Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Another World Behind-the-Scenes Gallery
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"Hey, remember those old gallery names?"
Halmeonisa-rideop, Seukcheo-keojim, In'gantaltak-jimsun-haphak, Suranachal-pantimajok, Guiuihara-jongan, and so on.
All sorts of weirdos were there, lol.
└ Yeah, if you add the Head Admin and Sub Admin to that group, you'd have a complete hell squad, lol.
└ Aren't they there?
└ Who are they?
└ They were the named users from back then. Yeah.
└ Ah, lol. Them?
└ Yeah, that's...
"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"
The comments stopped there.
Did a cat step on the keyboard while someone was writing? After that, the conversation naturally shifted to another topic as if that talk never happened.
"So, what is it?"
The first of the two ways to make someone angry is leaving a sentence hanging. This must be the实战篇 (practical application)!
It successfully made me angry.
'How did this happen?'
Did someone delete the post in the middle? The Head Admin? Or the Sub Admin? Or did they delete it themselves?
It's even unclear if the post was deleted.
Because the gallery doesn't show what number the post is.
Worse, there's no timestamp, so there's no way to know the truth.
In this situation, the answer on what to do was already decided.
─Head Admin
Title) Reading an old post and noticed something.
There's a blank space between posts in the gallery.
└ What are you talking about?
└ Blank? Space?
└ What is this, you damn weeb? lol.
└ Head Admin) The feed changes instantly, as if the space between posts is completely empty.
└ Whoa.
└ But doesn't that happen often?
└ Well, it's not like we change the feed all at once like, "Okay, let's change the topic now, one, two, three, go!"
└ Yeah, lol. We don't change it by consensus.
└ Then what did the Head Admin see?
└ Uh... that picture... doesn't it look like the grandmother...?
└ Kyaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhk!!!
└ Is this a gallery ghost story???
└ Trembling...
└ Gallery ghost stories are scary...
└ Ah, I'm sleeping with my mom tonight...
└ Yeah, I'm all out of sleep.
└ What about people who don't have a mom?
└ You don't have a mom?
└ ?
└ I was just asking...
└ Yeah... I don't...
└ Thought so, lol.
└ You son of a bitch, lol. Where do you live?
└ Lol, you fell for the interrogation?
└ If you don't have a mom, you sleep with your dad. Yeah.
└ What if you don't have either?
└ Can't you just go get some?
└ Yeah, where can I find someone with two or three dads?
└ For real, are you a freak? lol.
└ How do you have three dads?
└ How does a freak like that even exist, lol.
─Head Admin
Title) What's with this gallery ghost story, seriously wtf lol.
For real, what is it?
└ A face-to-face deal murderer, a picture that kills you if you see it three times, the occasional beehive guy, posts appearing and disappearing in the empty gallery at dawn?
└ And the occasional grandma and grandpa.
└ Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahk!!!
└ Damn lol, each one is scary.
└ But this isn't a ghost story, it's just creepy pics, lol.
└ Anyway, it's a ghost story, lol. I can't be the only one who's been through this, lol.
└ Please die alone!!!!!!!
└ But what on earth did the Head Admin see?
└ Yeah, lol.
└ Actually, the Head Admin saw nothing... and what he's saying isn't true... and the gallery doesn't even exist...
└ Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaahk!!
└ Sad gallery story, trembling...
─Head Admin
Title) No, for real, the old posts are weird.
It's real!!!!!!
└ Here he goes again... Go eat something...
└ The Head Admin has gone crazy? lol.
└ The Head Admin who saw something, trembling...
└ Is the Head Admin senile?
└ The shortest-lived senile Head Admin, lol.
└ Head Admin, is the reason you picked the Elf Old-timer...?
└ Because the Head Admin is also a senile old-timer?!
└ The Senile Old-timer Duo, lol.
└ Well, old-timers understand each other, yeah.
└ They should play chess or something, lol.
└ Plant Druid) I'm not senile, you know...!
└ A person who suspiciously loves plants.
└ A person who tends to plants from morning to evening every day...
└ A person who talks about plants all day...
└ If that's not senile, what is?
└ Yeah, lol. How can a person tend to plants all day, lol.
└ Head Admin) I'm telling you it's for real, but you don't believe me.
└ I believe you, I believe you, of course I believe you, lol.
└ A gallery that only I can see, trembling...
└ Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahk!!!!!!
└ A person who sees weird things alone, trembling...
└ But there was a Head Admin who said he saw things, yeah.
└ Ah, that guy, lol.
└ Lol, thinking about it now, it's ridiculous.
└ What do you mean?
└ Sigh, another gallery newbie.
└ Tsk tsk, you don't even know this.
└ Don't just keep it to yourselves, tell us.
└ We should be showing respect, and you're saying 'tell us'????
└ Wow, you've got no manners, lol.
└ This is why gallery newbies are... tsk tsk.
└ I want to receive the senior's teachings!!!!!!!
└ Actually, I don't know either, lol.
└ You son of a bitch, lol. You wanna die?
└ Lololol.
└ From 'senior' to 'you bastard', lol.
└ It was just a Head Admin who went crazy, caused a ruckus, and disappeared.
└ There was also a moderator with an obsession who deleted all the posts on the gallery.
└ Yeah, lol.
└ We thought that guy was a real lunatic.
└ Maybe the Head Admin saw something and the post was deleted for that reason.
└ Or a moderator belonging to a specific faction just openly deletes things.
└ Surprisingly, there were quite a few moderators who were all about 'censorship', yeah.
└ Rather, the current atmosphere is strange, lol.
└ They surprisingly allow a lot of free posts, lol.
└ So it's highly likely that there's nothing to it, yeah.
└ It's highly likely there's nothing to it, yeah.
└ If you worry about it, you lose, lol.
└ In the gallery, the one who worries is the loser, that's the trope, lol.
└ Yeah, the grandmother lost because she worried, lol.
└ ?
└ Huh?
└ What.
└ Waiting.
└ Why!!!!!!
└ Please stop!!!!!!!
Once again, the noisy but peaceful gallery was tormented by the grandmother and grandpa's senior meeting.
"Is there really nothing to it?"
The Head Admin scratched the back of his head.
He felt like he was being an oversensitive, annoying person.
Was he jumping to conclusions and playing detective without even knowing what happened in the gallery?
"Hmm."
Well, strange things happen in the gallery all the time. He should just let it go.
It probably wasn't a big deal.
He brushed it off and headed to the next page.
Then, what greeted him was a question about whether the bikini he just bought looked good, and a deep discussion about chests!
"Oh. Sexy pics are the best."
The gallery was filled with pictures of hot bodies, keeping his hands busy.
The small incident in the gallery was quickly forgotten from the Head Admin's mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
While the gallery's influence grew and the entire continent was in an uproar, there was one particularly quiet place.
The reason it was quiet was that they weren't getting any attention from the continent.
They were disconnected from the continent's flow, their trend had passed, and they were a thing of the past.
That's right. The Academy was now a relic of a bygone era.
"Celia. We look like we're about to go under, what should we do...?"
"Telling me that won't change anything. I'm just a mere nun. I just received the blessing of the Goddess of Light, Eris, and hold the title of Saint, that's all."
The Academy's principal, Nerisa, whined, but the Saint didn't budge.
This wasn't a one-time thing; it was a daily occurrence.
The Saint, Celia, was engrossed in a book as if nothing was in front of her.
Swish. Swish.
She slowly turned the pages, savoring each letter and engraving the sentences into her heart.
She drank tea and enjoyed the book with a relaxed expression.
The more she did this, the more Nerisa's insides burned.
"Celia?"
"Ah. Principal Nerisa. You're still here? It's the perfect time for reading and contemplation, so I got a little carried away."
Celia's gaze turned to the outside of the window.
The sunset dyed the sky red. It was early evening, with day receding and night approaching.
Before dinner. A time when you're moderately hungry and your body feels sluggish.
It's a great time for anyone to get lost in thought.
Yet, Nerisa was far from relaxed.
The Academy was going under in real-time. How could she be at ease?
"Celia. No... Saint-nim. Is there... anything?"
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe a prophecy or a revelation that a demon will be reborn? Or that a great threat is coming to the continent and it's all over?!"
"When you say it like that, you sound like a wicked person who has gone bad. Why don't you refrain from such wicked words and be careful with your speech?"
When Celia answered like a model student, the principal slumped.
"...I'll be careful."
"And... to answer your question, I haven't received any such revelations recently. The Hero is diligently erasing the traces of the ancient demons, so the continent is at peace."
"That's... really... a relief..."
Nerisa forced her mouth to move and smiled.
She couldn't readily smile at the news that the continent was at peace.
What is an Academy?
It was an institution founded to stop and seal demons when they existed.
It was a place where all races gathered to share and learn knowledge, but that was a story from the past.
The ambition to kill demons disappeared a long time ago.
The Academy's founding purpose was gradually forgotten, and now it was just an institution in name only.
It had lost its original form and had been corrupted into a place like a social club to build connections.
It was the Academy's change of focus for survival.
An Academy life specialized in socializing!
But 'social club' and 'connections' sound nice. In reality, it was an echo chamber of people who already know each other.
It couldn't even function properly as a social club.
The Academy was now diligently walking the path of decline.
🔥 BERSERK MODE ACTIVATED 🔥
Headache MAX
"Haah..."
Nerisa's head ached.
If she wished for the Academy's popularity, she'd become a madman cheering for the continent's ruin.
But if she just sat still, the Academy would continue to decay.
Nerisa had no choices left.
'If it's going to be like this...'
Wouldn't it be better for the Academy's future to strengthen its function as a social club?
She carefully observed the Saint's expression.
"Celia. Perhaps..."
"What are you curious about, Principal?"
"Is there a student at the Academy who you suspect is the gallery's Head Admin?"
"Among the Academy's students... the gallery's Head Admin?"
Why was she asking that?
The principal smiled brightly, as if she had come up with a brilliant idea.
"Yes...! If there is, I plan to reorganize the Academy using the gallery's power. I'll ask the Academy of all races!"
"Aha... You plan to transform it into a social gathering place to unite all races?"
"The Saint-nim really understands my heart! So, have you seen one?"
"Hmm... No. I haven't seen any. There's no one I particularly suspect either."
"Ah."
Nerisa was greatly disappointed.
If she could promote the Academy on the gallery and gather the children of nobles and the wealthy from all races, it would be a hit!
The rumor that the Head Admin was a female student at the Academy must have been just a rumor.
But she didn't lose hope.
"Maybe there's an oracle or a revelation related to the gallery's Head Admin? I want to talk to the Head Admin no matter what...!"
"As for revelations about the gallery... I've never received one to begin with..."
Would the Lord have a reason to give a revelation about the gallery?
Besides... it seemed there was no such reason.
She gave a bitter smile.
"And..."
"?"
"Ah... It's nothing. It's almost time. Why don't we go eat dinner together?"
"Then how about eating out? I know a delicious place outside."
"Principal, you always eat unhealthy food, so let's go have a healthy meal at the Academy."
"Ugh."
"It's amusing to see you speechless with joy."
"Ghk."
The principal was dragged away by her hand to the Academy cafeteria.
The Saint was the only one who had the ability to handle the Academy's principal as she pleased.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On the way back after finishing the meal.
Celia walked down the quiet, empty hallway to the faculty dormitory.
Her room was small, just big enough to fit two beds.
A modest room that didn't match her title as a Saint.
As she took off her outerwear, she muttered.
"Head Admin, huh..."
She opened the drawer of her desk and took out a book.
The cover was worn, and the paper had yellowed.
It wouldn't be strange if someone mistook it for trash or a rag, but she carefully ran her hand over the cover.
It was a precious item that must not be damaged.
It was just a diary left by an ancestor from a very long time ago, but its value was astronomical.
📜 Calias's Prophecy 📜
The ancient book known as Calias's Prophecy was in her hand.
📍 Reason: She is a descendant of Calias, so she keeps and manages the ancient book.
She carefully turned the pages one by one, recalling the events of the day.
The question of whether there was a Head Admin at the Academy kept circulating in her head.
Is there really a Head Admin at the Academy...?
"I'll find out soon enough."
She carefully turned the pages to the last written sentence.
It was a page with only a short sentence written on it.
The Head Admin of the Gallery is dead.