I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 43

The Gallery could be used by anyone regardless of age, gender, or social status.

This anonymity often acted as both its greatest strength and its worst flaw.

In particular, "scammers" frequently used the Gallery to pull all sorts of cons.

"Ah. Fuck, I got scammed."

"Saw a good wild ginseng on the auction house so I bought it, but it was just regular ginseng, fuck."

ㄴ "Lolol is that you? Me too!"

ㄴ "Ginseng and wild ginseng do look similar though lolol"

ㄴ "That motherfucker deleted his post right away."

While 1-on-1 trades were restricted to fixed nicks, the auction house could be used by all users.

Accordingly, there were many criminals—scammers who felt zero shame ripping others off.

Especially when it came to large sums, most people naturally suspected a scam.

Since most scammers were get-rich-quick opportunists, doubt was unavoidable.

ㄴ "Why do scammer assholes even scam? You can’t even cash out money from the Gallery anyway."

ㄴ "They use that money to buy other stuff. It has almost everything."

ㄴ "Bypassing distribution channels is a massive merit. You can easily get stuff from other countries."

ㄴ "Don’t they get banned?"

ㄴ "They do, but it’s up to the mod’s discretion. Some mod goes ’lol is that all?’ and doesn’t ban them."

ㄴ "At least the current Orange Badge is decent. She perma-bans scammers instantly."

ㄴ "Couldn’t innocent people get caught in the crossfire?"

ㄴ "Then they have to sort it out among themselves."

Fortunately, while Don’t Abandon the Hero wore the mod armband, scammers got hit with the iron hammer.

She did not forgive even petty scams. She relentlessly handed out permanent bans as righteous punishment.

However, she did not issue bans recklessly. If an amicable agreement was reached between the parties involved, she granted forgiveness.

The core issue was whether one showed remorse or not. That was the most important part right after verifying the truth.

Thanks to this, scammers’ criminal antics decreased significantly, though they weren’t eliminated entirely.

"This motherfucking fixed-nick asshole. He’s a scammer. Don’t trust him."

(Photo of a bizarre plant)

"I planted this from a seed I won at auction for 1,000 Gold. Thought it was a rare plant, but fuck no."

ㄴ "Ewww;; What’s that? A Nepenthes? Why does a flower have teeth lolol"

ㄴ "Nepenthes don’t have teeth. What the hell is that?"

ㄴ "Allfather: That is Deathmeros, a plant-type monster that only grows in Mephisto. How on earth did you cultivate that?"

ㄴ "Fuck, it was a monster lolol"

ㄴ "Is the OP still alive?"

Those intent on scamming still scammed, and their scale and methods became even more insidious.

Fixed nicks don’t scam? That was pure bullshit.

The world was full of people willing to set up fixed nicks just for one massive payday.

Furthermore, winning bids in the auction house were credited immediately.

This was tied directly to the Gallery’s system, so even the Orange Badge couldn’t undo it.

Therefore, auctions—bidding in particular—required extreme caution.

Most people stuck to bidding small amounts and avoided high prices.

Unless it was a fixed nick with a stellar reputation, bidding huge sums on an item was rare.

"What if the Orange Badge scams?"

"Title says it all."

ㄴ "That rarely happens, but wasn’t there a scammer Orange Badge about 100 years ago?"

ㄴ "100 years ago? lolol Must have been a demon or an elf."

ㄴ "If I recall, it was an elf. Went around scamming people claiming it was World Tree leaves lolol"

ㄴ "What happened then? It’s hard to fire an Orange Badge."

ㄴ "People just refused to buy anything registered by that Orange Badge. Guess they died scamming in real life too, because at some point the Orange Badge changed."

ㄴ "Lolol serves them right."

Thus, scamming in the Gallery was a crime that could not be eradicated no matter how much anyone wished to.

Because of this, Gallery users recoiled in disgust whenever they saw the word ’scam’.

A rumor that someone scammed—especially a fixed nick? People condemned them without caring about the truth.

Even if it was an innocent person framed by mob mentalities and fabrication. That was just how the Gallery was.

"Heheh. Idiots."

A middle-aged man muttered to himself.

He possessed the typical appearance and clothing of someone from the Central Plains, accompanied by a rat-like mustache.

Slit eyes like a parrot gave him a somewhat treacherous impression.

"They really are so easy to manipulate."

The Gallery board was displayed in his field of vision.

A list of Gallery posts filled with malice and accusations directed at Grylls.

A single small thread tossed out by the man had created such a massive tidal wave.

’He won’t be able to hold out long without rushing to settle.’

The man was a merchant—an ordinary, small-to-midscale merchant in the Central Plains.

However, winning the item registered by Grylls at auction gave him a massive opportunity.

Rattle-

The merchant tore his gaze away from the Gallery and opened his desk drawer.

Inside the drawer lay various documents along with a small ring case.

Click-

As he carefully opened the case, a faint mist bearing a cold chill drifted out.

And safely stored within was a sphere emitting a radiant, luminous red glow.

The item he had won at the Gallery auction house this time—an Inner Core.

’I never imagined it would be a real Inner Core.’This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.

He had it verified several times. This was unequivocally a real Inner Core.

Even if it wasn’t the stuff of legends, it was at or above the level of a supreme spiritual medicine.

In terms of money, it could fetch at least 1,000 silver taels.

’Heh. As long as I don’t reveal this, there’s no way that side will ever know.’

However, the merchant was greedy—extremely greedy.

He didn’t stop there; he tried to manipulate things so he could get his spent money back as well.

Even if Heavenly Demon corroborated it, she was treated as an eccentric in the Gallery.

Unless proven to be the ’real Heavenly Demon’, her statements carried no weight.

’Slander and fabrication are easy, but explanations are difficult.’

The merchant knew the Gallery inside out, so he understood its double standards very well.

People easily believed slander and spin, but explanations rarely got through.

Even if an explanation were made, once public outrage caught fire, it would be hard to attract attention.

’If the Orange Badge tells him to settle, he’ll have no choice but to take it.’

Especially for Grylls, the Gallery was his lifeline.

Without the Gallery, his chances of survival in the Forest of the Four Seasons would plunge drastically.

Rather than risking a permanent ban from a botched explanation, settling would be the smarter choice.

Weighing a person’s life like this was evil, but the merchant did not care.

’I don’t even know his face, so who cares.’

The ugly nature hidden behind anonymity. He felt not a single pang of conscience.

Unless you knew the person face-to-face, kindness in the Gallery was a weakness.

Of course, an explanation could cause a backlash. But he didn’t care about that either.

’Worst case, I take a permanent ban.’

Was the Gallery more important than real life? To the merchant, money was king.

Though it was a shame he couldn’t enjoy the entertainment anymore, it was fine. He could just buy entertainment with real money.

The merchant waited cheerfully. Whatever explanation came out, he was fully prepared to respond.

"The item Grylls-ssi gave is indeed an Inner Core."

"Hmm?"

Just as he was endlessly refreshing the page, one post caught his eye.

Not an ordinary anonymous post, but a post by Sword Matstar, one of the famous fixed nicks.

It was a thread he couldn’t just ignore, so he opened it immediately.

Title) What Grylls-ssi gave is indeed an Inner Core.

Sword Matstar

(Photo of a golden sphere resting on a palm)

Grylls-ssi found a new Inner Core and gave it to me. This is definitely an Inner Core.

ㄴ "Wait, what;; He found another Inner Core in that short time?"

ㄴ "How do Inner Cores keep popping up like candy lolol Now I believe it even less lolol"

ㄴ "Since it’s the Forest of the Four Seasons, maybe it’s possible?"

ㄴ "Heavenly Demon aside, Sword Matstar certifying it is a whole different story?"

ㄴ "It’s golden this time. Did he catch a golden fish?"

"What?"

There was another Inner Core? The merchant’s eyes widened.

This was an entirely unexpected situation. He hurriedly typed a comment.

ㄴ "Did it ever occur to you guys they colluded? Why would another Inner Core pop up out of nowhere lol"

ㄴ "Why collude? To smooch lip-to-lip?"

ㄴ "My, how naughty."

ㄴ "There’s no reason to collude lolol And why would Sword Matstar lie?"

ㄴ "Real talk lolol She’s the person who raised the average martial power of continental swordsmen lol"

ㄴ "Heavenly Demon said 1-on-1 chats are enabled, right? He probably threatened her."

ㄴ "What good is threatening? You just get banned by the Orange Badge."

ㄴ "Why is this guy’s imagination so pathetic? lol"

ㄴ "Looking at the address next to his handle, this is the asshole who posted calling Grylls a scammer."

ㄴ "Getting nervous, huh? lolol"

Acting out of panic had only caused him harm. The merchant scowled.

Another Inner Core surfacing was unexpected.

Though he felt slightly anxious, he soon calmed himself. Thinking about it, there was no need to rush.

’I can just keep insisting it wasn’t a real Inner Core anyway.’

It looked like the other side was trying to win through slander and fabrication as well. The only difference was that some truth was mixed in.

Even if the Inner Core received by Sword Matstar was real, that didn’t prove the Inner Core he received was real.

If he stonewalled to the very end, he would ultimately hold the advantage. He would exploit the uncertainty to the maximum.

"Here is my clarification."

’Here it comes.’

Just as public opinion was splitting half and half, Grylls’s post went up.

The merchant didn’t hesitate and clicked into the post.

Title) Here is my clarification.

Wild Grylls

Clarification my ass. If you’ve got a problem, leak your real-world address. Reveal your address so someone else can check if it’s an Inner Core or not!

If it’s an Inner Core, you’re fucking dead, and if it’s not, I’ll refund all your money. What kind of bullshit slander are you pulling, you prick? A fucking bug-brained loser scamming people, fuck off.

Sword Matstar-nim verified it too, so if you’ve got a problem, create a fixed nick first, you broke beggar.

ㄴ "Wow lololol So refreshing lolol"

ㄴ "Upvote if reading this boosted your trust lolol"

ㄴ "Me first lololol"

ㄴ "That rage could only come from someone who’s completely innocent lololol"This story is hosted at novelping . com.

ㄴ "Super likeable lololol"

ㄴ "Every single word is true. Reveal your address and let’s verify lol"

ㄴ "I’m broke and I just caught a stray out of nowhere..."

It wasn’t a defense post at all. It was just a post overflowing with raw curses.

In a normal forum, it would have backfired, but this was the Gallery.

Rather, a post like that was perfect for earning trust and sympathy.

’W-W-What is with this guy?’

He had assumed Grylls was a novice who had joined the Gallery recently.

Yet looking at the way he wrote, he sounded like someone who had lurked for years.

After a brief moment of panic, the merchant left a comment on the clarification post. He couldn’t back down here.

ㄴ "I’m the guy who got the Inner Core, why the hell should I reveal my address? Ridiculous lol"

ㄴ "Look who showed up."

ㄴ "Pathetic lol"

ㄴ "Seeing you act like this confirms you scammed him."

ㄴ "Wild Grylls: If you played games with a person’s life, you should put your own life on the line too! The Gallery is my fucking life."

ㄴ "Why is that my problem? And I’m telling you this isn’t an Inner Core."

ㄴ "Wild Grylls: Create a fixed nick before barking, or leak your address like I said lol"

ㄴ "You leak yours first."

ㄴ "Wild Grylls: It’s the Forest of the Four Seasons, dumbass. Come if you can."

ㄴ "LOLOLOLOLOL"

ㄴ "LOLOLOLOLOL"

ㄴ "LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL"

He got dragged. Thoroughly owned.

The merchant rolled his eyes wildly before backing out of the thread.

"Anon who got the Inner Core, reveal your address."

"Can’t we just verify it ourselves?"

"Upvote if Grylls is super likeable lolol"

"Upvote if you want all scammers to die lol"

The moment he exited to the main board, he saw that public opinion had completely flipped.

Most posts demanded that he leak his address first if he was confident.

’Are you crazy? Reveal my address to get killed?’

Absolutely not. The moment he revealed his location, his real life would be in mortal danger.

The merchant deleted the posts in which he had condemned Grylls and closed the Gallery.

It seemed he would have to wait until things quieted down.

’What a shame. I could have made more money.’

Though it was frustrating, raising a further fuss wouldn’t flip public opinion back.

It would be better to just sell this Inner Core directly.

About ten minutes passed when the merchant cautiously opened the Gallery again.

Though he had claimed the Gallery didn’t matter, he was ultimately nothing more than a hardcore addict himself.

A addictive substance he couldn’t quit even if he wanted to.

’Did it quiet down a bit?’

Holding that hope, he logged into the Gallery, only to see:

"Just wait, it’s right next door lolol"

"On my way to eat that delicious Inner Core!"

"Envious of Central Plains folks."

"That scammer asshole was a merchant."

They were posts that looked deeply ominous.

Sensing something gravely wrong, the merchant clicked into the Recommended Posts.

By nature, a merchant who lacked sharp instincts was bound to be left behind.

And the moment he entered the Recommended Posts, a thread posted by the Orange Badge caught his eyes.

[Wild Grylls: Here is my address!]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Grylls-nim revealed his address, but one person didn’t!]

"So I’ll kindly reveal his address for him!"

"It’s near Central Plains, Henan Province, xxx!"

"Grylls-ssi said he’d give money if proven it wasn’t an Inner Core, so I hope you reach an amicable agreement!"

"Uh..."

Only one thought filled the merchant’s mind as he read that post.

’I’m fucked.’

Truly, utterly fucked.

He had never anticipated that the Orange Badge would dox his real-world address.

Clatter! Crash!

Loud, chaotic noises erupted from outside. The merchant’s head snapped up.

A moment later, his secretary frantically kicked open the door and rushed inside.

"W-What is all this commotion?!"

"I-I don’t know either! For now, we need to evacuate...!"

"I heard there’s an Inner Core here!"

"We’ll just verify it and give it back!"

The voices grew closer and closer. The merchant’s complexion turned deathly pale.

Now, the Gallery was the least of his concerns.

’Fuck...!’

It seemed he would have to focus exclusively on real life from now on.