Chapter 38 : Embarrassing past

It had been a peaceful Boss Mob Gallery.

A bloodbath had once swept through to eliminate the poison (?) first spread by the newbie, Do Yoon.

But she, the moderator, Wine-jwa, and Jinjo, had wielded her sword silently, confident that what she was doing was right.

-PaperLover*) Let’s talk for a moment

-ShortEarElf*) Heung~ At this rate, half the gallery will disappear~

“…Better if it disappears.”

Jinjo truly resented the moderators who spoke so casually.

Would they really be able to maintain such a relaxed attitude if they were in her position and situation?

Absolutely not.

-AgedWine*) Don’t stop me. I will execute justice in the gallery.

-PaperLover*) Justice or whatever; can you handle it if the head mod pops out?

-AgedWine*) ….

-PaperLover*) I heard you even interfered with the ‘system’, shouldn’t there at least be some prior discussion among moderators?

PaperLover persuaded Wine-jwa with extremely common-sense words.

Wine-jwa suppressed her anger for a moment, along with a throbbing headache.

What she hated more than her embarrassing past being laid bare.

Was that those days, which were quite sincere in their own way, would be reduced to a laughingstock for the gallery folks.

She wasn’t ready yet.

Ready to look back on herself at that time and accept it.

-PaperLover*) So, why did you interfere? Is it head mod summoning jutsu?

-ShortEarElf*) I understand how you feel, but I’d appreciate it if you were careful~ We’re in danger too, you know~

-WarGod*) Bbippyuppobb!

-AgedWine*) …I saw potential in the newbie.

-PaperLover*) Potential?

She couldn’t explain it precisely.

But she definitely felt it.

Sitting in the position of the Tower Master, she was confident that she was facing a task that no hunter had ever accomplished.

When she saw him reach her imitation, the Object, and perform that ‘resonance’–

Wine-jwa, without realizing it, had interfered with Do Yoon, who was trying to save her past self.

-AgedWine*) The newbie resonated with the Object and completed the Theme Stage.

-AgedWine*) That’s why I saw potential. Seeing that appearance, different from the other trash so far, I unknowingly placed my hopes on

him.

-PaperLover*) …So that’s why you interfered?

-AgedWine*) If I let him fail or die here, I felt like I would regret it for a long, long time.

-PaperLover*) Are you sure?

The moderator’s interest turned towards the potential the newbie possessed.

He had single-handedly caught the Hidden Piece condition and communicated with lower-level boss mobs in the same situation as them

through resonance.

It was an ability unheard of anywhere before, and his individual martial prowess was not inferior compared to other hunters.

Since Wine-jwa expressed such confidence, the moderators could no longer blame her.

Because they too were in a position of clinging to a faint hope, trapped in the Tower.

-PaperLover*) That’s that, then

-PaperLover*) Don’t abuse your power ㅇㅇ; At this rate, everyone will really die

-AgedWine*) That… I will restrain myself

Knowing that she had gone a bit too far, Wine-jwa readily chose self-restraint and decided to observe the situation.

Until she saw the atrocious newbie, who attached the name ‘Eira’ to the Object modeled after herself and carelessly threw around memes.

-PaperLover*) Uh uh, stop that

-ShortEarElf*) Newbie-kun is fanning the flames of Wine-jwa’s firewood~

-AgedWine*) Purge, purge is the only answer.

Unable to do anything to the newbie, who was at the center of the intriguing talk.

Only the innocent users were wailing in the middle of the bloodbath.

Title: So who is this Eira <<?

• Who is it that suddenly made the Bob-lovers go crazy?

ㄴ Well, that is…[Read More]

ㄴ Yes~ I’ve informed you~

ㄴ Wow! Thank you for the informative answer!

ㄴ OP) Sh*t

Title: Rough Summary of Gallery Talk.txt

• Who Eira is

She’s an Object the newbie farmed from the Theme Stage ㅇㅇ

She listens well, her cheeks are puffy and cute, innocent, and just looking at her is healing.

I don’t know who she is, but I feel like I want to protect her so much that I can’t even imagine her future self ㅇㅇ;

ㄴ No sh*t, the Object what?

ㄴ First time hearing it? We’re hearing it for the first time too

ㄴ Don’t try to understand, just enjoy~

Title: Just Watch and Enjoy

(Meme of Eira smiling while doing the kimchi pose)

-If you’re not healed by watching this-

(This account has been blocked.)

-Uh uh, someone just died

-Don’t look, you’ll die too

“…Woah.”

Even while Do Yoon’s private chatroom was open, users were dying in real-time in the gallery.

Was this the power of a moderator?

Even while he was talking to them, users posting messages were being purged.

-AgedWine*) Heung heung! It’s the newbie-jjang who torments Bonin-jjang that I hate…!

Seeing Wine-jwa, who had started her persona play again in the midst of it all, Do Yoon continued the conversation through the skill window.

• My Post) It’s you, right?

• AgedWine*) I don’t know what you’re talking about

• AgedWine*) (Meme of a bat looking away innocently)

• My Post) It’s you, isn’t it?

Wine-jwa, playing innocent after helping him.

But Do Yoon was strongly convinced.

That the one who interfered during the resonance with the Object back then was none other than the master of this Tower, Wine-jwa.

• AgedWine*) This is why I dislike quick-witted newbie-kuns…!

• My Post) No, you openly helped and now what;;

• My Post) So. What did you do?

• AgedWine*) Since newbie-jjang interfered with the system first, I, as the Tower Master, merely lent a hand…!

As he was looking at the status window with an absurd expression, another message was added.

• AgedWine*) Simply put, you could say I ‘normalized’ the Theme Stage area in my own way

• My Post) I interfered first?

• AgedWine*) That’s right…! If I hadn’t helped, the Theme Stage area would have been a mechakucha mess due to the broken Object…!

Saying he interfered first.

Do Yoon felt wronged.

Then should he have just stood by and watched the Object rampage?

‘Wait a minute.’

Come to think of it, something was strange.

According to other hunters, the Object was originally supposed to be sealed on the fanatics’ altar.

Stopping that initial rampage was supposed to be the trial of the Theme Stage.

‘But why only me.’

Why, of all days, did such a variable appear on the day he entered the Theme Stage?

“Oppa…?”

Turning his gaze at the warm touch on his hand, his eyes met with Eira, who was looking at him with curious eyes.

“Did I do well?”

“Eung…?”

He didn’t know what answer this young Jinjo could possibly have for him to ask like this.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t just stand by and watch the child suffering with such horrific memories.

• My Post) If that’s the case, isn’t the timing of the Hidden Piece too exquisite?

• Aged Wine*) I really didn’t know about that…! The Hidden Piece condition, helping my embarrassing past self while conversely slaughtering the fanatics-

“What.”

Suddenly, the connection to the chatroom was cut.

Do Yoon, thrown back to the gallery, stared at the posts with a bewildered expression.

• If Wine-jwa is the real aged Tower Master, then is Eira, who is from a past even before that, grape juice?

• Oh, are you a genius?

• Grape juice 

• Thumbs up if grape juice is more likable than the sour and tasteless Wine-jwa lololol

“This is dizzying.”

To summarize the situation roughly, it didn’t seem like much would change from the original plan.

Once the other hunters finished their preparations, they could just enter the boss room through Eira.

For now, Do Yoon’s job was to roughly kill time.

“Should I warm up a bit?”

He stretched to loosen his stiff muscles here and there.

“Let’s play…!”

He spent time accepting Eira, who came running after playing by herself.

Occasionally, his eyes met with hunters passing by in the distance, but he didn’t pay much attention.

For those who had expressed concern about what would happen if the Object wandered around the village, he had deliberately set up camp

on the outskirts of the village.

There was no need to worry about monsters crossing over from the Forbidden Zone or other places, and he didn’t have to be conscious of

other hunters’ gazes.

He had found a good spot in his own way.

Unlike other floors, the Theme Stage was a space where the flow of time existed.

After a certain amount of time, the sun would set and the moon would rise.

A place that could be seen as an entirely new world.

Cooking the meat he had obtained from catching a floor boss monster over a campfire, Do Yoon quelled his rising hunger.

“Waaah…”

Eira, sitting next to him, stared blankly at the flames, then her eyes sparkled as she saw the chunks of meat cooking golden brown above

them.

“Looks delicious, right?”

“Yes…!”

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

It still had a reddish tinge, so it wasn’t fully cooked.

Do Yoon, with extensive experience grilling pork belly at construction sites, cooked it with his own meat philosophy.

A few minutes of watching the grease drip onto the fire.

Finally, Do Yoon took out the skewers and carved off a large piece of meat.

“Here.”

Eira accepted the skewer, handed over with a piece of cloth so it wouldn’t be hot.

Her flushed cheeks suggested she was anticipating the storm of flavor to come.

“Ha-eup.”

Eira, who took a hearty bite with her small lips, looked at Do Yoon with surprised eyes.

“Is it delicious?”

“Eummm…!”

Unable to show what was in her mouth, Eira vigorously nodded her small head to express her affirmation.

Do Yoon also ate his meat skewer with a pleased feeling.

‘D*mn delicious.’

He didn’t know if it was a consumable item provided by the Tower, but it had a much deeper flavor than any meat he had eaten so far.

Perhaps it felt even more precious because it was food eaten after a battle.

Thus, the night deepened just for the two of them.

“Shall we go now?”

The respective hunters gathered before the boss room to officially clear the 5th floor.