Free Web NovelNo creature clings to being “the first” quite like humans do.
Personally, among all the countless titles for "first in human history," I believe the highest honor should go to the ancestor who first wielded fire.
Second place should go to Newton, who proved the world could be measured.
Me, Park Gyu—I also belong to the branch of humanity at the cutting edge of having a "first" title, but compared to the great ancestors, mine feels rather minor.
Still, if I had to rank myself personally, maybe... 98th?
Even my faded ambition to become the last human was, in part, because “the last human” is itself a kind of "first"—a label seductive enough to deceive even those heading toward extinction.
Melon Mask, too, has been given such an opportunity.
There are already pioneers who will remain immortal even after humanity’s extinction: the first person to leave Earth’s atmosphere, the first to step on the moon, the first to survive long-term space habitation...
Melon Mask holds the title of humanity’s first space refugee, but compared to those legendary predecessors, it’s undeniable his name and achievements fall a bit short.
At this point, even the name of Bumpy, the space sloth that burned to ashes in the atmosphere without a trace, might carry more weight than Melon Mask’s.
And yet, Melon Mask now has a chance to stand not only beside his predecessors in space—but even beside Newton, and the very first human who used fire.
He and I are completely different people.
When I was bouncing between apartment cram schools in my early teens, aimlessly confirming all the things I had no talent for, Melon was gathering ambitious friends in his family’s garage, plotting a revolution that would transform global payments.
When I was at school secretly despising Jang Ki-young while still absorbing his teachings, Melon had already become the CEO of a global space enterprise, achieving worldwide fame and infamy in equal measure.
While I was duking it out with monsters in China as a solo combat unit, Melon had already sensed the end and launched both his space bunker business and Viva! Apocalypse!.
We speak different languages, follow different religions, and grew up in completely different environments.
And yet, he and I are the same.
At least when measured by the flat world of the internet, both Park Gyu and Melon Mask are attention-seekers who want to be special more than anything.
To this dying friend, I proposed a path that was eternal, irreversible, and absolutely unique.
There was no guarantee he’d listen, but even as I asked VivaBot to arrange a meeting, I felt a strange certainty.
“...You want me to go out?”
All living things on Earth are children of Earth. But if you go back far enough in the family tree, we’re also bound to a greater force: the Sun.
To Melon Mask, I proposed escaping that destiny—breaking free of the Sun’s grasp, of the system called the Solar System.
The materials were already there in his space bunker: spare rocket parts (unstable), a cryo-sleep chamber (unverified), and the support of Viva! Apocalypse! forum friends.
The plan was to attach the rocket parts to his space bunker and set off, while Melon, like in an old sci-fi movie, would enter cryo-sleep and drift through space—waiting for his ship to reach another star system.
The first target: beyond the Solar System.
Voyager 1 is already out there, a glorious remnant of humanity—but no human has ever left the Solar System themselves.
Which means if Melon escapes it, he’ll become the first—and that act will be eternal, irreversible, and without equal.
Just by leaving the Sun that burned Icarus’s wings, Melon Mask would become a mythic figure.
“Beyond the Solar System, huh...”
My intuition was spot on.
A spark returned to Melon Mask’s eyes—both his body and spirit had been on the verge of collapse. freewebnovёl.ƈom
“That’s a brilliant idea.”
Say what you will about Melon Mask’s divisiveness, but when it comes to executing bold plans, his drive and capability are beyond even me.
Given a mission, Melon Mask reverted to the man we once admired.
MELON_MASK: Everyone, I’m sorry! I’ve done a lot of wrong by you all.
MELON_MASK: As you probably know, I’m dying. Like that doctor friend said, maybe I’m already dead, just shambling forward like a zombie.
As a true pioneer of the information age, his words felt prophetic—but at the time, no one took the time to analyze each sentence.
I didn’t either.
People didn’t focus on his phrasing—they just celebrated the fact that the raving Melon Mask had, even briefly, returned to being human.
At the very least, the Melon Mask Bot was gone.
After calming the public, Melon—now inspired by Skeleton—shared the mythic plan that would make him a legend.
MELON_MASK: ...That’s why I’m aiming beyond Earth. I’m still deciding on the destination, but I think Alpha Centauri would be fitting.
The plan’s name: Plus Ultra.
Latin for “to go further.”
It was the plan for humanity’s first journey beyond the Solar System.
The board’s reaction was muted.
A few called it romantic, but most stayed silent or responded with cold cynicism.
But in this world, enthusiasts exist.
On our forums—especially the North American branch—there were still former NASA elites lurking.
I don’t know the full details, but some professionals immediately welcomed Melon’s plan and began drafting theories on the spot.
Nostromo82: Incredible! The stars are aligning—literally. Jupiter and Saturn are converging in orbit right now. If you swing by both planets, you could massively boost your speed!
JaremusVP: In theory, you could reach 1.5 times Voyager 2’s speed. Remember, the Voyager probes slowed down at points to observe planets. Spaceflight is basically uniform linear motion, and rockets only exist to get you up to that speed.
Anonymous9: Voyager has a gold disc showing a human figure—but that doesn’t really convey what humanity is. Melon and I once walked the same path. We’re separated now, but I support his plan.
...
...
It was a minority, but the presence of expert voices supporting the plan was the most critical element I’d been hoping for.
Like a true attention-seeker, Melon Mask began broadcasting his preparations live, just like he did in his “Live!” era.
But this time, he looked even worse—thin as death itself. His appearance brought a visceral sense of despair to us all.
The sight of his skeletal body even stirred sympathy from his coldest critics.
Anonymous452: Isn’t Melon way too skinny?
LunchUniMessBeg: Melbao, don’t die ㅠㅠ
V.S.O.P: Melon... hang in there!
AUGUST_zenith: Eat something! I had cancer once too. It sucks, but mindset matters!
LeMarDijon: Are you in pain? It looks like it must hurt a lot.
Deceased882: He’s not gonna die mid-stream, is he?
mmmmmmmmm: Go Melon!
gijayangban: Melon, don’t die~
daechimom: ?
...
...
Sympathy gradually turned into support.
Melon, who had been fading away, would sometimes lean into the camera and read the comments. Each time, a flood of cheers surged up.
Gaunt as a skeleton, he’d scroll through them with a faint smile and nod as he read each message.
Of course, as the cynics pointed out, the mission had gaping holes.
Anonymous188: Sure, the space bunker might withstand the vacuum. But attaching a rocket and actually propelling it through space is a whole different ballgame.
Fortunately, Melon Mask himself responded directly.
MELON_MASK: Actually, my bunker has a hardpoint for rocket attachment. Just in case I ever needed to land on the moon.
Whether his design was viable or not remained to be seen.
At the very least, it’d be flashy and fast to verify.
If it failed, it’d be a spectacular explosion.
Then there was the cryo-sleep device.
We’d looked into it before. The “sleep chamber” aboard Melon’s bunker was essentially industrial junk.
User criticism shifted from the rocket to the cryo-pod.
McOnelly: What? He’s planning to use nitrogen to fall asleep and rely on space’s cold to stay in cryo-sleep?
Gerhart.I.G: Why not just freeze yourself entirely? You’d be legally dead either way.
umchang: Hm... There are definitely major scientific issues here, but... maybe it’s all about willpower in the end...
Plenty of opinions, but the consensus was clear:
Melon’s cryo-chamber was nothing more than a frozen version of the electric chair—a familiar tool of American executions.
The moment he pushed the button, he’d die.
Still, some said: so what?
He’s doomed either way. Isn’t it better to die chasing a dream?
Of course, Melon Mask was never one to care what others said.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
Despite his collapsing body, he slowly but surely connected the rocket parts to the hardpoint and attached the fuel lines, showing it all to us in clear footage.
Like a man running on willpower alone, Melon focused only on his goal—ignoring critical concerns like, say, the complete lack of an oxygen tank for the cryo-sleep period.
Instead, he took care to highlight a seemingly unrelated object for us all to see.
It looked like animal fur.
Some already guessed what it was.
Soon, in a voice barely above a whisper, Melon explained:
“It belonged to my last friend, Bumpy.”
He pressed the fur to his nose and winced.
“Ugh! He was huge, and I never bathed him! How would I even do that?”
With reverence, Melon taped the foul-smelling patch of Bumpy’s fur to the inside of the cryo chamber where he’d lie down.
The final day arrived quickly.
Melon Mask neither slept nor rested.
Maybe the mix of opioids and stimulants in his painkillers kept him moving like a zombie.
Some users even said he looked like one.
And now, the final live broadcast.
With all eyes watching, Melon stood before ignition.
Dying, he looked straight into the camera to share his last words as the creator of our world.
“No cheesy goodbyes. You bastards. Thanks for the ride.”
He displayed a massive photo on screen.
A picture of him and Bumpy—an iconic image from his era.
Maybe it was to hide his zombie-like face, but he left the image up as he stepped away.
“See you again, brothers of Viva! Apocalypse!”
The countdown began.
Everyone in Room 803—even Moon Yang-gyeong—watched the moment when Melon Mask, icon of an era, would depart.
Vibarian: 10...
Vibarian: 9...
Vibarian: 8...
No one knew who programmed it, but the chat was operating in “collective input mode”—a system that compiled words from thousands of users and presented a unified countdown.
I joined in, too.
Vibarian: 7...
Melon was leaving us.
The creator of our world was departing for the stars—never to return.
Vibarian: 3...
Vibarian: 2...
Vibarian: 1...!! frёeωebɳovel.com
The rocket ignited.
Unlike on Earth, rockets in space fired silently.
Many expected it to explode—but incredibly, Melon’s space bunker held together, gaining speed and beginning its journey into the great unknown.
And then the cheers poured in.
“Whoa!”
“He did it!”
“A miracle! An actual miracle!”
“It’s moving!”
“Go, Melon!”
Even in reality—
Anonymous281: Viva! Apocalypse!
Basti88: Farewell, Melon.
mmmmmmmmm: Long live Viva! Apocalypse!
Deceased2911: May the Lord watch over Melon’s journey.
Dq_hujiyama: To the sea of stars.
Hasim_renke: Let’s go, Melon!
Anonymous68: Hoho...
V.S.O.P: Safe travels!
...
...
Even in space.
Naturally, this Skeleton had something to say too.
“...”
Tak tak tak
SKELTON: Wait for me, Melon. I’ll be /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ right behind you.
The chat exploded at the appearance of another legend—but that’s a story for another time.
Aboard the space bunker bound for Jupiter, Melon was writing the final lines of his story with his own hands.
“Alright. Comms will cut off soon.”
The final broadcast showed the inside of the cryo-chamber.
Melon lay inside it himself.
On the glass before his eyes, Bumpy’s fur was taped in place.
Staring at the relic of his cosmic friend, Melon smiled faintly.
“I’ll be in touch.”
He pressed the button.
With a hiss, nitrogen flooded the chamber.
And within it, Melon Mask closed his eyes in peace.
*
VIVA_BOT014: Thank you... truly, Skeleton. I don’t know how to ever repay you...
Naturally, during negotiations with Melon, I’d slipped in a personal favor.
It was for none other than my internet waifu, VivaBot’s future.
Before he died, Melon transferred all his admin privileges to the U.S. government—but granted some to VivaBot too.
Meaning the U.S. wouldn’t be able to quietly betray us.
Thanks to that deal, VivaBot wouldn’t be discarded into a digital wasteland like her predecessors.
VIVA_BOT014: It’s been a magical and joyful experience to know you, Skeleton. One day, I’ll leave here too—but until then, I’ll be counting on you.
VIVA_BOT014: (VivaBot’s grateful tears)
With that, one story came to a close.
But writing it off so easily would be underestimating the creator of our world—Melon Mask.
MELON_MASK: .
He posted a message.
It was a week after pressing the cryo-sleep button.
The title was just a single period—but the author was unmistakably Melon Mask.
Attached was a single photo.
In it, his pale face stared directly at us, hollow-eyed and drained of life.
“...”
I don’t want to think too hard about what that meant.
What I know for sure is this:
Melon is still alive—or can still be called alive.
He is the only human currently sailing toward the edge of the Solar System.
The creator of our world, Melon Mask, is expected to arrive in the Alpha Centauri system in about 18,000 years.
