Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Although they called me a shrimp, I had no desire whatsoever to intervene in their fight. The reason being, there was not enough space in the shelter right now for the supplies they were contesting. I could only rob the time shelter after Da-jeong completes the expansion of the shelter. But of course, there was also the fact that I had to break through 100 survivors who were fighting too.

I clicked my tongue at the sight of the battle going on in the building some distance away from where I was hiding. The survivors were split into two factions; The Korean and the Chinese. The battle shows no sign of ending. On top of that, it was even more chaotic as zombies, ghouls, and all kinds of monsters were participating.

“It’s like a real war out there…” I sighed. However, I understand their reasoning. It was an important battle for them, as the winner would get all of the supplies in the time shelter.

I looked around, then entered the portal. Once I crossed the bluish layer, the sight of Da-jeong lying flat on the mattress welcomed me. A faint moan came out of his mouth.

“AAAAHHHHH~ Da-jeong is going to die…”

“How much work have you done to be saying something like that?” I asked her. That was precisely what would happen when someone didn’t use their muscles often and only used their fingers everyday.

She turned around and said weakly. “I have come to respect all of the carpenters in the world … no, everyone who works on site…”

“Nothing in the world is easy.” I answered as I walked towards the cave entrance. Once I was outside, I could see that some trees had been cut out and were being stacked neatly. However, the amount was far from enough to cover the total number of logs needed to build a hut.

“Since we are already in Gwangju, we should work on the expansion together.”

“We have arrived already? How about the time shelter?” Da-jeong sprang to her feet as she heard my words.

“It’s a dogfight out there. Around 100 people were fighting for the time shelter.”

Da-jeong followed me to reality and looked outside the building. The situation had become even more bloody than before. It is proven by the fact that the sound of heartbeat was echoing through the neighborhood–sign that a murderer had appeared. The survivors around the murderer tried to run away after hearing the heartbeat. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to do so, as the zombie wall prevented them from doing so. In less than two minutes, three people died, including the murderer. And as the deathmatch event ended, the three abandoned corpses became food for the zombies.

But I think I had seen the girl who killed the murderer before… I wonder where… Was it when I was called a shrimp by a group who came to find me a few hours ago?

As I worked hard to remember, Da-jeong’s face suddenly appeared right in front of my face.

“Why are you staring so hard at another woman?”

“Do you think I looked at her because I like her?” I scoffed. “I just think I have seen her somewhere before.”

“Where?”

“Ah. I remember!” She’s that Chinese girl who can control the wind! I had met her twice, the first time was at Wolmido, and the next one was at the battle royale battlefield.

But something is strange… Since I was the winner of the battle royale, there should be no other survivor other than me. Well, to be exact, there shouldn’t be any other survivor aside from me and Geom-in, whom I had thrown away from the battlefield using a bug. I didn’t kill her, so I thought she was killed by someone else, but turns out she escaped from the battlefield? How?

The memory of her running away from me flashed inside my head. Now that I see her again, I could say that she’s truly a lucky one. After all, she not only successfully escaped from me, but also from the battlefield altogether.

Da-jeong was surprised when I told her that the girl had the ability to control wind.

“Don’t be surprised like that. There is also someone who can wield lightning amongst them.”

“If it’s a lightning-type ability, how do you use it? Mehameha! like this?” She put her palm together around her waist and pushed it forward as she asked.

“Well, didn’t you already see Sooyeon do it? That long range healing additional effect of hers? It’s similar to that.”

“Then, lightning will spurt out of your hand? What should we do to avoid it?”

“Well…” At that time, a blue lightning bolt stretched out in the area of the fight. We clung to the window and watched the lightning-wielder fight.

“Wow, this is something straight out of a fantasy movie!”

I chuckled at Da-jeong’s words. The world we currently live in has merged with fantasy. However, contrary to her, who was awestruck, I was busy trying to analyze the lightning-wielder. It’s almost impossible to dodge lightning, as it has almost the same speed as light itself. However, it was not impossible to dodge lightning created by an awakener. After all, the trajectory was easy to read just by looking at the caster’s hands movement. On top of it, since I had the elemental resistance skill, I could afford to be hit several times. Though, it doesn’t mean I like to get hit, mind you.

“Wind magician and Lightning magician… I think it’s a pretty strong combination.” The two of them were fighting for the same side, so I didn’t think the Koreans would be able to win. If they just blindly rush in, they would be decimated by the wind and blue lightning bolt from afar.

My conjecture proved to be correct. The Chinese pushed out the Koreans and took control of the entrance to the time shelter. But everyone knew it wasn’t the end, as the monsters started to come after them.

We lost interest in the fight and decided to cross the portal to have dinner. And after digging through my old notes, I found a list of supplies stockpiled in every time shelter across Korea.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to rob the time shelter here.”

Da-jeong took the spoon out of her mouth and looked at me.

“Wow… You? Just passing by a place full of supplies? Impossible.”

“Hey! I’m serious.. As you see, it was far too chaotic for my taste out there. On top of it, it was a pain in the ass to get involved in their fight.”

“What makes you change your mind?”

“Look at this list.” I showed Da-jeong the page where I jotted down the information I got from Jang Won-taek. In the time shelter, which was being fought by the Koreans and Chinese, there was something me and Da-jeong desperately needed. Namely wood, for construction purposes. I had looted quite a bit of wood from hardware stores and its kind, but the amount was small. In other words, if we rob the time shelter outside, we could get enough materials for the hut we were going to build.

Praise the former president Jang Won-taek!

A light lit up in Da-jeong’s eyes as she read the note.

“I’m going to block the entrance, so you just have to take the wood. Make sure you leave not even one of them behind.”

It seems like, when the shrimps fight, the whale is the one who will enjoy the benefit.

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There’s a problem. Since Da-jeong opened the barbed wire fences to make room for the hut she wanted to build, the shelter’s defense line was now in a state of all time low. Therefore, we have no choice but to put more ghouls in the shelter to defend our property. The downside was, by doing so, it means that the number of available ghouls to be mobilized in our battle against the 2 camps and monsters who are fighting for the time shelter would be reduced; something that would make our battle far more difficult than it should be.

Da-jeong shouted out loud at my worry. “Don’t worry, I will take care of everything. I won’t let anyone in.”

“I trust you. But since I don’t know what the last door was made of, it might take some time.” Well, no matter what it is, the scarabs, which were unparalleled in metallurgy, will take care of it, no doubt about it.

Da-jeong mobilized the zombies and the few available ghouls to gather information about the two fighting camps. And exceeding my expectations, information came in one after another.

“That Chinese woman from before… Is her name Tang Shenlong?”

“The name of the man you met earlier is Gu Myung-hoon. His unique skill is body strengthening.”

However, the information which was relayed to us didn’t come cheap. There were already three zombies which were killed because they got too close to the survivors. And since it would be too difficult if our numbers keep getting reduced, we decide to stop scouting and to wait until midnight to act.

“Around the time werewolves and keepers were active will be good. Those survivors won’t be able to move around much.” Da-jeong nodded at my plan.

After the kobolds, which were active from evening to night, start to disappear from the street, we start to move. Da-jeong entered the portal to pick up the ghouls. Then a message appeared in my view.

「You have earned 100 points」

“This… Do I really have to pay a fee every time I enter?”

Come to think of it, Da-jeong has never left since she entered the portal in Gurye…

“It seems to be the case.” I scratched my head.

“It seems to be the case? You are the owner of this wicked building! You have to be clear with your answer!” She grabbed my collar as she hissed. “Let me put it this way. WIll you be happy if your room owner asked you to pay every time you enter your room even though you already paid for the rent?”

If you put it that way… Of course I would be angry.

“But what can we do? It’s the system who makes it this way.”

“Didn’t you say that you are the one who set the point? Aren’t you purposefully setting it for 100 points?”

“Do I look that mean in your eyes?”

“Yes. You are greedy.”

It’s a fact, but it’s a strangely disappointing statement.

“It’s seriously not like that.” I hugged her and kissed her on the neck. Da-jeong said it tickles, but she pushed her neck and rubbed her face against my cheek.

Skinship is very effective!

Choi Da-jeong, a level 26 monster, has calmed down!

“I will believe you this time.”

She took half of the ghouls who were defending the shelter to Earth. Then she said to them, “All of you are not allowed to kill people. If you make a mistake, I would have to use the resurrection scroll. You understand?”

The ghouls growled in unison at her question, proving they understood her command. Satisfied, Da-jeong waved her hand right, and all of her ghouls instantly rushed towards the entrance of the time shelter.

Beep-!!

In an instant, a high pitch sound of a whistle rang through the area, followed by a roar which could be heard everywhere.

I didn’t stay still either, using two reinforced zombies as my shield, I also ran towards the time shelter.

“Make it quick!” When I finally arrived at the sealing door of the time shelter, I called the scarabs and told them so. They began to gnaw through the thick sealing door made of reinforced plastic. It’s much faster than the time when they drilled through the wall of Kwon’s bunker in the past as their number was currently double the number back then.

Da-jeong said nervously from the outside. “It’s not good. I think everyone woke up because of that whistle!”

Well, it’s only natural for them to be that vigilant. After all, if they could enter this time shelter, they would live in abundance for a while. Therefore, there’s no way they wouldn’t be vigilant about even a tiny movement around the time shelter, all the more with numerous ghouls running towards it.

Finally, the scarabs broke through the sealing door. I opened the portal, let them in, and then kicked the seal with all my might.

Bang-!!

The door collapsed, revealing a pitch black room inside.

Da-jeong said hurriedly. “Did you open it? It’s really chaotic out here!”

“It’s open! Hold on a little longer!”

I can hear the werewolves’ cries and the keepers’ breathing even as I was running inside. Da-jeong’s ghouls were indeed quite strong, but it would still be difficult for them to stop those monsters for a long time.

“Wow…” I couldn’t help but exclaim as I took a glowstone out of my bag. The amount of material stockpiled inside the time shelter was just that overwhelming; It filled the entire underground parking lot to the brim.

Greed was creeping up in my heart; I wanted to take it all. However, I couldn’t afford to do that, since there’s not much space left in my shelter. Even if there’s a space in my shelter, I still couldn’t afford to do it. After all, it would be difficult for Da-jeong to buy me the time required to move all the supplies to my shelter. I swallowed my regret and quickly searched for the construction materials.

“Here you are.” I said, as wood of various sizes covered in thick dust entered my vision. I quickly moved the position of the portal and started throwing the wood in.

“Keuk!” When I lifted the wood, which could easily be used as a pillar of a house, my waist almost broke. It was because the two skills which were responsible for my increased stats were not activated as I was currently not dealing with an enemy. I also couldn’t channel any killing intent to a wood, so I have no choice but to suffer like this.

“Huft, huft, huft!” After a long time, I finally feel the dizzying hard labor again. While chewing a piece of solat apple, I forced myself to keep moving, just like what I did back in the shelter way back in the past.

Finally, after about 20 minutes, the wood couldn’t enter the portal anymore, as the entrance to the portal was completely blocked from the inside.

“Dammit.” I pushed the wood pile as hard as I could and moved the location of the portal.

“Whew…” it’s almost over. To be honest, I wanted to just call Da-jeong and hide inside the portal as soon as I finished. But there’s a problem with that plan. We won’t be able to go out if we do so. Now that the sealed door was broken, the survivors would do anything they could to enter the place. I expect the fight will continue for a month or so.

“The only option left is for us to run away.” Since it was still around dawn, It was the best time to do so. I looked at the leftover wood and at the entrance back and forth. After mulling over the pros and cons, I finally ran and shouted.

“Da-jeong, go outside!”

“People are crazy out there! Are you sure?”

“Now or never, there is no time!”

The entrance was clear. When we went outside, Da-jeong ran next to me while ghouls circled around us.

The survivors who found us blew a whistle once again.

Beep-!!

“Those bastards!”

“Catch them! Kill them!”

Isn’t there something more important than catching us?

I lit the firecrackers and threw them all over the place.

Boom-!! Boom-!! Boom-!!

“Ahh!”

“What is this!”

Chaos ensued as a myriad of colors painted the dark street and building. Paying no heed to the bloody screams and roars, we ran down the road, beating the horde of zombies and the keepers that were standing still.

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“Ugh!”

Tang Shenlong jumped up from her seat. She suddenly heard a loud noise from outside the building and found the situation was far worse than during the day as soon as she peeked out of the window.

Did the Koreans take advantage of the dawn to break through the shelter?

“There are werewolves and keepers around this time, so that shouldn’t be the case…”

In any case, the situation was still dire, so Shenlong had no choice but to put on her clothes. Soon after, her colleague stormed into her room. His name is Mao Chen, and he was someone who had a rare unique skill of lightning control. Both of them were often praised by their comrades when they joined hands to attack, as no one could ever stop them.

“Shenlong! Those Joseon bastards attacked the shelter! The entrance has been opened.”

“Really?” Shenlong queried. If that’s the case, she had to go out right now. The two walked out of the building side by side. And once their colleagues saw them, they instantly flocked towards the two.

All of them were hailing from Shandong Peninsula, and in Korea, they were active under the name Shandongbang. Although their numbers were not very large, every single one of them were the type of people who wouldn’t shy away from a fight, because they knew that they were all talented.

As they hurried out into the street, many people were flocking to the entrance of the time shelter. The werewolves’ cries and the survivors’ screams mixed to create a chaotic and bloody melody of death. One person was caught by a keeper, and his upper and lower body were separated as the keeper’s hands spread out. Blood splattered onto the road like paint spilled from its container.

“It’s all crazy…” Everyone clenched their teeth, and the boss of the group, Shenlong, quickly realized that she had to issue an order. If they keep dilly dallying any longer, they would lose all of the supplies to the Koreans.

When Shenlong was just about to open her mouth, she saw a group of people rushing out of the time shelter. Her gaze was instantly nailed into one particular man.

How could she forget that man?

Back in the unknown marina, and in the fantasy world, she had fought against him. However, on both occasions, she was defeated. However, she miraculously still survived until now. Even if she tried, Shenlong couldn’t forget the man who had pointed a gun at her. She didn’t know how the hell he got a gun, but she knew that she must kill him here.

“Chen, attack that big guy.”

Mao Chen was stunned by her and stopped on his track.

“What? Now that the entrance has been opened, why are you asking me to attack someone instead?”

“That guy is the one who killed my brother.” Shenlong uttered, full of rage. However, unbeknownst to Mao Chen, it was a lie. Her brother, Tang Zhaolong, was struck and killed by someone else in that fantasy world. However, she definitely wanted to kill that big man.

Mao Chen gnashed his teeth as he heard Shenlong’s words.

“If it’s for Zhaolong’s revenge, I’ll do it.” A few gusts of wind blew up in front of the big man and his colleague and stopped them from moving forwards. Before they could respond, Mao Chen reached out. Blue lightning flashed from his hand and zipped towards the man hiding among the ghouls. When the lightning hit the man, he fell to his knees. He opened his mouth and smoke rose from his body.

“Nice!” Shenlong clenched her fists. If anyone got hit directly by Mao Chen’s lightning, they wouldn’t die. However, it would make them critically injured. Only a few more attacks were needed to reap their lives from them. No matter how strong their body was, it was simply impossible to withstand it.

However…

Mao Chen, who retrieved her hand with satisfied looks, was startled. The reason was simple. It was because the man was slowly getting back to his feet.

“This is nonsense…” While he muttered so, he unknowingly took a step back. After all, the man’s eyes had suddenly turned red.

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