Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Chapter 119 – Frozen World (6)

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Da-jeong fulfilled her promise to take me on a bus by asking her ghoul to find monsters near Bucheon Stadium Station.
When the ghouls found out the location of the monsters, they informed Da-jeong and beat them just until it’s on their death door and then passed the baton to me.
Because of the cold weather, the monsters’ senses were dulled, so it was not difficult to deal with them.

After a day and a few hours, we almost annihilated all the monsters near Bucheon Stadium Station.

「Level has risen to 25」

「You have earned 20 points」

「As you has reached level 25, an additional effect will be added to your unique skill」

「Dimensional Prison」

“Da-jeong…”

“Yes? Can I enter the portal now? Say it quickly.”

She clings to me and pushes her ears towards me.
However, looking at the word ‘dimensional prison’, it seems that it was far from what she wanted… Instead of explaining, I decided to just use it.

“Dimensional Prison.” A different portal from the one which led to the shelter appeared.
Unlike the real one, which is transparent and clear like the surface of water, this one has stripped vertical lines on it, which makes the portal look like a zebra.

I feel bad about this…

Da-jeong exclaimed happily as she touched the portal in front of her and then threw her hands to the air.

“Let’s enter!” She cheered and entered the dimensional prison.
5 minutes later, she popped back to reality and immediately fell down on all fours.

“Aaaaaah!!!!!”

“Why! What’s wrong!” I headed to her and raised her back to her feet.
She grabbed me by the arm and grabbed my shoulder.

“I just floated and fell! From the sky!”

“Really?”

“Lord, I thought I was going to die! HUHUHUHU…” She clinged to me and wailed.
If what she had said is true, that she had just fallen from the sky for five minutes, that’s not too bad.
I tried to enter the dimensional prison, but was pushed back by the portal.

“I think it can only be used by people other than me… Would you like to go in again?”

Da-jeong shook her head.
“I will never go in anymore, never.”

Well, it’s just my speculation, but I think the dimensional prison sends people it caught to places where people won’t be able to do anything.
It could be the sky, the sea, a volcanic region, or even a cold region.
It would be hellish to be in such places for them.
But for me, it’s an opportunity to suppress and keep a single enemy out of the battlefield for 5 minutes.

“Even though they would return alive, their mind won’t be in a perfect state.
That is the effect of the dimensional prison.”

Da-jeong, who heard my explanation, grunted in disappointment.
“I thought I would finally be able to enter the shelter….
Well, my next target is leveling you up to 30.”

“Wait, before that.”

I opened the Auction House and checked the comment Seokhyun left.
He had rescued four survivors in less than two days and was currently on his way back to the shelter with the last isolated agent.
That said, we should go to the government shelter now.
I need to take the scarab back.

I went into the portal and pushed the snow sled, which the stag beetles repaired while we were hunting back to Earth.
As Da-jeong tied the ropes to the ghoul, she grumbled.
“Their numbers had gone down so much… I need to get more ghouls, but I don’t feel like doing it at all.
I can’t find a ghoul that is good enough for my preference.”

“Well…” Her zombie domination unique skill could only be used once per day.
Therefore, dominating just any ghouls was not an option.
It was due to the fact that when they first join the ranks of Da-jeong’s subordinates, they wouldn’t get the additional stats given to the ghouls under her right off the bat.
They would only get it if they managed to grow after they became Da-jeong’s subordinate.
In this kind of weather, where it was cold and difficult to even find food, it was difficult to control the ghouls.

I handed the plastic bottle filled with hot water to Da-jeong and told her to put it inside the sleeping bag inside the sled.

“It will be warm if you put it in there.”

“Oh… it’s true!.” She went into the sleeping bag and squirmed into a caterpillar.
As I sat in the back seat and snapped the rope hard, the ghouls started running.
The destination was the area around Yeouido.

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After running for less than 30 minutes along the national road, we found a ghoul.
The guy was eating frozen zombies on the side of the road.
Da-jeong saw it and turned her head to me “Wait, how was it still able to move?”

“It has adapted.”

I unbuttoned the sleeping bag to make it easier for Da-jeong to get out and got off the sled.
We then hid behind a building and observed the ghoul.

“Its movement is good… I’m excited about it.”

“Do you see its blue skin? From what I’ve studied back in the game, that is proof that it has adapted to this cold environment.”

“There’s something like that back in the game?”

“There is.
You guys just didn’t pay much attention to it.” From the standpoint of a stagnant water, ghoul is just another mob anyway.
Therefore, there’s no need to properly understand the characteristics of such a low level monster.
After all, even if they just hit it a bit hard, they would definitely die.
So why bother learning their characteristics and weaknesses?

“It does look better than a normal ghoul, but as it has adapted to cold, I’m sure there’s also disadvantages it has developed, such as it being weaker to heat than a normal ghoul would.”

“I don’t want it if its fighting power is lower than a normal ghoul.”

“So let’s check it.
Send your ghouls to it.”

“Okay.”

Da-jeong snapped her finger and her ghouls approached the blue ghoul.
The guy immediately showed his teeth to the other ghouls and ran towards them.

It’s pretty agile.
It was clear that it was superior when it was compared to Da-jeong’s ghouls in terms of speed, but when Da-jeong’s ghouls managed to catch it, the guy couldn’t hold out for long.

Kieeeekk-!!

The blue ghoul was thrown away.
When Da-jeong saw it, her expression turned sour.

“What the… It’s terribly weak.”

“It seems like the spores in its brain have decided that survival is more important than fighting power.
That’s why it’s incredibly agile, so that it can run away from dangerous situations.”

“Ah! Let’s just kill it!”

“No.
Think about it.
That guy’s pretty fast, right? I’m sure it will come in handy in the future.”

I persuaded Da-jeong to take in the guy.
In the end, she agreed.
Her unique skill’s activation method was really simple.
While her ghouls were holding the blue ghoul, Da-jeong just snapped her fingers.
And it’s done.

We returned to our sled and continued our journey.
When we arrived at Yeongdeungpo E-Mart, a scarab was waiting for us at the checkout counter.
It seems that Rapwi had returned to the government shelter.
I took the scarab back to the shelter and looked around the first floor, but there was nothing to loot.

Da-jeong, who returned after checking the clothing store, shook her head and let out a sigh.
“They had looted everything clean, leaving only dust behind.”

“This is the center of Seoul.
Of course that will be the case.” Now we just have to wait for Seokhyun.
The reason why we were coming to this place was mainly to pick up the scarab, but there’s another goal: It was to back up Seokhyun in case something happens.
After all, if Seung-cheol provoked him excessively, there was a risk that he would hit him right away.
Seokhyun was just that kind of guy, a guy who acted with their fists first before thinking.

While I was waiting while drinking some coffee with Da-jeong, I heard a loud noise near Yeongdeungpo Station.

“Seeegs!!!”

We looked into each other’s faces.
Rapwi really doesn’t disappoint.

.
.
.

“Ugh!”

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Joo Seung-cheol woke up in the parking lot of Yeongdeungpo Park.
The reason he dared to be aggressive in his argument with Rapwi was because he had a resurrection scroll.
With it, he felt like he was ready to fight against the whole world.

“That bastard dared to stab me with a knife? I won’t let him go easily next time!” He checked his body and vomited a barrage of cursive words.
One side of his head was aching.
Perhaps it was the side effect of the resurrection scroll, but it soon disappeared.

What should I do now?

‘Even if I return to the government shelter, it will be difficult to calm the situation…’ And as his men would also soon leave the shelter, there’s no need for him to return there.
It would be better for him to observe the development of the situation from his shelter in Hannam-dong.

“It’s cold, it’s cold…” He covered his ears with his palms and waited for his men to arrive.
But then, he heard a particular voice he didn’t want to hear.

“Seeggs!”

There’s only one guy who makes such noises.

‘He should’ve known about my ability…’ And yet, he still dares to come to him again.
That could only mean one thing.
He has backup.

‘Since he’s crazy and impulsive, it’s better to be careful.’ He closed his eyes, swallowing his anger.
And when he saw his men crossing the road, he almost cried.

“He’s here!”

“President!”

His men saw him and ran to him.
It took a lot of effort for Seung-cheol to be able to lead this many awakeners.
He had been constantly giving things to them, even before the apocalypse began, and he had claimed that he had prepared a lot for the apocalypse.
Thanks to that, he was able to be recognized as a leader by his subordinates.
Their allegiance might be slightly shaken because of his death at the hand of Rapwi, but they wouldn’t just leave him because of that.
After all, to enter his personal shelter in Hannam-dong, they must have his permission.
It would be foolish to give up so many things and turn around just because of such simple things.

Seung-cheol asked after meeting his men.
“Where is Rapwi currently?”

“It looks like he went somewhere else.
The shelter is a mess right now.”

“Shall we find and end him? If President can just block his ability, it would be easy to take him down.”

Seung-cheol shook his head at his subordinates’ questions.

“No… Let’s go back to our bunker for now.
I think Rapwi has backup.”

“If it’s a backup… Is It I Love Gimbap?”

“Let’s find that b*st*rd and kill him.”

Seung-cheol smiled bitterly.
His subordinates, who served him, seem to be in high spirits even though he, their leader, has just got stabbed by a knife.
They can’t even do anything when he was stabbed, and yet they want to kill Gimbap? What a foolish bunch…

But he didn’t voice it out loud.

“Let’s go to the bunker first.
We are too unprepared to fight against them.
Let’s make a plan after we get back.”

“Wise decision, President.”

The journey to the Hannam-dong shelter wouldn’t be easy.
They have to go through Olympic Boulevard before finding a boat to cross the Han River.
Seung-cheol said while wiping the snow on the window sill.

“In this weather, the Han River would be frozen, right?”

“I think so.”

“Then we will be able to get there in two hours.
Everyone, pack your backpacks and let’s go.”

Seung-cheol had kept some supplies around the government shelter just in case.
It’s a pity to use it here, but he couldn’t help it.
After a while, the four of them left the building and headed for Olympic Boulevard.
His men were all fine, but Seung-cheol himself was dying.
As he tried to walk through the snow that had piled up to his thighs, his stamina dwindled.

“Huff… Huff…”

He glanced at his subordinates and silently slid behind them, leaving his men to bear the burden of traversing through the tall snow.

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In other hands, his subordinates were all grinning.

“When we arrive, will we be able to have s*x?”

“Didn’t President said President Kim had pretty girls in his bunker? We definitely will be able to!”

“Brainwashing skill is really amazing.
It turned people into a complete doll.”

“What’s the fun of having s*x with someone who can’t even react?”

“I wonder?”

The subordinates laughed mischievously.
At the sight, Seung-cheol got annoyed and waved his hand.

“I’ll ask him for you guys! So let’s go quickly!”

“Okay!”

Once they arrived at Hangang Park, the Han River was frozen solid.
And while they were crossing the frozen Han River, the blizzard raged again.

“Ugh… it’s cold…”

“Hook, hook, hook!”

The cold, which seeped into his lungs, was no joke.
As they’re people who had never gone outside the safety of the shelter, they had no resistance whatsoever to the cold.

“I didn’t know it would be this cold…”

Seung-cheol deeply regretted not having prepared any ear warmer.
He thought that he would never have to go outside the shelter and could just spend his days lazing around, but that damned Rapwi ruined everything.

After 1 hour, the group finally arrived at Gangbyeonbuk road.
But there, they met a problem; there are monsters running towards them from the Han River.

“Th- those are ghouls!” The eyes of everyone in the group widened.

“Crazy… in this cold?”

It was hard to believe that ghouls could run like that in this cold weather, where it was difficult for even awakeners to be active.

Maybe those were Da-jeong’s ghouls?

‘No, from what I remembered, there’s no such thing like blue ghouls amongst Da-jeong’s subordinates…’

On top of it, it was hard to imagine her going out and working in this cold.
After all, even before winter came, she had always been grumbling about how cold the wind was.

Anyway, Seung-cheol decided that fighting here was foolish.

“Let’s run away!”

“Okay!”

In fact, the blue ghouls at the forefront were not specialized in fighting, but speed, so they’re actually weaker than a normal ghoul.
But since they didn’t know about that, they had no choice but to run away with their tails between their legs.

The group was chased by the ghouls and turned around and entered the residential area next to the collapsed apartment complex.
They saw that the place is close, and that at least they can arrive there with their depleting stamina.

“Ack!!” In the end, Seung-cheol lost his balance and stumbled at the entrance of a small building.
He had lost a lot of his stamina after moving for two hours in a blizzard.
His men dragged him up and carried him upstairs.
Meanwhile, Da-jeong’s ghouls surrounded the building.

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Me and Da-jeong joined Seokhyun, who was running around screaming ‘Seeegggsss’.
He insisted that we follow Seung-cheol.
His reasoning was: If we let him go like this, he will bite us later down the line.
I wanted to hear the detailed story about how he and Seung-cheol got to this situation, but it was important to move quickly first.

We were able to cross the Han River without being detected because the blizzard raged at the right time to cover us.
It was very funny to see Seokhyun sitting on the sled and shouting ‘Run, Run, Run!!!!!’

Anyway, after crossing the Han River, Da-jeong used the newly recruited ghouls to drive them back.
They ran away and went into a certain building.
As I was about to rest, Seokhyun made a shocking remark.

“I stabbed Seung-cheol with a knife.
So he’s running away now.”

“Uh… What? Could you please explain in detail?”

Da-jeong asked as he failed to understand what the hell was going on.
How did it make sense that, shortly after he rescued a lot of people, he stabbed someone else and started chasing him?

“As for what happened…”

Da-jeong’s mouth opened at Seokhyun’s explanation.

“I don’t know what to say, but you are definitely crazy… Don’t you know that you will be kicked out if you commit violence in the government shelter?”

“I was just trying to provoke him a little.”

“’Provoke him a little’? Do you think swinging your fist and stabbing him with a knife is only ‘a little’ provocation?”

He shrugged.
“I had no choice but to do it.”

Da-jeong turned her eyes at me.
“Did you also expect this?”

“I expected that Seung-cheol would start an argument with him.
But I never thought Seokhyun would take things this far.”

“Did I make a mistake?”

I hurriedly denied it as Seokhyun’s voice died down and tinted with sadness.

“No, it’s not a mistake.
Rather, it was good.
Because we are able to find out what his unique skill is and make him use his resurrection scroll.
Now, he will be shivering with cold and fear.
Very well done.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

When Seokhyun regained his spirit, Da-jeong muttered as if it was ridiculous.

“What are you guys talking about… Anyway, what are we going to do now? They will be suspicious if we keep sieging with the ghouls.”

I contemplated for a while before opening my mouth.
“Let’s just figure out the location of the bunkers now.”

“That’s it? If we leave him be, he’ll become a trouble for us in the future.
Who do you think owns all the bunkers over there?”

Just like Da-jeong said, The housing complex in Hannam-dong was full of bunkers.
They must’ve paid a lot of money to the media in order to hide it’s existence.
I had heard that there were a lot of chaebols living there, but I didn’t know that they had prepared this much.

Well, most of it should be empty, but it should be okay to consider all the survivors here as Seung-cheol’s allies.

“So we have to be prepared.
The bunker is mostly empty, but it’s sturdy.
It’s hard for us to attack right now.
We need to prepare ourselves first.”

Da-jeong nodded, but Seokhyun seemed to have a slightly different opinion.

“You know what? There’s actually a better way.
If Seongho uses his dimensional wall as a staircase for me like last time, I can go inside that building.
I can just kill them all and commit suicide.
How about it? That’s a good idea, right?”

The two of us got goosebumps hearing Seokhyun’s idea.

He’s really crazy…