Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

The very evening after Seongho left the island, after all members were done with today’s task and had eaten their fill of dinner, Sooyeon used the water allotted to her to wash her face and even brushed her teeth. As a doctor, she took cleanliness very seriously.

“Let’s sleep.” For the entirety of today, most of the members of the group, except for Jiman’s group, were walking around the mainland to look for whatever they find useful. Therefore, as of now, Sooyeon was quite battered. Thankfully, thanks to the ropes the two students had installed, nothing to write home about happened.

Seongho, who told them to install those things in advance, must have had some kind of foresight. Thus, it felt even more pitiful to let him go alone. Well, technically, he’s not alone because Dingo was with him. But no matter what, a human will always need another human to not feel lonely.

‘DIdn’t I say I was going to force my way to him?’ However, Sooyeon had realized it wouldn’t work well as he’s not the type of person who would allow anyone to get too close to him. It was due to the fact that he had many secrets.

Sooyeon went under the blanket and closed her eyes. When she was fiddling with her tomorrow’s to-do list, she heard someone’s voice calling her name. “Excuse me, Unnie.”

“Is that you, Mikyung?”

“Can I go inside the blanket for a moment?”

How can a 22-year-old woman say such easily misunderstood words like that?

Sooyeon gently lifted the blanket covering her body and let her in. Even though it was only for a mere moment, she could feel the cold night air on her skin vividly. There’s no doubt that the upcoming winter will be freezing. Even if she had a strong man by her side, it would still be difficult for him to keep her warm.

“Unnie, something…happened this morning.”

If it’s in the morning, it was before Seongho leaves. Could it be related to him? Without uttering any words, Sooyeon waited for Mikyung to elaborate..

“I think I make Ahj-no, Seongho oppa angry…” Mikyung starts to explain the situation.

When did Seongho’s title change from Ahjussi to Oppa? But that wasn’t the point.

Mikyung proceeded to reenact what had happened with a quivering voice.

‘Ouch…my head.’ Sooyeon touched her forehead and pushed Mikyung with her butt. She reciprocated with a whine and clung to her side.

“Seongho oppa told me that it was okay, but is it really okay?”

“Did he really say it was okay?”

“Yes…”

“Then it’s fine. Seongho… he had many things to hide, but he didn’t hold grudges.” However, Sooyeon guessed that, rather than holding grudges, it was more likely for him to sever all of their ties altogether.

“Then I’m relieved. I also told oppa that I was wrong…”

A sigh leaked out of Sooyeon’s mouth as she remembered the time when the three of them, including Yoohyeon, got together and talked about Seongho.

“Why did you cross the line? didn’t Yoohyeon warn us to stop trying to pry into Seongho’s business before?”

“I know… But when I thought about Oppa leaving us, I want to leave an impression on him…”

‘I also want to leave an impression on him.’ Sooyeon couldn’t help but think so as well. But she didn’t say it. Instead, she just hugged Mikyung tightly.

“We’re like a family now, aren’t we? We are inseparable.”

“I think like that too.”

The gym members have been working closely together for several months. Sometimes, they even overcame the crisis of life and death together. They even shared their past to each other.

But Seongho wasn’t like that. No one knew what he was doing before running the snack bar, nor what his past was like. Amongst the gym members, Hyung-jun Hyung was probably the one who knew Seongho the best.

“But Seongho didn’t feel that way. To be precise, we think of him as a family member, but he’s not thinking the same way. Do you know what that means?”

“It’s kind of strange…”

“It’s not strange. It’s just, he has something he wants to hide, and its probably something private, so he can’t just show it to others.”

Mikyung put one side of her cheeks at Sooyeon’s chest without saying a word, and she was instantly surprised.

“Unnie’s breasts are so big…”

‘Oh my head…’ Sooyeon sighed. The girl in front of her really can’t read the atmosphere. Because of that, she crossed the line that Seongho drew. Sooyeon thought that she had to make her understand now. She grabbed her ear and pull her face off her chest,

“Everyone has kindness, right? I have it and you also have it. That kindness is the line you don’t want others to invade.”

“Yes…”

“Seongho has it too. She said implicitly that he didn’t want us to go over it either, but Mikyung didn’t even notice it and passed over it.”

“I didn’t mean to go over…”

“Of course you didn’t, but how about your mouth?”

When Sooyeon tapped Mikyung’s lips lightly with her hand, Mikyung instantly tried to run away. At that moment, Sooyeon continued. “In normal times, it might not be a big deal. I would have thought that Seongho was overreacting too. But it’s an apocalypse. Everyday, people are still dying everywhere on the mainland.”

“I know…”

“How many survivors asked us during the day? I mean, asking us to enter this island? Do you know why Hyung-jun oppa refused?”

“Ummm… that’s…”

“It’s because he thought that all the people that Seongho brought were good people. Jiman, Yeowool, Junho, and Doyoung… All of them were quick on their feet, and they are also kind. At least they won’t harm us. But what if Hyung-jun oppa decided to let those people in?”

“Are you saying that a conflict will occur?”

Yes? What did she eat wrong?

When Mikyung saw Sooyeon looking at her with perplexed eyes, she quickly said that Yoohyeon had told her so.

“That’s right. It is also because he can’t trust them. Hyung-jun oppa thinks there’s no need to do what Seongho didn’t do. This is a really good and safe shelter. We just have to keep it the way Seongho runs it. if we try to do something new or change something, things might get complicated, or at worst, ruined.”

“Then what should those people do?”

“We shouldn’t care about them. Even now, a lot of people are still dying elsewhere. How can we survive if we keep paying attention to each and every one of them?”

She tried to emphasize that it was an apocalypse to Mikyung just before, but now she got off topic. Sooyeon coughed and then spoke again.

“Seongho is not someone who cares about anyone. He didn’t think someone was on his side just because they cared about him.”

When Sooyeon thought about it, there were only two people who Seongho thought of as his ally. It was Hyung-jun and Jiman. It was only natural for Seongho to think like that about Hyung-jun since their relationship stretched way back, but Sooyeon was quite surprised about Jiman.

Is it because the kid is so innocent?

If you listen to the two of them chattering, they were really like brothers. When Seongho said he was leaving, everyone was saddened. But it was clear that Jiman didn’t feel so. Though, she wasn’t sure if it’s due to the fact that he’s sure that Seongho will definitely come back.

Sooyeon placed her hand on Mikyung’s shoulder, and whispered to her. “Without him, we wouldn’t have been alive. All he wants in return is to keep our mouth shut. It’s not difficult… isn’t it?”

“Un-unnie, you look just like Seongho oppa…”

“Well, I guess I imitate him quite a bit. anyway, be careful about what you say from now on, okay?”

“Okay.”

Sooyeon let out a sigh of relief at her words. She was glad that the matters ended there. If Mikyung had been more aggressive, Seongho might not have returned at all. When she mentioned it, Mikyung’s eyes quivered.

“Do-don’t tell me he’s not going to return… Because of me…”

“Don’t worry. He’ll return. Do you know the reason he gathered us here?”

“Ummm… what’s the reason?”

“It’s a house… a house.”

After observing Seongho for so long, Sooyeon was able to deduce that he was a person who could endure loneliness. To be precise, he is the type of person who does not feel lonely even when he’s alone. All he needed was a home to return to; a cozy place to relax after a tough long journey.

Seongho had gathered themselves one by one for that purpose. Or at least, that’s what Sooyeon thought.

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“That’s absolutely crazy.” My eyes went wide as i saw the murderer tried to catch my arrow. He probably didn’t know that it’s an adamantine arrow, so it means that it’s his muscle memory which also means that he’d been doing it a lot.

Have you accumulated a lot of resentment from the people around you?

Well, it only natural because he’s a murderer. As I was preparing for the second shot, I found a certain man beating the killer. I guess I couldn’t see him earlier because of the murderer’s size.

He’s completely naked in the apocalypse, it’s crazy. And as far as I know, only one person was crazy enough to do something like that.

“…Rapwi?”

The man literally flew around and beat the killer. It was clear that the arrow I shot had given him a chance. But, his offensive did not last long. His fists which he had been swinging with excitement were blocked by the murderer and the two went into a struggle of power again.

It was clear those two guys were people who really enjoyed fighting.

WIthout shooting the next arrow, I moved to the building in front of me. As soon as I went up to the roof, the panoramic view of the area was revealed. At the same time, thumping heartbeat could be heard in my ears. Some distance away from the two fighting men, a few people were lying on the ground.

“It’s strange that zombie raid didn’t happen.”

The murderer moved and start to attack Rapwi. Since he knows how to measure the distance, he’s certainly a user with a noticeable amount of playtime. And the one he fought was of course, Rapwi. However, there’s still work to be done before reuniting with him, namely killing the murderer who’s fighting him.

I immediately opened the portal and went out with the things I needed: A small firework. Then, I tied it to the arrowhead of the adamantite arrow. This small firework was made by the scarabs.

Existing fireworks were too large so there’s a risk of it attracting all monsters in the surroundings. And when the firework is this small, it becomes a firework that only shocks one person. Kudos to the scarabs who found the correct mixture of gunpowder, ignition stone and black charcoal to make it.

The arrow’s trajectory would get weird because of it, but it doesn’t matter at this distance. Moreover, I’m not shooting to hit him anyway.

I took advantage of the gap between the two of them, lit a fire and pulled the bowstrings. As the arrow flew towards him, the murderer swung his upper body to avoid it. Unfortunately for him, this arrow was an exploding arrow.

When the arrow fly right in front of his face, the firework exploded.

“Keeuuukkkkk!”

From his scream alone, I could easily infer just how painful it was. Excited to know that someone was helping him, Rapwi moved again to beat him up. But that was the end of it. Even though Rapwi had beaten the murderer for countless times in one second, he didn’t appear to be severely injured.

His stats were no joke, just how many people did he have killed so far?

Did he even get the quick recovery skill?

Why not use a sword rather than a bare fist?

Afterall, most of the killers had ceramic knives with them.

…Anyway, I thought I would have to use a heavy object to kill that guy. I opened the portal and let the dingo in. They told the scarabs: “Tell Dingo to pull the string when I signal, okay?”

nod nod.

Once I open the portal right in front of the ballista, the preparation is finished. Now, if I open the portal again and throw a stone inside, the ballista will fire. SInce the ballista was a weapon which send the gryphon to the death door with only 2 shoots, no matter how high the murderer’s stat is, he will suffer a fatal wound.

Now, I have to approach him to trigger the deathmatch, I took out the hook, hung it on the railing, and rappelled down. Once my feet touched the ground, I retrieved the hook and hid in the parking lot to watch the two fights.

They were both moving in rapid momentum. Therefore, it was hard for me to find a gap to exploit since the process of opening a portal, sending a signal, and the ballista finally shooting was quite long…

“Hahaha! Even when you have someone’s assistance, you still can’t beat me!”

As I looked closer to Rapwi, I became more and more convinced that he’s a real one. His muscular body and bald head was just like his avatar in the game. Let’s not mind the swinging things on his lower body.

The murderer blocked the Rapwi’s mid-air kick and then rotated his body to blow him away. Rapwi took a stance to strike him again in the air, but was pushed back by the attack of the running killer.

“What kind of action movie are you two filming?” The two people were those who have almost reached the limit of their physical body. In that state, people would be able to face an ogre only once they acquire a few tier 2 skills. However, just because you can fight it doesn’t mean you can win. Because ogre was a real monster.

Anyway, it would be nice to be able to tie him up even for a few seconds. However, with Rapwi alone it seems like it was impossible. Therefore, I must help him directly.

I sneakily approached the two who were fighting fiercely. Mid-fight, Rapwi looked at me and cocked his head to the side as if he recognizes me,

“Where are you looking at!” The murderer’s fearsome fist slammed into the face of Rapwi.

I’m sorry.

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Seokhyun was happy. Even though he was beaten by a murderer who knows about him back in the game, he could finally met his friend. SInce his enemy was the infamous murderer who is notorious in the Changwon area, hardly anyone normal will sneak up on him.

Togong glanced at his friend as he fought. He is quite tall and bulky. An all-black armor was wrapping his entire body with a long knife hanging on his waist and a backpack and a bow on his back. Somehow, what he’s wearing was the standard outfit for a survivor.

But he was clearly different from other survivors. Afterall, his sharp eyes were staring at him clearly. There was also a certain determination in his expressionless face.

However, soon after, Seokhyun had to pay the price for taking his mind off the fight as suddenly, the murderer grabbed two of his wrists.

“You are so careless! Do I look that insignificant to you?” The murderer said, face burning in rage.

Seokhyun twisted his body and tried to pull his arms out of the murderer’s grip, but he couldn’t move as it was too sttong.

How high is his strength stat?

Bam-!!

Their foreheads collided against each other, and a dull sound echoed throughout the area. Amongst the two, It was only Seokhyun who faltered because of it. His vision became dizzy,, and the murderer gave him another headbutt.

If there was a brick between the two, it would have been shattered immediately.

“Hardskin! That’s awesome! How are you doing, can you stand it?” The murderer taunted.

Seokhyun did not lose consciousness even when blood was dripping from his forehead and obscuring his vision. His survival instict skill was activated and his eyes lit up. As his body become lighter, the moment the murderer released his wrist to swing his own fist, he ducked away.

There was a sound of wind along with murderer’s punch, but Seokhyun was no longer there. When the punch passed, Seokhyun stood up once again. stretched out, it was his turn to headbutt the murderer. Not in the forehead though, but in the chin.

“Eugh” The murderer staggered and collapsed but still alive even though It was a blow that would have killed him if he’s just a normal person.

He should end the fight here. If it’s delayed any longer, the murderer’s survival instinct skill will also get activated, which would lead into much harder fight.

Seokhyun tried to break the murderer’s knee, but his body tensed up at the sudden voice.

“Move away!”

it’s his friend’s voice. He was looking at where he was from a dozen meters away. The object his friend shot out moved faster than he thought. Therefore, Seokhyun had to throw himself to the side.

“You bastard…”

When Cheolseong rolled his eyes and stood up, a bolt the size of a hand zoomed towards him. When it hits his body, the bolt simply pierces his body which was strengthened by his stats like it was nothing.

“Ackkkkkkkk!”

Cheolseong opened because of the excruciating pain. At that moment, his instinct screams: This is dangerous, run away quickly.

However, before he could do so, Rapwi managed to hold him of by throwing a punch at him. The shock was so great to the point it made his head dizzy..

“Fuck, get out of the way!” Cheolseong pushed Rapwi with his body and started running. But suddenly, zombies began to gather around. Seongho tried to shoot more bolts at the murderer, but instantly gave up because the murderer hides amongst the zombies.

“What are you doing that for?”

Then an amazing thing happened. The zombies which saw the killer did absolutely nothing to him. They just walked around like usual.

Did he acquire the friendliness skill?

The number of people who need to be killed in order to acquire that skill would easily surpass the number of people Seongho had killed.

The killer grabbed the ghoul’s head near him and threw it at Seokhyun. Once it landed on its feet, it soon took a stance and exposed its teeth towards the Rapwi. Then, with a thump as the signal, the deathmatch opened.

Cheolseong laughed hard among the zombies. “Heh heh! If you can hold on, you win!”

On the other hand, Seongho mumbled to no one in particular. ‘Is he crazy?’ and frowned. He just tasted the power of my arrow earlier, yet he was brave enough to do deathmatch here?

“Let’s see how well you do.”

Seeing the murderer running towards him, Rapwi shouted loudly.

“My friend is here! You are so dead now!”

Hearing that, Cheolseong’s face contorted.

Is that friend supposed to be I Love Gimbap?