Chapter 57

37. Immortality (3)

The momentum of the counterattack grew steadily.

The views on "Typhoon" increased, and the number of comments and recommendations grew with each passing moment.

The intense heat even surpassed the recent short story "Bully Hunter" by Pilecrum.

Finally, when "Typhoon" surpassed the number of recommendations for "Bully Hunter," people said that DragonC had overtaken Pilecrum.

They said that the long-time second or third-rate author had finally risen to the level of a top-class author.

What was strange was Pilecrum's reaction.

He did not respond to this masterpiece by DragonC. It was unclear whether he was in shock or if there was some problem in reality.

Our board members sincerely congratulated DragonC on his splendid return.

DragonC expressed his humble gratitude, but his true feelings were different.

He only revealed his true thoughts to me.

Message from DragonC: Who cares who wins or loses? I just feel so good right now, in this moment.

SKELTON: Really?

Message from DragonC: Before the war, it was just a dream, right? For a second-rate author like me, who has never had a hit, to be on par with a top-class author. It's all a miracle brought by the war.

Message from DragonC: I truly feel alive right now!

I could sense DragonC's joy through the text.

No doubt about it.

He genuinely felt grateful for this situation.

For a moment, it seemed that the competition between the two authors, which had heated up both PaleNet and Viva! Apocalypse!, would end with a fairy-tale conclusion.

But their story was not over yet.

There was one more thing.

*

Message from DragonC: I need to complete my final work before I die.

SKELTON: You mean Remnant?

Message from DragonC: Yeah. I have to draw it no matter what. I've decided to complete it even if I die.

SKELTON: Is it going to be a masterpiece?

Message from DragonC: Not really. It's just the struggle of a man with little time left. Anyway, wait and see. There will be some interesting news soon.

That interesting news was never to be known.

Another incident that followed buried that news.

Pilecrum88: I admit defeat. Mr. DragonC.

Pilecrum admitted defeat.

He declared his loss on the board where everyone could see.

However, the content was filled with enough suspicion to make one doubt his true intentions.

- First, I sincerely apologize for plagiarizing Mr. DragonC's work without permission and hurting his feelings. My intention was not to make him angry but to draw attention.

Four years ago, we met at the end-of-year party for authors hosted by the platform, didn't we? I remember greeting you then.

I have a rude request, but is there any space left in the air-raid shelter?

While drawing Remnant in my own style, I felt my heart race.

This is a masterpiece. A masterpiece that will go down in human history.

I'll do whatever it takes. I'll live in the annex if I have to. I just want to see the end of Remnant!

*

"......"

I was the one who provided the spark.

This Park Kyu, transformed into an 11-year-old child, cast doubt on the Jeju-bound fleet.

The invasion of PaleNet was rare, happening only once a day, and the bored board users found Pilecrum88's post interesting.

keystone: Wow, it's Pilecrum88. I'm a big fan of High School Emperor.

Anonymous848: Is he starting a studio? Maybe there will be some synergy?

unicorn18: Mr. Pilecrum88, can I ask for a commission?

Defender: Hey Pilecrum88, are you alone?

As always, my internet friend Defender saw the truth clearly.

It seemed to be typed by his younger brother.

Defender: You're not bringing that whole miserable set—your brat, your wife, and your parents—to Vienna, are you? We're also running out of food for the kids.

There was a gap of about one minute and ten seconds between the post and the first reply.

Pilecrum88: My family consists of my wife, son, and younger brother, making it a family of three.

Defender: Not your younger sister, right?

Pilecrum88: My younger brother.

Defender: Haha.

The communicator beeped.

"Skull! Are you looking at the computer?"

Sure enough, Dajeong's excited voice echoed.

"Pilecrum, that guy, I mean, that person! Isn't he shameless? Huh?"

"......It does seem that way."

Accepting three adults, even a family, would be difficult.

Was he trying to take over the air-raid shelter?

Moreover, DragonC's air-raid shelter, while spacious enough for one person, might be a bit cramped for four.

I took a sip of the coffee DragonC had given me and asked Dajeong.

"How do you think DragonC will react?"

"He will probably reject it, right?"

"Probably."

As always, people are truly unpredictable.

Is there anything as changeable and hard to predict as a person's heart?

Sometimes I think,

If humans were monsters, the world would be a lot less interesting.

DragonC chose an option that defied everyone's expectations.

DragonC: Sure.

*

I attended the meeting between Pilecrum88 and DragonC out of a sense of duty.

If I hadn't responded to DragonC's message, he wouldn't have made a splendid comeback, and Pilecrum wouldn't have had to apologize.

Of course, I might not see DragonC for a while, but that's uncertain.

Unlike DragonC, who had a safe air-raid shelter, Pilecrum was being crushed by reality.

If he hadn't prepared for the future and died, leaving DragonC alone, wouldn't DragonC be the ultimate winner?

However, DragonC's thoughts seemed to be very different from mine.

Anyway, the event unfolded.

The other side consisted of four people.

Pilecrum88's family and his younger brother.

On our side, there was only DragonC.

Perhaps my presence was the only reason DragonC could hold his head up.

"Hello?"

Pilecrum88 was exactly what people imagine a successful webtoon author to be.

A moderately young appearance, moderately fair skin, and eyes that either looked down on the world or were indifferent.

He extended his hand to me first.

"Are you Mr. DragonC?"

This person.

He had met DragonC before, hadn't he?

I felt a growing dislike as I moved to make room for DragonC.

"I am DragonC. Mr. Pilecrum88."

"Please call me Shim Hojun. You seem older than me."

"My name is Choi Yongsoo."

The two authors shook hands.

Pilecrum was smiling throughout.

In contrast, DragonC was mostly expressionless, occasionally showing an awkward smile in response to the other's words, and seemed to be led by Pilecrum rather than taking the initiative in the conversation.

"I'm really sorry. Really. I didn't know you were such a good person, Yongsoo. It was a black mark on my history. What could I do? Life was tough and miserable. When I was chased out of Seoul to Incheon, it was really, really, a dirty feeling. I couldn't believe I was going to Incheon!"

"I'm from Incheon."

DragonC said with a bitter smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant it figuratively. Haha."

Pilecrum's family, unlike Kim Darum, seemed satisfied with the air-raid shelter.

They must have lived in worse conditions before.

Well, it doesn't matter to me whether Pilecrum or his family are happy.

They seem like a real family, and Pilecrum seems like a real author.

When he draws a male character on a tablet, it's like magic.

What I'm concerned about is Pilecrum's younger brother.

He was a tall man, nearly 190 cm, with a well-built body, and he didn't resemble Pilecrum at all.

It was strange that he was Pilecrum's brother.

From the beginning, he showed a suspicious demeanor and soon spoke bluntly to DragonC.

"Hey, mister, do you live alone?"

The term "mister" made DragonC slightly uncomfortable, but the man just smiled, showing a brazen expression that didn't care about DragonC's feelings.

"I live alone."

"Ah, I see. I thought you had a widower's aura."

He turned to look at me.

"What about this guy? Is he a friend? Bodyguard? Something like that?"

He didn't seem to care about me at all.

Well, he was tall and muscular, so he might have felt confident.

DragonC looked at Pilecrum for an explanation.

Pilecrum smiled and introduced his brother.

"Oh, this is my younger brother. We don't look alike, but if he hadn't come, I wouldn't have had the nerve to come here. Oh, my brother is a hunter."

"A hunter?"

"Yes. He has participated in wars. But now, he says he's been outdone by those Awakened people."

Pilecrum's brother snorted and suddenly twirled a dagger on his fingertips.

"I just came. I figured I'd just be a bullet shield anyway."

This guy doesn't seem to like me.

He stopped twirling the dagger and sheathed it on his thigh, then spoke bluntly to me.

"But why has this mister been staring at me the whole time? Is he gay?"

"Can't I look?"

"Hey, I get told I'm clueless a lot."

The man scowled and cracked his knuckles.

"Want to spar?"

"No."

"Then look away or look somewhere else. It's really annoying."

"I only spar in real fights."

I glared at the man.

His expression turned fierce.

He stood up and shouted.

"Hey! You bastard!"

He extended a rough hand toward me.

As I watched, Pilecrum stopped him.

"Hyungmin! Calm down!"

"No, this bastard is pissing me off?"

"No, let's do this nicely. Hyungmin, you've been in a bad mood since the beginning, haven't you?"

"I felt bad seeing the bodies on the way here! Anyway, this bastard, real fight? What a joke. He's just a mouthy guy."

"Hyungmin!"

"Shit."

Watching this, it didn't seem like he was Pilecrum's brother.

He probably brought a thug as a bodyguard. At this point, I was seriously worried about DragonC's future.

Ignoring the grumbling man, I called DragonC out of the air-raid shelter.

"Will you be okay?"

Honestly, he didn't look okay.

That guy is just a thug, a gangster.

Pilecrum88 is at least human, but he doesn't seem entirely good either.

If he were a good person, he wouldn't have brought a thug like that.

"I think they're just planning to kill you or kick you out and take the air-raid shelter."

It's not 99%.

It's 100%.

"Maybe."

DragonC sighed and smiled bitterly.

Maybe it was just my impression,

but his already dark complexion seemed even darker.

DragonC took out a pill, swallowed it without chewing, and sighed.

"But Pilecrum is real. He's the real Pilecrum I saw from afar."

"I don't feel like it."

"Three days."

DragonC held up three fingers.

"Contact me in three days. If I need help, I'll answer."

"No."

I shook my head.

"Contact me in three days. If I don't hear from you, I'll come right away. That would be better, wouldn't it?"

"......"

DragonC looked at me, then nodded reluctantly.

"......Okay."

DragonC smiled at me.

I couldn't understand.

How could someone smile so brightly when a dark future was clearly ahead?

Could it be that I'm not trustworthy?

No, that's not it.

This Park Kyu, though treated as a has-been and ignored everywhere, still harbors a burning hatred that hasn't faded.

"......"

I took a deep breath and looked at him directly.

"My callsign. It's Professor."

"Professor? S-class?"

"Three seconds."

"?"

"Including the loudmouth in there, I can take care of it in three seconds."

An ax danced in my palm.

"Answer me."

At first, DragonC looked surprised, but then he smiled generously, a smile I couldn't understand, and gestured to me.

Lean in closer.

"Pilecrum copied my work and got me into trouble, right? At first, I was really angry. I was so angry I felt like my head was going to explode. I really wanted to go to Incheon and shoot him. I even ran a brain simulation to kill him!"

"......But why?"

"Over time, I realized, well, it's okay. I don't know. I'm an artist with pride, but I don't know why I feel this way. But the feeling stirring in my heart right now is real."

I looked at DragonC.

His face, darkened by illness, was filled with a sincerity that couldn't be hidden even by his darkened appearance.

"Watch me for three days."

I nodded, heavy-hearted.

It was his choice.

I don't understand, but he is also a community user.

I respect his opinion.

"Oh, and I have a gift for you."

"Again?"

"Yeah. Wait a moment. Come in."

The gift DragonC gave me was beyond my expectations.

An espresso machine.

And a large supply of frozen coffee beans.

"Hey, can't you just leave that here? Huh?"

Pilecrum's wife, who had been watching, spoke up.

Beside her, the large man was grumbling, and Pilecrum was barely holding him back.

I was also puzzled.

"Hey, why are you giving this to me?"

"I quit coffee."

Pilecrum's wife interjected from the side.

"We didn't quit, though?"

DragonC ignored her and insisted that I take the espresso machine and beans.

"Please. You've come here twice. Compared to that, this is nothing. It's my heart, so please take it!"

"......"

"Don't worry. I've used a gun before. I'm a former Army sergeant, even though I'm a bit out of shape now."

I returned to the air-raid shelter with the unwanted gift.

Three days passed.

I received no contact from DragonC.