Chapter 1

There are three ways to survive the apocalypse. I’ve forgotten some of them. But one thing is for certain. If you are reading this, you will survive. Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse The End My old smartphone seemed to struggle to push up the page as I swiped at the web novel app. I scrolled up and down, again and again, trying to refresh. “Really? That’s it?” But no matter how many times I checked, the words at the bottom didn’t change—The End. The novel had ended. Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse Author: tls123 Number of chapters: 3,149 Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, TWSA for short, was a fantasy epic spanning a whopping 3,149 chapters. I’d been reading it since I was in ninth grade. When the bullies at school chose me to be their punching bag; when I blew my entrance exams and ended up at a third-rate college; when I drew the short stick for my military service and got stationed near the border. Even now, as I barely hold on to my contract position after going from job to job… Damn it, this is depressing. Anyway… Author’s note: Thank you for reading TWSA. I’ll be back with the epilogue. “Oh, there’s still the epilogue. Then I guess the next chapter will be the real ending?” It had been one hell of a journey. I’d started it over a decade ago as a child, and here I was, finishing it as a working adult. I felt a mixture of hollowness at seeing the end of a world, and satisfaction at getting to witness that world’s completion. I began to type out my comment for the last chapter, trying to find the right words. Dokja Kim: Thank you so much for everything. I’m looking forward to the epilogue. I truly meant it. “TWSA was the novel of my life.” “It may not be very popular, but TWSA is my all-time favorite.” There were many things I wanted to say, but I couldn’t bring myself to write them out. Average views: 1.9 Average comments: 1.08 That was the popularity index for TWSA. It had gotten off to a decent start, with the first chapter getting twelve hundred views. But it dropped to just one hundred and twenty as it passed the Chapter 10 mark. By the time Chapter 50 came out, only twelve people were still reading it. Since Chapter 100, that number had mostly been stuck at one. Number of views: 1 There were a few twos mixed in every now and then, but those were most likely misclicks. As I looked through the long line of ones on the chapter list, a feeling welled up in my chest. I was grateful. Despite only having one reader, the story had continued for over three thousand chapters, for over ten years. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was a story just for me. Recommending an awesome novel I clicked on the “Recommendations” board and began typing. The author had serialized the entire novel for free. The least I could do was drop a rec. As soon as I clicked submit, people began to comment. I think this guy’s a troll. Checked his post history, and he keeps recommending the same novel. You’re the author, aren’t you? You’re not supposed to recommend your own work here, you know? That’s just sad. I’d forgotten that I’d posted the same recommendation a few months ago. In no time, there were dozens of comments calling me a “troll” or “loser.” I scrambled to delete my post but got a message saying that it couldn’t be deleted because someone had already reported it. “Oh no…” I felt terrible that my attempt to help the author might end up making them look bad. If people would just give it a chance, they’d be in for a real treat… Why was no one reading this gem? I wished I could donate some money to the writer, but as someone who lived paycheck to paycheck, I couldn’t afford it. It was at that moment that I got a notification: DM received. tls123: Thank you. The message had come out of nowhere. It took me a second to process what was happening. Dokja Kim: Aren’t you the author? tls123. It was the author of TWSA. tls123: I was able to finish the story thanks to your support. I even won a prize in a contest. I couldn’t believe it. Won a prize? TWSA? Dokja Kim: Congrats! What kind of contest was it? tls123: It’s an obscure one. I doubt you’ve heard of it. I thought they might have been lying to save face. But I hoped it was true. I mean, who knows? The novel had been a flop on this platform, but it could very well be a hit on another. Sure, I’d feel a bit sad about it, but a good story like this needed to get out there. tls123: I’d like to send you a special present as a token of my gratitude. Dokja Kim: A present? tls123: Yes. After all, you’re the reason this story could come out into the world. The writer asked for my e-mail, so I gave them the one I used the most. tls123: By the way, the novel will be paid content soon. Dokja Kim: Wow, really? From when? To be honest, I should’ve been paying for this masterpiece from the beginning. A new chapter of TWSA had been uploaded almost daily, so I would’ve spent about three thousand won a month. Enough for a packaged lunch from a convenience store. tls123: It’ll become paid content after today. Dokja Kim: Does that include the epilogue that’s coming out tomorrow? tls123: I’m sorry, but yes. Dokja Kim: Of course you should charge for it! I’ll be sure to buy the chapter! There was no further reply from the author. They seemed to have logged out. I felt a pang of disappointment. So now that they’re successful, they won’t even bother replying to me, huh? My excitement turned into petty jealousy. Why was I so happy for the novel? It wasn’t like I’d written it. “They probably sent me a gift certificate. I hope it’s one that’s worth fifty thousand won.” How naive I was, poring over something so trivial… …completely clueless about what would happen to the world the following day.