Chapter 80: Rain (3)

Title) The moderator is invincible.

WildGrills

Her authority is absolute.

Praise the moderator.

Now that the trade restriction is gone, I’m free!

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Congratulations. At last, the chains oppressing your body have been removed.

ㄴSwordmaster) Congratulations. So, no celebration gifts?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Tsk tsk. What a vile individual, trying to squeeze the liver out of a flea. Do you still have any conscience left?

ㄴSwordmaster) Can’t I even joke around? You’re so cold ;;

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Even jokes require knowing the proper timing. You lack tact.

ㄴSwordmaster) I was a politician, old martial lady ;;

ㄴWildGrills) Alright, alright. Both of you calm down. When I cook the fish, I’ll share some with you. It really tastes incredible.

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Give me some too.

ㄴWildGrills) You already ate it before ;;

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Precisely because it was so damn good, I want more hahaha

ㄴWildGrills) Don’t tell me you’re going to eat it with alcohol again.

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Isn’t that too obvious?

ㄴWildGrills) ;;

ㄴIs he really going to give fish to all the registered users?

ㄴThat fish is gonna disappear insanely fast lmao

ㄴWildGrills) I have to give some to the people who helped me. Besides, there’s a ton of it, so sharing a little is fine.

ㄴStarlightPrincess) I’m fine. I don’t like fish because of the smell.

ㄴWildGrills) But this one doesn’t smell like fish. It tastes like meat.

ㄴStarlightPrincess) Then that changes things a little. Is fish good for exercising?

ㄴDemonPrincess) Yeah! If you exercise, fish and white meats are better than red meats!

ㄴStarlightPrincess) Really?

ㄴDemonPrincess) Yeah. Even athletes who suffer lots of injuries use diets like that to reduce them.

ㄴStarlightPrincess) I see. Thank you for the information!

ㄴAllFather) Fish raised in the Forest of Four Seasons… I’m very curious about its flavor. Thanks to you, I feel like I’m expanding my knowledge.

ㄴWildGrills) After everything you’ve all done for me, the least I can do is this.

ㄴSunForEver) It must taste amazing. Later I also want to try the crabs, is that possible?

ㄴWildGrills) I’ll try when I get the chance. Until I reinstall the traps, I might end up living only on crabs.

***

“Hehe.”

An extremely lonely alleyway.

Someone covered in a cloak that was practically in tatters let out a small laugh.

Her body was so covered that it was difficult to distinguish her exact appearance, though the outline revealed a few things.

Slightly narrow shoulders and the curves characteristic of a woman.

And the orange hair escaping from beneath the hood made it easy to deduce.

‘I’m glad he’s so happy.’

She smiled while looking at the gallery window floating before her eyes.

The registered user who had recently been receiving enormous attention.

WildGrills.

Removing his trade restriction had caused a huge controversy, but even so, he received an overwhelming number of votes in favor.

That proved just how much trust he had managed to gain from others.

‘Because we’ve never seen him break a promise.’

She had also been closely following Grills’s movements.

It wasn’t enough that he had fallen into the Forest of Four Seasons; he also kept encountering strange creatures one after another.

At times he faced crises, but he overcame them thanks to the help of the registered users and his own abilities.

Every day he discovered even more incredible creatures, and Grills’s strength also gradually increased.

It was an extreme reality, something rarely seen in the gallery, which was why it was so fascinating.

‘Grills won’t abuse the trading system.’

Grills basically belonged to the group of good people.

And quite a good person at that.

Even in a gallery where anonymity was guaranteed, he still remained respectful and didn’t insult others without reason.

Of course, if someone attacked him first, the story changed, but that was practically an exception.

Nor did it seem like he was hiding some strange intention.

After all, he was trapped inside the Forest of Four Seasons.

All of his attention was focused solely on “survival.”

‘And he also said he’d give up the privilege as soon as he escaped.’

She was someone attached to principles.

Normally, she never tried to break established rules.

But Grills hadn’t asked for “equality,” he had asked for “equity.”

And on top of that, his arguments were quite convincing.

Especially because the Forest of Four Seasons was an extremely special environment.

A place where only Grills could open the gallery.

The moderator, HeroDontThrowAway, decided to observe his movements even more closely.

‘He also gave me this.’

She took a small round sphere out of her pocket.

It was the gift Grills had given her.

Though rather than a gift, it practically felt like a bribe.

‘Do things like this really abound in the Forest of Four Seasons?’

She observed the sphere with admiration.

The energy emanating from it was abnormal.

Just by consuming it, anyone could gain a tremendous amount of power.

‘Though for me, it doesn’t mean much.’

After all, whenever people spoke of the strongest beings in the world, she was always among them.

An existence blessed by the Goddess.

And a sword personally forged by the Church to face the Demon King.

The Heroine, Asella, observed the inner core for a few moments before placing it into her mouth.

‘It’s better to consume it now than to sell it.’

The energy of an inner core weakened over time.

And selling it didn’t seem especially worthwhile either.

Besides, right now her mana was nearly depleted, so consuming it was best.

“Haa…”

Asella let out a deep sigh.

The energy of the core began spreading throughout her body.

Mana quickly filled the empty mana hole—her dantian—and the fatigue vanished as though it had been ripped away by the roots.

Lately she couldn’t even sleep properly, so this would let her endure a little longer.

‘When will this misunderstanding clear up?’

Asella discreetly looked outside the alleyway.

Unlike the dark and deserted alley, outside there were countless people.

Children running around.

Parents laughing while telling them to be careful.

And all kinds of sounds filled with human life.

‘They still haven’t reached this city.’

Asella felt relieved.

At least for a little longer, she would still have some breathing room.

Though she couldn’t lower her guard.

She had no idea when the Church’s pursuers would appear.

‘May the Goddess grant her blessing. Surely all of this is due to a misunderstanding.’

She murmured that to herself before entering the gallery.

Because when she was in the gallery, she wasn’t the Heroine.

She was the moderator.

Even though she was being pursued and barely had any time, she still fulfilled her duties and responsibilities.

‘Perhaps this too is a task the Goddess entrusted to me.’

The day the Church began pursuing her while calling her a “traitor.”

That same day, just after escaping, Asella became the gallery’s moderator.

Since she hadn’t even known of the gallery’s existence, at first she had been quite confused.

But by now she had grown used to it.

Well.

Though she still had trouble enduring the horrible images that occasionally appeared.

Every time she saw them, she ended up praying to the Goddess.

[WildGrills has sent you a trade request. Do you wish to accept it?]

“Huh?”

It was time to fulfill her duties as moderator while following the Goddess’s guidance.

And then, the registered user who had recently been causing such a commotion, WildGrills, sent her a trade request.

For a moment, Asella thought perhaps he had sent it to the wrong person, but she quickly accepted the trade.

[WildGrills: Hello, Moderator. The truth is, I wanted to give you one more thing.]

[HeroDontThrowAway: Give?! What do you mean by that?! Bribes are not allowed!]

Unlike the depressing reality surrounding her, Asella always spoke energetically.

She was confused about what Grills wanted to give her.

She had just received an inner core, so it didn’t seem like he had anything else to offer.

[WildGrills: I want to give you some of the fish I caught. It seriously tastes incredible.]

[HeroDontThrowAway: Huh?! But shouldn’t you eat it yourself?! And you probably already distributed it to other people too!]

[WildGrills: This is fine. Thanks to you, things are much more comfortable for me now, so please accept it. Though if you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to accept.]

But what Grills offered her wasn’t a gift or a bribe.

It was pure “goodwill.”

Asella was quite bewildered by such an uncommon display of kindness, something rarely seen even in the gallery.

What was the gallery?

A place where everyone devoted themselves to biting at one another and venting their desires whenever they found the chance.

And on top of that, she was the moderator.

She possessed enormous authority, yes, but at the same time she ended up becoming everyone’s punching bag.

Whenever certain anonymous users started bombarding her with horrible images, she felt like abandoning everything.

‘How strange.’

Even considering that, the moderator’s power was still enormous.

And that was a truth impossible to deny.

That was why many users tried to get close to the moderator in order to gain benefits.

And when that intensified, it eventually turned into favoritism.

Favoritism that could easily degenerate into abuse of power.

In fact, many problems had arisen precisely because of that.

And normally, the first step toward that favoritism was exactly this kind of favor.

‘But Grills can’t even engage in favoritism?’

Grills was trapped in the Forest of Four Seasons.

Even if they became close within the gallery, in reality they could never form that kind of relationship.

That was why Asella could accept his gesture as a genuine show of goodwill.

A kindness difficult to receive even outside the gallery.

Grrr.

And right at that moment, her stomach growled at the perfect timing.

Asella hesitated for a few seconds before reluctantly accepting it.

‘Perhaps this too is the Goddess’s will…’

And as soon as she accepted the trade, a skewer appeared in her hand.

On it were thick chunks of fish threaded together like kebabs.

And there wasn’t just one.

There were three pieces.

Just looking at them was enough to stimulate the appetite.

“…Nom.”

Asella didn’t hesitate and took a bite.

First she tasted the salty flavor of the seasoning.

And immediately afterward, a deep and savory taste filled her entire mouth.

There wasn’t even the slightest fishy smell.

The flavor was as rich and delicious as meat, making a smile naturally appear on her face.

‘It’s delicious!’

It really was.

Even more so because she was hungry.

On top of that, she could feel energy returning to her entire body.

“Nom nom nom. Nom!”

Asella quickly finished all the fish with shining eyes.

It wasn’t enough to completely fill her stomach, but that didn’t matter.

After such a long time, that kindness alone was enough to make her feel comforted.

‘What a shame there isn’t more.’

Asella finished Grills’s gift and, although she felt a little regretful, she immediately sent him a message with a much more cheerful expression.

[HeroDontThrowAway: Thank you for the meal! It was truly delicious!]

[WildGrills: Right? Later, when I catch more, should I give you some again?]

[HeroDontThrowAway: No! I still have my pride! But thank you!]

He truly was a good person.

That was what Asella thought.

But even someone like that had a flaw.

His lack of faith.

He had done it before too.

Grills had committed blasphemy several times.

And that was only inside the gallery.

If he had said those things in reality, he could easily have been arrested as a heretic.

Even Asella had been horrified and scolded him, but she knew perfectly well that he hadn’t paid attention to her at all.

‘Precisely in situations like this, one should have even stronger faith…’

As the Heroine, her devotion to the Goddess rivaled even the Pope’s.

Even now, burdened with the title of “traitor” and being pursued, she had never abandoned her faith.

‘Yes. I’ll take this chance to try converting him.’

Grills had suffered greatly.

And he was still suffering even now.

Asella had also gone through countless hardships since childhood, growing up without parents.

But thanks to Goddess Aris’s blessing, she was able to become the Heroine.

If one has faith, one can endure anything.

It is precisely in difficult moments that people should believe in the gods.

[HeroDontThrowAway: Grills! Wouldn’t you like to worship Goddess Aris?]

[WildGrills: No. Ah, by the way, can I insult her?]

[HeroDontThrowAway: Insulting is not worshipping!!]

[WildGrills: Then I don’t want to.]

Grills remained the same as always.

He didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of worshipping a goddess.

To Asella, that was impossible to understand.

The gods truly existed in this world.

And yet Grills’s behavior was not only strange, but outright absurd.

[HeroDontThrowAway: Why do you speak like that?! Don’t you believe in the gods?!]

[WildGrills: Of course I believe they exist. I just insult them.]

[HeroDontThrowAway: That makes no sense at all! How can you believe in them and still insult them?!]

People like that appeared from time to time.

People who said that if the gods truly existed, then they should send divine punishment.

But Grills was different.

He believed in the existence of the gods, and still hated them.

It was so contradictory that it was hard to understand whether he truly believed or not.

[HeroDontThrowAway: Then why do you think that way?! Does that mean you also hate all believers?!]

[WildGrills: I hate the gods, not people.]

A firm and clear answer.

And one that left Asella completely stunned.

He hated the gods, but not people.

What exactly did that mean?

At first glance it sounded contradictory, but if you clearly separated gods from humanity, the logic could be understood.

While Asella’s mind filled with confusion, Grills added one final sentence.

[WildGrills: I don’t want to hate people, so I hate the gods. I’m the kind of person who needs to hate something in order to feel at peace.]

[HeroDontThrowAway: Couldn’t you just stop hating altogether?!]

[WildGrills: If someone stopped hating completely, would they still be human? Envy exists for a reason.]

[HeroDontThrowAway: Is that why you hate the gods…?!]

[WildGrills: Yes. It makes me feel calmer.]

[HeroDontThrowAway: And what if the gods sent you divine punishment because of that?!]

[WildGrills: What kind of god can’t even tolerate being hated? That would be a narrow-minded god.]

“Hiek!”

Asella let out a strange cry while nervously looking around.

As though she feared someone might have overheard that.

Only those participating in the gallery could see it, yes.

But with gods, one never knew.

Maybe they were watching everything.

‘T-this is terrible blasphemy…! What kind of way of thinking is that?!’

Asella stared at the conversation with trembling eyes.

That was no longer simple disrespect.

It was pure blasphemy.

Something for which a god could very well send divine punishment.

‘B-but… if you think about it, this is also a form of faith…’

Believing in a god in order to hate them.

Paradoxically, that too was a form of faith.

Though one filled with irreverence.

Asella couldn’t understand it.

Plop!

While trying to organize her thoughts, thick raindrops began falling onto her head.

She looked up.

The sky was covered in dark clouds, and the rain was gradually intensifying.

‘First, I should find shelter from the rain.’

Asella began walking.

But her head remained filled with Grills’s words.

“I don’t want to hate people, so I hate the gods.”

It was a phrase that lodged itself deeply into her mind.

‘He truly is an impossible person to understand.’

And yet.

‘He’s a kind person, though strange.’

His kindness had managed to warm her heart.

***

Shhhhhhh—

“Ah, seriously…”

Is it because I insulted the gods earlier?

The rain started falling again.

I looked outside while muttering to myself.

‘If it really were because of that, then they truly would be narrow-minded gods.’

Kraaaash!!

And right after saying that, a deafening thunderclap exploded across the sky.