Ch.124The Armband Conscription. (4)

Of course, some rankers had different reactions to the moderator’s response, showing disbelief for entirely different reasons.

“Wait, isn’t that just common sense…?”

“How would anyone even upload something like that here in the first place?”

Receiving such reactions from the rankers, the operator’s glowing head dimmed slightly.

With a half-dead tone, they telepathically communicated to us in a matter-of-fact way.

<<“…You’ll understand once you try it. We don’t know how they brought it in or how they created it either.”>>

“Huh.”

Of course, that lifeless tone didn’t last long.

Soon returning to their previous cheerful manner, the operator provided us with a very simple and clear answer about how to manage things.

<<“Anyway, for everything else, just handle it however you see fit based on ‘your own standards’ if you think something crosses the line!”>>

“Hmm.”

“Oh my, does that mean as long as it doesn’t cross my standards, I can delete posts or not as I please?”

<<“That’s right, but even if one of you doesn’t delete something, another person might.”>>

Once the shocking topic disappeared, the rankers—their previous demeanor gone—all raised their hands and began bombarding the operator with questions about additional administrative powers.

“Excuse me, can we also restore posts that have been deleted?”

<<“For restoration cases, if you let us know, we’ll check and restore them if we determine there’s no problem.”>>

“What if users threaten us about posts they’ve deleted from the gallery?”

<<“That’s precisely why we selected you all, who are positioned at the very top of the rankings.”>>

Various other questions were asked and answered.

Most questions were about community management, so the operator provided appropriate answers, but…

“What happens if we refuse the moderator position? Are there any penalties?”

Finally, what might be considered the most important question came from someone’s lips.

The bright-headed operator took a moment to contemplate, then, emitting light from their head, calmly delivered their answer.

<<“No, there won’t be any special penalties imposed on you by the management if you refuse.”>>

“Oh?”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s still burdensome though…”

<<“However, if you refuse the management position, when someone else does something to you as a Commander in the future… wouldn’t it be impossible for you to resist?”>>

“…”

Faced with the operator’s calm and confident attitude—no, their “warning”—the ranker who asked the question, as well as the others who had been whispering, all fell silent at once.

After this “warning statement,” with no further questions from the rankers, the operator rotated their shining head one last time like a lighthouse, scanning the surroundings.

Finally, convinced that everyone had made up their minds, they blinked their light several times and began speaking.

<<“Then I’ll assume that all of you rankers have understood everything and agreed to become community moderators.”>>

<<“From now on, as soon as you leave this space, you will all have community moderator authority, so please keep this in mind as you act.”>>

And right after hearing those words.

I once again had to endure clusters of bright white light rushing toward my eyes, launching a flash attack on my unprepared retinas.

==========

Fortunately, the eye-searing flash didn’t last long.

As the blinding light that had exploded like a flashbang faded away, I found myself no longer in that strange white space, but back in the now-familiar command center of the “Astral Base.”

‘Ah, the familiar ceiling.’

And while I was thinking that, I heard Jessica’s voice from beside me…

“Oh, Commander? Did you just go to the bathroom or something?”

“…Huh?”

Finding her question completely out of the blue, I felt confusion surging within me.

And for good reason—the time I’d spent with the operators and rankers must have been at least an hour.

Despite being gone for that long without saying anything, she was asking if I’d just gone to the bathroom.

“Are you talking about me?”

In response to my puzzled short answer, Jessica immediately provided an explanation.

“Yes, you suddenly disappeared like you teleported, and I was about to look for you, but you came back in less than a minute.”

“…Less than a minute, you say?”

‘The time I spent with the operators felt like over an hour, but she’s saying it was just a minute?’

“Actually, it was just barely over 30 seconds.”

Hearing Jessica’s answer, I began to suspect that the operators who had kidnapped and imprisoned us users in this “game,” despite their bumbling management and seemingly human aspects, might actually possess truly transcendent abilities.

Unfortunately, exactly 14 seconds after I began harboring such suspicions…

“Jessica! Why did you mistakenly think the Commander went to the ‘bathroom’?”

“…Excuse me?”

“The Commander’s bathroom is right here! I, Pashtra, can take responsibility for that role…♡”

Due to Pashtra’s bizarre and sudden sexual innuendo appearing out of nowhere, those thoughts instantly vanished from my mind.

And that empty space was quickly filled with formulating a strategy to deal with Jessica’s strange look after hearing Pashtra’s sexual joke.

==========

Anyway, Pashtra, who had suddenly rushed in with that outburst…

—————————————-

<Pashtra>

<Level 59>

<Type: Anti-Army Long Range>

<Characteristics: Explosion, Ultra-Long Range, Artillery, High Firepower, Concentration>

<Stats>

Health: A

Attack Power: A+

Physical Defense: B+

Magic Power: SSS+(+S+)

Magic Defense: SS+

Mobility: B+

—————————————-

—————————————-

<Partia>

<Level 33>

<Type: Anti-Personnel Close Range>

<Characteristics: Fanaticism, Close Combat, Iron Person, Pure Maniac>

<Stats>

Health: SS+

Attack Power: SS+

Physical Defense: SSS-

Magic Power: A

Magic Defense: A-

Mobility: SS-

—————————————-

“Pashtra, you need some time for repentance.”

“Gyaaaah…”

“I apologize, Savior. I’ll take Pashtra away immediately.”

“Hmm.”

Despite being higher level and technically her senior at the base, our Pashtra The Hentai was being dragged away by the nape of her neck by Partia, who was her senior according to their backstory.

As I watched Pashtra being dragged away like that and plopped down in my command seat, a new message from the operators popped up right in front of me, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

—————————————-

<Notification>

<Congratulations!>

<As of this moment, Commander ‘Icarus’ has been granted management authority for the ‘Community’!>

<List of Authorities>

˪<Ability to delete other users’ posts>

˪<Ability to block users from accessing the community for up to 15 days, see details for specific blocking functions>

˪<Ability to unblock blocked users>

<Precautions>

<Restoration of deleted posts is only possible through the operators.>

<Access blocking can be customized in the following ways:>

˪<Block username only>

˪<Block both username and IP (to prevent clone accounts with the same username)>

˪<Can restrict only posting in the gallery, or only commenting, or only chat functions.>

<If posts that are unacceptable even by operator standards are deliberately left alone or increased, the moderator’s authority may be forcibly revoked.>

—————————————-

There was more to it, but seeing the message scroll down like insurance terms and conditions, I couldn’t hide my bitterness at the fact that I had been forcibly drafted as a moderator.