Chapter 43

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 43

Chapter Title: The End of the Troll

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[Anon] Is this AI?

"…What?"

AI? This selfie I agonized over and snapped?

Sure, my looks were on the level of computer graphics, but that didn't make it AI.

The moment I posted the reply, a new comment popped up like they'd been waiting.

"No, these people really…!"

I was so flabbergasted I could barely speak. How many minutes had I spent taking that photo!

'Fine, you wanna play it that way?'

There was only one way to prove the truth online: verification.

I rummaged through my desk drawer for a pen and Post-it notes, then wrote my nickname in a dignified script.

- Emperor of the Skies - Awakener Gallery

Holding the Post-it, I grabbed the camera again. To make it undeniable, I'd do a video.

Ding!

"This is the Emperor of the Skies in person. I flew through the sky."

Ding.

Good. The video recorded cleanly.

Switching to the app to make a new post, even more "Is it AI?" comments had piled up in the meantime.

'The masses, swept up by the first comment as always.'

The internet was ruled by a noisy minority. A true arena of agitation.

Time for me to step up head-on.

A few seconds after posting, my phone buzzed with a notification.

Starting with the first comment, likes and replies poured in like a dam breaking.

Every refresh added five more comments, and the like count jumped by the tens.

"Mmm, yeah. That's more like it."

Now to check the contents. What praise and envy were waiting?

A frenzy of reactions. Yes, envy me more!

But amid the positives, some weird ones slipped in.

The panty requests were consistently from creeps, but a real danger lurked below.

"Hah, just 100k won?"

I wouldn't even consider it for 10 billion, let alone 100k for my pics. Time to drag these types into a flame war and school them.

Pulling aggro from creeps like this had always been my specialty.

I hit post, but no reply appeared.

"Huh?"

Guess they got guilty and deleted it themselves. Fine. Plenty more weird lolicon types to bait.

Posted again, but the same window popped up. And again.

"…?"

Mods working overtime today? Like instant deletes.

I clicked my tongue and shrugged it off. Must be a diligent mod day.

Those posters probably got 30-day IP bans anyway. Deprived of gallery joys—the ultimate punishment. I held a moment of silence for them.

Lots more reactions even without the weirdos. Enjoying the envy and cute comments, then some different ones caught my eye.

"What?"

Weird place? I'd been in and out like it was my home for over three years.

Sure, full of weirdos, but every community was like that. This was tame.

I ignored it for the next, but the vibe continued.

Treating me like a kid? Me, who'd manipulated the gallery for seven years with over ten accounts, pulling aggro, info dumps, and persistent posts?

I'd outlasted most floaters and high-nics here by double.

Calling me a baby? Unacceptable.

To preserve the dignity of the Emperor of the Skies, this misunderstanding had to be cleared.

My fingers gripped the keyboard harder.

But my reply changed nothing.

"Y-You little…!"

I drafted an 8-line rebuttal and went to post, but a notification blocked me.

"Huh?"

My brain froze, unable to process. Sudden ban? Why?

O-Okay. New account. Easy fix.

But the create account page wouldn't load, no matter what. Like the site itself was blocked.

My carefully crafted post with pics and video? Already deleted. I tried VPNs and every bypass for an hour, but account creation refused to load.

"Kwaaaang!!"

In unchangeable reality, I held back tears and unleashed my rage. Kicking the lair blankets and rolling on the floor did nothing for my mood.

In the end, I spent the whole day miserable, unsated validation craving. Until snack time after dinner.

A few days later, back to routine, I was eating with Miss So-jeong. Ever since my whining last time, she occasionally joined me for meals.

Mid-bite of my pork cutlet, Miss So-jeong spoke.

"Your nails have grown quite long."

"Mm. Yeah, they have."

I wasn't one to clip often, but these were excessively long—like fake nail extensions.

No dirt, but they inconvenienced daily life. Like tapping my phone screen constantly hitting nails first.

"I'll trim them after your meal."

"Sure."

Since this body, my fine motor skills sucked, so I'd forgotten about nails. If Miss So-jeong did it, no worries.

Despite her sharp looks and strong physique, she had surprisingly deft hands. Once saw her julienne veggies paper-thin—shocking.

Meal done, I toddled after her.

"Please sit here."

I sat opposite and extended my hand. She pulled out a nail clipper set from who-knows-where.

Left hand first. Her soft yet firm hand gently held mine.

The clipper blade aimed at my nail.

…

But seconds passed—no expected clip.

"What's wrong?"

"…Your nails are harder than expected. May I apply more force?"

"Yeah. Just clip the nails."

Veins faintly showed on her hand as the clipper bent further. Then—a sound rang out.

Crack!

Not nail clipping. The clipper breaking.

"Eh?"

Looks like trimming these nails wouldn't be easy.