Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 50.2: The Giant Tree (2)

Human nature doesn’t change.

Take me, Park Gyu, for instance. No matter how high a position I might hold or how far from home I might go, I am still the same Park Gyu.

The same applies to John Nae-non. He was, in the best sense of the term, an "attention seeker." While his methods could sometimes be sly and lacked moral integrity, he directed his influence toward benefitting the greatest number of people. In return, he gained fame and fortune.

Critics of John Nae-non, who have all but disappeared now, claimed he exploited our community for financial gain. But those words come from people who don’t understand him at all. From what I’ve observed—both online and offline—John Nae-non cared less about money and more about recognition.

More precisely, he relished and craved the state of being praised and admired by a large number of people.

When he created the masterpiece that is Failnet, he acted as if he had achieved everything. Standing in the light with his arms spread wide, he exuded the demeanor of someone who had reached the end of their journey.

And yet, he lived on for several more months.

I once read in a newspaper that when terminally ill patients surpass their predicted lifespan, they often feel more perplexed about why they’re still alive than relieved to have survived.

I imagine John Nae-non, who seemed on the brink of death every day, must have felt the same.

Why haven’t I died yet?

He likely thought, How stubbornly persistent can I be?

But this prolonged survival must have afforded him the chance to reflect. Perhaps it allowed him to rediscover what he truly desired—the self he had lost long ago.

In other words, perhaps he began to yearn for the legendary John Nae-non once more.

171cm54kg13cm: Do you think this will cheer up John Nae-non? I really don’t understand how this would work.

SKELTON: (Strategist SKELTON) Trust me. Just follow my instructions. He’ll love it.

Though the forum often treated me as an eccentric and a fool, back in the field, people used to call me an upgraded version of Jang Ki-young. Unlike him, who relied on crude, nonsensical strategies, I crafted plans rooted in reality and data, balancing conservatism and innovation. My creative tactics helped extend the lifespans of us Old School Hunters.

This was one of my strategies. There was no way it wouldn’t work.

As expected, my idol, John Nae-non, responded exactly as I had anticipated.

A Titan Appears on Failnet

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): ㅋ

Reality may have been in shambles, but the Failnet forum—once a chaotic battlefield of arguments and bravado—suddenly saw the arrival of a titan.

This user stood out from the rest in every conceivable way.

First, there was the sheer size of their font. While most users wrote in a modest 10-point size, this mysterious figure used an overwhelming 100-point font—ten times larger.

Not only that, but their username shimmered endlessly in rainbow hues, like a neon sign.

Imagine the scene: a forum where everyone writes in uniform colors and font sizes, only for someone to appear with words ten times bigger and flashing in vibrant, dynamic colors. The impact was indescribable.

One trembling user, likely shaking as they typed, dared to ask:

ㅇㅇ (A13): GOD...? Wh-who are you?!

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): ㅎㅎ (Hehe)

Immediately after his chuckle, every single Failnet user received the same message, covering their entire screens:

※John Nae-non※ (GOD):

Hello, everyone. This is John Nae-non, the founder of Failnet. ^^

The giant had appeared.

*

The return of John Nae-non threw not only Failnet but also the Korean-language board of Viva! Apocalypse! into utter turmoil.

익명848: John Nae-non? Didn’t that guy die?

익명458: He must have. How is this possible?

Foxgames: John Nae-non is the founder of Failnet? Really?

berkut_break: That plagiarist?

unicorn18: Wow...

Dolsingman: This isn’t someone impersonating him, is it?

RokaGG: Who would even try to impersonate someone like that?

Many people, still harboring bad memories of John Nae-non, refused to acknowledge his presence. I understood their perspective.

Even as one of his most loyal supporters, I never imagined that John Nae-non might have been the mastermind behind Failnet.

But the giant who appeared on Failnet was undoubtedly him.

John_nenon (존 내논): It’s been a while. Hehe. Hello, Viva board.

He personally confirmed his identity by posting on the Korean-language board. Few dared to leave comments under his post.

They knew.

Among the countless survivors still active on this board, there weren’t many who deserved the right to comment under the words of the man who had become a beacon of light.

We had driven him away.

We envied him, found fault with him, and pushed him out of the community. Even after he disappeared, we failed to honor his contributions and instead consistently diminished his value.

But there were exceptions.

SKELTON: (SKELTON) You’ve finally returned, John Nae-non!

As his last loyal follower, I—SKELTON—stepped forward.

I could almost see John Nae-non’s smile.

Sure enough, he responded to me directly:

John_nenon (존 내논): SKELTON...

SKELTON: John Nae-non...

It was a highly staged moment, of course. Much more had happened behind the scenes than most people realized. But since the beginning of the war, has there been a more moving reunion?

I don’t think so.

Interruptions and Mockery

But the world is full of people who should be silenced.

mmmmmmmmm: What a load of crap...

dongtanmom: Yum... Why’s he acting like that? Is he gay? Yum yum...

gijayangban: ?

I could forgive mmmmmmmmm for their interruption, but dongtanmom? Their nickname alone made them easily identifiable, even with anonymity intact.

This disgusting person had once proudly declared they didn’t use mobile internet, only to flaunt their so-called “noble code” during the recent Failnet regional code incident. With their “yum yum” remarks, they continued to antagonize others.

Maybe dongtanmom wasn’t Baek Seung-hyun, but I was 100% certain that the "yum yum" lunatic was Seung-hyun. Either that, or every "yum yum" user was equally deranged.

It’s no surprise that John Nae-non’s thought process aligned somewhat with mine. After all, he was the one who had inspired me.

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): Hey, you there with the “yum yum” comments!

ㅇㅇ (A02): Yum...?

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): You’re permanently banned.

※John Nae-non※ (GOD) has permanently banned user ㅇㅇ (Device ID: 35471E223)!

The moment yum yum man disappeared from Failnet forever marked the first action taken by the "God" of the platform.

Praises for the Creator

People, astonished by the sudden appearance of Failnet’s creator, quickly erupted into thunderous applause:

ㅇㅇ (D13): Ohhh! John Nae-non!

ㅇㅇ (E01): John Nae-non! John Nae-non!

ㅇㅇ (A15): Thank you, John Nae-non, for creating Failnet~

ㅇㅇ (B22): Without John Nae-non, I might have committed suicide. What would’ve been the point of living in this hellish world?

ㅇㅇ (C13): John. Nae. Non! John. Nae. Non!

The collective praise for John Nae-non from Failnet’s users—far outnumbering our board’s members—was overwhelming. The intensity of this admiration even caused Failnet’s high-performance servers, usually stable due to reduced user numbers after every disaster, to buckle under the load.

Even the critics from our own board, who had dismissed him out of inertia rather than independent thought, began changing their opinions.

익명458: Maybe John Nae-non really was incredible.

Dies_irae69: He’s definitely something special.

익명913: I’ve never met him before, but if he created Failnet, he must be amazing.

RKKArA: I feel bad for insulting him in the past...

Defender: John Nae-non is pretty legit.

dongtanmom: Please lift my ban, John Nae-non... Yum...

mmmmmmmmm: Guess I’m not going to Jeju Island...

Foxgames: 100% confirmed. He’s a legend.

The Giant Returns Home

John Nae-non must have seen this. He might even have shed a tear.

After all the twists and turns, the giant our board had once created had returned to us in the end.

This was the true intent behind my strategy as “Strategist SKELTON.”

The rightful return of a user who deserved nothing less than absolute respect.

At last, he could close his eyes in peace.

*

I’ve always known through experience that life rarely unfolds as planned.

The art of strategy and planning lies in controlling that inherent instability.

In this case, my strategy made a few missteps.

The First Misstep: John Nae-non’s Resilience

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): (John Nae-non) Tonight’s dinner: hehehe

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): (John Nae-non) Today’s menu: radioactive tuna omakase

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): (John Nae-non) The untold story of Failnet’s founding, part three

He wasn’t dying.

John Nae-non simply refused to die.

"Seriously?"

I wasn’t frustrated that he wasn’t dead—his stubborn vitality wasn’t the issue.

The problem was that John Nae-non, now deified, was flooding the forum with posts bearing his name. Every single one of his messages was broadcast as a live notification to every Failnet user.

A god creating and destroying the world is the sort of concept one might encounter in human imagination, but here was John Nae-non recklessly embodying that folly.

Yet this was just a sideshow. The real problem lay elsewhere.

The Second Misstep: A Dangerous Request

ㅇㅇ (E32): John Nae-non, I have a favor to ask.

A user pleaded with John Nae-non.

Judging by the E-code next to their nickname, this was someone from one of Failnet's less favorable camps.

The nature of their request was obvious.

ㅇㅇ (E32): I’m really sorry, but could you remove these codes? Ever since they appeared, Failnet has become weird.

They wanted the codes removed.

The user was asking John Nae-non to delete the codes that the government had requested to implement.

It was an unreasonable request.

Defying the government’s orders would mean the end of Failnet.

Without defenses and its location now exposed, Failnet’s fate would be absorption and destruction.

But John Nae-non was different.

He sent a global message to all Failnet users.

※John Nae-non※ (GOD): (John Nae-non) Alright. I’ll delete the codes.

Failnet’s reaction was mixed.

Users with A-codes fiercely opposed their creator’s decision, while others cheered his bold judgment.

But I understood the reality behind the codes.

While John Nae-non’s choice deserved praise, it also invited immense danger.

It was a decision that could obliterate the remnants of his world and ensure his end.

A day passed.

Failnet users discovered that the marks which had plagued them for so long were gone.

ㅇㅇ: Wait, what? The codes are gone?

ㅇㅇ: It’s true! Where did they go?

ㅇㅇ: Did John Nae-non really remove them?

ㅇㅇ: But why isn’t he posting anything today?

The codes had disappeared.

This marked not only the end of the hierarchical culture that had plagued Failnet but also a direct challenge from its creator to the government.

Concerned, I messaged John Nae-non’s subordinate. There was no reply.

“...”

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind.

Could it be that soldiers had already raided the site?

Had the military seized the equipment and taken Failnet by force?

What of John Nae-non himself, bedridden and vulnerable?

Would soldiers in hazmat suits drag him out and discard him like trash?

Or worse, could Failnet itself be erased entirely?

The small ripple I had created might have inadvertently triggered a catastrophic end.

That day, I waited, consumed by worry, refusing to eat or sleep.

“...”

For a brief moment, I considered sending a message directly to John Nae-non.

When had I started relying on his subordinate instead of communicating with him directly?

Perhaps it was because John Nae-non had been nearing his end, unable to think clearly, that I’d chosen to go through his subordinate.

Over time, this indirect communication had solidified into a wall between us.

Maybe this distance was intentional on my part.

History has shown us time and again that becoming too close to an object of reverence often leads to desecration.

But as this might be his final moment, I couldn’t let my strange stubbornness hold me back.

I placed my fingers on the keyboard, breaking my self-imposed taboo.

SKELTON: Old Hunter, are you safe?

This was no longer SKELTON, the faceless forum user.

It was Park Gyu, the Hunter, reaching out.

To my surprise, he replied almost instantly.

John_nenon: I was just thinking about you, Hunter Park. Hehe.

John_nenon: It seems my time has come.

SKELTON: Old Hunter...

John_nenon: Please take care of the world that remains, SKELTON. No—

John_nenon: Professor.

That was the final message I received from my role model, John Nae-non.

I sent countless messages afterward, but he never responded again.

*

A Story from a Distant Future

Much later, I had the chance to learn about the truth behind the regional codes from Woo Min-hee.

“Oh, those codes?”

She burst into laughter, her voice echoing as if she couldn’t contain her amusement.

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“They were assigned completely randomly. Totally meaningless. And yet, they started ranking themselves over it. Seriously, we’re a people obsessed with hierarchy.”

However, even she didn’t know the full details of John Nae-non’s final moments.

And it wasn’t just her.

Even John Nae-non’s loyal subordinate, 171cm, was unaware of his end.

This meticulous man, who once updated his nickname to reflect losing a single kilogram, responded to my question like this:

171cm53kg13cm: On the day the government officials came, John Nae-non told me that my work was done and that I could leave the server room. He said he would take full responsibility for everything.

Even he didn’t know how it ended for John Nae-non.

A Fragment of a Legend

A story whispered among survivors paints a hazy picture of John Nae-non’s final stand.

They say that when the government agents, clad in hazmat suits, approached his underground sanctuary, John Nae-non shouted at them:

“I am a Hunter.”

When the government officials reached the lead-lined steel door to his bunker, John Nae-non activated a nuclear battery he had prepared in advance. Already saturated with lethal radiation, his sanctuary transformed into an absolute death zone.

As the Geiger counters wailed in despair, John Nae-non opened the door to reveal a world made of blinding light.

Standing in the irradiated glow, he smiled brighter than the light itself and declared:

“I will protect my world.”

In his frail hands, he reportedly held two axes.

The Present

I look at Failnet now.

ㅇㅇ: Where did John Nae-non go?

ㅇㅇ: Is that bastard really dead?

ㅇㅇ: Whatever, just leave him be. He’ll show up again eventually.

ㅇㅇ: ┏━━━━Collection Complete━━━━┓

ㅇㅇ: Bring back the codes! I don’t want to mingle with these beggars again!

ㅇㅇ: ┗━━━━Orphan Collection━━━━┛

ㅇㅇ: The announcement for the second convoy departure should be soon.

The great tree that was John Nae-non has fallen.

In the place where the mighty tree once stood, countless weeds, wild grasses, fungi, and moss now grow.

Each carries its own reasons, consuming and pushing one another away, rejecting each other, yet sometimes leaning on one another.

And they thrive.