Chapter 47
The Capital Area Survivors Gallery was buzzing with campaign activity around the clock.
- [Ironclad] Posted again! Who's going to control the Gallery? [5563]
- [God of War] Can't lose to Ironclad for now [4455]
The guilds in the Capital Area, of course.
- [Ssap Ace] Whew whew... Broadcasting from the admin office... [3334]
- [Unlucky Gallery Doctor] I'm running for Sub-Mod solely for the sake of you patient bastards!! [3353]
- [The Cow Who Cries When Updated] Sub-Moooooood!!!! [6647]
Even the regulars who frequently appeared on the Gallery had all emerged, begging for recommendations.
Title : [Odasoo-sama] Fuck! This is my chance!!!!!
The System isn't screening the candidates!!!
Even if I can't become a member!!!!
I'll become a VIP!!!
I'm applying to be a Sub-Mod too!!!!
[Recommendation count: 32]
[Odasoo-sama] Fuuuuuck!! Please give me some upvotes!!!!
ㄴ ㅋㅋ Even if you can't become a member, you can become a Sub-Mod?...
ㄴ How is that any different from saying, “I got bitten by a zombie, but I won't get infected...” ?
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I drank, but...
ㄴ You weren't driving drunk?
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋ...
ㄴ ...
But now you're drinking + driving.
ㄴ Now that the world has ended, no one can do either...
ㄴ They're saying they wish they could do at least one of the two...
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Now they're saying no one will arrest you even if you drive drunk...
I was snickering as I watched Odasoo-sama continue to serve as the Gallery's perfect punching bag.
Then a somewhat heartbreaking post quietly went up.
Title : [Upstanding Youth] I...am...old...so...it's...hard...to...buy...
Young...people...let...this...old...man...become...a...VIP...just...once...
My...fingers...hurt...so...much...from...clicking...the...open...rush...at...the...right...time...every...time...
Please...give...one...vote...for...this...poor...old...man...
@)))))))))) I'm leaving a roll of gimbap here, so eat it while it's fresh^^
[Recommendation count: 215]
I'm leaving a roll of gimbap here ㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ The old man suddenly feels so damn familiar...
ㄴ For real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The old man's fingers hurt, you hear that!! Give him one vote!!
ㄴ Gimbap is an absolute yes ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I was laughing as I read through the posts one by one.
“The Gallery is really thriving.”
At that moment, as hundreds of campaign posts poured in every minute and covered the Gallery.
A song began to ring out through the Gallery, drowning out every other post.
Title : [Healer Union] Bam~~ ba-bam~~ ba-bam~~ bam~~!
I'm running for Sub-Mod to improve the treatment of all the new arrivals and healers in the Capital Area!!!
I'm absolutely not applying because I'm jealous of the permanent discount and priority reservation benefits!!
[Recommendation count: 12]
Come on, Union, you seriously think that's going to work?
ㄴ For real, the major guilds are campaigning right now ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Your motives are showing, your motives are showing ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ You're dying to eat a Mint Choco Bar, aren't you?
“What the hell?”
For some reason, Union, who had been chatting with me, suddenly applied to become a Sub-Mod too.
“Applying is certainly allowed, but...”
They could apply even though ordinary users were doing so too, but their recommendation count was far too low.
“Well, they should keep trying.”
Unfortunately, I wasn't the one with the authority to decide.
I turned my attention to a post compiling the recommendation counts.
Title : *Notice [Breaking News] Current recommendation count for the remaining two spots!!!
Currently in first: [Speedrun] - 68,942 votes
Currently in second: [Myth] - 22,241 votes
Currently in third: [God of War] - 17,890 votes
Currently in fourth: [Ironclad] - 14,300 votes
Currently in fifth: [Baekya] - 9,331 votes
...
(For reference) Last place: [Healer Union] - 12 votes
?
ㄴ Are you saying Speedrun's vote count is insane? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ That bastard's in a completely different league by himself ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ That's god-tier;;
ㄴ Honestly, a hero who held back three Orange Zones alone deserves first place ㅇㅇ
Wow, Myth is still in second.
ㄴ If Ares is in third, isn't it possible?
Healer Union is so pitiful ㅠㅠ
ㄴ They shout about healer rights...
ㄴ But nobody pays them any attention ㅠ
A post had compiled the vote counts for each candidate.
“Hmm.”
It was pretty exciting, but at this point, first place was basically already decided.
But at this point, isn't Speedrun basically guaranteed to become a Sub-Mod?
ㄴ There's more than a threefold difference in votes ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ [Head Mod] Hmm...
ㄴ How are they supposed to overturn that in the time remaining? ㅋㅋㅋ
But I am curious whether Speedrun can really delete shitposts in 0.1 seconds if they win.
ㄴ For real, I am curious ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ It would be damn convenient ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Head Mod] Okay, there's one hour left.
ㄴ [Head Mod] I've decided it's too difficult to overturn the results in the remaining time.
ㄴ [Head Mod] I'm going to select first place now ㅇㅇ
ㄴ [Speedrun] SIUOOOOOO!!!!!!
It seemed the Head Mod had made a quick decision.
“Kyaa, in the end, VVIP user Speedy pulls it off.”
[Entering the Deputy Administrator Chatroom]
[Speedrun] has entered the chatroom.
- [Head Mod] : All right, Speedrun. You're a Sub-Mod.
- [Speedrun] : I'mherewheresthatjoblessTrollNEETcomeoutrightnow
- [Troll NEET] : Call me senior, you rookie bastard.
- [Speedrun] : ...?
Of course, Speedrun's reaction upon entering was a work of art.
“Excellent.”
I turned my gaze away from the administrator chat and brought the Gallery window back up.
No way, Speedrun really became a Sub-Mod ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ [Speedrun] (web-sent) I'mnumberonenowIcommendthejudgmentofthosewhoselectedmeallshitpostsaredead
All right, now try posting a shitpost. Delete it in 0.1 seconds ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ [This user has been banned]
ㄴ ?
ㄴ ㅇ?
[Speedrun] ThisisfunTheHeadModmusthavebeenusingthispoweraloneallthistimeAnywayyoureporttomorrow
ㄴ Eeeeeeeeeek!!!!
ㄴ Kyaaaaaaah!!!
ㄴ No way, they really got cut down in one second ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ This is fucking hilarious but also terrifying ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Speedy, now a Sub-Mod, immediately went to work.
“No... they're seriously fast...”
They disappeared before I could even blink.
For now, I'd give the VIP memberships out after all the remaining Sub-Mods had been selected.
“Now there's only one spot left.”
Wow, what happens now?
ㄴ Myth is in second, so...
With 22,000 votes... they're 5,000 votes ahead of third place.
ㄴ Isn't this basically decided too?
ㄴ [Myth] Obviously it's me^^
Only second place remained to be decided, but even that seemed to have a predetermined result.
“Yeah... this is kind of anticlimactic.”
*****
At the same time, the Ironclad headquarters in the Yellow Zone.
The guild master of Ironclad slammed his fist onto the desk with a bang.
“Fuck... at this rate, Myth will take second place!! We can't let them have the VIP benefits!”
“We have to control this!”
**
At the same time, at the Ares Guild camp in the Orange Zone.
Ares Guild Master Baek Kang-san glared at the Gallery as if he could tear it apart with his bloodshot eyes.
“This won't do!! If Myth monopolizes the benefits, the balance of power in the Orange Zone will collapse completely.”
“I agree!”
**
On the rooftop of a ruined building on the outskirts of the Orange Zone.
The guild master of Baekya, who had always called for romance, lit a cigarette bitterly.
“Tsk... I wasn't particularly interested, but... it's dangerous for one giant guild to hold all the power, isn't it...?”
**
A dark hideout.
Park Dari, the guild master of Gaboongie, who supposedly never blinked, shouted while blinking furiously with both eyes.
“It's unjust for all the privileges to be concentrated in Myth!”
There were people scattered throughout the Capital Area who nevertheless shared the same sense of crisis.
Perhaps instinctively, they were wary of what might happen if one group gained overwhelming power in this apocalyptic world.
As if they had made an agreement, the guild leaders all voiced their resolve toward the empty air.
“This power is too dangerous to hand over to any one guild... It would be better to give it to an ordinary person.”
“If we can't have it! No one can have it!”
“Maybe... it would be better if no one had it at all...”
“I never blink!!”
As if by prior agreement, they all thought of one way to break through the situation.
“Is that the only way...”
“In the end... that's what it comes down to...”
“This will do...”
“The completion of a world where no one gets hurt...”
******
Back in the Capital Area Survivors Gallery.
[Myth] Head Mod, it's me!!!
ㄴ [Myth] Make the decision already!!!
ㄴ [Head Mod] Just a moment, there's still ten minutes left.
[Myth] Come on, it's me, though.
ㄴ The pledge was pretty good.
ㄴ The picture too... oh my...
At that moment, when everyone had accepted Myth Guild's second-place victory as a foregone conclusion.
Suddenly, unbelievable posts began appearing in a relay across the Gallery.
Title : [God of War] Ares withdraws from the race and unifies the vote
Thinking it over, it's too dangerous for one particular giant guild to monopolize even the power of being a Sub-Mod.
Therefore, we've decided to give all our votes to the weakest and most ordinary citizen.
Title : [Ironclad] Ironclad is joining the unification too ㅇㅇ
We fully agree with Ares's position.
We too will give up our privileges and hand our votes to the most ordinary user who can represent the voices of the new arrivals.
Title : [Gaboongie] We want justice, not power!
Justice comes from the voices of the powerless!!
Gaboongie Guild also supports unifying the vote!
Title : [Baekya] Hmm... power rots when monopolized.
We're giving our votes to that ordinary citizen too.
They were declaring that they would give up their own votes and unify behind a single candidate.
“Huh?”
My eyes widened as I watched it.
?
ㄴ ㅇ???
ㄴ No way, they're saying they're unifying the vote ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Fuck, I never imagined this ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Can... this... actually... happen...?
ㄴ [Head Mod] Uh... can it... actually happen...?
ㄴ If it's a democratic vote...
ㄴ Isn't there anything stopping it?
ㄴ Right... ?
Just as even the Head Mod was stunned and looking bewildered.
But if they're unifying the vote, who the hell are they giving all the votes to?!
ㄴ That's what I'm saying...
ㄴ Are they giving them to Ares...?
ㄴ I don't think that's it...
Just as the Gallery users' questions were about to explode, the guild masters drove the point home in the comments.
[God of War] I offer my guild's votes to the newbie.
ㄴ [Ironclad] We yield to the user who shouted for better treatment of healers from the very bottom...
ㄴ [Gaboongie] We give them to the most harmless, least power-hungry nobody!!
ㄴ [Baekya] Giving them all to last-place [Healer Union] ㅇㅇ
[Healer Union] Huh? Me...?
ㄴ [Ironclad] You.
For a moment, an eerie silence descended over the Gallery.
And about ten seconds later.
Title : Fuck, this is it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Eureka!!! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The lesser evil ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ If I can't have it, I'll destroy it ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋ
That is seriously ingenious ㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's so damn funny ㅋㅋㅋ
But isn't this strangely sensible...?
ㄴ If a particular guild had taken it, things would have gotten crazy ㅇㅇ
ㄴ For real...
ㄴ The completion of a world where no one gets hurt...
ㄴ One person looks like they're going to get hurt as hell, though...
[Head Mod] ..? Are you really doing this...?
ㄴ [God of War] I can't lie ㅇㅇ
ㄴ [Baekya] Same ㅇㅇ
ㄴ [Head Mod] Okay...
Along with the users' explosive reaction.
[Myth] Hey, you crazy bastards!!! What the hell are you doing!!!!
ㄴ Seo-jin, pack it up ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Cut!!!!!
ㄴ Bam~~ ba-bam~~ ba-bam~~ bam~~!!
ㄴ Bam~~ ba-bam~~ ba-bam~~ bam~~!!
Voting ends in 3
ㄴ 2
ㄴ 1
ㄴ Cuuuuut!!!!
The Sub-Mod election came to an end.
Title : *Notice [Head Mod] Final Announcement of the Sub-Mod Election Results...
Voting closed...
In accordance with System-nim's grand cause and democratic procedure, the two candidates with the most votes will be appointed as new deputy administrators...
1st: [Speedrun] (Overwhelmingly elected early)
2nd: [Healer Union] (Overtook Myth Guild by a 30,000-vote difference)
The two above will be appointed as Sub-Mods...
[Myth] Eeeeeeeek!!!!
ㄴ [Myth] This is impossibleeeee!!!
But remember this... Seo-jin... the stain of suspicion isn't easily erased...
ㄴ Please let it go by now ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ How much longer are you going to keep doing this? ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋ
[Healer Union] ????
ㄴ That's how it turned out...
There are circumstances among adults...
ㄴ Hang in there, newbie...
ㄴ ㅇㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I couldn't laugh as I watched Healer Union's bewildered comments.
“I should send Seo-jin something, at least...”
I had never wanted her to suffer this much, even if there was a stain of suspicion.
Of course, it couldn't be helped. Neither the Head Mod nor I had any say in this vote.
If anything, I thought the other guild masters were clever.
No matter how much things were improving, this was still a world where the apocalypse had happened.
If one group held overwhelmingly powerful benefits, there was no telling what might happen outside.
But that didn't mean I could refuse to grant them either.
“Of course... if it becomes too serious, I'll help.”
But I couldn't get involved in every single power struggle.
Maybe this result was for the best.
Ding-!
[Healer Union has entered the Deputy Administrator Chatroom]
- [Healer Union] : Uh... hello...?
- [Healer Union] : Ah! No, that's not right!!
- [Healer Union] : Bam~~ ba-bam~~ ba-bam~~ bam~~!!
- [Healer Union] : I'll demand better treatment for rookies in the administrator room too!!!!
- [Troll NEET] : Heyo
- [Speedrun] : Youmustrespectmesenior
- [Troll NEET] : Lol, copying me now.
- [Speedrun] : No, I'm not...
The four administrators who had been chosen almost by accident gathered in one place.
Of course, they seemed like a combination as incompatible as fire and gunpowder.
- [Head Mod] : Ahem... Whatever the result, everyone is here.
- [Head Mod] : Have you all been appointed VIP members by System-nim?
- [Speedrun] : Not yet.
- [Healer Union] : “No.”
“Oh, right.”
I was the System. I hurriedly appointed the selected Sub-Mods as VIPs.
- [Speedrun] : Thesystemrespectedme
- [Shop Wiki] : Oh...!!! These are the benefits...!
- [Healer Union] : “It worked.”
- [Troll NEET] : Done ㅇㅇ
I made up a vague excuse.
I couldn't appoint myself as a member, and there were only three spots left anyway.
- [Head Mod] : Now... you shall heed System-nim's grand will...
- [Head Mod] : Do you swear to humbly manage and protect the order of this Gallery and the Capital Area?
The Head Mod solemnly recited an oath to the four users.
- [Shop Wiki] : I cannot agree with that statement.
- [Speedrun] : YoumustrespectmeHeadModIonlytrustmyspeed
- [Healer Union] : Bam~~ ba-bam~~ ba-bam~~ bam~~!!
- [Troll NEET] : ㅋㅋ
The four administrators, including me, proudly displayed their completely different personalities.
“This is fucking hilarious.”
Now that they were all together, it was kind of entertaining.
I could almost feel the Head Mod somewhere letting out a small sigh.
- [Head Mod] : ...
- [Head Mod] : All right! From now on, let's properly manage the Gallery!!
- [Head Mod] : I don't think explanations are necessary, so please faithfully carry out your respective duties!!!
The Head Mod made a solemn declaration.
- [Shop Wiki] : Hmm... I'll go pick up scrap metal first to prepare for the next open rush.
- [Speedrun] : Ihopeyouwillrespectme
- [Healer Union] : Oh, my seniors are calling me!!
The response was astonishingly cold.
Naturally. They had put on the armbands because they wanted the VIP benefits, not because they actually wanted to be Sub-Mods.
Savoring only the sweet benefits of power while abandoning the actual work.
That was the long-standing tradition and essence of armband holders.
- [Head Mod] : .....
- [Head Mod] : Right... let's take it slowly... I have things to do too...
The Head Mod was monologuing in the administrator room, which remained silent and unresponsive.
“Should I help out?”
I was an administrator now, after all, and I could do it for a little entertainment.
“Hmm... Is this the post management function?”
Just as I yawned inside my comfortable sleeping bag and was about to click Gallery management.
The alarms began ringing like crazy.
Ding-!
Ding-!
Ding-!
[Current VIP complaints pending: 157]
“Huh?”
The reason the alarms were ringing so insanely was the Customer Feedback Box, which received complaints from VIP members.
[Complaint List]
[Head Mod (Baek Eunwol) customer complaints received: 23]
[Speedrun (Cha Do-hee) customer complaints received: 111]
[Shop Wiki (Park Gi-tae) customer complaints received: 22]
[Healer Union (Lee Si-yeon) customer complaints received: 1]
“Wait a second.”
There was a reason those bastards had gone quiet in the Sub-Mod administrator room.
While the feedback box was exploding, Healer Union was speaking to me in the now-silent Sub-Mod administrator room.
- [Healer Union] : Oh!!! Looks like everyone left!!!
- [Healer Union] : Oh!!! Troll NEET!!! We're meeting like this!!!! Great! This is great!!!!
- [Healer Union] : We really became Sub-Mods!!! Sub-Mods!!!!!
- [Healer Union] : Now we can receive the VIP benefits!!!!!!!!
- [Troll NEET] : Uh... wait a second...
“Uh...”
I quickly skimmed past Healer Union's cheerful messages in the group chat and carefully clicked the topmost notification among the endlessly ringing alarms.
“Why are there so many complaints—”
[VIP Baek Eunwol (Head Mod) customer inquiry received]
[System-nim... System-nim... There is something I've wondered about for a long time... ]
[Are you truly a Transcendent Being, System-nim...?]
[If so, did you really mean this sort of thing by the primitive desires you allowed in the Gallery...?]
[As the administrator of the Capital Area Gallery, I am swallowing my shame and daring to ask for an answer from you, Transcendent Being...]
“Huh...? No, that...”
If she was talking about inviting lewd pictures, I wanted to say that it had genuinely been an instinctive mistake
[Category: Defective Product Complaint]
[Attached file: image_001.jpg]
but.
“A picture...?”
A product photo had been attached along with the defective-product complaint.
And when I opened the picture.
“Dedt.”
I had no choice but to freeze in place.