Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 85.2: King (2)

The Paju Rift is the most critical rift in South Korea.

It’s located near hostile territory, close to the capital, and, most importantly, it is stronger than any other rift in the country.

To contain it, a massive defensive structure was built, and a monster-kill zone—known as the Kill Zone—was established in front of the rift.

Anyone seeing the Paju Rift for the first time would be stunned by the otherworldly dimensional portal and then further awed by the sheer scale of the defensive fortifications built around it.

Over 2,000 fixed artillery pieces were aimed directly at the rift, while hundreds of howitzers and multiple rocket launchers were positioned in the rear, ready to fire at any moment.

There was also air force support, but I won’t go into details as I don’t know much about that.

Around 100 tanks were stationed there, specially designed with downgraded main guns to avoid penetration by reflective shields, earning them the nickname “Dummy Tanks.” Despite the name, they were reliable allies, moving to reinforce secondary lines immediately if the front line was breached.

For smaller monsters, two tank shells were enough to overload their reflective shields, while mid-sized monsters required about five direct hits to nullify their defenses.

The battlefield was manned by 8,000 troops at all times. As the monsters developed the ability to disrupt electronic warfare equipment, reinforcements were steadily added until the force grew to 12,000 by the time I left.

Soldiers stationed there weren’t ordinary conscripts but contracted personnel—mercenaries paid directly by the government to fight.

Awakened forces were also deployed.

Eight Level 5 or higher Awakened rotated shifts, and there was even a Level 10+ Awakened, though their identity was classified, and I never got to know them.

Old-school hunters like me were also present, but we didn’t have much to do.

Most of the combat was handled by the artillery, and when they struggled, the Awakened would step in, disable the monsters’ reflective shields, and let the fixed artillery finish the job.

The soldiers whispered behind our backs, calling us relics, but on such a large battlefield, there wasn’t much for old-school hunters to do.

Our primary tasks, as stated in our contracts, were to guide and lead the mercenaries and prepare for contingencies.

During my time in Paju, there were only two incidents where monsters breached the general soldiers’ zone.

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One time, I handled it with the help of dispatched hunters.

The other time, the situation was so dire that I had to send the armed soldiers back and deal with the monster myself, using just my two axes.

The first incident was witnessed by hundreds of soldiers; the second, by only about ten.

Not long after that, I left Paju and began my path as a doomsday prepper.

It seems many of the soldiers from back then survived, given that, even three years into the war, there are still people around reminiscing about the past.

“I saw you kill that monster.”

It was probably the first incident.

If this guy is a former mercenary from the Rift zone, it’s not surprising he’s more skilled and capable than the average person. It wouldn’t be strange for one or two of those soldiers to end up as gang members.

“Is that why King invited you?”

I neither confirmed nor denied it.

Saying anything wouldn’t benefit me, especially since I’m here as King’s guest.

The former soldier faintly smiled and led me to King’s quarters.

King lived in a massive nuclear bunker built before the war.

“They call it Bunker One,” the ex-soldier explained, glancing around.

“As you can see, it was designed for the president and government officials. Normally, they would’ve evacuated here as soon as the war began, but, as you know, our president was a lazy bastard. He kept procrastinating, saying he didn’t want to live underground. The Chinese, assuming he’d be here, leveled the area with attacks.”

The bunker’s sloped access road stretched on.

The cracked, debris-laden path was wide enough for two armored vehicles to drive side by side.

At the end of the slope was a vast, open hall.

A hole, likely made by a Chinese bunker-buster bomb, exposed the night sky and stars above.

Seeing the scale of the bunker, I understood why this man called himself King.

This was a ruler’s domain.

The original occupants—those meant to rule from here—were long dead, as were the forces meant to protect them. In their place were gangsters and raiders.

The deeper we ventured, the more people we encountered.

Most were gang members, but there were also women with heavily painted faces and grimy laborers resting in the shadows.

“This is it,” the former soldier said, stopping in front of a heavy iron door that resembled a vault.

The door was slightly ajar, just enough for one person to pass through.

“From here, you’re on your own.”

I nodded and stepped inside.

Beyond the door, two women dressed in revealing clothes waited for me.

Their figures were striking, but both wore masks.

Mascot heads.

One had a rabbit mask; the other, a fox.

“Leave your weapons here,” the one in the rabbit mask said.

I hesitated as I handed over my axes but complied.

I’d made the decision to come here.

With my weapons surrendered, I took in the corridor ahead.

The cheap, gaudy carpet stretched down the hall, and the dim lighting cast eerie shadows. A strange, cloying scent lingered in the air.

The two mascots led me to a room at the end of the hall.

Even without an explanation, I knew.

King was in there.

The gang leader who had built his kingdom in the ruins of this world.

Meeting someone like him hadn’t been part of my original plan, but now that I was here, it didn’t feel entirely bad.

The anticipation made my heart race for the first time in a long while.

Inside the room stood a man.

He was about 178 cm tall, with a balanced physique and a straight posture.

His back was turned to me, but even if he’d been facing me, I wouldn’t have seen his face.

He, too, wore a mask.

A lion’s head.

Unlike the other masks, his had large eye holes, revealing not just his eyes but the contours around them.

As the rumors said—an Awakened.

Even in the dim light, his eyes glowed faintly.

The dark makeup around them likely served to enhance his intimidating presence.

Then there was the smell.

Though the room was filled with artificial fragrances, I could detect the faint stench of rotting flesh.

My eyes drifted to a large cylindrical container in the corner of the room.

Big enough to hold a person.

Something was inside.

“Sit, Skelton.”

King gestured for me to sit.

He retrieved a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and poured me a glass.

It was good whiskey—surprisingly so.

“I’ve invited plenty of people from the forum before, but you’re the first one to actually show up.”

He stared at me through the eyeholes of his lion mask.

“You look normal. Younger than I expected. Honestly, I thought you’d be in your late forties or fifties. No offense, but with the outdated internet jokes and your lack of online awareness, how else would you come across?”

“....”

“Relax, Skelton. I’ve got a bad reputation, sure, but I don’t mess with forum friends. Take Defender, for example. That guy’s a maniac who kills people with water rockets, but he doesn’t touch our forum folks, right? Well, except for that one gangster he killed live—though the guy deserved it.”

Whatever else King might be, he was definitely a member of our forum.

He even recalled events from years ago.

“Did you sign up for Viva! Apocalypse! directly?”

I asked.

“Yeah. Signed up myself.”

This guy was an original user.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit more respect for him.

“You’re old-school.”

Unexpectedly, I found myself offering praise.

From behind the lion mask, I heard a faint chuckle.

“Why didn’t you post much back then?”

“I’m not the type to write posts. Did a lot of that when I was younger.”

King turned his head, lifted his lion mask slightly, and took a sip of whiskey.

It wasn’t out of politeness. He probably just didn’t want to show his face.

“Still, once I got settled here, I messaged a bunch of people. John_Nae-non, DragonC, FoxGame, Kyle Dos—all cool folks. Even IAmJesus. But no one came.

You’re the first.”

King suddenly let out a wry laugh.

“But of all the people who could’ve shown up, it had to be you.”

Through the mask’s eyeholes, his gaze conveyed disbelief as he scratched the back of his neck.

“Out of all the big names, why is it you?”

Even if he was a gang leader, I couldn’t let that slide.

“I’m a big name too, aren’t I?”

King tilted his head, puzzled.

“You? A big name?”

“Of course I’m a big name.”

“Who the hell calls themselves a big name out loud? Seriously, this guy... Not just on the internet but in real life too...”

Before King could finish his thought, a rattling noise came from the metal cylinder in the corner of the room.

There was someone inside.

For some twisted reason, King had trapped a person in a steel cylinder barely large enough for them to move.

Sure enough, a scratching noise echoed from within the container, sending shivers down my spine.

King stood up.

“Hold on a second.”

He approached the cylinder and pressed a red button on its side.

The scratching noises ceased immediately.

As if nothing had happened, King calmly returned to his seat.

“Oh, yeah. There’s a person in there. Just quieted them down for a bit.”

“A... person?”

“Yeah. The previous boss.”

“The previous boss?”

“Or something like that. There’s a story to it. Don’t get the wrong idea—I didn’t do it for malicious reasons. They wanted it this way.”

“... Right.”

What utter nonsense.

I had no intention of delving into the twisted psyche of a gangster.

My priority here was clear: I needed to find Jeon Si-hoon.

But how?

My original plan was to spend some time in Sejong, observing and waiting for an opportunity to meet him. However, with the oppressive atmosphere of the city and the deep, labyrinthine bunker, it wouldn’t be easy.

“You’re a hunter, right?”

King’s sudden question caught me off guard.

What should I say?

It was probably best to tell the truth. Gangsters might lie effortlessly, but they hated being lied to themselves.

“Yeah, I used to be an old-school hunter for a bit. Nothing too notable, though.”

“Figures. Only a hunter would have the guts to walk into my territory alone.”

King stared at me intently.

“One of my guys said something interesting...”

His gaze turned unsettlingly sharp.

A bad feeling crept up my spine as King continued.

“They said you took down a monster with just an axe.”

Could it be? Did someone from that incident in Paju survive and end up as one of his lackeys?

There were only eleven witnesses to the second battle.

And one of them turned out to be one of King’s men.

“Plus, you brought axes with you. Makes sense.”

King leaned forward, a gleam in his eye.

“Hey, do me a favor. Kill a monster for me.”

This man was self-centered to an extreme.

“I’ll make it worth your while. I’ll give you a girl. You can even pick—anyone you want. They’re all top-tier, handpicked by me.”

“Are you serious? You can’t just spring something like that on me.”

“It’s just a favor between forum friends. What’s the big deal?”

“What’s the situation?”

King slouched back into the couch.

“You saw what’s next door, right?”

“The overrun city?”

“Yeah. Some kid ran in there.”

“What kind of kid?”

“An Awakened.”

“An Awakened?”

“Yeah. A ridiculously strong one. Threw a tantrum over nothing and holed up in that place. You know what they say about high-level Awakened—they’re all insane.”

I had a good idea who he was talking about.

Jeon Si-hoon.

So, he’d run into that unfinished city.

Considering what I’d heard from Woo Min-hee, it made sense. Jeon Si-hoon was a kind and upright kid. There was no way he’d willingly stay in a place filled with people like King and his goons.

“Alright. So, you want me to get the kid out.”

“He might be a kid, but he’s taller than me. Built like a grown man.”

“I don’t need to kill any monsters, right? Just bring him back?”

“What? You’re serious?”

King shot up from his seat, visibly surprised.

“You’re really gonna do it, Skelton?!”

From his reaction, it was clear he hadn’t expected me to agree.

I met his gaze through the dark, painted eyeholes of his lion mask and replied evenly.

“A request from a fellow Viva! Apocalypse! Korean forum member? Of course, I’ll do it.”

“Skelton, you...”

King’s face seemed to soften into something like gratitude, but then he suddenly doubled over, coughing violently.

“Cough! Cough!”

His entire body convulsed with the force of his coughing fit.

It went on long enough that I began to worry, but eventually, he managed to stop. Gasping for air, he muttered under his breath.

“Damn it... Not again...”

He straightened up and turned toward the door.

“... I wanted to talk more, but I’m not feeling great. Take the night to rest. I’ll send someone to keep you company. If you need anything, let her know.”

King staggered out of the room, his steps unsteady.

I watched the spot where he’d stood.

A foul odor lingered in the air.

The smell of decay.

No—this was closer to the stench of a zombie.

For a brief moment, the image of my old mentor, Jang Ki-young, flashed through my mind.

“... No way.”

But the thought refused to leave.