Whether it was due to the emotional upheaval or his decaying body,John Nae-nonneeded to rest.

The man in the radiation suit stood by his side, tending to him.

The way John Nae-non tightly gripped the man’s arm with his trembling, bony hands, while frequently coughing up blood, made it clear—he didn’t have much time left.

As he was administered a sedative and began to catch his breath, the man with glasses approached me.

“I’m sorry. You’ve come a long way, only to waste your precious time like this.”

“What happened to him?”

The man hesitated, his words faltering.

After a moment, he sighed, speaking in a resigned tone.

“…John Nae-non attempted to install anew nuclear battery.”

“A nuclear battery?”

“Yes. The latest model calledNeo Alpha. Unlike older nuclear batteries, which prioritized stability and longevity, Neo Alpha produces enough power to rival asmall power plant. However…”

The man’s expression twisted in disgust.

“It was incredibly unstable. During the power installation, something went horribly wrong. John Nae-non ended up taking a massive dose ofradiation exposure.”

As I listened, a question began to form in my mind.

Sure, electricity was an essential resource for anything resembling a human life.

But apower plant’s worthof electricity?

Did anyone in this apocalypse truly need that much power?

“Why would anyone need so much electricity?”

I cut in as soon as the man stopped speaking.

The man looked at me for a long moment before replying, his voice full of certainty.

“Yes. We need it.”

John Nae-non had risen from his seat and was now looking directly at me.

It seemed he was ready.

I approached him.

Perhaps it was because of the backlight from the medical equipment, but his grotesquely transformed face was shrouded in darkness, making it hard to see.

Only hiseyes—sharp and glowing like those of a wild animal—stood out in the gloom, fixing their gaze squarely on me.

“I know who you are.”

John Nae-non spoke with difficulty.

His speech had shifted from polite to informal, but I didn’t care.

At this moment, he wasn’tJohn Nae-nonthe forum user. He wasGoo Ssang-hyo, a fellow hunter who was older than me.

“I saw you inCheorwon. Yeah, it must’ve been when I’d just finished training at the professional academy and was deployed to the frontlines for the first time.”

Cheorwon.

That would’ve been the period when I’d returned to Korea to make some quick cash.

I had risked my life in a fight there—only once.

“I saw it from afar. The way you fought. There weretwo monstersthat day. One was aDancer, the other aSpider, right?”

“…”

So he’d seen it.

What an irony.

“It was the first time I’d seen something like that. I’d seen videos, and I’d done simulator training, but the real thing—yeah. Those things were somethinghumansjust couldn’t handle. You know why? They don’t look like they havesouls, right? Even dogs and cats have souls. But those things? Do you think they have even as much soul as a worm on a fishing hook?”

Idothink they have souls.

Faint ones, so frail they’re barely distinguishable, but still there.

“There were a fewAwakenedrookies there, too—barely deployed. But they couldn’t do anything. They were terrified. But then…”

John Nae-non reached out with his trembling hand, as if trying to grasp something lost to the past.

“There wasyou. The strongest among the school graduates. You were the only one there. The rest? They were nothing.”

His eyes, filled with memories, trembled violently.

The shaking of his pupils and his hands revealed just how deeply his emotions were stirred.

Staring into the distance, John Nae-non slightly turned his head.

The faint red blotches covering his face caught the dim light, revealing hisghastly appearance.

“The Awakened…”

John Nae-non bit at his lower lip with gums where his teeth had once been.

“I think they’remonsters. The way they use their strength—it’s just like the monsters, isn’t it?”

“…”

“They babble aboutupward wavesanddownward waves. They think they’ve got it all figured out, trying to put it into theory. But to me, it’s all bullshit. They’re just monsters. Or maybe…human mutations.”

He looked at me.

The light from the back cast his face into shadow again.

“I wanted to know who you were. I begged those young Awakened brats to tell me yourcall sign.”

“…Is that so.”

I replied just to get this conversation over with.

I was gettingexhausted.

My body was tired, and I’d been through too many situations like this.

“At that fan meeting, Iignoredyou.”

“I’m not some great person. I deserved to be ignored. Anyway, can I check the equipment…?”

“You were myidol.”

John Nae-non cut me off, nodding.

“Yes, you were my idol.”

In the darkness, his glowing eyes grew bloodshot.

His faint voice grew weaker and raspier.

“…”

In the silence that followed, I didn’t know what to say.

Finally, it was John Nae-non who broke the silence again.

“…They say they almost closed ariftinIndia.”

His tone had changed.

The hunter Goo Ssang-hyo had turned back intoJohn Nae-non, the forum user.

“What? In India? Wasn’t it completely destroyed?”

“They gathered thebest eliteson a small isolated island and attempted to counter a low-intensity rift. After many failures, they learned its true nature and figured out a way to close it.”

It was hard to believe, but his story bore aneerie similarityto what was happening in Korea.

The island ofJeju-docame to mind, and so did the face ofLee Sang-hoon.

And what he’d said toKim Daramabout stabbing me in the back.

“Where did you hear that?”

Anyone could say things like this.

What I needed wasproof.

John Nae-non lowered his head, revealing a faint smile on his face.

“There’s more to thesea of informationthan just Viva! Apocalypse!. There areother places, too.”

John Nae-non turned and gestured for me to follow.

The man with glasses supported him as he walked.

Behind his bedroom was anotherlead door.

AGeiger countermounted beside it was registering a dangerously high level.

John Nae-non didn’t seem to care. He opened the door.

Thud—

Beyond it lay a room filled with a blistering heat that drove away the pervasive chill.

Countless blinking lights, wires, and cables ran through the room, connecting to what looked like aserver system.

John Nae-non bent down, entering the room, and beckoned for me to follow.

“Come on in, Skeletton.”

Had it beenfour or five years ago?

I remembered becoming his fan after reading one of his posts.

Somehow, without realizing it, the man who had once captivated me had dragged me into theswamp he’d created.

“Come on.”

Drawn by his call, I bent down and stepped into the room full of lights.

It wasn’t just computer equipment.

The blinding brightness that greeted me came from dozens ofmonitorsmounted on the walls.

I looked closer.

ㅇㅇ: Why the hell is the server crashing this early in the morning? Where’s Master John? What’s he doing?

ㅇㅇ: What’s this in Busan? Is that the ocean?.jpg

ㅇㅇ: Is it true the president is dead?

“…What is this?”

It was unmistakable.

Aninternet forum.

A real-time forum where people were still posting.

I turned to another screen.

SsangmundongJonathan: I’ve successfully set up the communication equipment. It really works. Nice to meet you all.

DescendantofByunKang-soe: Nice to see you, Jonathan.

Hydralisk123: Kaaak! (Translation: Nice to see you, Jonathan!)

Another forum.

I glanced at yet another monitor.

HelloThere: My mom brought home wild herbs. Holy crap, they’re delicious.

ChocoParfait: Doesn’t it feel like the server crashes more often lately?

CatMeowCry: Is it true Jeong Bo-hyun and Ban Seol-ah broke up?????

Another forum.

What the hell was this?

Internet—a place beyond Viva! Apocalypse!?

I turned to face John Nae-non.

The blinking lights from the servers cast patterns across his pale, skeletal face, appearing and disappearing like stars.

He spread his emaciated arms.

“Acommunity for the failed.”

For a moment, his face overlapped with the confident man who had once introduced himself to everyone at the barbecue.

“Failnet!”

He looked back at me, his expression one of satisfaction.

“Icreatedthis!”

That’s right.

There wasanother forum.

The one thatReporter Guysometimes referenced—a second online board existing amid the apocalypse.

Unlike the isolated, satellite-based Viva! Apocalypse!, this was a place where anyone could connect, post, and share their thoughts, just like in theold days.

“When I got chased off the forum, I thought about a lot of things. Should I host a grand event to make a flashy comeback? Or should I stay quiet, just lurking in the shadows? But both options felt frustrating. Unsatisfying.”

John Nae-non turned his bloodshot gaze to the massive power generator bearing aradiation hazardsymbol.

“So I thought, what if I create a site to rival Viva! Apocalypse!? Just like Melon Musk.”

The man with glasses nodded vigorously, adding:

“Failnet is giving hope to countless people in despair. People have survived, gained hope, and connected because of it. Now that the government and institutions have fled to Jeju Island, Failnet is theonly refugeleft for the people of Korea.”

His eyes glistened with tears.

“But for that, Ssang-hyo hyung-nim paid a heavy price… To me, he’s greater than Melon Musk. Would that con artist have walked into aradiation-soaked roomto shut down the power and save lives?”

John Nae-non gestured to the man to stop talking.

“Jung-min. Enough. Just give it to him.”

In this room filled with light, only the two of us remained.

John Nae-non looked around the room, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

“…I wanted to show you this.”

As he smiled, I watched the people’sconnectionsplay out on his countless monitors.

Sometimes lighthearted, sometimes foolish, sometimes trivial—but proof thatlife still existedscrolled rapidly across the screens.

“It’s… incredible.”

There was nothing to add or subtract. That was my honest impression.

I never imagined that this man—this seemingly petty, materialistic man—could havecreated a world.

“And one more thing. Actually, this is the main point.”

John Nae-non tapped one of his machines, letting out a satisfied chuckle.

“Soon, I’m going to takerevengeon Viva! Apocalypse!.”

“Revenge?”

“Yes. To thoseungrateful Korean forum bastardswho kicked me out.”

“?!”

“Most of them will be confused, but I hope at leastyou, Skeletton, will understand. The revenge that John Nae-non has planned, which will begin soon.”

He didn’t explain what thatrevengewould be.

John Nae-non’s follower handed me the equipment I’d requested.

It wasperfect.

Before I left, I looked back at him.

John Nae-non stood there, arms outstretched, gazing at the world he’d created with a strange sense of fulfillment.

Whether it was because the darkness had grown too thick, or because my vision had blurred, I could no longer distinguishJohn Nae-nonfrom the light surrounding him.

Whenever I stand before a monster, I feel the deep-rootedhatredinside me blaze like dry coal catching fire.

“…”

The small-type monster standing before me now—aDancer-type—is specialized forclose combat.

You could call it aHunter-killer monster.

Despite its massive size, stretching6 meterslong, it moves with uncanny agility, as if it’s dancing. Any Hunter who dares approach it is reduced to pulp by itstwo spike-like forearms.

It’s nearly impossible to defeat without equipment.

But with the right tools and reflexes sharp enough to match its erratic movements, it’s notinvincible.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The earth shook as the grayish-white monster filled my field of vision.

What I needed now was theresolve to die—or more accurately, the will to drive one clean shot into the monster even if I died.

Clack.

The monster raised its spiked forearm high into the air.

It was ready toskewer me, like the comrades whose bodies were cremated locally because there was no way to bring them back home.

But I wouldn’t let that happen to me.

Feeling the eternal flames of hatred burning within me, I pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The instant I fired, the force sent me flying backward. A monstrousharpoontore through the air and impaled the monster’s body.

Direct hit.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

The charges inside the harpoon detonated in a chain reaction,tearing it apart from the inside.

The monster split into two halves, its remains turning into colorfulashthat began to dissipate.

“…Phew.”

With that, my territory was secure.

Outside the forest, the sniper and her daughter were waiting for me.

“Oh my God! Skeletton Hunter?! Are you aHunter?!”

“Well… something like that.”

“Skeletton!”

They seemed deeply impressed by what they had seen, especiallySoo, who couldn’t stop staring at me with wide eyes.

I ruffled her hair lightly before leaving.

“…Let me know if this happens again.”

“Okay!”

“Oh, andRebecca.”

“What?”

“Don’t post about today on the forums.”

“Why?”

“Just don’t. Before I shut your internet off.”

“…Fine.”

With my exhausted body, I returned to theforum.

There was much to talk about.

The story ofJohn Nae-non, and especially about hisrevenge.

For now, I’d tellDefender—just him.

I wondered what kind of expression he’d make upon hearing news of John Nae-non.

Smiling to myself despite the weariness, I logged into the forum.

“…What?”

The scene that greeted me looked like I’dentered the wrong house.

ㅇㅇ:Vikki-ya-hoo~! Vikki-ya-hoo~!

ㅇㅇ:We came from Failnet. We came from Failnet. We came from Failnet.

WhoAreYou:LMAO.

Hydralisk123:Kaaak! (That means “Hi, Viva bastards!”)

WalnutMom:You all had this kind of fun and didn’t tell us?!

ㅇㅇ:We came from Failnet. We came from Failnet. We came from Failnet.

…

What the hell was this?

Why had the forum turned intothis chaos?

It didn’t take long for me to find out why.

Foxgames: I’ve been saying the traffic’s been weird for a while now. Turns out, it’s because of aninvasion. These guys are all fromFailnet. But don’t take it as a bad thing.

Foxgames: Iftheycan invade us, it meanswecan invade them too.

Foxgames: The world justgot bigger.

The moment I read that, I slapped my forehead.

Who could’ve imagined such an incrediblerevenge?

With deep respect, I muttered:

“John Nae-non.”

He had been myrole model.

And apparently, he had thought of me ashis idol.

Now, I too would see him as myidol.

A man who hadcreated a worldand connected it toanother—he was more than deserving of that title.

What kind of relationship is it when two people see each other as idols?

Aninfinite chain of admiration.

I thought ofOuroboros, the snake that devours its own tail—a symbol of eternity.

It represents unity, yet within that unity, there’s always something bigger and smaller.

The head is greater, and the tail is lesser.

I wanted to give the honor of being theheadto John Nae-non.

To that man who hadbecome one with the lightin the faint darkness.

John_nenon: (John Nae-non)Here’s my lunch for today. Haha.

I looked at his post.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com