Chapter 73
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73
The next day, after parting ways with Eun-seol in the city, Dokyun dragged his aching body into a cafe.
A smartphone in hand. On the table, a cup of coffee and a dessert.
With his setup complete, Dokyun happily began to read the novel he’d been saving.
A little over two weeks had passed.
The novel he’d been saving up must have had a few multi-chapter updates while he was away, because a backlog of twenty chapters was waiting for him.
‘As expected of a necromancer.’
It never disappointed.
A smile touched his lips. After a sip of coffee, Dokyun dove into the novel.
His eyes were fixed on the screen, the text scrolling past for a long while.
The novel was reaching its climax.
-
The storm rocked the sea.
Upon the waves, where torrential rain, wind, and thunder converged to paint a scene of pure disaster, a single ship tossed about pitifully.
On the deck of the ship.
Herriot surveyed the unsteady planks as the vessel lost its balance.
The mast had snapped long ago. Seawater was pouring in through holes dotting the hull. What’s more, over half the skeleton crew had been swept overboard, leaving the ship dead in the water.
After assessing the ship, Herriot looked up at Admiral Valhardt—the captain of this ghost ship. The headless admiral who had taken the place of the fallen helmsman, steering the vessel himself.
Watching the admiral somehow brace his body against the storm to keep them on course, Herriot cried out in desperation.
“Admiral! It’s over! We have to flee!”
The storm was too powerful. The Empire’s weather magic was far beyond what a mere ghost ship could withstand. They had to gather what was left of the crew and use a teleport scroll, now.
As Herriot shouted his conclusion, the admiral’s body tilted slightly in his direction.
[The fleet has not yet withdrawn.]
He was talking about the Kingdom Alliance fleet that had already retreated.
That stubborn fool!
Herriot’s frustration boiled over, and he clenched his fists.
“Don't you get it? We've been abandoned! The Kingdom was just using us!”
Ever since this ghost fleet and the admiral were resurrected, they had never once shown us respect. To them, we were nothing more than a convenient tool, a pawn to be sacrificed without a second thought.
“Look! Our fleet of over thirty ships has sunk! This vessel is done for! What in God’s name are you still fighting for!”
As Herriot screamed his heart out, the admiral’s reply cut through the storm.
[The waves have not yet ceased.]
Herriot fell silent at the unexpected words. The admiral spoke again.
[As long as the waves rage, Herriot, a navy sails on.]
Hearing this, Herriot knew he couldn't stop him.
“Navy… what navy…”
The man was already dead, an undead being with nothing left but a headless torso.
They could just flee and fight another day. They could simply return to the land of the dead. But this inflexible admiral insisted on staying to the bitter end.
He had to escape. He, at least, had to survive. He had to abandon the admiral, gather the survivors, and get off this ship.
As the thought crossed his mind, Herriot muttered a curse.
“Fuck…”
But his next words came out as a choked sob.
“You’re such a frustrating man…”
Herriot couldn’t run. He couldn’t bring himself to abandon this stubborn dead man—the last hero of these seas.
“Fuck…!”
And so, he pushed himself back to his feet.
-
A sound of pure appreciation escaped Dokyun’s lips as he finished reading.
“Kuh…”
Yes. This was it.
This was exactly the kind of scene he’d been waiting for in The Ghost Fleet’s Third-Class Helmsman.
‘What a rush.’
This was the feeling that made him hunt for his own precious hidden gems. This was the feeling that made him brave the darkness of the Deep Sea.
Sometimes he’d encounter monstrously bad novels that left him with psychological damage, but he could never stop his Deep Sea explorations, precisely because of gems like this.
Dokyun trembled for a moment, overcome with emotion, before snapping back to his senses and quickly switching screens.
Time for a donation!
A cheeky little novel that had grown up this well deserved to be taught a lesson with a hefty donation.
Feeling ecstatic, Dokyun typed the number 3000 into the donation field and hit confirm.
He sent the donation without a moment’s hesitation, hoping the author wouldn’t give up, hoping the story would grow and be there to delight him on his next outing. As he finished the remaining chapters, he realized he’d reached the latest update and sighed in disappointment.
Why did good novels always burn through so fast? He’d been reading for an hour, but it felt like less than ten minutes.
Dokyun licked his lips, then shook his head to dispel the feeling. No, no need to be disappointed. I can just read more next time.
It was less than he’d given others, but 3,000 coins should be enough to keep the author going for a while.
As he consoled himself with that thought, Dokyun looked at the screen and finally noticed something was wrong with the donation rankings.
Huh?
Startled, Dokyun rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the strange sight on the donation page didn’t change.
-
1. CatWhoDonatesToGoodNovels 18000 Coins
2. tprtmgkrhtlvek 16000 Coins
3. IDon'tKnowThatPerson 13000 Coins
-
Why… why was he in third place?
Kkwadeuk—!
Dokyun’s fist clenched. It was a familiar rage.
These motherfuckers…
The nicknames in first and second place were all too familiar. They were the "Golden Suns" [T/N: 금태양; lit. "Golden Sun" — here used for a flashy big-spending rival donor] bastards—the rich rivals who, like clockwork, would swoop in and steal his precious finds the moment he unearthed them from the Deep Sea.
You… you…
Blood rushed to his head. He was furious, filled with a rage that shot to the crown of his head, all because of these shameless thugs who had appeared yet again to snatch away his child.
He couldn't let this one go. Not this time. Never again. How many of his 'children' had he been forced to give up over the years?
On his office worker’s salary, he could never beat those vile bastards. He’d always had his finds cruelly snatched away.
His shoulders trembled with rage. Exhaling a hot, furious breath, Dokyun gritted his teeth, his fighting spirit igniting.
Memories of the past flashed before his eyes—of being robbed time and time again. He saw his 'former' precious novels, faithlessly cheering 'Chairman-nim!' for those vile intruders.
A searing heat consumed him. He had spent his life having things taken from him.
Not anymore.
He was different now.
Dokyun opened his banking app and checked his balance.
19 million won. [Approx. $14,000 USD]
The ammunition was more than enough.
This time. This time, he would not lose.
Following his rage came resolve.
He navigated to his profile on the platform and, first things first, changed his nickname. A pop-up appeared.
[Your nickname has been changed to ‘Golden Hornet.’]
The honeybee who cried as its honey was stolen was gone. From now on, he would be a cruel, merciless hornet.
Kkwadeuk—!
He clenched his fist. He gritted his teeth. Dokyun’s fingers, wrapped in fury and resolve, flew across the screen, pulling up the donation pop-up once more.
He typed in the number: 10,000.
This would bring his total donation to 23,000, making him the undisputed number one.
He would crush those shameless thugs and take his child back.
One million won? [Approx. $750 USD] It was nothing. When he thought of all the novels he’d lost over the years, he would have gladly paid ten million.
Without a shred of hesitation, Dokyun hit the [Confirm] button, a grim smile touching his lips as he savored his certain victory.
No matter how rich those thugs were, they wouldn’t just throw away hundreds of thousands of won to claim the top spot for some obscure novel.
He took a sip of coffee, basking in the sweet taste of victory. A moment later, he refreshed the screen to admire his name in the number one spot, and his eyes widened as if they would tear from their sockets.
-
1. CatWhoDonatesToGoodNovels 24000 Coins
2. tprtmgkrhtlvek 23001 Coins
3. Golden Hornet 23000 Coins
-
It was an unbelievable sight.
Dokyun felt a searing pain in his gut.
How?
Why? What for? And so fast? Are those crazy bastards just sitting there, jerking off while staring at the donation page all day? How the hell did they counter my donation the second it went through?
Shock. Fear. Disgust. Rage. His mind reeled in a vortex of emotions. Soon, he was glaring at the donation list with bloodshot eyes, grinding his teeth.
‘Alright, so it’s a fight you want?’
If they were throwing down the gauntlet, he had no choice but to pick it up.
His face flushed crimson, Dokyun ground his teeth and pulled up the donation pop-up again.
He donated 7,000 coins.
That would bring him to a nice, round 30,000.
He slammed the confirm button without hesitation, letting out a triumphant 'Hmph!' When he refreshed the screen, he saw his name back on top.
-
1. Golden Hornet 30000 Coins
2. CatWhoDonatesToGoodNovels 24000 Coins
3. tprtmgkrhtlvek 23001 Coins
-
The clean, round number of 30,000 was deeply satisfying.
He looked down on the pathetic losers who had fallen to second and third place, and that grim smile returned to his lips.
Don't even think about it, you bastards.
Trying to steal my kid? Not a chance in hell.
His mind was at ease. Filled with a sense of satisfaction, Dokyun, who had been hunched over, finally straightened up and leaned back in his chair, letting out a refreshing sigh.
“Haaah.”
Now those thugs would understand. He wasn’t the same man he used to be. The cruel, merciless Golden Hornet would never let anyone take what was his.
His mood soared once more.
Just one more look?
The sight of his name at the top of the list was so satisfying. He refreshed the screen to savor it again—and received a shock that felt like his heart had dropped out of his chest.
“Fuck!”
A curse burst from him, fueled by an explosive rage.
-
1. CatWhoDonatesToGoodNovels 33333 Coins
2. tprtmgkrhtlvek 30001 Coins
3. Golden Hornet 30000 Coins
-
It hadn't even been a few minutes, and the rankings were overturned again.
You… you… sons of bitches.
A vein bulged on his forehead. The roiling emotions instantly broke free of his control and ran rampant.
Fine. Two of us are going down today.
His reason devoured by emotion, Dokyun let out a ragged, burning breath and started pulling up the donation pop-up again.
*
Eun-seol called out to Dokyun, who was slumped over in a corner of the cafe.
“What are you doing?”
At her words, Dokyun’s head turned toward the sound of her voice.
“Ah, you’re back.”
His voice was utterly wrecked.
There was something wrong with his voice. Puzzled, Eun-seol took a closer look at him.
In just a few hours, his face had become gaunt. His eyes were vacant. Feeble breaths escaped his lips. His body seemed unsteady.
What had happened to him? Curious, Eun-seol asked, “Did something happen?”
“Something… something…” Dokyun muttered the word hollowly, then nodded. “Right. Work… I have to work.”
His answer had absolutely nothing to do with her question. As Eun-seol tilted her head, Dokyun looked at her and asked, “Are you finished with your errands?”
“I finished the important things. I can handle the minor stuff at home tomorrow.”
“That’s a relief.”
Dokyun nodded, watching Eun-seol sit down across from him. He closed his eyes, replaying the events that had just transpired. It had been a fierce struggle. A battlefield overflowing with hatred, resentment, and competitive fire. And on that battlefield, where his bank account had been mercilessly drained, he had ultimately achieved victory.
I won… but…
Why did it feel so tragic? His reason, now belatedly returning, was letting out a piercing shriek.
Ah… This is why I always have to stay calm.
He shuddered for a moment as regret washed over him. Shaking his head to clear the negative thoughts, he steeled himself once more.
No, it's fine. Go Eun-chae. I just have to win over Go Eun-chae.
That’s 4.5 billion won. If I can just win her over, I get 4.5 billion. Now he had one more reason to do it. To recover the money he’d just lost, he had no choice but to succeed.
Kkwadeuk—!
As Dokyun clenched his fist, renewing his resolve, Eun-seol glanced at his smartphone, which still displayed the donation rankings. Her mouth fell open slightly before her expression twisted in disgust.
“You are never, ever to manage your own money.”
Dokyun looked up at her words. Eun-seol was staring at him, her face a mask of utter contempt, as she added:
“You fucking idiot.”
It was the most genuine emotion she had ever shown him.