Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Likable Alias Boy Joy
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Queen Harpy Idmari was a bird beastkin.
Aside from her wings and a few other features, she looked no different from a human.
Her sensibilities were much the same, too.
It wasn't for nothing that she oversaw the seventh major layer, the forward base for the raiding party.
The standards for joy and sorrow were the same for harpies as for humans.
That was why.
"Squeeeek?!"
The star of the 78th-floor raid let out a piercing shriek.
It was the aftermath of seeing Jeong-uk's first post on the back gallery.
It wasn't that she was some appearance supremacist.
Idmari was a harpy herself, after all.
Her sense of beauty was poor on a species level.
It was simply the feeling of a medieval person confronted by a futurist shoving their nostrils in their face, saying, "In the 22nd century, hooked noses are all the rage."
"Why are you showing me something like a snake skin?!"
Idmari always gave her ever-grateful adjutant a small gift.
An 80-level punch from her slender arm.
The adjutant, nose gushing blood, protested.
"I didn't post that! I never told you to look at it!"
"Shut up!!!!"
The communication tool connecting the entire tower had appeared out of nowhere, which was bewildering enough.
But the first post was [Tower Conquest Complete]?
'How could I not click on that?!'
Idmari was certain.
Every other raider had clicked it first and gotten hit, 100%.
After kicking her adjutant out of the World Tree (she wouldn't die; she was a harpy), she panted heavily.
It was due to terror and rage.
And the astonishment that followed.
"...A bulletin board connecting other layers."
Communication between major layers was impossible.
That was an ironclad rule of blood.
At least among climbers.
Once, when she'd asked why, the laziest mage she knew had answered:
'If you can communicate with other dimensions, please contact outside the tower first~.'
'Birdbrain means empty head. Good for flying. Jealous~.'
She recalled that obnoxious enemy's words, too.
It pissed her off, but it was true.
The communication barrier was a practical wall one had to resign oneself to.
'Until this very moment, that is.'
Her heart raced.
The stalled raid progress.
A sudden wind blowing through the stagnant waters.
Tok-tok-tok-!
Idmari effortlessly hammered the keys.
Thanks to the intuitive controls from the 21st century, more than enough to overcome the unfamiliarity.
Eagle-style typing at 500 strokes per second.
The dignity of the Queen Harpy echoed thunderously through the back gallery.
"This should get comments, right?"
There was no reply.
Right. She'd just kicked out the adjutant.
Fortunately, after a short wait, comments appeared.
Idmari hurriedly moved her hands.
What's a lez?
And what's lololol?
'No, more importantly, none of these answer my question?!'
How could over ten comments all be worse than trash?
Ah, but she'd heard of "lez" before.
'Definitely a term from Earth, right?'
She'd heard it was a good thing.
Looks like there are some decent people here too!
Just as Idmari sighed in relief.
A barely polite comment appeared.
"Click it?"
It was a common hyperlink.
She figured out how to use it a bit late.
Touch it, and the gallery screen automatically jumped to another post.
"Ah, so that's how you use it!"
Wow, amazing!
Who made something like this, and how?
That thought didn't even last a second.
"Squeeeek-?!"
This time, Idmari truly foamed at the mouth.
The price of learning through experience.
And moreover.
"Boy Joy—that's the guy from earlier!!"
Boy Joy!
The name she'd seen in the back gallery's first post.
The bastard who'd terrified Idmari and the entire raid party with claims of completing the tower conquest.
Vicious liar!
Even scarier was that the second terrorist post she'd just suffered was by someone else.
At least two Boy Joy-level villains.
The innocent harpy trembled at humanity's endless malice.
Not from fear, but from rage.
A grown harpy doesn't pluck her own feathers.
Idmari was a patient bird.
So instead, she decided to rip out Boy Joy's hair.
The Queen Harpy demonstrated the miracle of 800 strokes per second.
Idmari jumped at the unexpected reply.
Her typing speed dropped to about 50 strokes per minute.
It was warranted.
The raid party's current reach was the 78th floor.
It seemed unlikely someone had conquered beyond that without their knowledge.
Considering everything.
The most realistic answer was...
'Boy Joy was born above the 80th floor from the start...?!'
Like Idmari herself, from a safe upper major layer.
A climber from the eighth major layer!
That explained it.
Shivering, Idmari asked.
Guess?
Guess?
Chewing over the words, Idmari's eyes rolled back.
"Aaaaaah! So freaking annoying!!"
Thanks to that, she only saw the other comments after a long keyboard battle.
The keybat result was, of course, defeat.
Brush Flower?
Who's that... Ah.
Idmari recalled a familiar raid member and despaired.
"Real names... aren't required..."
Boy Joy was probably a fake name, too.
No one would do crazy shit like that with their real name!
How could they be so irresponsible?
'I'm jealous!'
I should've gone with something like Lez Harpy instead of Queen Harpy!
Idmari beat the ground in regret.
'Sword Fairy?'
Having barely grasped the concept of 'lurking'.
Idmari, who'd been viewing popular posts without posting or commenting, suddenly realized.
Idmari was a harpy.
A climber born in the seventh major layer, home to the World Tree.
Naturally, she didn't know every comrade the raid party had lost before.
She'd joined from the 71st floor.
But.
Even she knew of Sword Fairy.
The raid leader's best friend and once a main force member.
But alive?
'Th-that means she's been surviving alone for years in a layer where conquest failed?!'
If true, she was extraordinary.
A layer where the raid party had failed.
Unable to escape, yet still alive and unresigned.
Sufficient skill and mentality.
Above all, unbreakable will to live!
Of course, survivors faced ridicule too.
Idmari felt relieved.
Good thing she'd kicked out the vice officer earlier.
Otherwise, she'd have been ratted out for bursting into laughter instead of celebrating her friend's reunion.
But cynics existed everywhere.
Comments killing the vibe, too.
Skeptical opinions. Mockery.
Idmari couldn't hold back and hammered the keys.
This gallery was a revelation.
That inter-dimensional communication was possible.
Maybe not just info, but materials could move between layers too.
No, no!
Even if not, it didn't matter at all!
Climbers who gave up or are hiding.
A path might open for them.
Invincible foes.
Unbreakable gimmicks.
A way through those ordeals!
"Bad people are misusing it, but the creator surely intended this!"
Idmari exclaimed aloud without thinking.
The back gallery was definitely useful.
Beyond shitposting, it had solid utility.
And so the indiscriminate keybat raged.
With many climbers from uncivilized backgrounds unaware even of internet culture.
A few Earthlings dominated with overwhelming win rates.
Idmari struggled, face flushed red.
"?"
But at some point.
The fight stopped as if moderated.
No more posts or comments could be made.
'N-no, did the gallery break?!'
No way.
How could it?
After giving such hope.
Letting us reunite with those we'd given up on.
To vanish without explanation was too cruel!
As Idmari's heart burned black.
-Ding.
On the first page she'd been refreshing frantically.
A new post appeared at the top.
'Gallery Master?'
Strange name.
Probably some abbreviation.
Nothing else to read.
Idmari clicked it, entranced.
"Server maintained as long as possible?"
Server.
Not an unknown word.
Some major layers had advanced science civs.
Lightning struck Idmari.
'This person is the Tower Climbing Gallery's creator!'
After hastily checking the notice.
Tears of emotion flowed.
'Wholesome! And diligent!'
Truly conscientious notice.
The light of the villain-infested back gallery.
Boy Joy couldn't compare!
Post control lasted mere moments.
About three minutes.
But in that eternity where one second felt like a minute.
No one missed the post.
Questions and thanks poured in, but Gallery Master posted no replies.
Instead, several horrific posts vanished.
According to his own notice criteria.
As friends, villains, and regular users commented on his posts and notice, praying for a response.
Idmari alone was deathly quiet.
Still midway through her感動.
"So cool..."
How could such an awesome person exist!
Someone who'd achieved this feat.
Yet instead of boasting, diligently helping others without fanfare.
Not even forced.
He took no money!
All pure, selfless service?
A post glimpsed below the comments.
Idmari reached out, entranced.
It was the least she could give.
Squeeze-.
Queen Harpy Idmari.
Pressed her first updoot button in life.
And back to the zeroth floor.
William's cabin.
"Phew, finally got a popular post."
The wicked villain Boy Joy.
Gallery Master Baek Jeong-uk stopped trolling and caught his breath.