Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 177



Only Krnovel

85. King (2)

The Paju Crack is the most important crack in South Korea.

Because there was an enemy country nearby, the capital was close by, and above all, it was stronger than any crack that existed in South Korea.

To block this rift, large-scale defensive structures were built, and a monster-killing zone called the kill zone was created in front of the rift that would become the battlefield.

Those who first see the Paju Crack are surprised by the sight of the rift as a passageway of an alien dimension, and are surprised again by the scale of the defensive facilities positioned in front of the rift.

There were over 2,000 fixed firearms aimed directly at the front of the rift, and hundreds of field guns and multiple rocket launchers were on standby in the rear, ready to fire at any time.

There is also air force power, but I don’t know much about it, so I won’t mention it.

There were also about 100 tanks deployed, but they were of the so-called dumb tank type, designed so that they would not be penetrated even if the performance of their main guns were downgraded and a reflection field was created.

Contrary to their nickname of “idiot”, they were reliable friends who would immediately mobilize and create a second line if the front line was breached.

In the case of small tanks, two shots from a tank gun would cause the reflective field to become unstable, and even in the case of medium tanks, five shots from a direct hit would neutralize the field itself.

There were always 8,000 troops stationed on this vast battlefield, but as the monsters began to use their ability to disable electronic warfare equipment, they were gradually increased, and by the time I left the battlefield, the number had increased to 12,000.

As expected of a key defense area, the soldiers deployed there were not regular conscripts, but contract soldiers who had signed a contract directly with the state and were paid to fight.

There was also away power.

I know that there were 8 Awakens above level 5 who worked in rotation, and there was also one Awaken above level 10 whose very existence was a secret – one that even I didn’t know about.

Our old school hunters were there too, but they didn’t really have anything to do.

In reality, most of the fighting was done by artillery, and the eruptions that were too much for artillery alone were resolved by Awaken Hunters intervening to clear the reflection field and deploy fixed firearms.

The soldiers whispered behind our backs that we were trash, but there wasn’t much we old-school hunters could do in a large-scale battlefield like this.

In fact, our primary duties as stated in the contract were to guide and lead the contract soldiers and to prepare for contingencies.

While I was in Paju, monsters invaded the regular military area only twice.

Once I dealt with it as a dispatched hunter, but once the situation was so urgent that I had to make the soldiers with guns step back and kill the monster with only two axes.

I remember that hundreds of soldiers saw the former, but only about ten saw the latter.

Not long after that, he left Paju and became a destroyer, but it seems that many of the soldiers who were there at the time survived.

Even now, three years after the war began, there are still people who survived and reminisce about the past.

“I saw you catch a monster.”

Probably the former.

Well, if they were Rift Zone contract soldiers, their fighting ability and survival skills would be far superior to those of ordinary people, and since there were hundreds of them, it wouldn’t be that strange for one or two of them to become thug subordinates.

“So the King called you?”

“······.”

Neither positive nor negative.

I don’t think it would be beneficial to say it, and above all, I am the King’s guest.

The former Paju soldier guided me to King’s quarters with a faint smile on his face.

The place where King lived was a huge nuclear bunker built before the war.

“It’s called Bunker 1.”

The former soldier looked around and opened his mouth.

“As you can see, this is a place designed for the president and government leaders to reside. Originally, they should have evacuated there as soon as the war broke out, but the president is a lazy guy, as you know. He kept putting it off day after day, saying he didn’t want to go underground, and just watched. But the Chinese thought the president would be here, so they completely destroyed this area.”

The ramp leading to the bunker was long.

The road, which was collapsed and littered with debris in some places, was wide enough for two armored vehicles to fit side by side.

At the end of the slope, a large, open hall welcomed us.

The night sky and starlight were streaming in through the hole that must have been made by a Chinese bunker buster.

When you see the size of the bunker, you can see why King took the English word for king as his nickname.

This is the king’s residence.

The person who was supposed to be in this position is dead and gone, and the force that protected him has disappeared, but the vacancy has been filled by thugs and looters.

The deeper I went inside, the more people I saw.

Most of them were gangsters, but there were also many women with their faces painted on, and it was not hard to find shabby workers resting in dark places.

“This way.”

The advancing soldiers stopped in front of a heavy iron door that looked like a vault door.

The iron gate was open at an angle just enough for one person to enter.

“From here on out, go in alone.”

He nodded and stepped inside the iron gate.

Beyond the iron gate, two women wearing thin clothing that revealed their bodies were waiting for me.

The bodies themselves are very attractive, but they all have something covering their faces.

That’s a fucking puppet.

One woman wore a rabbit mask and one wore a fox mask.

“Please leave your weapons here.”

The rabbit mask said.

I handed over all my weapons as I was told.

I was a little hesitant when I entrusted him with the axe, but it can’t be helped.

I decided to come.

I left the axe and looked into the hallway.

A cheap carpet, rather than a luxurious one, runs long inside.

The lights were dim and gloomy, and a strange smell of incense lingered in the hallway.

The two puppets took me to a room at the end of the hallway.

I think I know what I’m talking about without even hearing an explanation.

There is a king in here.

A gangster boss who has built his own kingdom in this dying world.

Meeting this kind of person wasn’t originally in my plans, but now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen my heart beat.

There was a man in the room.

He was a man of about 178cm tall, with a well-proportioned body and upright posture.

He was standing with his back to me, his gloved hands clasped behind his back, and even if he had been looking this way, I would not have seen his face.

This man was also wearing a doll mask.

“Is it a skeleton?”

The king looked back at me.

It’s a lion mask.

Unlike the masks worn by other women, the mask he wore had large eye sockets, allowing one to see the outline of the eyes and even the shape of the area around the eye sockets.

It’s just as the rumors say.

It’s away.

The evidence is the eyes that glow softly in this gloomy darkness.

However, it appears that black makeup was applied around the eyes.

Perhaps it is a device to make a strong impression.

Another thing that concerns me is the smell.

There is a nice-smelling air freshener in the room, but my nose is not dull enough to not detect the stench of rotting flesh hidden within that artificial fragrance.

My gaze was drawn to the cylinder standing erect in the corner of the King’s spacious and ornate room.

Large enough for a person to fit in.

I feel like there’s something inside me.

“Sit down, Skeleton.”

The king sat me down.

He took a drink out of the cupboard and poured me a glass.

It’s a pretty good whiskey.

“I’ve invited many people to the bulletin board so far, but you’re the first one to come in person.”

The king stared at me through the eye sockets of his lion’s head.

“You look fine. Younger than I thought. I thought you were in your late 40s or 50s. No, really, how could you not look like that when you’re young and have no internet sense and just keep making jokes like that?”

“······.”

“Relax. Skeleton. I may not have a good reputation, but I’m not the type to hack my message board friends. That guy, that water rocket guy who was showing off by killing people. Was it Defender? He didn’t even touch our message board friends, did he? He killed a thug in real time, but that was his fault.”

I don’t know about anything else, but that guy named King.

Our bulletin board friend is right.

It looks like he’s fluent in recalling things that happened a long time ago.

“Did you by any chance sign a direct contract with Viva! Apocalypse!?”

So I asked.

“Oh. I signed the contract myself.”

This kid is 100% original user.

I like it even more.

“You were a fundamental user.”

I ended up complimenting him in a way that was not typical of me.

A snickering sound was heard from beyond the lion’s head.

“But why didn’t you write before?”

“I’m not really the type to write on the internet, you know. I used to do it a lot when I was younger.”

The king turned his head, took off his lion mask slightly, and took a sip of his whiskey glass.

It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to keep the initiative.

Maybe he doesn’t want to show his face.

“But after settling down, I called a lot of guys via message. Jonnaenon, Dragon C, Fox Game, and what was it? Oh, and some likeable friends like Kyle Dos. I even called IamJesus. But no one came. You’re the first one to come in person.”

Suddenly the king dropped the lawsuit.

“But why do you have to come here?”

He grabbed the back of her neck, clearly expressing his bewilderment with just his eyes.

“There are so many named people, not a single one came, so why did it have to be someone like you?”

Even though this kid is a gang leader, I have to say something.

“Aren’t I named too?”

The king tilted his head.

“What is your name?”

“It must be named.”

“No, who said he was named with his own mouth? This kid is really this, not only on the internet but also in real life······.”

At that moment, a rattling sound came from the cylinder.

There is a person inside.

I don’t know what kind of bad taste it is, but they lock people in iron cylinders that are difficult to move even with their bodies in.

As expected, the sound of the cylinder being scraped inside echoed throughout the room in an eerie manner.

The king rose from his seat.

“for a moment.”

He walked up to the cylinder and pressed the red button next to it.

Then the scratching sound coming from inside the cylinder became silent.

King returned to me leisurely as if nothing had happened.

“Oh, there’s someone inside. I told them to be quiet for a moment.”

“person······?”

“My predecessor.”

“predecessor?”

“Is he the former boss? I have my own circumstances. Don’t misunderstand. I definitely didn’t do it with bad intentions. It was what I wanted.”

“······.”

What the hell is this?

I don’t necessarily want to understand the mental world of a gangster.

What matters is the real reason I came here.

I have to meet Jeon Si-hun.

But what should we do in this situation?

The original picture I had in mind was to enter Sejong and spend some time there, and have a chance to meet Jeon Si-hun, but it doesn’t seem that easy, considering the atmosphere of the city and the closed-off bunkers that seem to go on forever underground.

“You’re a hunter?”

The king suddenly asked.

What should I do?

I think it’s better to tell the truth here.

Gangsters lie as soon as they open their mouths, but they get furious when they hear a lie themselves.

“I used to be an Old School Hunter for a while. I wasn’t that famous.”

“Of course, since you’re a hunter, you probably have the courage to enter my territory on your own.”

The king stared at me.

“My subordinate said······.”

The bastard’s eyes are getting sticky.

King continued speaking amidst a bad feeling.

“You said you defeated the monster with an axe by yourself?”

Did you even see that?

Only 11 people saw the second battle in Paju.

I bet there were King’s subordinates among them.

“Besides, there was an axe among the weapons I brought.”

The king looked at me intently and asked.

“Hey, just catch one monster for me.”

It seems like this thug has a very self-centered personality.

“I’ll give you an example. I’ll give you a girl, so choose the one you like. They’re all celebrity-level. I chose them.”

“Even so, why are you suddenly telling me to catch a monster?”

“What if we ask each other a favor on the bulletin board?”

“What on earth is going on?”

The king slumped down on the sofa.

“Have you seen what’s going on in the neighborhood next door?”

“Eroded city?”

“Yeah. There’s a kid in there.”

“What kind of baby is it?”

“Awake.”

“Awake?”

“Oh. That kid is really strong. He got upset over something trivial and ran off and ended up in there. Anyway, they say all high-level Awakens are psychopaths.”

I think I know who you’re talking about.

Exhibition training.

Did you enter the city that was left unfinished?

Well, according to Woo Min-hee, he was a kind and honest kid, so he probably wouldn’t want to be with a psychopath wearing animal skin.

“Well, rescuing the child.”

“He’s still a kid, but he’s taller than me. He’s a full-grown guy.”

“I don’t have to hunt monsters, so I can just bring the kid out?”

“Huh? Really?”

The king suddenly sat up from his seat.

“Are you really going to give it to me? Skeleton?!”

Judging from his reaction, it seems like he didn’t really expect me to do his favor.

He answered calmly, looking at the dark eye sockets visible beyond the lion’s mask.

“Viva! Apocalypse! My friend on the Korean bulletin board asked me to do this.”

“This skeleton kid······.”

The king seemed to smile with emotion, but then suddenly coughed.

“Crash! Crash!”

A cough so violent that it makes your whole body tremble.

As he was starting to get worried, King finally stopped coughing and took a deep breath, muttering.

“Oh, here it comes again······.”

He left the room.

“······I’d like to talk more, but I’m not feeling well. First, get a night off. I’ll get you a girl like I promised. If you need anything, just let her know.”

The man wearing the lion’s head left the room with a staggering gait.

I quietly looked at the place he had left.

He just stinks.

It’s the smell of a dead person.

No, the stench would be more like that of a zombie.

For a brief moment, the face of my mentor, Jang Gi-yeong, flashed before my eyes.

“······.”

no way.

No, I don’t think so.