Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 181



Only Krnovel

85. King (6)

There are two main categories of monsters.

Classification by size and classification by purpose.

Enemies of humanity that cannot be identified as monsters are generally given similar purposes based on their size.

Small ones are mostly penetrative.

Acting alone, it forms a stronghold and erodes the area, providing an accelerant for the flow of erosion extending from the cracks.

Medium is mostly combat type.

It does not form well in low-grade rifts, and even in high-grade rifts, it only appears in kill zones where multiple eruptions have been prevented.

Most are destroyed in the kill zone, but some break through the kill zone and roam the battlefield, which is extremely dangerous and causes numerous casualties.

Our hunters are no exception.

They are heinous murderers.

The large size is an upgraded version of the medium size.

Of course, it is more dangerous than medium-sized species.

Assuming that large and medium species are roaming the battlefield, the medium species will hunt when it has adequate power, but the large species will wait for natural extinction unless there is a reason to deal with it. This is the method described in the manual.

The extra-large type is the last to appear, and is a frontline breakthrough type that was sent out from the cracks with the purpose of trampling over the entire defense line when the medium-sized and large-sized types were unable to break through the strong human defense line.

Of course, the strongest of the two are the giants, but if you were to say they are the most dangerous species, I would say no.

In team combat situations, the worst threats we face are mostly concentrated in medium-sized species.

thud!

The medium-sized paper walks in.

Towards us.

They are coming this way to kill us and take away the hope of humanity.

“Hey. Jeon Si-hoon! What can’t you do?”

King opened his mouth, looking back and forth between the exhibition hall and the window.

“Uh, that one?”

Jeon Si-hoon looks out the window.

What appeared in the eyes that had a soft glow was a vivid fear.

Jeon Si-hoon took a step back.

“How do you deal with something like that?”

“You’re strong. You’re a level 10 Awaken?”

“That’s true, but I’m bad at fighting. It’s scary.”

Jeon Si-hun went to the corner farthest from the window, crouched down, holding his head, and trembled.

The fanatic sat down next to Jeon Si-hun and gently stroked his head.

Jeon Si-hun continued to tremble slightly, leaning his head on the shoulder of a woman who was three heads shorter than him.

“It’ll be okay, Sihun. We are God’s children. As long as the spirit of the Demon Lord watches over us, He will protect us.”

The sight reminded me of a mother comforting a frightened child, but I saw a strange, ecstatic madness flickering in the eyes of the nameless fanatic.

As expected, he was a fanatic.

He gave up thinking for himself and delegated everything to another being whom he could not even understand.

The king sighed and looked at me.

When their eyes met, King shook his head.

“It’s over. I thought there would be a real medium-sized species. And the level 10 Awaken looks like this.”

Just because someone has a high Awaken level doesn’t necessarily mean they have the heart of a lion.

There are many people who have great talents but are unable to use their power.

Jeon Si-hun, who was over level 10 away, was one of the cowards with power we’ve seen so many times.

“Hey. Do you have any will for Skeleton?”

The king opened his mouth with a bitter smile.

“does not exist.”

I picked up a gun.

He placed the Harpnizer on the floor and held it firmly on his shoulder.

I stared at the monster approaching us, feeling the weight and texture of the two axes in the axe sheath tightly wrapped around my thighs.

“How long does it take to deploy a reflective field?”

“Immediately? Based on human standards, wouldn’t it take about 0.1 seconds?”

“How many times?”

“well.”

“Let me rephrase the question. How long do you think the battle will last?”

“Not more than an hour. My head feels like it’s going to burst.”

“If you fight with all your might instead of taking it easy, how long will it last?”

King answered my question with a slight twinkle in his eye.

“No more than five minutes. If the force field is hit hard, it could be even shorter.”

“good.”

“Are you really going to fight?”

The king looks straight at me and asks.

He nodded.

“Anyway, the exit is blocked.”

There is nothing at the point where the red spray marks.

But there is a medium-sized bell 80 meters away.

A stationary medium-sized species will not move unless approached or provoked first, but a wandering medium-sized species will move half-and-half.

People can be attacked or ignored.

I wouldn’t risk my life on that half-and-half possibility.

The moment that medium-sized species maliciously mimics human firepower projects its firepower, even if we enter a spider-type maze, we will be torn apart along with the maze.

In that case, wouldn’t it be less frustrating to fight even if you have a higher chance of dying?

At least in the sense that he made a fuss.

“Hey. Skeleton. Are you serious? I’m not a properly trained hunter, but I’ve never heard of anyone killing a medium-sized species with just one old-school hunter.”

“There’s a king, right?”

“No matter how much I am there, my power won’t work on that monster.”

It seems that Jeon Si-hun is not the only one who has lost his fighting spirit.

Even the king is scared at the sight of the medium-sized species approaching him.

She stared at him intently and raised the corners of her mouth.

“Is it okay for me to look down on you?”

For a moment, the King’s expression hardened.

He glared at me with murderous eyes as if to say, “When did he do that?” and spoke in a growling voice without even blinking.

“No one can look down on King Sejong.”

“That’s it. When I give the signal, unfold the station field.”

“i get it.”

The king put on his gas mask.

There was no hesitation or fear in his back as he turned fiercely and walked towards the stairs.

You could say it’s the composure of a city ruler.

As I was about to follow him down the building, the fanatic spoke.

“You want to defeat the messenger of God? With just two people?”

“What is your name?”

He looked straight at the fanatic and asked.

“It’s Myeongju. It’s Son Myeongju.”

“Okay, Myeongju. If we win, won’t Sihoon stop brainwashing you?”

“Brainwashing? How is teaching the true teachings brainwashing?”

“What are we going to do, whether it be missionary work or whaling? We are risking our lives.”

My hand was on the pistol grip.

If you don’t keep your promise, I plan to shoot you in the eye and kill you.

It wouldn’t make a difference even if the other person were a girl in her late teens.

Fanatics who are sick to the core of their hearts are pests who look just like us but live on a completely different logic.

“Go ahead. Okay.”

“Are you letting me go?”

“We never caught Brother Shi-Hoon. He relied on us. Anyway, Brother Shi-Hoon makes the decisions.”

He took his hand off the pistol grip.

“Exhibition training.”

Jeon Si-hoon looked at me with eyes that still had fear in them.

“You said you liked Kang Han-min?”

“Hey! Skeleton!”

The King calls me from down the stairs.

“I don’t have the strength or blessings of a strong person like Kang Hyeon-min. But look carefully. Even those who aren’t chosen by God can fight.”

I felt Jeon Si-Hoon’s gaze and hurried down the stairs.

thud!

The medium-sized annhilator is now 100m away.

Shaped like an eight-legged tardigrade, it shoots devastating, deadly fragments of debris from a large, circular hole on its head.

A shotgun, or rather a monster claymore.

Each radially spreading fragment has various sizes and shapes, as well as a good amount of hardness and mass, and it annihilates almost all living things within its striking range, just as its name suggests.

Jang Gi-yeong ordered that he avoid the frontal area, which could be called the barrel of the big anihilator type, and aim for the side, but that was impossible.

The Annihilator may be slow, but it can sense all living things around it and turn quickly enough to respond to a flanking attack.

It even has a pattern where, if there is an enemy nearby, it will fire large pieces of debris into the sky, which will explode and spray ash with properties similar to those of an incendiary bomb.

The only way I know of is to fire from outside the reflective field range like other monsters.

It is said that if there are multiple Awakens above level 5, it is possible to fight effectively at mid-range by having one Awaken remove the veil while several other Awakens reflect the Annihilator’s attacks with a reflection field, but I have never experienced such a fight.

Right now I only have one Awaken.

It is a “naturally occurring” Awaken horse that commands the surroundings with its thick guts and charisma rather than being properly trained.

“What is the operation?”

“Approach from the front and finish him off with the Harpnizer.”

“You do know that there is a limit to the strength of the reflective field, right? The moment the limit is exceeded, the field will be destroyed.”

“On average, the small type gets two rounds based on the standard 105mm 60 caliber tank gun for monsters. The medium type gets five rounds. Nothing beyond that is known.”

“······Oh, you seem to know more than me.”

“Save the station as much as possible. And reduce the range as much as possible.”

“Are you really going to charge straight ahead?”

King’s question seems to stem more from reasonable doubt than fear.

He answered seriously.

“Most medium-sized species are known to have sensing abilities. This one is no exception. There’s no point in trying to circumvent them. The cover of these ruins will only hinder our vision. Therefore, we will approach them head-on, through the shortest route, in an open area with a clear view.”

It is also the team leader’s job to persuade team members who have to risk their lives.

Of course, you can’t talk for long in a situation where your life is at stake due to a split-second choice.

Therefore, I express my sincerity in the most restrained language possible.

I hope my persuasion reaches the King.

“······Can I believe it?”

The king looked at me and asked.

After trying to persuade dozens of times, I realized that the success or failure of persuasion depends more on the other person’s heart than on my words.

So, those who have the will to fight will listen to me no matter what I say, and those who don’t will distrust me no matter how kindly I explain it to them.

I nodded toward the king who had given me trust.

“I’ll take the lead. If I raise my hand, deploy the field. Otherwise, be as conservative as possible. I might get slightly injured, but I can’t let the King fool me, right?”

“Don’t worry. My senses are much duller than yours.”

The briefing is over.

All that remains is to execute the operation.

I looked out the window of the building behind me, silently watching the unwieldy monster rushing towards us.

Jeon Si-hun and Son Myeong-ju, who were shivering in the corner, are looking this way.

After staring intently at the demonstration, he turned towards the monster.

“advance.”

I took a step forward.

The speed is a fast walk.

Don’t run.

Even if you run, you won’t be able to reach the enemy’s reflection field in one stride, and you will have to endure at least one full barrage with your body before that.

thud!

The monster emitted a shockwave.

As a medium-sized species, its waves are one level higher than those of small species.

Even at a distance of 90 meters, I felt my insides tremble as I advanced forward, step by step.

All the nerves were focused on two eyes looking ahead.

“······.”

Was this what it felt like to be a line infantryman, trudging forward in front of thousands of gun barrels pointed at you?

Their courage cannot be compared.

Their life or death may be completely determined by fate, regardless of their own will, but at least I can control the risk within a limited range as long as the variables do not go astray.

A thing resembling a bear spotted us and raised its gnarled head high.

Signs of an attack.

I could hear the King’s footsteps halting, but he said nothing, just like when he came to this eroded area.

I looked up at the monster’s black gun barrel, grateful once again for his courage.

thud!

Another shockwave.

At the same time, white dots exploded in all directions from the monster’s short, black cannon, as if scattering stars from the sky all at once.

Among all those stars, what I’m looking for is the big one.

So, someone who can give a subordinate to King’s force field and break the subordinate itself.

At least I don’t see anything like that along the way.

Raised his hand.

thud!

A shock wave rang out right behind me.

An invisible, yet more wondrous wall than any man-made wall surrounded me and the King.