Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

“It looks strange.”

“Is it dead?”

“No, I think it’s alive.”

At that moment, the baby bird’s eyelids trembled. Perhaps it heard our voices as it started to open its eyes.

Kieek-!!

With the appearance and cute squeaking of the bird, Seokhyun’s remark about eating the egg suddenly became even more of a nonsense.

“Look at how cute that is! You’re saying you wanted to eat that?”

“Cute…”

“Where’s its parents, I wonder?”

Jiman held the broken egg carefully as if it was precious and wrapped a cloth around the broken shell.

“I will raise him.”

“Why are you trying to raise a little bird like this? Raising wild boar cubs is more logical to me since they’re our main source of meat.” Seokhyun asked.

I also agreed with his sentiment. Even though we raised wild boars in our base these days, they remained as nothing but a food source. In other words, to us, either wild boars and birds are basically the same thing, just a food source.

However, Jiman’s opinion was different.

“If we raise it well, it will definitely be a great help for us. It’s several times better than just using it as a simple food source.”

“Is that so? Seongho, what are your thoughts?”

“Me? Hmm…”

Seeing everyone staring at me, it seemed like they’re putting the burden of making the decision on my shoulder. If I told them to just eat it here, surely I would be treated like garbage by the others. After all, there’s no reason for us to eat it when there’s a whole lot of other foods here…

But more than anything else, I was interested in seeing Jiman’s dazzling eyes. He’s a guy who always followed what I wanted to do without even telling me his opinion. I wonder what would happen if I reject him here.

“Let’s grow it then.” Of course, in the end, I decided to not follow my curiosity and just give in to the pressure of the shelter members.

“Ah, thank you, Hyung.”

Seeing that Jiman was visibly fond of the bird also relieved my heart.

Da-jeong stroked the egg.

“If we want to raise it, we have to name it, right? What should we name it?”

“Since it’s a bird that has horns… Hornbi?”

Why are these guys looking at me with those eyes all of a sudden?

Seokhyun sighed. “So, there’s a reason you named a wolf Dingo.”

I don’t want to hear you, of all people, to be the one say that!

Anyway, we hunted the animals in the jungle and gathered all of the things that can be considered as a necessity and returned to the shelter. The stag beetles were working in gardens and orchards as usual. They’re really hard working guys. However, when Jiman came, they halted all of their work and ran towards the egg.

“We decided to call it Hornbi. It’s cute, isn’t it?” he said.

Why are you looking at me while saying that?

Anyway, the appearance of Hornbi became a hot issue not only for the stag beetles, but also for the scarabs. The two camps, which were always fighting each other whenever they met, have decided to agree on a temporary truce as they watched the eggs.

The Chief Scarab tapped my shoe and started drawing on the ground with a branch.

“Hmm? oh? OH…” A bird larger than an ostrich was drawn in the ground. With how big it was, I calculated that two people would be able to ride.

“Is that its adult form?”

Nod nod.

I’m sure these guys know something.

“Looking at the size, I think there would be a lot of meat.” As soon as I said that, the stag beetles that were petting the eggs looked at me with contempt in their eyes. The scarabs didn’t do anything as much as that, but they all shook their heads.

“Huh? It doesn’t taste good?”

Nod nod.

From the drawing the scarab drew after nodding, it looks like the taste was so disgusting, to the point that if two people eat it, three people will die.

It seemed like scarabs have a good sense of humor too.

Anyway, according to them, the Hornbi is a fast-growing, strong, useful animal that can carry up to two humans. On top of it, they can also hunt food on their own, and, decidedly, they were calm around humans. The scarabs said that even a wild one would approach humans and let them pet them.

Anyway, Jiman then made a dedicated nest made out of the feathers he had collected for the Hornbi on the site next to the Hwajo barn. Once he finished, he laid the eggs on it, and covered it with a blanket.

What a sincere guy.

At that moment, I turned my attention to the Hwajo barn. Their number had increased tremendously. Even when we’re continuously eating it, there’s still around 50 of them that I see in the barn. It was only possible because of Jiman’s unique skill. The vegetable garden and orchard next to it were also full of so many things. The amount alone made even me wonder if we could eat them all.

In conclusion, as long as we have Jiman, hunger just won’t happen.

“Are you guys good?” I said when I saw Dingo, Dingsoon, and their sixtuplets. These days, Dingo and Dingsoon spend most of their time taking care of their babies. Since there were 6 of them in total, when they all wandered around the nest, a cute chaos would ensue. However, since their mother would be the first one to take care of them, no one touched them. They all just looked at them with smiles plastered on their faces.

Since there were so many different creatures in the shelter, it was always crowded. It looks peaceful, but if a monster were to attack the shelter, everyone’s carefree attitude would disappear as if it was nothing more but an illusion, and everyone would immediately be ready for any kind of engagement.

I sat on the bench for a while and watched the shelter. It was obvious from the members’ movement that everyone was busy doing their own thing. Geom-in who got up late, turned on the faucet to get water in the middle of the shelter. It’s only possible because a motor was installed in the valley to draw water. It’s very comfortable thanks to Yoohyeon’s genius brain. Everything was perfect except for the bathroom issue.

“It is indeed fine to live alone, but…” Living with other people like this wasn’t that bad.

I laid down on the bench and watched the setting sun dye the forest red. Just a few hours ago, I was wandering around the Great Labyrinth. But now, I was here, sitting comfortably witnessing such luxurious scenery.

It’s really good.

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The first floor of the Great Labyrinth was still crowded with many people. So, following the rule, a lot of monsters also appeared here. On top of it, the occasional Deathmatch event added even more chaos into the already-hectic scene.

Many survivors complained about it to the Auction House.

-What in the world is happening! They said that Battle Royale won’t be triggered here, so why isn’t that the case for Deathmatch?

-If we kill someone here, will we become a murderer?

-Of course!

-That’s not what’s important! Will the murderer event be triggered or not?

-It will.

-It’s really absurd.

-It makes sense though. Battle Royale is applied to the event battlefield itself, and Deathmatch is a system that applies to people.

-Is that the setting in Survival Life?

-No, it’s my deduction.

-You fucker. Do you want to die?

-When the Deathmatch event happened, what would replace the zombie wall? Monster wall?

-Some times ago, I met a murderer who is getting hunted by some clan. I couldn’t get too close, but I did see some monsters gathering and arranging themselves into a straight line.

-Shit…

-I heard some rumors that a Chinese clan had been continuously triggering the Deathmatch event.

-Why!!! Are they crazy?

-Those bastards are drugged and drunk.

People couldn’t just dismiss those stupid behavior as a joke anymore. After all, all the Chinese they had met so far in the Great Labyrinth seemed to have lost their minds because of drugs. It was also rumored that the Chinese have a lot of people with brainwashing ability. A lot of Koreans believed that the rumor wasn’t far from the truth as they had seen the Chinese leaders use their compatriots as meat shields first hand.

Someone ranted:

-In a time like this, it would be perfect if Seongho was here…

-Who the hell is Seongho?

-It’s I Love Gimbap’s real name. You know, that large man who came in with the other stagnant waters.

-Oh, I saw him too. He seemed to love protein more than gimbap.

-I used to live with Seongho for a while.

-Really?

-Are you I Love Gimbap’s friend?

-Probably not a friend… just an old colleague?

-Will I Love Gimbap know you if he saw your face?

-I don’t think he’ll know if we meet…

-Then, you are just like us you fucker! Nothing but a stranger to him!

-Guys, rumor has it that I Love Gimbap killed all Chinese who broke into the Korean Shelter.

-How many Chinese attacked?

-The rumor said that there’s at least several dozen.

-If I have a gun, I can do that too.

-I call BS! No matter how low-leveled they are, there are dozens of people. It wouldn’t be that simple.

-Yeah. If there’s even one person with stealth ability, you are dead.

-You know Major Kim Hyun-woo of Korean Shelter right? The leader of the Korean Shelter Assault Team. He’s the one who defended the Korean Shelter at first. However, he couldn’t do it alone and was having a hard time. But it was said that I Love Gimbap appeared on a motorcycle and took care of everything with his mithril blade…

-Fucking cool!

-I saw I Love Gimbap and Duck Butt roaming around on a motorcycle. As they drive by, he cuts off an orc’s head with a sword…

-Now that we are talking about I Love Gimbap, I crave some good gimbap…

-By the way, where is that guy?

-That guy? You should address him as Sir I Love Gimbap! Show some respect man!

-Whatever… Just where is he?

-No one knows. He might have passed through the 3rd floor by now..

-Damn, a lot of people can’t even get to the 2nd floor, and yet he’s already that far?

-Hey, it’s not a certainty. Just a guess.

At that time, news broke out that an unidentified group had stolen some guns from the Hannam-dong Clan. Not just one, but five guns. They also lost an ammunition box on top of that.

When the news reached the Auction House, there was an uproar.

-Sigh… Those crazy people… They can’t even properly manage their guns, can’t they?

-All but a few people from the Hannam-dong Clan had really served in the military.

-Well, they are celebrities…

-What does it have to do with their guns being stolen?

-After hearing about it, it was said that guys from Hannam-dong Clan just roughly threw the guns in some random places when they were taking a break. It’s evident that they didn’t get proper training on how to handle a gun!

-They didn’t give it to us even after we asked, and now, they gave it away for free!

-Damn it. Now the Chinese are even more dangerous!

As always, another fight broke out at the Auction House. But this time it was different than usual. Some Chinese people came into the comment section and started mocking the Koreans. At first, many doubted they were really Chinese, but then, it was clear that they were Chinese because they were mocking Koreans by bringing out the history.

-You know that the Qing dynasty brought your king to his knees, right? Now it’s your turn to do the same.

-What is the Qing Dynasty?

-They are talking about the Qing Dynasty?

-Thank you for the gun. We’ll count it as a tribute. Though, you guys can’t stay forever with us.

-What a fucking bastards.

-Bastard who sweeps the fish every day in our West Sea.

-The Yellow Sea is our sea, isn’t it?

-I really want to kill them all.

-Try it if you can. Joseon.

-If I Love Gimbap is here, you guys are done!

-You mean the guy who slaughtered our brothers in Yeouido before?

-You guys are really crazy… Do you call people you used as a meat shield as your brother?

-Where is that bastard?

-These bastards are crazy… To think they are looking for I Love Gimbap…

-What can he do against guns?

-Do you think he’ll die if you shoot him? Have you seen the art gallery fight?

The comment section descended into chaos as arguments between Koreans and Chinese intensified. The extreme conditions of the Great Labyrinth and the apocalypse have pushed people into their current state. Until now, the atmosphere of the Chinese was not bad. However, it became a problem as they started to brag about finding something on the second floor, which they accidentally found on the way down.

-Isn’t that a Nightberry ? It is a fruit with a mental tolerance effect, it also tastes good.

-You guys who can’t even fight on the first floor correctly can’t even dream of having it.

Although it was a short comment, people at Seongho’s shelter still found it and wrote it down in a notebook. Seongho, heard about it when the others told him so, said.

“To think it appeared on the second floor.”

“What floor did it usually appear on?”

“The 5th floor.”

Da-jeong frowned. On the 5th floor, people really need mental tolerance stats, but to think it also appears on the 5th floor?

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

“Well, what did you expect from a shitty game like Survival Live? By the way, this is problematic… what should we do?”

“Let’s do what you are ridiculously good at!”

“Stealing?” The second floor was so wide that it was impossible to explore all of them. Therefore, it would be much more efficient to just steal other people’s loot.

Seongho entered the comment section where the Chinese were busy bragging.

-You guys, do take care of those Nightberry well, yeah?

-Do you know what’s the function of this Nightberry ?

-You don’t need to know.

-Looking at your words, are you the famed I Love Gimbap?

-That’s right.

-Tell us what’s the function of this fruit. In exchange, we will give you some.

-I’m sorry, but I’m the type of person who prefers to take it forcefully rather than receive it peacefully.

-Do you think you’ll be fine against bullets?

-You can check it by yourself later.

After that, there was no more comment from I Love Gimbap.

‘What the hell is this guy?’ Ju Seung Su grinded his teeth and instructed his subordinates. “If he showed up, shoot him and kill him, okay?”

“Yes.”

However, unlike Ju Seung Su, who was raging, his subordinates answered without any emotion.

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In the Great Labyrinth, Koreans stayed together. It was such a strange sight for those who know what they were normally like in the Auction House.

When someone mentioned it, everyone humbly said,

-Since aliens have invaded, we have to work together.

The word ‘aliens’ obviously referred to the Chinese who entered the Great Labyrinth. It was impossible to block them because their entrance point was different from the Koreans. On top of it, inside the labyrinth, Koreans were often pushed by the Chinese’s numbers and had to give up their bases.

Meanwhile, the Chinese swept through the Great Labyrinth with their body count as their weapon. Therefore, a lot of deaths happened inside, so there were corpses all over the place. Many corpses spawned a lot of bone creepers. And since it was dark inside, it became the best place for this monster to work. Thus, the first floor of the Great Labyrinth never had a day without a scream.

-If the first floor is like this, how difficult is the deeper floor?

In the meantime, five people were dispatched from the Korean Shelter. It was Oh Hyung-jun, Yoo Ji-hye, Lee Sangshin, Moon Daeho, and Moon Soyoon. They came as a team, but they were not given any special instructions. Jang Won-taek just wanted to hear real information since he was tired of the fake and distrustful information spreading around the Auction House.

“That’s why we came, but…” Hyung-jun pulled the leather gloves on his hand tight and looked around. He and the rest of the team were bewildered because it was much darker than they expected.

“I can’t really see anything. How can we fight in this condition?”

“They say your eyes will get used to it after a few hours.”

“For now, let’s take out the glowstones first.”

When Lee Sang-shin took out the glowstone, the surroundings barely lit up. It was still dark a few meters ahead of them.

Lee Sang-shin pointed to his ear. “You don’t see with your eyes here, you hear with your ears.”

“What?”

“You have to listen to everything. The sound of skeletons running, the rattling of bones, the sound of old iron swords and shields clashing…”

“Can you hear that?” Soyoon couldn’t understand his words at all.

The Great Labyrinth appeared to be quiet for them, but in reality, it’s very noisy. Even at the moment, a soft scream and the sound of the wind could be heard.

Hyung-jun said,

“Anyway, let’s all focus and go. We need to figure something out first.”

When they carefully explored the inside of the Great Labyrinth, someone suddenly appeared. Yoo Ji-hye was startled and screamed. But unlike her, Hyung-jun’s expression brightened.

It was because the man they stumbled upon was Seongho.