Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Sponsored chapter 7/11

Moving between cities in Apocalypse was not an easy task, as practically all types of transportation was either already destroyed by the corrosive disease, or was unable to function properly. On top of it, monsters and zombies are always threatening the survivors at every possible moment, and at night, visibility approaches 0. Because of this, some people did not want to travel if there's absolutely no reason to do it.

But still, there were people who had to move. The likes of the pushover who got pushed out of the city, and a small group with a certain purpose. In that example, the latter couldn't be easily touched because they move with clear destinations and goals in mind.

While for the former, it's easy to win them over. It was how Yeong-seok grew his subordinates' numbers. He forced them to submit to him while he was camping in Sammun-dong. Afterall, at that point, those people were nothing but low level survivors.

It was debatable whether they could be helpful because they were weak. However, in the apocalypse, manpower itself is helpful. If anything, he can use them for reconnaissance or simple patrol and guarding duty.

In that respect, Yeong-seok could be said to be lucky. Sammun-dong was like an island, so it was easy to secure some supplies from marts and convenience stores. He and his group had spent the past three months collecting all supplies in all the marts and convenient stores in Sammun-dong. Thanks to that, he and his men were able to lead the most prosperous life in Miryang.

“Hey… that friend is in quite good shape.” Yeong-seok said as he looked at the large man who rowed the boat. With that kind of physique, the chance the man had a good unique skill is high. The man was dressed like a survivor and was well armed. He keeps taking glances at his surroundings, proof that he has a strong sense of vigilance.

On the other hand, the man next to him was poorly armed. Aside from the clothes he was wearing, he's only carrying a long knife.

“Did he dress like that because he's confident in his skill? Kyunghoon, what do you think?”

“He's too careless. He might just be a mindless bastard.”

“Hmm… indeed, we can see it that way.”

However, whether they were useful or useless, Yeong-seok was still interested in those two. It was because he needed to grow his clan in order to counter the other two factions in Miryang. It is not enough to just stockpile materials, human resources are also important.

Kyunghoon asked. “Shall I go to them, Hyung-nim?”

“Ah, you are acquainted with him, aren't you?”

“Yeah, Well…” Kyunghoon remembered when he separated from him and the gym group. They didn't exactly become enemies, but the atmosphere between them wasn't good. To soften it, he thought he needed to bring Bora with him. That man, Seongho, doesn't have a lot of close friends, but I think Bora will do well as a mediator.

When he said that to Yeong-seok, he nodded his head and agreed.

“If possible, bring both men in. HIs movement looks agile, so there are plenty of possibilities.”

"Okay, Hyung-nim."

Kyunghoon ran somewhere and brought his lover, Kim Bora, before returning to where Yeong-seok is. When they arrived there, the boat had already reached the land. When Bora saw Seongho who was pulling the boat to land, she let out a surprised voice.

"Oh my gosh. That man has lost a lot of weight.”

“He must have exercised a lot.”

“I understand why you asked me to come. Do you think there will be a fight if you go alone?”

“No, not that far. I just thought it would be smoother if there was a woman around.”

“Huu…. That’s right. So, Bora, you need to work hard.”

"Okay."

“If you two can’t do it, I’ll use a somewhat coercive method, so tell them to accept it while we're still being kind.”

To fully explain the fighting power of Yeong-seok, he was a man who could engage in hand-to-hand combat with orcs. So, Kyunghoon thought that no matter how skillful Seongho is, he couldn't win against him.

Kyunghoon and Bora headed to the ruins of an apartment complex where there were no monsters with confident steps. After waiting for a while, two men with a dog that looked like a husky appeared.

“Where did he leave the boat?”

“I can’t see it… it must have been hidden.”

Bora focused her gaze on the two and slowly walked out. However, at that time, the eyes of both men were looking at her. It was as if they knew she would come out of there.

“Seongho oppa, it’s been a while, isn’t it?”

“Bora-ssi? You're here?”

Bora let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Seongho remembered her. Afterall, it's not been long since they left Busan. Eventually, Kyunghoon came out to say hello, and Seongho instantly raised his eyebrows, but he didn't say anything. Their confrontation was only a thing in the past as of now.

“By the way, why are you here? Do you have anything to say?”

Kyunghoon glanced at Bora. And then she stepped out.

“I want to make an offer to you. This place… You know roughly that there is a clan in Sammun-dong, right?”

“Where there are people, there is power who controls it.”

The story will be easy, Bora thought. She talked about the clan and the leader Ma Yeong-seok. She also did not forget to boast that the clan's supplies were plentiful.

However, even after all the things she said, both Seongho and his companion's expressions did not change at all. The man and the dog next to him even yawned. It seems like they weren't even interested in what she had to say in the first place.

“There are not enough people in our clan. If you join our clan, we will treat you well.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to decline. Both me and my friend have no intention to belong somewhere. We are just here because we are just passing by.”

Seongho deliberately didn't talk about the vine apartement dungeon. It was due to the fact that they can just sneak in.

Meanwhile, Kyunghoon's expression darkened as he heard Seongho's words.

"You're going to regret it… Of course, not about what I'm going to do to you. I have an older brother here who takes care of me.”

"Ah okay. You can just continue being taken care of while we will leave. It’s simple, right?”

As the two men and the dogs were about to move, Bora said urgently.

“Seongho, think again. I love staying here in Sammun-dong. Yeong-seok oppa is a good person too.”

“I have work to do.” Seongho waved his arms to the two of them, expressing a breakdown in negotiations.

The two went back without a word and reported the truth to leader Yeong-seok.

Bump-!!

Yeong-seok slammed his knuckles.

“Those bastards. I tried to treat you well, but it seems that I can't do so anymore.”

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The vine apartment in Sammun-dong was known to all the survivors of Miryang because of its presence. Not only that, the fact that monsters poured out when it was disturbed had also spread, cementing its horror. Therefore, the other two factions besides the Sammun-dong clan always kept a close eye on the vine apartment.

Sammun-dong could be said as peaceful compared to other areas because it was closed from the mainland, but the situation suddenly changed. A sudden news that two strangers have entered the vine apartment flew in.

Oh Hyeon-hwa of the Nae-dong clan was fed up when she heard the news.

“What the hell is The Sammun-dong Wild Boar doing? Were they just watching them get in?”

"I-I don't know the details."

Hyeon-hwa ran out the window. The broken asphalt which had been lying on the road rose up and floated in the air to support her body. It was her unique skill: telekinetic.

It was difficult to find someone with telekinetic unique skill throughout Miryang, but that's not the only incredible thing about her. She has also reached level 15, quite a high level for an ordinary survivor. Her combat power was also great, she could kill a lot of zombies and even ghouls without too much trouble. Thus, Hyeon-hwa naturally came to dominate the Nae-dong clan.

Of course, it only happened after the Zombie Queen left Miryang.

Hyeon-hwa crossed the river on the asphalt debris and headed for the vine apartment. Sammun-dong was a good place to live because there were less monsters there, thanks to the vine apartment which absorbed all of the monsters around the area, leaving the surroundings devoid of any monsters.

Though, no one knows what's inside until now. Because everyone who had entered never returned. Even when she tried to peek from the outside, she couldn't see anything because the vines obstructed her view.

WIth her Perception stat, Hyeon-hwa found the area where people were gathering. She landed on the ground and saw Sammun-dong Wild Boar, Ma Yeong-Seok and his men looking anxiously at the vine apartment.

“Just what are you doing to let this thing happen?”

"You've come?”

"YEAH! I came here because I thought I was going to die of boredom. By the way, what did you do to let people enter the vine apartment?”

Yeong-seok, who is called Sammun-dong Wild Boar, waved his hand as if to make Hyeong-hwa stop talking.

“Let’s not complain too much. Do you know how fast they are?”

“Fast?”

“Yeah, they are like loaches. They ran away from us so quickly. Hyeon-hwa should have seen it, too.”

When Hyeon-hwa heard it, she felt absurd. By Yeong-seok's words, it looks like the intruder entered the apartment by mistake thanks to the member of the Sammun-dong clan who chased after them.

“You've killed a decent person.”

“I don’t know if they are decent or not. What I know is once someone enters that building, they will not survive. And now, I think roughly twenty minutes have passed?”

“That’s correct, hyung-nim.”

His subordinate spoke, and Yeong-seok licked his tongue.

However, something was strange. If 20 minutes had passed, they would have already died, and by now, the monsters, who should've gone excited as they smelled blood, should have come out.

But nothing happened.

‘Just what the hell is going on inside?' Yeong-seok said to himself.

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The dungeon we entered while pretending to be chased was indeed a magical field. We were greeted warmly from the moment we entered by the goblins, who for some reason didn't use their paralyzing darts.

“What a welcome, they even decided to gather by themselves so that we can kill them faster.” Seokhyun clenched his fist and ran towards the rushing goblins. After a few punching sounds, the goblins made strange noises and crawled on the floor.

Kiiiiii-!!!

I asked as I put a long knife into the goblin's back.

“Didn't you say you are going to take me on a bus?"

“It’s a taxi, not a bus. Don't worry, I'll be in charge until level 20."

Thank you so much. Seokhyun showed off his strength as he went ahead. The monsters, which had been strengthened under the influence of the dungeon, couldn't even give him a proper response. They were all lying inches away from the death door after tasting a single punch. Only the ghouls could hold out for a while, but they also ended up on the floor after 5 punches.

Meanwhile, what I had to do was only stabbing them with the long knife and see my points went up.

The dungeon was filled with vines and all kinds of strange plants. At first glance, people might not even notice that it was the inside of an apartment building since the structure had changed a lot.

At that point, a deer, or maybe an elk, popped out of a corner, pounded its head against the wall, then passed out.

Seokhyun looked back at me and grinned.

“Dinner comes to us by themselves.”

Yeah. Although it was said that elk meat was tasteless, it was still a valuable food in the apocalypse. I tied the elk's leg with a rope and threw it over the portal. If I kill it now, it will be difficult to clean it, so let's do it later.

Seokhyeon shattered the monsters while screaming out loud as if he was getting stronger when he saw the meat. But the more we climbed the stairs, the stronger the resistance.

And on one floor, a bunch of hobgoblins appeared and ran towards us.

Kieeeeeek!

There were 5 hobgoblins in total. Seokhyun jumped at them and threw one guy on the floor, but they didn't take it lying down. One of them caught the fist he was making while another guy swung a stone ax towards him.

With that kind of attack, no matter how strong Seokhyun was, he had no choice but to clench his teeth. It was even more difficult because he had to control his strength so that the hobgoblins wouldn't die.

Puck, puck!

In the end, Seokhyun was beaten by the hobgoblins and fell backwards. His body laid on the floor for a moment and looked up at me.

“Please get off here, sir.”

“I thought my destination was about a kilometer ahead?”

“I do want to drive you there, but the road is blocked and there is nothing I can do about it. It would be better to run.”

This hellish section of the taxi is so inconsistent. I had no choice but to get off…

When I loosened my fist, Seokhyun got up tumbling and pointed at the two hobgoblins.

“Let’s see how well we can do it in hand-to-hand combat.”

“I can’t do it better than you, slot two.”

He boo-ed from behind as I pulled out a shield.

“Ah, Kang Seongho, are you seriously using a shield in this sacred and honourable fight!!!!”

“What should I do with their stone ax without my shield?”

I ran towards them and swung my shield just in time.

Tung!

With a dull sound, the stone ax and the club were thrown at the same time. Even after being hit by the impact, there was no strain on my arms and shoulders at all. I felt proud and threw my clenched my fist in the face of one of them. It was an ordinary straight attack, but the result was spectacular; The hobgoblin's face shriveled up and he instantly collapsed.

“Ohhhh.” Seokhyun let out an exclamation from my back. In fact, even the hobgoblin standing next to me was surprised. It was proven that the power of two skills is not a joke. Therefore, the guy will undoubtedly have a hard time waking up from my punch.

The rest of the hobgoblin, who came to their senses, bared their teeth towards me.

I lowered my body to avoid the incoming club, and then slammed my fist to the chin of one hobgoblin. Even though the hobgoblin had gigantic size, for me, it felt light.

I landed several more punches at it. The guy staggered as he became incapable of even opening its mouth. As the last attack, I lopped it neck off with a long knife. Then, after dealing with all the fallen ones, I heard Seokhyun applauding.

“What a great show, o hero. But remember. They are the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings…”

Are you imitating the Great Demon King from some novel or game now?

We dealt with the monsters and kept going up. The one who dominated the entire dungeon was probably located on the top floor. As we went up, the monsters increased and the space became narrower.

And finally, we met the guy,

Seokhyun tapped my shoulder.

“Do you think it’s the boss?”

“It’s a little too big for an orc…”

The guy who made a loud thumping sound everytime it made a step was too big to be considered an orc. It was close to 2.5 meters tall and wore a poorly crafted emeras axe and armor.

Just who the hell made that?

Anyway, it was clear that that guy was the boss of this vine dungeon.

However, even if we killed it, the vine dungeon wouldn't just disappear, nor a big change would happen. But as it looks like quite a strong monster, it was clear that it would give us a lot of loot. That's enough reason to kill it.

“Leave it to me.”

Seokhyun crouched down, then just like a spring, he flew and attacked the guy.

Puck-!!

Puck-!!

Puck-!!

After a brief struggle, he returned to me with black bruises on his face.

“Come on, let’s fight together.”

This taxi is really inconsistent.

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The vine apartment was like a beehive. Those who entered had always died. After that, the monsters inside would pour outside. Those who had experienced it watched the apartment nervously. But suddenly, one of the windows on the highest floor shattered. Then, something flew at them. Hyeon-hwa, who saw it, stopped it in the air with her telekinetic power.

While it was floating in the air, the identity of the thing was exposed. It was a bizarrely deformed orc head.

"Kyaaaaakk!” She let out a strange scream and dropped the head to the ground. Meanwhile, the people behind her start to make a ruckus.

“Hey, isn’t that an orc head?”

“Isn’t it too big for an orc?”

“…”

Yeong-seok clenched his teeth and looked up. The ones who made the orcs like this were probably the ones who came in dozens of minutes ago. However, he still couldn't make sense of how the two could break through all the monsters. On top of it, he also knows just how scary an orc was. Even if all the high-level survivors in Miryang gather and rush in, they must fight with their lives on the line to defeat it.

“What the hell is going on…?”

No one could answer his question.