Chapter 43 - The Swindler (4)

Anyone could use the forum, regardless of age, gender, or social standing.

Along with anonymity, this was often both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. In particular, it was fairly common for “swindlers” to use the forum to perpetrate all kinds of scams.

Ah, fuck. I got scammed.

Saw some nice wild ginseng at the auction house and bought it. Turns out it was cultivated ginseng. Fuck.

└Lmaooo you too? Me too!

└Cultivated and wild ginseng do look pretty similar lol

└The fucker already deleted his account.

While direct trades were limited to registered users, the auction house was open to everyone.

That meant there were plenty of criminals—swindlers who saw nothing wrong with ripping other people off. High-priced items, in particular, were usually suspected of being scams.

Most swindlers were looking for one big score. Suspicion was inevitable.

└Why do these fuckers even scam people? You can't withdraw money from the forum anyway.

└They buy other stuff with the money. You can find pretty much anything here.

└Bypassing distribution is a huge perk. You can easily get stuff from other countries.

└Don't they get banned?

└They do, but it's up to the moderators. Some go “lol, over that little?” and let them off.

└At least the current admin's better. Instantly permabans scammers.

└Couldn't innocent people get caught up in that?

└Then they have to work it out between themselves.

Fortunately, while Don't Abandon the Hero held the reins, swindlers had been brought to heel.

Even small scams received no mercy. A permanent ban was the lesson meted out every time.

But the admin didn't ban people indiscriminately. If the parties reached an amicable settlement, they would be forgiven. What mattered was whether they showed remorse—the most important consideration after establishing the truth.

Thanks to that, scams had decreased considerably, though it wasn't quite that simple.

This fucking registered user is a scammer. Don't trust the bastard.

(Photo of a bizarre plant)

Grew this from seeds I won for 1,000 gold. Thought it was a rare plant. It wasn't. Fuck.

└Yikes... What's that? A pitcher plant? Why does the flower have teeth lmao

└Pitcher plants don't have teeth. What the hell is that?

└Allfather That's a Desmeros, a plant monster said to grow only in Mephisto. How did you grow it?

└Fuck, it was a monster lmao

└OP, you still alive?

Those inclined to scam still did, and their schemes grew more vicious in both scale and method.

Registered users didn't scam people? That was complete bullshit. The world was full of people willing to create registered accounts for one big score.

Moreover, winning bids at the auction house were paid out immediately. That was tied to the forum's system, so there was nothing the admin could do about it.

Consequently, people had to be extraordinarily careful at auctions, particularly when bidding. Most stuck to small sums and shied away from large ones.

Unless the seller was a registered user with a substantial reputation, high bids were rare.

What if the admin scams people?

Title says it all.

└Doesn't happen often, but wasn't there a scammer admin about a hundred years ago?

└A hundred years ago? lol Must've been a demon or an elf.

└An elf, if I remember right. Went around passing stuff off as World Tree leaves lmao

└So what happened? It's hard to fire the admin.

└We just never bought anything they listed. Maybe they got killed scamming people offline too, because one day we had a new admin.

└Lmaooo serves them right.

Scamming, then, was a crime the forum couldn't eradicate, however much it wanted to. As a result, its users recoiled at the very word “scam.”

A rumor that someone had scammed people—and a registered user, at that? They would condemn the culprit without caring whether it was true.

Even if the accusations were false, born of manipulation and fabrication. That was simply how the forum worked.

“Heh heh. Idiots.”

A middle-aged man muttered to himself. His features and attire were typical of the Central Plains, and his mustache resembled a rat's whiskers. Narrow, birdlike eyes gave him a rather shifty appearance.

“Such easy fools to manipulate.”

The forum stretched across his vision, its list of posts filled with condemnation and malice directed at Grylls.

One little post he had launched had created these enormous ripples.

'He won't be able to hold out without settling soon.'

The man was a merchant, one of the countless small-time merchants in the Central Plains. Winning the auction for Grylls's item, however, had presented him with a tremendous opportunity.

RATTLE

The merchant looked away from the forum and opened his desk drawer. Inside, among assorted documents, was a small ring box.

CLICK

As he carefully opened the case, a faintly chilly mist drifted out. Nestled safely within was a bead radiating a brilliant red light.

It was the item he had bid on at the forum auction house: the inner core.

'I never imagined it would be a real inner core.'

He had gotten it verified several times. It was unquestionably an inner core.

It might not be the sort found in legends, but it was at least spiritual-elixir grade. In monetary terms, it would fetch no less than 1,000 nyang in silver coins.

'Heh heh. If I don't tell him, he'll never know.'

But the merchant was greedy. Extremely greedy.

He hadn't stopped there. He had maneuvered things so that he could get back the money he'd spent.

Heavenly Demon might have vouched for it, but even on the forum she was considered an eccentric. Unless she proved she was the real Heavenly Demon, her words meant nothing.

'Manipulating and fabricating is easy. Explaining yourself is hard.'

The merchant knew his way around the forum, too. He was well aware of its double standards.

People readily believed manipulation and fabrications, but getting an explanation across was difficult. Even if Grylls offered one, it would struggle to gain attention once the outrage had spread this far.

'If the admin tells him to settle, he'll have no choice.'

For Grylls in particular, the forum was a lifeline. Without it, his chances of surviving the Forest of Four Seasons would plummet.

Better to settle than botch an explanation and end up permanently banned. Looked at that way, the merchant was bargaining with someone's life, but he didn't care.

'It's not like I even know his face.'

An ugly nature concealed behind anonymity. He felt not a twinge of guilt.

It might be different if he knew the man's face, but on the forum, kindness was a weakness.

Of course, an explanation might turn public opinion against him. He didn't care about that either.

'So I get permanently banned. Big deal.'

Was the forum more important than real life? What mattered most to the merchant was money. Losing this source of amusement would be a shame, but that was fine. He could buy his entertainment.

The merchant waited cheerfully. Whatever explanation Grylls gave, he was ready to respond.

What Grylls gave me really is an inner core.

“Hmm?”

As he kept refreshing endlessly, something caught his eye. It wasn't a post by some ordinary anonymous user, but by Sword Masta, one of the famous registered users.

It wasn't something he could simply ignore, so he opened it at once.

What Grylls gave me really is an inner core.

Sword Masta

(Photo of a golden bead resting on a hand)

Grylls found another inner core and gave it to me. This really is an inner core.

└Wait... He found another one already?

└What, are inner cores an everyday occurrence now? lol Even less believable lmao

└Maybe it's possible in the Forest of Four Seasons?

└Heavenly Demon is one thing, but Sword Masta vouching for it is another, isn't it?

└This one's gold. Did he catch a golden fish?

“What?”

There had been another inner core? The merchant's eyes widened.

This was completely unexpected. He hurriedly wrote a comment.

└Ever think they might've gotten their lips in sync? Why would another inner core turn up out of nowhere lol

└Lips in sync? You mean kissing? Mwah?

└Oh my. How naughty.

└Why would they coordinate their stories lol And what reason does Sword Masta have to lie?

└Exactly lmao She's raised the average fighting strength of swordsmen across the continent lol

└Heavenly Demon said she could do one-on-one chats, right? Must've threatened her through that.

└What would threats accomplish? The admin would ban her.

└Why's this guy's imagination so shitty? lol

└Look at the address next to him. It's the guy who posted that Grylls was a scammer.

└Getting scared? lmao

In his haste, he'd intervened needlessly and only hurt his own position. The merchant frowned.

A second inner core was unexpected. He began to feel a little anxious, but soon calmed down. Thinking it over, there was no rush.

'I just have to keep insisting mine wasn't real.'

It looked as though the other side was also trying to win through manipulation and fabrication. The only difference was that theirs had some truth mixed in.

Even if Sword Masta's inner core was genuine, that didn't mean the merchant's was. If he denied it to the bitter end, he would still have the advantage. He would exploit that uncertainty for all it was worth.

I'll explain.

'Here it is.'

Just as public opinion was gradually splitting down the middle, Grylls posted. The merchant opened it without hesitation.

Here's my explanation.

Wild Grylls

Explanation my ass. Got a problem? Post your address. Give us your address and let someone else check whether it's an inner core. Simple, right?

If it's real, you're dead. If it isn't, I'll give you all your money back. What the fuck is this bullshit smear campaign, you piece of shit? Some worthless little bug thinks he can run a scam on me. Fuck.

Sword Masta even vouched for it. If you've got a problem, register an account first, you broke-ass bastard.

└Wow lmaooo That felt good lol

└Upvote if reading this made you trust him more lmao

└I'll start lmaooo

└You can't get that pissed unless you know you're in the right lmaooo

└I fucking love this guy lmao

└Every word's right. Post your address and let's verify it lol

└I'm broke. Why am I catching strays...?

It wasn't an explanation. It was simply a post overflowing with abuse.

In any normal place, it would only have backfired. But this was the forum. Here, a post like that was perfect for winning affection and trust.

'Wh-wh-what the hell is with this bastard?'

As far as he knew, Grylls had only recently gained access to the forum. Yet the way he wrote made him look like someone who'd been active for years.

The merchant's bewilderment lasted only a moment before he commented on the explanation post. He couldn't back down now.

└I'm the one who got the inner core. Why should I post my address? This is ridiculous lol

└Well, look who's here.

└Pathetic lol

└Seeing him act like this, he definitely pulled a scam.

└Wild Grylls If you're going to play games with someone's life, you should put yours on the line too, right? The forum is my lifeline.

└How is that my problem? And this isn't an inner core.

└Wild Grylls Why don't you say that from a registered account? Or post your address, like I said lol

└You first.

└Wild Grylls The Forest of Four Seasons, dumbass. Come over if you can.

└Lmaoooooo

└Lmaoooooo

└Lmaoooooooooo

He'd been played. Thoroughly played.

The merchant's eyes darted every which way before he left the post.

Anonymous guy who got the inner core, post your address.

Can't we just check it ourselves?

Upvote if you fucking love Grylls lmao

Upvote if you want every scammer dead lol

The moment he returned to the post list, he saw that public opinion had completely reversed. Most posts were demanding that he give his address if he had nothing to hide.

'Are you insane? Post my address and get myself killed?'

Absolutely not. The instant he revealed his address, his real life would be in danger.

The merchant deleted his post accusing Grylls and closed the forum. It seemed he would have to wait until things quieted down.

'What a shame. I could've made more money.'

It was disappointing, but making any more of a fuss was unlikely to turn public opinion back around. He would be better off selling the inner core.

About ten minutes later, the merchant cautiously opened the forum again.

For all his inward dismissal of the forum, he was ultimately just another diehard forum addict. It was a druglike innovation he couldn't quit even if he wanted to.

'Maybe it's calmed down a little?'

With that thought, he logged on, only to see:

Wait right there. I'm in the next town over lol

Off to enjoy a tasty inner core!

So jealous of people in the Central Plains.

So this scammer was a merchant.

The posts looked deeply unsettling.

Sensing something was wrong, the merchant opened the top posts. A merchant who couldn't read a situation quickly was bound to fall behind.

The instant he opened the section, a post from the admin caught his eye.

Here's the address!

Don't Abandon the Hero

Grylls posted his address, but the other party didn't!

So I'll kindly share it for him!

It's around xxx in Henan Province, in the Central Plains!

Grylls also said he'd pay if it's proven not to be an inner core, so I hope you reach an amicable settlement!

“Uh...”

As the merchant read the post, only one thought entered his mind.

'I'm f*ed.'

Truly f***ed.

He had never expected the admin to reveal his address.

CRASH! BANG!

A loud commotion came from outside. The merchant jerked his head up at the noise.

A moment later, his secretary burst frantically through the door.

“Wh-what is all this commotion?!”

“I-I don't know either! For now, we need to get you out—!”

“I heard there's an inner core here!”

“I'll just check it and give it back!”

The voices drew ever closer. The merchant went pale.

The forum no longer mattered.

'Oh, f—!'

It looked as though he would have to focus exclusively on real life from now on.