That user was a well-known figure on Blinder.
I learned this in the “Completely Anonymous” board tucked in a corner.
This board was different from others in that everything was kept blind.
To give you an idea, here’s what the current posts look like:
Someone: I can’t take manual labor anymore
Someone: Saw a mutation hunting a cow—it’s just wrong
Someone: They say monsters are showing up up ahead—are we safe here?
Someone: Monsters live in the next town over?
Someone: Another post from that Bitchy Aunt—seriously
Someone: Ugh, that Bitchy Aunt again. Can’t stand her
Someone: Why did they have to copy that site? Couldn’t they have just made it like FailNet?
...
It was there that I learned the user I had suspected to be Kim Daram was being called the Bitchy Aunt.
It wasn’t just because the person was strange. They were constantly flaunting their achievements, stirring up jealousy among users. It seemed like the nickname was a result of that.
She was my junior, but there's nothing more disgusting than her actions.
Then again, it was typical of Kim Daram, always comparing herself to others and deriving joy from feeling superior.
She probably didn’t even notice my online history, considering the shameful things she did every day.
But as I thought about it more, I realized that there was a reason Kim Daram (presumably) could act so smug on that board.
It was her job.
When I joined Viva! Apocalypse!, old-school hunters like me were considered outdated, but things were different now.
Now that Awakened individuals had scattered to Jeju, we were the only ones left capable of fighting monsters.
The title of Hunter was gaining more status than ever before.
It was likely that her Hunter title was why she was getting so much attention.
If I’d posted as Unemployed, no one would have clicked on my post, no matter how right I was.
“······.”
In South Korea, reputation matters.
That hasn’t changed even three and a half years after the war started.
How you acquire that reputation is what matters most.
That’s where Skelton’s successful debut on Blinder comes in.
The Power of Connections
If you live alone, maybe you don’t care about this. But in a group, nothing is as important as connections.
I have connections with people who are somewhat influential within the Legion Faction.
Among those connections is General Kim Byung-cheol, the top-ranking figure in South Korea.
If I ask him for a favor, it’ll be done, no questions asked.
In fact, there’s a chance I could even get the title of S-Class Hunter.
But how do I connect with Kim Byung-cheol?
I do have a way to contact him through the radio.
He knows my personal identifier, and I know his.
But I only know his Viva! Apocalypse! nickname. I don’t have his personal identifier.
I could try with someone else.
Someone like Bitchy Aunt Kim Daram.
Until things went sour between us, I had a comfortable history of asking her for help and receiving it.
Unlike Kim Byung-cheol, I can contact Kim Daram directly via radio.
But... it's a matter of pride.
I don’t want to ask Bitchy Aunt for help.
It’s something I’ve decided deep in my heart. I need to keep my distance from her.
I’d rather look for another way.
If all else fails, I’ll ask Kim Daram for help, but that would be a last resort.
The final solution is to earn the title by my own power.
Though that method isn’t exactly legal.
It’s what people call the dark way.
The Dark Market
ㅇㅇ: Selling Blinder accounts
ㅇㅇ: Selling Blinder accounts!
ㅇㅇ: Blinder accounts with jobs for sale.
ㅇㅇ: With FailNet going down soon, let’s move to Blinder! Selling Blinder accounts with jobs.
ㅇㅇ: Selling professional Blinder accounts (negotiable)
...
In the darker corners of FailNet, there’s a board where Blinder accounts are sold.
It’s not so unusual. Back in the day, people used to trade Viva! Apocalypse! accounts and gear, so trading Blinder accounts is no different.
On this dark market, you can purchase the account you want in exchange for a small fee.
It’s a “clean” way of avoiding Kim Byung-cheol and Kim Daram’s influence.
The biggest downside is the inconvenience.
To make the trade, I’d need to travel to Incheon, Seoul, or perhaps places like Chuncheon or Wonju that I’ve never been to before—Legion-controlled zones.
Of the three options, I chose Kim Byung-cheol.
SKELTON: Do you remember me?
armeegruppe_B: Who?
“Hmm?”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I sent a message back.
SKELTON: It’s Park Gyu. The one who worked with Kim Daram near the National Assembly.
armeegruppe_B: Huh?
armeegruppe_B: Who? Was it the person who added me in the game?
“What?”
Tap, tap, tap.
SKELTON: General Kim Byung-cheol, isn’t it?
armeegruppe_B: It’s my daughter.
armeegruppe_B: Oh, wait. You’re the one in the popular post?
SKELTON: (Skelton confused)
armeegruppe_B: (Ye-rim sweating) Dad seems to know you, but what’s going on? Let me know if you need something.
SKELTON: No, it’s fine.
I hit an unexpected snag.
Kim Byung-cheol’s daughter?
I had no idea. The game must have triggered her recognition.
But this wasn’t going the way I’d hoped.
Maybe contacting Kim Byung-cheol for a job change wasn’t a viable path after all.
I wasn’t going to ask for a favor, not when it came to Kim Daram.
It was a matter of pride.
Even if Skelton hit rock bottom, I wouldn’t stoop to asking the Bitchy Aunt for help.
“...Phew.”
I decided to look at the popular posts.
Earlier, Kim Byung-cheol’s daughter had mentioned something about a popular post. It seemed related to me.
I grabbed a glass of cold water and headed straight to the popular posts tab.
Sure enough, one post stood out.
mmmmmmmmmm: (Shock) What the hell is this guy doing here?
“What?”
I clicked on it.
A screenshot appeared, showing an image of me. It was the exact post I had made on Blinder.
I hadn’t posted that screenshot.
Why would m9 upload it?
A cold sweat ran down my spine as I read the comments.
ㅇㅇ: Lol.
Anonymous458: What the hell is that guy doing?
Anonymous1423: The best part is that he didn’t even get a single comment.
Keystone: Poor guy, really.
Defender: What’s this about?
Berkut_break: He’s truly a disgrace to Viva! Apocalypse!.
Gijayangban: ?
“Min-hee?!”
No, right now Min-hee wasn’t the issue.
m9 was roasting me!
They took a screenshot of my Blinder debut post and uploaded it to our board.
I immediately sent m9 a message.
SKELTON: Hey.
m9: Captain M9 speaking!
SKELTON: What the hell are you doing?
m9: What else? Your actions are hilarious, so I took a screenshot.
SKELTON: You’d better take that down, right now.
m9: Ohh, okay~ Got it~ lol.
As expected, m9 didn’t take the post down, and I, Park Gyu, unwittingly became the subject of amusement on the board.
“······.”
The story could’ve ended there.
It might even be a lesson of sorts.
But I, Park Gyu, am neither a soft person nor someone who dispenses lessons.
The Dark Market
ㅇㅇ: Buying Blinder accounts.
In the dark corners of FailNet, I posted a buying request for a Blinder account.
Soon, a seller contacted me.
ㅇㅇ: I’ll take ammo, alcohol, medicine, cigarettes, etc., but I don’t recommend buying clothes unless they’re in good condition.
The seller told me what they wanted.
ㅇㅇ: 5.56mm ammo.
ㅇㅇ: NATO rounds, okay?
ㅇㅇ: How many rounds?
ㅇㅇ: One magazine.
Exchanges like these are typically short and to the point.
There’s no need for formalities; what matters is that both parties understand each other.
I attempted deals with several sellers and soon found success.
ㅇㅇ: 15 rounds?
ㅇㅇ: 10 rounds.
ㅇㅇ: Deal.
ㅇㅇ: Dream Factory 318, Gasan Digital Valley.
Gasan? Is that in Seoul?
It’s not exactly far.
The current state of security in Legion-controlled areas made this travel much easier, and I had no real concerns about the journey.
It was also a good opportunity to see firsthand how well Legion was managing.
Before I left, I decided to contact Woo Min-hee.
Static crackles—
There’s a lot of noise.
Is there some sort of interference?
Despite the static, the signal went through, reconnecting me to my junior.
“Hey, senior?”
It’s Woo Min-hee.
Her voice hasn’t changed. I guess she’s still holding on.
Well, she’s my junior.
We both went to the same school.
I hid the surge of emotion, keeping my tone calm.
“Hey, Min-hee. I saw you online, so I decided to reach out.”
“Ah, that. Senior, why do you always do such weird stuff? I get being addicted to the internet, but do you get some kind of kick out of being hated online?”
“No, that’s not it. Everything alright?”
“Yeah, today’s fine. But now that we’re talking, senior...”
“Yeah?”
“Can you help me with supplies? I’ve been collecting, but it’s starting to run low. The supply group from Jeju said they’d help, but they’re just making noise. No contact.”
“If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll do what I can.”
“Good. If I need anything else, I’ll contact you, senior.”
Woo Min-hee abruptly ended the call.
Before the connection was lost, I thought I heard gunfire in the background.
Could there have been a skirmish?
Even though the situation had stabilized, we were still in a rift zone.
And Woo Min-hee was an enemy faction to the Legion.
Anything could happen at any time.
Anyway, knowing she was okay was enough to ease the sting of my humiliation at Blinder and m9.
I finished the call with Woo Min-hee and set off toward Seoul.
The trip itself was refreshing.
No raiders, no ambushes. Once I entered Legion-controlled territory, the surveillance drones and military scouts greeted me.
“Halt. Halt. Who are you?”
A drone followed me, asking for my ID.
“Civilian. I’m here to meet a contact in Seoul.”
“Destination and duration.”
“I’m heading to Gasan and I won’t be staying long.”
As I approached Gasan, I saw numerous soldiers and civilians.
I’d heard that evacuees were transported by train, and sure enough, I saw a platform with multiple trucks and porters bustling about, moving supplies.
It was clear that the situation in Incheon and Seoul was different.
Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.
No wonder Kim Byung-cheol had such a good reputation.
Passing through the lively streets, I reached the meeting location.
The meeting spot was what they called an “apartment-style factory.”
Unlike other buildings, the scars of the war were clearly visible, but that’s what allowed the black market dealers to thrive here.
I arrived at the agreed location and knocked.
The door opened, revealing a short man and a tall man with burn scars on his face.
After a brief exchange, we began the transaction.
“Here. One magazine, 10 rounds. Check it.”
The tall man confirmed the rounds and nodded at the shorter man.
“Okay, I’ll create the account for you now.”
The man sat down in front of a computer.
The machine he was using looked more like a pile of scrap metal than an actual computer. It seemed like he had put it together himself with spare parts.
He showed me the screen.
“What job do you want?”
A job, huh.
I already had something in mind.
“Hunter.”
The two men exchanged surprised glances.
“Hunter?”
The tall man scratched his head and muttered.
“Professionals are a bit too risky.”
He spoke with a southeastern accent.
“What he said is true, senior. Professionals are rare. They’ll be found out quickly. It’s better to go for something less ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ flashy, with more people working there.”
“Where?”
“Changsu Food or Samgeon Construction, maybe. Gyeongridang is also decent. Better than collective farms or factories, right?”
“······Hmm.”
Their points weren’t without merit.
In this shrinking world, getting caught in a rare job would be easy.
But I didn’t come all the way here just to pretend to work a normal job.
At that moment, something caught my eye— a white coat hanging on the wall.
An idea struck me.
“Doctor.”
A doctor, yes.
“Let’s go with doctor.”
“Did you graduate from medical school?”
“No.”
The two men looked at me in disbelief.
“Maybe you should just stick with being a Hunter...”
“No. Let’s go with doctor.”