Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Intruder and the Black Death
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"It's not a galler."
Erzebet sat on her throne, propping her chin up.
(4.444.404) A drifter with a weird IP.
There were a few gallers who operated anonymously without setting a nickname.
But you could glean rough info from the numbers, so anonymity didn't mean much.
She could ban them anytime if she wanted.
"An intruder."
But this galler was different.
No, it wasn't a galler at all.
Erzebet instantly realized it was a troll breaking into the gallery from outside.
She slowly tailed the drifter.
In the meantime, (4.444.404) wandered around, poking through the gallery categories and systems.
[Title: Wait an hour and the market will pop up!]
Because from now on, every hour the wait exceeds,
I'm gonna smash my head so hard it'll turn my brain to mush and chaos!
If you don't remember waiting,
doesn't that mean you didn't wait?
Just one hour and the market appears!
Thinking about it already makes me so happy~!!!
- (4.444.404) How do I get into the market?
ㄴ Writer) ??
ㄴ (4.444.404) It says access denied IP when I try
ㄴ Writer) Isn't it some bug? Normally any galler can access
It even boldly demanded info from actual gallers.
The silver lining was that it couldn't access Judak's systems in the gallery.
Erzebet couldn't stand by any longer.
Not content with interrupting her quiet celebration with the fridge, now it was invading the gallery?
Soon-to-die-vamp: Who the hell are you?
Erzebet used her mod powers to create a secret post and invite (4.444.404).
In an instant, the drifter was trapped inside the post, but it showed no signs of panic.
ㄴ (4.444.404) Thought you guys were on the brink of destruction, but you're doing pretty well
ㄴ (4.444.404) All thanks to that admin called Judak, huh?
It fired back leisurely, even dropping hints that it knew about Judak.
ㄴ Soon-to-die-vamp: I'm gonna ban you
ㄴ (4.444.404) Do whatever. I'll drop by in person soon anyway
ㄴ (4.444.404) (Worship me! Demoncon)
Threatening with a ban didn't work.
It even flaunted a nonexistent demoncon with total nonchalance.
Erzebet couldn't stand by any longer.
[Banning this IP]
[Ban duration: Permanent]
[Ban reason: Shady spy]
ㄴ Soon-to-die-vamp: Troll, die
Erzebet immediately invoked her mod powers.
At the same time, (4.444.404) fizzled away and was permanently kicked from the gallery.
But that fearless, unflinching composure and the power to force its way into the gallery were no small things.
"Judak's in danger..."
Erzebet gnawed on her nails before standing up.
She was the owner of the ruined castle and a mod.
That meant she had a duty to protect Judak.
In the blink of an eye, Erzebet vanished.
*
A few weeks had passed since the fridge bait.
I'd spent more time in bed gallerying than walking, so I knew the gallery vibe inside out by now.
- Fridge ← God
- Damn fridge! What the hell is this chill?!
[Title: Wait one day and the fridge will come out!!!!!!]
(Grabbing head potterycon)
Why!! Because!! Ehehehehe?!@!
My heaaaad¡!!¡
Day after daaaay!?! Kiyatho!!!!
- (Mattak... con)
- You lost your mind or what
- What's wrong with this guy
ㄴ Didn't get the fridge?
ㄴ lololol still some retard who can't buy a fridge? Fuck
ㄴ Judak if you don't release the fridge we're really done!!!
Of course, the fridge bait hadn't cooled off.
Gallers smashing their heads to lose memories and keep the hype that it drops tomorrow.
Gallers who'd gone insane from too many head-smacks.
And the rare few who'd actually bought fridges, endlessly fueling the bait.
ㄴ Judak*) lolol
ㄴ ? lol? lolol???????
ㄴ Fuck you wanna fight right now?
ㄴ Pure evil
ㄴ (Catcon face turning beet red)
ㄴ Die die die die die die die
Of course, no plans to release more.
The mana stone usage was already high enough to supply Heat Stones at this rate.
"Mana stones... must be preserved."
I slowly got out of bed.
Glancing at the time, it was about time for a walk.
Too much lounging had left my leg muscles on the verge of atrophy.
A true survival walk.
"Ugh."
I got out of bed and gingerly set foot on the floor.
Must feel like this for an astronaut fresh off the moon back to Earth?
After a deep breath and prepping for an outing—something I hadn't done in ages—the system pinged.
[Admin chat]
Soon-to-die-vamp: Judak
Judak*: yes
Soon-to-die-vamp: Watch your health
Judak*: ?
Soon-to-die-vamp: Unless you wanna get hurt
Judak*: ??? Sorry. No idea what, but forgive me just this once
"Ah, just the usual threat message."
A mod threatening Judak?
But I was used to it by now.
For weeks, Soon-to-die-vamp had been sending me steady threats every day.
Seemed like more to say, but whether the curse hadn't fully lifted or if it was her true feelings, who knows.
I closed the gallery and opened the bunker door, sealed tight for so long.
With it came sunlight I'd almost forgotten, warming my whole body.
"Ah, should I head back in?"
The thought flashed, but I'd put it off so long a month had flown by.
Skin pale from no sun—could pass for vampire buddies.
Dragging my weary legs, I started the bare-minimum routine as planned.
"Maximize sun while circling the plaza, then straight back."
I leisurely checked city sights not visible in the gallery.
Fortunately, the city was much brighter and cleaner than last time.
Of course, magical beasts occasionally charging in made full peace hard to imagine.
Compared to the ruins era, though, it was paradise.
"This is good enough...!"
Ten minutes into the walk.
I immediately turned back to the bunker.
No—right as I thought I'd make it home unscathed.
"Ugh..."
A groan came from somewhere.
Too dying-sounding to ignore as mere laziness.
Glancing toward it, there was a ragged little girl.
"Tired and passed out, probably."
"I'm hungry... hurts..."
"Must've worked hard."
"Sob, I don't wanna die..."
The little girl's voice trembled from beside a trash heap, curled up shaking.
I halted my homeward steps and headed her way.
*
Picked up a little girl on the way, story time.
"Is this for real...?"
"Hup, huff."
Just a survival ten-minute walk, and I'd brought back a little girl.
While I clutched my head in confusion, she wolfed down food.
I'd served easy-to-digest stuff assuming long starvation.
For that tiny frame, the food vanished astonishingly fast.
"Sob, so good..."
Tears welled in her round eyes as she couldn't tear away from the meal.
Minutes passed like that.
The little girl savored a moment of bliss, then suddenly stared at me.
"Human, what do you want from me?"
"What."
Picked a harsh concept in the gallery?
Unbelievable troll-nick speech from the little girl.
But this is isekai.
Nothing's too outlandish.
A little girl with favor-nick speech was no big deal.
"If I want something, do you even have it?"
"Ugh..."
Clearly, she had nothing.
Even if she did, I wasn't scummy enough to rob her.
More than that, her condition looked bad from the start.
Pale skin, hazy pupils, shivering despite fresh clothes.
"C-Cold..."
I stared at her, then beckoned.
"Come along."
"W-Where?"
She'd followed blindly for food, but with hunger gone, senses returned.
Her eyes peeked over gripped table edge, shaking nonstop.
But resigned, she cautiously followed—to my room.
"Temp-controlled waterbed, borrow it till you recover."
"...Which one?"
"This whole room."
Plenty more rooms anyway.
Beds are easy to get.
Points overflowing—no need to skimp on one room.
Her eyes welled up with tears.
"But why? I... came here with bad intentions..."
Ruby-red eyes finally spilled tears.
What, planning to steal?
"Did you act on those bad intentions?"
"Huh? No, couldn't. Tried forcing entry but ran out of strength..."
"So you didn't."
"Yeah, wait!"
I scooped her up and plopped her on the bed.
Rolled her up burrito-style in blankets—priceless confused eyes.
"I'll generously forgive attempted trollery."
"W-What?"
"Stay here till you recover. Got questions, but later."
Meanwhile, I fired up the gallery.
Hours had flown; skipping galling made no sense.
"Eh, nothing major probably."
Like the past month-plus, just more fridge bait.
Thinking that, as I tucked her in and checked the gallery—
- Kraaaah!!! Kraaah!
- Judak! Judak!
- W-What is this? Suddenly puking blood?
- Wahaha fuck I'm fireman
- Body suddenly hot like a fireball;
"Uh."
The gallery was in chaos.
Like a plague hit—most posts full of agony.
Something flashed in my mind, then coughing from beside.
"Cough! Hack!"
"Fuck."
Her eyes slackened, blood mixing with coughs onto the sheets.
Then it hit me what the chill was.
"Black Death."
The plague that wiped 20 million back then.
The medieval tagalong had apparently arrived.
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