I wonder if I’m the first.
To be banned the moment I joined.
“Weaklings.”
‘Wasn’t this a gallery where Cthulhu summoning circles and insane, hallucinatory images circulated constantly?’
[The post has been deleted by the Admin.]
[Your use of the gallery is currently blocked.]
‘Could they really do this over just one picture of a H*l*s?’
‘These are people who look at Cthulhu.’
‘Is this worse than that?’
‘I had strictly adhered to the rules.’
‘This wasn’t some gore photo of dismembered corpses or human remains, was it?’
‘I immediately submitted a request to the Admin for a justified unban, and a chat window soon materialized.’
[The Admin’s Hearing Room]
[‘GraduateStudent12’ has entered the room.]
The Admin’s first words, upon their appearance, seemed laden with profound regret and lamentation.
[GraduateStudent12]: –Haah… Our gallery is rotten.
To alleviate the Admin’s distress, I typed a reply.
[Newbie120053]: –I am perfectly normal.
[Newbie120053]: –I have done nothing wrong.
[GraduateStudent12]: –Don’t you know that those who claim to be normal are almost never truly normal?
[Newbie120053]: –I agree.
‘I knew that well myself.’
‘It was a type I frequently encountered while browsing online communities.’
[GraduateStudent12]: –Still, it’s impossible to reason with you—
[Newbie120053]: –However, I am an exception.
The chat paused momentarily.
[GraduateStudent12]: –Alright, fine. It’s not like this is my first or second time seeing something like this. Though what you showed me was shocking in a different way.
[Newbie120053]: –Please persevere. I understand.
[GraduateStudent12]: –…Understand?
The chat window spun, indicating that something was being typed.
Soon, the entered message appeared.
[GraduateStudent12]: –Do you even know how I feel? I heard some amazing newbie joined. The moment they posted their first message, I got a notification like crazy and went to check.
[GraduateStudent12]: –And what do I see? Not a pure ‘What should I do first?’ or ‘Hello, I’m a new member,’ but some radioactive waste smiling at me, stripping, and dancing? Huh? What?
‘Oh dear.’
‘High blood pressure is not good for one’s health.’
[GraduateStudent12]: –This is the first time since I became Admin that I’ve encountered something like this.
So I left a comforting message.
[Newbie120053]: –I’m also pleased to have given you a first experience.
[GraduateStudent12]: –…
[GraduateStudent12]: –…Since it’s your first time, and you probably haven’t read the rules and guidelines yet, I’ll let it slide.
[Newbie120053]: –Ah, so those existed. I had no idea.
[GraduateStudent12]: –…I’ll be watching you.
[‘GraduateStudent12’ has left the chat room.]
[‘Newbie120053’s permanent chat ban has been lifted.]
[‘Newbie120053’s permanent ban from the Ghastly Gallery has been lifted.]
Once more, I composed a post.
[Title: Hello. I am Newbie120053, a new member.]
–Author: Newbie120053
Pleased to meet you all.
As this is my first time using a gallery like this, I feel quite awkward.
Nevertheless, seeing as there’s been much mention of me in the Ghastly Gallery, I felt it proper to offer a formal greeting, and thus, I leave this introductory post.
I will do my best.
+Additionally, what should I do first?
Barely a minute after I uploaded it, the gallery’s resident specters swarmed in, and comments streamed down rapidly.
[DarkMerchant]: –For a moment, I thought I’d entered the wrong gallery.
[FearfulCyclops]: –LMAO, you’re screwed, newbie. Pray, newbie, LOL.
[LivingCorpse123]: –Of all the countless galleries, you just *had* to come to the Ghastly Gallery.
[CoffinFairy]: –Dark + Souls + Mental Illness + Misanthropy = Ghastly Tale.
I was given definitive confirmation that my earlier realization had not been mistaken.
‘I had held onto a sliver of hope.’
‘As expected, there was no such thing as dreams and hope, was there?’
[Likes 152] [Dislikes 0]
[OldestGhastlyGalleryMember]: –Here’s a tip: record the “rules.” Everything has a value assigned to it.
[BatedBreathAnt]: –LOLOLOL, this is just hilarious.
[BystanderPossessed]: –Looking at the new member’s post, they still seem perfectly sane.
[RealTruth]: –(Image: Welcome Cake.jpg)
[GrinningHyena]: –What should you do? “Not die.” Simple, right?
The Hyena’s last comment caught my eye.
‘It wasn’t simple, though? Or was it?’
[ScreamingRabbit]: –Still, you passed. Most disappear without even being able to post in the gallery.
[DeadFishEyes]: –Me too. But, newbie, a post went up just now and was immediately deleted. What was that about?
As I chuckled and scrolled through the post, one comment caught my attention.
It seemed someone had witnessed the post that had appeared and vanished almost simultaneously just moments ago.
As expected, the specters were constantly lurking in the gallery.
[DeadFishEyes]: –Me too. But, newbie? A post went up just now and was immediately deleted. What was that about?
–[Newbie120053]: …As this is my first time in the gallery, I accidentally pressed the submit button while trying to edit. I deleted it right away, so it’s quite embarrassing that you saw it.
–[DeadFishEyes]: LOLOLOLOL
I continued to scroll through the stream of comments.
Then, my gaze caught sight of a single dislike appearing.
[Likes 152] [Dislikes 1]
[GraduateStudent12]: –…
No words were exchanged.
Yet, somehow, I knew who had cast that dislike.
The appearance of the Ghastly Gallery Admin seemed to cause quite a stir.
–[HeavenBreaker]: What the, Admin! I heard you were busy lately.
–[LickLick]: The Admin must be excited too, with a fresh newbie arriving!
–[GraduateStudent12]: –…Fresh?
It seemed they rarely commented so directly.
Feeling pleased, I also left a greeting.
After all, they were the first being I had conversed with upon entering the Ghastly Gallery.
–[Newbie120053]: You must be the Admin. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Like the other distinguished members, I too shall strive to be a worthy participant of the Ghastly Gallery.
[‘GraduateStudent12’ has imposed a 30-second chat ban on ‘Newbie120053’.]
‘Ah, I had teased them too much.’
****
Well, this place seemed to be ablaze, fueled by the Admin’s recent newbie ban incident.
For now, I decided to leave it be.
Utilizing the 30-second chat ban, I decided to explore other features.
The Ghastly Gallery offered more than just a chat function.
In the upper right corner of my phone.
A glittering currency icon caught my eye—Ghastly Coins.
[Ghastly Coins: 345]
My current holdings amounted to 345.
‘What could their purpose be?’
I recalled a message earlier indicating I had received coins as a special reward for clearing Imaeyeok Station.
Although it felt as if the amount of coins had increased since then, I couldn’t ascertain it at the moment.
My gaze soon drifted to a button located below.
[Ghastly Shop]
For a mind honed by childhood RPGs, connecting these two elements was effortless.
[※ All transactions accept only Ghastly Coins. Bartering and other payment methods are not recognized.]
[※ Any interference with the shop through abilities, supernatural powers, magic, psychic powers, ghastly phenomena, or apostles will result in permanent disqualification from use, and all held coins will be confiscated.]
A warning message briefly appeared, then the shop screen opened.
[Basic Items]
[Rule Fragment] (50 Coins)
‘One random rule is provided in fragmented form.’
(※ As it is a fragment, it may not be complete.)
(※ An ‘incomplete rule’ can be even more dangerous.)
[Safe Return Ticket] (200 Coins)
‘Allows one return from the current ghastly space.’
‘However, the definition of “safe” may vary depending on system circumstances.’
[Anonymity Mask] (100 Coins)
‘Blurs the perception of ghastly beings for a certain period.’
(※ Does not work on humans.)
[Recorder’s Pen] (150 Coins)
‘If a rule is recorded, it is permanently preserved.’
(※ Memories can be shared. Recorded information is not always correct.)
[Red Coin] (??? Coins)
‘The price is set differently each time.’
(※ Usage effect is also unknown.)
(※ However, upon use, ‘something’ will invariably disappear.)
[Voice of the Deceased] (300 Coins)
‘Can summon the voice of one previous victim.’
(※ However, there is no guarantee that the voice will be truthful.)
[30-Second Immunity Pass] (80 Coins)
‘Allows all rules to be ignored for 30 seconds.’
(※ Caution: ‘Ghastly Tales’ will not remain passive towards any entity that disregards the rules.)
[Nullification Shield] (20 Coins)
‘Can block one physical attack.’
(※ Effect duration: Only 1 minute.)
[Current Coins: 345]
‘Would you like to purchase?’
Beyond these, countless other items were available, categorized for easy browsing.
[Basic] [Recommended] [Best] [Mercenary] [Premium] [Limited] [Special Offer]
Each category held its own purpose: Basic, as the name suggested, contained the most fundamental items.
Recommended featured products automatically suggested based on the user’s situation.
Best showcased the most popular items, those sold most frequently across all users.
Mercenary… I wasn’t entirely sure, but it seemed to allow for hiring and assigning tasks.
Premium offered expensive items with guaranteed performance.
Limited comprised rare items sold only for a specific period.
Special Offer felt like a clearance sale for items that weren’t selling well.
‘There was no need to tap through the lists.’
‘To instantly comprehend all of this.’
‘Such was the power of early education in Korea.’
