Weddings, first birthdays, funerals.
I’ve attended countless of them, and paid into all of them, too.
So people go to these events calculating what they'll get back when it’s their turn—matching what they gave, planning how many people to invite.
But I don’t know.
There are probably plenty of people like , who never expected anything in return.
Expecting a favor in return from soone like is like believing in so cheap, second-rate religion—even I don’t believe in that kind of thing.
But now, I have no choice but to lean on even that pathetic kind of faith.
Even if the end result is disappointnt.
Because, well... that’s still better than death, isn’t it?
Just because they help doesn’t an we’ll survive. Just because soone extended kindness doesn’t an they’ll live either.
But if you start factoring in all those things, you end up doing nothing at all.
The city has to be protected.
If the city falls, our world will be painted over in ash-grey. True apocalypse will co.
An eternal silence haunted by nothing but echoes of the dead.
To prevent that inevitable future, I sent out ssages.
To everyone I knew, even slightly. I didn’t pick or choose—I just asked for help.
The first to reply, in a way, was my closest neighbor.
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: Is it really that dangerous, SKELTON?
Rebecca and her daughter were the first friends—and neighbors—I made during the collapse.
For soone like , a staunch isolationist, a devout individual survivalist, the concept of a neighbor was incompatible with my beliefs.
Looking back, the way we grew close was a string of miracles.
On the surface, it’s a story about a powerful survivor with resources rescuing a mother and daughter stranded in a foreign land.
But dig deeper, and it’s also about a man trapped in his past being saved.
Thanks to them, I was able to break free from the deep-rooted distrust of people that I once mistook as part of my nature. I was able to take one step forward as a human being.
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: I’ll try contacting the camp. Don’t know if they’ll listen to —or if they’re even still alive—but I’ll try!
I asked the mother and daughter to reach out to the U.S. military base in Daegu.
Like Rebecca said, maybe they’re already dead and wiped out without a trace. But even so, it’s better than doing nothing.
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: SKELTON!
Another ssage popped up.
It was just a few bytes of text, but I knew exactly who had sent it.
SKELTON: Sue!
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: I was worried when you didn’t co back. I knew you were alive because of those weird posts you kept making.
SKELTON: ?
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: You were posting stuff like “The orphan boy who grew up in a cri-ridden world and beca the legendary Hunter P.txt,” “The culprit was Savior K! Hunter P’s exile was all part of the plan...!” and “My lil bean got chubby again.gif” every morning.
SKELTON: ?
SKELTON: Was I hacked?
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: I figured you were okay just from reading those.
“......”
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: It’ll be okay. If nothing else, my mom’s always been lucky. I an, out of all the people out there, she t you. That should tell you how lucky she is, right?
SKELTON: Motto?
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: Motto?
SKELTON: Ah—
That was what happened to Gong Gyeong-min.
SKELTON: You an she hit the human lottery?
ssage from COOKIEMONSTER18: YES!
With just the smallest things, people can beco enemies for life—or the closest of neighbors.
Rebecca and Sue always reminded of that simple truth.
Feeling encouraged by them, I read another ssage that had arrived while chatting with Sue.
“Huh?”
I usually don’t show emotion. But when I saw the nickna on this ssage, I couldn’t help feeling a surge of confusion.
Of course I would.
ssage from dongtanmom: Yum yum...
When the hell did I ssage this person?
No way I would’ve done that in my right mind.
I checked my sent ssages.
There it was.
SKELTON: I need a favor.
SKELTON: New Seoul is in danger.
“Ah.”
Must’ve been sent while I was half-asleep—probably so auto-complete accident.
Dongtanmom—that’s Baek Seung-hyun, my senior—kept ssaging .
ssage from dongtanmom: Looks like you’re in that dood city... yum yum...
ssage from dongtanmom: So that boring little bastard was there too, huh... yum yum...
Can people really not change?
Baek Seung-hyun was always pessimistic, but still—he’s from the sa school as .
He used to sing our school anthem with pride. I thought he had so kind of pride as a hunter back then.
Even if the world betrays you, there has to be a limit to how far one should fall.
A person shouldn’t stop being a person.
ssage from dongtanmom: Just wait a bit. Yum...
SKELTON: ?
ssage from dongtanmom: Why act surprised? Like you don’t read my serialized posts... yum yum... I know damn well you read them all...
I might check a lot of things, but not Dongtanmom’s posts.
Sure, there’s sothing entertaining about them. But they always leave feeling gross, like so sticky gunk clinging to my soul.
ssage from dongtanmom: Get ready... yum yum... Stop pretending you’re so bigshot... you wannabe nafag lol yum...
I opened up Notepad imdiately.
“......”
Tatatatatak—
One sentence spilled out onto the screen.
—Did you go insane drifting on saltwater with no ho or port to return to?
The true power of Notepad.
Even if you hit enter, nothing gets sent.
Only I can see it.
If you don’t save, it disappears forever.
Before the war, Notepad probably saved more people from defamation and slander lawsuits than actual lawyers.
“......”
Anyway, that little crisis was avoided.
Dongtanmom.
Is he really going to help us?
I don’t get it, but I have no desire—or ti—to dive into that gross pile of “yum yum” just to find out.
Still, it seems my reputation wasn’t for nothing—two more ssages ca in at the sa ti.
I opened the first, from a surprising person.
ssage from Anonymous458: Just read your ssage.
Anonymous458.
If I had to describe this guy in one phrase, I’d say “a presence like air.”
Never stood out, never caused friction—just a steady, average user who ford the backbone of our board.
He was part of that vanished social circle with Kyle Dos and Anonymous848.
When his internet buddies disappeared, he showed a bit of depression but didn’t spiral. He’s remained steady and background-like ever since.
It’s been four, almost five years since the war started.
Sotis I wonder how he’s doing—where he’s living.
Most people didn’t prepare ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) for more than three years.
While everyone else groaned about dying, he never once complained. Never acted out like others tend to when cornered.
I’ve always thought he was a remarkably strong person.
Maybe that high regard is what led to ssage him, even though I hadn’t heard from him in so long.
ssage from Anonymous458: Mgu’s broadcasts tell most of what’s going on.
ssage from Anonymous458: That giant thing showed up and made a field, and now monsters are swarming in, right?
ssage from Anonymous458: Matches exactly what the riverside guys and the North Koreans said.
ssage from Anonymous458: It might not be comforting, but we’re planning to help in our own way.
ssage from Anonymous458: Even in the North, there were patriots—no, real heroes of the people. Even as the country collapsed, so defended the rift zones. The areas they protected were never fully eroded. So maybe human resistance really can fight back against erosion.
ssage from Anonymous458: We’re still discussing, but yeah—if your city falls, we’re next.
ssage from Anonymous458: Hang in there a bit longer. We’ll do everything we can.
“......”
My heart felt full.
Even if it was just comforting words, sotis, that’s enough.
While still holding onto that emotion, I opened one more ssage.
And despite all the kind replies so far, this one made my heart race.
How could it not?
ssage from CrunchRoll: Hey. SKELTON.
King ssaged .
Realistically speaking, he’s the most powerful force that could help us right now.
I waited in silence for what he’d say next.
ssage from CrunchRoll: Let be straight. I don’t give a shit whether Seoul lives or dies.
ssage from CrunchRoll: What the hell has Seoul ever done for ? What the hell has this fucked-up country ever done for us?
ssage from CrunchRoll: I’m a discharged soldier, man. While all those lawmaker brats and trust fund babies swore loyalty to the U.S., I got dragged into service and worked my ass off. Then I got a job and spent the rest of my life getting bled dry as a state-certified corporate donkey.
ssage from CrunchRoll: But... I owe you.
ssage from CrunchRoll: And losing Seoul, that at shield, would be a huge problem.
ssage from CrunchRoll: Just hold out a little longer, SKELTON.
ssage from CrunchRoll: I’ll find a way to help.
“......”
Clack clack
SKELTON: King...
ssage from CrunchRoll: Don’t thank . And get in touch with that guy too.
SKELTON: Who?
ssage from CrunchRoll: The guy who goes ‘maem maem’ all the ti. You know who I an.
Of course, I ssaged him too.
IAmJesus.
The King of the Dead.
But I felt a hint of anxiety.
The enemy ahead of us is the King of Monsters—one that neutralizes Awakened.
IAmJesus’s powers are impressive, but even Woo Min-hee is helpless against this thing. Would IAmJesus, with powers maybe equal or weaker, even stand a chance?
Still, I sent the ssage.
SKELTON: IAmJesus. Are you there?
Not everyone replies.
IAmJesus didn’t.
It stung—especially because I considered him soone I’d given a hefty symbolic gift to.
But my connections weren’t all virtual.
Real-world comrades ca to find .
“Park Gyu.”
“Senior Park!”
Ha Tae-hoon and Bang Jae-hyuk showed up.
Their sudden appearance caught off guard.
“What about your post?”
Ha Tae-hoon answered with a tired smile.
“This country’s about to collapse. We couldn’t just sit there.”
Bang Jae-hyuk added:
“We asked the U.S. military for help.”
“The U.S.?”
“You know—the big lady and the tall, skinny girl.”
Rebecca and Sue.
“They agreed to watch over things for us. Besides, our base only had won left anyway.”
If Rebecca and Sue are on it, I’m relieved.
Still—
“You sure about this?”
I looked at my comrades.
Especially their eyes.
Unlike , they still had things to lose.
But I saw no regret, only cold clarity.
Hunter eyes.
I had a lot to say, but held back.
I extended my hand.
“Let’s do this.”
It felt like a new beginning.
“Leg’s a bit ssed up, but I can still handle heavy fire roles. Just assign wherever.”
Bang Jae-hyuk was selling himself short—he was one of our best marksn.
I vouch for him.
With these two elite hunters by my side, I returned to my quarters.
I ant to thank Rebecca and Sue.
They must’ve already settled in—probably didn’t want to worry, so they didn’t ntion they were acting as our rcenaries.
Then, a new ssage arrived.
Was it IAmJesus?
A small surge of hope blood in as I checked the sender.
“......”
ssage from unicorn18: Hey.
Na Hye-in.
I hadn’t ssaged her.
For many reasons. Mainly because she’s from Jeju, and like Woo Min-hee, she’s afraid of the Rift.
I wasn’t even sure if she was still in Jeju or sowhere in Ganghwa.
More importantly, she was Kang Han-min’s pair.
They were always ntioned together. Always moved as one.
There’s no way she wouldn’t consider his opinion.
I don’t know what goes on in Kang Han-min’s head, but I feel like I can guess what that reckless bastard is thinking.
“Haa...”
Anyway, right now, I needed to reply to Na Hye-in.
I hate waiting.
She probably does too.
Thinking about it now, maybe we’re a bit alike.
“......”
Clack clack
SKELTON: ㅇㅅㅇ:)
ssage from unicorn18: ? What is that weird emoji?
SKELTON: (SKELTON Picasso) A Cubist-style emoticon, obviously.
ssage from unicorn18: You do weird stuff, you know that? You don’t look like the type at all.
“......”
ssage from unicorn18: Anyway, I heard things are really bad there.
ssage from unicorn18: It wasn’t planned, but... I’m going there.
SKELTON: What?
ssage from unicorn18: I’ll help too, SKELTON.
ssage from unicorn18: No... Professor.
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