Chapter 41
Do you believe in the Head Mod?
One day, a post with that title appeared in the Gallery.
An extremely cult-like phrase.
But the post soon attracted a great deal of attention and proudly took its place among the Featured Posts.
Author: Orange Faction
(Cute Head Mod girl illustration meme)
Honestly, it doesn't matter if you don't believe.
You can start believing from now on, can't you?
Every Gallery bro has received the Head Mod's help at least once.
Maybe the Head Mod even saved your life.
No, she definitely did.
Even if it wasn't you, then surely someone among your family, relatives, friends, lovers, or acquaintances had their life saved by the Head Mod.
Then why don't you believe in the Head Mod?
Why do you refuse to believe in the Head Mod, yet enthusiastically cheer for the gods of other religions that have done nothing for you?
We must recognize this contradiction.
Now, believe in the Head Mod.
Join the Head Mod Worshippers.
And so your mind and body will flourish within the Gallery.
It isn't too late.
[Recommendations 1023] [Dislikes 4023]
- Wow, look at the number of dislikes.
- What kind of meme is this now?
- Wow, look at that drawing.
- (Praise with both arms spread meme)
- The cult vibe is pretty strong, but if you read it carefully, it kind of makes sense, yeah;
ㄴ That's how you become a cultist.
ㄴ Now the cult leader will take all your money and make you work forever as Chunsik.
ㄴ Your body and mind, all of them? Ohhh.
Of course, the initial reaction wasn't good.
In a world headed toward destruction, cults brought to mind nothing more or less than greed, opportunism, and people barely distinguishable from criminals.
In fact, all kinds of cults had been springing up like weeds and provoking disgust.
The Gallery's cold reaction was only natural, but the more people talked with them, the more they felt that something was different.
- LOL, so they're still crazy money-grubbers who'll extort money under the pretext of donations. You think we don't know that?
ㄴ Orange Faction) Donations are voluntary.
ㄴ Orange Faction) To begin with, donations are a voluntary expression of the believers' feelings. Why would we extort them by force?
ㄴ ?
ㄴ Huh?
They didn't force anyone to make donations.
Donations were voluntary.
The comment briefly created an air of puzzlement, but there was nothing they couldn't claim with words alone.
- I can call myself the Head Mod with words too, yeah.
- For real, how does anyone know whether they're just talking pretty?
- For real, then I'm Frederick.
ㄴ ?
ㄴ The Head Mod who catches him.
ㄴ Fuck, so you are the Head Mod after all lol.
Everyone took it lightly and considered them just another common cult.
They probably funded themselves through illegal activities too.
But everyone's expectations were swiftly proven wrong.
[Title: I Tried Commissioning a Cultist Artist...jpg]
(Half-elf cute Head Mod illustration meme)
Wow... um... haha.
Anyway, the details are seriously fucking incredible.
Forget the cult stuff—aren't they just insanely good at drawing?
And they're only charging 50 mana dumplings for this level of quality??
[Recommendations 10] [Dislikes 0]
- Oh.
- Gasp.
- Fuck, what is this? They're insanely good.
- No, the detail in the folds of the clothes is fucking incredible.
- Dying-While-Still-a-Vampire) Nice.
- Why are they making money by working honestly?
The members of the Head Mod Worshippers, or the Society for Loving the Head Mod, had been covering all their operating costs with money earned through honest work.
And they were even diligent about it.
They were especially strong in the arts.
Commissions, statues, novels, and so on.
- These guys really are different.
- For real, I feel amazed every time I see one of their commissions.
- I should ask them to draw me a Head Mod commission too.
ㄴ Head Mod*) Why am I the subject again?
ㄴ Head Mod*) The picture doesn't even look like me in the first place.
ㄴ What does strong denial mean?
ㄴ (Cute Head Mod wearing a skirt and looking shy illustration)
ㄴ Head Mod*) Kkiyaaak!!!
Voluntary donations, and they're diligent too?
The Gallery bros' opinion of them gradually grew more favorable.
“I can't ban them either...”
The problem was that they kept using their talent to draw and sculpt me, but they carefully avoided crossing the line.
Just as I was wondering whether to leave them alone, a familiar face appeared.
[Title: Do Not Be Seduced by the Whispers of Heretics]
It was the church, whose face turned redder than anyone else's whenever the subject of religion came up.
*
As always, the church made the first move.
[Title: The Head Mod Is Still Human]
No matter how extraordinary the Head Mod is, the Head Mod isn't a god.
Why do humans worship and pray to another human?
Do not be swayed by the whispers of heretics.
[Recommendations 4332] [Dislikes 1203]
- But that's true too.
- The Head Mod is damn amazing, but they're still an amazing human, not a god.
- I really want to kiss the Head Mod, but worshiping the Head Mod as a god feels a bit much, yeah.
ㄴ Head Mod*) Can't we do neither?
The church, which had been the central religion believed in by most people during the medieval era, had dealt with plenty of heresies.
This time, too, it tried to suppress them through overwhelming numbers and media manipulation.
But the problem was that this world was no longer an ordinary medieval society.
[Title: So, Did the World End?]
(Thumbs-up hedgehog meme)
The god you believed in was supposedly so great, yet that god just watched while the world was destroyed?
To put it bluntly, did that god at least drop some rotten scraps of bread from the sky?
Or did that god provide muddy water to the thirsty?
Or wasn't it merely a matter of you using religion as a business and having fun making money?
The believers were skin and bones, while the bishops were fattened beyond belief.
You wouldn't fall for donation scandals after just one or two, lol.
[Recommendations 3043] [Dislikes 2032]
- You blasphemous bastard!!!!!
ㄴ LMAO, the facts hit him right where it hurt.
ㄴ Fact) It's a fact.
- Now that I think about it, this is true.
- LOL, look at the recommendations and dislikes switching places.
- That feels so refreshing~~
- As expected, facts are one of the Four Emperors.
ㄴ What an impressive hot take from one of the Four Emperors.
- But aren't these guys crazy too?
ㄴ They're drawing porn of the Head Mod they claim to believe in, for fuck's sake lol.
ㄴ Author) That's faith too.
ㄴ Author) What's wrong with honoring and worshiping the beautiful Head Mod as a goddess?
ㄴ Author) (Half-elf Head Mod lowering her skirt and looking shy illustration)
ㄴ Heh heh heh;
ㄴ Wow, nice.
ㄴ Oh? Maybe so. That's suddenly pretty persuasive.
The cult was only a cult in name; it hadn't done a single thing to harm society yet.
“Except me.”
In any case, the church had nothing to say.
In fact, it was guilty of crimes that made one's chest swell with indignation: all kinds of corruption, forced donations, assaulting believers, and more.
- Did the church post a rebuttal?
ㄴ LOL, looks like they ran away because they got scared.
ㄴ Every time, everyone just bows down and then comes out saying, “Why should I care?” Now they can't say anything lol.
The church side had obviously lost the argument.
And in this situation, the method the church chose was incredibly simple.
[Title: An Inquisitorial Trial Was Held in Adrian]
(Cult proselytizer tied to a cross meme)
(Being whipped and brutally humiliated meme)
I was drawing a commission for a cultist Gallery bro when inquisitors suddenly stormed into the tavern;
Then they dragged the cultist away and held a religious trial like this.
They're beating him without the slightest mercy. What do I do?
He's so pitiful that I can't bear to watch;
[Recommendations 5320] [Dislikes 102]
- Ah, fuck, this is too much;
- Even Satan would reject this...
- What did he do to deserve being dragged away and beaten like that?
- Author) Meanwhile, the cultist is shouting and refusing to admit any wrongdoing.
ㄴ What did he say?
ㄴ Author) What he said was...
ㄴ I definitely heard him say this, yeah.
ㄴ Fuck, I've been had.
They had immediately begun a religious inquisition and witch hunt.
When Adrian split in two, the church chose to remain in Adrian, with more than 80% of it staying behind.
The church, still an entrenched part of the establishment, began dragging out cultists in Adrian and threatening them mercilessly.
Naturally, resistance also broke out in Kellyerton, where the cultists were numerous.
[Title: Kellyerton Is in Chaos Too ㄷㄷ]
(Church believer lying on the ground meme)
(Cult followers gathering around him meme)
A church believer was cursing the cultists and making a scene in the plaza, but in the end, it seemed they couldn't stand it anymore.
A group beating broke out in the plaza ㄷㄷ
[Recommendations 4302] [Dislikes 302]
- What happened? Why did things get this bad?
ㄴ Author) The believer threw filth at the Head Mod statue, which pissed off the cultists.
ㄴ Ah, that's understandable.
ㄴ You shouldn't mess with the cute Head Mod statue, yeah.
The argument had eventually escalated into real-world violence.
What had started as a simple religious dispute had drawn the attention and participation of even outsiders with nothing to do with religion.
And it seemed the attention had spread to the sub-mods too.
[Admin Chat]
Dying-While-Still-a-Vampire: Fascinating.
Dying-While-Still-a-Vampire: (Cute Head Mod eating popcorn meme)
Full-Life Elf: Tactical nukes are being posted indiscriminatelyㅡㅡ.
Full-Life Elf: What are you going to do now?
Head Mod*: Hmm.
The situation was on the verge of becoming a complete madhouse.
The sub-mods waited for my decision.
- Head Mod, help!!!
- Head Mod-shi, do something!!!!
As even Gallery bros unrelated to the fights began suffering real-world consequences, the confusion only grew worse.
“Well, it isn't hard to solve.”
Fortunately, I had learned one method from an organization in South Korea before I was transported here.
It was called collective responsibility.
And that method, just as always, would...
[The Head Mod's marketplace item ‘Coke’ is disappearing.]
- ????
- Fuck, bro Head Mod! What the hell are you doing!!!
- Head Mod oppa?
Find the answer.
*
The Coke disappeared from the marketplace.
The Gallery bros who drank Coke every day were plunged into confusion in an instant.
- How am I supposed to live without Coke?
- Are you telling me to die of thirst?
ㄴ Just drink water.
ㄴ Is water the same as Coke?
ㄴ We're talking about Coke, and you're bringing up water. I'll fucking—
ㄴ ???
The cultist Gallery bros who found peace of mind in the refreshing sensation and liberation provided by carbonation suffered the most.
- I'm taking a brief break from drawing commissions...
- It's God's will, God's excrement... Accept it quietly...
- This is all because of those church bastards.
ㄴ For real, if only the church had kept its mouth shut.
ㄴ ? Isn't this problem happening because the cultists were acting up?
ㄴ A dog is barking somewhere lol.
ㄴ The church doesn't need anything like Coke, ahahaha.
Of course, even in the midst of all that, their hatred stacks overflowed, and they started fighting over who was at fault.
But there was a good method for times like this too.
[The Head Mod's marketplace item ‘castella’ is disappearing.]
- Ah!!!!
- Fucking hell, don't do this!!!!
Remove another item.
Especially when it came to castella, even the church couldn't remain as smug as before.
- Isn't the church about to hold Holy Communion?
- There's no castella. Should we bake some bread instead?
- Holy Communion with no communion?! Pooshyung-ppasyung.
- Chuu-hic.
Because castella was the church's sacrament.
- Ah, I really want to strangle these religious nuts lol.
ㄴ Cough, cough.
ㄴ For real, what did I do?
- ? Head Mod, the castella suddenly disappeared from the marketplace.
- Maybe it's just a temporary error!
- But I can't see the Coke either ㅠㅠ.
ㄴ Ugh, that elf-brain is seriously slow to catch on.
ㄴ ?? What, you're only just catching this now...
The atmosphere was gradually heating up.
“But they should have reflected by now, right?”
The church, in particular, had already been burned once, so it was quick to bow its head.
Then all that remained was for these self-proclaimed Head Mod Worshippers to reflect too.
...It was too quiet.
“What's going on?”
Why had things suddenly become this quiet?
[A barter request has been received.]
Just then, a Gallery bro presumed to be one of the Head Mod Worshippers suddenly sent me a barter request.
“Hmm, all of a sudden?”
It was when I entered the barter chat room.
Orange Faction: O Head Mod!! I'm so moved and grateful that you answered my request!!!
Head Mod*: Yeah, what did you call me here to trade?
Orange Faction: That's not it, but there's something I urgently want to ask, so this humble believer dares to offer up a prayer!!!!!
Head Mod*: What?
“They're trying to buddy up this blatantly?”
It was the most brazen attempt at buddying up since the World Tree.
Before putting this Gallery bro up for a ban, I watched to see what on earth he had wanted to ask by initiating a barter chat.
And the question the Gallery bro asked me was unbelievable.
Orange Faction: Head Mod, may I ask where you reside?
He was trying to dox me right to my face.