WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Unleashed a Gossip Gallery in Another World ◈
Chapter 15: Asymmetric Force
──────
Ever since the mysterious being who identified himself as the Gossip Gallery’s administrator barged in, the meeting room had fallen silent, as though someone had doused it with cold water.
“You dare...”
The emperor broke that silence, suddenly pointing a finger and shouting in rage.
“What place do you think this is, showing your face here?!”
Yet despite the emperor’s fury, the man did not so much as blink, maintaining his arrogant posture.
‘What is that killing intent...?’
‘Is he even human?’
‘How can such an alien aura exist...?’
The gallery representatives watching him warily began to lose their nerve one by one before the ominous aura radiating from him.
“The meeting is suspended!”
“What?”
“I don’t know what scheme that bastard came here with, but he must be plotting something!”
Quickly reading the room, the emperor slammed a fist on the table and declared the Moderator Conference suspended.
“I came here for a constructive discussion, not a fight.”
“Silence!!! Throw that bastard out at once!!!”
After watching the scene in silence, the man suddenly muttered in a low voice.
“Guess being bald makes you a scaredy-cat too.”
Veins immediately bulged across the emperor’s forehead.
“You bastard!!!”
The emperor looked ready to leap from his seat and charge forward, but thankfully, it did not come to that.
“Calm yourself, Emperor.”
The Dragon Lord, the only one who had remained composed amid the uproar, spoke in a quiet voice.
“This is virtual reality, after all. Whatever that uninvited guest does here cannot affect us in the real world.”
Only then did the emperor remember that this place was virtual reality created through a Magic Circle. The emperor finally calmed down and sat back down.
“So why not hear him out?”
“Hm...”
“I, too, am quite curious about his purpose.”
Having gently persuaded the emperor, the Dragon Lord fixed the black-silhouetted man with a chilling gaze.
“Fine.”
After some time had passed, the emperor finally regained composure and spoke again, clearing the throat in an attempt to sound calm.
“Head mod of the Gossip Gallery.”
“Yes.”
“As chairman of the galleries, I acknowledge your right to speak.”
As if he had been waiting for those words, the man straightened his posture.
“What I want to say is simple.”
His clear voice, loud enough for all to hear, rang through the silent meeting room.
“Acknowledge the existence of the Gossip Gallery.”
Immediately afterward, most of the gallery representatives, including the emperor, began glaring coldly at him.
“Where there is light, there is shadow.”
“...”
“In the same way, when dissatisfaction with the galleries builds up, a shadow gallery is bound to emerge someday.”
The man continued in an even voice, entirely unfazed by the atmosphere.
“Do not deny that natural order. Accept it as a phenomenon and adapt to it.”
Slowly looking around the room, he concluded as if stating the obvious.
“If you agree to this agenda, then unless you provoke me first, I will not interfere with any of you.”
In the silence that followed, the Dragon Lord, who had silently observed the situation, was the first to speak.
“Are you threatening us?”
Though the voice held no emotion, most people in the meeting room flinched again.
“Here, where the higher races of the entire continent and the leader of its strongest nation are gathered?”
The Dragon Fear that had dominated the chamber intensified with every word.
“Yes, I am.”
Amazingly, the man answered without a trace of concern.
“Were you not doing exactly the same thing to the dwarf representative just moments ago?”
His gaze briefly rested on Ugrin, the dwarf chieftain, who had been trembling helplessly until then.
“Since the subject has come up, I’ll add to my demands.”
Turning back to the gallery representatives, the man began making further demands.
“I don’t care what you call Dwigellium, but you must share it with the public.”
“Hah...”
“And immediately stop threatening and making unreasonable demands of the dwarves’ new head mod.”
Finally fixing his gaze on the emperor, he returned the emperor’s own words.
“Emperor, you should know that I’m already being very accommodating here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor replied in a mocking voice.
“I’ve heard enough.”
“...”
“You know a few tricks to mess with the gallery system, and now you think you’re something special?”
The man tilted his head to the side for a moment before speaking again in a low voice.
“The Dwigellium I released into the world this time is only a tiny fraction of the secrets I know.”
The statements that followed were enough to shake every representative present.
“For example, I know that the being worshipped by the Holy Church is not actually a goddess, but something else.”
The Holy Church’s pontiff silently swallowed a groan, clearly showing discomfort.
“I also know that the World Tree in the Great Forest is actually nothing more than a giant old tree used as a decoy.”
The queen of the elves seated beside the pontiff maintained a calm expression, but could not help feeling shaken inside by the man’s words.
“I also know exactly where the sole weakness of the dragons, called the strongest, is hidden.”
For the first time, the Dragon Lord, who had never changed expression, twitched an eyebrow.
“There are more than enough ways to bring every one of you down.”
“...”
“But didn’t Your Majesty say it yourself? Excessive innovation and development bring chaos to the world.”
With only three sentences, the man had overwhelmed the entire meeting room. Staring directly at the emperor, he finished.
“That is why I chose the second-best option.”
The emperor looked at him in disbelief, then asked in a low voice.
“And this second-best option is the Gossip Gallery?”
“It may be called the Gossip Gallery, but please understand that I’m giving you a comparatively moderate and legitimate opportunity.”
At that reply, the emperor was briefly at a loss for words and pressed a hand to a throbbing head.
“What the hell are you...?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s a secret.”
The man gave a quiet snort at the emperor’s irritated murmur.
“Revealing your identity is prohibited on the Gossip Gallery.”
“...”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
The emperor silently ground those teeth while glaring at the man, eyes filled with killing intent.
“You dare mock me...?”
Ever since that bizarre phenomenon had first appeared, the man before the emperor had continued making a fool of the ruler.
For an emperor who had wielded absolute power and commanded the world since taking the throne, the man was naturally someone who deserved to die.
‘If not for that black covering...!’
Yet finding and killing him in reality was impossible, with his entire body blacked out and even his voice obscured by static.
“Your Majesty, a word...”
At least, up until this moment.
“...Emperor, the reverse tracing is nearly complete.”
“...We’ll be able to pinpoint his location soon.”
“...Could you buy us a little more time?”
The emperor’s eyes widened when several representatives of the higher races revealed that they were tracing the man’s location through careful reverse calculations.
“Ahem.”
The emperor cleared the throat and regained composure.
“You coward hiding in the shadows sure talk big when you have anonymity to rely on.”
With some composure restored, the emperor began rebuking the uninvited guest.
“But there are limits to hiding in the dark.”
“...”
“The darkness can never surpass the light. No matter how many secrets you know, they will be useless.”
The man folded his arms as if displeased, and the emperor immediately glared and shouted.
“Do you truly believe the gallery supremacy that has lasted for centuries will collapse because of your hideous little gallery?!”
The representatives of the higher races beside the emperor began adding their own words.
“Mortal. There are countless ways to bury secrets.”
“Can someone without a physical existence really bring down us, who can move entire nations, with nothing but gossip?”
“And breaking anonymity is very simple.”
The Dragon Lord’s next words, above all, were the first to disrupt the man’s relaxed attitude.
“Make the gallery users drink Potions of Truth, or require them to periodically recite Oaths of Veracity. That alone would bring your gallery to ruin.”
The man rose from his seat the moment the Dragon Lord finished speaking and asked in a cold tone.
“You mean to subject the entire continent to ideological vetting?”
“Why not? We have done far worse.”
The emperor answered in the Dragon Lord’s stead, eyes narrowing as a horrifying smile returned.
“...I see.”
At that moment, a cold sigh escaped the man.
“It seems words won’t be enough after all.”
He took a step forward, releasing the aura he had suppressed until now.
-Rumble rumble rumble...
It was so powerful that the Dragon Fear blanketing the meeting room could no longer be felt at all.
“Ghk...!”
“How dare you use such wicked power...”
“Were you still hiding your strength?”
A number of representatives broke into cold sweats, forgetting this was virtual reality as they assumed defensive stances.
“Enough with the bluffing.”
The Dragon Lord suddenly spoke in a mocking voice.
“If you were truly so capable, you would have challenged us with force in reality long ago.”
At that unexpected remark, the aura streaming from the man’s body gradually weakened.
“Isn’t it because you are ultimately a coward who can do nothing outside the galleries that you hide your identity so thoroughly?”
After scratching his head for a moment, the man shrugged and answered.
“Well, you got me.”
“...”
“In reality, I could never deal with all of you.”
The Dragon Lord smirked as if that answer had been expected and shook their head.
“What makes mortals so arrogant?”
From that moment, the mood in the meeting hall began to change completely.
“So you’re just an armchair hero.”
“Hehe. What you do is truly beneath contempt.”
“No matter how much you chatter from behind the scenes, reality will not change.”
They had regained their confidence after realizing the man before them had one fatal weakness. He could not directly intervene in reality.
“But...”
They did not know one crucial fact.
“That does not mean I cannot punish you.”
It was a privilege that had taken root across the continent over countless years, turning the world into a society where galleries ruled everything.
“An armchair hero has methods befitting an armchair hero.”
They did not know what the former Hero, the original owner of that privilege, could do in such a society.
* * *
“Pwahahahahaha!!!”
The emperor’s booming laughter filled the meeting room as soon as the man finished his ominous warning.
“You can’t do anything in reality!”
“...”
“How dare you claim you can punish us?!”
Tears even welled in the emperor’s eyes while the ruler looked at the man as though the whole thing were laughable.
“Tsk, tsk...”
The man silently watched the emperor, clicked his tongue, and began rummaging through his clothes.
“Um, excuse me.”
At that moment, someone tugged at the man’s sleeve from below.
“It’s okay now...”
“...?”
“Y-you don’t have to help me...”
It was Ugrin, the dwarf chieftain, looking helpless and on the verge of tears.
“...”
The man did not react. He simply stared intently at her.
“W-why are you staring at me like that...?”
Ugrin unconsciously took a step back.
[The Gallery ban has been lifted.]
A sudden message floated before her eyes.
“Huh?”
Still bewildered by the unexpected lifting of her ban, her eyes widened at the comment notification that soon followed.
Gossip Gallery Eraser: Make a post in the Empire Village Gossip Gallery.
Gossip Gallery Eraser: Once the post goes up, tell everyone to stay off the gallery for about an hour.
The unknown man before her had sent her a secret request through her Gallery Log.
“I-I posted it...”
Ugrin immediately complied. She made the post as instructed, then trailed off.
“Eek?”
At that moment, the black-silhouetted man suddenly pulled Ugrin into his arms and covered her eyes with one hand.
“W-what are you doing...?”
“...”
“Why are you covering my eyes?”
Startled, Ugrin shrank back. With her eyes covered, she tilted her head up and urgently asked him.
“Everyone, pay attention.”
At that moment.
“Watch closely.”
The man’s cold voice echoed through the meeting hall.
“See what I can do.”
At the same time, he pulled an old piece of parchment from his clothes and raised it toward the representatives in front of him.
“...”
Silence lingered in the meeting room for a moment.
“...!?”
Still held in the man’s arms with a baffled expression, Ugrin froze in shock a few seconds later.
“Gyaaaaaah!!!”
“Eeeeeek!!!”
“M-my eyes!!!”
Horrified screams erupted from every direction and filled the meeting room.
“What the hell is that cursed image... Ugh.”
Among those voices was even the Dragon Lord, who had tried to retain composure but finally began retching.
“G-God... this lamb... Bleurgh...”
“What in the world is that grotesque form!!!!!”
“It’s moving... wriggling... Haha, ahahaha...”
The other higher races and powerful figures renowned across the continent were no different.
“...”
The moment they saw whatever was inscribed on the parchment the man held aloft, a massive wave of collective panic began.
“I-its pupils... Gah, gaaah!!! They’re coming closer!!!”
“A-arms... one, two, three...”
“It’s c-crawling up... M-my skin is itching...”
What lurked within the parchment worked on a principle similar to the forbidden books of the Demon God Cult, which had been designated taboo and exterminated long ago.
The image it showed each person varied wildly according to the observer’s race, gender, and every experience they had lived through.
“To carry something like that around... you must be insane... Ugh.”
“W-why can’t I look away?!”
“It’s a Forced-Perception Spell! Someone stab out my eyes!!!”
Yet as everyone’s reactions made clear, its horrible essence was the same.
“E-everyone... calm...”
“...”
“U-urgh...”
Even the emperor, who needed to calm the situation, could not hold back the retching or regain composure.
“Five minutes.”
A cold voice rang through the panic-stricken meeting room.
“Pass my proposal unanimously within five minutes.”
The black-silhouetted man, who had stood there silently until then, delivered an ultimatum to everyone present.
“If you do not, every gallery on the continent will be destroyed today by the image you are looking at.”
It was a chilling warning. If they rejected his demands, he would unleash that thing, the disaster and nightmare of all galleries, upon every gallery in existence.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
