LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 92
“You know, there’s this theory called the Dead Internet Theory.”
The idea is pretty simple: most of the content on the internet is supposedly created by AI and bots.
Meaning, all the news, videos, and articles we come across online are fabricated, and all the reactions come from fake accounts that don’t actually exist.
So, essentially, we’re being manipulatively swayed by an opinion crafted by someone. Just your typical conspiracy theory.
Still, this is a tale that’s been floating around even back when we couldn’t even dream of such capabilities.
It was just a fun little internet tidbit that made for a good chuckle.
But, as technology has advanced, it’s stopped being a laughing matter.
Intricately manipulated fake news and false data have flooded the stage, overwhelming real information.
Fake accounts, or bots, can imitate humans even better, allowing them to easily sway public opinion.
Especially with millions of unsuspecting users in the media and marketing game, this nonsense has spread like wildfire.
‘I can’t let AI have its way with me like this. We truly need an internet space just for real humans now.’
This situation was something that nobody welcomed, except for a certain elite group who may have intended it.
And so, the vigilantes of this chaos became Pioneer, which is why it’s become the most popular site in this era.
“Hmm. Looks just like a real person. Sophisticated photos that don’t trigger AI detection and even social media accounts from ten years ago. Plus, an officially verified bank account… But it seems you couldn’t fake the ironclad security of Night Haven’s database, could you? Gotcha!”
In a dark, cramped room with all windows covered by blackout curtains, sat a girl hunched over a chair in what seemed like a bad posture.
Her silhouette, faintly illuminated by the monitor’s light, was quite unique.
With pink skin that looked soft to the touch and golden eyes.
Moreover, she had two long tentacles stretching out from the back of her neck.
Though she resembled a human, she was one of those special beings, with tentacles that seemed comically tangled up like a human’s hair. Her name was Sephira.
Her special skill was using those solid, quick tentacles to smack enemies.
Though they were powerful enough to crush a cheap iron sword, in her empty room, they’d merely serve as a makeshift typing aid.
“Ha, trying to fool the admins with such tactics? You’re a century too early!”
Sephira was an exceptionally skilled hacker. Her hacker alias was Phara, named after the latter part of her name.
Many hackers have fallen victim to her skills, earning her the nickname Crazy Dog Phara, despite a rather embarrassing history of crying helplessly after losing to some unknown hacker.
Nevertheless, she was at least among the top hackers in Night Haven.
Perhaps because of her remarkable talent, Sephira was able to secure a fat paycheck as an admin for Pioneer.
Her role involved distinguishing whether suspicious users were real people or bots.
If it turned out to be a fake account, she had the power to obliterate it instantly.
She had the ability to expose identities with just tiny traces.
And with a flick of her fingers, she could ban someone in no time.
In Pioneer, Sephira was essentially an unbeatable guardian of iron will!
“Still, it’s a bit disappointing. Thought I’d see a fresh method this time. In the end, it’s just the same old trick dressed up as something new.”
After wiping out the suspicious account of Jane Smith, who had unusually high traffic, Sephira leaned back in her chair with a sigh of boredom.
Getting paid a lot was nice, but the thrill just wasn’t there.
Usually, the ones messing around on community sites were nothing but low-tier players.
Sure, an intense showdown would trash the site, but sometimes she wished for a special occurrence so she could get fired.
However, words can be disastrous when rashly uttered.
Maybe it was that thought that triggered the next notification that popped up on her screen, accompanied by a cute icon.
[ A suspicious account has been detected in the Indian Cuisine Community! ]
“Huh? Again? I hope it’s not the same guy. To whip up a fake account of that caliber would take at least an hour of effort.”
Crack.
Sephira stretched her arms over her head, loosening her stiff body.
Then she set herself up properly, controlling the mouse with her tentacles as she hurried to check the situation.
There was a disturbance in a relatively quiet corner of the community.
New posts appeared every ten seconds, in stark contrast to the usual board where new posts appeared every three to four days.
Of course, the content looked like something churned out by a cheap auto-generating program.
But what irked Sephira wasn’t that it was just another junk post.
The author of those posts was none other than Jane Smith1.
Indeed, it was that same pest she had just ejected!
“Ha! You’re here to pick a fight with me?”
Crack. A vein throbbed on Sephira’s forehead.
To crawl back in with an account she just kicked out is definitely a provocation.
She quickly blocked the Jane Smith1 account with her tentacles, deleting the trash posts that looked like they were copied poorly in one swipe.
Just like that, peace returned to the Indian Cuisine Community.
Sephira checked for any signs of trouble with narrowed eyes, then began digging for Jane Smith1’s account information on her sub-monitor.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the Jane Smith she saw earlier, but a completely different face and background.
This time, the address listed was from Belmont, a city that wasn’t even on the radar.
But Sephira swiftly realized this person was also a fabrication.
‘What the hell? Are they pre-fabbed character profiles, to be used one by one? If that’s the case, why not just rob a bank? What even is this nonsense?’
Tsk, but if this was the end of it, they were still no real threat.
She waved her tentacles into the air, tracking down the creator of this Jane Smith character.
With such an elaborate fake personality, there had to be a slip-up somewhere.
Sephira intended to expose that face right on Pioneer’s public noticeboard.
However, the more she dug into the info, the more her expression hardened.
Even after analyzing the character info, access IP, email, and even social media, there were no traces of someone who seemed to exist.
“Huh? It’s not a photo generated by AI or something snatched from somewhere? Then what the heck is this? Who’s the people in this photo? Who would go through the trouble to create a fake account with such detail?”
Seems she’s dealing with a very meticulous nuisance. Tracking them down will be a bit tricky.
Sephira clicked her tongue, remaining cautious for any potential follow-ups.
As expected, Jane Smith2 stormed the community next. Banned.
But this time, as if anticipating the ban, Jane Smith3 popped back up mere seconds later. Banned.
Then came Jane Smith4, 5, and 6 bombarding the Indian Cuisine Community one after another…
When Jane Smith25 faced a hollow defeat at the hands of admin Sephira, she slammed her tentacle onto the desk and yelled.
“Aaaah! You persistent little brat! Are you salty for not getting your Indian cuisine? Why are you clinging on like this?!”
At this rate, it would never end. She needed to cut the root of this problem!
Amidst that, knowing too much, she glared at the notification sound from the admin email she somehow knew about, then viciously kicked the button under her desk.
Suddenly, the previously ordinary desk expanded, sprouting multiple monitors and keyboards like a magic trick.
This was Neo Sephira Mode, boosting her hacker skills by threefold!
No one had ever beaten her in this form, save for a nameless hacker known only as D.
“I’m gonna take you down! Jane Smith!!!”
A ferocious glare sparked in Sephira’s golden eyes.
It had the vibe of someone who was set on not stopping until they obliterated their target.
But what she didn’t expect was that this wasn’t a hacker showdown at all…
But rather, a simple prank by someone who meant no harm.
“What? You’ve made it here already?!”
Fizzle…!
The monitor she was watching began to flicker hazily.
Not just that, but all nine sub-monitors surrounding her showed the same effect.
Could it be that someone had implanted malicious code in the meantime?!
Startled, Sephira began furiously tapping on the keyboard to prepare her defenses.
But right in front of her, a bizarre phenomenon occurred that turned her hair white.
“…Huh?”
With a ripple, a hand emerged from the glowing screen.
A pure white hand that reminded one of a mannequin.
With ten monitors simultaneously displaying hands, Sephira was rendered speechless, unable to even scream.
What was this? This wasn’t even magic!
She could only stare blankly at the unreal phenomenon beyond any sense of reality.
That hand slowly approached her, as if it were going to poke her eyes out…
But just as it closed the distance, it vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Illusion? Maybe it was a delusion?
Sephira stood still, unable to move, and only after several seconds did she manage to stammer out a word.
“…That was a pricey design.”
Feeling a damp sensation, she tightly shut her eyes and discreetly wiped away her tears.
It was the day a new paragraph of history was etched into her collection of embarrassing moments that she’d never tell anyone about.
*
Meanwhile, Yuria sulked at the lack of any response from the admin after her prolonged trolling, bringing Echo to her forehead.
‘What the heck? I thought I’d only interfere once, but the admin hasn’t shown up at all. I didn’t do anything risky, right?’
[ …I’m sorry. It seems like the admin has stepped away after receiving a significant shock. ]
‘What on earth happened…. Whatever, just delete the post I just made and create a new account. I’ll just lurk from now on.’
[ Understood. ]
Bye-bye, Indian Cuisine Community.
I’m going to play in the big waters now. Thanks for being my playground.
As Yuria thought that, she logged into Pioneer with her freshly created account.
This time, it was an anonymous nickname, instead of the Jane Smith that came from who-knows-where.
Thus, leaving behind a legend known only to a few, the greatest troll of all time quietly retired.
If the day happens again when she wakes up… the internet will surely be a wasteland by then.