Premium (2)
Merchants selling goods had no choice but to promote them. They needed to let the masses know what the products were to entice purchases. And this world had a continent-spanning community called the Gallery, not limited to nations. It was undeniable that countless people—even if not everyone—used it. So merchants hustled to advertise their wares not just in the real world, but in the Gallery too.
Title: That thing the anon just advertised. I tried it and it's fucking trash lol don't buy it
ㄴNo proof, so what?
ㄴNah nah nah, I tried it too and it's better not to lol
ㄴThese guys, no idea if they're lying or for real lol
But what was the Gallery? A place to experience every type of human scum, where you could taste pure malice. Mess up your promo, and you'd get tangled in fabrications, taking massive hits. Sure, occasionally standout items popped up, but those were usually already best-sellers. So anyone thinking of advertising in the Gallery had to prepare thoroughly. Like begging famous adventurers or investing in sports teams, and so on.
Title: Didn't the old head mod used to post ads themselves? I think the one before last did, but not lately.
ㄴJust personality differences. The one before last got assassinated for scamming.
ㄴㄷㄷㄷ What scam?
ㄴSaid they'd advertise but didn't, then ghosted and got done in lol
ㄴStraight-up eat-and-run lololol
Like that, the Gallery had its own framework for official promotions. You might ask about effectiveness... Honestly, the ceiling wasn't that high. Word-of-mouth spread slowly, and explosive popularity after proven performance? Almost never. As mentioned, the Gallery was accessible to everyone. Crowds drew anonymous noise-makers spreading crap.
"Turns out this hurts your health."
"Deadly to certain races."
"Super addictive," etc.
Rumors like that killed ads plenty of times.
Title: Got proof? Show evidence we did it lololol Demand real proof, not your suspicions lololol
ㄴWhat if there are real side effects?
ㄴNot everyone's the same~
ㄴFr lol
So you had to judge: malicious ad, real ad, genuine complaint, or counter-troll complaint? That's why YasaengGrill's product reviews caused massive waves. "Tried it, and it's good." From his perspective, just stating facts—but certification that it worked even in the Four Seasons Forest. No one could touch that stamp of approval.
Title: Anything else I don't know, but 'Four Seasons Forest'? That's bullshit lololol You gotta use top shit to survive there, and he used faulty crap? Knowing Grill, he'd have ripped it a new one lololol Like what the hell is this?
ㄴCan't argue with that lol
ㄴHaha lol jealous? Go enter the Four Seasons Forest then lol
ㄴBut he hasn't trashed any products so far, right?
ㄴYeah, just praised the bug repellent this time, barely any negativity.
ㄴGood reviews rarely have flaws anyway.
ㄴThen why no sell-outs?
ㄴCuz it's suuuuper expensive. And non-adventurers don't use repellents much.
Title: Not an adventurer, I'm a farmer, but this convinced me more than Grill's vid. Rub it on rocks and pests avoid 'em? Warm area here, bugs everywhere. Put it between crops, zero bugs lololol Farmer essential. Buy it. At least no pest headaches.
ㄴRepellent for that?
ㄴThought adventurers mainly.
ㄴFarmers use it too. Pesticides ya know.
ㄴMost pesticides bad for crops tho?
ㄴExactly, so Icon Top's repellent is OP.
Title: What the hell did Icon Top make up top ;;;
For these reasons, the repellent sold out fast. Not just in the Gallery—real world too. Icon Top's warehouse stock wiped clean. Actually, this happened before: the sword-tooth tiger attack.
Title: He's wearing the Grill uniform, right? Unscratched by tiger claws, but no word on that?
ㄴChaeyu uniforms sell well anyway?
ㄴAwareness maybe? Was just 'cool' back then.
ㄴExploded after Immortal King reveal lolol
ㄴThis'll sell big if dug up later?
ㄴUniform that tanks tiger claws from a Four Seasons Forest tiger!
ㄴBut fangs pierced it?
ㄴFuck, surviving that was a miracle lolol
ㄴUniforms are more design than performance anyway.
Uniforms focused on design over specs, so no huge effect. But sales rose, so not zero impact. Especially post-Immortal King exposure, YasaengGrill's fame skyrocketed. Before/after made a difference. Insane promo power from simple reviews—who wouldn't drool?
Title: Hey assholes, give me back my YasaengGrill repellent ffs.
ㄴWhy yours fuck
ㄴHaha lol
ㄴWe said it's good lol you use something else lol
ㄴShoulda enjoyed solo lol
ㄴGulk~!
ㄴGrill, need anything else? Can recommend a banger.
ㄴYasaengGrill: What's that?
ㄴAuction house has XXX Repellent. Try it.
ㄴYasaengGrill: Ok wait
ㄴYasaengGrill: (Video of bugs swarming repellent) Wanna die? You smeared honey on it?
ㄴLmaooooool
ㄴBackfire epic lololol
ㄴNot repellent, straight honey lolol
ㄴThat's fraud right? Lol
ㄴBreaking: That auction repellent just got pulled lolol
Harsh conditions applied. Performance first. Recommend crap that flops? Expect YasaengGrill's wrath.
ㄴGotta be sketchy? It's the Four Seasons Forest?
ㄴExactly. I think Icon Top's is the weird one.
ㄴIf it works there, that's impressive;;
ㄴHuh, true?
Key point? Even if ineffective, "Four Seasons Forest" excuses it. Working there is impressive; failing doesn't mean defective. Low risk, high reward for promoters. Golden chance for overlooked quality stuff.
Title: Grill, try this once? (Mosquito net pic) Our firm invented it, great for buggy areas. Free, just test. Trash it if you want, just experiment.
ㄴYasaengGrill: Ok, hold on. Auctioning this?
ㄴYeah, posting soon.
ㄴYasaengGrill: (Mosquito net on fish bucket video) Solid performance? Make a bed net lol
ㄴThanks;;; Off to sell
ㄴJealous.
ㄴHey Grill, me too please.
YasaengGrill got freebies too, win-win. Weird stuff sometimes, but Gallery quirk—laughed it off. Many satisfied sponsoring(?), but not all.
"We can't just sit! This'll hit our main product's sales!"
"……."
Especially rivals to that firm.
Commerce was a chicken game: win only if competitors vanish. No 'monopoly' in this era. Winners take all. Had to watch strong rivals.
"Luckily, Icon Top's repellent isn't core. Stock wiped, no real sales."
"……."
"So seize this chance to..."
"One question."
The boss quietly cut off the heated secretary. She shut up, awaiting words. Heavy silence, then:
"What can we do?"
"……Pardon?"
"What can we do, I asked."
Not resolution—acceptance. The boss set direction. Odd words flustered her. But he wasn't dumb; grasped reality fastest.
"Drag the Four Seasons Forest guy by force? Stir shit it's fake?"
"Can't swear no Icon Top ties? Even if not, somehow..."
"Guy who harvests adult mandrakes like corn? Sure."
"……."
"Nothing we can do. Go pop corn."
Secretary retreated, no counter. Boss hadn't quit—gauged the situation.
Would our stuff work in the Four Seasons Forest?
That was it. Overwhelming performance? Honestly, no. Icon Top would've made it core if so. Pure coincidence stacked.
Icon Top boss ain't dumb; won't core a repellent. Makes ours look inferior.
Too late to beg YasaengGrill. Repellent = Icon Top's best now. Gallery ceiling clear. No single firm stops it. Needed alternatives.
Merge with Icon Top.
Victory decided. Boss sighed. Hated bending, but money mattered. Firms existed for profit, not ego.
Meanwhile, one boss conceded cleanly.
"B-Boss! Orders exploding!"
"Damn it! I said wait! Uses crops from my dad's land!"
"They demand anyway! Skin benefits too...!"
"Skin benefits my ass! Repellent good for skin?!"
Icon Top drowned in orders. Expected boom, but this extreme?
"Why's it selling THIS hard?!"
Not everyone in Four Seasons Forest like Grill.
*****
YasaengGrill unwittingly stirred commerce storms. Bugs raging outside kept him cave-bound. Bonus: checking sponsorship/promo freebies.
"Why the hell women's panties?"
Weird ones aside, useful stuff too. Good review = premium price, so no reviews planned—but no eat-and-run. Test, be honest.
Then:
Bwooooooom—
Unheard noise outside drowned bugs. Piercing. YasaengGrill paused sorting, peeked out. Repellent pre-applied—no bugs.
Bwooooooom—
"......Mushi?"
He saw clearly: whale swimming skyward, no ocean. Massive mammal like Earth's blue whale.
Four Seasons Forest twisted common sense, but this... beyond reason.
Bwooooooom—
Whale halted overhead, eyed buzzing bugs, gaped huge maw matching bulk.
Suuuuaaaaaah!
Soon vacuumed bugs like a Hoover. Suction mild, but bugs weak in numbers—sucked in.
Sky whale inhaled swarm instantly.
Bwooooooom—
Satisfied, it swam skyward, gone.
"……."
Speechless briefly.
Well... fantasy, so flying whales exist?
Unicorns too; not weird.
Title: Flying whales real?
YasaengGrill (flying whale video)
This whale flies here normally, right?
ㄴCheonma: Creature from legends.
ㄴSwordTasteStar: No, sky whales are mythical;;
ㄴCheonma: Myth? Like vermilion bird or azure dragon?
ㄴSwordTasteStar: Myth, not legend;;
ㄴLegendary beast IRL;;
ㄴInsane;;
Hmm. Nope. Sky whales got unicorn treatment on Earth.