Everyone has their own thoughts.
“Why did I co here?”
Emgu was no different.
“Pretending to be a journalist was just an excuse. I ca to figure out how to survive.”
It beca clear when seen up close.
He’d aged.
Different from when we first t. Different again from when I last saw him in his cramped bunker.
Behind his comical vibe, each of Emgu’s days must have been a continuous stream of crises and hardships that most people wouldn’t even face once in their lives.
“...Even if it’s not Shangri-La, they say there are people who’ve survived long-term. Like the tunnel cities. So I ca to check for myself.”
Light conversation—but what lies beneath is a grim outlook.
Even soone as optimistic as Emgu sees a bleak future for New Seoul.
Emgu looked over at .
“What about you? Why did you get on board?”
A light question.
The kind anyone could ask.
But sotis, those seemingly casual questions stab deep into your consciousness with an unexpectedly sharp edge.
The purpose is clear.
To fulfill Kang Han-min’s request.
I need to secure the Princess.
It’s a difficult task, but one anyone could understand.
The justification is sound.
It’s to protect the people I hold dear—Woo Min-hee, IAmJesus, Na Hye-in—from Kang Han-min’s sches.
The rationale is flawless, the logic sound.
But doubt creeps in.
Is this really the right thing?
Let’s say I do secure the Princess.
What will Kang Han-min do next?
Will he be satisfied and move forward with his “plan”?
Or will he demand another offering?
“...”
The latter can’t be ruled out.
No—judging by Kang Han-min’s behavior so far, the latter is the obvious outco.
“Good morning, Senior.”
I know why Woo Min-hee got on the train too.
She’s starting to rely on .
This isn’t just a senior-junior relationship.
She’s hoping for sothing more.
I’m not so dense I can’t see that.
But it’s not love. She’s looking to as a place to escape.
I’m not immune to the ache of being wanted by a woman—but I don’t want to be soone’s refuge.
So we’ll remain parallel lines.
That emotional standstill might be why Emgu’s simple question hit like a seizure.
Everyone feels anxiety.
So say that to feel anxiety is to be alive, but I don’t know.
There were tis when life was simply enjoyable—so much so that I can’t take that sentint at face value.
The ssage from that friend ca on a lazy afternoon, right when the stalled journey was starting to feel tainted with dread.
*
No matter how anxious life is, you still have to get things done.
“...”
tap tap tap
Emgu: I know soone who saw Skelton in real life, and they said he's a total alpha male ㄷㄷ;;
And that task was—of course—the internet.
The train was equipped with a wireless relay for cellphones, but posting on the forums through a phone? That’s what casuals do.
As a purebred Oldbie, I naturally connect to the internet through my Obelisk.
I search the forums whenever I can.
Not just to pass the ti—forums are crucial for gathering live intel.
The account I use is “Emgu,” but I also have access set up for the legendary “SKELTON” handle.
“...”
tap tap tap
Emgu: Soone who saw Skelton at a bathhouse said his junk is the size of a forearm ㅎㄷㄷ;
Just as I was enjoying a wholeso internet session, a nuisance appeared.
It was Cheon Young-jae.
“Senior! Did you see?! The friend I told you about yesterday!”
“...Oh. Yeah.”
Whenever a ta-creator appears ahead of their ti, copycats always follow.
I made a legend with TwelveSquare, and a myth as Skelton—so of course I’d end up the target of impersonators. But is mimicking really that easy?
Even Emgu tried posting about mutation hunts in my style and got roasted so hard he took the post down himself.
After that, Emgu started digging into “Skelton’s Past” content—sothing I never talked about because, frankly, it wasn’t a pleasant truth.
But now, a formidable rookie has erged.
That’s right.
The sa friend Cheon Young-jae begged to check out—spitting all over himself in the process.
PROPHET: Hunting #8
If we trace Prophet’s stylistic lineage, the origin point is the now-departed Dongtanmom.
First-person body cam. No dialogue. Pure action. Rapid perspective shifts, raw presence.
All direct influences from Dongtanmom.
But unlike Dongtanmom, who obsessed over stunts and crane shots, Prophet was also clearly influenced by Skelton.
His targets? Monsters.
That alone puts him in the “wannabe Skelton” category, but this guy has a trait no other contender has.
Thud!
He creates shockwaves.
Tatatatatang!
Exactly.
Neutralizing the distortion field and mowing down monsters with standard rifles—this guy is an Awakened.
A highly capable one.
Mobility, marksmanship, positioning, knowledge, experience.
Not soone who’s just fought a few monsters.
A ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) full-on combat pro.
“He’s insane.”
Even when we showed the footage to Moon Yang-gyeong’s crew, they were visibly impressed.
Though their reactions focused on different aspects than ours—while we were blown away by Prophet’s Awakened powers, the Jeju Awakened were floored by his physicality.
“Neutralizing the field and opening fire instantly? That’s not supposed to be possible. You know why? The shockwave feeds back into the user too. Your vision blurs, your head rings. That’s how it works. Anyone who’s taken a psychic response test would get it. But he—he’s unaffected. Not even a wobble.”
He may not feel human, but in that mont, spitting out his explanation, he sure sounded human.
Anyway, Prophet is hot right now.
Judging by his post numbers, he’s been active for a while—but only recently blew up.
I watched so of his early vids. No wonder he stayed buried.
Terrible cara setup. Every ti he fired a pulse, the footage would black out.
But his polished videos now? Even to Skelton’s eyes—they’re impressive.
A rookie cot to succeed the line of Dongtanmom and Skelton. Even I had no objections.
People started calling him “The Silent Awakened” in awe.
And when stuff like this happens, certain people always appear.
NiceGuy: Who’s better—Skelton or Prophet?
EmotionalTrashCan: Skelton’s got better raw stats. His enemies were way tougher, too.
EnergyDrinkAddict: I think Skelton wins. There’s drama in his fights. And hey, he’s a regular human like us.
TonicWater: Skelton = No-Awaken, Prophet = Awaken. Ga over?
anon2313: I root for Skelton, but honestly, he’s probably a tier below. Prophet’s Awakened.
...
...
The classic “VS Match.”
Weird to be one of the nas in the ring, but I don’t mind.
Being in the debate ans I’ve been recognized. A top-tier slot.
Still, reading those posts stirred sothing inside .
“...”
tap tap tap
Emgu: Honestly, how does so no-na like Prophet even dare compare to Skelton? Shouldn’t you at least take down a large-class monster first before even trying?
I couldn’t hold back and ended up posting.
Not the most mature move—but it felt damn satisfying.
Of course, a post like that doesn’t end a debate.
In fact, that sa day, Prophet dropped another video.
PROPHET: Hunting #11
Big number jump—clear sign.
He’s got a stockpile of videos and is editing and uploading in chunks.
Anyway, I watched it. Feeling a little conflicted.
“...”
I acknowledged it from the start, but now I can’t even deny it.
Prophet is the real deal.
A living example of what happens when a full-fledged Awakened hits hunter-tier combat.
Hell, he even started showing flair—as if to match the hype.
In the video, as a Crown-type monster swung its sluggish forelimb, Prophet slipped into a sliding dodge, unloading a semi-auto shotgun like it was an assault rifle—shredding the monster’s lower abdon.
The response was nuclear.
Gangrel21: Holy shit! This might even top Dongtanmom’s pri!
DeadMan4211: Dude’s farming monsters like it’s breakfast. Are Awakened always this crazy?
anon424: Yeah... that’s so solid fighting...
mmmmmmmmmm: WOW!
Cain_Bros: Beautiful!
ChocoMuffin: Seriously though, Prophet might have higher combat power than Skelton at this point?
Emgu: Hmm... is it really that good?
...
...
Less than 10 minutes in, 15 comnts. Including mine. Insane traction.
Bound to hit the trending page. Might even escalate the whole Skelton vs. Prophet debate.
But just when things were heating up—Pyo Won-sang summoned .
Apparently, our expedition leader had just scored big.
I’d been wondering why we took such a weird detour on the rails—but turns out it was all part of the plan.
Pyo’s team just discovered and rescued a group of researchers hiding in a secret governnt bunker.
“Thank you so much. We’d nearly given up hope.”
“Those with malnutrition—please evacuate them first. I’m fine.”
“I haven’t taken a shit in over two months. Why? Try eating nothing but brick-hard nutrient blocks for six months. See if anything cos out.”
The researchers were skeletal. Gaunt like prisoners from Nazi camps.
Turns out they’d survived over two years in there.
They had a plan—stockpiled food, even started their own garden and rabbit coop near the bunker.
But the farm never got used.
“Mutation. There’s a mutation nearby! It got Chief Kim and Chief Choi.”
They said a mutation—believed to be a cat or maybe a wildcat—was prowling the area.
That cunning beast never entered the bunker. It stayed outside, ambushing anyone who stepped out.
It would perch motionless above the entrance, in the blind spot, all night—then snatch humans the mont they exited.
Leaving severed heads in plain view—proof of its malevolent intelligence.
The researchers were burning with vengeance.
Despite being physically wrecked and ntally dulled, they swore they wouldn’t leave until they killed that monster.
Revenge.
The sa primal force that helped humanity overco nature at the dawn of ti—now flaring again in its twilight.
A mutation-hunting team was ford on the spot.
Led by Ha Tae-hoon.
It wasn’t my problem, so I just headed back to the train.
Too much on my mind.
Especially that Skelton vs. Prophet thing.
That’s when soone who knew well—and whom I knew just as well—approached.
“Hey. Skelton.”
It was Emgu.
“You ever feel like you’re going obsolete lately?”
“Not at all.”
“You know what makes soone a has-been? It’s not complicated. No matter how great you used to be, people live in the now. They look at what’s new. That’s why Prophet’s rising and you’re in so dumb soup battle.”
“Soup battle?”
“Skelton-Prophet. S.P.—Soup.”
“...”
“Ever think about making content? Doesn’t have to be Prophet. You’ve got alt accounts, right? Like Dr. Emiris. Or Dr. Emiris...”
He clearly doesn’t know.
Still, his idea was kinda tempting.
He’s no top-tier na, but he’s an Oldbie and knows video editing.
Didn’t he train directly under Baek Seung-hyun?
And damn, he can talk.
“Let’s make a video with your alt. Do a collab with , Captain M9. We’ll show everyone that Prophet’s below your side account. Then, we both respect Skelton. Wrap up the Soup Battle in style.”
“...”
“So what do you say, Skelton? Bored just sitting on the train all day? Don’t you feel antsy?”
“Hmph.”
I don’t usually court danger—but I do believe a hunter needs to keep his instincts sharp.
“Alright. Let’s shoot a quick one.”
Sadly, we didn’t get any good footage.
Ha Tae-hoon’s team killed the mutation too fast.
As I stared blankly at the oversized, blood-drenched cat corpse with a .50 caliber round in its skull, Emgu muttered beside .
“...Let’s just say we killed it.”
“What?”
“No need to even say that. Just post the pic. Then leave a comnt as Skelton. Nothing obvious. Just enough respect. I’ll viral it.”
“That’s a scam.”
“Eh. What matters is framing a rival to Prophet. Seizing the narrative.”
I wasn’t sure what his endga was—but it wasn’t like we were stealing soone’s actual credit. Just promoting a new na: “Emgu.”
And first, you have to be known.
Even if you’re taking a dump, people clap when you’re famous.
“...”
tap tap tap
Emgu: Untitled 23
I upload a single photo of the mutation’s corpse.
“...”
tap tap tap
SKELTON: Hm? What is this...?!
I add a bit of respectable hype from the legendary Skelton account.
Monts later—
mmmmmmmmmm: (BREAKING) Did Skelton just resurface?!
Emgu launches the viral wave.
Comnts pour in.
DeadMan21332: ? What’s the implication here?
ZebraTrace: That’s a mutation.
TonicMaster: Emgu hunted a mutation and Skelton recognized it?
mmmmmmmmmm: Is this what they call a view only peak-masters can perceive?!
SkeltonWarSlave: Peak?! Skelton peak? OHHHHHH
anon424: So Skelton’s still active on that account.
gijayangban: ?
...
...
“...”
It was a bit shabby—but at least the na “Emgu” might stick with the global userbase.
As Prophet’s rival rising star.
Back then, I had no idea.
ssage from PROPHET: Hey. Emgu.
ssage from PROPHET: You’re Skelton, right? lol
That the “Silent Awakened” Prophet... was such a loose cannon.
Reviews
All reviews (0)