The unwanted guests from Failnet withdrew like the receding tide.

ㅇㅇ: “For real, this place is full of boring losers.”

An anonymous user's evaluation summed it up perfectly.

ㅇㅇ: “Especially that Skelton guy. What year was he born in, anyway? He still makes those Nanat jokes…”

I don’t know why I keep getting caught in the crossfire, but at this point, maybe Defender was right when he said I’m terrible at the internet.

It was about a week after the gunfire from the north had stopped that Defender suddenly proposed something unexpected.

Defender: “I can’t stand it anymore. I need to move.”

SKELTON: “That place really isn’t great for you.”

Defender: “I’m planning to move somewhere near your area.”

SKELTON: “What?!”

Defender: “Is there a problem?”

Of course there’s a problem.

Let’s be honest—neither the brother nor the sister are normal, right? And now they’re saying they’re coming near my bunker? Just the thought makes my skin crawl.

Defender: “Don’t worry, we’re not asking to stay in your bunker. Unlike some people, we have a sense of boundaries.”

SKELTON: “What do you mean?”

Defender: “Didn’t your friends say you were bad at taking hints before the war?”

SKELTON: “?”

Defender: “Oh, wait. Did you not have many friends?”

SKELTON: (Skelton denies this claim.)

Defender: “Anyway, we’ve already scouted a spot. It’s about 3 km away from your place.”

SKELTON: “3 km?!”

Defender: “We’ll respect your privacy as much as possible, so help us out. We’re friends, remember?”

Defender: (Cry of a beautiful woman) “If you don’t help, we’re dead!”

It didn’t seem like he was joking.

Defender’s area had always been dangerous, but now ex-military raiders were appearing nearby. Moving during the apocalypse is no small feat—it was already a major ordeal before the war, but now it’s a matter of life and death.

Defender: “I’ve made a plan.”

He sent me a map with his migration route marked out. His plan… how should I put this? It was very Defender-like. A mix of rationality and madness.

With raiders from the Legion Faction around, he avoided their routes as much as possible. Instead, his route went through a zombie zone, a fanatic-controlled area, and a monster-infested zone.

SKELTON: “What’s this fanatic-controlled area?”

Defender: “It’s a thing. I can’t remember the name exactly.”

SKELTON: (Skelton thinks hard)

Defender: (Puppy-eyed Defender) “You’re coming, right?”

“…”

Of course, I had to go. What choice do I have?

If, by some miracle, the Defender siblings managed to move without me, they might cut ties with me completely—and worse, become my most vocal haters. That would hurt more than if they died.

Besides, aren’t we internet friends?

SKELTON: (197cm, 100kg, 30cm Skelton)

I replied confidently, inspired by my role model, Johnnenon.

Defender: “?”

Defender: “What the hell are you talking about?”

“….”

Maybe that joke was too advanced for Defender.

Defender is rough around the edges, sure, but he’s sharp and sensible when it counts. We agreed to meet halfway.

As always, I set out after dark. I traveled quietly under the cover of the shadows.

Bang!

Distant gunfire rang out—it wasn’t unusual anymore.

Off to the northeast, I could see unfamiliar lights. Pioneers, probably.

Bang! Bang!

There’s a reason pioneers venture into the dangerous wastelands: guns.

For those starving in the cities, a gun offers a glimmer of hope. It means they can at least try to survive out here, even if the odds are slim.

Bang! Rat-a-tat-tat!

The gunfire became rapid and frantic. I turned on the radio.

Radio: “-zzzzt! This is the 423rd Pioneer Corps! A mutation! A mutation is circling our camp! We need support, immediate support!”

A moment later, the radio crackled again.

Radio: “This is the 423rd Pioneer Corps. The ‘mutation’ turned out to be a deer. We apologize for the confusion.”

It was a full moon tonight.

Usually, things like this don’t happen during a full moon, but the clouds were so thick it might as well have been a new moon. No wonder they were shooting at shadows.

The moonlight peeked through the clouds briefly, casting faint illumination on the ground.

Following the faint glow of lights and gunfire as my guide, I reached the meeting point.

I checked my GPS and sent a signal through the K-Walkie.

Beep—Beep Beep Beep Beep—

I looked around.

From the northeastern woods, a light blinked three times.

That was our signal. We had agreed not to use direct replies—communication through light and radio only. It was inefficient, but necessary. When people are your greatest threat, you take precautions.

“Skelton.”

It had been a while since I last saw Defender. He looked a bit thinner, but still carried the same bold demeanor. His gaze was sharper now, as if he had leveled up from killing too many people.

“Let’s go.”

He handed me a headset.

As soon as I put it on, I heard Defender’s sister’s voice crackling through.

“Skelton! Is it really you?”

“What about me?”

“You know… the thing. The 30cm thing…?!”

“…It’s a metaphor.”

“That’s not some oxymoron, is it?”

I considered asking what an oxymoron was, but decided against it. There’d be time for banter when we got to Defender’s new place.

But something felt off.

It wasn’t a stench—it was the atmosphere itself. An unsettling sense of dread lingered in the air.

Defender pointed south.

The monster zone—the one I had seen before.

It had grown.

The strange grayish-white corruption had spread all the way to the riverbanks. If I hadn’t killed the monsters near my own territory in time, my land would look like that too: bleak and lifeless, twisting everything in its path.

“From here on, the path gets rough.”

Defender moved quickly up a steep slope.

I followed, grabbing onto branches as I climbed.

We traveled along the ridge, carefully staying below the crest to avoid being seen. Soon, Defender waved me over to a rock for cover.

“Look over there.”

Beyond the ridge, countless lights flickered.

An army.

Tanks, armored vehicles, and helicopters with their blades folded rested on trailers in a disused factory yard.

“…?”

But there were too many of them.

Dozens of tanks. Attack helicopters. Why would so much firepower be gathered in a place like this? They didn’t look like they were here to fight monsters.

Defender smirked bitterly as he stared at the scene below.

“Now you see why we’re moving?”

“I get it. But why are they gathering here?”

“They arrived two months ago, and their numbers keep growing. They only communicate through encrypted channels.”

“…Does that mean?”

A chill ran down my spine.

I had a bad feeling about what this army’s purpose might be.

“Failnet and our forum have been buzzing about the Legion Faction splitting apart. But what if it’s all just an act?”

Maybe.

Defender moved on.

“But whether it’s the Legion Faction or the Assembly Faction, it doesn’t matter to us.”

I agreed.

Whoever holds power has nothing to do with us.

My only wish is for them to last as long as possible. Whether it’s a traitor faction or a legitimate government, the longer they hold the line up north, the more time I’ll have.

Beyond the shadowy army’s camp lay another grayish-white corrupted zone.

What a miserable place, I thought bitterly.

“Was this place also consumed?” I asked quietly.

The last time I was here, it was perfectly fine.

There were no signs of erosion, and I hadn’t heard any rumors about monsters appearing.

Defender let out a shallow sigh, then revealed a truth I hadn’t known.

“Apparently, some lunatics brought capsules here.”

“Capsules?”

“I didn’t see it myself, but that’s what I heard on the military frequency.”

Capsules…

I had moved capsules with my own hands once. Back then, it was an unavoidable choice.

At the time, I had even less room for error than I do now, and besides, Kim Daram and the South Korean government were still holding strong.

A single monster wasn’t much trouble when Kim Daram was willing to lend a hand.

But unlike me, there are people who genuinely want to distribute monsters into this world.

“Don’t tell me it’s those fanatics…”

The fools who mistake the outcome—peace and coexistence—for the cause.

They were the very ones responsible for driving China to ruin.

“The Many Returning to the Source Sect?”

It had been a long time since I’d spoken that blasphemous name aloud.

Defender nodded, gritting his teeth.

“Yeah. That’s what they were called.”

Defender’s expression twisted with anger.

“...I should’ve killed them all when I ran into them on the road.”

Beyond the grayish-white forest, pale smoke was rising.

It was smoke from burning wood.

People were living there.

Could it really be the Many Returning to the Source Sect?

No sane religion would ever teach its followers to live beside monsters—except for that insane cult.

“...They really came to Korea?”

“When it comes to those soulless bastards who believe in cults, you think borders or reasons matter?”

Defender had a point.

This world is full of people who’ve chosen self-destruction, people like that.

That’s probably what I’m seeing now—humans who would’ve burned themselves out even if the apocalypse hadn’t come.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

“Because I thought you wouldn’t come if I did.”

Defender admitted it honestly.

Clearly, this guy had been in China. He knew firsthand how dangerous those fanatics were, almost as much as an organized army.

Some people underestimate them. Compared to the military, their equipment is poor, and they lack proper training.

But they’re never easy opponents.

It’s not just about their numbers, their fervor, or their disregard for death.

Among the fanatics, there are times when someone appears—someone chosen by their so-called god.

Quietly, I asked Defender, “Are there Awakened among them?”

Defender paused for a moment before nodding.

“...I don’t know for sure. But I think I saw something like that.”

People say the first Awakened emerged among hunters, but that’s not true.

The first Awakened appeared among the fanatics living in erosion zones.

It was something I witnessed firsthand, alongside the Chinese military.

I still vividly remember what Major Lee Ja-ho, who served as our bridge with the Chinese forces, said with wide, horrified eyes.

“Is that… a human mutation? No… has a human become a monster?”

That information was deleted and concealed back when I had access to classified intel.

Now, it’s probably regarded as little more than a legend remembered by a handful of people.

There was no helping it.

Dark ages crave heroes, and heroes only emerge in dramatic circumstances.

Defender spoke into his headset, contacting his sister.

“We’ve reached the open field. Do a quick scout.”

“Aye, Captain!”

We waited briefly.

Soon, a dark speck rose against the night sky.

It was a Chinese-made combat drone equipped with night vision.

“All clear. You can move.”

Before his sister even finished speaking, Defender sprinted across the open field.

The clouds were thinning, revealing the moonlight, which lit up the ground.

Despite this, there wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his movements.

Reluctantly, I followed him at full speed.

When my breathing started to feel pleasantly strained, we re-entered the dense forest.

“From here on, this is my territory.”

By then, heavy clouds completely shrouded the sky and moon, plunging us into pitch-black darkness. We had to rely on instinct to navigate.

After climbing a few hills and descending some slopes, Defender suddenly stopped.

“Turn back.”

He pointed a laser pointer toward a corner of the darkness.

It was a Claymore mine.

Maliciously, someone had strung wires between rocks along the shortcut. If triggered, hundreds of steel pellets would shred the person and anyone following them into rags.

“That wasn’t here before. It must’ve been set up recently.”

“By those guys earlier?”

“Who knows? What matters is that we can’t live here anymore.”

“Agreed.”

The detour was more of a rock-climbing course than a path.

Thanks to the darkness hiding us, it was possible to pull off such feats.

Soon, faint outlines of a steep-pitched roof emerged in the hazy distance.

It was Defender’s house.

It had taken a while, but we had arrived safely.

Suddenly, Defender turned around.

“Sorry.”

He brushed past me.

“Let’s take another way.”

“Why?”

“There’s something I don’t want to see. I’m really sorry.”

It wasn’t an offhand apology—there was genuine regret in his voice.

Why would he turn back when we were so close to his house?

I was puzzled and about to ask when the world suddenly brightened.

A small gap appeared in the thick clouds that had been covering the moon and stars.

Through that narrow opening, the hidden moonlight poured down, blanketing the world in a brief, ethereal glow.

In that moment of brilliance, a secret hidden in the darkness was revealed.

A corpse hung from a tree.

It was dried up, mummified.

The body had hanged itself and now stared vacantly at the amusement park sprawled below, its hollow eyes gazing downward.

The withered face of the corpse bore an uncanny resemblance to the features of Defender and his sister.