The Great Convenience Store Rush

The gallery-goers quickly slapped an upvote on the post and bolted straight to the shop. And there, they found it.

The moment they saw that final line—*No restock planned!—they swarmed like a hive of angry hornets, frantically buying up whatever was left in stock.

And so, barely a minute after the notice went live...

Every single item was completely gone.

Already?

It was far faster than I had anticipated.

So flexers exist in every era, huh?

I found it so obnoxious that I slapped him with a two-hour ban.

I'll let you off easy since it's your first offense.

After hunting down a few more trolls and browsing the gallery's reactions, I sat back down at the dining table, intending to finish my dinner.

Clack, clack.

"?"

Instead of my spoon sinking into fluffy grains of rice, only the sharp sound of metal striking hard glass echoed through the room.

"What the..."

I looked down. Only a squeaky-clean, empty bowl stared back at me.

Lifting my gaze slightly, I saw Reina, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's, stealing guilty glances at me.

"I-I'm sorry. You didn't seem like you were going to eat, Head Mod, so I just wanted one bite... just one bite, but then..."

"...You've crossed the line."

Like Mr. Go from some twisted version of the Dooly cartoon, a boiling urge surged within me to scream, 'This is my house, bought with my own points! Get the hell out of my house right now!'

But that guy was a former sword master who had the strength to slice up a wicked baby dinosaur and a red-nosed alien the moment he gripped a blade. All I had was the thin layer of the Gallery Barrier the Operator had draped over me.

Well, I do have a sword, but...

Whirrr.

Peeking out from the corner, Reddy and Blackie bolted the instant they felt my gaze. Were they afraid I'd order them to "Go bite her!"? Honestly, it made sense. Even though these two high-grade items could easily overpower most locals, they were nothing but helpless puppies before the youngest daughter of the Succubus Queen.

I watched her carefully for a moment, then—

Bonk!

"Ow!"

I gave Reina a light bonk on the head. Knowing she was in the wrong, Reina hung her head.

"If it's not enough, I'll give you more. Just ask before you eat next time."

"I-I'm so sowwy..."

Left with no choice, I ordered another portion from the Point Shop. As I took a spoonful, it felt like it was missing something, so I fried up a Harpy egg and slid it on top. Only then was the flavor complete.

This was the first time I had ever felt such a desperate craving to eat a dish again. But if I asked for more Harpy eggs, it might lead to some deep misunderstandings... No, wait, why shouldn't I be able to eat them?

If I use the power of the Gallery's Trade Function...

I could easily swap a bag of mixed nuts for a Harpy egg.

Until now, I had only used it in special circumstances or for my own occasional needs out of fear of potential side effects. But monopolizing this function just to feed myself Harpy eggs for personal gain?

If I ever get caught, the gallery will absolutely lose its mind.

Hadn't things already escalated because Reina suddenly posted that photo? You never knew what kind of absurd, unfair situation was lurking around the corner.

So...

Let's just unlock it for everyone so I can use it without walking on eggshells.

"Should I unlock the Trade Function soon?"

"The Trade Function?"

"Yeah. There's a barter trade feature among the Gallery's functions."

I had heard a rumor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that in the past, this was used to deliver supplies to soldiers on the front lines. A commander in a rear warehouse would pull out a mountain of supplies and send a trade request to the frontline soldiers. The soldiers would put up a single pebble on their end, and instantly receive a massive shipment of military goods.

Thanks to that, the Demon King's Special Ops had apparently run rampant behind the Hum-Elf-Dwarf Alliance's lines for years without ever worrying about logistics.

"The Gallery really has a lot of broken features if you try to weaponize it for war."

Take the Point Shop, for instance. Maintaining a supply line? It costs a fortune and drains manpower. Pillaging the locals? Why would you do that and ruin your reputation when you can just ban a few trolls, rack up points, and buy whatever you need?

Is that why the Operator banned it? Because it's game-breaking.

But is there a reason it shouldn't be game-breaking? I heard she's the Operator in charge of the Demon Realm. Shouldn't she be on the demons' side?

"Hmm..."

I didn't know. Anyway, I shook off the idle thoughts.

Unlocking the Trade Function is fine and all, but it'll be a disaster if someone abuses it.

What if the Demon King or the Legion Commanders secretly browsed the gallery and used the Trade Function to transport war materials? The Gallery System is strict enough to dock your points if you ban a troll a day too late. There was no way such a meticulous system would just let that slide.

Therefore, I needed a dedicated sub-mod to manage the Exchange. And as luck would have it, the perfect candidate was sitting right in front of me.

"Reina."

"Yes?"

"Want to try accepting this?"

"Oh... but I don't have anything to give you."

"It's just a test, so anything is fine. Just pick something and send it over."

"O-Okay..."

Reina thought hard for a moment, then plucked a single strand of her hair and placed it in the slot. I put up a pebble I'd picked up from outside and finalized the trade.

Bad thoughts, bad thoughts.

I filled my mind with deep malice, lewd thoughts, and the ruthless mindset of a Legion Commander sending rations to his troops to slaughter the enemy.

Reina's strand of hair arrived. Likewise, Reina received the pebble I had sent.

"Can you detect any negative thoughts during the trade... Reina?"

But then—

Clack.

Her hands trembled violently, and she dropped the pebble.

"H-H-H-Head Mod..."

Her face flushed a deep crimson, and Reina collapsed to the floor.

"What's wrong?"

"Y-Y-Y-You're so shameless..."

"???"

No, wait. I did mix in a bunch of random thoughts subconsciously, but I definitely didn't think of anything explicitly lewd. I just lumped those concepts together and projected them as raw mental energy. Seriously.

"If that's what you want... even though I'm still an inexperienced virgin succubus... I-I will try my best..."

"Stop! That's really not it! Stop!"

"Hehehe, you seduced me first, Head Mod. Get over here right now!!!"

Thud!

Naturally, the Gallery Barrier blocked her.

"I told you, non-consensual contact is forbidden."

"Hmph."

Reina smacked her lips, looking thoroughly disappointed.

"Well, looks like it works."

"Y-Yes. It probably does."

"Then from now on, you can step back from general gallery moderation. Once the Trade Function is unlocked, can you monitor that instead?"

"Yes, I can do that."

Now that it was confirmed, I would assign Reina to the Exchange. And since I needed a new sub-mod...

I drafted another post to advertise for a new slave.

"I'll drag the first-place winner in as my new blue slave."

"I can't just use a Demon Realm Elder as a simple shock image eraser."

If I appointed a high-profile figure whose identity was widely known as a sub-mod, bad rumors might start spreading—like the Head Mod being in league with the Elder Council. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. That was why I had phrased it tactfully, and fortunately, the 'Red Duke' seemed to understand.

As I continued to monitor the reactions, a few comments caught my eye.