Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 171.1: Cleaner (1)

Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 171.1: Cleaner (1)

I don’t remember much of what happened afterward.
I only know that Dongtanmom played a big role.
Our primary objective had been eliminated, true, but with monsters still scattered throughout the city, we needed a safe route out—and that’s where the various boats Dongtanmom brought played a critical role in the evacuation.
As a side note, I heard the Hope Vessel arrived at Incheon Port.
They say it was symbolic—on the day “The Hope” collapsed, a new hope arrived. But that kind of thing doesn’t matter to me.
Once the monsters receded, the brutal cold that had gripped us also vanished like a lie.
Thanks to that, I could enjoy the refreshing, cold air flowing in through the wide-open window.
The doctors told me I had been on the brink of death.
Multiple traumas, polyshock, a concussion, fractures and bleeding, and burns that still throb even now.
I would have preferred to say I was unconscious for those three days—but my tough mind had remained stubbornly alert as I experienced every surgery and procedure one by one.
Thanks to that, I’d recovered enough to sit up in bed at an angle, even without the oxygen mask.
I was still tormented by all sorts of pain, and worst of all, because of the burns on my hands, I couldn’t use a computer, monitor, or any other electronic devices—a fatal handicap.
“......”
Honestly, the one thing that kept my spirit alive through all the near-death moments... was the thought of checking the comments.
There’s no need to say much.
Legend.
A living legend.
If you lined up all the praises about me, they’d circle the Earth ten times over, right?
That expectation was definitely stimulating my cells and speeding up my recovery.
There’s no scientific proof, but I could feel it.
That incomparable will to live the doctors kept emphasizing—it was surging within me.
But I wouldn’t check them right away.
I call it “letting it ripen.”
A living legend like me shouldn’t be refreshing comment sections in real-time. That’s beneath me.
And I can’t just reply to any comment anymore, either.
It’s like how celebrities only respond to other celebrities. I’ve reached that level.
Truth be told, I wanted to go online right now.
And I could, if I really asked for it.
Even if I couldn’t use my hands, I’d heard—before the war—that there were people who operated computers purely with voice commands.
But to someone like me, who takes pride in the crisp sensation of typing and his own typing speed, that would be blasphemy.
The internet is meant to be used with fingers.
Because it was made by fingers—for fingers.
As I reveled in the excitement and let my recovery cells do their work, a nurse entered.
She shut the window and handed me a list.
“...Scheduled visitors.”
She gently opened the door and informed me of today’s schedule.
Now that I was feeling better, it was time to meet people again.
Some welcome, some not so much.
But they were important meetings.
“Hello. I’m Wi Mirae, Director of the Research and Analysis Division at Gukwiwon.”
Everyone in neat uniforms following Wi Mirae was from Jeju.
It was undeniable that they’d done all kinds of underhanded things, and as a group, their reputation was less than stellar—but they were still the only force in Korea capable of standing against monsters.
“I heard you had something to to Savior Kang Han-min regarding the defeat of the General-type. As stated in the formal notice, before meeting the Savior, we’ve come to gather and organize important information from you, though it’s regrettable we have to do this while you’re still bedridden.”
At least they seemed to be trying to maintain basic decorum.
“Where should I start...”
Even I knew how disorganized my story sounded.
It couldn’t be helped.
It was like cramming several books into my brain all at once.
Sure, I had memorized each individual bit, but putting it all together and expressing it in my own words would take time.
Still, I spoke about what I saw, what I could do, and what we must do.
Wi Mirae, glasses on, listened to me with a dry expression, occasionally asking questions.
“So you’re saying the core of the General-type you defeated was somehow connected to a boy in India?”
“That boy isn’t the General-type himself. How should I put this... You know the Ship of Theseus?”
“Yes.”
“A ship made by constantly replacing planks, right? Like that.”
“So you mean the boy is like one of the planks that make up that General-type?”
“More like a central plank than just any one piece, but yes, similar idea. At the foundation of a monster like the General-type, which is capable of intelligent activity—there’s a human.”
I looked at the Jeju personnel.
All their eyes had a faint gleam in them.
Including Wi Mirae, who was questioning me.
But now, I had no reason to mince words.
So I said it clearly.
“No—I believe there’s an Awakened at the core.”
Contrary to my expectations, they didn’t show surprise or displeasure.
So, they’ve seen similar cases?
I hadn’t expected them to tell me anything useful.
But I think I accomplished more than I thought.
“...Did you know the definition of Awakened has changed recently?”
They spoke first.
I lay quietly in bed and stared at them.
“Until now, the Awakened have been interpreted as a positive phenomenon arising from awakening, enlightenment, or realization. After all, unlike mere humans—‘mediocres’—Awakened wield powers that transcend rational thought.”
“Mediocre?”
“Ah. It means someone who isn’t Awakened. Just an average person.”
Wi Mirae wrote the word mediocre on her tablet and showed it to me.
Apparently, this kind of terminology had cropped up.
It didn’t exist back when I was still in the field.
Well, in Jeju, where Awakened were the majority, I guess they could use such discriminatory language freely.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“The Awakened are now interpreted differently.”
Wi Mirae adjusted her glasses.
They weren’t the properly coated kind anymore, so the lenses caught the light and gleamed annoyingly.
“...People who have been eroded.”
I tilted my head.
That was unexpected.
No, I knew the Awakened were something close to monsters.
But I never thought those words would come from someone who is Awakened—or part of the Jeju Awakened community.
“The Awakened aren’t about enlightenment or evolution anymore. Sure, it’s true they receive powers beyond human limits. But those powers come at the cost of erosion. And erosion implies something is being chipped away.”
“You mean?”
“Yes. I assume Hunter Park Gyu already figured it out. The Awakened are beings already undergoing a process of extinction. It’s only a matter of how fast or slow.”
It had taken nearly dying and raiding John Nae-non’s tomb to get the Chinese scientist’s records—and that data had helped me reach this same conclusion.
“As the research data you provided states, Awakened are sterilized at the biological level. They can have children, but only female. And those girls are born with severe genetic disorders, incapable of bearing a second generation. Like mules or ligers. That inability to reproduce makes it clear: the Awakened are meant for decline and extinction.”
I don’t know why they were telling me this—but one thing was clear.
After defeating the General-type, I must have regained at least some of the respect and authority I used to have.
Otherwise, that selfish bunch wouldn’t be revealing such a vulnerable truth to me.
“...What you’ve told me seems to lend weight to Savior Kang Han-min’s hypothesis.”
Wi Mirae fidgeted with her tablet as she spoke.
She probably thought nothing of what she’d said, but I couldn’t let it slide.
“Kang Han-min?”
“Yes.”
“Savior Kang Han-min has long believed that monsters like the General-type—Alpha Entities—didn’t originate from the Rifts themselves, but had human elements at their core. He’s always theorized that Alpha Awakened individuals like himself were somehow central to that process.”
Wi Mirae smiled.
“Your testimony appears to support Savior Kang Han-min’s theory. I’m sure he’ll be pleased.”
“Just now...”
I didn’t want to spit in the face of a smiling person, but I had to confirm something.
“Did you say Alpha Entities—plural?”
That wasn’t something I could overlook.
Wi Mirae nodded immediately.
As if it were no longer a secret.
“There are entities like the General-type all over the world—beings that command monster swarms.”
“...Is that so?”
It felt like a briefly clear sky had suddenly been blanketed by clouds again.
“The General-type is the most famous because it destroyed the most countries. But even in North America, there’s strong evidence of an unidentified Alpha Entity commanding monsters. They call it ‘MacArthur.’ Not just North America—Europe, South America, the Middle East, Africa. Every country fighting the Rifts has strong reason to believe a General-type monster is leading the charge. Those are Alpha Entities.”
The same formula applies.
The General-type isn’t some unique one-off.
There are many like it.
And maybe... missing or uned Alpha Awakened became the components of those Alpha Entities.
And then—
“......”
Kang Han-min forced Na Hye-in, forced Woo Min-hee—onto the battlefield.
He pushed even the strongest people I knew to their very limits.
Why?
“Perhaps that explains it. But no Hunter has ever laid eyes on a General-type up close. Still, they’re not fiction. It’s like Neptune. Astronomically concluded to exist before it was discovered.”
Wi Mirae’s voice was fading in my ears.
I had to meet Kang Han-min.
There were things I had to ask him myself.
We wouldn’t need to talk long—but we would talk about everything.
Something not even the internet could substitute.
“Ah.”
Wi Mirae suddenly remembered something and held her tablet out to me.
The screen was blank.
She handed me the stylus.
“What’s this?”
Wi Mirae exchanged a glance with her colleagues and then smiled brightly.
“You defeated the General-type, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the first person to do so. As you know, naming rights for monsters...”
Ah, right.
Naming monsters.
That used to be one of my favorite hobbies.
According to the now-defunct International Hunter Organization, naming rights went to two people:
The first discoverer—and the first to kill.
There are two rights-holders, but priority always goes to the killer.
The General-type had been called “General” for so long because I, the discoverer, named it—and no one had ever killed it until now.
But since I’d finally brought it down, the naming right returned to me.
“Hm...”
Kang Han-min had made my head boil, but that was that—and this was this.
What name would be best?
Should I stick with “General” since it had been used for so long?
But I’d named it that myself in the first place.
Still—it felt lacking.
Yeah.
Let’s go with that.
I slowly moved my bandaged, burning hand and wrote a single name on the tablet screen.
[NEMESIS]
Enemy of humanity.
That’s the name most fitting for it.
Because it had human traits.
And humanity’s greatest enemy is humanity itself.
“Excuse me.”
I stopped Wi Mirae just before she left.
Unlike before, the Jeju people now responded immediately to my voice.
Wi Mirae smiled politely and waited for me to speak.
“What happened to Woo Min-hee? I haven’t heard anything since she was taken to your side.”
“Ah, you mean Former Director Woo Min-hee?”
That word “former” immediately raised red flags.
I must’ve shown it on my face.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about her.”
Wi Mirae dodged immediately.
Then came the sugar-coated lines.
“I heard she was discussing a few matters with Savior Kang Han-min, but that’s beyond our jurisdiction and access. Anyway, we’ll be sure to relay everything you told us to the Savior. Please recover quickly. Everyone’s rooting for you, Hunter Park Gyu.”
I nodded half-heartedly and watched them leave.
Alone again.
The nurse replaced my IV and asked if I needed painkillers.
I shook my head.
“I’m fine.”
“There’s another visitor scheduled.”
She showed me the list.
Civic representatives, National Assembly members—just looking at their names gave me a headache.
“I’m not feeling up to it right now. Let’s reschedule. No—wait.”
I was going to pass on all of them, but there were two names I couldn’t skip.
[Hong Jung-ho, Hong Da-jeong]
The Defender siblings.
They’d been more on the periphery this time, but they’d ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) still played an important role in the overall operation.
As I kept saying, this victory wasn’t mine alone.
It was a miracle earned by everyone who gave their best in New Seoul.
I smiled at the nurse and said,
“I’d like to see these two.”
The Defender siblings entered.
Da-jeong looked noticeably healthier.
She’d put on some weight, even.
“Ah? This? Well, of course—it’s because Jong-cheol’s been taking care of me.”
“It’s true what they say—you should always have a cop and a doctor in your friend group.”
Sitting with old friends again brought a deep sense of peace.
Although, considering what they’d actually done, it might’ve looked like a scene out of a slasher film.
“You’re amazing, Skelton. Seriously, I was just in awe.”
“I’ve never been so completely filled with national pride in my life.”
Sharing the same past, the same experiences, and the same hobbies.
What better definition is there for friendship?
Just being with them made me happy.
“About Director Woo Min-hee? Well... we know she took out all the monsters that got into the city by herself. But nothing after that. I assume she went to meet the Jeju people. She was one of them to begin with.”
“And IAmJesus? That guy stoically did his part, wiped out the monster swarm, and returned to his land with Je Pung-ho.”
For someone like me who couldn’t go online, their words gave me the will to live—and a sense of fulfillment.
“Skelton is a legend now.”
Da-jeong said something sweet.
“Is that so.”
Even the pitiless VivaBot must have nodded at that level of legendary feat.
In fact, everything I did was recorded under the name SKELTON.
And the fact that SKELTON and “Twelve Square,” another legend, were one and the same had already been officially declared by Melon Mask.
So Park Gyu—or rather, SKELTON—had truly become a living legend.
“Hey, but Skelton.”
Hong Da-jeong suddenly shattered the mood.
She has this particular habit.
Whenever she’s about to say something serious, she blinks slowly and stares with a straight face.
“?”
She said,
“It’s all great, but... not all of it is entirely good, you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“People have started reading the stuff you wrote in the past.”

.
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Chapter 171.1: Cleaner (1)