Hiding a House in the Apocalypse

Chapter 28: Magic Potion (1)

I had a dream after a long time.

As someone who strives for short but perfect sleep, dreaming is somewhat shameful, but the dream itself was intriguing.

In the dream, Park Gyura was preparing for the future in the United States, not in Korea.

He easily acquired firearms and built a massive fortress in the heart of the wilderness, defying the conglomerate chairman.

From the highest tower of that fortress, he shot and killed intruders such as Yankees, cowboys, superheroes, and a crazy mouse. He then crushed monsters with an 18-wheeler trailer and somehow ended up having dinner with the President of the United States.

In the climax of the dream, I tried to say something to the President.

But I couldn't find the words.

I knew what I wanted to say, but I wasn't familiar with his language, and I doubted whether my expression would be appropriate.

At that moment, I realized I was a stranger in that land, and I woke up with a feeling of impending doom, as if something was brewing in the future.

I felt this way when I thought about the people I would meet soon.

Gunshots have become more frequent lately.

Considering the one-sided nature of the gunfire, it doesn't seem like a battle is taking place, but the frequency of the gunfire is unnaturally high.

Could there be a problem?

I don't think it's a situation where I need to communicate, so I'm just watching, but worry is getting the better of me.

Perhaps the frequent shootings are not just because there are intruders, but rather a sign of madness.

It's been two years since the war started.

That's plenty of time for one person to go insane.

The sniper has always asked me for drugs.

But what kind of drug can soothe her empty heart?

If there's a magic potion, I don't know.

But where can I find this magic potion?

People are creatures who care about their reputation.

Even now, there are friends on the message boards looking for Kyle_Dos:.

Anonymous848: Kyle_Dos:! Are you alive? Where are you?

Anonymous458: Kyle_Dos:! I'm sorry. I heard you're becoming a webtoon protagonist. I've said some bad things, so I'm begging you to come back!

Today, DragonC uploaded the latest episode of his webtoon.

In the latest episode, Kyle_Dos fought desperately to protect his wife against invading deserters. In the final moments, he realized something profound, held hands with his wife, and shared a last kiss before pulling the pin on a grenade while watching the enemy closing in.

Boom!

It ended in an explosion.

The reactions were overwhelmingly emotional.

Anonymous458:

roka3218:

keystone:

THE_LAST_MAN:

Anonymous848:

kimcic:

gijayangban:

Defender:

James_Catterer: TT

James_Catterer: Can somebody translate this to English? :)

...

...

Everyone shed tears through their keyboards.

Even Defender.

But there were two of us who didn't react the same way.

SKELTON: Hmmm....

unicorn18: Was she a virgin?

Objectively speaking, they were a bunch of fervent guys.

One was a friend of Defender who was always "no fun," and the other was a guy who had turned into a real unicorn, just as his username suggested.

Anonymous848: Skeleton, aren't you being a bit too much?

Anonymous458: It feels like you misunderstood the concept this time.

DragonC: Skeleton?

roka3218:

kimcic: Sir

keystone: You're the only one who keeps saying "hmm"...

...

...

Anyway, it feels like I'm the only one having a blast getting beaten up in sets like this. Even Defender seemed wary.

Message from Defender: (Defender in shock) Skeleton... is that you? A psychopath...?

I may have been unfairly accused, but I am innocent.

I went to Kyle Dos's bunker myself and made efforts to confirm the truth. That's my honest impression.

To be frank, it wasn't exactly an explosive ending, was it?

I didn't share any news about Kyle Dos on the bulletin board.

I thought there was no need for it.

I felt it was better to leave room for interpretation rather than making it a clear-cut explosive ending.

In many ways, bad things sometimes lead to good things, it seems.

In the latest update comments section, a familiar face appeared after a long time.

It's none other than Reporter Yang.

He, who we thought had died in the civil war, was confidently alive and quietly sharing his thoughts on the webtoon.

The return of the Nameless user we thought was dead causing a stir on the bulletin board was a very natural development.

gijayangban: I was lucky. The National Assembly faction gave up on our apartment complex and withdrew from the battlefront.

gijayangban: The reason I couldn't log in was that the drone jammer right below was operational. Plus, there's a command post right below, and if I had turned on anything like a generator, a few Panzerfausts would have come flying through the balcony right away.

Certainly, Reporter Yang has the qualifications to be a Popular.

Just surviving and filling the popular post list lightly was his way of compensating for the gap in his absence, as if he was making amends.

gijayangban: Destroyed tank.jpg

gijayangban: Large monster spotted in Dongducheon

gijayangban: (Whisper) The Hope is still standing

gijayangban: Current situation in Gangdong-gu

gijayangban: Cargo ship bound for Jeju Island under construction.jpg

...

...

Being trapped in the heavily fortified bunker made us feel like we were in a whole different world.

Among the fascinating stories, there was one that stood out.

gijayangban: Current situation at the Seokju Group Chairman's residence.jpg

Even conglomerates had no choice in the face of the extreme variable called war.

The conglomerates, who had been building their own fortresses in the suburbs and preparing for the future, were now under attack. Among them, Chairman Park Cheoljoo's castle was one.

The helicopter gracefully standing on the helipad, the beautiful greenhouse reminiscent of the Louvre Museum, and the mini golf course that seemed to have been moved from a luxury country club could not escape destruction.

As the reactions from the conglomerate housekeepers heated up, Reporter Yang explained in the comments himself.

gijayangban: It seems like one of the Legionnaires fired artillery at the coordinates for fun, without any major reason.

I also agree with Reporter Yang's opinion.

Why would a legionnaire-level artillery shell a conglomerate house located in Chuncheon, which has no strategic value? Besides, the collapsed castle still had conglomerate members inside, but they won't be able to hold out for long with the walls crumbling and the foundation destroyed. Maybe Chairman Jepung Ho had made a wise decision in the past.

In any case, Reporter Yang's return brought new life to the somewhat stagnant bulletin board.

It was a moment to confirm the power of the Nameless users.

But then, surprisingly, my desire to write about Kyle Dos grew stronger.

"..."

The desire to write about Kyle Dos's air defense bunker had spread to the tips of my fingers.

SKELTON: (Skeleton Report) Visiting Kyle Dos's Air Defense Bunker (1)

The title that was already fitting had been decided in my mind.

It's a handsome title born with the destiny of a popular post.

But it's probably better not to write it.

I don't want to break the excitement of the bulletin board users.

The reality I saw had room for interpretation from various angles.

In the hearts of our bulletin board friends, it's probably best for Kyle Dos to have an explosive ending.

"..."

But as I thought about it more deeply, my thoughts gradually changed.

Is it really the best option to save these valuable resources?

While a dramatic ending is good, isn't conveying the truth equally important?

Honestly, I believe that my on-site reporting skills far surpass those of journalist Yang.

My intense inner conflict was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise.

Bam!

K-Walkie Talkie received a transmission.

"Skeleton."

A familiar voice spoke.

It was the sniper's voice.

"I need support."

Before those words could even finish, sharp gunfire erupted from the south.

***

I still think that humans are the most threatening factor in the era of destruction.

It's true that erosion is an unavoidable disaster, but in Kyle's case, he was just unlucky.

He set up his base too close to the fissure.

The erosion rate itself isn't particularly fast.

It's slow enough that it might eat away about 1 cm in radius in a day, give or take.

But there are occasional exceptions.

We can't pinpoint the exact conditions, but sometimes entire regions erode overnight.

There's a story about the "special type monsters" being responsible, but these monsters only create their own territories; they don't accelerate the erosion rate themselves.

There might be other causes we don't know about, but in general, erosion spreads faster where there are monsters.

They probably knew this through the experiment, which is why they trained so many hunters in the ancient era.

Don't spare the monsters, don't wait for them to vanish, track down and kill even one missing one.

That's what I learned in school.

In my case, there's still time left.

There's an absolute distance.

And in the middle of it is Seoul.

Even if Seoul falls, there will be people who can survive there.

Seoul's value will keep rising, not falling.

Even if it turns into ruins, everything needed will be there.

If my area is on the verge of erosion, giving up the bunker might be an option.

By then, there won't be many people wandering around in South Korea.

The most formidable enemy will be gone.

Bang!

Why are humans the most feared enemies?

You can easily see that just by looking at the looters who invade the sniper's territory.

Bang!

A group of looters is attacking a position about 1.2 km away from the sniper's building.

Two barefooted men, completely naked, appear on the ridgeline like moles and disappear as they run.

There's a reason they're doing this crazy thing in the middle of winter.

To taunt the sniper.

Bang!

No matter how skilled a sniper is, they can't easily hit a fast-moving target 1.2 km away.

Every time a gunshot goes off, the half-naked men either strike a pose the sniper, taunting her, and each time, laughter can be heard from below the ridgeline.

Bang!

Another nervy shot pierces the air, but the bullet simply disappears into thin air.

"."

It may look like a comedy from a distance, but for the people involved, it's extreme stress.

Because those guys who are ready to kill her and take everything are taunting her from a point where they can easily reach her.

In the natural world, it's no different from a predator finding a hedgehog and, instead of attacking it, observing it and figuring out how to kill and eat it.

They will nibble at your nerves, tormenting you while watching until the other party finally collapses.

"Kiyahat!"

One of them leaps onto the ridge, spreading his body wide like a gymnast and making a bizarre noise.

Bang!

A nervous gunshot rings out, but before the gunshot can spread, the half-naked looter dives into cover.

Bang!

Another bullet hits one of the men.

"Kiyahoou!"

Bleeding from the gunshot wound, the man screams as he enters cover, and laughter echoes from below the ridgeline.

Only humans can do such things.

Only humans have a clear purpose to kill their own kind.

Monsters don't have that kind of purpose.

That's why, despite their deadly strength, I place monsters below humans.

I eventually reached the sniper's territory, going all the way around.

I saw three bodies frozen underfoot.

Judging by the dog tags on their arms, they seem to have died in the fall of autumn when the pioneers were rampant.

"."

Is there no time to clean up the bodies?

I recalled the sniper's whining about looking for drugs.

Perhaps she is in a critical condition.

She may have come to her limit.

I shook my hand with some determination.

Soon, a light reflected in the mirror from the building.

It's Morse code.

"Wait."

I waited for the contact to arrive, not the sniper.

Soon, in front of me was not the sniper but her daughter.

Children really grow quickly; she had grown even more than when I saw her last.

But the U.S. military helmet on her head still looked bigger than her head, and the rifle slung over her shoulder didn't suit her body either.

"Skeleton."

The sniper's daughter stared at me with a cold face.

You can tell just by looking at her face.

She's under considerable stress.

Her nutritional status isn't at a critical level, but it's not abundant either.

"Let's go."

I didn't offer any words of comfort.

What they need is a solution to the problem.

I came here to solve this problem.

But under no circumstances will I provide drugs.

Because drugs are not a shortcut to magic potions.

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