Are You That Troll?

    "Yes?"

    Minsoo couldn''t wrap his head around the current situation. From scouring the internet for public opinions about himself to the incessant doorbell ringing, he understood that much. But what ensued left him utterly perplexed.

    He''s not a delivery guy either... Who is he?

    While he had pondered it before, he had never encountered someone so disheveled among his acquaintances. Even by civilian standards, this guy was subpar.

    His unkempt hair looked like it hadn''t seen shampoo in ages, and he resembled a character straight out of a comic with his protruding belly. He looked like someone you''d see if you lined up three circles side by side.

    "Devil... What did you say?"

    "I''m the Devil Chaos Ultra King. But you can just call me Dechaul King for short. It''s an honor for you to be the first to call me that since the inception of Noble."

    "Noble?"

    "Yeah, ever heard of it?"

    Minsoo was familiar with the group.

    Noble had been relentlessly pestering him to join even before he entered Victory Academy. They had been the ones pushing the narrative of Minsoo being a naturally awakened passive skill user since his character education days.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    One of the reasons Minsoo had gained his current hero image was thanks to Noble''s deep pockets and extensive PR. Despite his gratitude, he had turned down their offer, because he was unable to grasp their true intentions.

    "Are you here to recruit me again? And how did you even get in here?"

    "Well, does it really matter right now? What matters is that we''ve met. You''ve always relied on other people''s persuasion, but you can actually make quite astute judgments. Anyway, the fact that we''ve met is what''s important."

    Huh? Who is this guy?

    Minsoo felt an unfamiliar emotion bubbling up inside him. The repetitive speech patterns felt oddly familiar, like de?ja? vu. Suddenly, thoughts of Baek Taeyang crept into his mind, and Minsoo scowled.

    "Why the hell did you come here, besides dodging the question? You''ve been beating around the bush since earlier."

    Trying to steer clear of thoughts about Baek Taeyang, Minsoo struggled to control his tone. He knew feelings shouldn''t dictate his attitude, but he couldn''t help but feel an aversion to anything related to Baek Taeyang.

    "Well... I''ve heard you''ve been having a tough time lately, given recent events... So, I want to lend you some support, and now even Yoomin—"

    "Don''t even mention that! Consider yourself fucking warned."

    Minsoo''s sharp response caught the chubby man off guard. His choice of words revealed his extreme sensitivity.

    ‘This feels straight out of an anime... It''s best to steer clear of such situations. But there''s one exception.''

    When the protagonist exudes such a heavy atmosphere, creating a tense mood, usually, it''s the heroines'' job to lighten it up. But with no one around Minsoo at the moment, I have no choice but to step in.

    The chubby man attempted to defuse the situation once more. However, there was one fact he hadn''t properly grasped. He was the one who had created this situation.

    "Even Melanie is giving you the cold shoulder... You''re currently in the worst opposite-sex relationship, but with me, the Devil Chaos Ultra King, by your side—"

    "Enough!" Minsoo''s face turned beet red as he shouted hastily. At the moment, he had this charming habit of blowing his top at the slightest provocation.

    Blinking furiously, the rotund man struggled to maintain a poker face. Standing shorter than Minsoo, he couldn''t escape the feeling of being overshadowed.

    Minsoo was quite taken aback. He had activated the skill, fully believing in himself, only to be seen through?

    Wait, so I was completely defeated? The skill just spits out the absolute truth. Sure, I lost, but I''m thinking it was a near miss, a fluke, or just plain old luck.

    Really?

    Minsoo''s confusion resurfaced.

    Hold on a second.

    Suddenly, clarity washed over his mind. A revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. A random bystander who appeared out of thin air. His tactic of incessantly bringing up things Minsoo disliked while offering help, subtly prodding but never crossing the line. And he already knew about all Minsoo''s humiliating defeat.

    "You''re the guy who was trolling me in my Q&A threads with PureDiaryAuthor!"

    "W-What''s all this about?"

    Minsoo, swiftly piecing it together, fixed the man with a suspicious glare.

    Why all the beating around the bush? Why keep poking at my nerves? Is he seriously trying to play me, knowing I can''t exploit my hero status and awakening?

    He seems to know about Noble, so he''s probably another born awakened like me. But he''s acting like an ordinary Level 5 hunter living a civilian life.

    Feeling duped by this insignificant figure, Minsoo couldn''t contain his anger.

    "Just look at you, flustered, even your chin''s shaking. It''s you, isn''t it? The same troll always nitpicking, ridiculing me in those threads!"

    "Why''s this suddenly turning into a mess? You''re way off! Think logically for once! Why wouldn''t you think I''m PureDiaryAuthor himself or the person he sent?"

    "Now that''s even more absurd! PureDiaryAuthor''s already proved with photos he''s a 2m tall bodybuilder physique who could go straight to a bodybuilding competition! And you think you''re associated with him? Plus, he''s always been busy with women, he''s mentioned it before! You not getting this just confirms you''re the troll from the comments!"

    The chubby man, realizing too late his past comments, was flustered.

    There was no other way to sway Minsoo...

    He''d only used internet photos once, feeling his own physique lacked credibility. He didn''t expect it to backfire like this.

    "Wait, there''s some misunderstanding here!"

    "Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?! I almost fell for your tricks! Count yourself lucky I didn''t land a punch!"

    Bam—

    The door slammed shut, and the man broke into a sweat.

    Where did I go wrong? I was trying to help.

    He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away the drool on his face that had escaped Minsoo''s mouth during his rant.

    I need to find a different approach... How can I help Minsoo?

    And so, the author''s and Kim Minsoo''s first encounter ended in failure.

    I must be a genius. Just like PureDiaryAuthor said, I feel like I''ve unlocked the truth, the secrets of the universe... Seeing through a scammer like that... I''ll post another question thread today.

    But Minsoo''s mood had bounced back. In a twisted way, the author might have unintentionally succeeded.