Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Should’ve done 3 chaps for today update, but I drink waaaaaayyyyy too much yesterday to celebrate finishing Protag. My bad guys, i’m still hangover until now…

“For f**k’s sake!!!!” I screamed, letting up all the anger in my heart into the air. This labyrinth was truly a pain-in-the-butt type of labyrinth. If it wasn’t really necessary and there’s some other labyrinth spawning at the same time here in Korea, I would rather clear that one wherever it is than to go to this labyrinth. Unfortunately, since this labyrinth was the only one that has spawned in Korea, I had no choice but to do this one. The silver lining is, the higher the difficulty, the greater the rewards. Therefore, I should be getting something juicy once I clear this god-forsaken labyrinth.

“Ah, seriously….” I removed the weeds clinging to my body once I got out of the swamp. Even though I said so, the ground I currently stepped on wasn’t solid and dry when compared to the swamp area either.

Anyway, this labyrinth was dark, damp and dangerous. In other words, it is the worst environment ever. And even though the amount of monsters in this labyrinth was far less than in any other types of labyrinth, the fact that it was mainly filled with lizardmen didn’t make it easier. Those reptilian guys excel in this kind of environment, after all.

“The sensation back in the game was nothing compared to the real one.” I mused. It was clear to me now that no matter how vivid a VR equipment could be, it cannot come to par with the real senses of a human being.

“Is this place really clearable?” The difficulty of this labyrinth didn’t rise slowly but peaked right out the bat. If a survivor couldn’t get underwater breathing skill by killing the lizardmans around the entrance, they would have to go around the labyrinth while suffering a lot. Though, it doesn’t matter to me since I already got that skill from the lizardmen back in the Black Forest.

“Wait a minute… I’m not the only one who feels that way, am I?” I opened the Auction House to verify my thoughts. Once I arrived at the special item filled with comments about this labyrinth, I sighed in relief.

-How did you find the underwater cave? It’s so freaking dark!!! I can’t see anything. We are human, not fish!

-Last time I checked, I don’t have claustrophobia, but I was about to have it now…

-The water currents are rapid… It’s scary…

-Thump~ Thump~ Thump~

-Wow, it’s difficult right from the start…

-Is it really possible to clear this place?

-By the looks of things, the stagnant waters would also find it hard to clear this place! We have a chance guys! Fighting!

“FIghting my ass…” I scoffed. Then, I grabbed the tail of a lizardman sprawling right in front of me and headed towards the entrance. The reason I did this was because Da-jeong still hadn’t got underwater breathing skill.

“Dingo, come out.”

When I called him after opening the portal, Dingo came out with his tails moving right and left.

“Go and call that ferocious Noona for me, okay?”

Woof-!!

When I tapped his ass, Dingo entered the portal instead of running towards the entrance. Then moments later, she returned with Dingsoon in tow.

“…” I sighed and looked at Dingsoon. “You must have a bad personality too, huh?”

After telling Dingo what I truly meant this time, both he and Dingsoon ran towards the entrance. After a while, Da-jeong came in with only a single ghoul behind her.

“How’s the labyrinth?” She asked as soon as she came close to me.

“To put it simply, it sucks.”

“Hoo… Seems like the difficulty is on the higher end, huh?” Da-jeong smirked. “What sucks more, though? The monsters? Or the environment?”

“The environment is very disgusting.”

“Then, what should I do with the ghouls?”

“Leave them outside and let’s just go by ourselves. This place is too narrow for all of them. And since there aren’t any strong monsters around, you should be fine.” I answered.

At my words, Da-jeong nodded and unbuttoned her jacket. Then, she said with a giggle. “Do you like your wife that much? You don’t want to be separated from her, don’t you?”

“Wife?”

“Once you already sleep with your lover, they become your wife! You don’t know? Are you going to deny that too?”

Is that really the case? Am I the strange one for not knowing so?

Without giving her any answer, I took the jacket and pants she took off and put it inside the portal. Then I handed a wetsuit and boots I got from a fishing supply store, and a short adamant spear.

She looked at me sullenly. “Do I really need to use something like this?”

“Bows and swords are all unusable. Spear is the only weapon usable inside.” I can’t even use a gun because we would have to hunt underwater. Well, there’s a harpoon gun in my arsenal. But that thing was not useful at all except for shooting fish.

Da-jeong took off her clothes and put the wetsuit on. And when she wore the swimming boots, she became a completely pink haenyeo. Then, I pointed to the half-dead lizardman who I brought here.

(T/N: Haenyo(해녀): Female diver: A woman whose job is to dive into the sea and gather sea cucumbers, abalone, seaweed, etc.)

“Kill that guy first.”

“I thought it was already dead.”

“I leave that guy in that state because you said you still hadn’t got underwater breathing skill.”

“Oh… You think that far for me?”

Isn’t this quite normal?

“I’ll give you the other equipments as we go.”

“Don’t think I’ll need it, though.”

“You will. I will lead the way, so all you have to do is follow.”

As I was about to go, Da-jeong suddenly hugged me from behind.

“You can’t run away from me…” There was a sense of loneliness in her tone as she said that. I thought she was the type of person who couldn’t feel loneliness, but it seems like I was wrong.

Or Is it because she got insulted a lot by other survivors?

I turned her around and hugged her back.

“Why should I run away from my wife? Uhhhh, my wife~”

I patted her on the ass, and a smile instantly appeared on her face. She then whispered in my ear.

“Since you’ve touched my ass, shouldn’t we go all the way? You are not going to sleep tonight. Be prepared.”

“Okay, but, let’s clear the labyrinth first.”

She killed the lizardman and gave her thumbs up as if breathing underwater.

We headed towards the entrance to the labyrinth.

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30 minutes after the cockroach couple entered the labyrinth, the ghouls blocking the entrance finally scattered. People who cursed at even the ancestors of the Ghoul Queen rushed to the entrance without any second thoughts. All of them wanted to check the inside of the labyrinth and decide whether to try to conquer it or not.

However, the labyrinth presented them with great obstacles from the very first step. The muddy ground was one source of concern, but the underwater cave was the most prominent problem. Everyone who saw the dark, cramped passage filled with water, shuddered.

“Is there someone who is willing to go in and connect a rope to this side?”

“Are you saying you want to get a benefit from someone else’s work? Are you sane?”

That was the problem. If one suffers, the dozens others would benefit. Normally, the one who did it would end up getting applause and lauded for their heroic act, but not at this time. Everyone was well aware that helping others in the apocalypse was nothing but arrogance and stupidity. The reason they didn’t attack each other right now was because they were still feeling a sense of camaraderie from their anger towards the Ghoul Queen who went in before them.

However, as time passed, no one volunteered. Then, someone giggled and said,

“The other entrance is in a mess. Someone died in the middle of the underwater cave and the path was completely blocked. They have to get the body out if they want to enter, but no one wants to go in.”

“Such a thing…”

“It’s crazy, it’s crazy.”

“That means, if we enter wrongly, we could die?”

At that realization, everyone just stared. They were like kids who were waiting for someone to take the lead in a group assignment.

Meanwhile, Geom-in was upset. At first, he wanted to enter the labyrinth and join Seongho and Da-jeong. However, with Da-jeong letting no soul pass through the entrance, he wasn’t able to do it. Luckily, since he also has some know-how regarding labyrinth, it was possible for him to overcome this shitty environment.

While Geom-in was thinking so, Kim Dae-ho asked from behind him.

“Our leader, Geom-in ssi, shouldn’t you show some leadership right now?”

“I know, right. If you do this favour for all of us, we will follow you anywhere. Even to the end of the world!”

At his subordinates’ words, Geom-in clenched his teeth tight. He knew that it was just an empty pleasantries without meaning, but sadly, he simply couldn’t refuse it. Geom-in took his shoes off and pulled a rope out of his backpack.

As he prepared himself, Kim Dae-ho cheered and applauded. “You are the best, Geom-in ssi. Everyone! Please give our leader, Survivor 1, also known as Geom-in of the government shelter an applause!”

“If it’s Survivor 1, isn’t he a stagnant water?”

“But what is that person doing here?”

Everyone looked at Geom-in with a mixture of dull and curious eyes. Geom-in muttered to himself that he’s not here by chance. Back in the game, There were only three people who went around the labyrinth religiously. However, he’s not one of them. Of course, it wasn’t like he didn’t have any experience at all, it was just this was his first time in a labyrinth like this.

“Come on! applause, applause!” As Chae Sang-shin encouraged them, those who were drawn to the crowd clapped and applauded.

Clap Clap Clap-!!

If it was Geom-in from a few weeks ago, he would have played along with his subordinates’ mockery in order to burn his presence to the minds of the people who were here right now. However, the current Geom-in didn’t even think about something like that anymore. After all, he had seen the reliable back of someone who paved the way for him. That person had even reached out his hand and tried to pull him away. And he no longer wants to turn away from that hand.

Geom-in plunged into the underwater cave with a determined expression. After a while, the ropes were pulled tight and Geom-in resurfaced. The three people of the government shelters smiled broadly when they found Geom-in coughing. It wasn’t a laugh of happiness no matter how he looked at it. It was closer to the joy of finding a pushover and being able to put them into good use.

“Geom-in ssi, you did great.”

“I wish you all the best in the future.”

“Because you are our leader, we will be able to do well. We will just follow.”

Geom-in finally realized that the three people were not his allies. They were nothing but people who would readily throw him away if the situation dictated. Waves of resentment rages in his heart towards his past self for not noticing the nature of these guys.

‘They are only pretending to be nice…’ Geom-in bowed his head in shame. He had thought that those 3 guys were perfect for him to use. But…

‘Not anymore.’

He stood up and jumped towards the underwater cave again in order to cross to the other side. Once he arrived, he could see a lot of people coughing while spitting a myriad of curse words. And soon after, the three men also resurfaced and walked towards Geom-in. Once the 4 of them regrouped, they proceed to move deeper into the dungeon.

“By the way, aren’t you close with Choi Da-jeong, Geom-in ssi?.”

“It was just unrequited love. You know, that girl is fierce right? I bet she’s crazy in bed too…”

“If I had a b**ch like that, I would slap her ass everyday, heh heh heh.”

“Hey, let’s be as dignified as possible. We shouldn’t talk about something like that.” One of them said, of course, not seriously.

As they talked about those topics, Geom-in recalled the day when he’s hellbent to win Da-jeong’s heart. Now that he looks at it, it was really a pointless endeavor. After all, she didn’t have him in her mind from the beginning.

‘I should have treated her only as a friend…’

If he had, they might even be real friends by now. Geom-in remembered the time when he met Da-jeong, who was passing by outside the bathroom. Even though she did nothing, he still flinched. It was because he was not confident with herself. He had become a sad frog because he was always overly caring about other people’s gaze.

‘What should I do?’

As he pondered, he stopped in his tracks. Kim Dae-ho, who was following him, shoved him from the back. He seemed to be urging him to go quickly.

Geom-in clenched his teeth. When he was with the three of them, this was always the case. However, he couldn’t just run away from the three of them now. After all, this labyrinth was far too difficult for him to survive by himself.

As Geom-in was contemplating, Lee Jung-hoon, who possesses a supersensory unique skill, warned.

“It smells strange. It’s fishy…”

Right after he said that, a group of lizardmen appeared from beyond the cave.

Siiish-!! Siish-!!

The group was startled and pulled out their weapons.

“It’s too narrow here!”

“Let’s go back little by little!”

“Don’t push, you can just kill them!”

The place was narrow, so it was impossible for them to move while holding a weapon. On the other hand, the lizardmen immediately threw their nets and charged. The 4 of them struggled against a group of lizardmen, which excel in moving in water. However, as all four of them could be said as battle-hardened veterans, they won the fight in the end. However, it was only achievable after they suffered a lot of injuries.

Chae Sang-shin, who was applying a potion to the wound, spat out harsh words.

“Oh fuck… You should have told me in advance that lizardmen can throw nets, Geom-in-ssi!”

“Who knew they would be hiding in the water?” Geom-in raised his voice in retaliation. But it only sounded like an excuse to the three of them.

After all, If you’re a stagnant water, and one of the original four no less, shouldn’t you be aware of that?

“Seems like stagnant waters were actually nothing special.”

“Haish… This ahjussi isn’t trustable.”

In an instant, anger surged within Geom-in. He wasn’t the one who asked to come to the labyrinth. So what kind of bullshit they were talking about after bringing someone who just wants to rest?

If he were his usual self, he would have kept his eyes down and said nothing, because he didn’t want to throw away his connections.

But he wasn’t now.

“…who are the people who asked to come here in the first place? I clearly said I wanted to take a break!”

However, instead of denying his accusation, the three of them only answered shamelessly.

“Yeah, that’s right. Our bad on that one. But since you are already here, shouldn’t you work hard?”

“Yeah. We have come all the way here. Or do you want to return, alone?”

“Weren’t you the one who said we should go together wherever we go?”

Geom-in said while holding back his anger.

“That’s why! Let’s not blame others and just fight against monsters.”

The two camps looked at each other without saying a word. A mixture of anger and ridicule went back and forth. The harsh environment of the labyrinth had made such minor quarrels and turned them into rifts. The party ended the battle and climbed onto the wet ground to rest.

While everyone was quietly chewing the biscuits they had, Kim Dae-ho murmured.

“People who entered from the other entrance saw a dead monster…”

“Did the monsters fight amongst themselves?”

“No, It had a hole in their forehead; traces of an adamant spear.”

“It’s I Love Gimbap’s doing, huh?” Chae Sang-shin said full of conviction. And the two others nodded.

“That bastard sneaks in every time an event occured and sweeps everything…”

“But where did he enter from?”

At that moment, they remembered Choi Da-jeong blocking the entrance for 30 minutes.

Did she block the entrance to buy enough time for I Love Gimbap?

Geom-in had thought that it was the case from the start, but he didn’t keep his mouth shut. After all, It was kind of depressing and infuriating at the same time to see the other three stagnant waters had gathered without him.

‘The three of them without me…’ He was really envious of them having fun, eating delicious food, and even helping each other. Meanwhile, all he had were just these fake companions that are only using him for their benefit.

Kim Dae-ho said as he took a biscuit out of the bag. “Hey, right now, someone is instigating the Auction House. They said to attack I Love Gimbap.”

“I’m sure that bastard is watching too, so can they even do that? Moreover, it looks like he was already far ahead of all of us.”

“You are so frustrating! The monster he killed had been found. If we follow that trail, we will surely meet him. It will also speed up our progress in the labyrinth.”

“If we do well, we might be able to kill him too…”

When Lee Jang-hoon mumbled, everyone laughed at him.

“Killing I Love Gimbap? That’s too far-fetched.”

“Yeah. That bastard must have all of his skill slots and items slots full. One or two people wouldn’t be his opponent at all.”

“Why fight 1 on 1? We just have to catch him in bad timing and catch him off guard! This place was narrow and dark, if a lot of people attack him together, we will have a chance.”

“But…·” There was a problem that they had to catch up with him, but there seemed to be a possibility of killing him when they thought about it.

Kim Dae-ho seemed excited, as if he had met I Love Gimbap in his imagination. “Do you know how disgusting it was to have that bastard written on the ranking list in every single event? I think it would be refreshing to put a mithril knife on his chest!”

“Yeah. If I just meet him, I oughta…”

Geom-in quietly packed his luggage without responding to their words. The reason they hate Seongho was a funny one. It was because he did not share his know-how with everyone.

Chae Sang-shin, who was watching him, asked. “What do you think, Geom-in-ssi? You must have hated I Love Gimbap too by now.”

“These days, Geom-in-ssi has really changed. You even befriended Rapwi, who you weren’t friendly with in the past.”

“By the way, isn’t Rapwi I Love Gimbap’s friend? Maybe Geom-in-ssi is too?”

“It’s not the case.” Geom-in denied and everyone burst out laughing. But no one laughed because it was really funny.

“Let’s go. We have to catch up with him.”

Suddenly, it was decided that they would go after I Love Gimbap. Knowing this, Geom-in pretended to pee in the corner and posted some items and left a comment in it.

-The lunch box was delicious.

Seongho will see this comment and realize that it was from him.

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Da-jeong clenched her teeth tight as she saw the comments people have posted on the Auction House since a while ago.

“Seongho, everyone has realized that you’re here.”

“Well… with all the monsters we had killed so far, it was only natural. But, did they also realize that you blocked the entrance for me?”

“Yeah, they realized it too. So, they should be angry with us, right?”

However, there was no tension in Da-jeong’s face as she said that. After all, if push comes to shove, she just has to call her ghouls. It wasn’t a big deal for me either. If they decide to materialize their anger by attacking us, they will pay the price for it.

When I was looking at the Auction House to see all the comments they said about me, an item with a strange comment caught my eyes. The lunch box was delicious… I think this is a message to me fr Geom-in. Just in case, I entered a comment saying ‘Shindorim.’ (E/n Idk what’s Shindorim, but the author’s probably wanted to write Sindorim, the name of a place in Seoul)

And then, Geom-in warned me.

-Be careful, people are looking for you right now.

-It’s not me who should be careful, it’s the people looking for me. If you’re with them, run away.

-I’m sorry… I can’t do that right now.

It looks like he was stuck with them for some reason. I was about to ask what was going on, but Geom-in told me where he was.

-Currently, I am in a swampy area with tall trees, and three people are walking ahead of me. The guy with short hair is someone with a body-strengthening unique skill…

Geom-in described the unique skill characteristics of his colleagues who were after me. The area Geom-in told me was close to where I was currently, so it would be dangerous for me and Da-jeong if we didn’t take any countermeasures.

Unfortunately, an alarming comment was posted before I could even send a warning to Geom-in.

– Ouch!

That was the end of it. Geom-in sent no further comments

I stood up as I closed the Auction House and said to Da-jeong.

“Let’s go get Geom-in.”