Chapter 17

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 17

Chapter Title: The Birth of a Hero (1)

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The senior administrators of the Archive, employed by J. J. Russell, all used single-letter nicknames, which served to distinguish the authenticity of their accounts.

Administrator V, who had been summoned by the Yi-rin Shin Channel, received a message from King Nyan Bread claiming it was a mistake from hitting the wrong button, and then checked the verification video that had been posted.

"...Hmm."

At first, he thought it was some ridiculous lie, but even to V's eyes, this incident was indeed an unfair suppression due to sheer misfortune.

However, looking at the result, it was clear that King Nyan Bread had pressed the summon button with their own hand, so there was absolutely no system error or fault on the Archive's side.

It was the kind of ambiguous case that was awkward both to penalize and to overlook.

'By the rules, even a light penalty is appropriate. But... the users will backlash pretty hard.'

V was a fairly flexible man, so he didn't want to impose excessive oppression on a channel.

But at the same time, he had no intention of setting a questionable precedent that would give free passes to countless trolls.

The channel's users could accept that level of verdict. But accepting it in their hearts was a whole different story.

V, having anticipated such reactions, soon posted a new thread, stirring up yet another wave in the channel.

Yaksha Duel.

A Korean slang term in the Archive for when two users stake their accounts to settle a dispute amid excessive conflict.

The involved users can mutually select a witness to judge the outcome under agreement, and the loser receives a temporary activity suspension or equivalent restriction.

King Nyan Bread boldly stepped up and sent V a private message, and moments later, King Nyan Bread's nickname turned a faint gray.

The entire channel echoed with brief screams of terror at the sight.

'That one's got some sense.'

In truth, V hadn't even considered that anyone besides King Nyan Bread would challenge him from the start.

This was merely a performative measure to establish legitimacy on the surface—a slight ploy to diffuse resentment toward the mistake-maker King Nyan Bread and administrator V.

King Nyan Bread probably left the Archive with some sense of relief upon receiving the 30-day ban.

This was essentially V extending an olive branch.

I get that you feel wronged, but I have my position too. So let's wrap this up cleanly at 15 days.

The channel users understood this intellectually, which was why no one rashly objected or challenged.

'Reactions aren't bad, and King Nyan Bread got a minimal pass... that settles this one.'

At that moment, a monotonous notification chime rang out as a message arrived for V.

- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Filing objection

- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Betting format okay?

'Oh no...'

He'd tried so hard to avoid unnecessary casualties, but now a second martyr was emerging.

Still, it wasn't an unreasonable choice. V held the moral high ground in this fight, and simple debate had almost no chance of swaying him.

- V: Depends on the content

- V: What bet did you have in mind?

- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: I'll send a selfie

- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: If you think it's cute, I win

'Hmm...'

The nickname already screamed troll energy, but this opponent was clearly off their rocker.

Intrigued, V checked their activity history and soon couldn't suppress a bemused chuckle.

'What on earth is the source of this absurd confidence...?'

At this point, the nonsense bordered on conviction.

The bet itself held no disadvantage for him anyway, and he was honestly curious about what they looked like.

Ultimately, V accepted the bet, and a photo arrived promptly.

- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: (photo)

- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Upvote if cute

"...?"

He could confidently say this was one of the most bewildering moments in V's long career as an administrator.

A pure white girl holding up a whiteboard with those short words in both hands, gazing innocently at the screen.

V had never seen such a creature in all his life.

Beauty? Gorgeous? Those trite words didn't even come close; the genre was entirely different.

To put it another way... this was practically art.

'It... is cute.'

Of course, V had no real intention of admitting defeat in this bet.

No, if he revoked the penalty over something so embarrassing, what would his position be?

He didn't want to be the butt of jokes among colleagues, so he'd planned to judge stingily.

However.

'It's cute...'

Declaring his own victory here would be something even V's personal pride couldn't stomach.

And his near-superior, J. J. Russell, certainly wouldn't approve of such behavior.

One of his standing principles was never to show an unsightly side before the channel users.

- V: Hmm

- V: Upvote

- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Thx thx

Thus, V upheld his convictions, and soon a new verdict appeared on the channel.

The channel users were bewildered, yet overjoyed at the same time.

A 15-day channel suspension was as cruel and vicious as taking away cigarettes and booze from addicts for half a month.

With a truckload of people already agonizing over what to do for those 15 days, High School Dropout Middle Schooler's feat was monumental.

In the midst of this fervent reaction, the architect of the miraculous reversal finally made their triumphant appearance.