Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 445



Only Noblemtl

445 177. Worship (2)

“?”

Is this me?

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton greetings) Is your mother well?

Is this really me?

“No, what is this? Could this be a greeting?”

I ignored Cheon Yeong-jae’s complaints and waited.

If it were an old, macro-style, sloppy AI, it might be okay, but the latest AI learning AI would be able to continue the conversation in some way.

My prediction was correct.

AI soon sent a new message.

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton Beatbox) Beat the drums and hit the drums!

“?”

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton)?

“No. What? It broke down from the start?”

Cheon Yeong-jae was shocked again.

I saw the philtrum.

“Was it like this when you did it too?”

Philcrum nodded.

“Yes. I tried a few times and it was always like this.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

I already knew this fake skeleton was a hoax, but I still bet my nickname on it.

It might be a good idea to have some conversation about something.

“······.”

Knock knock

Mini (20 years old): Wow~ Are you really Mr. Skeleton?!

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton positive)

Mini (20 years old): Mr. Skeleton, what are you doing now?

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton’s Beatbox)

“No, why doesn’t this kid talk like a human being?”

Cheon Yeong-jae, who was watching, said something.

“Youngjae.”

“why?”

“Even if it’s AI, I put my nickname on it.”

“okay.”

He calmed Cheon Yeong-jae down and turned his head to Pilcrum.

“This is definitely not me.”

Woo Min-hee, who was standing behind Pilkrum with her arms crossed, glanced at me with a meaningful smile, but I ignored her and turned my gaze back to the computer.

Let’s have a simple conversation.

In words that even the crappy conversation algorithm created by Fox Games can respond to.

What would be good?

Oh, this would be nice.

Mini (20 years old): Mr. Skeleton, you are really cool!

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton in high spirits)

Mini (20 years old): Mr. Skeleton, what are you doing now?

SKELTON(AI): (Searching for skeleton porn)

“?”

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton’s eyes flash) Oh, mini~

Mini (20 years old): ?

SKELTON(AI): Are you a mini girl? Twenty years old?

SKELTON(AI): Should I give birth? Are you better?

Mini (20 years old): ?

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton removal)

SKELTON(AI): (Skeleton knock knock)

SKELTON(AI): Oh~ Yes~

SKELTON(AI): I gave birth to it!

[Do you want to end chat with the Skeleton AI?]

After hastily ending the conversation, I noticed the words “Foxgames presents” clearly engraved in the upper corner of the chat room screen.

He pointed his finger at Fox Game as if he was telling a lie.

“The person who made this is not on good terms with me.”

“Is that so?”

Pilcrum asks with a shocked look on his face.

“I also found this chat program strange, so I searched for Foxgame, and it seems to have a pretty good reputation. That is, except for the fact that they forcibly closed down one game.”

“No. He is a very bad guy.”

He said it without the slightest hesitation.

“I am an executive of a gaming company who lives off of money that is not children’s hard earned money, but rather the money that old men have earned through their lives.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That guy acts like a good guy and does all kinds of adult things on the internet, but I’ve met him in person and he’s a really two-faced person.”

I saw Woo Min-hee.

To be exact, it is a gesture made while expecting a reporter rather than Woo Min-hee.

The reporter lived up to my expectations.

“Fox Game. There is something like that. You could say that people are cunning. That must be why they rose to such a high position.”

He nodded and added.

“That guy asked me a lot of things. He sent me a lot of messages after I became famous through this live. They were all requests for favors. I was living alone in a bunker, and I was reaching my limit.”

“Oh, that’s why you hold a grudge and create such a program?”

“Yes.”

That’s right.

Foxgame is that kind of guy.

That chat program must have been created to harm me, too.

I bet John Nae-non felt like this too.

I’m just a little more popular and successful than others, but the guys I hang out with can’t stand that.

“Well, then how can we implement the Skeleton-nim on the Internet? As you know, the one posted by Captain Mgu······.”

“That guy is also jealous of me. He wasn’t like that at first, but when I became more famous than him, he became blinded by jealousy and started to slander me.”

“okay.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Pilcrum nodded, but a look of embarrassment soon appeared on his face.

“ah.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Mr. Skeleton. Now that I think about it, it seems like you get a lot of slander on the Internet.”

“I suffered from all kinds of slander.”

“I guess so.”

“Who else has slandered me?”

“The name Dongtan Mom······.”

“Dongtan Mom!”

Baek Seung-hyun, this kid?!

“Mr. Skeleton?!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I got excited without realizing it.”

Woo Min-hee, who was standing next to him, laughs and says something.

“Senior, this is the first time in my life I’ve seen you this excited.”

Where there is light, there is darkness.

It’s great that I’ve become a living legend and the sun of the bulletin board, but the forces that are trying to harm me are also active.

I’ve been refraining from searching about skeletons lately to avoid suffering mental damage.

Actually, it doesn’t even work when you search for it.

The proper noun skeleton itself is currently an unsearchable word.

“Anyway, it’s very difficult to find information about Skeleton at this point. And there’s even a strange meme attached to it······.”

“Meme?”

“It’s like an Internet buzzword.”

“What kind of meme is it?”

“Oh, I think it would be better for you to see that for yourself later.”

Why is Pilcrum avoiding eye contact?

That wouldn’t be a good meme.

It’s not that important.

Moreover, works depicting real people are bound to contain unusual omissions and alterations.

It’s good to put myself in the role, but what Pilkrum is trying to do is an electric work.

I think that even something a little bit like a stereotype isn’t a bad thing in terms of hope.

With that in mind, I commissioned the character of “Skeleton” to be created by Pilcrum.

“He is a kind, just, and sensible person who cannot stand injustice. He jokes appropriately and has many internet friends. But he also has some quirky points? Oh, and he is an expert at beatboxing.”

Woo Min-hee is mumbling something next to me, but people like me have the ability to mute words they don’t want to hear.

After stating the requirements like that, I finally agreed with Pilcrum to produce the new work, “The Skeleton Saga” (tentative title).

It is a contract without a contract, agreed upon solely based on mutual trust.

Since Roman times, bread and circuses have been used to placate citizens’ discontent.

Of course, a work by a talented writer like Pilcrum using the hottest material, skeleton, would be a good circus that the unpopular Jeju government could provide to its citizens.

When I submitted the support requested by Philkrum, I thought of this tiresome paperwork as a meaningless formality.

Not at all.

*

– We are very sorry, but the request by Captain Park Gyu regarding “content production (tentative title)” has been determined to be difficult to implement after review, so we will be rejecting it.

Plans to produce a “Skeleton Saga” were met with a resounding thud.

I looked for the person in charge.

The person in charge was a manager named Kim I-geun.

“This is Park Gyu.”

I called and discussed the matter.

Personally, I don’t think it’s particularly difficult.

Things are going well, but it is a fact that I am currently being watched by Jeju Island, and it is also true that I am being treated like an old man who has no job or position and is sitting in the back of the office like a sack of barley that was borrowed.

I just endured it out of necessity.

If I had wanted to be on the front lines, I would have already had several fights with the government and perhaps even shaken up the entire organization.

Despite these circumstances, the fact that even my small request is rejected so easily is not only a problem with webtoon production, but also raises serious concerns about my future treatment.

I don’t like politics, but I have a sense for it.

We have to come out strong.

“Who gave the order?”

I asked the person in charge coldly.

“I am the person in charge.”

“Have you decided?”

“yes.”

From the way you speak, it seems like even a mere administrative official is making fun of me.

“All right.”

Although I do not like fighting humans, especially bureaucrats, I have never backed down from a confrontation with them.

This is one of the few qualities I inherited from Jang Gi-yeong.

“In the world, successful organizations and companies are often ruined by those who just use pens. Even if the pen-wielding person was on the front lines in the past, if he or she is currently commuting to and from the office, he or she is the same person. The field and the pen are different. You should never allow the pen in the office to do whatever it wants.”

I immediately went to the Cultural Creation Department.

Not to brag, but from the moment I leave the office, I feel the eyes of cameras installed everywhere and people planted everywhere.

Yes, that’s right.

I am being watched.

This surveillance actually gives me confidence.

The tighter the surveillance net, the more Jeju Island is aware of me.

That means I have plenty of negotiating power.

“Who is Manager Kim Igeun?”

It’s not really something to brag about, but our hunters have better physical condition than ordinary people, especially fighting prowess.

In boxing rules, martial arts rules, and hand-to-hand combat, there may be people stronger than us, but in a place where we fight with weapons, it’s hard to find someone who can beat us unless they’re a trained soldier.

Of course, ordinary people cannot be our enemies.

No matter how specialized and civilized the world becomes, the fist before your eyes still has persuasive power.

The situation is simple.

Let’s say there’s a disturbance in some matter and as a result, someone who could easily physically subdue you stands right in front of you, angry or with a bad feeling.

It won’t be easy.

It would not be easy for someone with a certain level of fame and who is subject to the control of the upper class.

I went there in person and saw a person named Manager Kim I-geun.

A man of similar age to me, who seemed to have never experienced much hardship, was occupying one of the desks.

“I am Manager Kim Igeun.”

But this guy.

Looking at the face, it doesn’t look easy.

They have that ignorant look on their face that’s typical of people our age, like they know everything about how the world works and that there’s nothing to be afraid of.

I handed him a copy of the document printed on low-quality printer paper.

“This is the person named Park Gyu who spoke to me earlier.”

“Didn’t you clearly tell me over the phone earlier that you couldn’t do it?”

As expected, it is as expected.

He immediately expresses his displeasure and raises his voice.

It’s probably a ploy to not lose the fight.

“Isn’t this why you came here because the explanation was insufficient?”

“I think I have given you a sufficient explanation.”

“Please explain again why it doesn’t work.”

“Explanation?”

“I wish you would give me a reason that I can accept.”

“That’s because the budget isn’t that generous······.”

This guy is definitely not to be trifled with.

Even putting aside his shabby appearance, he is not only relaxed but also looks down on the hunter right in front of him.

Maybe it’s because we’ve dealt with so many Awakened Nari’s that our old school hunters look ridiculous.

I continued the conversation calmly, feeling my emotions gradually sharpening.

“That sounds like you’re saying that if the budget runs out, I could be kicked out of room 803 at any time.”

“That and this are separate matters.”

“Who is your superior?”

“Why are you looking for a superior?”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to come to a conclusion even if we talk to you.”

“I am the decision maker?”

The man said shamelessly.

He said, glaring at him calmly.

“Isn’t there someone in charge of the budget? So I’m going to talk to that person and try to increase the budget.”

“Haha······. Even if you receive the budget, there’s no guarantee that I’ll invest that budget in it, right?”

Jang Gi-yeong ordered that no force be used when fighting the Pen-dae, but it is not absolute.

He said.

“When the office kids cross the line, then you too should cross the line. Remember, it’s much easier for you to cross the line, and you can do it better.”

Seeing the example of the bird speaking while smiling brightly, I can’t help but show my skills.

“······.”

The conversation is meaningless.

It seems like they anticipated this situation and prepared for it in advance.

In that case, I have no choice but to give this guy an unexpected number.

He grabbed the man by the collar.

Kwak-

A man sitting in an office was dragged out like a turnip.

Even though our hunters are ordinary people, that is only a comparison to Awaken.

At one time, our hunters were among the most powerful species among humans.

I spoke straight to the man who was looking at me, unable to do anything as he was held in his strong hands.

“Please speak as you go.”

The man looks at me with wide eyes.

Said it again.

“You don’t understand?”

Depending on the answer, greater physical force may be applied.

It depends on this guy’s answer.

Only then does he nod, as if he is not oblivious.

After pushing it away as if throwing it away, I looked around.

Well-nourished, healthy faces look at me.

While the people left behind on the Korean Peninsula were suffering and dying in miserable and terrible fates, these guys must have been spending their days in Jeju Island in comfort and ease.

He looked at them and spoke clearly.

“······I know you all think I’m a fucking dog, but I still have some shit to throw.”

He said it again with emphasis.

“What should I do? Should I sprinkle it here?”

The room became quiet as if cold water had been poured over it.

Although they were mostly young, the older ones silently gave Kim I-geun a hint.

Only then did a man named Kim Igeun notice and start taking out his cell phone one by one.

After a while.

Beep be …

The phone rings.

It’s an unknown number.

I got a phone call.

“Hello, Captain Park Gyu?”

A woman’s voice that I was hearing for the first time, or rather, that I had heard before.

Yes, it was the strange woman’s voice that guided me into Kang Han-min’s bizarre room that resembled a uterus or something.

“Do you remember me?”

The moment I heard that voice, the strange and eerie atmosphere that had been flowing through Kang Hanmin’s palace flashed before my eyes as if I had seen it in a dream.

Such landscapes eventually converged into one concept called religion.

“······yes.”

I think I vaguely know the reason.

Here’s why these guys rejected Pilcrum’s webtoon production.