Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Auto Hunting Successful
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Today, the bulletin board wasn't exactly peaceful... Fires were still raging here and there.
Rather, it was more accurate to say things were gradually dying down into a lull.
The hype around volume 2 hadn't cooled off at all.
If anything, it was only going to intensify as time went on.
After all, wasn't this the perfect chance to legally demand volume 3?
They weren't holding back now, but jumping straight into it right after volume 2 dropped would have drawn too much scrutiny in all sorts of ways.
The reason it seemed a bit quieter now was simply that people were exhausted.
It had been quite a while since volume 2 went up, and everyone was tired of seeing the same arguments and heated debates over and over.
Most likely, this atmosphere would hold steady until volume 3 finally appeared. Or so it seemed...
Then came a post that redirected all the flames and seized everyone's attention.
[It's me, the guy who just said he'd go explore outside]
As you all know, the setting of Senyora of the Back Alleys bears a striking resemblance to some real-world location.
And volume 2 described the position in unusually vivid detail.
So, with some time on my hands, I decided to check it out.
And surprisingly, there was something there.
Just like in the novel, it was a fairly sizable neighborhood.
I know it's not great to generalize from a small sample size, but...
There were a ton of people doing shady, illegal stuff.
For starters, there was a druggie right in front of me. His eyes were completely glazed over.
And they were especially harsh on Beastkin.
We're talking not just dislike, but treating them practically like slaves.
If I'd been even a little more open-minded, I might've seriously wondered if slavery had made a comeback.
Hell, I didn't see it myself, but apparently there's this sleazy company that saddles Beastkin with massive debts and essentially turns it into a slave contract?
Man, what a coincidence, huh? A made-up story from the novel mirroring reality like this.
Still, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Volume 2 explicitly states that 'the characters and setting are fictional.'
I just wanted to share this pretty unique experience I had today.
This was obviously beating around the bush. Anyone familiar with the board could tell at a glance.
The poster was claiming that the events from the novel were happening in real life.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, the content was way too captivating to ignore.
So, tons of people piled in.
Wait, you expect us to buy this?
I'm just sharing my experience, that's all.
Why should I believe you?
Of course, plenty of people questioned its authenticity.
It was just too shocking to take at face value, with no proof beyond the poster's personal account.
? Then don't believe it. What do you want me to do about that?
Uh.
But when the poster responded with an attitude like they didn't care if anyone believed them, people were at a loss for words.
The primary goal of a lie is to deceive—to get people to believe you, after all.
When someone acts indifferent to whether you buy it or not, it throws you off a bit.
Of course, this could all be calculated too. Pretending not to care to build trust.
People racked their brains for questions or demands that might trip up the OP.
Can you say exactly where this happened?
Of course.
I'll post it separately so more people can see.
Hmm.
And when the OP immediately answered—even dropping info that could expose their lie outright—people were stunned.
No dragging things out with excuses about circumstances; they posted right away.
And it was incredibly detailed. They even noted nearby landmarks and warned about confusing paths.
At this point, people decided to take it at face value, at least for now.
Lies told with this much effort deserved a pass once in a while.
Besides, with such precise coordinates spilled, it was a time bomb of a hoax—bound to blow up any second.
So now, people started asking their burning questions.
Okay, but I still don't get something.
?
No matter how much of a day off it is, who in their right mind goes to a place like that? It looks dangerous just from the description.
And you said there were people doing illegal stuff and druggies—how'd you come back unscathed and casually post about it?
Just keep in mind that I'm definitely not a cop who decided to check out the novel's location on my day off.
?
Oh, that kind of setup?
Yep, that's the setup.
Got it.
But you're basically saying all that while denying it's real on the surface. You cool with that?
What can you do if I just deny it?
Aha!
Everyone had a blast with it.
Like a short event that might last a few days—or maybe just one.
[Going to check out the place from that post myself]
And just as posts started popping up about verifying it in person, I figured the event was wrapping up.
By getting debunked as fake, that is.
[Wtf it's actually real]
That's why the post claiming it was real threw everyone into even greater chaos.
[Wtf it's actually real]
Went there myself just like the post said.
It was exactly as described in the novel and on the board.
Tons of people with tattoos strutting around all tough-like.
I got scared and pulled my hat low, kept my eyes down, but people were staring at me from all over.
Then someone shoulder-checked me, my hat flew off, and suddenly the stares stopped.
Figured out why—it was because they saw I was human, not Beastkin.
Chills ran down my spine once I realized that.
Why is this actually real?
Feels like the world's lying to me...
Yeah, skeptics still lingered.
It was just too unbelievable, and with the board being anonymous, some suspected it was all one big fabrication.
[It's in the news...]
It made the papers today...
Reporters actually went and confirmed it exists...
Side note: the journalist who wrote this seems to be a Senyora of the Back Alleys reader too.
Asked the publisher via letter, and they said the author insists it's not based on real events—just coincidence...
Hmm...
Fuck if I know~
Never thought I'd see the title of the novel I'm reading pop up in a newspaper article.
But answering reporter questions by letter? Dude's got too much time on his hands? Aren, what the hell are you doing instead of writing volume 3?
? You going there?
Even that tiny blurb in the newspaper confirmed it as truth.
The stuff from the novel was real. Even if the author denied it.
[How could no one know about this...?]
Illegal shit going down on this scale, and nobody knew until now...?
Honestly, we kinda knew. Not the exact spot, but that rundown places full of illegal crap exist? Yeah.
It's not weird that this exists. It'd be weirder if it didn't.
The issue is no one knew the specifics of what goes on inside—or more precisely, how Beastkin are treated there.
Ah...
Plus, the idea that Beastkin treatment improved this much in such a short time never made sense to begin with.
Once everything was proven real, one spot immediately drew massive scrutiny.
The company that saddled Rika with crippling debt and plunged her life into despair.
All the companies there were shady as hell, but...
One matched the novel's description so perfectly it was easy to pinpoint.
['That Company' Shady Deeds Compilation]
On the surface, they look totally legit,
...
...
...
But they've been pulling this crap.
Don't ask how I know.
Whoa, jackpot.
So many shady-backed schemes.
Shady or not, some of it's straight-up illegal...
Aha.
At least it's not bullying an innocent company.
I wouldn't have posted if it was.
[Starting to get why volume 2 went that way]
I trashed it at first for portraying humans as such demons all of a sudden...
Hmm.
Now it feels like the historical accuracy is spot-on...
Officially, Aren wrote fictional events unrelated to reality, so the wild plot turns are still justified.
Gasp.
Suddenly, the odds that this company was the one from the novel skyrocketed.
No—even if it wasn't, it was clearly rotten enough to warrant digging into.
The problem? They weren't idiots; they dressed it up to look squeaky clean on the outside.
And while plenty was fishy, the slave contracts with Beastkin were especially hard to nail legally...
[Law guy here.]
Sized up the situation. Planning a deep dive investigation now.
If we shake 'em down right, everything they've schemed up will come to light.
I'll post a summary in a few days, so hang tight...
Did we have this many competent people here? What am I, then...
The common thread among you, the OP, and all these skilled folks? They all read one specific novel.
Kyahhh!!
The situation escalated wildly over the next few days.
And amid this whirlwind...
"Auto hunting is the shit."
I leisurely scrolled through the bulletin board.