Chapter 10 – The Unwavering Dandelion

Chapter 10 – The Unwavering Dandelion

Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-

My hands moved faster than ever like The Man.

But a smartphone is a smartphone.

It couldn’t beat the speed of typing comments on a PC keyboard.

[Nickname? Why nickname?]

[Oh my god, The Man, come to think of it, the author’s nickname… isn’t it him?]

[Oh, I remember. Don’t peel the seeds lololol]

My name is Seong Siwoo. Combining the first two ㅅㅅ, SS, to create the nickname ‘seed,’ and teasing me, a Pro Gamer who was always second place, not to ‘peel the seed’ was now a culture.

As my existence was revealed, everyone soon started spamming.

[Don’t peel the seed! Don’t peel the seed! Don’t peel the seed! Don’t peel the seed! Don’t peel the seed!]

[Siwoo! You’re alive! I missed you! Siwoo! You’re alive! I missed you! Siwoo! You’re alive! I missed… .]

[They said you’re The Man, so when are you winning? They said you’re The Man, so when are you winning? They said you’re The Man, so… .]

“Ugh, here we go again.”

I sighed. While not as bad as my early days as a professional gamer, these comments had considerable firepower.

Of course, I wasn’t controversial, and it wasn’t so much that I was hated, but rather that people were glad to see a celebrity after such a long time. However, as internet community comments tend to be, they weren’t entirely favorable.

“Looking at it this way, it’s almost nice.”

However, I had seen all sorts of terrible things in my previous life. This level of hate comment was not even a scratch on my heart; it was actually quite cute.

Come to think of it, if I had used any other nickname instead of SSWOO, there was a high probability I wouldn’t have met Dandelion.

“This… Should I thank the website owner for this?”

It felt like a lucky coincidence, but still, I definitely benefited from his philosophy.

Even if annoying comments were posted.

“Well, it worked out, so it’s good, I guess.”

Of course, there were still problems.

People who were enthusiastic about my appearance were diligently posting comments even as the world was experiencing a real-time apocalypse. If I were to reply, there was a high chance my response would be buried under other people’s comments.

Meanwhile, I wasn’t the only one who recognized her.

[But… is it true you guys can’t recognize someone more important than SSWOO who’s here?]

[Who?]

[Huh? That nickname… Could it be?]

[Dandelion? This… isn’t this that person?]

[Who’s this unknown person?]

[Ugh, there are people who don’t know this person. Here you go (link).]

I was also curious and clicked the link. The link led directly to a MeTube video, and the content was as follows.

***

In the video, I was a professional gamer in my prime, engaged in a match. And as always, the commentators were enthusiastically shouting.

[Yes! Player Seong Siwoo, who has just decided on a secret expansion!]

If this is found out, it could be a very big problem! But after seeing the opponent’s player’s tech tree, ah, you dare to go for Macro Management. In front of me, Seong Siwoo. It’s like a declaration, saying, I’ll also go for Macro Management like The Man!

Macro Management is indeed Player Seong Siwoo’s specialty! When it comes to Macro Management, he’s the best in Republic of Korea, no. He’s truly world-class! If he continues like this- uh, uh?

The Commentators, who had been passionately commentating, suddenly stopped.

Because a woman was shown on the screen.

[Uh… wow.]

[Wow…]

[…Uh, huh… Yes.]

And then a brief silence.

[Uh, ahem.]

[Wow, she’s quite beautiful!]

After a brief moment, the Commentators, realizing their broadcast mistake, tried to talk their way out of it.

The woman, realizing that her face was now on screen, seemed embarrassed and hid her face behind her scarf.

But her beauty was not something that could be hidden, and her face had already been broadcast live across the country.

[Hey, who was that person just now?]

[Is she a model? An entertainer? A model? An entertainer? A model? An enterta… ]

[I don’t care about the game anymore, please show her face.]

[Stop the game! Stop the game! Stop the game! Stop the ga…]

[She’s so pretty even when hidden behind a scarf, seriously]

[I want to be that scarf! I want to be that scar…]

After that, the woman received the nickname Scarf Woman, and she received attention every time she appeared in the audience at games…

People soon noticed another pattern.

She always came to the audience only for my games.

Like a dandelion, she was devoted.

Dandelion was her nickname.

***

[Scarf Woman! Scarf Woman! Scarf Woman! Scarf Woman! Scarf…]

[Don’t curse! Don’t curse! Don’t curse! Don’t curse! Don’t curse…! ]

[Receive the Curse of 2nd Place! Receive the Curse of 2nd Place! Curse of 2nd Place…!]

Meanwhile, with the appearance of the woman, the comment section was burning even more intensely. And there was no way to add more fuel to such an already large fire.

‘I guess I have no choice but to send a private message.’

I clicked next to her username and requested a private message. As if she was waiting, the woman immediately accepted.

[Hello?]

[Are you really sswoo?]

[Yes. Are you really Dandelion?]

[Yes! Wow, I’m so glad you’re safe!]

The woman, who was happy, looked exactly as I remembered her.

I asked the woman,

[Then, do you remember that place we met last time?]

[Oh my… that place, you don’t mean there? How could I forget it! Should we meet at 3 o’clock like last time?]

‘It really must be her.’

That time and place. To others, it would be extremely vague, but if it was really her, she couldn’t not know.

When I was frustrated by a series of second places, she, who couldn’t bear to see me like that, secretly told me at a fan signing event that she really wanted to meet me alone. And in the end, we met just once.

And the pure encouragement I received from her when we met privately then gave me a lot of strength. It was just a cup of coffee, but it was a truly memorable day for both of us.

Moreover, this was a website created with the ability of my Past Life Comrade. Impersonation was virtually impossible from the start.

I immediately decided to make an appointment.

[It might be a bit risky, but… then, perhaps in a week. Could I see you at the same place as last time?]

[Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ll definitely go!]

“Good.”

I smiled brightly.

The reason I want to meet her is…

It wasn’t simply because of the man’s appearance or because I had some connection to him.

Although he was a truly grateful person who always supported me during my Pro Gamer days, there was no relationship beyond that of an acquaintance.

However, before the regression, just before humanity faced the apocalypse, I met him again. We realized each other’s abilities and thought:

‘If only we had met a little earlier… would humanity have been able to survive?’

But by then, it was too late.

Of course, this time it’s going to be different.

***

Thorn Spiders are different from Rake Wolves.

No matter how large and sharp the Rake Wolf’s clawed feet were, they were close-range weapons that could only be used by approaching the target.

Compared to that, humanity had guns, long-range weapons that could project overwhelming firepower.

Therefore, with their weak defenses, Rake Wolves would often be covered in blood and collapse before they could even approach police officers or soldiers. If you were careful, they were no match at all.

However, Thorn Spiders can attack from a distance.

Add to that their ability to climb walls using their sturdy eight legs, and you have a fearsome ambush weapon.

This was especially true in Korea, where there are many tall buildings like apartments. People would think they were well-covered, only to have thorns fly in and impale them from the walls of a high-rise building on the opposite side.

If they started to look up and pay attention to the tall buildings, their focus would inevitably be divided, and on days when there was a gap in their vigilance, they would inevitably suffer terrible damage from a Rake Wolf that had somehow approached.

In other words, unlike with the Rake Wolves, the appearance of the Thorn Spiders was the trigger for monsters to truly become a substantial threat to humanity.

The society seemed to feel this as well; the atmosphere became much more uneasy and subdued than before.

Sua and Deokchan also felt this.

“Sua. Come closer this way.”

“Yes, Father.”

The two, who had gone to the next neighborhood to receive rations today, saw some suspicious people in the distance and subtly turned to the opposite street.

It was a wise decision.

It was only the 10th day, but people were already starting to run out of food. Although the military was distributing rations, the population of the Seoul Metropolitan Area alone exceeded 26 million.

In a chaotic situation like this, feeding all these people was almost impossible.

And, although it’s often overlooked in affluent modern society, surprisingly many people will do anything when hungry.

In other words, the initial looters are starting to appear.

“It really turned out just as Mr. Siwoo predicted, The Man.”

“Indeed. It’s truly amazing.”

The two crouched low and whispered as they entered the Redevelopment Zone.

At first, when they went to get their rations, they only had to worry about the Rake Wolves, but now they also had to be mindful of the looters, and even the Thorn Spiders.

Meanwhile, food was also an issue.

For the first few days, the rations were sufficient, but today was different. If they had been even a little later, they would have come back empty-handed, having received nothing due to insufficient rations.

The two barely managed to get almost the last of the distributed food, then breathed a sigh of relief and said this:

‘Su-ah, we need to go a little earlier from now on.’

‘Yes, Father.’

The two, who had said that, were now almost at their dwelling. It was the moment they let their guard down and relaxed.

Whoosh- smack!

With a strong whooshing sound, something shot out.

“Wh-what was that sound?”

“Su-ah, look over there! Be careful!”

Deokchan pointed to the roof of a neighboring house. A Thorn Spider had somehow positioned itself there and was aiming its rear end at them.

And the moment Loyalty looked at her feet.

Su-ah finally realized the identity of the fired Water body. The Water body, deeply embedded in the concrete floor, was a Thorn Spider’s thorn.

‘I-I have to run!’

Su-ah thought. Even if the first shot missed by luck, the next aim was sure to be more accurate.

However… there was also a problem.

If they led the Thorn Spider back home, the person protecting them could be defenseless in Capital City.

Beep-beep- ring-

She quickly called Siwoo and shouted,

“Father! We have to run the other way!”

“Oh, it’s the man! You’re right!”

Although he was surprised at first, Deokchan quickly understood Sua’s intention. Even if they were in danger in the Capital City, they couldn’t possibly put the young man who helped them in danger, could they?

Clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter-

Leaving the rationed food on the ground, the two began to run.

Behind the man and those men, several Rake Wolves and Thorn Spiders were following closely.

* * *

The Shopping Mall is my Main Base.

At first, I had to pile all resources on the Sixth Floor, as I hadn’t fully secured the Shopping Mall, but now it was different.

The number of Worker Bugs now exceeded 60, and most of the shops in the vicinity that could be looted had been cleared out.

As such, there were gradually more idle workers, and so I was giving them various odd jobs to keep them from being idle.

For instance, yesterday I told them to clean not only the Cafe but also all the shops inside the Sixth Floor and the corridors. Today, they were tidying up the interior of the 5th Floor and beginning to move resources to the 5th Floor.

This was also because my faction had grown stronger.

For example, one Observation Probe was monitoring the entire Shopping Mall from outside, and two others were patrolling inside the abandoned building, allowing me to gather information perfectly.

Also, two of the newly deployed Magitech Armors were constantly patrolling inside the Shopping Mall, and two others were patrolling the nearby exterior.

Thanks to this, I didn’t have to worry about moving important resources such as Mana Stones or food to the 5th Floor, which was out of my sight.

‘This way is also tidier.’

The Sixth Floor had now almost completely transformed into my home.

Of course, there was everything from a sofa and a bed to a dining table and a makeshift kitchen created by slightly remodeling the Cafe.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

Since I was in an abandoned building, I had to live without Capital City and Electricity much earlier than others.

However, since I was used to a life of hardship from my Previous Life, and I knew that once I settled down, everything would be resolved quickly.

My mind was at ease.

It was while I was putting all my efforts into organizing the Shopping Mall.

[Observation Probe (Unit 4): Verification required.]

As the Observation Probe’s alert resonated in my mind.

Brrr-

The cellphone rang.

“Huh?”

Checking the name on the screen, it was Sua.

“Yes, Ms. Sua?”

“Gasp, gasp! Si- Siwoo!”

“Yes?”

“I’m under attack! A spider! By a spider! It’s near my house!”

“Got it. Don’t hang up, just speak when necessary.”

Further conversation required fire manipulation.

“Yes, yes!”

It seemed to be a very urgent situation, as only the panting breath of the woman could be heard over the cellphone.

***

Observation Probe Unit 4 was the one currently assigned to follow Sua. I immediately borrowed its eyes.

“Gasp, gasp!”

“Haa, haak!”

Sua and Deokchan were running at full speed.

Thwack! Thump!

Every time they turned a corner, the Thorn Spider’s thorns flew like ammunition and embedded themselves where they had been.

‘But why are they running this way…?’

The two were heading in the opposite direction of the shelter I had prepared for them. Even though there were several opportunities to turn towards the shelter, they seemed to be avoiding it.

“Ms. Sua, it seems you’re getting further from your house?”

“Gasp, haa! Ho- I was afraid Siwoo might be in danger!”

Sua answered with difficulty.

‘Wow, that’s impressive?’

I was a little surprised. If one’s own life is in danger, many people prioritize their own lives over others’.

From a common person’s perspective, it might be seen as refreshing, but as someone who has experienced a hellish battle, I can tell you, this was definitely normal.

It’s natural that one’s own life is the most important thing.

However, in our case, the situation was a little different. I was the only one who could help the two of them right now, and they knew that.

If I, the one who could help them, were to be defeated, they would lose their protector. Therefore, they needed to ensure my safety first, no matter what, in order for them to be safe.

A rational judgment.

Perhaps it’s obvious, but this was harder than it seemed.

Because when one’s own life is immediately in danger, many people put rational judgment aside and only look for a way out right in front of them.

‘In other words, they’re like those annoying people in zombie movies.’

Compared to that, the two of them were making truly excellent judgments.

‘Well… or it could just be pure goodwill.’

Of course, it could have been goodwill with no calculations involved.

But what does it matter?

Either way, it was an action that sufficiently exceeded my ‘passing mark.’

‘Should I let them come to the shopping mall soon?’

I felt like I could trust these two a little more.

***

Meanwhile, the Magitech Armor that had been escorting the two seemed to have already started fighting.

Clang- Clang- Clang-

Sooa saw my armor and exclaimed, a little surprised.

“Oh! Siwoo! How already?!”

Of course, my armor didn’t have a speaking function.

It merely threw itself to protect the two, according to my command.

“Huh, huh, Si, Siwoo? Why aren’t you answering?”

Sooa asked me, running at full speed.

The voices of the men and women could be heard even over the cellphone.

Whoosh-

Thump, thump, thump!

It was the moment the men rounded the corner again, avoiding the thorns. The men couldn’t help but be shocked. As if it had been waiting, a spider was aiming at their rear.

“Sua, be careful!”

Deokchan throws himself to protect his daughter with his body.

But the same was true for my armor that was escorting the two.

Clang-clank- Whoosh- Smack!

Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!

A strong impact sound was heard over the phone.

Looking through the observation probe, the armor was being attacked by the Thorn Spider at close range and was slowly being torn to shreds.

“H-h-hoooh!”

Sua tried to scream as she saw the armor, but she covered her mouth. She seemed very surprised.

“Ms. Sua. It’s okay. That’s just an empty can. And it’s quite sturdy, so it’ll hold up well.”

It wasn’t just a random remark; it was also true. The Thorn Spider’s attack couldn’t break through the armor’s sturdy Mana Shield.

‘Of course… it consumes mana.’

Machines that are a certain distance away from me cannot receive mana from me. In other words, once they run out of stored mana, they become scrap metal until they are refilled.

Of course, there were many ways, such as refilling with Mana Stones, receiving it from Worker Bugs, or me refilling it directly.

I checked its remaining mana.

‘This much should last about a minute, right?’

Of course… one minute was enough. Four Magitech Armors equipped with new weapons were rushing to that location at full speed.

‘I wanted to test the new weapon anyway. This is perfect.’

I grinned.

It was perfect timing.