Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Why Pull That Out?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
With these admin privileges, there was quite a lot I could do.
But if I had to pick just the important ones, there were exactly three.
Post deletion.
User bans.
And...
Posting announcements.
Essentially everything an admin could do—the core of admin power.
Among them, I focused on deleting posts for a while.
The community was already in an uproar from the users.
Pissed?
Pissed off? What are you gonna do about it?
Users couldn't do jack anyway.
So.
I deleted posts to my heart's content.
And once I judged the community was clean enough.
'Let's release these too.'
Using the community admin privileges, I freed the ones banished to the boonies.
Not all of them, mostly the ones who'd done jobs I assigned before getting caught.
Among them were several accounts I'd created.
15 vanished accounts came back to life.
I'd missed them.
My accounts.
Truth be told, I could raise new ones anytime now, and they were throwaways anyway—but many hands make light work, right?
Better to have them alive if I could.
And free them while I had the chance.
Or when else?
So, after embracing a bunch of model prisoners—not escapees—who'd been granted parole.
I slowly tested out the admin functions one by one, like getting the hang of them.
The only unused one left was posting announcements.
I'd decided what to put there the moment I got admin rights.
[Diamond Guardian vs. Admin Showdown Video]
I uploaded the recorded footage.
[When using a round shield like Diamond Guardian's, it's crucial to cover from your nose—your body's centerline—down to your navel. Hold it at a slight diagonal angle, fix it in place, and pull your other weapon back with your opposite hand...]
I wrote the post.
I'd sent Diamond Guardian a million won and gotten permission to use the video.
He's the former admin now, so mosaicking his face was no big deal.
There was always one thing I regretted when posting.
That was.
I needed viewers every time.
Obviously, to get lots of eyes, you need buzz.
Until now, I'd filled that with broadcast elements, but it always bugged me that I needed viewer help.
Flip it around: without viewers, posts got no attention, right?
But as an admin, that wasn't an issue.
Post it in announcements, and it got max exposure and attention.
A truly satisfying hour.
The moment time was up, the admin rights vanished sharp as a knife.
I wasn't bummed.
I'd done everything I needed.
Rustle.
I closed the community window and popped the last potato chip in my mouth.
That makes two bags gone today.
That's why I always stock three.
Otherwise, nothing left.
Pat pat.
I dusted my hands and grabbed milk from the fridge.
Cold milk hits different.
Cleared up my sticky mouth nicely.
Then I rinsed with lukewarm water.
Brushed my teeth and prepped for bed.
Bit early to call it a day.
But.
"Yawwwn."
This kid body tires out fast, huh? Must be low stamina.
Lots done today anyway—better crash.
Magic study nagged at me, but no way the book's text would stick right now.
So.
Sleep and do it early tomorrow.
Slurr... eyes closed.
He wrapped crisp, ripe tomatoes around stiff greens and popped them in his mouth.
He ate it every time, but oddly, the flavor never got old—it invaded his mouth.
Cruise ate regularly every day. Retired or not, he still had pro gamer habits.
Mornings started with face wash and a simple salad-focused meal. After filling up on his low-aging diet, he'd check morning messages and head out for health-maintenance exercise.
If not for the weird news from his manager.
[Bro! Why haven't you picked up?! There's an article about you blowing up right now!]
"What?"
Sleep discomfort had him on silent.
The manager explained the situation in a booming voice, freaking out.
[You got internet? Check the news articles quick. It's all there.]
Plain and simple.
That said it all.
Articles were media. Shown to the masses, they only covered stuff with issues.
Cruise rushed to the news sites. One hot topic spawns a flood of copycats—that's articles for you—so he found the one his manager meant easily.
He saw the headline: Cruise clashes with unidentified space magic user.
But that wasn't the real problem.
Scroll down a bit, and there it was.
Cruise under fire for insulting other classes besides Paladin.
One glance screamed major backlash.
"What is this?"
Cruise was a former pro gamer. Famous enough for articles, and clashing with an unknown space mage over class-bashing? Stimulating enough.
Today's top stories were packed with Cruise.
[Bro, you don't have any separate contact with that guy, right?]
[Stay calm and push through. These hack journalists latch on to one thing and suck you dry.
[Just checking, but no other big fuckups that could bite us?]
Amid the flood of words, Cruise reviewed his actions. From pro days, he'd avoided controversies.
Reading the articles, he traced origins and saw they were massively exaggerated.
Cruise recalled telling a viewer asking for beginner-friendly classes that "Paladins are easy for newbies." Third Life had countered. Then a 1v1, and shield technique posts on the community.
'That guy was the unidentified space magic user.'
Normally, it'd end there. No big controversy.
But Third Life's community censorship collabed fantastically with reporters' baseless nitpicking to create this mess.
Most deleted posts by Third Life were like "Cruise says Paladins are best. Other classes suck"—overhyping Paladins, bashing the rest.
Community cleanup? Deletions were fine.
Problem was the reporters.
Unidentified space magic user.
Ex-pro gamer Cruise.
Perfect conflict setup, right?
Not writing articles on this? Might as well switch careers.
[Anyway, bro. Can you reach this Third Life user?]
"Why."
[Why? To fix it.]
"Can't I just post a rebuttal video?"
[You could, but teaming up looks better framed. And more solid.]
He got what the manager meant.
But Cruise hesitated to contact Third Life.
Not shyness.
He'd learned a bit about Third Life's antics, and his gut said "steer clear."
But what choice?
At least try contacting.
Joint statement with Third Life would frame nicely, as manager said.
Cruise had no direct beef with Third Life.
But he knew someone close to them.
[Cruise: Hi, Yura.]
[Yura: Whoa! Hi!]
They'd met at a streamer party, chatted broadcasts occasionally—some rapport.
Always group chats before; first private.
[Cruise: Got a sec?]
[Yura: Yeah, sure.]
[Do you have Third Life's personal contact by chance?]
[Yura: Huh? Why?]
[Cruise: Got a minor controversy. Think contacting Third Life would help resolve it.]
[Yura: Whoa...]
[Cruise: So, could you hook us up? Or just pass my ID.]
[Yura: Sure, no prob, but...]
Yura had messaged Third Life privately before for stream discussions.
Streamers privately contacting viewers could be dicey, but Third Life streamed too, sorta.
So as she bridged the connection.
She added one line.
[Yura: Be careful.]
Then messaged Third Life right away.
No read for a while.
[Cruise: Yura? Sorry if it seems pushy. Issue's kinda urgent—still no contact with Third Life?]
Bzzz.
Phone vibrated.
Spam text probably.
Or group chat with the kids.
Check later.
15th "later" already.
Backlog was annoying to sift.
Looked around.
For some reason, the kids seemed extra hyped today.
Asked what was up, got an unexpected answer.
"What?"
Seo-ah repeated at my echo.
"Today's the day we go pull the holy sword."
The Academy had a long tradition.
Something every year.
The holy sword pull.
Hearing that, I couldn't help but think.
'Why pull that out?'