Chapter 219: The Natives of Lotus (1)

2 members of the Korea Shelter, Lee Beomseok and Oh Seung-yeon were currently at the Han River. Their purpose was to investigate the pollution of the Han River. It was due to the fact that rumors had circulated at the auction house about the fact that the water in the river smelled a lot because of the powdered remains of metals that got hit by the corrosive disease.

In fact, the two were able to know that the water condition in the Han River had truly become worse than before just by looking at the color of the river through Oh Seung-yeon’s paper airplane.

“…it felt sticky.”

The Han River in winter looked fine because it froze, but when everything had thawed, it revealed its true colors. After collecting the water, Lee Beomseok fiddled with it with his fingers. It had a strangely sandy texture, probably due to the metal powders that it contained.

“We can’t drink this, can we?” Seung-yeon asked in a worried tone.

“Considering the amount of metal powder contained in it… drinking it would kill us faster than having to fight monsters.”

“But can’t we still drink it if we did something to it, like filtering or distilling it?”

“There are more than 100 people in the shelter. Even if we did do that and it succeeded, we can’t get that much drinking water for everyone.”

The biggest problem for all survivors was, of course, water. The Chinese who settled in the west got hit by Seongho while trying to monopolize the bottled waters he sold. The Koreans didn’t go that far, but they still felt the lack of water.

The amount of drinking water was quite good, but the amount of water for daily necessities was nowhere near enough. Normally, humans need about 3 to 4 liters of water to survive a day. But for the survivors who had to fight bloody battles with monsters, even 4 liters was not enough. The problem was that there’s no way to increase the amount of water they could get.

The water in the river was polluted to the point it was unusable, and rain hadn’t come to visit the land of Korea for several months now. Thanks to those two situations, bad odor could be smelled from any survivor’s body.

‘That side has enough water, though…’

Lee Beomseok shook his hands and stood up. He knew that Seongho had supplied a lot of water to the Great Labyrinth. He had borrowed some large basins from Korea Shelter, which he poured water generously into. Thanks to that, the people on the first floor of the Great Labyrinth enjoyed the windfall of taking a bath for the very first time in a long time. No, you can’t even call it taking a bath, they were just wiping their body with water. However, that alone was a luxury in the apocalypse.

Unfortunately, it was clear that Seongho had no intention whatsoever to supply them with water in the long term.

‘Is selling water at the auction house his final objective?’

From the circumstances they knew so far, they assumed that Seongho’s shelter was flooded with water. Lee Beomseok was frustrated by the fact that he didn’t use it to help people.

If he had that much water, shouldn’t he use it by selling it or distributing it?

When Lee Beomseok returned to the Shelter and reported his findings, Jang Won-taek said:

“Do you know that line from a certain movie that said ‘If the favor continues, people will take it for granted’?”

“I understand what you mean, but shouldn’t we help each other in the apocalypse?”

“Seongho is still helping us. I heard rumors that Hyung-jun and Ji-Hye went into his shelter recently.”

“The rest of us means nothing to him… Is that what you mean?”

When Jang Won-taek heard Lee Beomseok’s response, he let out a dejected smile. Even though the man had been in politics for decades, he still doesn’t know how to judge people properly.

“Listen… Good will cannot be forced. In the case of Seongho, he is a ball that rebounds harder the more he is pressed. It’s best to just let him do what he wants.”

“But he’s the co-leader of this shelter, isn’t he?”

“He is only a nominal leader. Except for that one time, he never interfered at all.”

“…I am worried about what to do with the water situation in the future.”

“If all of the time shelter opens in July, we would be able to take a breather. Let’s just think about what happens after that.”

Lee Beomseok was surprised that his boss spoke so irresponsibly. Normally, he would have made plans for a few years later in advance.

When he asked about it, the old man smiled and stroked his white hair.

“The environment changes too fast for my aging brain to keep up. At times like these, the best thing to do is to pick up the crumbs that Seongho left behind. Oh, by the way, the other members of his shelter have been here lately.”

“Yes… they say they are moving. I heard about it by chance through Seung-yeon.”

“You’re not saying that they are leaving this place, are you?” Jang Won-taek was startled and leaned his upper body toward him.

Seongho and his party had their own lodging in the Korea Shelter. But truth to be told, they rarely used the place as their set base at all. After all, they would prefer to stay at their shelter in the other dimension, except for the time they had business to do on Earth.

“No, sir. They said they are moving their shelter inside the portal. They also said that the people of his shelter can stay on Earth while he’s doing the moving. Maybe he’ll use the gryphon to move things around.”

“Ah, the materials will be stored in his dimensional warehouse, right? The people in the moving center business are going to cry.”

The conversation between the two continued and the conversation finally reached the topic about the battle that happened in the Great Labyrinth. They knew it was a battle between Seongho and the very same Chinese that tried to monopolize the bottled water that Seongho put to sell. But no one knew what happened after that.

The other shelter members kept their mouths shut as if they had promised to when being asked. Jang Wontaek wanted Seongho to tell him, but he was still busy preparing for the move.

At that moment, the two of them suddenly got a call from the front office. Lee Beomseok looked at the paper airplane that had flown in through the window and doubted his eyes.

“…this doesn’t make sense.”

“We live in a world that makes no sense in the first place. What is it?”

“A woman named Go Ho-kyung came to visit. They say she’s in front of the southern barricade…”

“Go Ho-kyung? That’s a name I’ve never heard of.”

“She is the woman who fought with Seongho in the Great Labyrinth. They said she’s Ahn Geun-seok’s subordinate.”

Jang Won-taek’s expression hardened.

“Can It be- No way. If she came here to destroy this place, there would have been a better way rather than coming through the front door.”

“I’ve been told that she has no intention of fighting at all. She wants to meet Seongho.”

Jang Won-taek pondered and asked.

“Is she alone? What about subordinates or monsters accompanying her? What’s the current situation?”

“Looks like she came alone. She’s surrounded by the border troops now and she’s pretty calm.”

“Meaning, she wants to tell us that we don’t have to worry about her… Let her in.”

“I understand.”

Lee Beomseok wrote the instructions on the paper airplane and flew it back. After a while, with the reply that they would do as they were told, a mysterious woman in a suit entered the shelter.

After Lee Beomseok saw her from her window, he was struck dumbfounded.

“Wearing a suit and high heels in the apocalypse… Is she sane?”

“She must have absolute confidence…”

Anyway, whatever the situation was, the home-owner must treat their guests.

Jang Wontaek turned his back and said, “Contact Seongho.”

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“I didn’t know you would come like this. Aren’t you scared?”

“I had died once because of you, what else could I be afraid of?” She said before stroking her neck. It seemed like she suddenly remembered the mithril blade that had separated her head from her body, but she decided to put up with it for now.

I sat in the chair opposite her. Jang Wontaek crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if he would only listen.

“So what is your purpose for coming here?”

“There is no need to waste time. I’m here to pick up my boss.”

As expected, she came to pick up Ahn Geun-seok.

Did she know that the corpse is still in the dimension warehouse?

“He is dead.”

At my response, she only laughed. “Don’t talk nonsense. If he’s really dead, we will know. Currently, the boss is neither dead nor alive.”

It’s hard to see this as Go Ho-kyung’s ability. Perhaps, that monster called Giudecca who was behind her pushed her forward. Perhaps, Giudecca and the executives were mentally connected. If he interpreted it that way, it makes sense that she came.

Taking Ahn Geun-seok as a hostage was a good move, but my ability was revealed in exchange. It would be futile to deny it now, so it would be better to take as much as possible from her…

After organizing my thoughts, I said.

“What will you pay me in return?”

“Tell me what you want.”

In an instant, Jang Wontaek’s eyebrows twitched.

Could it be that Giudecca’s true identity was a fairy who made people’s wishes come true?

“Immortality, is it possible?”

“It is not impossible. But it would be impossible for you.” She smiled and slowly crossed her legs. Her legs were so long that she gave off a very sensual vibe.

But to me, it was funny. After all, how dare a tentacle monster acting so sexy?

“Do I have to turn into a monster, first?”

“You know very well. Immortality is possible only when you accept everything from the master.”

“By master, you mean Giudecca, huh? By following it, it could be considered as a relief if even one tentacle didn’t pop out from my eyes.”

Go Ho-kyung’s eyes widened, then slightly relaxed.

“I see that you also know about that. Well, it will be strange if you don’t know about it after walking around Lotus.”

“I’ll be entering the Elderwood Forest soon, so look forward to it. I’m going to stop that damn master of you from using its tentacle.”

“If it was that easy to do, then the world wouldn’t have ended that easily, right?”

Is that so? Well, I’ll see once I go there personally.

Anyway, what should I ask, I wonder…

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Ahn Geun-seok was a very high-priced bargaining chip, so I didn’t want to give it away at a slashed price. Skills and items wouldn’t be good enough, so it’s better to ask for information.

“You have the unknown monsters expansion patch data, don’t you?”

This time, Go Ho-kyung’s eyebrows twitched.

“You mean all the data?”

“Everything. Give me all the data, starting with the data about the Brutra until the tier 4 Store.”

“I have no objection to giving it to you, but how can I know that you will keep your promise?”

“When I receive the data, I will definitely hand him over. Well, if you are doubtful, you can just go back.”

She looked at the ceiling for a moment and then said.

“Fine, then. I’ll pass all the data. But you’d better give up the misconception that you’ll be free from the hands of my master with that.”

“Free from it? Don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to free myself from that master of yours. I’m going to kill it.”

“Hehehe, do your best then. Regarding the exchange… I’ll meet you at Yeongdeungpo Park at this time tomorrow.”

“Why there? Are you feeling burdened by coming here?”

Go Ho-kyung had a ferocious face at my question.

“More like disgust. How can they who know nothing dare to drool over my body!”

It seemed that she received a lot of attention as walked through the shelter. Some would have been afraid of her thanks to her overly-relaxed clothing, while others would have drooled over her body.

“There’s something I’d like to ask personally…”

“What?”

“What if, of course, there’s no chance of it happening, but what if… what are you going to do if I were to somehow… Join you?”

“You? Hmm… You alone won’t be enough, so I’ll first find a woman with a high level.”

It’s not because I’m deeply into her but suddenly she reminded me of Da-jeong.

I asked hurriedly.

“And? What are you planning to do with two purebreds?”

“Wouldn’t it be obvious what a man and a woman would do together?”

Go Ho-kyung’s eyes slit upwards as she smiled, and a cough sound quickly came from beside her.

“Was ‘Love and Peace’ the theme of your plan?”

“Of course not. I’ll tell you more details if you join us. It won’t be bad for you either.”

“I absolutely loathe the thought of being a monster like you.”

She bit her lip and looked at me.

“For now… No-forget it..”

“There are tentacles pouring out of your wounds. Doesn’t that mean you are nothing but a monster? It would have been worth watching if it appeared in the Unknown Monsters expansion pack back in the game, not reality.”

“My mind is still the same as when I was still working in the front desk, so stop talking nonsense.”

Oddly enough, she emphasized that she’s human. In other words, even though she could turn into a monster, she still wanted to be treated as human, right?

It might be for that reason that she insisted on wearing high heels and a suit.

Let’s argue a little bit here.

“So, how can the very woman who worked at the front desk at a company accept Giudecca’s power? Did Ahn Geun-seok trick you?”

“…You don’t need to know.”

Go Ho-kyung, as if she didn’t like the interrogation-like atmosphere, got up and brushed her butt.

She even warned us.

“Until now, you’ve been living your life just fine. But in the future, it will be far more difficult. Monsters that come after Brutra are no joke.”

Well, I was prepared for it, so I have no major complaints. If the future were to come anyway, we would just have to prepare for it step by step. Giving up while whining wasn’t really my style.

“Thanks for the advice. Should I kill you here?” I said.

“…You know that even if I die, I will be resurrected, right?” A little bit of time passed before she answered. Palpable that she’s hesitating.

“It’s just a joke. Goodbye.” I waved. There was a creak as she disappeared out of the door.

Jang Wontaek, who had been silently listening to our conversation, let out a long sigh.

“A lot of things are happening at once.”

“It’s not that much… Are you curious?”

“I would love to hear from you if possible.”

“Well, it’s really nothing.”

I told him the story of Giudecca, who was hiding in the Great Labyrinth and what it did to Lotus.

His expression changed by every passing second.

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At Yeongdeungpo Park, I ran into a golden goblin. No, it’s not Go Ho-kyung, mind you. It was a literal golden goblin.

The guy looked at me and squealed, not knowing why. But, the small pocket it cherished was pitiful compared to its bearer’s moniker.

“To think the data will be given like this.” I caught the guy trying to run away and searched his pocket. The content was only one hard disk.

Compared to the lengths she took to send it to me, I don’t even have to deliver Ahn Geun-seok’s corpse because I just need to take it out of the dimensional warehouse.

I went into the shelter and showed Yoohyeon the hard disk.

“Can you check this?”

“Wait a minute… I guess I can check it by putting it in an external case.”

He immediately connected it to his laptop and showed me the contents. Oh, um… Something’s a little strange. There were fewer videos than I expected, and most of the data were in text format.

Yoohyeon knocked on the keyboard and looked back at me.

“I guess this is all.”

“It looks like these bastards didn’t develop the patch and were just just fucking around.”

“Maybe it was swept away by magic while they were still in the middle of developing it?”

Given the circumstances, it was highly likely. Still, there’s enough data regarding monsters and shop data. I came out after telling Yoohyeon to copy the data.

Only after I kicked the golden goblin’s ass did I open the dimensional warehouse and bring out a bag.

“See you again later. Though, when that day comes, you’ll definitely die for real.”

After a while, the golden goblin was enveloped in light and collapsed. Ahn Geun-seok’s body also disappeared. I wondered what kind of expression he would make after he woke up. But I bet all my wealth that it wouldn’t be a smiling face.

I went into the shelter and carried all the luggage while Yoohyeon organized the data. The dimension warehouse was a very convenient function, but only I can use it. I used to say that it was something that was created to put me through hardships, but now since my stats have gone up, it wasn’t that hard.

“Now, they are the real problem.”

What should I do with the 200 cows? Since there is food on Bam Island, I thought I could ask Ji-man to take them there for a while along with the wild boars and the hwajos.

I called the members and explained the plan.

“After moving there, I will open the dimensional door, so you can come out at that time.”

Da-jeong crossed her arms and asked me.

“But how are you going to get there? We don’t have the gryphon now.”

“Is it too far for you to call it back?”

“Yeah. The guy should be flying around the palace by now. It’s too great of a distance.”

The teleport scroll is a one-time use, and it was difficult to use an ATV to traverse.

“Then the only way left is to use the boat, huh?”

“Eh? You are going to ride on a boat?”

“I got something like that from the Korea Shelter. It’s a plastic boat, but it’s pretty big.”

I was worried about the sea monsters, but since I plan to follow the coastline, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

I clapped my hands to get their attention.

“It’s nothing much. I just want to say that you guys can just stay in Korea Shelter before entering again to build a new shelter at our new location.”

The people dispersed, and with the help of Hyung-Jun, I pulled out the boat and put it into the sea.

It’s time to go on an unprecedented voyage.

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