Chapter 84

46. Messiah (2)

It was an old memory, now forgotten.

I remember it was a Thursday.

A world of gray and white.

Beyond the horizon, countless colossal monsters swarmed in a world far, far away.

I vividly remember the radio transmission I heard while trapped in a corner, my limbs broken, unable to move.

“Is there any sign of life from Professor?”

“Not confirmed. The noise is too severe inside the crack.”

“Should we continue the search?”

“Let’s give it one more try.”

“No. I’m against it. Professor is dead. If he were alive, he would have communicated.”

“Professor won’t die.”

“Even if he’s alive, I don’t think it’s worth risking our lives to save him. Now, Fool, you’re the leader. Order a retreat.”

“Minerva. No, Hyein... How can you say such things? Have you forgotten that Park Gyu saved you?”

“He said it himself, didn’t he? We don’t need the incompetent in this war. Now, he has become one of them. Why? Don’t you want to deny it? Think about our value. We are now worth more than a thousand of him.”

“Fool. What should we do? An electromagnetic storm is coming soon. It’s a big one.”

“...We retreat.”

I was abandoned.

The reason: worthless.

Who could have believed it a year ago?

That a man once considered a top candidate for the world’s best hunter could be deemed worthless.

Of course, dying there would have been a fitting end to Park Gyu’s story, a bitter but complete conclusion.

But I survived and returned.

I reset my broken bones, took painkillers up to a near-lethal dose, and crawled to the patrol route of the exploration team. For almost a month, I survived on emergency rations, enduring hunger while waiting for the next exploration team.

When I was discovered by the next exploration team, my weight had dropped from 81kg to 45kg.

But my will remained unbroken.

The pride and dignity of the elite, once called Professor, still lived within me.

Unable to accept that I was worthless, I volunteered for the artificial Awaken test.

A test now known as the mental sensitivity test, an extreme trial that drives young children to death.

I attempted it three times and failed each time.

Once, I was even declared brain dead and spent a month in a coma.

Looking at my emaciated arm, I closed my eyes and admitted it.

I am just an ordinary person.

A human who lacks the qualifications to face the infinite beyond the crack.

“...”

I absentmindedly stared at the sheet of paper stuck in a corner of my room.

The sheet, placed next to Su’s, is black.

The color of the incompetent.

It also reveals my lingering attachment.

It shows that I, who have already been deemed worthless, still thirst for that power.

Message from iamjesus: Memmem

While I was in a coma, I heard that Um Minhee and other juniors had awakened as Awakens.

I don’t know the exact circumstances, but the rumors piqued my curiosity.

They say that Awakens can draw other Awakens.

Like a model teacher inspiring those around them, powerful Awakens can guide nearby people to the path of awakening.

Um Minhee was the deputy of another savior, Na Hyein.

Once, Um Minhee asked me why I didn’t ask for help.

I could have asked.

I could have begged to be enlightened by the strongest of the time, the savior.

But I was a different person back then.

Even with the opportunity, I didn’t seize it and chose to retire.

More than five years have passed since then.

I have changed a bit.

I’m in my thirties now and am gradually learning how to live among people.

SKELTON: Memmem! Memmem!

Message from iamjesus: Memmem?

SKELTON: Memmem!

I tried to build a belated friendship with iamjesus.

Our bond remains strong, though it’s only between us, not in front of others.

*

“Senior, how have you been?”

I received a message from Um Minhee.

I’ve heard that some Awakens have the ability to read people’s minds.

Not exactly reading thoughts, but analyzing brain waves to understand a person’s intentions and the direction of their thoughts.

I don’t have that ability, but I know why Um Minhee contacted me.

“Is the internet working?”

“Internet?”

“Yes. I gave you the Starfield system and the laptop, remember? Did you not receive them?”

This guy, now that he’s been blocked by iamjesus, is frantically looking for me.

He must be in a real hurry.

Even knowing my poor social skills, he still reached out to me.

Considering the value of iamjesus, it’s understandable.

Building a research facility in the declining city of Incheon and investing a huge amount of money is aimed at finding high-level Awakens like iamjesus, an Alpha Awaken.

But I want to keep my internet use a secret from Um Minhee.

It’s my privacy and is connected to my life.

If he finds out I’m Eom Chang, he’ll search the entire Korean Peninsula to find me.

“I don’t use the internet. I never did. I hate it. It doesn’t suit me.”

“What did you do with the equipment?”

Um Minhee pressed, showing no respect as a senior.

It’s like a kindergarten teacher scolding a disobedient child.

Feeling like I was back to being the young Eom Chang, I replied with a sense of guilt.

“I gave it to Baek Seung-hyun.”

“Whaaaaat?!”

Um Minhee shouted.

Not only that, he even made a sound like metal scraping, trying to tear my eardrums apart.

“Hey, be quiet. What? What’s the matter?”

“Why did you give it to someone like him? Really!”

“Well, why did I? Can’t you take it back from him?”

“How can I take it back? Seriously! What?”

Suddenly, a heavy silence came from the other end of the radio.

A moment later.

“Dongtanmom!!!!!!!!!!!”

A single scream, and the transmission was cut.

He must have finally realized who Dongtanmom is.

“...”

I hope this marks the end of Dongtanmom.

Anyway, from Um Minhee’s urgent attitude, it’s clear that iamjesus has transformed from a forgotten relic of the past into a representative monster of Viva! Apocalypse!

With the restoration of the Pale Net, its users flooded our forum.

They spread iamjesus’s Alpha Awaken certification scene on their site, and I saw his eyes glowing in the best section of the exam forum where I used to be active.

The post had over 4,000 comments.

Anonymous: Damn, the sheet is just a retard.

Anonymous: This is real.

Anonymous: Forget the sheet, it’s the eye glow era now!

Anonymous: Wow, what did he eat to make this possible?

Anonymous: Is this a savior-level awakening?

Anonymous: I heard saviors just make the surroundings brighter?

Anonymous: Maybe not as strong as Gang Hanmin, but probably close?

Anonymous: Free pass to Jeju Island.

Anonymous: Not Jeju Island, but the comments on his post are full of powerful people.

...

...

There’s nothing to see.

Now, iamjesus is the undisputed top name in Viva! Apocalypse!

It’s as if a god has descended upon our forum.

But iamjesus hasn’t changed at all.

He continues to spout Bible-like verses that no one has ever seen.

But the world is a fickle place.

iamjesus: Remember your Creator before the days of trouble come, and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.”

When he says this,

Anonymous: Iammen~

Anonymous: Iammen~

Anonymous: Iammen

Anonymous: Jamen

Anonymous: Iammen~

Dongtanmom: Nammen~

...

...

Countless followers respond to him.

The hidden forces targeting iamjesus have not stopped their pursuit.

CrunchRoll: I’ll be blunt. I’m the boss of a gang in the southern region~ I have 1,200 members and plenty of women. Drugs, alcohol, and games are abundant. Do you like games? I have all the series of your favorite games.

Dies_Irae69: We don’t have much to offer, but if you want a family, come to us. We’ll be your family.

Armeegruppe_B: Know the Legion? Join us. I’ll give you a star right away.

Dongtanmom: Nam...

But iamjesus is a friend with unyielding spirit.

No matter how strong and superior the temptation, he remains unshaken.

His stance is reminiscent of Jesus Christ, who resisted the devil’s temptation in the wilderness during his youth.

The Defender siblings contacted me after seeing this.

“Wow, I thought that guy was just crazy, but he’s something else, isn’t he? Can you stand it, Skeleton? Are you watching?”

Da-jung is excited.

The Defender seems to be deeply captivated by iamjesus.

“Ji Seo-bang, the more I see, the more impressive he is...”

But then the Defender expressed his concern.

“Still, Ji Seo-bang, isn’t he in danger?”

The Defender is known for finding and killing people, so it’s natural that his concerns are related to that.

“Right now, there are probably people searching for the Legion and other powerful forces.”

That’s true.

The groups trying to take iamjesus won’t just be making noise on the internet.

They will likely search through all of iamjesus’s posts to pinpoint his location and secure the valuable Alpha Awaken.

I asked the Defender, an expert in this field.

“What do you think? Can they find iamjesus just from the certification photos?”

“I’ve seen a few, but there’s nothing noticeable except the sex toys. He seems like someone who doesn’t go outside at all.”

“That’s true. By the way, is that Justice Min still bothering him?”

“No, he’s been quiet lately. He doesn’t post on the forum, so it’s hard to know what he’s thinking, but I think he might also be searching for iamjesus.”

“So, there are more fans than we know?”

“Of course. You know the value of an Alpha Awaken. Didn’t you have Gang Hanmin and Na Hyein in your batch?”

“Oh, yes.”

“What were they like?”

Thinking about the “change” I saw that day,

They were not like iamjesus.

They didn’t have glowing eyes or a halo.

But the world and everyone in it seemed to be bathed in an indescribable, strange radiance.

And most importantly, they had something small in their hands, like a tiny candle, with a weight that felt like the very essence of human life.

In other words, my classmates were probably of a higher level than iamjesus.

“...I think they were a step above iamjesus.”

“I see.”

“Still, do you think others will find iamjesus?”

“That might be difficult.”

The Defender expressed doubt.

“Foxgame said that even if our forum is hacked, the satellite communication-based network itself is impossible to access without Melon Mask-level permissions.”

“Is that so?”

“The forum is like an accessory to the satellite network.”

According to the Defender, using satellite communication hacking to pinpoint a location is almost impossible.

After all, Melon Mask, who created our world, is not an ordinary person.

The real issue is iamjesus’s behavior.

He might be receiving various temptations from unknown users.

Any powerful force would likely have multiple Viva! Apocalypse! accounts.

Um Minhee might even be using an alternate account to flirt with him.

From iamjesus’s certification photos, his emaciated body is barely visible behind the overwhelming presence of the sex toys and the glow from his eyes.

About a year and a half ago, the meals he publicly shared were dried, brick-like preserved foods.

It’s not hard to guess that his health is poor, given that he has been writing in a dark room, with no joy, and no one to see his words, like echoes that never return, while eating a poor diet since the war began.

How long can he resist the temptations reaching out to him?

I don’t think I could.

I can’t even imagine what someone who has been starving for over a year would do after a few days of hard work.

No matter what choice he makes, I can’t blame him.

Whether he joins the Legion, which tried to destroy Jeju Island, or the Manryugyong religion, which betrayed humanity.

Then, one day,

Message from iamjesus: Mem... ㅠ

I received a message from iamjesus.

On the surface, it’s just another manifestation of the impulsive madness I created.

But the slight change is significant.

He used the initial “ㅠ.”

The meaning of “ㅠ” is tears.

Given the “..” that follows, it’s clear.

Iamjesus.

The madman of our forum is in distress!

“?!”

I immediately replied.

SKELTON: (Concerned Skeleton) Memmmm?!

A perfect response, blending a moment of madness with the most Skeleton-like characteristic.

To a regular user, it would just be a string of curses, but not to iamjesus.

He, who sees and thinks what others cannot, and who has achieved a different awakening, unlocked the heart he had never opened to anyone upon reading my reply.

Message from iamjesus: I’m in pain and hungry... ㅠㅠ

Iamjesus is asking for help.

Despite the many powerful forces and their tempting offers.

SKELTON: Where are you?

My task is clear.

Of course, it’s not purely out of goodwill.

I need him too.

“...”

My heart is still on the battlefield.

If he can give me the strength to return to the battlefield, I will gladly become his apostle.