Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 214



Only Krnovel

93. The Man from Jeju (7)

“I can clean it up. But why? Why should I clean it up?”

There are many Awakens at this lighthouse.

There are also powerful Awakens that are level 5 or higher and cause waves.

Even Jeong Ho-gyeong, who is standing in front of me right now, is said to be a level 8 Awaken.

Then shouldn’t they just clean it up?

It would also be possible to crush monsters with the capsules using the power of Awaken without having to move them by hand.

In fact, the Awaken I saw on the front lines also used to treat capsules in that way and smirk at me as if they were nothing.

But why doesn’t it work here?

Well, if it’s dangerous for children, then let’s say so.

But what about Jeong Ho-gyeong?

Aren’t there a lot of soldiers here besides Jeong Ho-gyeong?

This is a problem that can be easily solved if Jeong Ho-gyeong simply neutralizes the defense field.

“There are dozens of people here who turned us from hunters into uncles, so why should I do it? I’m not angry, I just don’t understand, so please answer me frankly.”

Jeong Ho-gyeong trembled noticeably and looked around.

He gave the security chief and the military commander present a look, telling them to leave.

“Written.”

“ha······.”

They left the situation room, muttering complaints as if to tell Jeong Ho-gyeong to listen.

Now, there are only Jeong Ho-gyeong and me in the room.

“······I. Actually, I’m level 4.”

Jeong Ho-gyeong said with his head down.

I appreciate you speaking so quickly.

But it’s level 4.

A burst of laughter breaks out.

Only level 4.

Isn’t overflowing and cold level 4?

How were those 4 levels treated?

Awaken is a little better than Jobwaken, so he leads Jobwaken and does menial work like patrolling caves in Seoul.

However, despite being at the same level, this friend was promoted to a high-ranking position in the National Assembly right after graduating from school and held tens of millions of South Korean lives in Jeju at risk throughout the war.

Is this correct?

I don’t know.

I don’t even want to know.

But this is the reality that has unfolded.

“······It’s actually level 4, but when I measured it, it came out as level 5 or higher for some reason. I don’t know the reason either. It’s not a very rare case either. Since the psychic test was created by humans······.”

I glared at him and said bluntly.

“Please draft one of the youths held here. I don’t need anyone else, just someone who has mastered the defensive skills.”

It is not easy to clear multiple capsules within a limited time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Each one must be verified with their lives at stake, and even after the verification is complete, they must move the capsules themselves, risking becoming decorations for monsters like Park Sang-min.

So, I have no choice but to definitely ask for what I need to ask for.

“that is······.”

Jeong Ho-gyeong bowed his head deeply.

“······All the kids here are unfit for combat.”

I let out a deep sigh.

“They only have the ability, but they are kids who were judged unfit for combat at Jeju Island School.”

Now it all makes sense.

The existence of this facility, and the history of its creation.

“Unlike the Old School, the Over Level 5 Awaken are stronger and have the potential to cause mass destruction alone and without weapons, so only those who are mentally stable, have no fear of battle, and can withstand high stress environments are selected as regular Awaken, and the rest are relegated to the first······.”

“so.”

I cut him off.

“Are you saying there is no one else but me?”

“······I’m sorry. I don’t have the strength.”

“Are you saying that among all those children, there isn’t a single one that can fight?”

He screamed loudly.

“······.”

Jeong Ho-gyeong lowered his head and said nothing.

I feel the air freezing like ice.

Crunch!

I picked up a gun.

“······I’ll check for you. You’re in charge of moving it.”

This isn’t a fight for them.

This is a fight for me.

*

The lead room was located in a hexagonal basement with a watchtower installed at the very center.

It is unknown what it was used for in the past, but some parts of the wall still had bullet marks that looked like scars.

“······It will be inside me.”

Jeong Ho-gyeong followed me.

He did bring a gun, but I classified him as an unarmed person.

The only role I have given him is that of a guide.

“Here it is.”

A large, black door appeared before us.

It was one giant bunker.

It can accommodate over 300 people and still have room to spare.

thud-

As the door opened, a musty smell wafted out.

It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve written.

So you must have noticed the capsule now.

“This is a special shelter built for Kraken-type defense.”

I have a lot of questions I want to ask, but I don’t feel like asking.

And what I have to do is automatically revealed without Jeong Ho-gyeong having to say anything.

In a dark and gloomy room, nine grayish-white eggs are nestled like disgusting fruits.

“Nine······.”

I looked back at Jeong Ho-gyeong.

Jeong Ho-gyeong avoided eye contact.

I reached out to him.

“gun.”

“My, my gun?”

“Hurry up.”

Not a single bullet is wasted.

Even as the guns are handed over, the radio continues to relay desperate messages.

“Kraken type approaching! Course! Still towards the lighthouse! No sign of change!”

I turned off the power to the communicator.

“Please step back.”

He aimed the gun at the capsule.

bang!

“omg!”

Jeong Ho-gyeong is startled.

It would be surprising if you could shoot right after aiming.

But this is what our old school hunters do.

And the shot is successful.

A reflection field was created immediately after the bullet was fired.

and.

Shh-

The return is coming.

“Number 1. Good. Move it.”

“Huh?! Me?”

“Isn’t that what you decided to do?”

Jeong Ho-gyeong is a person who is completely disliked, but he is not a person who is rotten to the core.

He has good virtues.

Responsibility is one of them.

Jeong Ho-gyeong walked forward, feeling his way, and anxiously picked up the capsule I had checked.

I urged him.

“There is not much time left.”

Jeong Ho-gyeong looked at me as if protesting, but this is the power balance between us right now.

The orders are now mine.

Jeong Ho-gyeong also realized the fact and left the basement with a red face, holding the capsule.

After confirming that he was completely gone, we tested the second capsule.

bang!

shot.

Shh-

And another brush with death.

I waited for Jeong Ho-gyeong to come and had him move that too.

But there is something annoying.

It’s not Jeong Ho-gyeong.

While Jeong Ho-gyeong was moving the capsule, other adults who had arrived behind him were just watching blankly.

I looked back at them.

Then they looked at me too.

“Are you going to move?”

He pointed to the capsule that had completed verification.

No one tries to move.

“If you’re not going to do anything, please leave.”

They laughed heartily with a look of bewilderment.

I guess he thought I was on the same side as him.

But in my eyes, they’re all the same.

No, these guys who are complaining behind my back are actually people who can’t even reach Jeong Ho-gyeong’s toes.

“If you’re not going to do anything, get out now!”

Only after I started screaming did they come out of the basement.

In the silence, I aim for the third capsule.

Quickly yet carefully.

This is a tip for aiming that I learned in school.

bang!

Another gunshot.

Shh-

Another brush with death.

“······.”

And then I heard the capsule.

It’s not my role.

I want to finish it quickly.

I will not deny that some compassion and respect for Jeong Ho-gyeong underlies my service.

“Mr. Park Gyu······?”

Jeong Ho-gyeong, who was coming back sweating profusely, looked at me with shock.

“I am a hunter too.”

I spoke calmly and passed him by.

And the collaboration began.

After I verified it, Jeong Ho-gyeong and I transported the capsule to an isolated area to eliminate the threat of the lead room.

The capsule that filled the lead room quickly disappeared.

And there’s one last one left.

Final verification.

He opened fire.

bang!

“······hmm.”

There’s a problem.

The reflective field does not spread out.

I looked at Jeong Ho-gyeong as I heard the sound of bullets bouncing off the walls of the lead room.

“This looks like a fully ripe guy.”

Monsters connected to a capsule will deploy a reflective field when they do not want to appear.

The process of deploying the reflective field itself is dangerous, but once you check the field, moving it is a bit more comfortable.

The dangerous one is the one that doesn’t have a reflective field response.

We classify it as ripe, like a fruit.

That capsule is a ripe capsule.

In other words, it is a capsule where the summoning of a monster is imminent.

Jeong Ho-gyeong tried to deny reality.

“That, scalping. Would you like to try scalping?”

“No. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t want to get hurt on my body either.”

“Then what should we do, Mr. Park Gyu?”

Jeong Ho-gyeong looked at the time.

30 minutes left.

There’s not much left now.

There isn’t enough time to evacuate the children and servants.

The point is that you need to clean it up or remove it right now.

“······Your stubbornness is really vicious.”

Looking at him, I pulled out two axes.

“yes?”

“You may not admit it, but we are hunters too.”

“······.”

“I’ll show you. The style of an era that was popular in an era.”

I thought it would be okay if it wasn’t just one.

Dancer type.

I thought it was a worthwhile bluff, as long as I could avoid that guy, who was like a hunter’s grim reaper looking for close combat.

I will enlighten that worthless man who calls me “Mr. Park Gyu” until the end.

He stood in front of the capsule holding an axe.

He looked at the capsule, slowly raised the axe, and threw it lightly.

The reason I chose an axe instead of a gun is to provide insurance in case the guy deploys a reflective field.

Because a slow axe can still hit even if it reflects.

I calmly watched the axe fall in a parabolic arc.

The moment the axe reaches the capsule.

thud!

A powerful wave burst out.

At the same time, a gray-white figure crawled out from the dimensional gap and raised its head with a roar.

But that shape.

“Ah, the dancer type?!”

Jeong Ho-gyeong muttered.

That’s correct.

He’s a dancer type.

Even if Jeong Ho-gyeong is a fool, he knows how to distinguish between a place to live and a place to die.

As soon as he saw the dancer type, Jeong Ho-gyeong turned around and ran out of the room with all his might.

But there’s no point in running away from the dancer type.

Even if we succeed in escaping, it doesn’t seem like we’ll survive.

Even if you avoid it, the Kraken type will come.

It’s time to bet everything on a very low probability.

“······.”

There is no choice but to fight.

Of course, you shouldn’t fight blindly.

This time, you really have to be prepared to die.

“Phew······.”

I feel the flames of hatred burning inside me.

And I let that hate burn me.

Because only then can you be freed from the drowsiness that comes only at the moment of death.

I still feel it.

The gestures of my dead comrades beckoning me from down there.

“Come.”

I spoke to the guy, even though he probably wouldn’t understand what I was saying.

There is only one way to kill a dancer type in close combat.

You have to dodge the guy’s blade-like front legs while also striking hard enough to cause the front legs to collapse.

That alone would be difficult for even the most trained hunter to accomplish with human brute force, but that’s not all.

With one leg disabled, you must continuously attack and hold on to your initial advantage until the very end.

So, it’s a circus where one wrong move can lead to death.

thud-

The bastard advanced towards me, swinging his blade-like forelegs.

Opportunity lasts only a moment.

Measure the distance.

thud!

The bastard advanced again.

Appropriate distance.

But suddenly, a refreshing metallic sound rang out from the monster’s direction.

The culprit was soon found.

It was a military lanyard with bullets attached.

With the word PROFESSOR written on it.

The moment my gaze was drawn to that bullet, a monster attacked me.

In the flames of hatred, I raised my axe and glared at the monster.

Whack—!

*

In the distance, on the mountain ridge, the remains of a gigantic, oversized monster are scattered, fleetingly decorating the darkness with splendid splendor.

Surprisingly, the lead room succeeded in blocking the Kraken-type destructive beam.

This might be the best discovery North Korea has made on the Monster Front.

Now that the risk factor has been removed, Jeong Ho-gyeong intends to light the lighthouse again.

The lighthouse children who had taken refuge in the lead room returned to their original location.

About 100 children stood in a row on a hexagonal wall.

I was standing on the watchtower with Jeong Ho-gyeong.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I knew you were a professor. A legendary hunter.”

He is the only witness to a fight where I killed a dancer type in close combat.

“I never thought that even a dancer type would be overwhelmed in close combat······. Who would believe that? But who would have thought that would actually happen······.”

He didn’t say anything.

I looked back at the city immersed in silent, morbid colors, the unpolluted night sea, and the moon waning from full to waning.

beep—

The buzzer rang.

Then a strong shock wave came from one of the children standing against the wall.

thud!

In the darkness, the trajectory of the shock wave is faintly discernible.

Not long after that first wave, another child standing on the wall made a wave.

thud!

A child from one side, South Korea, and a child from the other side, North Korea, stood up against the wall.

And the waves burst out from the entire wall in swarms and simultaneously, like a chorus.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dozens of waves burst out of the darkness simultaneously.

There could be no light in the waves that were competing with each other, but for some reason, to me, those countless waves felt like light piercing through the darkness.

As the name of this facility suggests, it is like a lighthouse.

The lighthouse’s light guides us into the future.

“look!”

Jeong Ho-gyeong showed me the tablet screen.

The tablet screen connected to the large drone camera vividly showed numerous monsters that had been hovering around the crack turning and heading northwest as if on command.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

Jeong Ho-gyeong bowed politely to me.

The angle is 90 degrees.

But it doesn’t feel as pretentious as before.

“Hunter Park Gyu!”

The man from Jeju stood up and smiled brightly.

“Thanks to you, this lighthouse will shine forever!”

*

From then on, everything went as planned.

The helicopter came and I boarded it.

Jeong Ho-gyeong and the kids came out to greet me and chatted about miscellaneous things, but that probably wasn’t very important.

Lightning, who was on board the helicopter, belatedly revealed her real name.

“This is Lee Ha-yeop.”

The Awaken Hunters, including her, seemed to know what I was doing at the lighthouse.

When I see the light of admiration in each of their eyes.

I’ve often heard people say I’m a dancer type.

Lightning, who was standing in the center, continued speaking with a lively smile that he had never shown before.

“I’m actually from North Korea. I defected during the Pyongyang incident and came over with my family. I hide this because I don’t want the North Koreans to hear about it, not the South Koreans. My father was an ardent party member.”

She asked.

“By the way, wasn’t there that kid I told you about?”

He asked what the relationship was, along with the unfortunate news that he had not found it.

“He’s my younger brother. We defected together. He doesn’t look like me. He was really short. I remember being upset because he was so much shorter than South Korean kids. But maybe he’s grown now? It’s been three years since I last saw him.”

Lee Ha-yeop smiled sadly.

Perhaps she had accepted her brother’s death as a foregone conclusion.

“······I remember when we came to South Korea, my younger brother and I talked about pretending to be from Seoul.”

“Seoul?”

“Yes. But at that time, I didn’t know much about Seoul. I only knew that Gangnam was better off than Gangbuk, but I thought I would get caught if I pretended to be from Gangnam. So I looked at a map with my younger sibling and saw the islands on the Han River. A good idea came to me. Oh, I can just tell you the name of that island!”

“Which island did you choose?”

“I said I liked Bamseom Island, but my younger sibling said he liked Saebitdungdung Island.”

“······is it so?”

The type of dancer I’ve dealt with.

Perhaps that battle will remain a legend among old-school hunters until the end of humanity, but surprisingly, the fight ended rather blandly.

At the moment of clash, the monster suddenly stopped moving.

As if waiting for death.

“······.”

The lighthouse is moving away.

Looking at the lighthouse without a light, I remember a boy.

I hope what I saw was wrong.