Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Immortality (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The momentum of the counterattack kept building.
The views on "Typhoon" steadily climbed, and the comments and recommendations gained even more steam as time went on.
That fiery hype even surpassed the buzz around Fulcrum's latest short story, "Delinquent Hunter."
Finally, when "Typhoon" overtook "Delinquent Hunter" in recommendations, people started saying it outright.
Dragon had surpassed Fulcrum.
The perennial second- or third-rate writer had finally risen to rub shoulders with a top-tier author.
The odd part was Fulcrum's reaction.
He showed no response at all to Dragon's comeback masterpiece. Whether he was shell-shocked or dealing with real-world troubles, who could say.
The whole board celebrated Dragon's flashy return with genuine enthusiasm.
Dragon offered a modest thanks, but his true feelings were different.
He revealed his real thoughts only to me.
I could feel Dragon's joy through the text.
No doubt about it.
He was genuinely grateful for this situation.
For a moment, the rivalry between the two authors had both Failnet and Viva! Apocalypse! boiling over, and it looked like it would end in a fairy-tale finish.
But their story wasn't over yet.
There was one more thing.
SKELTON: Remnant, right?
SKELTON: An immortal masterpiece?
I'd never learn what that good news was.
Another incident buried it completely.
Fulcrum admitted defeat.
He declared it right there on the public board for everyone to see.
But the content was riddled with enough suspicion to make anyone question his true intentions.
- First off, I sincerely apologize for plagiarizing your art without permission and upsetting you, DragonC. My intent wasn't to make you mad—I just wanted to draw some attention.
We met once at the platform's year-end author party four years ago, right? I think we exchanged greetings.
If it's not too rude, any spare spots in your bunker?
While drawing Remnant my way, interpreting it as I understood it, my heart was racing.
This is a masterpiece. A masterpiece for the ages.
I'll work as a farmhand if needed. The annex is fine. I just want to see Remnant's end!
"......"
I was the one who sparked this mess.
After all, this Park Gyu had turned into an 11-year-old kid and thrown a huge question mark over the Jeju fleet itself.
With Failnet raids down to once a day, the bored users lit up at popular author Fulcrum88's post.
As always, my internet buddy Defender cut straight to the truth.
The keyboard clacking sounded like it was from the little bro side.
It took about a minute and ten seconds after that post for a reply to drop.
The radio crackled to life.
"SKELTON! You on the computer?"
Sure enough, Dajeong's excited voice rang out.
"That Fulcrum bastard—no, guy! So shameless, right?"
"......Yeah, kinda."
Even taking in his family was a stretch, but three grown men?
Wasn't that just code for stealing the bunker?
Plus, Dragon's bunker was plenty for one, but cramped for four.
I took a sip of the coffee Dragon had gifted and asked Dajeong.
"What do you think Dragon will do?"
"Obviously turn him down?"
"Yeah, figures."
I always think it, but people are impossible to read.
Is there anything as changeable and unpredictable as the human heart?
Sometimes I wonder.
If humans were like monsters, this world might be pretty boring.
Dragon chose an option that shattered everyone's expectations.
I attended the face-to-face between Fulcrum88 and Dragon out of a sense of duty.
If I hadn't reacted to Dragon's message, he might not have made his flashy return, and Fulcrum wouldn't have apologized.
Of course, I probably wouldn't have seen Dragon for a while either, but who knows.
Unlike Dragon, who secured a safe bunker, Fulcrum was getting crushed by reality itself.
If he paid the price for poor prep, died, and left Dragon alone, wouldn't that make Dragon the winner?
Apparently, Dragon saw it differently.
Anyway, it happened.
They had four people.
Fulcrum88's family and his brother.
This side just Dragon.
At least with me there, Dragon could hold his head up a bit.
"Hello?"
Fulcrum88 looked exactly like the successful webtoon artist people imagine.
Moderately young, moderately pale skin, eyes that moderately looked down on the world or seemed indifferent.
He extended a hand to me first.
"You're Dragon, right?"
This guy.
Didn't he say he'd met Dragon before?
Feeling growing distaste inside, I stepped aside for Dragon.
"I'm Dragon. Fulcrum88."
"Call me Shim Ho-jun. You seem older than me."
"Choi Yong-su."
The two shook hands.
Fulcrum kept smiling the whole time.
Dragon stayed mostly expressionless, flashing an awkward smile at the other's words now and then, and seemed to be getting led along rather than driving the conversation.
"I'm really sorry. Truly. I had no idea you were such a great guy, Yong-su hyung, and I provoked you. Total black mark on my history. But what can you do? Life's rough and bullshit. Fuck, when I got chased out of Seoul to Incheon, I was like, damn, Shim Ho-jun's heading to Incheon!"
"Uh, Incheon's my hometown."
Dragon gave a wry smile as he spoke.
"Oh, sorry. Just talking. Haha."
Fulcrum's family, unlike Kim Daram, seemed satisfied with the bunker facilities.
Proof they'd lived in worse, probably.
Whatever with Fulcrum and his fam.
They seemed like the real deal, and Fulcrum matched his comic persona.
The way he whipped out a stunning male character on the tablet in one go was like magic.
What bugged me was Fulcrum's brother.
Nearly 190cm tall, clearly ripped, and looked nothing like Fulcrum.
Seemed weirder that they were related.
This guy showed shady vibes from the start, then bluntly said to Dragon.
"Hey, old man. You live alone?"
Dragon flinched a bit at "old man," but the guy just smirked, his face screaming he didn't give a damn about Dragon's feelings.
"I live alone."
"Ah, figures. You reek of bachelor."
He turned to me.
"Who's this? Friend? Bodyguard? Something like that?"
I wasn't even worth noticing, apparently.
Makes sense—he towered over me, built like a tank, probably full of himself.
Dragon looked to Fulcrum for an explanation.
Fulcrum smirked as he introduced his brother.
"Oh, my little bro. Doesn't look like me, but without him, I wouldn't have dared come. Oh, he's a Hunter."
"A Hunter?"
"Yeah. Fought in the war too. Got pushed out by those Awakening folks now, or whatever."
Fulcrum's brother scoffed and suddenly spun a dagger from his fingertip.
"I just bailed. Figured I'd be cannon fodder anyway."
This guy didn't like me, clearly.
He sheathed the spinning dagger in the holster on his thigh and grumbled at me.
"Why's this old dude staring at me? You gay or something?"
"Can't I look?"
"They say you're clueless a lot?"
The guy scowled, cracking his knuckles with a pop.
"Wanna spar if it bugs you?"
"No."
"Then quit staring or look elsewhere. You're pissing me off."
"I don't spar. Only real fights."
I glared at the guy.
His face twisted viciously.
He shot up, bellowing.
"Hey! You little shit!!"
He lunged a meaty hand at me.
As I watched, Fulcrum blocked him.
"Hyeong-min! Calm down!"
"No, fuck, this prick's pissing me off!"
"No, let's keep it friendly. You've been pissed since the start, Hyeong-min."
"Saw corpses on the way, ruined my mood! Anyway, fuck, what's this guy? Real fight? Bullshit."
"Hyeong-min!"
"Fuck."
He didn't even seem like a brother.
Probably brought a thug bodyguard, but now Dragon's future worried me big time.
Ignoring the huffing guy, I pulled Dragon outside the bunker.
"You okay?"
Honestly, he didn't look it.
That guy's just a straight-up gangster.
Fulcrum was somewhat human, but not exactly a saint.
If he was, he wouldn't drag a thug like that.
"To me, those guys look like they plan to kill you, kick you out, and take the bunker."
Not 99%.
100%.
"Could be."
Dragon gave a wry smile and sighed.
Was it my imagination?
His already sickly dark complexion looked even blacker.
Dragon popped a pill without chewing and sighed again.
"But Fulcrum's the real deal. In the flesh. It's that Fulcrum I admired from afar."
"Doesn't sit right with me."
"Three days."
Dragon held up three fingers.
"Contact me in three days. I'll reply if I need help."
"No."
I shook my head.
"You contact me in three days. If not, I'll come right over. Better that way, right?"
"......"
Dragon stared at me, then nodded with a reluctant but accepting look.
"......Okay."
Dragon smiled at me.
I couldn't understand it.
How could he smile with such a grim future staring him down?
Did he not trust me?
No.
This Park Gyu might be treated like washed-up trash and ignored everywhere, but the hatred still burning fierce in my chest hadn't faded a bit.
"......"
I took a deep breath and looked him square in the eye.
"My callsign. Professor. Right."
"Professor? S-rank?"
"Three seconds."
"?"
"I can clean house—including the loudmouth—in three."
The axe danced in my palm.
"Answer me."
Dragon looked shocked at first, but soon wore that generous smile I couldn't fathom and beckoned me closer.
Ear near.
"Fulcrum copied my stuff straight up once and screwed me over, right? I was furious at first. Head about to explode. Wanted to go to Incheon and shoot him dead. Even ran brain sims on killing him!"
"......So why?"
"Time passed, and... it felt okay. Dunno. I'm an artist with pride too. Hell if I know why I'm like this. But this feeling squirming in my gut right now? It's real."
I looked at Dragon.
His liver-failing dark face brimmed with sincerity that even the blackness couldn't hide.
"Just watch for three days."
I nodded, heavy-hearted.
His choice.
I don't get it, but he's a community user too.
I respect his call.
"Oh, and a gift."
"Another?"
"Yeah. Hang on. Come in."
Dragon's gift blew past my expectations.
An espresso machine.
Complete with a huge stash of frozen coffee beans.
"No, can't you just keep it? Huh?"
Fulcrum's wife watching piped up.
The big guy grumbled beside her; Fulcrum barely held him back.
I was baffled too.
"This to me?"
"I quit coffee."
Fulcrum's wife cut in again.
"We didn't."
Dragon ignored her and insisted I take the machine and beans.
"Please. You came twice. This is nothing compared. Take it for my sake!"
"......"
"Don't worry. I've shot a gun before. Coughing now, but I'm an army discharge vet."
I left with the unwanted gift and headed back to the bunker.
Three days passed.
No word from Dragon.