Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

After the dinner, I headed straight to JongSaMu’s hideout as soon as Jiman fell asleep. Since the leaders of the group had already been annihilated, I suppose the remaining survivor of JongSaMu would be restless. If I use the situation well, I would be able to get something.

“One-room building near the courthouse… Here it is.” 

I hid inside a nearby building and watched the hideout. There is no one in this current world who didn't know of the importance of drawing curtains and hiding the light source inside from the outside. But, in JongSaMu’s hideout, bright lights could be seen clearly as if the blackout curtain had been deliberately pulled up.

“Kobolds will love it.” 

I cautiously entered the first floor and hid in the portal. The building was quite noisy, several voices talked back and forth.

“We have to leave right now! Do you know how many people have died?”

“Are you saying that there’s a murderer roaming around the area? If we really have to leave, what about the supplies? Are you going to leave those too?”

“Are the supplies more important than our lives?”

“No, wait, wait. Did you check the bodies of the dead?”

“Heewon had her head cut off! Kiseop hyung was ripped to shreds by zombies, I have a hard time identifying him!”

“Hah… what a mess.”

Everyone seems to be having a hard time because of what I've done.

Someone who had come to his senses hissed in a low voice. “Everyone, be quiet. Monsters are coming.”

“Let’s draw the curtains. We shouldn't advertise ourselves."

“So, are we really going to leave this area? No revenge whatsoever?”

“Revenge? Are you sane… If the murderer had killed five people, his stats should be no joke. Can we beat him by ourselves? It's impossible”

“Maybe we will even hear the heartbeat right now…”

“It’s really crazy. Agh!”

“Be quiet!”

“Honestly, I want to get out of here quickly. To leave the supplies behind is a pity, but it's too dangerous to carry them all. We just have to bring anything that fits in our backpack and run away.”

“Let’s not argue and settle this neatly. Are we really leaving?”

“Am I the only one who wants to stay? Are you all really afraid of the murderer?”

“We can just farm the supplies again, but we only have one life… The place where people died is nearby…”

“It would be fair to assume that the murderer is around here too… I, I don’t want to fight him.”

"Me neither."

This is the kind of atmosphere in which everyone agrees to leave. It’s only natural since this place is pretty close to the murder site. Well, I am no longer the  murderer, but they don't know that. They were only focused on leaving quickly before they could hear the heartbeat.

“But leaving all these supplies…” 

It’s indeed troubling. 

I quickly opened my laptop and clicked on the video file with a loud heartbeat. I have to play it inside the cave but still need to let the outside world hear it. But that’s not a problem since I have some planks. I carefully placed the laptop on the floor and folded the plank into a trumpet shape to cover it. When I pressed play, a thumping heartbeat echoed through the cave.

“If you are going to leave, leave quickly.” So that I can loot. 

I pulled the trumpet out of the portal, and pressed play.

Thump-!!

Thump-!!

Thump-!!

Heartbeats from the laptop speakers echoed through the hallways of the building.

"…what's that sound?"

“I’m not the only one who is hearing it, right?”

“It’s the murderer! Run!”

There were sounds of something tangling and falling. A few people, carrying only one backpack, fell down the stairs and ran into the street.

Have a good time…

Had it not been so chaotic, they would not have fallen for such a crude trap. After all, the thumping sound which came from the laptop speaker was thin and light. However, JongSaMu was currently in a state of unrest, so it was only natural for them to feel terrified when they heard the heartbeats.

After waiting a few more minutes and making sure that no one was in the building anymore, I went upstairs.

“They have collected a lot.” 

I had no intention of taking all of it, though. There’s not enough space in the shelter, so I just have to choose the things I like.

I opened the portal and tossed a pile of supplies from the living room. 

“There is also jelly. Scarabs will like it.”

There was also quite a lot of small package spam. Since they couldn't stock spam cans, they stocked up on something like this, even if it's expensive. There’s also soju and cigarettes… There is a lot of it. I leisurely packed the things while keeping an eye outside.

“If you ever come back, you will die.” I really wanted to tell this to JongSaMu members who ran away. 

They had chosen to run away, so I won't catch them. But, if they return and notice that their supplies are missing, and if they ever rage with the fire of revenge within them, they won't live long.

As I was looting the material, I was almost exhausted. I walked around the one-room building, scraped it and threw it into the portal. Amongst all the things people could do in the apocalypse, this activity was the most fun.

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.

.

Yeowool and her friends had agreed to move to Dot island. However, there was one thing we had to do before actually moving our luggage, it was reconnaissance.

I paddled the boat we found in the marina to the sea together with Jiman. While on the way, all kinds of fishes were bumping towards the periphery of the boat.

“Jiman, you don’t have to worry about starving to death.”

“Well, fish should be fine, but I’m worried if I run into animals like elk or wild boar later.”

"Why is that?"

“They come because they feel close to me, so if I eat them, I feel sorry…”

Well, it’s natural to feel so. But if I had that kind of ability, I would have eaten them with all my gratitude. There was silence for a while, and only the sound of rowing was heard.

"I'm afraid I'll just eat shellfish…" Jiman said all of a sudden.

That's not okay, though.

"It's okay if you feel that way. No one can tell you anything in the apocalypse.” I replied. From my point of view, I would like to know the difference between shellfish and a wild boar, but it seems to be different for him.

Jiman brushed off his melancholy gaze and began to row hard.

"I do not know. I'll just do what hyung tells me to do. I also want to live…”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” He seemed to be able to get rid of his depression and worries quickly since he had lived alone for a long time. It made sense. If he didn't think positively, he wouldn't have been able to survive this long.

It took about 20 minutes to get to the island. We parked the boat on a quiet marina and climbed to the island. The whole island was quiet except for the occasional sound of waves.

“It looks like no one is here…”

"Yes…" If I had Yoohyeon with me, the reconnaissance would have ended sooner, but since he’s not here I will have to do it myself.

When we went to the information centre, piles of metal powder could be seen all around the place. According to Jiman, there was originally a statue of a golden pig located here. The centre was a plausible building to be a hideout, but the metal frame of the building had crumbled and all the glass had shattered.

“We can’t live here, can we? There is no heating in winter, it will be cold.”

“It is okay even without heating…”

Well, I’m not okay.

When I went inside, it was filled with the smell of rotten food. However, the sweets and the cup noodles were all still fine and untouched.

I'll get them later.

As we were walking through the island's main road, we found a lot of carcasses of birds.

“Hyung, there are rabbits over there.” Jiman said suddenly. It was not one single rabbit but a huge herd of them. They ran around in the park before running away as we moved closer.

We continued to walk along the waterfront, but couldn’t find many buildings on the way. At most, there was only a memorial and an octagonal pavilion. Since it was a small island, there was nothing more to look around, and after looking at some of the sculptures, we returned to the pier.

“There doesn't seem to be any monsters around here.”

"Yes. I didn’t feel anything.”

“The memorial is in good shape. The information centre is a bit too open to live in because of no glass. It also smells bad.”

“Then why not leave the supplies at the information centre?”

"That sounds good."

We paddled again and returned to the land. A few zombies warmly welcomed us, and I responded kindly with a long knife, giving them the eternal rest they deserved.

“I’m going to tell the kids, so you go to the hideout and pack my things. Beware of orcs and ghouls.”

“Should I stay there after packing your things?”

“I’ll raise the flag, so you should move after seeing it.” 

He nodded his head and began to run hard. He did a lot of this and that, so his stamina was considerably good and his gait was pretty fast. Which is why I don't have to worry about him getting caught by the ghouls.

I avoided the monsters and headed to the kids’ hideout. Yeowool opened the door in advance for me, it seemed like Yeowool was looking at me through a telescope.

“How was the island, ahjussi?”

“It was fine. It’s a little messy and there’s no other place to stay other than the memorial.”

“Isn’t there an information centre and an octagonal pavilion there?”

“The information centre is not usable because it is wide open, and the octagonal pavilion is not a place for people to live. We will freeze to death in winter.”

“I don’t like cold.”

“There is a room at the memorial, so if you bring a blanket and a sleeping bag, it will be fine. What about Junho and Doyoung?”

“They went out for one last farming trip. After all, you have to keep farming.”

When I looked around the hideout, their luggage was already organized. Though, it was packed really badly. As we were chatting about this and that, the two boys returned with a backpack slung over their shoulders.

I gathered the kids. 

“Listen. We can all get on the boat, but you can carry only one bag of luggage with you, okay?”

"Okay."

“And if your friend falls, don’t look back. I'll take care of it, so don't hesitate."

Everyone nodded eagerly. It seems like they had known about this. It's convenient to run one by one, but if even one person gets caught by a monster, it'd be a pain in the butt. I'd rather collect the aggro and then deal with it all. I told them to pack one backpack, then went up to the roof and raised the flag.

"Start."

The race to the marina began. As expected, some monsters came after us. There were four people running at the same time, so it was impossible for them not to move. Some of them were even evolved ghouls.

“Don’t look back, run!” I shouted at the kids and turned around with my long knife and shield.

Khaaaaaak!

A few zombies rushed in, but I was able to cut their heads off without difficulty. However, the problem was the evolved ghoul. It had a bizarrely deformed skeletal structure which makes it look more like a lizard rather than human. Anyone who saw it crawling back and forth on all fours would definitely get terrified. But I had seen too many of them. It was to the point where I was already sick of them, so I was unperturbed.

“You are really as ugly as the other zombies!” As if it understood my words, it pounced at me in anger. I raised the shield in line with its trajectory.

Tung!

The long claws of the ghouls scraped the wooden shield. At the same time, I moved my body sideways and blew its arm off with a long knife. Its arm soared into the air with green blood spurted around.

Kiaaak!

My fighting instinct skill was activated at that moment. I rushed to the screaming ghoul. It spread its snout and stuck out his tongue to prepare for me, but I had already lowered my upper body.

"Bye." 

The long knife slid past its neck and lobbed it off. The ghoul, who had lost his head, fell to the floor and spilled a lot of green blood to the ground. But it didn't end there. The goblins were watching me in the alley and were probably looking for an opportunity.

I hit the shield with the handle of the long knife.

“Come here all at once you ugly f*cks!” Seeing that I was alone, they rushed towards me. Let me teach them that it was a mistake. 

Numerous paralyzing darts flew, but the sword armor protected my body from most of them. One of the poison darts penetrated my joint, but my paralyzing poison resistance skill shone at that moment.

When three goblins saw me on my knees, they shouted happily and approached me. But as soon as they moved closer, I jumped up with all the strength in my body.

Kiek!

The three goblins shrieked in surprise. I mercilessly cut their bodies with the long knife. Their ugly heads, arms and legs were scattered everywhere. At that scene, the other goblins were frightened and ran back down the alley.

It's a bit quieter now. I flicked the blood off my long knife and ran towards the marina. Once I arrived there, I could see that the three kids looked tired.

“Hyung, you are really strong!”

“I think you can just kill all the monsters here, ahjussi.”

“What are you saying? I won’t be able to kill the orc.”

Even if I say it like that, if I activated all of my skills, I think I would be able to beat an orc with only a long knife and a shield. Orc's movements are slow, so if I aim for the delay… Well, it's still best to attack safely from a distance.

After waiting for a while, the last member of our group came rushing in with a backpack. After he got on the boat, Junho and Doyoung started to row hard. At first, it was a little awkward, but because they were boys, they quickly got used to it.

The boat which we boarded was heading to the island.

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That evening. We sat down at the memorial and enjoyed the peace after a long time. There weren’t a lot of supplies here, but in retrospect, there were no monsters either. Everyone sat down on the bench in daze as they looked either towards the sea or the sky.

“Today we will rest, eat and sleep, and start working hard again tomorrow, okay?”

"Okay."

Even after running and rowing hard, the children did not show any exhaustion on their faces. It was probably due to the fact that they saw hope. Although the island was small, it was enough for a few people to live and the food was adequate. And the most important thing of all was the fact that there was soil to make a vegetable garden, which was great. If we bring fertilizer, we will be able to grow enough vegetables to eat. It would even grow faster because we have Jiman.

Yeowool rested her head on my shoulder before standing up straight.

“How about splitting up our team? One team goes to the land and farms, the other works on the island.”

“Would that be convenient?”

It would be better for me, Junho, and Doyoung to move, but I doubted whether the two of them would accept it. No matter how you look at it, the island was more comfortable. Fortunately, they both showed enthusiasm.

“I will happily go. Instead, since Jiman hyung is here, I want to eat some sashimi tomorrow, hehe.”

“Hyung, I heard there are congers here in this sea.”

A smile bloomed in Jiman's lips as he nodded his head.

“If it’s a fish, I’ll catch it anytime.” 

Well, it looks like it was sorted out.

With that, it was decided that Jiman and Yeowool would remain on the island to work. Even though it seemed to be safe and easy job to stay on the island, it was not true since there was so much work to be done here.

In the evening we ate and talked about our future plans. 

“In early October, people from the gym will probably come. So, there’s only a few days left.”

At my words, Yeowool carefully parted her lips. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about them, but I don’t know what kind of people they are.”

“They are all good people. As for why they are called gym people, it's because the first place they settled at was at the gym. The older brother I knew was the owner of that gym.”

“Ahh.”

In addition to the gym folks, I also told them about the zombie queen. Everyone's faces instantly turned pale in fear.

“Hey, why is such a person working with people at the gym?”

“Well, I guess because she liked it?” There was no need to explain my relationship with Dajung here. Junho and Doyoung started making a fuss, saying they had heard the rumors from Cheol-jun.

“They say she catches people and throws them to her subordinate zombies.”

“There are rumors that she’s doing crazy things with those zombies at night…”

“…”

Yeowool furrowed her forehead at their words. This, too, was a rumour originated from Dajeong’s action of turning everything into a mess. Though, she’s not the kind of person who cares about that.

In my view, Dajeong was not a person who would be satisfied with the stable life on this island. She was more likely to leave after helping the people here together with her zombies. After all, she needs a lot of monsters for her unique skill to shine. 

I also need to meet Rapwi. But, it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go meet Rapwi together with Dajeong. Strange rumours will start circulating in the auction house about the suspicious man clinging next to the Zombie Queen.

Suddenly, Jiman interrupted my thoughts as he rummaged through the notes and chimed,

“The farming dungeon will be open soon.”

“Farming dungeon?”

“What is that?”

Is it already time for it to open?

In other words, the farming dungeon was akin to my portal. The only difference was that it is an event held by the system and there was no limit on the number of people who could enter. On top of it, no one knows where it will lead to. It's called a Farming Dungeon because you can get a variety of things from it. Without it, it would have been much tighter to survive.

Jiman gave a rough explanation about it to the kids. and the three children looked at his notebook with dazzling eyes.

“Hyung, these notes…”

“I put it together while watching the stream. It's not complete, though.”

“Whose stream?”

“It’s I Love Gimbap’s stream. He’s someone who specially streamed Survival Life. He’s a nice person."

No, I'm not a good person. Even after that, Jiman kept praising me. Everything you say about me is good, but please stop saying that I am a nice and wonderful person…