Talking about Foxgas' sleaziness is old news by now, but recently the guy’s been stirring up new drama on the board.
Foxgas: Raising Little Blackie (1)
He picked up so mutt sowhere.
Sure, “puppy” would sound nicer, more innocent—but I call it a mutt because it’s a mutation.
Well, as far as suicide thods go, this one’s at least original.
Better than that pathetic, miserable excuse for a ga he made.
The real problem is that his post, thanks to the influx of Necropolis newcors, is gaining ridiculous popularity.
“Skelton. Another group of migratory birds spotted outside.”
That was Sue’s voice over the speaker, but I didn’t respond.
I was too busy staring at the number of likes on Foxgas’ puppy-raising post.
[988]
“······.”
Nearly a thousand.
That’s practically legendary on Viva! Apocalypse!. Maybe PaleNet could hit those numbers, but here?
The Korean board doesn’t even have ten thousand users total.
If we apply the 10,000:100:1 rule—ten thousand views, one hundred likes, one comnt—then it ans nearly a hundred thousand people saw that post.
Of course, that’s a YouTube-level tric based on millions of users, not our backwater board, so maybe it doesn’t quite apply.
Still, one thing’s clear: Foxgas has staged a coback thanks to Necropolis traffic.
It’s insane, but the reality is that all the effort and sacrifice that I and Valentine poured in... ended up benefiting Foxgas.
I took my hands off the keyboard and let out a deep sigh. Just then, Sue stepped into the bunker.
“Skelton. What are you doing?”
“Sorry, Sue. I was working on tactical planning.”
“For real? Not just online again?”
Tis like this make regret forming a group.
It’s not Sue’s fault.
The real root of the problem is the refugees—aka the migratory birds.
Inspired by Jang Ki-young’s example, I’ve decided to use poetic and philosophical terms when labeling things.
So “migratory birds” is what I call the winter refugees.
They’re pouring southward more each day.
That said, my territory sees fewer than most.
That’s thanks to smart location selection—my base lies right next to a highway leading south, aning most refugees bypass my area entirely by sticking to the road.
Only a few stray into my zone—those who got lost, avoided raiders on the highway, or are looking for alternative settlents like Sejong.
Before forming a group, they weren’t a problem. My bunker was well hidden, and I was careful.
Not anymore.
Now we’re a group. Our space has expanded.
We’re far more likely to be seen.
Fortunately, most of the migrants rush past without even glancing at us.
But their numbers keep growing.
“Are they headed to Sejong?”
“Probably. That place’s reputation is still solid.”
We stood on the hill, watching the group trek down from the north, heading southwest.
Yeah, that’s Sejong’s direction.
Like it or not, it’s the only place that still functions like a proper city.
They say there are other towns down south under military control, but those are run like prisons. Information barely leaks out from them.
Sue and I watched the latest wave pass.
About 50 people.
Most were ard—rifles, makeshift weapons, even Judge-Killers. No vehicles, but they had handcarts loaded with supplies.
Just like the others, they moved fast and didn’t stop, vanishing over the ridge.
“Stand down from alert.”
Another group passed.
There’ll be more.
Sejong’s reputation was already good back on PaleNet, and now with Necropolis, people are treating it like so kind of paradise.
The sun was setting, so I returned to the bunker.
Foxgas: Raising Little Blackie (1)
First thing I checked? That damn post at the top of the popular page.
[1,089]
Over a thousand likes.
“······.”
I didn’t get it.
Why him?
A man who’s spent his life leeching off others, stealing ideas, and being bad at everything except political scheming—how the hell does he get this kind of support just because he picked up so mangy dog?
Foxgas: Thanks for all the love, everyone. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get this kind of response.
Foxgas: You all know, right? My last ga totally flopped. I’ve had shutdowns before, but this one really hurt.
Just so you know, his trash ga finally shut down.
Too many bugs, zero updates, and lag so bad it made the ga unplayable.
Not that he made it himself anyway—he just piggybacked off others, so the outco was expected.
Foxgas: Raising Little Blackie (2)
But reality doesn’t follow my expectations.
The comnts say it all:
Mangja723: Aww, so cute! And Foxgas, you’re such a kind person!
Mangja8321: This is what I live for lately.
Anonymous458: Feels nice with so many people here.
Mangja1233: Mutations are usually dangerous, but if it’s this cute and smart, I’d feel like I was raising a real kid.
Anonymous1423: Foxgas is back, huh~
SKELTON: Is this really a good thing?
...
He did it again.
I leaned back in my chair, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.
“······.”
In this kind of pet-raising content, the peak will probably be when the mutation eats him.
That’ll be the finale.
And that’s when it hit .
This isn’t right.
A guy who built his entire life by stealing others’ ideas, exploiting younger devs, and leeching off their fa—he gets lucky once and now he’s everyone’s darling?
No way.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I logged in with my alt account.
[Welco to Viva! Apocalypse!]
[Urgent Notice: Posting restrictions for Necropolis users]
Yeah, yeah. I figured.
Too many users spamming posts, so they’ve restricted who can write.
Still, they’re letting us leave comnts, at least.
Anyway, the reason I logged in as my other self—Dr. Emiris—was to test the waters, see what people are saying.
“······.”
Tap tap tap
Dr.emiless: Is it just who's uncomfortable seeing Foxgas, the guy who tanked his ga, now getting popular for raising a fucking mutt?
Everyone’s holding their breath in the face of majority opinion, but I can’t be the only one who hates Foxgas.
Especially after he tanked his ga and public opinion turned sharply against him—he vanished completely after that.
I threw the spark. Now it’ll catch fire, one way or another.
A day passed.
Sue reported that another group of migratory birds had passed.
We checked together—another group headed for Sejong.
They didn’t even notice us, nor did they seem like the kind to bother scouting this desolate place.
Back to the board. I checked the comnts.
gijayangban: ?
Only one comnt.
Lately, Woo Min-hee must be really bored.
At the very least, I’m sure she bookmarked my alt account.
I logged back into my main and checked the trending posts.
“?”
Just like Woo Min-hee’s comnt, a question mark popped into my head.
mmmmmmmmm™: Raising Angle (1)
I’ve seen plenty of people say things like “This is why Koreans can’t be helped,” but I’ve never actually said that myself.
It’s always been my belief that human individuality is far too diverse to be homogenized by categories like nationality or ethnicity.
But the mont I saw M9’s new trending post, I was seized by the overwhelming urge to use that exact cliché I’ve always avoided.
There’s this thing that happens.
Like when a neighborhood’s hot new restaurant pops up, and right next to it soone opens a copycat shop in no ti.
Sa with YouTube.
Soone cos up with new content, and soon there’s a horde of copycats imitating it.
M9 is one of those.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
I don’t know where the hell he got it, but he posted a raising diary about a kitten he’s keeping inside a tilted apartnt.
Doesn’t seem like he could get a mutation, probably because Kim Byung-chul’s gang is pointing guns in the next neighborhood.
Still, judging by appearance, it’s definitely a purebred cat—the kind they used to call “designer breeds” before the war.
You can confirm the breed in the comnts.
Mangja8321: What the? That’s a Scottish Fold, right?
Mangja229: Whoa, it’s really cute. You can’t even find those in shops nowadays.
berkut_break: Cats have always been a philosopher’s old companion.
Anonymous1421: Feels like he’s riding the trend, but the content’s legit. Where’d he even get that?
unicorn18: So cute (pant pant)
Mangja1123: Was Viva always this wholeso?
Mangja13: Why does he have weird shit after his nickna? Sa with Foxgas. Are there armbands or sothing now?
Dr.emiless: Why the fuck are you raising a cat in a place like that? This is animal abuse, isn’t it?
...
...
The number of likes on M9’s imitation content was around 400.
Less than half of Foxgas’ post, but considering most popular posts usually cap around 30 likes, it’s still insanely popular.
And M9 didn’t stop at the cat.
mmmmmmmmm™: Oh, that woman? Not my girlfriend. Just a neighbor in the apartnt, haha.
He slyly included the daughter of the Ji family freeloading in his apartnt building.
Ji Young-hee might have a gloomy personality, but her looks are what people would call “classy-pretty.”
Anyway, I’m feeling a bit disoriented from this sudden animal-raising craze.
Isn’t raising animals a ridiculously outdated hobby?
Not to ntion dangerous.
Foxgas himself is basically in a ti-attack countdown until his mutt mauls him to death.
There were others who kept pets in the past too, but I distinctly rember how they had to tearfully put bullets through their beloved animals’ heads.
Years have passed since then.
People change. Thoughts change.
At the very least, it’s clear this pet-raising trend is real.
But I have no intention of joining in.
To be exact—I don’t see the point in taking on that level of risk just to raise an animal.
I keep my mouth shut about it, but online I’m a giant. Far beyond Kang Han-min.
“······.”
Tap tap tap
SKELTON: I have sothing to say.
I ssaged Deadman Working.
Just a small, simple request.
It’s a bit embarrassing, but I wanted to ask if he could add my na—just a little bit—to the front page of Necropolis.
I didn’t list my own nickna next to Valentine’s to keep the focus on him, but maybe it’d be okay if they tacked on my na at the end, like staff credits.
Sothing like:
[For F. Sawyer, M. O’Connor, Byungseon K., and the beloved crimson one.]
[Welco to the clamorous city of the dead.]
[P.S. Our friend Skelton lent a small hand.]
That wouldn’t be too much, right?
Deadman Working replied almost imdiately.
ssage from deadman_working: Why are you going back on your word?
SKELTON: ?
deadman_working: Didn’t you just say the other day that you’d refuse any credit in order to honor Kim Byung-seon?
SKELTON: I’m not asking for credit.
deadman_working: Then what is it?
SKELTON: Just a tiny footnote at the end, like staff roll. Barely visible.
deadman_working: Not acceptable. That’s final.
“······.”
It’s a sha, but I guess I won’t be getting my na on Necropolis after all.
In hindsight, that was the right call.
I must’ve been seeing red for a mont there.
anwhile, the random animal-raising craze Foxgas kicked off has spread to other users too.
berkut_break: Cat of a basent philosopher (1)
Anonymous1332: What kind of animal is that? I want to try raising one too.
Anonymous458: Jumped on the trend and tried raising a dog myself.
It’s beco a trend to find so cat or dog and post about it.
I checked a few out.
Most were just regular cats and dogs.
Berkut’s cat was hilariously ugly—it made snort.
The issue is, these dumb nothing posts are now getting traction just for hopping on the trend.
Even bottom-feeders like Berkut are landing on the popular page.
“······.”
That pisses off just a bit.
“You haven’t seen any cats or dogs?”
I asked Rebecca, the hunter.
Despite being Arican, she has no qualms about eating dogs, cats, even bullfrogs.
If anyone around here knows about local animals, it’s her.
“Mutations are fine too. Haven’t seen any with pups?”
“Nope, none.”
“······Really?”
“Besides, migratory birds are passing by constantly. No ti to go looking for pets.”
She’s right.
The migratory birds keep coming.
Most are small refugee groups headed to Sejong.
Wandering around the wasteland to chase internet trends right now wouldn’t be smart.
But the real issue is, I’m not the only one influenced by this trend.
aregruppe_B: I adopted a puppy too!
Kim Byung-chul posted.
Or more precisely, his sowhat slow daughter did.
The photo showed a girl with only her arms and legs visible, hugging a massive dog nearly her size.
It was a mutation.
Reviews
All reviews (0)