The problem was that the vast majority of the gallery’s users were suspicious of Han Yujin.
In other words, it was a one-versus-many fight.
‘How am I supposed to win this?’
Han Yujin pondered for a moment, then came up with a scheme and curled the corners of his mouth into a grin.
Then first, he would start with some careful buildup.
——————
[Title: Just came out of an urban legend and got offered blue mod lol]
Author: ㅇㅇ
[Content]
Ask me anything.
[LotsOfDishesButOnlyMakeALittle]: Uh, you were alive?
[Santo1kki]: Bro… I don’t even have the strength to pretend to fall for this anymore….
[LivingOnlyForToday]: If you’re gonna lie, at least make it believable.
[LogicCircuit]: If it’s a blue mod, it would probably be OrthodoxMethod*. Considering that person’s personality, he isn’t someone who would offer a mod position to a newbie so easily. High chance it’s fake.
——————
As expected, the atmosphere was one where no one believed him.
And in this kind of atmosphere, there was always one thing that was bound to appear.
That was—
——————
[Title]: Proof that ㅇㅇ is faking it.txt
Author: FactBomber
[Content]
Summary: There’s no way ㅇㅇ went into an urban legend and came back out.
There’s no way a newbie could slip away from four newbie hunters that easily. All of those guys have been rolling around in urban legends, so they have plenty of combat experience. Even if I’m extremely generous and say he somehow shook off one of them, four is absolutely impossible.
A blue mod offer? This is the biggest load of bullshit. Do you know who the current blue mod is? It’s “OrthodoxMethod.” Do you know how strict and by-the-book that guy is? And you’re saying he offered a blue mod position to some newbie? There are limits, even when you’re trying to bait attention.
Conclusion: ㅇㅇ is just an attention whore writing fiction because he wants attention. Don’t feed him, everyone.
——————
“Here it is.”
Han Yujin’s eyes shone.
A perfect callout post that had even made it to the best posts.
The comments were already filled with people mocking “ㅇㅇ.”
——————
[ㅂㄴㅇㄹ]: Fr lol, that fact bombing felt good.
[LivingOnlyForToday]: Now that I hear it, it’s all true. It’s true that OrthodoxMethod-nim is busy.
[Santo1kki]: I told you that bastard would overdo it and then overdo it again… blocking him fast is the answer.
[LotsOfDishesButOnlyMakeALittle]: Ah... was it really bait? I don’t think it is...
[FactBomber]: He’s too scared to even refute it lololol
——————
The gallery’s public opinion had completely shifted to “Han Yujin = delusional attention whore.”
There were a few defenders, but they weren’t gaining any traction at all.
It was a situation where any normal person’s hands and feet would be trembling.
Han Yujin’s hands and feet were trembling, too.
“Ahh. The bait tastes so good.”
In a completely different direction.
Like a gourmet savoring a Michelin chef’s cooking,
Han Yujin chewed over each and every post with his eyes and carved them into his mind.
Han Yujin waited quietly until that post made it to the best posts and surpassed 100 comments.
The stage was set perfectly.
The malicious ones had climbed to the highest place on their own and hung themselves by the neck.
Now, it was time to kick away the foothold.
Han Yujin opened the notification window that had appeared when he cleared the “Lost Child Shelter” urban legend.
[ You have cleared “Building F, Room 12031: Lost and Found and Lost Child Center.” ]
[ 13:10:01 remaining until automatic ranking update. ]
[ Would you like to register your ranking now? (Y/N) ]
“Hehehe.”
The core logic by which they were unfairly bashing Han Yujin was “fabrication.”
Since Han Yujin’s exploits were absurd and impossible to understand, they were claiming it had been manipulated.
And breaking that was simple.
With hands trembling in pleasure, Han Yujin pressed the [Y] button.
And, a moment later.
[ Gallery-wide Notice: The 1st-place ranking for Building F, Room 12031 has been updated. ]
[ Building F, Room 12031: Lost and Found and Lost Child Center ]
• 1st place. [ㅇㅇ] - Clear Time: 00:11:28 / Acquired Anomalous Crystals: D (Average)
.
.
.
Ten seconds of silence.
“FactBomber’s” post remained frozen in place, enshrined among the best posts.
And then, a storm swept in.
— ?????? What’s with the ranking?
— Did the newbie update it again?
— Is he insane? He cleared another urban legend in the meantime?
The guys who had been laughing at Han Yujin just a moment ago vanished somewhere without a trace.
Instead, posts filled with shock and confusion poured in in real time.
———
[Title: False callouts should just leave the gallery on their own lol]
Author: LotsOfDishesButOnlyMakeALittle
[Content]
A newbie was suffering and you couldn’t even cheer him on—
— This is correct.
— Fr, the ones hoping someone else would lose their life were kind of pathetic.
— This feels so satisfying.
———
A massive counterattack from Han Yujin’s defenders!
Since the proof of his clear was perfect, even if he did nothing more, the gallery’s public opinion would naturally tilt toward him.
“I won.”
A perfect victory.
His whole body trembled as if he had downed a whole soda in one gulp, and his head buzzed with electricity.
“Delicious.”
On top of that, the dopamine didn’t end there.
If it was true that Han Yujin had gone into an urban legend and come back out, then there was a high chance the things that had happened inside were true as well.
— Did the newbie really catch all the newbie hunters and come back?
— Seeing as those bastards aren’t uploading new posts, it must be true, right?
— No, did he really use the urban legend against them? Say something, damn it, I’m dying of curiosity.
— If ㅇㅇ pops out within 10 minutes, I’ll give away 5 hambugers.
A stupid laugh spilled from Han Yujin’s mouth.
“Heheh... Hehehe...”
There was even a user giving away hamburgers just to read his post!
Maybe it was a good thing that urban legends had become real?
Thinking such insane thoughts, Han Yujin held back the grin creeping up his lips and wrote a post coolly, pretending to be serious and solemn.
———
[Title: Ah, those newbie hunter guys?]
Author: ㅇㅇ
[Content]
They were being noisy. So I “disposed” of them.
———
The word “disposed” had deliberately been emphasized.
The survivors immediately realized what it meant when combined with the rules of the Lost Child Shelter urban legend.
———
[LivingOnlyForToday]: ...People? Four of them?
[LotsOfDishesButOnlyMakeALittle]: You, you said you were a newbie...
[Santo1kki]: (Emoticon: trembling rabbit) I won’t act up from now on, hyung-nim.
ㄴ [ㅇㅇ]: I told you I’m a beautiful girl.
[LogicCircuit]: ...You used the rules of the “Lost Child Shelter” against them. You forcibly summoned them as “guardian candidates”...
ㄴ [ㅇㅇ]: Correct. There’s no way they could’ve been guardians, right? If you’re not confident you can follow the rules, you should die.
ㄴ [LivingOnlyForToday]: Wow... This bastard was really a lunatic. ㄴ [ㅁㄴㅇㄹ]: I got chills... Even “LostAHandFixedBrainALittle” wasn’t this much.
———
The comments continued running for a long while beneath that.
“Heheh.”
The corners of Han Yujin’s lifted mouth showed no sign of coming down.
Endless attention.
This was why he did gallery stuff.
It felt as if the empty space inside him was being packed full.
It was the most precious feeling, one that could not be exchanged for anything.
Han Yujin’s eyes, glittering as if stars were shining in them, slowly closed.
“Haa....”
A sweet sigh flowed out.
He wanted to be praised a little more.
He wanted a little more attention!
Han Yujin barely managed to calm his pounding heart.
The more excited you got while gallerying, the more careful you had to be.
For ten years, he had seen more than enough of the guys who drew brief attention and quickly disappeared, all because they got carried away by their own excitement and went out of control.
Slowly.
Bit by bit.
Nibble by nibble.
‘Until the entire gallery is in my hands.’
A mastermind controlling everything in the gallery from behind the scenes.
No, he would become a tyrant who could openly toy with the gallery however he pleased!
While Han Yujin’s eyes blinked and gleamed ominously as he made that vow,
“.......?”
OrthodoxMethod, who was resting at home, had to look around at the sudden chill.
◆
The next morning.
Was it because he had used his head so much?
“...Ah. I’m craving dessert.”
Han Yujin wanted something sweet.
He even had over ten million won in cash in his hands right now. There was no reason to hold back.
“Should I eat ice cream?”
But as they said, only those who had spent money knew how to spend it, and the height of luxury Han Yujin could manage was buying Häagen-Dazs from a convenience store.
Of course, he didn’t care about events like buy one, get one free! so he was truly the very image of a nouveau riche.
“Ah, but my card has no balance.”
The problem was that Han Yujin had only cash on hand.
Here lay the irrationality of modern society.
You could spend money in your bank account anytime by swiping your card here and there, but when putting money into your account, you had to go to a bank or an ATM!
On top of that, the amount wasn’t small, so he would definitely have to go in person.
“...What a pain, seriously.”
Even while grumbling, Han Yujin headed straight to the bank.
When he entered the bank, he saw the quiet interior. He took a number and waited for a moment, and his turn came quickly.
“How may I help you?”
A male bank clerk wearing glasses asked kindly.
“I’d like to make a deposit.”
Han Yujin handed over the two million won in cash he had prepared, along with his bankbook and ID.
The clerk familiarly put the money into the machine and began filling out the paperwork.
“Customer, under the Financial Transactions Act, when depositing cash above a certain amount, there are several verification procedures. Would you have a moment?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Han Yujin gulped and answered.
It was a procedure he had expected, but dealing with a person in reality was still rather difficult.
“Thank you. First, may I ask the source of these funds? You can tell me the applicable category, such as wages, business income, gift, and so on.”
“Part-time work. It’s earned income.”
The bank clerk nodded and tapped on the keyboard. Clack, clack. In the quiet bank, the sound seemed especially loud.
“Yes, earned income. Confirmed. If it isn’t rude, may I ask whether the paying party is currently operating normally?”
“……Pardon?”
For some reason, the words “operating normally” sounded strange. Did they usually ask this kind of thing?
“Ah, there’s no particular meaning. There are many abnormal businesses these days, you see. It’s a question to protect your assets, so we ask for your generous understanding.”
The bank clerk was still wearing a gentle smile. Had he been too sensitive?
“Yes. Of course. It’s a normal place.”
“That’s a relief.”
He smiled as if reassured and moved on to the next question.
“Then what is the main intended use of these funds? Living expenses, savings, investment... well, those are the usual categories.”
“I’ll use it for living expenses.”
“Ah, living expenses. Of course. To fully maintain your current state, steady fund management is essential. Very wise of you.”
‘Maintain your current state.’ The bank clerk’s choice of words grated on his nerves again.
‘Am I being too sensitive?’
Han Yujin gulped and looked around.
Should he just run out?
...Reality really was a bit hard.
“Now, then, this is the final confirmation.”
The bank clerk leaned his upper body slightly forward.
“This transaction complies with all relevant laws and all of our bank’s terms and conditions and is a normal transaction, correct? And just in case... please confirm that it is not compensation obtained by fulfilling any special ‘conditions’ that were not agreed upon.”
At that moment.
He remembered what OrthodoxMethod had said.
— “Once you have entered an urban legend, you will have to be prepared from now on. The frequency with which urban legends come to you will increase greatly.”
Bang!
Han Yujin shot up from his seat.
“Ah, ah……. I think it’s fine after all. I just remembered something urgent. I’ll be going.”
At Han Yujin’s answer, the bank clerk smiled brightly.
“You’re already too late. At least take your money with you.”
As if nothing had happened, the bank clerk returned to his proper posture and finished the transaction. A moment later, he held out the bankbook and ID with the completed deposit to Han Yujin.
Han Yujin accepted them with trembling hands.
And the moment he absentmindedly checked the ID photo, his breath stopped.
The person in the photo was not Han Yujin.
It was the face of a strange woman he had never seen before in his life, terrified and on the verge of screaming.
At that moment.
Click—
All the lights in the bank went out at once.