Before the war, there were people who raised Mutations.
They hadn’t been Mutations from the beginning.
They had once been family mbers, given love and treated as such.
A stray Mutation factor that happened to drift by caused an animal—already fully grown or still maturing—to grow abnormally large, to a degree that was clearly excessive to anyone who saw it.
Education about Mutations had been widely distributed and had beco a topic of intense public interest years before the war. There wasn’t a soul unaware of them.
So voluntarily applied to the authorities for extermination. But many, thinking of their animals as family, hid them and left them be.
News flashes about oversized Mutations massacring families, killing neighbors, and roaming the streets freely were a common sight before the war.
To put it simply, the outco was already determined.
Raising a Mutation was a misfortune—both for the Mutation and the human.
Of course, let’s acknowledge that there are exceptions.
An unnad cat mom proved that. And I too, am one of the few who have witnessed the possibility of coexistence between a human and a Mutation.
But arriving at that understanding is not easy.
Imagine trying to convince soone who hates you for no reason.
It’s not easy.
And if there are others around, you might not even get the chance to explain before they try to kill the Mutation.
Many who hid Mutations were put on trial for violating laws and ended up in prison.
That’s why I say it was a tragedy already written.
Well, maybe in the case of the Fox Ga, it was a cody. But this girl isn’t Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter in na only.
She’s bright—almost excessively so—but a good kid.
And she is, unmistakably, Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter.
No matter how far Kim Byeong-cheol has fallen now, reduced to a re warlord, he once declared himself the head of the Republic of Korea.
And even if she’s not directly under his protection, when you consider the thousands of people around the governnt warehouse he’s guarding, it’s impossible not to care about her safety.
I rummaged through my phone to find the personal identification code Kim Byeong-cheol had given a while back and initiated contact.
“This is Marshal Kim Byeong-cheol’s radio.”
An unfamiliar voice answered the radio.
Marshal, huh.
He got a promotion while I wasn’t looking.
“This is Park Gyu. Could you connect to General Kim Byeong-cheol?”
Whatever titles they give themselves, to , he’s just a general.
A mont later, Kim Byeong-cheol picked up the transmission.
“Oh! Hunter Park! Long ti no see! What brings you to ?”
It’s never easy to read a person’s emotions through voice alone, but at the very least, Kim Byeong-cheol didn’t sound like he was in a bad mood today.
“It’s nothing much. I just saw soone on the internet—presumably your daughter—raising a dog.”
“Humphrey?”
“Excuse ?”
“Thought you might be talking about our Humphrey. You’re referring to the dog, right?”
“You’re aware that it’s a Mutation, yes?”
I sharpened my tone.
Enough for the other side to catch on.
Even if Kim Byeong-cheol still held real power, my reaction would have been the sa.
There are no exceptions in the face of a clearly foreseeable danger.
Whether the other person is a president or whatever, they need to be made aware of the risk.
Before the war, I’d said what needed to be said in front of the man who called himself Emperor of China.
That is the duty of those of us who stand against the Rifts.
“I know.”
Kim Byeong-cheol, realizing my intent, replied in a different tone.
“It’d be best to terminate it as quickly as possible.”
“...Don’t you think that’s a little too cold?”
“If her life isn’t more important, then feel free to leave it be.”
“......”
“If you’ve got nothing else to say, I’ll be hanging up now.”
“Wait, Hunter Park.”
“Yes.”
The mont I heard that voice, I had a bad feeling.
Naturally so—Kim Byeong-cheol’s voice had taken on the tone of soone about to make a request.
If it were sothing minor, I wouldn’t mind doing it. But a request from soone in a position like Kim Byeong-cheol’s always cos with hassle—and risk.
I braced myself for rejection and waited to hear what he’d say.
“I’m really sorry, but... could you persuade my daughter for ?”
“......”
“My wife left , took our son, and disappeared. When the war broke out, I lost contact with both of them. She’s the only family I have left.”
“How am I supposed to persuade her?”
I was an instructor for a short while, but I don’t think I was ever a good teacher.
Besides, I prefer demonstrating over lecturing.
I don’t have the emotional depth to persuade soone, nor the patience to wait for them to co around.
Most of all, I’m not his subordinate. I’m not even in his territory.
I can’t just leave my post and go to so place alone during this dangerous season of migratory flocks—just for his daughter.
“I’m not a counselor. And more importantly, I can’t go there.”
“No need to co.”
“Excuse ?”
“Can’t you just say a few words from where you are?”
At that mont, I found myself staring at the monitor without aning to.
Displayed on the screen was a photo of Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter hugging a Mutation dog.
“Over the internet?”
“If you ask , you’re as good a soldier online as you are on the battlefield.”
“......”
“I’m truly sorry, but I can’t act freely around my own daughter. But soone as well-known as you on the boards... surely you could say sothing to move her heart?”
Kim Byeong-cheol sighed.
“It’s shaful to admit as a father, but right now, my daughter won’t listen to a single word I say...”
I thought about it for a mont.
To be honest, the term “internet warrior” is outdated.
No one—myself included—uses that term anymore.
But it’s true that I’m pretty well-known on the boards, with so degree of influence.
I nodded.
Saying a few words online wouldn’t hurt.
There was nothing to lose, and if I refused even this, I might earn Kim Byeong-cheol’s resentnt.
It was better to accept.
But before that, I made the responsibilities crystal clear.
“You should know, advice on the internet is usually ignored. People don’t listen even when you tell them in person—why would they listen to so post online? Just keep that in mind.”
“I understand.”
“And if 30 days pass from now—no later than 45 days—you must have it terminated regardless of your daughter’s feelings.”
“...I’ll consider it.”
“That’s not a suggestion. That’s a warning.”
And just like that, I unexpectedly ended up in charge of psychological counseling for Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter.
Her na was Kim Yerim.
She was 17 years old and had been raised like a princess.
Kim Byeong-cheol hadn’t ntioned any disabilities, but he did say that she had refused to attend school since middle school, and that her emotional sensitivity was unusually intense.
In short, she had trouble controlling her emotions.
It sounded like one of the symptoms often associated with autism.
There’s sothing our old ntor Jang Ki-young once said about autism.
“Autism? We didn’t have words like that back in the day. You know why? Back then, every neighborhood had that one guy everyone called ‘the local idiot.’ He was older but still played with little kids. Anyone could tell he was ntally off. He was middle-school age but hung out with grade schoolers. But when I hit middle school myself, that idiot was just... gone. And it wasn’t just our neighborhood. All the local idiots disappeared.”
Jang Ki-young gave a crooked smile.
“Where do you think all those village idiots went?”
That kind of outdated recollection was one of the main reasons I kept my distance from him.
Anyway, since I’d accepted the job from Kim Byeong-cheol, it was only proper to give it a try.
I straightened my posture and sat up in front of the computer, tapping away at the keyboard with a light rhythm.
“......”
Tadak, tadak.
SKELTON: (Skelton greets) Hello!
I sent a ssage to Yerim.
A mont later, a reply ca.
ssage from aregruppe_B: (Yerim, sweating bullets) Huh?
SKELTON: Mind chatting for a mont?
ssage from aregruppe_B: Who are you?
SKELTON: (Skelton, disappointed) You don’t know ?
ssage from aregruppe_B: Of course I do!
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
ssage from aregruppe_B: You’re the guy who keeps posting weird stuff!
SKELTON: ?
ssage from aregruppe_B: Aren’t you having a baby today?
I couldn’t help but smile.
Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter knew who I was.
And she knew quite well, at that.
It was strange.
To be known like this by soone I had never once t or spoken to.
Feeling an odd warmth fill my chest, I decided to offer a little fan service.
“......”
Tadak tadak.
SKELTON: (Skelton, intense) Kkkyoooongyooot!
SKELTON: (Skelton, chonky baby) Ungaee.
ssage from aregruppe_B: I’m blocking you.
Is this... a generation gap?
SKELTON: Wait! I’ve got sothing to say.
ssage from aregruppe_B: What is it?
I got straight to the point.
SKELTON: (Skelton, serious) I saw your post. Looks like you're raising a dog.
ssage from aregruppe_B: Yeah, yeah. You an our Humphrey, right?
ssage from aregruppe_B: (Yerim, proud)
The mont I read that ssage, I thought of my classmate, Lee Sang-hoon.
Lee Sang-hoon was an excellent hunter, but Gukwiwon isn't a place where just being good is enough to get promoted.
Even if Lee Sang-hoon had impressive records, he was still just one of the top perforrs—not soone like . And he wasn’t even Awakened.
What really brought him into the spotlight was how elegantly he handled these Mutation incidents.
I rember clearly what he said during a dia interview about that case.
“Convincing the family was the hardest part. Way harder than putting down the Mutation itself—dozens of tis harder, really. I an, co on. It's a pet, right? It's family. Half the conn in Korea scam their own family and friends. And most of the ti, the victims aren’t clueless—they know. That’s the power of attachnt. It's supposed to be the string that binds people together, but when one side falls off a cliff, that string pulls the other side down too.”
He had sighed as he stared at the screen with hollow eyes.
That very human mont, I recall, was praised by many.
I don’t know how he actually handled it, but according to Kim Daram—who absolutely hated him—he just talked big in interviews, while in reality he put the Mutation down first and then inford the family after.
But anything Kim Daram says has to be taken with a grain of salt.
I choose to believe my classmate did what he could to persuade families in his own way.
Back at his near-empty funeral, no one could’ve imagined I’d end up walking the sa path years later.
SKELTON: (Skelton, advice) I don’t really know what to say, but I’m kind of a Mutation dog expert.
I sent over a pre-prepared photo.
One of the few precious pictures I had with my partner, Gold.
ssage from aregruppe_B: Whoa.
ssage from aregruppe_B: (Yerim, surprised) This isn’t photoshopped, right? Wow...
ssage from aregruppe_B: I need an emoji for this.
Naturally, I’d blurred out my face.
SKELTON: Not to brag, but getting to this point is extrely difficult.
ssage from aregruppe_B: Is that so?
SKELTON: Raising a Mutation dog is incredibly dangerous. You rember those pre-war news reports about Mutations wiping out entire families?
ssage from aregruppe_B: ? First I’ve heard of it.
At that mont, I realized this wasn’t going to be easy.
I could feel all the struggles Lee Sang-hoon must’ve faced.
SKELTON: It might seem cute now, but Mutations grow incredibly fast. Especially if it's a puppy—it'll grow even faster.
SKELTON: Right now, the dog might be harmless because it's still young. But once it gets bigger and smarter, you’ll be the one in danger.
Even as Kim Yerim stayed silent, I kept ssaging.
A mont later...
ssage from aregruppe_B: So?
A cold reply shot back.
“......”
What now?
What could I say here that would change her mind?
I knew.
We lived in an era where everyone thought they were smart and exceptional.
Even when their knowledge was flat-out wrong, most still believed it was others who were mistaken.
Changing soone's mind with words alone? That was a fantasy.
“......”
Tadak tadak
SKELTON: I get that you love that puppy—but do you think the puppy loves you back?
All I could offer was the truth.
ssage from aregruppe_B: Humphrey loves so much, though? He wags his tail like crazy whenever he sees . He’s adorable. Seriously.
SKELTON: That’s probably because the puppy has no choice but to rely on you.
SKELTON: Once it grows enough to overpower you easily, once it knows it can... it’ll change.
There are reports that Mutation intelligence increases in parallel with their primal instincts.
This was one theory to explain how animals that had once been deeply loyal to humans could suddenly display totally contradictory behavior.
Whatever the case, the fact remains that Mutations raised by humans often turn on them.
There are rare exceptions—but exceptions are just that. Rare.
Reality is cruel to those who try to live as if they’re the exception.
SKELTON: It’d be best if you let the dog go.
That was my conclusion.
And then...
ssage from aregruppe_B: I’m blocking you. Don’t talk to again.
That was Kim Yerim’s response.
I took a screenshot.
Insurance—just in case Kim Byeong-cheol ca back later demanding answers.
I’d done my part.
And I had done what I was supposed to.
But still, I couldn’t shake the unease.
If I left things like this, Yerim would probably die.
And it wouldn’t be peaceful.
“......”
I stood from my seat and walked a full circle around the bunker, past the central latrine.
Then I sat down again.
Where should I even begin?
The truth was, my options were extrely limited.
Migratory flocks were camped out just beyond my borders.
They weren’t targeting —just a coincidental overlap with a group of migrants crossing through the area. ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Each group was eyeing the other while digging in and fortifying positions along the road.
If things went sideways, the sparks could easily fly my way.
In this situation, going to Seoul would be madness. And I had no justification to risk my life just to go there and put down that Mutation myself.
Drdrk—drdrk—
The rough turning of the mouse wheel mirrored the frustration inside —trapped between choices, unable to move either way.
Out of habit, I clicked on the Trending tab.
As always, that damn Foxgas’ outdated trend was still flooding the popular posts.
Tadak.
I tapped my keyboard without realizing it.
Yes.
If I couldn’t persuade Kim Yerim directly, I just had to create the environnt for persuasion.
Foxgas
That was the word I typed without thinking.
Yes.
That guy’s the problem.
This Foxgas is the one putting false ideas into people’s heads.
So maybe the solution’s surprisingly simple.
If Foxgas gave people this false inspiration... then maybe he can take it back.
“......”
Tadak tadak
How long had it been?
Since I’d last ssaged this rotted-minded human who once passed for a decent guy on the forums?
SKELTON: How’ve you been?
Of course, he might’ve blocked .
Blocking’s one of those things people do, undo, and redo all the ti.
ssage from Foxgas: Oh. Skelton.
He hadn’t blocked .
ssage from Foxgas: Long ti no see? :)
On the contrary—he seed happy to hear from .
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