Appointing the 24/7 Janitor
The gallery system operated efficiently. It automatically categorized over 10,000 reported posts, organizing them into a chart ranked from first to last.
"Wow, this is pretty neat."
[I'm glad it helped.]
Since the top ranks were still shifting, Head Mod decided to wait a bit longer before announcing the results. He opened the gallery in the meantime , only to find the activity completely dead—likely because everyone was busy reporting posts.
"Hey, don't stop browsing the gallery, you guys."
If they stopped, the trolls would lose interest and stop posting, too.
"If I can't kill trolls, I can't earn points."
That wouldn't do, so he decided to lead by example.
[Title: It's me]
[Author: Head Mod]
(Thumbs-up Pepe the Frog Demon pic)
Thanks to your overwhelming support, the number of reported posts has surpassed 10,000.
Wishing for the infinite development and glory of the Single-Player Magic Gallery, please continue to actively report trolls and hate posts.
(Bowing Mouse Demon emoji)
And don't stop browsing the gallery (Important).
[Upvotes: 115] [Downvotes: 443]
[Comments] * — Hey, you bastard, so what about the chicken? * — Real talk, lol * — Head Mod) Currently tallying up the rankings, so wait * — Head Mod! Head Mod! Head Mod! * — Damn it, I believed in you! * — Head Mod) But it’s a random food reward, not chicken? * — Oh, right? * — As long as it's food, who cares? * — Whatever, just give us the chicken or whatever it is already? * — It's "whatever," you idiot * — Your mom * — Ancient Demon God) Head Mod~ Couldst thou inform me what the random food is? * — Head Mod) Beats me, it's random so you'll know when you get it * — Ancient Demon God) I see! I understand, I shall wait * — Ugh, old man, stop with the roleplay already!!! * — His tone makes me want to punch him lol * — The random food is mine, standard victory * — It's mine, stop talking nonsense * — Upvote if you know these gallery idiots are going to cry about getting disqualified in a bit lol * — There are already two of them right above me lol
"Look at them getting ahead of themselves."
Everyone was consumed by the thought that the report reward would be theirs.
"Users like that always end up in the mid-to-lower ranks."
[How do you know?]
"That's just how the world works."
[Excuse me?]
"Just kidding. It's an inference based on the big data gathered from my extensive gallery experience."
The Operator reacted as if she didn't understand what he was talking about at all.
"It's a gut feeling, a hunch. But one with remarkably high accuracy."
He was a man who had successfully rooted out multi-accounting trolls using nothing but pure intuition, followed by evidence and loaded questions. The intuition of a gallery addict was terrifying. On top of that, having served as a Head Mod and Paddak in dozens of communities, his instincts were usually spot on.
Or so he thought.
[Top Reporters Ranking]
1. Ancient Demon God 2. RD1234 3. Anonymous (Identification Code: singmagall3421) 4. Ma-Gallery Cartoonist 5. Chain Letter
"Huh?"
The unexpected had occurred.
"Well, look how this turned out."
[Is there a problem?]
"I planned to give rewards up to 5th place and appoint the 1st place winner as a Paddak."
[Since they're the top reporter, hasn't their ability been proven?]
Head Mod shook his head. The Operator was casually saying some very dangerous things.
"You never make a roleplayer a Paddak."
The user's nickname was literally 'Ancient Demon God'. According to Derek’s memories, this user was a hardcore roleplayer and an absolute eccentric.
"She's a lunatic who genuinely believes she's an ancient demon god. If you give a user like that the staff armband, what do you think will happen to the gallery ?" It would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar, far worse than the drama over the chicken. "Regrettably, I'll have to conscript someone else."
[Still, you should check their detailed profile first.]
[You can access it with your Head Mod permissions.]
"Hmm... should I?"
Though their personal gallery log was locked, he could still look up the account information using his Head Mod permissions, just as the Operator suggested.
"Alright, let's start the autopsy~"
Scrolling down the list of posts and comments written in that unyielding roleplay tone made him feel dizzy, as if the bizarre manner of speaking was contagious.
"No history of trolling, but still, this user is a bit..."
Frankly, it was a little much. The roleplay was overly intense.
"Let's pass on Ancient Demon God and look at another gallery user... Huh? Wait, what???"
As he scrolled back up, his eyes widened at an unbelievable set of numbers.
[Nickname: Ancient Demon God]
[Posts: 30,673,415]
[Comments: 156,176,431]
"What?!"
He almost lost consciousness. Could it be a bug?
[There are no errors in the figures.]
The Operator sent a message, seemingly having anticipated his thought. It wasn't a bug.
"How can a single person write 30 million posts?"
And what about the comment count? It was a staggering 150 million. Unless they were using a macro, it was utterly impossible. But a macro couldn't exist in a fantasy world. At best, it would have to be done manually by hand.
Trembling with fear, he scrolled back down to skim through Ancient Demon God's posts and comments. Naturally, the "not human..." meme popped into his head.
"From the morning shift to the afternoon, evening, dawn, and back to the morning shift. It looks like this user... doesn't sleep at all?"
The time gap between posts and comments never exceeded an hour at most. The Operator was equally horrified.
[I think your judgment was correct, Head Mod. This user seems a bit dangerous, so let's find someone else—]
"No."
[Head Mod???]
Without hesitation, he slammed the appoint gallery manager button.
[Would you like to register nickname 'Ancient Demon God' as a gallery manager?]
"Yes."
[Registration completed.]
[Current Gallery Managers Status (1/4)]
A gallery addict who stayed online 24 hours a day?
"I can't pass this up."
[Title: The reporting contest has ended]
[Author: Head Mod]
(Noble Frog Demon elegantly raising a glass pic)
Good job everyone.
Revealing the results right now.
[Top Reporters Ranking] 1. Ancient Demon God 2. RD1234 3. Anonymous (Identification Code: singmagall3421) 4. Ma-Gallery Cartoonist 5. Chain Letter
As promised, the top five will receive the 'Random Food' reward.
And since 1st place has been appointed as a Paddak as an extra prize,
(Screenshot showing reported posts exceeding 20,000)
Hurry up and get to work.
[Upvotes: 315] [Downvotes: 623]
[Comments] * — This is rigged * — Rigged indeed * — Real talk lol, why aren't I on the list? * — Definitely rigged, I didn't report a single post and I'm not on the list * — Who is this idiot lol * — You didn't report anything, so of course you're not on the list, dumbass
* — But does the list even matter? Head Mod could have just picked random people * — Sounds plausible now that you mention it * — Could it be...?
* — Head Mod) The entire process was conducted in the presence of the Operator, and the ranking was generated by the gallery system. Any complaints? * — Head Mod) (Image of a finger resting over the 'Ban this user for 9999 days' button) * — Haha;; sorry... lol!!! * — As expected, the great Head Mod eradicating conspiracy theorists lol * — Please hold another contest like this next time * — Head Mod) Yeah, I'll hold them frequently
* — Really? I love you!!! * — Head Mod! Head Mod! Head Mod! * — Next time, please hand out a more generous quantity...
From those who were disappointed to miss the top 5:
* — 1st place turned blue, oh my god lol
* — Wow, for real? What a loser lol
* — He held onto that cringe roleplay just to get dragged away by Head Mod lol
* — Ancient Demon God (X) Head Mod's Slave (O)
* — Ah lol, change your nickname lol
* — Hey, but is it okay to make a guy like that a Paddak?
* — Usually, the person who speaks up gets—
* — Head Mod) Then do you want to do it?
* — No, no, no, no;;
* — Head Mod) Watch your step
To the gallery users celebrating(?) the birth of a new Paddak, the reactions varied, but the flaming anger from earlier had definitively cooled down.
"Alright, that's done. Now, shipping the random food to the top 5."
It wasn't that he manually chose random items; there was actually a 5-point item called 'Random Food' in the shop category.
[Point Deduction: -1025pt]
For the time being, the community would keep itself entertained talking about who got what food, expressing jealousy, or laughing at the guy who turned blue.
"Public sentiment restored."
It was an incredibly simple task. In truth, anonymous internet communities always functioned this way. Those with complaints left posts and comments, while those who were satisfied remained quiet.
But what happens when the dominant opinion shifts in an instant?
"The silent majority rises up, making it look like the entire gallery's opinion flipped completely."
Those who had been furious about the chicken being auctioned off? They could no longer voice any complaints. If they tried to drag up the stale drama now, the other gallery users would suppress them on their own.
[Truly amazing.]
"It's nothing special."
However, he didn't have time to act leisurely in front of the Operator just yet. There was still a mountain of backlogged reports.
"Gotta do what needs to be done."
Only then could he rest and enjoy the gallery. Well, he didn't have to do it alone anymore.
* — Head Mod) Hey, "Paddak."
* — Ancient Demon God) ???
* — Ancient Demon God) Why has this lady turned blue?
* — Head Mod) Read the pinned post
* — Ancient Demon God) ......
* — Ancient Demon God) The gallery users are insulting this lady, calling her an unpaid hate-post eraser...
* — Head Mod) It's not unpaid
* — Head Mod) I'll give you whatever food you want twice a week
* — Head Mod) If performance is good, I'll give you extra rewards
* — Ancient Demon God) !!!
* — Ancient Demon God) I shall do my absolute best!
* — Head Mod) Yeah, then check the reported posts and start processing them
* — Ancient Demon God) Leave it to me!
How much time had passed since he sent the message? Five minutes? No, it must have been slightly longer than that, but it was certainly a short duration—less than ten minutes.
- Ding!
[315 posts promoting hatred deleted. 142 posts containing hateful images deleted.]
[A total of 4,570 points has been awarded.]
[335 malicious users banned.]
[A total of 6,700 points has been awarded.]
Points automatically flooded in.
"This Paddak's performance is insane."
As expected, hiring her was the right call.
The Demon Realm was a barren and rugged terrain. Deep inside a cave located at the very edge of the northern mountain range—a treacherous place where ordinary demons could never reach:
"Hehe~ Thanks to Head Mod organizing it so neatly, dealing with reported posts is not difficult at all."
Inside, a red-haired girl was tirelessly operating a semi-transparent window.
"To be able to receive two chickens every week while doing such easy work. Fortune smiles upon me."
The gallery regular 'Ancient Demon God'. She was, in fact, an actual ancient demon god and a true gallery addict.
However, this was not by choice. Ever since her power was stripped away and she was sealed in this place, the only options available to her were sleep and browsing the gallery. To an immortal being, sleep was even more tedious than looking at hate images in the gallery, leaving her with no choice but to surf the web.
"Yawn~ It is finally finished. Now..."
It was time to open the random food box she received from Head Mod. She gently opened the small white paper box.
"What is this?"
Five plump spheres looked as though they would bounce if thrown on the ground. Written on the side of the box was the word 'Cheese Balls'.
"Ho, the scent is quite pleasant."
Though it couldn't compare to chicken, it was a dish encountered for the very first time, even by an ancient demon god who had lived through eons of time. Unable to resist, she took a bite immediately.
"Ohhh!"
A crispy exterior and a moist interior. The sweet aroma of cream and the savory taste of cheese burst inside her mouth. It was so delicious that she forgot her status as a noble demon god, devouring them like a starved animal.
"Gulp!"
By the time she snapped out of it, the five cheese balls were nowhere to be found, leaving only an empty box. Licking her lips, the Ancient Demon God savored the lingering regret.
"Head Mod, I am truly grateful to thee for bringing the joy of fine dining to my long imprisonment."
Not knowing where he might be, she bowed respectfully toward the gallery window.
And then:
"He mentioned providing desired food twice a week, but also added that extra would be granted if performance is outstanding."
She grinned widely and looked back at the gallery.
"Lowly creatures, fall before me and become my cheese balls!"
A bloody storm began to rage across the gallery.
Having left the tasks to his highly capable Paddak, Derek was cleaning his house for the first time in a long while. With his modern perspective mixed in, the cabin—covered in dust and dirt—felt unbearably filthy.
- Ding!
[Head Mod! This is a disaster!]
"What now?"
[Check the gallery right now!]
"You better not be exaggerating."
— What on earth is happening right now
—
—
—
— Is the Paddak slaughtering everyone right now?
—
—
—
—
"What the."
It wasn't an exaggeration.
[Deletion of posts/comments not subject to sanctions]
[Banning of users not subject to sanctions]
[Point Deduction: -12,056pt]
"No! My precious points!!!"
A complete catastrophe had struck.