A Catastrophe-Class Troll Hits the Hunter Gallery (Yep)

An ID card.

In life, the number of times you actually need an ID is both more and less than you'd think. What do I mean by that? If you've got one, you never think about it. The second you need one and don't have it, you're screwed.

Buying drinks at a convenience store, buying drinks at the supermarket, buying drinks online... wait, no, that's not— anyway.

The point was, I now had a way to prove who I was. Getting around in the outside world shouldn't be a problem anymore. But doesn't a Korean national ID only get issued at seventeen? Eighteen? Well, checking it myself would be the surest way to find out.

A system voice droned on about registering my name to the rankings, about a first clear. At the same time, my body lifted into the air. It had been pretty disorienting the first time. I was used to it now.

A light, graceful landing. First things first — the ID.

A crackle of static. On my open palm, a national ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ID card slowly materialized.

This was a real national ID.

Wow... it was perfect. Wait — it was real, so of course it looked perfect?

I turned the card over in my hands, examining it from every angle. The listed age was twenty. The photo embedded in the card was of a girl who looked exactly like me. And the name printed on it was...

Kim Deokbae.

The name was the same.

So if someone went, Little kids can't do that~, I could just whip this out and say, I'm twenty?

Yeah. Beats shoving an ID with that grim old mug of the original Deokbae in someone's face.

I'd hold onto it for now. Everything has its use.

There was something more important, though.

Today was the day a bomb named me dropped on the Hunter Gallery.

Hoo... one deep breath.

First, a test run on the Snake Gallery, to make sure Shed Skin was working properly.

Still talking about me, huh. The same old scene: Archery and SNAKE sniping at each other while Byeolbaembaem either spectated or played referee.

Alright. I'm here.

I put up a post.

The second I hit submit, notifications stacked up at the top of my phone.

Oof. I should turn these off. If SnakeGal was already reacting like this, posting on HuntGal would vibrate this phone into an early grave.

Hah...

Been a while since I dropped by here, too.

Yeah, yeah. You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?

It's been hard on me too.

Notifications off. Title written. Photos attached to the body. All that was left was the submit button.

Wow... why was my breath getting this ragged?

The corners of my mouth were climbing, but my fingers were shaking like leaves.

Was this the right call?

I didn't have to show myself. I knew that. I was climbing just fine without the Association's help, and now I had an ID, so I could operate outside too. And in a situation like that, even with a skill like Shed Skin, I was going to manufacture a risk I didn't need to manufacture?

Mm. Yeah. This was not a rational decision. This was the kind of irrational call you couldn't make unless you'd been hit in the head with a hammer four times.

But.

I got struck by lightning.

Lightning so powerful a hammer didn't even compare. Lightning that would make a certain yellow electric mouse somewhere look like a complete amateur.

Posted.

I hurled my phone onto the bed. I threw it so hard it bounced once, smacked the wall, and flew right back at me.

Thunk. The phone buried itself in my forehead.

Didn't hurt even a little.

I hadn't had a drink. I hadn't had a cigarette. My head was spinning anyway.

Hoo... hoo... stay calm. Let's calm down.

Aaaaaagh.

Regret crashed in all at once — my face went scarlet, my heart tried to punch through my ribs, and cold sweat came down like a rainstorm.

Delete it. Yeah, just delete it!

Delete what? You're a man, aren't you? Why are you getting all pathetic and anxious about it?

Come to think of it, I wasn't a man.

No. No. No.

Smack!! I spread my palm wide and slapped myself hard across the cheek.

I posted it. That's that. Let's check.

Phone on. Hunter Gallery loaded....

Whoa......

Three hundred and fifty-seven comments. In that short a window. And they were still rolling in.

The upvotes were overwhelming — but the downvotes were massive too.

At the spam comments....

At the comments cursing me out....

Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ones calling it fake.

KRAAAAAAH!!

Raw dopamine. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It erupted from the crown of my head and swept down through my entire body, a current of trembling running all the way to my toes.

Should I post one more?

I snapped a photo of my ranking information and threw up another post.

I gave it a moment, then checked the post.

Frontpaged again, of course.

Fewer comments this time — maybe because I checked sooner. Still, a hundred and fifty-six in that short a window... wow. I used to not be able to land a single frontpage to save my life.

Now this is what I'm talking about.

The cold sweat I'd been pouring and the heart that had been trying to kick its way out of my chest were long gone.

The funny part? I was just posting. They were the ones fighting each other in the comments.

Wait — that wasn't funny. Was the gallery always like this?

Had I ever gotten this much attention in my entire life?

Oof... I was stuffed. Completely full. Didn't need dinner tonight. Already ate.

Attention really did hit different.

I didn't used to be this starved for it... guess the hikikomori life did a number on me. Or maybe I was always like this. Let's not think too hard about who I am.

Time to head back to SnakeGal.

I gave the Hunter Gallery's post list a once-over.

......It had been gutted.

Wow. I'd never seen a gallery get wrecked this hard.

Every time I hit refresh, dozens of new posts spawned into existence.

The mods were going to have a hell of a time.

The thought of the mods suffering tugged the corner of my mouth up, just a little.

Well, I had my fun, so I'm heading over to SnakeGal now. Sorry!

"Fuck...! Fuuuuck!!"

The head admin of the Hunter Gallery — A-rank Hunter Yoo Seol-hee — was currently managing a gallery that had been gutted, teeth clenched so hard they hurt.

"Kim Deokbae!! You son of a bitch!!"

She wanted to smash her keyboard into the desk right then and there, but then she wouldn't be able to moderate anything. Both fists trembled as she squeezed them tight, fighting the impulse down.

"I can't even ban him, I can't even assign a penalty tag, what the hell is this!! Why isn't it working!!"

Yoo Seol-hee's lips quivered.

"You... you little shit, I will find you!!"

Murderous intent flooded her eyes a second later.

"I don't know who you are. I think I'm starting to get what you want, so I'm going to find you... I'll find you no matter what."

Yoo Seol-hee laughed like she'd lost her mind. Then she muttered a single, solemn line.

Hunter Association Korean Branch Situation Room.

They had gone to full emergency status.

"Did you check the IP on that post? Anything coming up?!"

"It's coming up as Idaho, United States!"

"What? So Kim Deokbae's an American?!"

Another report came in from the side.

"Got an address! It's coming up as a country called Tuvalu!"

"Where the hell is that?!"

"It's in Oceania, sir!"

Three seconds of silence stretched like an hour.

"You morons! Find the real address, not the VPN-masked one! There's no way someone named Kim Deokbae is sitting in Tuvalu or America!!!"

The Situation Room Director's temper finally blew.

"Get your heads in the game! Report Kim Deokbae's location in Korea! You bastards!!"

A vein stood out on the Situation Room Director's forehead.

"Tuvalu, my ass... want me to send a location reporting crew?! 'Today we've come to Tuvalu to interview local hunter, Mr. Kim Deokbae!' Like that?!"

"W-we're sorry, sir!"

"Haaah......"

The Situation Room Director pressed his fingers to his forehead and sat down.

"Kim Deokbae... just who the hell are you."

Aahh....

SnakeGal. Coming here always settled my heart.

SnakeGal was in just as much of an uproar — it just didn't show as much, because there were only three people in it.

I was here, so I should post. I posted that I was here.

Come to think of it, where did Byeolbaembaem go? I didn't see her.

Hmm... she probably had something personal going on.

That was what I was thinking when a note arrived from Byeolbaembaem.