Chapter 247
Chapter 247
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 247
Chapter Title: 103. Struggle (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even if I'm famous in the mainland internet world, in the new world of Jeju Island's intranet, I'm still a total newbie.
In other words, a complete nobody.
I spent a long time as a nobody myself once.
Back then, just watching other users' thoughts and actions was enough to entertain me and bring some comfort.
But as my time online dragged on, my sense of self no longer wanted to stay a mere bystander or spectator. It craved the spotlight on center stage.
And that's how SKELTON climbed to named status on both Viva! Apocalypse! and Failnet, the two big sites.
Once you've tasted that, going back to nobody status is unbearable.
This isn't something I heard from anyone else—it's my own conclusion.
Still, as a named user on both major sites, shouldn't I stand out from the average joe?
"Huh?"
No reactions.
Not a single comment.
Every other post has comments—even that dumb dick joke got some. But mine? Nothing.
A chill suddenly hit me, and my fingers twitched involuntarily.
"..."
Am I getting iced out?
These kids didn't figure out my age, did they?
Even back at the dorms, I noticed the young ones slinking away from me.
Same in the mess hall.
In a world dominated by teens and twenty-somethings, a guy in his thirties is treated like he's from another planet.
No matter how youthful or cool-handsome I look, it doesn't change the big picture.
Hell, when I was young, anyone in their mid-to-late twenties felt like a real uncle to me.
It's no surprise they sense something off about an outsider like me.
To blend into any group, you gotta grasp their vibe first.
As mentioned, the Red Archive board is for a mobile game launched as a phone app before the war.
It's the classic "cute girl gacha" genre—you spend cash on gacha pulls to snag characters, then tackle the game's challenges and quests with them.
Gong Kyung-min played something like that too.
He was glued to his phone during downtime at the dorms and even at drinks, so I know the type.
One thing that stuck: at a booze-up, Gong Kyung-min suddenly goes,
"Ah! Forgot my daily quest!"
Pulls out his phone and plays this Chinese gacha game.
Surprisingly, his session lasted just one minute and ten seconds.
"You done already?"
I don't usually pry into personal hobbies, but that was so far from normal I had to ask.
"Yeah. It's a bonsai game, y'know. Better to play ten minutes a day than ten hours once a week. Devs designed it that way for efficiency."
Digging through old memories, I don't recall the exact title, but it was definitely Chinese-made—even if the characters spoke Japanese for some reason.
Anyway, the main game on this Red Archive board seems like the same bonsai gacha type Gong played.
The intranet's got drawbacks compared to our board—limited to Jeju, scary surveillance—but plenty of upsides too.
It serves up webtoons, dramas, movies, sports, niche hobbies (even golf broadcasts), and runs a ton of pre-war games in near-original form.
There was drama over the methods, but true to its roots as the legit Republic of Korea successor, Jeju relocated entire game studios here.
Red Archive's devs included. With staff intact, they're still pushing updates four years post-war.
Probably the bare-minimum lube keeping this hyper-controlled society's gears from seizing up.
Anyway, when in Rome, right?
To mingle on the Red Archive board, I gotta install Red Archive.
Navigated to intranet > games > mobile games, grabbed a PC emulator for mobile, then started downloading the game through it.
Man, even the splash art feels off for me.
Like dipping into some unicorn territory I've never touched.
Lan cable or not, the connection's sluggish since everything routes through the comms gear.
Downloading 6 gigs at a measly 200 meg a minute.
"Whew."
Maybe patrol a loop.
Internet life's key, but I've never forgotten where I am—not for a second.
As I grabbed my gun to head out, a cheerful ping from the computer.
Strolled over and checked the monitor.
"Miyuki Pillar Hubby?"
No direct messaging on the board, but chat's a thing, apparently.
Accepted.
Is it the different board?
Or just the UI?
Feels different from the Unicorn I knew on our board.
Somehow, that awkward distance just shrank a bit.
It's been so long since I last saw Na Hye-in that even my imagination struggles to picture her now.
But this reconnection stirred a warm flutter under my chin— that's fact.
Feeling that warmth, I typed.
"Hm."
People are the same everywhere.
Even a kid-filled community has taboos not far off our board's unwritten rules.
The difference? Number three.
Didn't click right away, so I asked.
Board vibe grasped.
So that's the play.
But board aside, Unicorn and I have real-world unfinished business.
Even mid-chat, my eyes never fully relax.
One corner of my mind stays glued to the eight windows.
Unicorn, who always replied in under five seconds, went silent.
Unicorn spoke up.
"..."
The Na Hye-in I knew was tough.
A woman of iron will, as strong-minded as me.
Even after losing half her team in a crushing defeat, she recruited rookies overnight and hunted the monster that killed them to the bitter end.
How many tragedies does it take to break someone like that?
I can't fathom it.
Especially not me, content with my little escapist life fleeing the battlefield.
No room for me to judge.
Her not being able to help sucks, but I won't hold it against her.
Don't wanna burden her.
Whatever happens, I'm grateful for this breather and fresh line to Unicorn.
*
Supplies drop weekly.
Quality's solid: TP, soap, cleaning capsules, fresh meat, assorted grub.
Plus, I beg for ammo and guns every time.
"This is what I asked for before."
The liaison officer hands me two grenades.
"Thanks. With these, I can relax a bit."
More firepower's always better.
But today's officer looks extra uneasy.
"Fog's thick today..."
"Thicker than usual. Midsummer fog—when's it lifting?"
"Dunno. Been foggy since before I arrived. No idea why they built an outpost here. Spot's prime, though."
"Yeah?"
"Fog hides it, but on maps, it's perfect for eyeing the rift and terrain below. Who'd guess the fog never clears?"
"Military planning at its finest."
"Right? Whoa?!"
Officer startles, hunching.
Just gravel crunching.
No chat, so he straightens, taps the driver's seat.
Time to roll.
EV starts up; officer glances back.
Pity in his eyes, for some reason.
"Hey. Park Gyu."
"Yeah."
"Kinda awkward, but... two weeks to rotation?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, but rotation's delayed."
"How long?"
"Week or so more."
"..."
Gong Kyung-min's face flashes briefly.
Pranking me even here?
Nah, he's not that vicious. Just upbeat guy with different views—not a petty saboteur.
Regardless, officer continued.
"And... be extra careful on heavy fog days."
"Why? Goblins?"
"People vanish on thick fog reports. Happened before. And before that."
"..."
Officer scans around.
"My take? It's human."
"What?"
"That man hunter's identity..."
"Why think that?"
"Always the same when folks disappear. No bodies, no food, no gear—wiped clean."
EV rolls slowly.
As it leaves, officer shouts.
"Doesn't that strike you as weird?"
His form fades into the thickening fog.
"..."
Alone again.
I was prepared.
No special emotions.
Just surviving day by day.
I came here sick of uncertainty's thin ice, but accepting it as fate dulls the fear.
Plopping at the computer right away? That's my routine kicking in.
A few more messages from Unicorn in the chat.
Left under my last one before I dipped.
"Na Hye-in."
Going this far for me.
Who knew the cosmos-watching, unapproachable girl hid this thoughtfulness.
This Park Gyu excels in many ways, but top is learning curve.
"..."
Tap tap tap
Paused a beat, checked the board.
"...Oh?"
Eight comments already.
That's how it works?
But then—
Clang! Clatter!
Loud noise beyond the dense fog.
My wire-tied tin can trap.
Clatter!
Not wind—this pattern screams intruder.
Click!
Unwelcome guest at such a perfect moment.
Well, fighting waits for no poetry.
Pushed the tempting comments aside and rushed to the roof.