Chapter 43
Scammer (4)
The Gallery could be used by anyone regardless of age, gender, or social status.
Along with anonymity, that was often both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.
In particular, it was fairly common for scammers to use the Gallery to pull all sorts of cons.
Title: Ah, fuck. I got scammed.
There was some good wild ginseng on the auction house, so I bought it, but it turned out to be ordinary ginseng. Fuck.
└ LMAOOOO, you too? Me too!
└ Ginseng and wild ginseng do look pretty similar lol.
└ This fucking bastard deleted his account immediately.
One-on-one trades were only available to registered users, but the auction house could be used by everyone.
Naturally, that meant there were plenty of criminals—in other words, shameless scammers who had no problem ripping other people off.
Whenever a large amount of money was involved, most people immediately suspected a scam.
After all, most scammers were looking for one big score.
There was no helping the suspicion.
└ Why do scammers even bother scamming? You can’t withdraw Gallery money into the real world anyway.
└ You use that money to buy other stuff. The Gallery has almost everything.
└ Being able to ignore distribution networks is a huge advantage too. You can easily get things from other countries.
└ Don’t they get banned?
└ They do, but it depends on the moderators. Some of them go, “You want me to ban someone over something that minor? lol,” and let it slide.
└ At least the current Moderator is better. Scammers get permanently banned on the spot.
└ Couldn’t innocent people get caught up in that?
└ Then the parties involved have to settle it among themselves.
Thanks to that, the number of scams had decreased considerably.
But they had not disappeared entirely.
Title: This fucking registered user is a scammer. Don’t trust him.
(Photo of a bizarre plant)
I planted this using a seed I won for 1,000 gold.
I thought it was some rare plant, but it wasn’t. Fuck.
└ Ugh ;; what the hell is that? A Nepenthes? Why does the flower have teeth? LMAO.
└ Nepenthes don’t have teeth. What the hell even is that thing?
└ Allfather: That is a plant-type monster called a Deathmeros, which only grows in Mephisto. How did you manage to raise one?
└ Fuck, it was a monster lol.
└ Is the OP still alive?
Fortunately, while Don’t Abandon the Hero held moderator authority, scammers were brought down hard.
Even small-scale scams were not forgiven.
Permanent bans were handed out without exception.
That did not mean people were banned blindly, however.
If the parties involved reached an amicable settlement, forgiveness was possible.
What mattered was whether the offender showed genuine remorse.
After determining the truth, that was the next most important issue.
But those who wanted to scam people still did so, and their methods and scale only grew more vicious.
Registered users never scam?
That was complete bullshit.
There were plenty of people in the world willing to build up a registered account just for one huge payout.
Moreover, the winning bid from an auction was deposited immediately.
That was tied directly to the Gallery system itself, so even the Moderator could not interfere with it.
Because of that, people had no choice but to exercise extreme caution with auctions, especially when bidding.
Most users preferred placing small bids whenever possible and generally avoided large amounts.
Unless the seller was a highly reputable registered user, people rarely spent large sums.
Title: What if the Moderator scams people?
└ It doesn’t happen often, but wasn’t there a scammer Moderator about a hundred years ago?
└ A hundred years ago? lol. Must’ve been a demon or an elf.
└ If I remember correctly, it was an elf. Went around claiming stuff was leaves from the World Tree lol.
└ So what happened? It’s hard to remove a Moderator, isn’t it?
└ People just stopped buying anything the Moderator listed. Then at some point the Moderator changed. Probably died after scamming people in real life too.
└ LMAOOO, deserved.
In that way, fraud was a crime the Gallery could never completely eradicate no matter how much people wanted to.
As a result, Gallery users reacted with extreme disgust whenever they saw the word scam.
Rumors that someone had scammed people—
Especially a registered user?
They would condemn them immediately without caring whether the accusation was true.
Even if the person had been falsely accused through manipulation and fabricated claims.
That was simply how the Gallery worked.
“Heh heh. Idiots.”
A middle-aged man muttered to himself.
He had the distinctive appearance and clothing of someone from the Central Plains.
His mustache resembled a rat’s whiskers.
Combined with his narrow, slit-like eyes, it gave him a rather treacherous appearance.
“They’re really so easy to manipulate.”
The Gallery floated before his eyes.
The entire list was filled with hostility and condemnation directed at Grylls.
A single small post written by this man had created an enormous ripple.
“He won’t be able to hold out much longer without agreeing to a settlement.”
The man was a merchant.
Just one of the countless small and mid-sized merchants scattered across the Central Plains.
But after winning the item Grylls had listed this time, he had stumbled upon a tremendous opportunity.
Rattle.
The merchant looked away from the Gallery and opened a desk drawer.
Inside were various documents and a small ring box.
Click—
He carefully opened the case.
A faint mist carrying a trace of cold air drifted outward.
Inside rested a bead that shone brilliantly with a crimson glow.
It was the item the man had won through the Gallery auction house.
An inner core.
‘I never thought it would actually be a real inner core.’
He had confirmed it through several rounds of appraisal.
There was no doubt.
This was an inner core.
It might not be one of those legendary inner cores spoken of in ancient tales, but it was still at least equivalent to a high-grade elixir.
In monetary terms, it could fetch no less than 1,000 silver taels.
‘Heh. As long as I don’t reveal that, there’s no way they can know.’
But the merchant was greedy.
Extremely greedy.
He wasn’t satisfied with merely making a profit.
He wanted to manipulate the situation so that he could recover the money he had spent as well.
Even if Heavenly Demon vouched for Grylls, she was regarded as an eccentric even within the Gallery.
Unless she proved that she was the real Heavenly Demon, her testimony held little weight.
‘Agitation and fabrication are easy. Clearing your name is hard.’
The merchant knew the Gallery quite well.
That was why he understood its hypocrisy.
People readily believed agitation and fabricated claims, but explanations were much harder to accept.
And even if Grylls tried to explain himself, with the Gallery already this inflamed, his defense would struggle to gain attention.
‘If the Moderator tells him to settle, he’ll have no choice but to accept.’
For Grylls in particular, the Gallery was practically his lifeline.
Without it, his chances of surviving in the Forest of Four Seasons would plummet.
Rather than risk making a poor defense and getting permanently banned, he would be better off accepting a settlement.
Looking at it objectively, the merchant was effectively weighing another person’s life against money.
But he did not care.
‘I don’t even know what the bastard looks like.’
His ugly true nature was hidden behind anonymity.
He felt no guilt whatsoever.
Perhaps things would have been different if he knew Grylls personally.
But in the Gallery, kindness was nothing more than a weakness.
Of course, there was always the possibility that Grylls could explain himself successfully and turn public opinion around.
Even then, the merchant didn’t care.
‘Worst case, I just get permanently banned.’
Was the Gallery really more important than his real life?
To the merchant, money was what mattered most.
It would be a shame to lose access to the Gallery as entertainment, but that was fine.
He could simply use money to entertain himself instead.
The merchant waited happily.
No matter what kind of explanation Grylls offered, he was ready to respond.
[The thing Mr. Grylls gave me really is an inner core.]
“Hmm?”
He had been refreshing the Gallery endlessly when a particular title caught his eye.
It wasn’t a post from some ordinary anonymous user.
It had been written by one of the most famous registered users on the Gallery.
SwordMaster.
It wasn’t a post he could casually ignore, so he opened it immediately.
Title: The Thing Mr. Grylls Gave Me Really Is an Inner Core
SwordMaster
(Photo of a golden bead resting on a palm)
Mr. Grylls found another inner core and gave it to me.
This really is an inner core.
└ Wait ;; he found another inner core already?
└ Why are inner cores popping out like everyday meals? lol. That actually makes me trust him less lol.
└ Maybe it’s possible because it’s the Forest of Four Seasons?
└ Heavenly Demon is one thing, but SwordMaster verifying it is different.
└ This one’s golden. Did he catch a golden fish this time?
“What?”
There had been another inner core?
The merchant’s eyes widened.
This was completely unexpected.
He hurriedly typed a comment.
└ Ever consider that they coordinated their stories? Why would another inner core suddenly show up out of nowhere? lol.
└ Why would they coordinate? Like with a kiss? Smooch?
└ Oh my. How lewd.
└ There’s no reason for them to coordinate lol. And why would SwordMaster have any reason to lie?
└ Exactly lol. She’s the person who raised the average strength of swordsmen across the continent lol.
└ Heavenly Demon said one-on-one messages are possible, right? She probably threatened her through that.
└ And what would threatening her accomplish? She’d just get kicked out by the Moderator.
└ Why is this bastard’s imagination so pathetic? lol.
└ Looking at the address beside his name, isn’t this the bastard who posted that Grylls was a scammer?
└ Getting nervous? LMAO.
He had jumped in out of panic and only made things worse for himself.
The merchant frowned.
The appearance of a second inner core had been completely outside his calculations.
He felt somewhat anxious, but quickly calmed himself.
Thinking about it again, there was no reason to panic.
‘I can just keep insisting that the one I received wasn’t real.’
It seemed the other side intended to fight manipulation with manipulation.
The only difference was that their version happened to contain the truth.
Even if the inner core SwordMaster had received was genuine, that didn’t prove the merchant’s inner core was genuine.
As long as he stubbornly denied everything until the end, the advantage would eventually return to him.
He simply had to exploit the uncertainty all the way through.
[I’ll Explain Everything.]
‘There it is.’
Public opinion had just begun splitting roughly down the middle when Grylls finally made a post.
The merchant opened it without delay.
Title: Here’s My Explanation
Wild Grylls
Explanation, my ass.
If you’ve got a problem, reveal your address.
Reveal your address and let someone else check whether it’s an inner core or not. Simple, right?
If it’s an inner core, you’re fucking dead.
If it isn’t, I’ll return all your money.
What kind of half-assed propaganda are you trying to pull, you son of a bitch?
You parasite-looking bastard, sitting there running a scam yourself. Fuck.
SwordMaster already verified one too.
If you still have a problem, make a registered account first, you broke bastard.
└ Holy shit LMAOOOO. That felt good lol.
└ Upvote if this actually made you trust him more lol.
└ Starting with me LMAOOOO.
└ That’s the kind of rage you can only have when you know you’re innocent lololol.
└ Holy shit, I like this guy even more now lol.
└ Every single thing he said is right. Reveal the address and verify it lol.
└ I’m broke and somehow caught a stray bullet...
It wasn’t an explanation post at all.
It was just a wall of profanity.
In any normal place, that would have backfired horribly.
But this was the Gallery.
If anything, a post like this was perfect for gaining favor and credibility.
“W-What the hell is wrong with this bastard?”
As far as the merchant knew, Grylls hadn’t even been using the Gallery for very long.
But judging by the way he wrote, he looked like someone who had been active there for years.
After a moment of confusion, the merchant left a comment on the post.
He couldn’t retreat now.
└ I’m the one who received the inner core. Why the hell should I reveal my address? This is ridiculous lol.
└ Oh, the man himself is here.
└ Pathetic lol.
└ Seeing him act like this makes me think he really did scam him.
└ Wild Grylls: If you’re going to play games with someone else’s life, then you should put your own life on the line too, right? The Gallery is literally my lifeline.
└ Not my problem. And I’m telling you, this isn’t an inner core.
└ Wild Grylls: Say that after making a registered account first. Or just reveal your address lol.
└ You reveal yours first.
└ Wild Grylls: I’m in the Forest of Four Seasons, dumbass. Come here if you can.
He was trapped.
Completely trapped.
The merchant’s eyes darted up, down, left, and right before he backed out of the post.
[Anonymous Buyer Who Received the Inner Core, Reveal Your Address.]
[Can’t We Just Go Check It Ourselves?]
[Upvote if Grylls is Based as Hell lol.]
[Upvote if You Want All Scammers to Die lol.]
The moment he returned to the main page, he saw that public opinion had completely reversed.
Most posts were now demanding that the buyer reveal his address if he had nothing to hide.
‘Are you insane? Why the hell would I reveal my address and get myself killed?’
Absolutely not.
The moment his location became public, his real-life life would be in danger.
The merchant deleted the post in which he had accused Grylls and logged out of the Gallery.
It seemed he would have to wait until things calmed down.
‘What a shame. I could’ve made even more money.’
It was disappointing, but causing any more trouble now would probably make it impossible to reverse public opinion.
It would be better to simply sell the inner core instead.
About ten minutes later, the merchant cautiously logged back into the Gallery.
He had told himself that the Gallery was nothing important.
But in the end, he was just another hardcore Gallery addict.
A piece of culture like a drug—something he wanted to quit but couldn’t.
‘Maybe things have calmed down a little?’
With that thought, he entered the Gallery and saw—
[Just Wait Right There. I’m in the Next Town Over LMAO.]
[Heading Over to Taste That Inner Core!]
[So Jealous of the People in the Central Plains.]
[Turns Out That Scammer Bastard Was a Merchant.]
The posts made him feel deeply uneasy.
The merchant immediately sensed something was wrong and opened the trending page.
A merchant who lacked sharp instincts was bound to be weeded out.
And the instant he entered the trending section, one post uploaded by the Moderator caught his eye.
Title: Here’s the Address!
Don’t Abandon the Hero
Mr. Grylls revealed his address, but one person refused to reveal theirs!
So I’ll kindly tell everyone the address myself!
It’s around XXX, Henan Province, Central Plains!
Mr. Grylls also said he’d return the money if it turns out not to be an inner core, so I hope you two can reach an amicable settlement!
“Uh…”
Only one thought entered the merchant’s mind when he saw the post.
‘I’m fucked.’
He was seriously fucked.
He had never expected the Moderator to reveal his address.
Crash! Bang!
A loud commotion erupted outside.
The merchant’s head snapped upward.
A moment later, his secretary burst through the door in a panic.
“W-What is all that noise?!”
“I-I don’t know either! For now, we need to evacuate—!”
“I heard there’s an inner core here!”
“We’ll just check it and give it back!”
The voices drew closer and closer.
The merchant’s face turned deathly pale.
At this point, the Gallery no longer mattered at all.
‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me...!’
It looked like from now on, he would have no choice but to focus entirely on real life.