Got a Gallery in the Wild

Demons were a race that lived for entertainment.

If something looked fun, they either threw themselves into it or created it themselves.

They could never endure a boring life, and because of that, they had caused all kinds of incidents throughout history.

Fortunately, as time passed and entertainment culture developed, those incidents became less frequent, though only slightly.

Looking back through history, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that most accidents and scandals related to entertainment had been caused by demons.

Because of that, a culture that regarded patience and self-control as virtues also emerged.

Entertainment was that inseparable from demons; it practically represented their entire race.

“It can’t be! This is rigged! It’s rigged!”

And Keirin, the princess of Mephisto, was no different.

In fact, precisely because she was a princess, she had become completely obsessed with entertainment.

After all, nothing was more exciting than secretly having fun.

Although she genuinely supported Chayu, it had all started simply for entertainment.

“How the hell did he lose? Did Grills rig the match?”

Keirin’s eyes widened as she pressed her face against the Gallery.

She was so focused that her nose was practically touching the Gallery window.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Gallery was playing a video.

In it, two kangaroos exchanged blows with a simple yet extremely efficient boxing style.

Then Kangaroo No. 2 threw a counterpunch that violently twisted his opponent’s jaw.

Kangaroo No. 1 collapsed to the ground and stayed there for quite a while without getting back up.

He had been knocked unconscious.

“…It was only natural that he lost.”

After watching the video again, Keirin muttered to herself.

With such clear footage as evidence, there was nothing she could argue against.

If Grills had closed the betting without uploading the video, the Gallery would have exploded into chaos.

But with such undeniable proof in front of everyone, no one could dispute the result.

ㄴMy points… Where did my points go…?

ㄴCan someone spare me some points? I’m completely broke…

ㄴIf you beg on your knees, I’ll give you 100 points. Hahaha.

ㄴPlease give this poor slum dweller some points! ㅠㅠ

ㄴMe too, bro! ㅜㅜ

As soon as the match ended, countless beggars appeared.

Keirin was one of them.

The points they had bet—the Ladder Points—didn’t actually have much value to her.

After all, she had never spent real money on the Gallery.

In other words, Ladder Points were worth nothing.

‘But it still hurts…’

And at the same time, they were worth everything.

If she had only lost a small amount, it would have been another story.

The problem was that she had wagered an absurd amount.

Keirin had been active in the Gallery for a long time.

She had accumulated a huge number of Ladder Points ever since the system had been introduced.

And she had just bet more than half of them.

It was impossible not to want to cry.

‘Huff well, that was only the first round. I’m sure I can still make a comeback.’

Keirin composed herself and checked the Gallery again.

It was overflowing with pitiful souls who had lost all their points.

ㄴKingLeor) Kyah! Hahahaha. The first round went perfectly! Hahaha.

ㄴHow many points did you win?

ㄴKingLeor) I bet 50,000 points and turned them into 100,000. Hahahaha.

ㄴWhy did you bet so little? You should’ve wagered more. Hahaha.

ㄴKingLeor) I’ve been saving those ever since the Main Moderator from two generations ago, damn it!

Apparently, the annoying fixed-name user, KingLeor, had made a fortune.

Keirin felt a stab of irritation, but quickly calmed herself down.

The kangaroo tournament wasn’t over yet.

Title) The next match begins

WildGrills

(Video of two kangaroos fighting.)

The one on the left is Kangaroo No. 1.

The one on the right is Kangaroo No. 2.

ㄴI’m putting my faith in Kangaroo No. 1!

ㄴNo. 2 is definitely winning this time. Just look at the size difference. Hahaha.

ㄴDidn’t you see the big one lose earlier? In the end, fights are all about patience.

ㄴI don’t know anything about betting, but if kangaroo fights are this entertaining, raise your hand. Hahaha.

ㄴAbsolutely. Hahaha. This is pure entertainment.

ㄴI wish this could be streamed live.

ㄴDoesn’t the Gallery have that feature?

ㄴIf it did, the Main Moderator would’ve added it already.

Just as one of the comments said, it was a shame there wasn’t a live broadcast feature.

If there had been one, an enormous number of people would have gathered to watch.

But whether it was a limitation of the Gallery itself or because the Main Moderator simply didn’t want to implement it, the feature didn’t exist.

‘At least Grills knows what he’s doing.’

As if he understood that as well, Grills slightly changed the format after the first match.

Instead of closing the betting immediately when the fight ended, he uploaded the video first and waited five minutes before closing it.

After all, as long as you didn’t read the comments, spoilers weren’t an issue.

Keirin smiled to herself before deciding where to place her bet.

Kangaroo No. 1 was a little bigger, but No. 2 didn’t look weak either.

‘Since the big one lost earlier, this time the big one will win.’

Who knew what kind of logic she was following, but Keirin chose Kangaroo No. 1.

She had seen the previous one lose because he got overconfident, so she believed this time would be different.

But she was forgetting one detail.

They weren’t people.

They were animals.

If even humans had trouble controlling themselves when they got fired up, how much more so a beast?

“W-What?! What?! Wh-What… what is that idiot doing?! What the hell is he doing?!”

The bigger kangaroo lost because he got overconfident.

Keirin grabbed her head and screamed in despair.

Right up until the very end, Kangaroo No. 1 had clearly held the advantage.

Watching the fight, Keirin had been certain he was going to win.

“You damn idiot! Your opponent isn’t the audience! What the hell are you doing?!”

That was before Kangaroo No. 1 suddenly launched a flying kick at a kangaroo sitting among the spectators.

In the end, Kangaroo No. 1 ended up brawling with the audience kangaroo, and the two had to be separated.

It was a textbook disqualification.

To Keirin, it was so absurd that it bordered on the unbelievable.

ㄴHahahahaha. There was even an audience invasion.

ㄴAre these guys actually people? Hahaha.

ㄴPeople or not, give me my points back, damn it!

ㄴHey. If we’re being honest, this match should’ve been declared a no contest. Don’t you agree?

ㄴWildGrills) A no contest? No way. That idiot simply lost by disqualification.

ㄴBrother Grills is so fair and impartial! Nothing like certain trash tournaments.

ㄴWell, come to think of it, Grills is just a spectator too. Hahaha.

ㄴDidn’t something similar happen in Mephisto?

ㄴYou mean the flying kick into the stands incident? Who was it again?

ㄴAn elf did it. A demon spectator insulted his parents, and the guy immediately hit him with a flying kick. Hahahaha.

ㄴDidn’t that end up becoming a diplomatic incident?

ㄴIt happened before the Queen ascended the throne, so they let it slide. Although the elf athlete was suspended for a year.

ㄴDidn’t that single incident completely change everyone’s image of elves?

ㄴYeah. Before that, everyone thought elves were calm and gentle, but after that flying kick it became obvious they were just like everyone else in the end. Hahaha.

It was such a famous incident that the legendary moment from the sports world ended up being brought up again.

In any case, Keirin lost points once more.

She had even topped up more points intending to recover her losses, only to lose those as well.

‘…No wonder they say gambling is terrifying.’

Lost money?

Then just put in more to win it back!

In reality, that wasn’t much different from pouring water into a bottomless barrel.

Seen from that perspective, Keirin could actually be considered fortunate.

After all, Ladder Points were a Gallery-exclusive currency that couldn’t even be obtained with money.

If she had been gambling with real money, she might have become a gambling addict.

ㄴKingLeor) Where the hell did my points go? I think some thieves came by.

ㄴBurp~

ㄴThanks for the meal~

Apparently, KingLeor had lost his points too.

Keirin let out a small laugh before flopping onto her bed.

She could accept the first loss, but having bad luck strike again in the second match left her completely powerless.

She decided she would never touch this again.

‘…I’ll just play one more match.’

For about five seconds.

Lying on her bed, she checked the next match.

This time, she’d recover everything she’d lost.

So far, she’d simply been unlucky.

Title) Exhibition Match Begins

WildGrills

(Photo of Wonmo standing in front of a baby kangaroo.)

(Video of the kangaroos in the audience applauding instead of cheering.)

(Video of Wonmo and the baby kangaroo pushing each other around and playfully wrestling.)

A kangaroo came over and asked if it could take Wonmo.

So I asked Wonmo, and after he agreed, we went to the arena together.

His opponent was a baby kangaroo. Hahaha. He came straight out of his mother’s pouch.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) They’re both adorable. Since we’re here, I hope Wonmo wins.

ㄴSwordmaster) What if one of them gets seriously hurt?

ㄴWildGrills) (Photo of a kangaroo acting as the referee.) I think it’ll be fine. There’s even a referee.

ㄴWhy the hell is there a referee? Hahahaha.

ㄴIt looks like the little ones’ matches are even more important. Hahahaha.

ㄴI guess it’s because the babies still can’t control their strength very well.

During the break, an exhibition match was held. Keirin was only disappointed for a moment before becoming completely absorbed in it.

Wonmo was an extremely popular animal in the Gallery. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the Gallery’s mascot—or even its true symbol.

That such an animal was about to fight?

From the users’ perspective, there was no way they could ignore it.

Keirin sincerely hoped Wonmo would win as she waited for the result.

Title) Match Result

WildGrills

(Video of the referee desperately trying to stop the match.)

(Video of Wonmo walking over while crying, “Bwaaaah…”)

(Video of Wonmo crying while clinging to my pant leg.)

Wonmo lost.

The moment the opposing kangaroo put him in a grapple hold, he couldn’t do anything at all. Hahaha.

I have to comfort Wonmo now, so I won’t be answering any questions.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Wonmo has suffered a bitter defeat. That will become the driving force behind his growth.

ㄴSwordmaster) It’s absolutely adorable watching him run over crying. Please comfort him well.

ㄴWho bullied our Wonmo?!

ㄴHow can he cry while saying “Bwaaaah”? Hahahaha.

ㄴHonestly, every time I see Wonmo my heart melts. Hahaha.

ㄴ…But Grills killed the mother of one just like him.

ㄴHuh…?

ㄴ……

ㄴI’d forgotten… Grills really was a bad guy.

The exhibition match ended with Wonmo’s defeat.

It was truly a shame.

Keirin left a message of encouragement in the comments before returning to the main page.

According to Grills, it was break time, so the kangaroos were dispersing.

So he decided to call it a day.

‘My points…’

Even though she had decided to quit, she still deeply regretted the points she had lost.

Keirin sighed as she continued browsing the Gallery.

She had long since fulfilled all of her duties as a princess.

Now no one could criticize her for spending her time loafing around.

‘By the way… so Crown Prince Arnold will soon ascend the throne as Emperor…?’

The Messiah Empire’s succession ceremony had recently taken the entire Gallery by storm.

As a princess of Mephisto, it wasn’t something she could take lightly.

Even if Mephisto and the Messiah Empire were far apart, that didn’t mean she could ignore it.

‘This is exactly what’s so great about the Gallery.’

The news that another country’s ruler was changing was extremely important.

Under normal circumstances, it would have taken a long time before they even noticed any signs of it.

But thanks to the Gallery, they could receive the news in real time.

Moreover, the succession ceremony itself had been organized in a hurry.

Thanks to that, they could react quickly, which was of tremendous importance.

‘The problem is that we still don’t know what the elves are doing…’

The elves were also very active Gallery users.

Among them were several fixed-name users with rather peculiar personas.

They all had one thing in common.

None of them were entirely sane.

While demons amused themselves by fooling around and laughing, the elves stood out for displaying genuine collective madness.

‘The fact that they’ve been so quiet only makes them even more suspicious.’

Since the elves’ movements remained unclear, they had intensified their espionage efforts.

However, they still hadn’t obtained any useful information.

And that was precisely what made the situation even more suspicious.

Keirin searched the Gallery for any information she could make use of.

Title) Long Live the Elf Queen!

(Photo of the Elf Queen.)

Praise the Elf Queen! Let’s make Alvenheim great again!

ㄴHow long are those damn elves going to keep posting this crap?

ㄴProbably forever.

She didn’t find much.

Most of the posts were nothing but praise without any reasoning whatsoever.

Keirin clicked her tongue and returned to the previous page.

When she did, she saw that the entire page was filled with posts about the kangaroo tournament.

Apparently, the break was over and the tournament had resumed.

With a wide grin on her face, she opened Grills’ post.

Title) The match begins

WildGrills

(Photo of two kangaroos facing each other.)

The match begins.

ㄴAlright. Let’s go!

ㄴThis time I’m definitely winning everything back. Hahaha.

ㄴHow much did you lose?

ㄴ10,000 points. I’d been saving them ever since the Main Moderator from three generations ago, damn it.

ㄴWow, you really bet big. Hahaha.

ㄴWhat about you? How much did you put in?

ㄴ100,000 points. Hahaha.

ㄴThis guy is completely insane. Hahahaha.

Keirin immediately placed her bet as well.

This time, she was determined to recover everything she had lost.

However, before even five minutes had passed, that determination turned into despair.

Watching the kangaroo she had bet on get pinned to the ground and mercilessly beaten, she muttered,

“…It’s over. To hell with this.”

At that moment, a new form of entertainment was born within the Gallery.

“…Just one more match.”

And, as a bonus, gambling addicts were born as well.

Just as Keirin was about to bet her points again like a pitiful lost soul.

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) This can’t be! I think maybe we shouldn’t allow this kind of betting after all!

ㄴWhat?! But why?! Why not?!

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Too many people are becoming addicted, even if they’re only Ladder Points! In just thirty minutes, 200,000 points have already disappeared!

ㄴBut everything is completely fair! There’s not even any risk of match-fixing!

ㄴExactly. Who the hell could rig this? They’re just kangaroos fighting each other.

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) But too many people are losing all their points! Everything should be done in moderation!

ㄴBoo. What an old killjoy.

ㄴMain Moderator… Please don’t take this away from us too…

ㄴLately the Gallery only talks about politics. It’s not fun anymore…

Disliking how out of control the betting was becoming, the Main Moderator showed signs of stepping in.

‘I haven’t even won back what I lost yet!’

Keirin panicked and immediately began trying to persuade the Main Moderator.

He couldn’t shut this down before she recovered her losses.

Fortunately, the Main Moderator also knew everything had been completely fair, so he listened to everyone’s opinions.

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Fine! But for a while, I’ll put a betting limit in place! Nobody will be able to bet more than a certain amount! After all, the Ladder Point system still hasn’t been fully implemented!

ㄴYeah. That’s probably for the best.

ㄴMain Moderator… Thank you…

That was how the Main Moderator imposed a betting limit.

Keirin then remembered all the points she had lost.

‘It’s a shame, but oh well…’

As long as the entertainment remained, that was enough.

Feeling an enormous sense of relief, Keirin watched the next match.

“Huh?! What the hell are you doing now?!”

And she lost again in the worst possible way.

Keirin stared blankly at the enormous 0 displayed on her point counter before typing a comment.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Could someone give me some points…? I lost them all… I’d been saving them ever since the Main Moderator from two generations ago… Please, even just a little… ㅠㅠㅠ

ㄴWildGrills) Want me to give you some? I can give you something like emergency relief.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Yessssss!!! Thank you so much!!!

ㄴBro, me too…

ㄴPlease have mercy on this poor beggar. ㅠㅠ

ㄴWildGrills) Sure, I’ll give a little to each of you. But only to the first ten people.

ㄴOooh! He’s a saint! A saint has appeared!

ㄴThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!

ㄴPraise Grills!

“Waaah! Thank you so much!”

Keirin praised Grills from the bottom of her heart.

***

Meanwhile, Grills, who was watching all of this, muttered,

“They’re just going to bet it all again anyway, so I’m the only one who ends up winning. So that’s why the casino owner always wins, huh?”

Now he understood perfectly how a casino owner felt.