What's Your Name?
A cheerful chime rang out, completely out of place in the shabby, chilly room.
> You have accessed the Ark Gallery.
"...Huh?"
> Will you act as the Moderator of the Ark Gallery?
Ark Gallery? Moderator? What the hell was this out-of-nowhere message floating in front of me?
"What is this..."
Was I hallucinating from the cold and hunger? Maybe I'd been rationing my scant bread too harshly, eating tiny bits to stretch it out.
"Eat first. Think later."
The remaining bread was just the size of my fist. Yesterday, I'd been agonizing over how to make it last even one more day. But now, with this incomprehensible message in front of me, I figured it had to be a hallucination from malnutrition.
"If it disappears after I eat, I was just crazy for a bit. If it sticks around..."
I didn't have a plan for that. Muttering to myself, I finished prepping my meal. A fist-sized chunk of baguette and a quarter bottle of water. My precious rations, scrimped and saved.
I knew burning it all in one meal wasn't sane... but
"I'm not in my right mind right now."
Dizzy from not eating or sleeping properly, seeing things—yeah, that qualified as not right in the head, right?
> Will you act as the Moderator of the Ark Gallery?
That message wasn't vanishing from in front of me. Food first, then I'd judge properly.
I took a sip of water, swished it around lightly, swallowed, then tore off a bite-sized piece of bread... tore... tore... finally!
"Ugh... it's so tough it's basically inedible."
Too old, maybe? It was hard to even tear.
"Tch... no, wait. Have I gotten so weak from starvation?"
I couldn't say stuff that made me not want to eat it. This was my only food left. Honestly, wasn't this lump of bread worth more than me right now?
Before the transfer, I was a shut-in NEET gamer rotting in my room. Now? A shut-in NEET gamer transferred to another world, still rotting.
"Sniff... ugh..."
Maybe thanks to the tears of misery, the bread got moist and easier to chew.
"Ever tried bread soaked in tears?"
I had. Life experience: level up.
Chewing the now-softer bread, I checked the message again.
> Will you act as the Moderator of the Ark Gallery?
"I get the gallery part, but what's a Moderator?"
The vibe was terrible. Moderator? Sounded like a title slapped on someone forced into unwanted grunt work.
Ding!
> Moderator is the title of the administrator who manages the gallery.
"Oh, voice recognition? And it answers questions?"
It took my muttering as a question? The quick info dump earned it a bit of goodwill.
> Yes. It is possible. Feel free to ask anything you're curious about. However, I cannot answer every question.
"Whoa, that's some shady black-box answer. Thanks anyway, GalGPT."
So this thing was offering me the admin spot for the Ark Gallery?
"Whoa, administrator! Whoa, a job offer!"
Got isekai'd and bam, employment opportunity. Normally, you'd accept on the spot. But who am I? The guy who reads terms of service before agreeing, back when I had time to kill. Time Bill Gates.
"Gulp..."
Signing without info? Prime idiot bait for scams. So I questioned the message window.
"What's your name, sir?"
> [...]
Didn't see that coming? I'd stumped the thing that projected screens and messages into thin air.
> I have no name. I exist merely to assist in managing the gallery system.
Like a management AI, then? Problem was, no name made it awkward to address.
> I have a question as well. I could not discern the intent, so I wish to know the reason.
An AI asking me to clarify intent? Smarter than most people.
"Just feels weird calling something without a name. Like 'Message Window' or 'Screen'—kinda lame."
> You are truly unusual. No intelligent being I've assisted before has asked my name.
So I wasn't the first Moderator candidate. And they hadn't even named this helpful AI? My predecessors must've been jerks.
"Okay, so no name, got it?"
> Yes. That is correct.
"Mind if I give you one?"
> My name, you mean?
I nodded. That's naming for ya.
"If I become Moderator, I'll be seeing you a lot, right? Feels off without a name."
Names matter. Having one versus not—huge difference.
> If you think so, I would appreciate it.
"Yup. Something pretty and memorable."
Name, name. For a kind AI that answers everything. No to ChatGPT, Grok, or Bing vibes.
"Hmm..."
Asks anything. Answers everything...?
"Aha!"
It hit me. The magical thing that answers any question! Couldn't think of a better fit.
"How about Sora? Not 'Magic Lamp,' but Sora."
The Magic Talking Lamp! Could I dare call you Sora?
> Sora. Yes, understood. From now on, my name is Sora.
Whoa! The Magic Lamp approved! Maybe wishful thinking, but the messages felt a tad faster.
"Nice to meet you, Sora. Looking forward to working with you."
> What is your name? Just as you gave me one, I assume you have one too.
"My name is, um..."
Not Eom Jun-sik. Not even Eom. Using my old name might make me too easy to pinpoint.
Names should be bland. Standing out anywhere is a hassle.
> Eom. Nice to meet you, Eom.
"No! Not Eom..."
Suddenly, I'd get attention everywhere.
"Not Eom— I just thought my real name might make me too identifiable, so maybe a new one?"
Just make a fresh one? To mark quitting my shut-in NEET gamer life, a new start with a new name sounded good.
> Eom. Tears are flowing from your eyes. I judge this to be the result of sudden emotional fluctuation.
"Not Eom... Anyway, need a new name. Got any suggestions?"
I wiped the tears streaming down my cheeks and asked.
> No particular names come to mind. If needed, shall I select and show some gallery users' names?
"Sounds good. I can tweak one I like... But is it okay to just pull user names like that?"
Personal info protection? Throw it to the dogs?
> As long as I don't show real names with nicknames, there's no issue. Already checked—don't worry.
Fast. Competent. Still kinda iffy.
"Okay, how about top 100 most common names and surnames?"
Scanning personal info anonymously? That's a crime.
> Output complete. Displaying on screen.
Magic Lamp for real. Nailed the name. Now for mine.
"...Whoa, that's a ton."
Top 1 to 100: names and surnames scrolled across the screen. Western-style, huh.
"Do people here put surnames first? Or names?"
> It varies by region, ethnicity, nation, race. Even same race can differ. Currently, more put surnames last than first.
Another screen popped up beside the list to answer. Total chaos here too. Hoped measurements weren't a yard-pound mess. I could handle anything—except that.
"Okay, name first, surname last then..."
Scanning the list, I figured I could just make one up. Not too unique, but memorable.
Hmm... only one came to mind. Hero of our folk game, space war sim. Leading a tiny spec-ops team, brawling all races, always surviving—universal insider.
Couldn't copy outright, so tweak it...?
"Ready to roll out, cowboy?"
A memory that shouldn't exist surfaced.
> Could not understand the intent of the question.
"Nah, not a question."
No leading spec-ops, but this name it was.
"Jin. Jin Rain. That's me from now on."
> Jin Jin Rain. Noted.
"No, Jin Rain... You're doing it on purpose, right?"
> Could not understand the intent of the questionh.
Gotcha. Typos for emotion—total Sora move.
Time to lock it in?
"So that Moderator thing... What if I say no?"
What happens if I refuse? The pre-terms question to read the terms.
> Terribly unfortunate, but you die immediately.
"Oof."
Blunt and icy. Perfect.