Ch.78Feel the Weight of the Armband. (1)

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<General Announcement>

<Notice to all Commanders.>

<Are you enjoying the new ‘Faction’ update?>

<We’ve noticed that some Commanders’ behavior in the community gallery has been getting out of hand.>

<Given that our staff is insufficient compared to the number of Commanders, making it impossible to manage everything.>

<After internal discussions, we’ve decided to grant certain gallery management privileges to some Commanders.>

<Of course, regarding which Commanders will receive management privileges.>

<Rather than making decisions based on personal connections, we will establish separate criteria.>

<These privileges will be granted to those who reach ranks 1-10 in upcoming events.>

<We appreciate your interest, Commanders.>

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After reading the contents of the “mail” mentioned in the gallery.

I turned my attention back to the gallery.

As expected, the public opinion that had previously been confined to comments on a single post was now beginning to set the entire gallery ablaze.

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-[They’re determining armbands by ranking?](11)

-[Wow, now even power is determined by ranking, damn](5)

-[Upvote if you think we need to bring down those bourgeois ranker bastards](7)

-[This game is really going to shit](28)

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To be precise, the population driving this public opinion.

Compared to the total number of users, they were still a minority.

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Title: Why are these guys freaking out over armbands and stuff?

Author: Anonymous

Content: [Image of a pink toad looking awkward in front of red, blue, and yellow toads]

H-honestly, I think all these p-people who are d-desperate for armbands are l-losers…

T-they just want to a-abuse their p-power when they get it…

Comments:

-[Facts as always lolololol]

-[Telling it like it is! Icarus-cola!]

-[Ah, refreshing! This is what the gallery should be!]

-[What the hell are you saying? Is an armband a joke?]

-˪[Just kidding~](Author)

-˪[Caught one loser right away]

-˪[It’s science, pure science]

-˪[How did they pop up so quickly lololol]

-˪[‘Just kidding’ as soon as controversy starts]

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Title: But seriously, is the armband really something to care about?

Author: Augustus

Content: [Image of a toad with a question mark]

I’m genuinely asking

I understand what gallery privileges are

But do they give additional rewards or something?

I don’t get why people are freaking out

Let’s be honest, this isn’t like real life where you can quit anytime

There are hundreds of thousands of posts from stressed people who can’t escape

Among them are disturbing images, gore, fecal images, and weird porn that somehow got through

Who wants to check and delete all that, and occasionally ban idiots?

And according to the announcement, they’re only giving authority, not rewards

Comments:

-[Your eyes are open, become an armband wearer]

-[A talent worthy of the armband]

-[Smart young man]

-[Armband winner]

-[What the hell?](Author)

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Quite a few people were clicking their tongues at those who were desperately craving the armband position.

Of course, separately from that, there were people expressing dissatisfaction with the staff’s policy itself.

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Title: Is it right to give users armbands?

Author: Apocalypse Now

Content: [Announcement image]

Now these power-hungry bastards

Including kids, school children, and old perverts are all running wild

These bastards kidnap sane people’s minds and now they want us to manage their community too

The staff’s behavior is truly legendary, for real

Comments:

-[lololol]

-[Are you a real man? Just laying it all out there]

-[How many groups are you trying to offend at once, from kids to the elderly?]

-˪[This isn’t just offending, it’s cutting everyone in half from top to bottom!]

-[Straight facts]

-[Honestly though, if users get armbands, there’s going to be a ton of power abuse]

-˪[Agreed, Koreans wouldn’t miss that opportunity]

-˪[Why bring up “Hell Peninsula” here? It’s irritating]

-˪[Don’t care]

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Until now, the “neutral” staff had been directly managing things, which prevented so-called “power abuse.”

But with users gaining power through armbands, as countless real-world community sites have shown.

This place could follow a similar pattern.

No, given the inability to escape.

It could be even worse, a concern that was erupting throughout the gallery.

And honestly, I shared that thought.

“Jessica, what do you think?”

“Umm… Commander, I don’t think this is something I should comment on.”

Seeing Jessica merely flicking her rabbit ears instead of giving a direct answer to my question.

I grabbed those twitching ears and pulled them toward me, demanding a clear answer.

“Since I asked, please tell me.”

“Noooo, I’ll tell you, just let go of my ears…”

When I released her ears, they curled back into her head like springs before extending again.

For a moment I wondered what kind of structure they had.

But that thought was quietly tucked away in some corner of my brain as Jessica began to speak.

“Ears are sensitive, so please be more careful when touching them next time.”

“Mm, I will.”

“Anyway, according to what you’re saying, other Commanders will get management authority over that gallery community, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“From what I’ve seen, if there aren’t major changes… I think factions will reorganize around the rankers who have gallery management authority.”

“…Hmm.”

Finding this interesting, I nodded and gestured for her to continue.

But Jessica shook her head, indicating that she couldn’t say more on the matter.

‘Wait, did the staff somehow prevent adjutants from solving everything for Commanders?’

Finding this quite interesting, I nodded to Jessica to acknowledge her position.

Then I reopened the gallery window I had minimized to check how public opinion was trending.

And what I saw as soon as I opened the gallery was…

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-[If it’s ranking-based, isn’t it just ship killing again?](5)

-[Game is garbage](3)

-[More kill farming?](12)

-[If newbies get armbands, everything’s screwed.txt.](165)

-[How are newbies supposed to win against veterans with kill farming? Damn](66)

-[The corrupt veterans are slithering out and freaking out again](17)

-[Upvote if these perverts are getting disgusting lolololol](45)

-[Damn, then veterans should win, you idiots](59)

-[From now on, Manchester United takes control here](10)

-[Above poster is a perverted old man](56)

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‘Everything… is burning…’

Somehow, the topic had shifted from armbands to veterans vs. newbies.

Pages were turning by the second, with dozens of comments on most gallery posts, showing the gallery’s blazing activity.

Despite the insane pressure, I could understand why the staff wanted to appoint new armband wearers.