken.
The chicken silently descended from the air onto the ground.
‘Wow.’
Truly another world. Is this magic?
It’s hot as if it was just made. I grabbed a drumstick and bit into it.
Crispy on the outside. Moist inside. Dripping with oil. Delicious.
I was about to write an agitating post in the gallery but stopped myself.
It’s not yet time to be active in the gallery.
While munching on the chicken and casually browsing the gallery, I discovered a new way to earn points.
‘Reading gallery posts also accumulates points.’
I haven’t counted precisely, but reading between 50 to 70 posts seems to increase points.
So, shall I start ‘serious galling’?
Now, it was time to be a Moderator.
* * *
Daknunsam.
It’s an abbreviation for ‘shut up and lurk for three months.’
Three weeks. Or three months. Three years.
You can attach any duration you like.
It basically means to keep quiet and understand the atmosphere when you first come to a gallery.
Knowing this rule, I refrained from participating and quietly read through the gallery.
Fortunately, the regeneration of posts isn’t too fast.
The volume of content from 17 combined galleries is manageable, similar or slightly more.
I repeated the process of swiftly banning the occasional troublemaker and leisurely enjoying my chicken.
During this time, I got a rough understanding of the gallery.
‘First off, there are several races.’
The races I could easily identify were demons, elves, dark elves, dwarfs, humans, and beastmen.
There might be other races, but I haven’t seen them yet.
While reading through the posts, I diligently managed the gallery.
Title: The weather is nice today ^^
(Picture of a demoness without her top.jpg)
ㄴWow, oh wow
ㄴKeke, sister, please post more
ㄴIf she stepped on me, I’d literally be unable to breathe
ㄴI earnestly wish to embrace you. Please leave your contact information.
First, I saved the picture.
I realized that I could save and view pictures.
Then, I lightly clicked on the delete post button.
‘1 point for deleting 5 racy pictures.’
It’s stingier than I thought. As I browse the gallery, I often come across explicit images.
Since they appear quite frequently, it’s easy to rack up points.
【Points: 133】
Already at 133 points. Nice. It feels rewarding.
Now that I’ve started managing the gallery, the users are beginning to notice.
Title: Is Moderator active?
ㄴSeems like it keke
ㄴDamn keke, Moderator is quick to delete posts
ㄴThis guy’s fast for real
While browsing through the posts, one with a lot of recommendations caught my eye.
It became a ‘notable post’ right on the first page.
Title: Recommend if you agree keke
I don’t know about other things, but I wish Moderator was a female student at the academy, for real keke
Recommendations: 699 Disapprovals: 1
ㄴModerator disapproval real-name system keke
ㄴModerator is actually an academy girl!
ㄴFor real, it’s true, I saw it
ㄴIf she dances in a school uniform, I’ll hit recommend 5000 times
Would I be doing this if I were a female student?
I chuckled to myself and went back to lurking in the gallery.
Even in another world, it’s the same chaos.
The essence of troublemakers was laid bare before my eyes.
Maybe that’s why I like it more.
ㄴIs it okay to post spicy pictures?
ㄴPlease, some spicy beast-person pictures
ㄴSuspiciously too suspicious furry guy…
ㄴHeard there was a war recently
ㄴWhere? Between demons and dwarfs?
ㄴIt’s a war between parents right now (Picture of a house exploding.jpg)
ㄴCrazy [person], LOL. Broadcasting a couple’s fight.
ㄴThe fight between the devil couple seems really fierce, LOL.
I chuckled while watching the video of demon couples fighting as if they were going to kill each other.
It seems like another world is just like where people live.
But how is the picture taken?
It doesn’t feel like there are modern conveniences using electricity.
Is there some kind of magical tool?
“Hmm…”
If it’s a magical tool.
It might be worth buying if it turns out to be helpful later.
I’m now considering whether to start revealing myself.
Daknunsam. Silent observation for three hours.
It’s about time for the three hours to be up.
I’ve roughly gathered information about the gallery and understood the atmosphere.
Now, maybe I should start proper management.
As a test, I lightly wrote a post.
─Moderator
Title: Hi
Hi
Upvotes: 391 Downvotes: 0
ㄴWhat the heck, lol. Seriously, it’s Moderator.
ㄴHey, what’s up?
ㄴLol, this crazy guy is finally writing.
ㄴModerator, do you have seductive demon eyes? Moderator, do you have seductive demon eyes? Moderator, do you have seductive demon eyes? Moderator, do you have seductive demon eyes?
ㄴWhat the heck have you been doing until now?
ㄴI guess this guy just posted a spicy picture, lol.
ㄴCould be a girl, you know.
ㄴDon’t girls post?
ㄴThen do they?
ㄴHow would I know that?
ㄴHaha, there’s no one I know.
Indeed, even in another world, places where people live are all similar. Even the gallery feels familiar, like it’s my hometown. After reading through the messy comments, I wrote another post.
─Recruitment
Title: Looking for people ㅇㅇ
Requirements: Able to spend 24 hours on the gallery, must be immune to tactical nukes
Reward: A blue badge in front of your ID, unpaid
Looking forward to your interest.
Upvotes: 251 Downvotes: 91
ㄴCrazy lol unpaid lol
ㄴSeriously, unpaid slave entering the gallery lol
ㄴYour name is now Chun-sik lol
ㄴRun awaaaaay
ㄴDamn lol immediately recruiting after coming lol Look at the conditions, crazy lol
ㄴPoor unpaid fellow
ㄴEh, why is the point getting blue
ㄴHawawa, Demon King-chan wants to be a recruit~
ㄴDon’t just pick weirdos lol
ㄴThey say she’s a female student at Moderator Academy, they say she’s a female student at Moderator Academy.
ㄴFor real?
ㄴDo you think it’s really true? Lol
ㄴIf it’s for real, totally possible lolol licking feet and all
ㄴI’m a guy but I can still do it lol
ㄴ?
ㄴI’m gay…
ㄴThat’s on you…
In the midst of the chaotic comments, I checked out those who were applying. Since I already had in mind who to pick while spending 3 hours in the gallery, all I needed to do was make my selection.
‘I think picking this guy will cause a stir in the gallery.’
On the contrary, these are the kinds of people that need to be chosen. My intuition and big data accumulated over my Moderator career are telling me to pick this guy.
【Do you want to appoint as a sub-administrator?】
【Yes】
I casually pressed the button.
ㄴ? Is this for real?
ㄴWhat’s happening!!!!
The gallery was buzzing.