Chapter 55

37. Immortality (1)

There are two webtoon artists.

One has long enjoyed great profits and popularity at the top, while the other barely clung to the threshold of professionalism, watching younger and newer artists surpass him and advance toward the summit he could only gaze upon.

One had much to lose.

Before turning thirty, he had amassed enough money to maintain a middle-class lifestyle and more, even until his death.

Because of this, he was able to get married and manage assets.

The other did not.

He could not escape the unstable fate of artists who must earn their living through their art.

Though he managed to save a little money, he could not even dream of marriage and barely managed to save enough to feed and clothe himself for the rest of his life.

One reason might be that he lacked the personal charm of the former.

The times changed.

The popular artist, like those who have much to lose, tried to maintain an optimistic view of the world and harshly criticized and ridiculed those who predicted its downfall.

Pilkrum88: These days, there are so many people predicting the end of the world. Just focus on each day. Create something of your own. Worry about losing yourself before worrying about others losing theirs.

His post criticizing the current state of affairs garnered over 2,300 comments, most of which were fervent reaffirmations of support for him.

The other artist, on the other hand, saw the world in a bleak light.

Coincidentally, the ambitious work he had uploaded, which he considered his magnum opus, was met with indifference from readers, further fueling his despair.

The poor performance led him to include unnecessarily cruel descriptions, which became a significant blemish on his career.

Ultimately, he received a warning from the platform and had to discontinue his work, partly by choice and partly by force.

He was all too aware of the fate of struggling artists.

DragonC: Thank you to all the readers.

His final farewell post received only 13 comments.

Two of them were illegal Cialis ads.

The fates of these two artists, who had taken such different paths, were completely reversed when the war began.

The popular artist was forced to move from a luxurious mansion on the outskirts of Gyeonggi to Seoul, then to Bucheon, and finally to a cramped rental house in Incheon, filled with the pungent stench of the harbor, where he had to console his wife and endure a hard day.

In contrast, the ordinary artist used all his savings to build a rather luxurious bomb shelter equipped with a stable LPG-based fuel supply, power generation facilities, and satellite internet, allowing him to continue drawing webtoons and receive positive responses from readers as before.

Was life better before the war, or after?

If asked, they would give opposite answers.

At least our board's treasure, Dragon, could confidently say that life after the war was better than before.

Their contrasting situations were highlighted thanks to the wind of change brought by our Messiah, Johnneun.

A popular artist who had been active on PaleNet posted on our board.

Pilkrum88: Hello, DragonC. This is Pilkrum88.

He saw it.

A common, low-level artist, whose name he couldn't even remember, was now living in a much better and safer place, eating well, and drawing webtoons comfortably, while chatting with a fellow doomsayer in a similar situation.

It's hard to know what emotion he felt at first, but the only emotions we can see are jealousy and anger.

Pilkrum88: You're pretending to be an artist with such mediocre skills. Honestly, I don't see any talent, but it's great to see you acting like a great artist, well-prepared for the end of the world. Haha.

If Pilkrum88 were just a reader, Dragon might have just laughed it off.

But Pilkrum88 is a popular artist.

Someone who had always been at the top, which he dared not look at before the war.

Such a person was now picking a fight.

I have never engaged in creative activities other than beatboxing, so I can't know exactly what emotion Dragon felt, but it's clear he was angry.

DragonC: Thank you for writing a long post while twisting your body to receive a signal in a place where the internet barely works.

Dragon, who rarely showed his emotions, displayed an angry reaction.

Blood is thicker than water.

Our board friends, who rarely showed their affection, rallied in support of Dragon against Pilkrum88's rude behavior.

Keystone: Why are you trying to bring our Dragon down?

Anonymous848: Well, you're a doomsayer too, right? You made a lot of money, so if you had prepared properly, you would have lived better than us.

Anonymous458: Get lost, kid.

Roka3218: Narrow-minded kid. Are you jealous because someone who sells less than you is doing well?

SKELTON: (Skeleton Peace) Let's not fight!

Unicorn18: Mr. Pilkrum88, could I ask for a commission?

Defender: Are you in Incheon?

A true display of camaraderie.

Dragon seemed moved by our camaraderie and posted a reply.

DragonC: You guys...!!

But Pilkrum88 was not an easy opponent.

He is a popular artist.

An artist who rose to the top by breaking through fierce competition and crushing numerous rivals.

Pilkrum88 knew how to take down another artist.

Pilkrum88: Announcement of "The Remnants" by Pilkrum88

He announced a new work.

He declared that he would serialize a work with the same concept, theme, and title as Dragon's ambitious final masterpiece, which he had carefully prepared and planned.

Some might call it plagiarism.

But plagiarism is only a valid accusation when the plagiarizer is inferior to the original.

If a more famous, popular, and talented artist creates a more sophisticated, interesting, and excellent version of the same story, the original work becomes a mere stepping stone.

Pilkrum88: The Remnant Chapter 1 "Cayldos" by pilkrum88

With terrifying speed and drawing skills, meticulous composition, and precise paneling, Pilkrum88's reinterpretation of Dragon's masterpiece went beyond plagiarism and could be considered a re-creation.

It felt like seeing something entirely different, despite the same content.

If Pilkrum88's work was a Michelin-starred restaurant's proud course meal, Dragon's work felt like a decent meal from a popular chef's franchise.

Especially, the scene where Cayldos shares a final kiss with his wife and meets a noble end was a work of art in itself.

Pilkrum88, who had not only copied Dragon's work but created a completely new masterpiece, proudly stood on the podium, taking the victor's pose.

Pilkrum88: Where are you, DragonC? Your story is good, but the direction is too mediocre. I interpreted it in my own way. If you're there, say something. I want to hear the original creator's opinion.

It's not hard to imagine the rage of Dragon, who was overwhelmed in every aspect.

After that day, Dragon disappeared from the board without a word.

"......Well, really."

If this were a different topic and a different dimension, we might have intervened.

But this is a story about art.

A story about the pride of two artists.

So, the two artists fought in a stadium where we could not intervene. Pilkrum88 was in a higher weight class, and Dragon lost.

A week later, Dragon contacted me.

Message from DragonC: Skeleton. Is the profile you sent me before real?

SKELTON: ?

Message from DragonC: That top guard graduate, S-class, Professor Colsain, or whatever. I mean the content of the application you sent me before.

"Ah."

This is a big problem.

*In the past, I would have said yes without hesitation.

Feeling a bit alive in a situation where boredom is eating away at my soul is a crucial matter for someone hoping for long-term survival.

But the situation is not good now.

The probability that Um Min-hee or someone from the government is active on our board is very high.

For example, a journalist.

It would be a bad idea to reveal my true self in a place where watchful eyes are always present.

Especially if Um Min-hee, who is desperately looking for Eom Chang, finds out, the kind-hearted Eom Chang (31) might really die...

Still, my support for Dragon is genuine.

He has long provided us with mental vitamins, keeping us from being swallowed by boredom and apathy, and for free.

Ignoring Dragon would be a betrayal of the man known as a man of honor on the board.

For that reason, I chose a somewhat ambiguous option.

SKELTON: There is some exaggeration, but I was a Hunter. Honestly, I'm better than Johnneun.

I didn't lie.

Message from DragonC: You really have a solid concept.

SKELTON: (Skeleton embarrassed)

Message from DragonC: Anyway, if you're really a Hunter, can you help me?

SKELTON: Help? Me?

Message from DragonC: I'm going to challenge Pilkrum again.

SKELTON: ?!

Message from DragonC: But a regular work won't do, right? Honestly, there's a big difference in mechanics. So, I thought I need to win in terms of material and composition. That's why I want to draw a real Hunter story.

Message from DragonC: So, can you answer a few questions?

What is this?

Is that it?

Then there's no reason to refuse.

It's an honor.

Even if I received ten thousand comments on PaleNet, I'm still a small user on our board, and the fact that I can help a named user like Dragon is a big deal.

SKELTON: A brilliant choice.

Thus, the historic collaboration between Skeleton and Dragon began.

To be honest, Dragon didn't trust me much at first.

He reached out to me as a last resort, trying to find any help to bring down the giant Pilkrum, and I unexpectedly agreed, making him feel like he was in an unwanted collaboration.

However, Dragon's doubts didn't last long.

Because I am the real deal.

I was at the peak of the old-school Hunters.

I shared with Dragon, with appropriate embellishments, the tactics, culture, and combat attitudes of Hunters before the Awakened appeared.

Dragon initially doubted my words but later listened to my opinions with surprise, or even admiration.

Message from DragonC: Hey, were you really a Hunter?

That one sentence, suddenly blurted out in the middle of the work, seemed to reveal Dragon's true feelings.

SKELTON: This is our secret. I don't want my awesomeness to leak out.

Message from DragonC: Despite that, you sent me an overly detailed concept introduction. What? 13th? Professor Colsain? Contributed to the discovery of the mutation mechanism? Damn, you're a professor?

SKELTON: (Skeleton flustered) That, that's for dramatic effect. I wasn't 13th, just a regular Hunter. Haha.

"......"

This is not my fault.

Who would have imagined that Johnneun would invade here through PaleNet?

How could I have known that the journalist might be Um Min-hee?

If I had the insight to know all that, I should be outside the bomb shelter, leading humanity.

Fortunately, Dragon doesn't seem to care much about my fatal profile.

He had something else in mind.

Message from DragonC: Can we meet in person?

He wanted to meet me.

Surprisingly, he was not far from my territory.

The western wasteland, which I rarely visited, where the Yellow Sea waves could be faintly seen if you stood on tiptoe, turned out to be the hiding place of the named user Dragon.

Dragon himself probably didn't know.

That Defender had moved close to his house.

In fact, even during the Defender days, the western coast was an avoided area.

Rumors spread that the Chinese army might land there.

Indeed, just across the border, the Chinese army controlled the area.

Perhaps it was a choice made out of ignorance and indifference, but his location selection was as dangerous and safe as mine.

Even the adventurous pioneers avoided the Yellow Sea coast.

"Our house to the west? There's nothing there. The western coast was evacuated when the war started, and the Chinese bastards bombed it with conventional weapons."

Anyway, I decided to meet the named user Dragon, who was close by.

One reason is the concern about the profile I sent to this Park Kyu without much thought, but as a community brother, I want to help him.

That's all... ...

*

There was a preconception.

Webtoon artists are young.

It seemed as if youth was their inherent attribute.

But the Dragon I met in person was almost in his fifties.

He had many wrinkles, his hair was half gray, and his face was dark red in an unhealthy way.

His liver probably wasn't in good shape.

He was a heavy smoker, and the smell of heavy smoking clung to his breath.

"Hello, I'm Skeleton."

I naturally used polite language because of his age.

"There's no need to be so formal. Just talk casually. I'm Skeleton. You're Dragon."

Despite his appearance, Dragon's voice was quite young.

"Nice to meet you, Dragon. I'm Skeleton."

"You're much younger than I thought. I thought you were my age from your writing."

Dragon extended his hand with a smile in his wrinkled eyes.

His hand was as calloused as mine.

Even those who hold pens instead of weapons can have such rough hands.

His bomb shelter was eerily quiet.

"Here."

Dragon handed me a pair of binoculars.

"See the red flag? They're Chinese. They can't move a step from there. There's a zombie den right below, and it looks like there are monsters next to it."

Sure enough, on the other side of the sea, there was a small Chinese infantry unit, as I had heard from Ji Young-hee.

But they looked more like other survivors struggling to survive rather than soldiers.

They were farming in unison, following the whistle commands, holding hoes instead of guns.

"Shall we start?"

Dragon showed enthusiasm.

"An immortal masterpiece to flatten that arrogant young brat Pilkrum?"

What he asked of me was the actual stance of a Hunter.

How to hold a gun, how to handle weapons, and how to face monsters.

I couldn't show the axe, which was connected to my identity, so I demonstrated a few things with a fake dagger and a gun.

Chak! Chak!

A precise stance and perfect separation movements.

The basic skills of a model Hunter from the old days, once called Professor, were demonstrated in front of the desolate sea, transcending time.

"Wow......"

Dragon's mouth dropped open.

"Skeleton, you're not kidding?"

"......My callsign is actually Dandy. D.A.N.D.Y."

"The callsign doesn't matter, but you're not kidding?"

A satisfied smile appeared on Dragon's face.

"Really, we might be able to win......"