How to Live as an Immortal Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I Always Express Gratitude for Generous Treatnt

* * *

* * *

All living beings were not born equal.

Those with fast legs, those with remarkably strong bodies, and those with beautiful proportions—none of it was determined by will. It was solely the roll of the dice cast by the heavens.

Even so, regardless of age or gender, believing oneself to possess so special talent wasn’t considered an outrageous delusion.

It was a vague hope and yearning.

Dreaming of sothing despite knowing it would never co true—this was an inescapable instinct of humanity.

I was one of them.

* * *

In 2044, the Third World War broke out, but no one was surprised. Everyone simply felt that it was bound to happen.

The ever-worsening conflict between the U.S. and China.

Russia's reckless territorial expansion.

Primitive factionalism.

The United Nations in na only.

Developing countries voicing their dissatisfaction over unchanging circumstances.

International trade, having lost all sense of justice and trust, carried on for over a decade under these worsening conditions.

And in the anti, what grew was an inexpressible hatred and criticism for the sake of criticism.

Unbridled selfishness and nation-centered policies refused to acknowledge, accept, or yield to others.

It was an era more open than ever before, thanks to the advancent of civilization—yet paradoxically, everyone beca increasingly isolated.

Forgetting the concepts of peace and cooperation, international affairs gradually retraced the sa steps of the past.

The flow of the tis was like fate.

Even if one foresaw it, even if one tried to avoid it, it couldn’t be stopped.

The mass of accumulated grievances pushed to the extre. Shattered reason and twisted ideologies demanded sacrifice from mbers of society.

I, too, was part of it.

By enlisting as a soldier.

But in a highly advanced society, there was little room for individual contribution. Humanity could already unleash continent-level firepower with the press of a single button.

It was only a matter of ti before the entire world was engulfed in the flas of war.

In the fierce battles that redrew the map every week, soldiers didn’t even serve as at shields.

I was no different.

As one of the countless grunts thrown into the frontlines, I was supposed to be cut down imdiately under the hail of artillery fire—

But I lived.

No—perhaps it was more accurate to say I ca back to life.

Because even in death, I didn’t die.

My body refused death.

It wasn’t due to personal skill or innate luck—it was closer to a supernatural phenonon.

It was the mont my life changed entirely, but I couldn’t simply rejoice. It was obvious what would happen if I got caught.

Still, I couldn’t just wander through a chaotic world forever.

My best option was to remain calm and hide among the masses.

At the very least, I decided I wouldn’t beco a sacrifice of war. And that decision proved right.

No matter what operation I was sent on, I always ca back alive.

There was no way that didn’t catch the attention of the higher-ups.

Sure enough, I was hailed as a war hero and even received a special promotion. But the joy didn’t last long. The higher my rank rose, the more intense the war beca.

In the end, even nuclear weapons were deployed between nations.

And just like that, humanity crossed a river it could never return from—swept up in emotions they themselves could no longer control.

At the end of all things, ironically, it wasn’t the United States or China that declared a ceasefire. In fact, it wasn’t humanity at all. What brought the world war to a halt was a natural disaster.

It began at Yellowstone, Arica’s most famous national park.

A supervolcano with a massive caldera stretching dozens of kiloters—unable to endure the aftershocks of war, it erupted.

A cataclysm on par with a teor strike.

Lava and gas spread across the land, expanding their domain, and the dust clouds that filled the atmosphere blocked sunlight and rained ash for weeks.

Temperatures kept dropping, and the soil was dood to fail.

Thus began a new ice age.

* * *

Thud, thud, thud.

A booming noise reminiscent of that era.

As the sound grew louder, my heart began to pound in sync.

Just as my breath caught in my throat and my mind grew hazy, the noise that had been echoing in my head faded.

Thud, thud, thud.

Listening again, it was only the sound of soone knocking on the door. It seed I'd had a nightmare after a long ti and mistaken it for sothing else.

"Shin! I know you’re in there, so co out."

I walked to the door slowly, and as soon as I opened it, a massive shadow lood over my head.

The sight of an overwhelmingly developed pectoral muscle made take a step back.

Even in an age where genetic engineering and cybernetic surgery were commonplace, that kind of physique was rare. What was astonishing was that his body was entirely natural.

Truly a natural-born.

A man among n—

"Mr. Testosterone. Long ti no see. Didn’t you say you were going on a trip with your family? Did it go well?"

"I told you not to call that nickna."

A growling voice. Arnold Rogers, the landlord, sounded irritated. I shrugged at his displeasure. As always, he seed to be in a foul mood.

"You should be proud. My recognition ans history has validated you."

"Cut the crap and just pay your rent for this month."

"You're here this early just for that?"

"The sun’s already setting—what do you an early…"

Arnold glared at as I let out a drawn-out yawn. He sighed, figuring there was no end to arguing with .

"It’s already been two weeks. The rent’s overdue. You’re acting like you’re off the hook just because I didn’t say anything."

"Sorry, I forgot."

"Haa. Seriously, sotis I wonder who the real landlord is."

"But I still pay up every ti, don’t I?"

"It’d be much easier if you just used the bank."

"Isn’t physical trade more reliable?"

"You’re probably the only one in this day and age who doesn’t use automatic transfers for that reason."

Saying that, Arnold tapped the back of his neck with a smug look. There, a flat, round device jutted out like a button.

A smart terminal powered by bioelectricity generated from the nervous system—commonly called a ‘device.’

It was an electronic gadget that projected various information directly onto the retina for user convenience. Since it also served as an ID substitute, it was considered essential for modern life.

Unfortunately, Shin didn’t have what was supposed to be there.

Arnold glanced at the back of Shin’s neck, then asked casually.

"Co to think of it, weren’t your parents outsiders who ca in from beyond the do?"

"Yeah, sothing like that."

In modern society, there were generally only two types of people without a device: illegal immigrants or criminals. Either way, they were people who couldn’t properly prove their identity.

Realizing he might have touched a sore spot, Arnold cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject.

"Anyway, since I waited, pay up now. Punctuality is your only redeeming trait, isn’t it?"

"Hey, I’ve got more going for than that. At the very least, I’ve got more real cash on hand than anyone else in this building…"

As he fumbled through his wallet, Shin scratched his chin. Suddenly, he rembered the heavy spending he’d done last week. So rare goods that were usually hard to co by had beco available, and he had splurged without restraint.

"Just ran out, huh."

"The only service I offer to non-paying tenants is my fist, you know."

Arnold’s eyes sharpened in an instant.

"You’ve got 30 minutes."

"Don’t be unreasonable. I’ve got to go out and hustle to even find money, don’t I?"

"One day."

His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation—but even that was generous enough.

"I always express gratitude for your generous treatnt."

* * *

Throwing on a coat lying around, Shin stepped outside.

The streets, enhanced with augnted reality, overflowed with holographic signs. Patrol drones zipped across the well-maintained sidewalks, and below, a network of hyperloops crisscrossed the city like veins.

Above, where the real sky had long been lost, artificial lighting had taken its place.

The city, painted in pastel tones, exuded an air of ease and affluence. Less than three hundred years had passed since the Third World War, and yet humanity had already begun reclaiming its forr glory.

Of course, not everything had returned to how it was. For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction.

Humanity’s activity range had shrunk to a fraction of what it once was.

Back when the ice age arrived, mankind had mustered its last strength to design fully sustainable ecological cities—arcologies. Places where everything was designed to function independently, even under extre limitations.

There were currently six arcologies—commonly called dos—each constructed with humanity's full resources.

From No.1, the largest and oldest, to No.6, the most recently built. Their identification numbers directly reflected their size and history.

Survivors, fleeing the raging blizzards across the globe, had gathered in different dos and ford stable communities.

In hindsight, one could say that humanity had endured brutal hardship and managed to survive—or, conversely, that it had holed up, mortgaging every bit of its future.

Countless lives were lost in that process.

There was a ti when manpower itself was scarce.

But that didn’t last long.

Once safety was secured, technology advanced day by day—even if it took multiple miracles and coincidences stacked together.

The defining turning point ca in 2190 with the invention of artificial intelligence. From that mont on, humanity grew exponentially—in both quantity and quality.

It was the dawn of a true Fourth Industrial Revolution.

As the value of labor diminished, the introduction of a universal basic inco system—where everyone was guaranteed minimum wage—was inevitable.

Before long, a welfare system integrated with the device beca an essential pillar of modern society.

It was undoubtedly a monuntal decision on a national level, but for Shin, it brought no joy.

In a world dominated by universal basic inco, your identity was your budget. Naturally, surveillance beca stricter. In theory, the more generous your status, the more generous your funds.

The mont you let your guard down, your budget could be duplicated.

Gone were the days when one could use soone else’s identity—or even attempt to contact governnt agencies. In this era, the idea of obtaining an identity through old-fashioned thods was nearly impossible.

A civilization at the forefront of advancent would not allow its mbers to deviate from the system.

It was unwelco news for Shin, who had personally lived through such turbulent tis.

Still, not receiving the sa benefits as others didn’t an he had no ans of survival.

If he couldn’t act in the light, he’d act in the shadows.

What caught Shin’s attention was antiques.

Tangible items whose value increased with ti. Whether historical or aesthetic, such items were bound to appreciate eventually.

And for soone who had lived through the ages, the pattern was all too clear. Things once taken for granted had now beco irreplaceable treasures.

‘To make rent...’

He’d have to sell at least one item.

Leaving the bustling downtown area, Shin headed straight for a back alley.

Just one step outside the warm, spring-like streets, and the scenery changed completely.

Vividly glowing neon signs and stagnant puddles scattered across the ground.

Compared to just monts before, the contrast was stark—almost theatrical.

And it was no surprise.

Each do was a tropolis supporting a population of a hundred million. A place where supply and demand of an unprecedented scale intersected. It was no exaggeration to call it a living organism.

Put differently, there were always zones destined to be abandoned.

Outlying regions brushing against the frozen earth naturally drifted farther from the blessings of civilization.

And where there was shadow, insects would gather.

Runaways fleeing corruption in other dos, criminals hiding after committing murder, and people like Shin—those with circumstances too complex to explain in a single word.

Stopping in front of a shop with no signboard, standing alone in the alley, Shin stepped inside without hesitation.