The Hunter Gallery, Part 2
By nature, online forums are characterized by absolute anonymity and the massive chaos that stems from it.
However, things were a bit different for the Korean Hunter Gallery, a community where the very hunters called the "hope of South Korea" gathered.
For starters, you had to verify your hunter identification code to sign up, meaning a single ban was the end of your account.
Moreover, in a society where hunters were envied by the general public and A-class hunters were treated like celebrities, it was only natural for the community to self-regulate to some extent.
With that in mind, let us take a brief peek into the current state of the Korean Hunter Gallery.
We live in an era where even dividing and conquering needs diversity.
Indeed. No matter how much it was touted as the hope of South Korea and a gathering of elites, the shield of anonymity was a terrifying thing.
Even so, does Seol Hayun just crush them both?
The only saving grace was that the forum was kept under minimal control by a handful of moderators.
For reference, there were rumors that the moderators were actually high-ranking A-class or even S-class hunters, but that was nothing more than an urban legend.
I worship you, GOAT.
Anyway, that was the Hunter Gallery, where users spent their days walking the tightrope and playing in their own league.
Just as the users were writhing in boredom after the mods suppressed yet another tier-war bait, a massive piece of bait dropped.
My name is Do Yeonwoo. I don't know much, so pwease take care of me!!!
For the record, Yeonwoo had no idea, but due to the algorithm on the phone Do Seong-a had lent him, the place he posted wasn't the regular Hunter Gallery.
Its true identity was none other than the Female Hunter Gallery.
Furthermore, it was a place where only hunters of at least A-class could obtain registered accounts—a den of trolls where female hunters, exhausted by the hypocrisy of hunter society, gathered to blow off steam.
"I-isn't the reaction a bit too good?"
Comments and upvotes began to flood in exponentially alongside his verification photo.
To be honest, I hadn't expected this much attention, but it was more than welcome.
This was because, from the moment the post went live, a massive wave of Affection Points had started rolling in.
At this rate, I would easily clear the tutorial quest before the day was over.
If you come to the Hunter Association, I'll give them to you as a present!!!
Just as I was starting to grin at the even faster rate of Affection Points rolling in...
"Yeonwoo."
"Eep!"
"What are you doing?"
Seong-a Noona's voice suddenly drifted down from behind me.
"Uh, well..."
"What were you doing with the smartphone Noona lent you?"
"Uh, um..."
I didn't know when they had arrived, but Seong-a Noona and Chaerin Noona were leaning over me from behind, wearing terrifying smiles.
"I-I was talking to people!"
"What kind of people?"
"P-people inside the internet..."
I didn't think I'd get caught this fast. Is one of them active on the forum?
"Our Yeonwoo needs to be punished by his Noonas today, doesn't he?"
"Kid, you're busted."
Now that it had come to this, there was no avoiding punishment.
To be honest, it was a site that was a bit too mature for a child.
But it wasn't like I could reveal my history of spending all day on the Hunter Fan Gallery back when I was stuck in a hospital bed.
"H-here."
"Huh?"
"Hit me with this..."
I hurriedly grabbed a fire poker from the fireplace inside the lounge and held it out to Seong-a Noona and Chaerin Noona, but their reactions were strange.
"Yeonwoo, Noona isn't going to hit you."
"T-then, how are you going to punish me?"
"...Hmm."
Seong-a Noona, whose eyebrows drooped once again, broke into a cold sweat. She dragged Chaerin Noona back to whisper.
"Should we just let it slide?"
"Hey, we have to draw the line on things like this."
"But..."
A moment later, Chaerin Noona stood in front of me in Seong-a Noona's place.
"Kid, don't feel too bad."
At the terrifying punishment she declared, my jaw dropped.
"Your phone is confiscated for the day."
"Gasp!"
"And go stand over there with your hands up."
Of course, for a child, it was a very harsh punishment. Especially the phone confiscation, which was honestly quite critical for me right now.
"...I think you Noonas are really nice."
Still, compared to my days in F-Sector, it seemed the Noonas were being incredibly considerate.
Thinking back to the days when I was beaten half to death for failing to meet my quota after begging all day, this was mere child's play.
"This isn't even a punishment. Hehe."
With that thought, I ran over to the fireplace and stood there with my hands raised, grinning from ear to ear.
"...Ugh."
However, there was one thing I had overlooked.
"Uuuugh..."
"Kid, you look like you're struggling."
"P-please save me..."
For my body, which was far weaker than in my past life, simply holding my hands up was a form of excruciating torture.
Meanwhile, at that exact moment in the Korean Anonymous Female Hunter Gallery.
You all know what that means, right? Watch your mouths starting now.
As a result, the forum users who had commented all sorts of unspeakable things on Yeonwoo's post (thankfully, Yeonwoo hadn't seen any of them) fell into a state of literal panic.
But that panic was short-lived. Soon, countless posts and proof shots about Yeonwoo began to flood the forum, uploaded by hunters affiliated with the Association.
It was a historic moment. In the Female Hunter Gallery—a place where users spoke casually like hunters but were fundamentally toxic—a new mascot had been born, one whom no one dared to criticize.
Could it be related to that kid?
Of course, the post was deleted at the speed of light as soon as it hit the popular page, but because the forum was so active, quite a few hunters had already read it.
"Heh, interesting."
"Oh my."
"So that's how it is..."
And among them were not only guild-affiliated hunters but also independent hunters who were usually a bit slow to receive information.
"It's been a while. I should pay a visit to the Association."
"Me too. I suddenly have some equipment to inspect..."
"Should I buy some candy on the way?"
About an hour later, the Association was thrown into chaos by a sudden, simultaneous wave of visit requests from South Korea's female hunters.
"...I should go see his face for myself."
Remarkably, those requests even included one from an S-class hunter.