Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Mermaids Join the Gallery
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"Mermaids are joining the gallery?"
I paused while reading the notification and stared at the mermaids.
[Happy]
[Grateful]
They had a favorable view of the gallery.
They weren't hostile toward people.
They weren't demonic beasts, and for various other reasons, the conditions had been met. I got that much.
But the gallery had only ever included members capable of communication.
"Should I let these guys in?"
To begin with, aside from me, no one could communicate with the mermaids even a little.
What if I let them in and it muddied the gallery's waters for no reason?
[Application approved!]
['Mermaids' join the Isekai Destruction Gallery.]
"Alppaim?"
Truthfully, that kind of worry? None of my business.
The gallery's waters were already murky as hell.
This wasn't loaches muddying the water.
It was water muddying the loaches.
Mermaids? Hell yeah, even better.
"Plus, it's a point farm."
If you're not getting it, think elves.
Polite, good-natured mermaids who don't speak the language? Better than elves!
- What the hell?
- Mermaids joined the gallery?
- No way, Judak, is this for real?
- (Person clutching their head con)
Refugees poured into the gallery.
Sure, it was only a small number, less than a hundred.
But it was huge that outsiders were inflowing for the first time.
Above all, the mermaids turned out to have surprisingly high gallery activity.
- Kkippat!
- Satsappisatsappi~
The moment the mermaids flooded in, incomprehensible posts came pouring out.
[Title: Kkippat!]
(Satsappisatsappi~ mermaid con)
- What is this?
- When did they make that con?
- Seems like gallery members got addicted to mermaid speech and prepped them ahead?
[Title: So, can we communicate with these guys?]
(Frog con looking serious)
The gallery's for maintenance, sure, but Judak,
Don't we need at least basic communication?
If they can't speak, what's the difference from trolls?
- (Satsappisatsappi~ mermaid con)
ㄴ WTF is this even saying?
ㄴ Kinda cute tho lol
- Fuck, what the hell is that?
ㄴ That's not a satsappi question!
ㄴ Satsappi is satsappi.
ㄴ I'm not satsappeling at all.
ㄴ (Knight con about to lose it)
Was it the thrill of finally belonging somewhere?
Or just the joy of chatting with others?
The mermaids started conquering the gallery posts, spamming incomprehensible cons and words.
And the ripple effect was massive.
[Quality Post: Made Satsappi Cons...jpg]
(Satsappisatsappi~ mermaid con)
At first it was annoying,
But the more I see it, the cuter it gets.
(Satsappisatsappi~ knight con)
(Satsappisatsappi~ dwarf con)
(Elf con getting punched in the gut)
So I made these.
Made 'em for each race, grab and use if you want lol
[Upvotes 6421] [Downvotes 1032]
- (You're a goddamn genius!!!!! Overseer con)
- Augh fuck, we don't need this shit!
ㄴ (Not satsappeling at all... knight con)
ㄴ RAAAAAH!!!
ㄴ Augh Judak bitch fuck!!!
- The elf's getting hit, though? >_<
- Sneakily hating on elves again.
- Racial inferiority complex, whatever.
ㄴ (World Tree con)
ㄴ Every time someone mentions it, you post World Tree con, and it's all thanks to Lord Judak helping the World Tree settle the dark elves, but you keep spamming cons every time? Humans are so hateful.
ㄴ Whoa.
ㄴ Performance test perfect.
Mermaid fans were multiplying.
Soon they got infected by the mermaid speech and started galling way more than usual.
[Obtained 12p!]
[Obtained 15p!]
[Obtained 23p!]
This proved itself in the point influx.
"Whoa, the points are coming in so fast..."
Sweet.
Sweet enough to rot my teeth.
Gallery getting murky? Don't care.
Mermaids are gods, and I'm invincible.
"Of course, it won't last forever."
Above all, I had reason for my confidence.
Memes couldn't last eternally anyway.
The gallery was extra hyped thanks to that weird satsappisatsappi meme,
But point influx would slowly normalize.
Even this much was plenty, though.
[Happy]
[Joy, Satisfaction]
The mermaids' survival, after always starving and struggling.
And the gallery's influx growing.
Above all, the mermaids wouldn't stay incomprehensible forever.
[Title: He...llo...]
(Mermaid self-pic beaming)
(Fish fillet pic with sparkling eyes)
Tha...nk you... Ju...dak...
Ha...ppy... ouo
- Ha...
- No really, I don't have weird fetishes,
ㄴ "I don't have weird fetishes" = I have weird fetishes
"They already learned to speak?"
Their learning speed was unreal.
All I'd done was send a few common language primers.
"No, maybe just that one mermaid."
Or maybe that blue-haired mermaid was especially special.
Time would sort it out anyway.
[Rotten Giant Squid Demonic Beast Heart]
After resolving the mermaid issue.
I'd naturally secured hearts via the knights too.
"Now potion materials are fully stocked."
Problems solved themselves naturally.
The only regret was the low numbers.
No more giant squid demonic beasts appeared.
Sure, more would be nice.
"Too bad."
Large demonic beasts weren't as common as goblins.
After handing materials to the witches, as I was about to resume peaceful galling.
"What's that?"
A single pure white stone on the mermaid habitat floor.
It was sparkling unusually, catching my eye.
Never seen one before, so I had a knight fetch it.
[Mermaid's Tear]
Can't eat it.
Harmful to the human body.
Do not attempt.
Widely used in witch potion crafting.
"Oh?"
Got an item from an unexpected place.
*
The system only stated facts.
Meaning the mermaid's tear was verified too.
Just in case, I shipped some to Morone along with the hearts.
Morone: Jackpot
Judak*: Yeah?
Morone: Insanely versatile...?
The results were incredible.
Nearly twice as effective as the shamanism resistance potion made from hearts.
And it wasn't just for shamanism resistance potions.
Morone: If used right, it could work in other potions too...!
Wide range of uses.
A cheat item for witch potions.
Might even substitute for tricky stuff like giant demonic beast hearts.
One problem, though...
"You have to make mermaids cry."
Easy, right?
If it were goblins or something, sure.
No? They'd probably love it.
"You can just grind 'em like mob towers."
But mermaids were gallery members now.
Plus, look at those pitiful flopping things.
Only elves could make them cry looking at that.
- Oh?
- Hmm...
ㄴ (Die, elf con)
And some humans too.
No wonder mermaid tears get treated like jewels in media.
"Ah, such a shame..."
Still regretting it, I messaged the blue-haired mermaid.
Judak*: Hey
RlQKt: Kkippat!
RlQKt: (Eaten grilled fish wrapper pic)
RlQKt: (Hug me mermaid con)
RlQKt: (Got a tight hug mermaid con)
She responded almost instantly.
Like she knew what I'd given her.
Expressing gratitude in every way she could.
Maybe 'cause she couldn't speak properly yet.
RlQKt: (Mermaid self-pic grinning wide)
RlQKt: (Thank you mermaid bow con)
She started spamming gallery-made mermaid cons and her own pics.
"No way I can bully her..."
Couldn't bring myself to make her cry.
Had to send food instead of bullying.
[Shop/Seafood]
[Frozen Lobster 1 - 13p]
Feeling bad about planning to bully, I bought a few, cooked 'em roughly, and sent.
"Doesn't even cost much."
Thanks to the weird meme influx from the mermaids,
Gallery points were several times higher than usual.
Hadn't even used half the points they'd brought in.
"Penny likes 'em too."
Bought a bunch for Penny's dinner and sent.
Their expressions beyond the pics changed dramatically.
[Shock]
[Awe]
If grilled fish was happiness, this was beyond—awe.
Mermaids frozen solid staring at the steaming lobsters.
"Ah, can they not shell 'em?"
Mermaids with near-human strength.
Maybe they didn't know how to eat it.
- *Roll*
"Eh."
Something flowed from the mermaid's eyes.
Hitting the floor, it hardened instantly, glowing white.
Mermaid tears started piling up on the floor.
Unlike what I'd thought was hard to get, mermaid tears seemed easy to farm.
*
"Ugh..."
Bunker opposite room.
Penny was huddled under the blanket on the bed.
Normally she'd be off to play with Judak by now, but she'd been alone more the past week.
"Too hasty."
Not that she hated Judak.
The opposite.
It was too good. Unnaturally good—that was the problem.
After absorbing Envy, unlike the start when she was fine, it was getting harder to endure.
"Shouldn't have eaten Envy first..."
Worst of all, the synergy sucked.
Lust plus Envy.
Penny, who'd read everything from fairy tales to novels, knew what that meant.
"Yandere..."
Obsessively fixated personality.
She'd never understood before.
If you like someone, fine, but why obsess and get jealous?
But after absorbing Envy, she started getting it bit by bit.
"No...!"
In books, yanderes always ended badly.
"Not hungry!"
Penny gritted her teeth and left the bed.
"Can't do this, gotta go to Malphite."
It was all because she'd absorbed Envy while her base power was weak.
Solution? Keep Judak close.
That'd naturally suppress the rampaging Envy deep inside.
Just fill what's lacking.
"You in there?"
Penny knocked, then peeked in cautiously.
Trying her best to hold back the surging power.
RlQKt: Love you!
"Eh."
"I love you" post shining in Judak's gallery.
And Judak looking at it.
"Malphite...?"
Light rapidly drained from Penny's eyes.