Chapter 363
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 363
Chapter Title: 148. Painkiller (3)
The first time I couldn't use the name Twelfthsquair anymore, I felt intense resentment toward Viva Bot.
But as time passed, I started to think her judgment had been spot on.
Someone who's accomplished everything life has to offer probably won't find much thrill in ordinary things.
Take games as an example. Suppose you have a max-level character geared with endgame legendaries.
If it's like those old Fox Games titles designed around player-versus-player competition, where the fun comes from dominating others relatively, that might be different. But if the game itself has built-in goals, you can't expect much excitement from playing it anymore.
Besides, as a hunter, I wanted recognition not just for that side of me, but as a regular person.
Twelfthsquair might be a legendary figure known for epic performances, but that's only as a hunter.
It has nothing to do with the "storyteller talents" I've built up over years, my "beatbox artistry," or the "popularity as a likable user."
Still, exceptions have to be made sometimes.
And now was that time.
"Wh-why are there two computers? Huh? Is this... that Star-Gazing Obelisk...? No, why are there two of these too?!"
"......"
I silently booted up the computer and showed her the screen.
What I displayed was footage from the Viva! Apocalypse! archives featuring Twelfthsquair.
Bang! Rat-tat-tat!
Bang!
"Huh, over there. Is that... Jeju Island?! Jeju?!"
Kim Hanna, who had been looking bewildered, soon got sucked into the video of Twelfthsquair that had shocked the world.
"Oh my god...... Soloing an Executioner type...... Without even using waves......"
Even after the video ended, as Kim Hanna remained lost in its afterglow, I spoke calmly.
"What do you think?"
"It was... incredible!"
No matter how much someone builds walls around their heart, scenes that ignite the soul have a way of making those walls step aside for a moment.
I closed my eyes gently and asked for her thoughts.
"......How'd it feel?"
Kim Hanna paused, as if organizing her thoughts, then shared her impressions in a slightly hurried tone.
"It was incredible. Seriously! Nothing else comes to mind—it's that mind-blowing. Fighting off hordes of soldiers solo is already impossible, but taking down that horrific monster alone on top of it? Even more absurd. Executioner types always caused casualties when mixed with Macrophages or Edish types...... It's so unbelievable it could pass for deepfake footage."
“Her impressions went on at length, but they didn’t touch on the point I wanted.”
To get a quicker answer, I followed up.
"Compared to Kang Hanmin?"
"Savior Kang Hanmin......?"
Before she could even respond, I knew I wouldn't get the answer I was hoping for.
Her face, warmed by a faint fever, suddenly cooled.
"Hmm......"
She gathered her thoughts again.
After a longer pause, she let out a shallow sigh and spoke.
"If I had to compare... the difference between a god and a superhuman?"
"God and superhuman?"
"Yeah. Twelfthsquair in that video feels like the absolute pinnacle of what a human can achieve. But Savior Kang Hanmin is different. Just his presence alone changes the landscape around him. Even Executioner types are the same—they disintegrate into particles the moment he approaches. No need for intense fights like that......"
Just as I thought.
I knew it was childish, but I wanted confirmation.
The exact gap between that guy and me.
Superhuman and god.
Personally, I'd never seen myself as a superhuman, but it was an apt metaphor.
No matter how superior a superhuman is to other humans, they're still human in the end.
They can never reach the realm of a god worthy of worship.
"That Twelfthsquair? That's me."
"Pardon......?"
"The star of that video is me."
"R-really?!"
"Why would I lie?"
"P-professor. No, boss... You're that guy? You were in Jeju too?"
"Just briefly."
My enthusiasm had cooled.
"......Guess it's about time to head back?"
Some alone time wouldn't hurt.
This new place wasn't as good as my bunker, but it was livable enough.
But,
"Hey. What's this?"
Kim Hanna still had more to do, apparently.
Like a kid on the verge of dying of boredom who stumbles on a fun toy, her eyes sparkled as she pored over our forum's user interface down to the pixel with her gaze.
"Huh? SKELTON? Is this your ID, boss?"
"......"
Brushing her off here wouldn't look good.
I was the one who brought her here in the first place.
I shoved my cooled feelings aside and sat next to her, explaining the forum.
"Yeah. My nickname."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"I think I've seen that name before."
"Oh?"
"Ah, that Chewppyeo......"
"?"
"No, the Red Archive forum."
"Red Archive forum?"
"Yeah. There was this weird user there. Never said a word—just communicated with emotes. We had a summary screenshot on our board titled something like 'Red Archive forum user who lost language skills.'"
I fell silent without realizing it.
"......"
No way. That was me?
"Gives you chills, right? Picture it: a hairy guy using cute Chewppyeo...... no, girl character emotes, thinking he's as adorable as the girl in them."
"......"
Kim Hanna eyed me suspiciously.
"Ah. Was that you, boss......?"
"I only use it here."
I lied without thinking.
"Viva! Apocalypse! right?"
"Uh, yeah."
Was she embarrassed or something?
About my activities......?
While my mind blanked for a second, Kim Hanna toyed with my mouse like it was hers and flipped to the first page of the forum, scanning the posts.
......
......
Kim Hanna stared at the forum with a slightly dumbfounded look.
"Ah......"
Not even polite words could call this a high-class board.
It was still packed with human trash.
As an OG veteran user, I quickly corrected myself.
"......Our board used to be a refined place before the war, full of doctors, professors, lawyers, successful startup founders, and other high-society types preparing for the end times."
"R-really?"
"It held up decently until the Necropolis crowd flooded in. Now it's like this."
"I see."
Click click click
Like a fish back in water, Kim Hanna dove into the internet world, reveling in the mouse and cursor moving to her will, pulling up posts as she pleased—regardless of me being right there.
"Whoa...... What's this? Gross pic?"
Apparently the block on that corpse-poster had lifted.
What was Viva Bot doing?
Only sabotaging my stuff her main gig?
Whatever. Good for her.
I smiled faintly and took back the mouse.
"Watch this."
"Huh?!"
Click
Click
"Whoa......!"
I hadn't known her voice could get that loud.
"No way. These powers......?"
"Yep."
Feeling my cooled heart warm up just right, I nodded.
"I'm the mod."
"Wow......!"
We spent quite a while together in the internet realm.
No special purpose or reason, but does the world demand one?
"Wh-what's this? Beatbox......?"
"What do you think?"
"You made it to be funny, right?"
"Nope."
"Ah......"
"?"
"Nothing."
Anyway, in this short, bizarre time, I gained one realization.
"Even that leaning apartment had people living in it...... Life there must be a real trip......"
"Philcrum! He was serializing here too? Never read his stuff, but seeing a Jeju author here feels fresh."
"Whoa...... Look at Dongtanmom talking smack... So annoyingly good at it......"
Awaykins weren't all that different from us.
They were the same people as us.
Simple truth, when you think about it.
They'd just gained one ability we didn't have.
People don't change easily.
Gaining bulletproof skin doesn't turn a slacker into a diligent worker, nor does it make an oyster-hater into an oyster fanatic.
I'd just seen them as different—disconnected from us—because of that one gap.
As utterly special beings apart from us.
After some casual time, parting came.
"Let's call it here for today. Got ops tomorrow."
Kim Hanna looked reluctant, but it was already midnight.
Assembly at 4 AM tomorrow.
"Sorry, boss. Haven't touched intranet since coming here. Lost my phone too...... Others seem fine on theirs, but me......"
"I'll ask Woo the chief about spares after tomorrow's op."
"R-really?"
"In exchange, today's a secret?"
"Yes, boss!"
We faced each other.
Smiles bloomed on our faces.
Might be jumping the gun, but it felt good.
Things would go smoothly.
*
The risk factor for this mission was one thing.
Hostile humans potentially lurking nearby.
Most likely fanatics, but human malice comes in all motives and forms.
Only meticulous scouting and vigilance guarantee our survival.
That's why we cleared the area excessively.
Drones scouted ambush spots; we manually searched every viable building for signs of habitation.
Mission window: sunrise to sunset.
By noon, with area-clearing dragging, grumbles rose here and there.
"We're here to hunt monsters, right?"
"Technically minion sweep, but fanatics count as minions, I guess."
"Sun's setting soon. Sure, thorough is good, but... Sigh......"
I poured this much into area-clear because Defender reported seeing smoke rising nearby.
China's battlefields were messy and devoured countless lives because enemies weren't just monsters—they included humans.
Monsters and humans are from different worlds.
Patterns, counters, weapons, doctrines—all differ.
Facing both heterogeneous foes simultaneously is tough, grueling, and demands casualties.
Chinese military handled that tedium back then; we have no such luxury now.
We eliminate variables ourselves.
Ideally, I'd track that campfire human to the end, but deadlines exist.
"Commence operation."
Inadequate, but safety secured enough—time for the job.
All regular hunters deployed today were volunteers except one.
The lone non-volunteer: Shim Hyungdo, academy hunter.
Hunter academy grads once looked down on, now seasoned vets.
He shattered my academy biases with solid skills.
I gave him Inferno—our key weapon today.
Though today's star was Kim Hanna, whose build rivaled the guys'.
"Kim Hanna."
"Yes, boss."
"Stick by my side."
"Got it!"
Her expression brightened.
Her smile still awkward, but gone was the timid, evasive girl from first meeting.
There was logic to it.
She'd served diligently in Jeju for a year.
Proof she could hack it.
Some reason pulled her from the frontlines, turning her into dead weight, but mend those broken wings, and she'd soar again.
- Solid regular hunter (Lv. 8). Steady performance expected.
Like the sole affirming note amid her blemished record.
"Hold."
Glock in hand, I stepped into the power plant's massive fissure, yawning black like a lone maw.
Into the pitch-black, vast open space.
Kirrik-kirrik—
Metal scraps scraping the floor grated my eardrums.
Spider-type minion: Spiderling.
Today's teaching aid.