Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 125



Only Krnovel

66. Monster Park (3)

If something isn’t fun when you do it alone, will it be fun when you do it with others?

Me and anonymous1523.

Neither of them found the game fun and played it for reasons other than the game.

The only reason I hung out with Anonymous1523 was to get information about him.

-The King Dooly attacked you with its sharp beak, dealing 22 damage!

-You swung your baseball bat and dealt 15 damage to Kingdulgi!

-The King Dooly attacks you with its sharp beak, dealing 56 critical damage!

-You are dead.

“······.”

But, this game. It’s not easy······.

Icarus: This kid is really bad at games.

Icarus is the in-game nickname of anonymous1523.

Icarus: Come with me and try to hit me with Heal. I’ll beat them all up!

He started playing games because he wanted to be friends with people, but maybe because he was young, he seemed to be more interested in games than I was, who had become stubborn.

Icarus: Get some potions and heal while refilling your mana. This boss is a bit strong.

Icarus: Shit. We had a hell of a fight. Yeah, good work.

Icarus: Hey, what are you doing? I can’t go there without you.

We played games together like that for about three days.

I don’t think we’ve become particularly close.

He just played the game silently, and I just supported him from the side.

I’ve rarely shared personal stories.

Even when trying to set the mood, he would often leave the room saying he met a woman from that sect.

Then one day it happened.

When I wake up, wash my face, and turn on the computer, there are dozens of messages.

Message from anonymous1523: Hey! Hey! Wake up! Wake up! This is fucked up!!!!!

Message from anonymous1523: Hey! Are you dead? If you see this, contact me right away.

Message from anonymous1523: Reply urgently

…

…

Suddenly, anonymous1523 comes looking for me.

What on earth is going on?

I sent a reply, recalling Woo Min-hee’s eerie words.

SKELTON: What’s going on?

Message from anonymous1523: Are you in Incheon? If you are in Incheon, turn off your phone and go into hiding.

SKELTON: What’s going on?

Message from anonymous1523: My dad said he’s going to take pictures of one refugee camp and send everyone there to Seoul.

SKELTON: What? In Seoul?

Message from anonymous1523: Yeah, I don’t know if they’re going to come back home or what, but they’re planning on arresting people and forcibly sending them. They’re going to relocate the entire evacuation camp, right?

As far as I know, there are anywhere from 5,000 to 30,000 people living in one refugee camp.

Talk about moving one of those camps to Seoul is tantamount to saying that everyone living there will be killed.

“······That’s Yang Sang-gil’s answer.”

He was driven out to Incheon because of poor results, but there is only one thing he knows how to do.

Disposing of a large number of people I do not know, on my own responsibility.

That is the way of life of a human being who can do nothing but take responsibility.

But why did Anonymous1523 tell me this?

Because you don’t like seeing people die?

Burning with a sense of justice?

It won’t be either.

What he wants from me is something completely different.

In the end, what the young friend wants is communication.

To be exact, it would be a “superior-subordinate” communication where one is slightly above the other and looks down on them.

He sensed that the information he had obtained would give him such an opportunity, but he sent me over 30 messages, not knowing what to do.

SKELTON: Just wait a minute.

Message from anonymous1523: Really? Is there a way? Huh?

The bulletin board is currently untouchable.

Even if we try to post, it will be buried in the endless scroll of game articles that are uploaded, even on PaleNet.

There may be a way for two people to paint, but it won’t be easy.

My painting skills are fast and precise enough to rival a machine, but a weakling like Anonymous1523 doesn’t have the talent to paint with the same tenacity and persistence as I do.

Painting is always a last resort, and there is one method to try before that.

SKELTON: (Skeleton asks) This is really important. Can we talk about it?

The place with the most people at the moment.

Monster Park is announcing this fact.

Luckily, I have an internet connection with its founder, Fox Games.

SKELTON: If you have it, answer. This isn’t a request in the game. This is something that could kill our message board friends or people playing your game.

A moment later, a reply came from Fox Games.

Message from Foxgames: What’s going on? Skeleton? Suddenly in the morning?

SKELTON: Do you know Anonymous1523? Yang Sang-gil’s son?

Message from Foxgames: Of course I know. It’s because of him that I gave you a special account.

SKELTON: There’s a story I heard from that guy.

I told Anonymous1523 about Yang Sang-gil’s ugly plan.

Message from Foxgames: What? You’re moving one camp to Seoul for nothing? You’re saying you’re going to kill everyone? Is that true? Do you have any proof?

As expected, Fox Games didn’t believe us.

SKELTON: Did you block anonymous1523? He probably organized it and sent you a message. I told him to do so.

Foxgames: I just got a message from him. But. I’m a bit confused by the sudden situation······. No, how did the two of you become close? Did you two plan it out?

SKELTON: No. If you don’t believe me, you can take back my special account. You can block me or permanently ban me from the game. But can you trust me just this once?

Message from Foxgames: Why should I trust you, I don’t know, a human scumbag like anonymous1523?

SKELTON: That human scum is struggling to do good. Can’t you give him a chance? If this is a lie, you can stuff it and use it for the rest of your life. You can worry about it for the rest of your life. Well, I don’t know how much time we have left.

I roll the dice, but Fox Games sets the rules.

While waiting for his answer, I chatted with anonymous1523.

Message from anonymous1523: Hey. Do you think real developers will believe us? Huh?

SKELTON: If you don’t believe me, then there’s nothing I can do. Are you going to paint a little?

Message from anonymous1523: Spam?

SKELTON: Bulletin board painting.

Message from anonymous1523: Do you really have to do that?

SKELTON: If Fox Games won’t listen, I’ll have to do some graffiti. By the way, I can post 6 words per second.

Message from anonymous1523: Huh? Is that a macro?

SKELTON: What is a macro?

So while Anonymous1523 and Dobaera were conspiring to commit a crime, Fox Game sent a message.

Message from Foxgames: Skeleton. Sometimes when I look at you, the image seems to be a bit distorted.

SKELTON: Me?

A message from Foxgames: He’s usually a goofy kid, but sometimes he gets serious. Sometimes he seems to be saying the right things.

SKELTON: I’m always a serious man.

Message from Foxgames: I’ll just post this one time. If it goes down, you know······?

The moment I saw that text, I unconsciously threw my fist at the monitor.

This guy was a good guy.

I tapped away at the keyboard with a smile on my face.

SKELTON: Okay. You can block or dodge as you wish. In return, I’ll give you one more chance.

Message from Foxgames: Chance?

SKELTON: Not to brag, but I have some fighting prowess. I also have plenty of supplies. As long as it’s not too far away, I have the means to go anywhere. So, if you’re in a hurry, contact me. I’ll come running to you anytime.

SKELTON: (Skeleton majesty)

Message from Foxgames: lol

Message from Foxgames: Posting an announcement?

I should thank heavens that Fox Games is a good people company.

Fox Games has posted a general notice on Monster Park with operator authority.

The contents are as follows.

– Information has come in that the current Yang Sang-gil government is planning to randomly select one of the refugee camps in Incheon and forcibly move the entire population to Seoul! (Source: Skelton)

“under.”

The moment I saw the notice, I smiled without realizing it.

Is this a mess from the beginning?

Why didn’t you include anonymous1523?

Well, considering that kid’s reputation, I guess it’s right not to include him, but this skeleton solo is responsible······.

Well, it’s not bad.

Even if he is treated like this, wouldn’t it be a blessing if he could save the people Yang Sang-gil was trying to kill?

Perhaps that blessing will come back to you in the form of Awakening powers.

Anyway, this world is a place where you have a say and can see things.

At noon that day, clashes broke out between refugee camps and soldiers.

Soldiers attempting to evacuate civilians with a large number of trucks and armored vehicles unexpectedly encountered organized resistance and were delayed, and when they heard the news, angry crowds from other evacuation camps gathered, thwarting the military unit’s “relocation plan.”

At the demolition site, where cheers, screams, and gunshots were heard, a hastily made banner that read “Come Back Home – Seoul” was reportedly lying around, torn like a rag.

It was something I didn’t want to do, but I ended up becoming a hero.

This skeleton, who was not treated well despite being the bulletin board’s leader, became a hero who saved 15,000 people.

But the real credit for this incident should go to someone else.

Anonymous1523.

To the rookie master who was clumsy in everything.

But it never happened that he became a hero.

*

gijayangban: (Gija Yangban Extra Edition) Yang Sang-gil’s son, raped and murdered teenage women, revealed!

The mood on the bulletin board has changed since the attempt to relocate the refugee camp.

The bulletin board, which had been filled with only game stories as if a leopard’s fur was changing, was once again ablaze with heated debates about current events.

The new news that the reporter brought to that hot stove only added fuel to the already tense public sentiment.

According to the reporter’s news, anonymous 1523, Yang Sang-gil’s son’s real name was Yang Hyeon-su.

Yang Hyun-soo is 20 years old.

He was from a new school, but he wasn’t Awaken.

He is a fraudulent admissions officer who manipulated and fabricated the admissions process to make it look like he was away.

I don’t know what his school life was like.

After graduating from school and coming to Incheon with his father, he lost his second home, his pride, and his sense of community with his friends, but instead gained the power of a petty tyrant.

As he wandered the streets every night under a soldier’s escort, he happened to spot a girl who looked just like the girl he had liked.

In a world suffering from dire poverty, the promise of a foreign car, good food, and a comfortable life would have easily moved her desperate heart.

But from the beginning, she was a “substitute.”

Their faces were similar, but their insides were completely different.

The differences led to arguments, and the arguments eventually led to murder.

It seems that Yang Sang-gil, whose reputation had already been ruined by the previous attempt at a surprise attack on the refugee camp, did not have the ability to spread the news of his son’s crime.

The misdeeds of the wealthy Yang Sang-gil spread throughout the city, which was quickly falling apart.

On a chaotic day when slogans calling for Yang Sang-gil to be killed were ringing out, Yang Hyeon-su was inside the bulletin board.

Anonymous1523: I didn’t kill her~ I didn’t rape her~ That bitch jumped herself~ What do you want me to do~

Once his father had power, he had power too.

It’s different now.

ㅇㅇ: You idiot~ Should I go to the prison cell with that idiot?

ㅇㅇ: We can form a mini Jeju evacuation fleet and put it out to sea.

Anonymous435: Hahahaha, take care~

mmmmmmmmm : Hey! Anonymous1523! Do you know why I sucked your asshole? The moment I believed you, I tried to hit you on the back of the head, but this is self-destructing~ Give me back my build-up….

RokaGG: You’ll be executed. Aren’t they all under the jurisdiction of military courts now?

ㅇㅇ: I’m going to lose to you as a pair. You guys are already finished.

…

…

Everyone is swearing at him.

It’s an incredible change from the days when people were treated like heroes simply for swearing at him.

In that harsh frost, Anonymous1523 behaved like a wounded animal.

Anonymous1523: Hey! You little shits! What? Huh? Not guilty! So the acting president is our dad? The president personally nominated him? This is the Constitution, so what are you little shits going to do? Huh?

Anonymous1523: mmmmmmmm I will definitely find you and kill you ㅇㅇ

You could just watch him.

After all, his downfall was predetermined from the moment he was driven out of Jeju Island.

But for a very brief moment, I spent time with this friend.

He’s a son of a bitch, but you can’t say he doesn’t have any good points.

If he hadn’t been there, 15,000 people would have gone to Seoul without a sound, and his father wouldn’t have fallen into such a quick ruin.

As a senior member of the bulletin board, I gave him some advice.

SKELTON: (Skeleton’s advice) Hyunsoo.

Message from anonymous1523: ?

SKELTON: (Skeleton’s advice) This is where you really need to get down on your knees. If you’re being treated unfairly, like I said, then you should go to court, right? Trust me and just endure it here. Don’t react to the kids. That’ll just come back to bite you. Just beg. Say you’re being treated unfairly. You know what I mean, right? Okay?

I don’t like to use the word “ㅇㅇ”, but I used it to make him feel a sense of kinship with me.

The reply came quickly.

Message from anonymous1523: What? Hyunsoo? Hey, this fucking punk doesn’t know what’s up or down. If I play with him a little, does that make us look like we’re on the same level? Huh?

SKELTON : Slowly

Message from anonymous1523: Block me, get out now

“······.”

That was our last communication online.

*

Squeak-

A truck stopped at the golf course.

Inside, a man and a woman, a young man and a woman, got out one after another.

As soon as the old woman saw the bleak golf course scenery, she burst into tears and collapsed.

“Senior, then please take good care of me.”

I turned off the radio and approached them.

Eyes full of fear turned towards me.

Among them, I saw the face of a young man.

My prediction was correct.

The boy in the corner of the picture was looking up at me with a frightened expression, his face old and sallow, his beard unkempt.

“······hey.”

He called desperately, but I didn’t answer.

I returned to the bunker and entered the bulletin board.

What kind of wind was blowing?

You have entered Monster Park.

I looked back at the hunting grounds I used to frequent.

“hmm?”

Something is different.

A collapsed ruin is visible above the vine-covered wire mesh.

Below, the cat mutation “Gil Cheon Sa” is glaring at you.

…and the tomb of “Icarus” stands alone.

you are…

(East) (West) (South) (North)

“Icarus?”

Icarus is the gaming nickname of anonymous1523.

Why did he leave a grave there when he had already left the game a long time ago and was destined to die soon?

I asked Fox Games.

Message from Foxgames: Did you finally find it? It’s bittersweet, but it’s kind of a gimmick. So you know~

Anyone who exits the game by pressing the exit button will have their character disappear from the game and will be kicked out.

On the other hand, if there is no input for a week while logged into the game, the character will turn into a cat named after the character’s nickname.

A message from Foxgames: If you leave the game on for a week, you’re considered dead. But who would bury people like us? So shouldn’t we at least leave a place for our graves? Well, that’s one of the reasons why this game was made. Monster Park itself is our world, right?

“······.”

I know Icarus is alive.

I also know that I will die.