Stagnant Water of Apocalypse - Chapter 177

 Chapter 177 – Living Apart (3)

The Great Labyrinth was something entirely different from a normal dungeon. Once the portal appears, it will not close. On top of it, there’s also no restriction whatsoever about the number of people that can enter. In other words, anyone could enter at any time.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s an easy place to clear…” As one of the endgame contents of the game, The Great Labyrinth boasted an incredibly large scale. On top of it, its difficulty was also hellish. The four of us died countless times there until we got used to the monster and the environment within.

However, The Great Labyrinth wasn’t something which was absolutely impossible to clear. If people can hold back their greed and keep themselves from diving too deep at their very first run, and decided to plan every step thoroughly, it was possible to attack it with minimum casualty.

From the 5th floor onwards, the story was a little different, though. It was due to special monsters, which have the ability to attack the mind of the survivors, which would appear from 5th floor onwards. It’s easy to get confused by them because they’re monsters which people couldn’t normally see on the outside world.

The key to defeating those monsters was having a mental resistance or immunity. However, items containing those options would only start to appear from the 5th floor. In other words, to break the 5th floor, you need an item from the 5th floor. It’s a f*cked up rule, indeed.

“Even thinking about it now makes me mad.” Luckily, I have a ring with a mental resistance option ready. So, I wouldn’t have to experience those ordeals ever again.

Of course, that wasn’t the only factor that made The Great Labyrinth a pain in the ass. There were also various traps and dangerous obstacles with strange status ailments throughout every floor. In my experience, the most difficult thing in the beginning stage of the labyrinth was the doppelgangers, which came out on the 6th and 7th floor.

“It’s scary because it feels as if we are fighting ourselves.”

The further down we go, the more dangerous it becomes. All in all, The Great Labyrinth was one of the end contents for a reason. After all, I hadn’t seen the deepest floor of it either.

“There were rumors that there’s a real monster in the deepest part.” I remembered that Rapwi said that he heard the cry of a monster from below when we were inside once. Though, as we were not going down soon, it was irrelevant information for the current me.

I looked around and poked my head into the portal. Naturally, a dark space welcomed me. This endless dark labyrinth would be the thing that would wear out the mind of the challenger. However, The Great Labyrinth was not necessarily a desolate place. There were places where people could use as a rest area in the deeper part of the labyrinth.

“But, it’s hard to find a place like that…” I was the only one with a systematic strategy for The Great Labyrinth. With our current power, it’s enough for us to clear the middle part and a few stages in the deep part.

“Not like it’s the time, though.” When I pulled my head out and put my hands on the portal, it went in smoothly. There’s no need to be anxious. The entrance is not the only entrance to The Great Labyrinth, as there are many other entrances all over the country. It wouldn’t be too late to attack it after the Battle Royale event concluded.

I noted the location of the portal on the map and climbed up to the tallest building nearby. Even though I already got my prizes, there’s still work to be done. It’s regarding the Chinese survivors who come from the west sea. Those guys were pushing in recklessly with no regard to their safety. They didn’t care about zombie raids or Battle Royale at all.

“They only have one life. What a reckless bunch…” I couldn’t understand their actions at all. If they just drive out the Koreans and occupy Incheon and Bucheon, they would be able to live quite a stable life. So why are they trying to push further?

I browsed through the Auction House to find out what the hell they were thinking. But what I found at first was the raging Koreans.

-Why did those guys come this way? We are in the middle of Battle Royale right now!
-When did those bastards pay attention to the event? There’s only one thing they know how to do. Pushing in with quantity.
-If you can’t handle them, destroy every supply you can’t carry before retreating. Don’t give anything to those bastards!
-How many Chinese were out there?
-I heard that they had occupied most cities on the west coast.
-The clans from Gwangju are preparing to move now.

Normally, Koreans and Chinese survivors always debate with everyone, no matter who they are, in the Auction House. However, at this moment, every Korean survivor is gathered together by their mutual hatred for the Chinese, and the same was also true for the opposite side.

In the case of the Koreans, even though they were sometimes hard to convince. they were still reasonable to some degree. However, the Chinese were completely out of hand. Every single of them argued that they should unite and kill Koreans and take over this land. Looking at their actions made me–who doesn’t have any preconceived notions about people from other countries–on the cusp of looking at them with preconceived notions.

At that time, I came to know that someone had found an auction item put up by a Chinese person. So, I went into the auction item and looked at the comments for a while. It seems like some Chinese had made a decision to enter the Auction House.

-The brothers who went to the airport were all dead.
-It’s fine. There are still many people who are willing to replace them.

Aigoo… What is this conversation? Are they trying to imitate people from the ages of the Three Kingdoms?

Judging from the conversation, it seemed that that one particular person had a high status among the Chinese. It could be said that he’s someone who’s on the level of a military general from a martial arts novel.

Using the Eye Of Truth skill, I saw that the name of the military general was Ju Seung Su.

-Continue to push the Koreans. They’re currently going through a big event and they wouldn’t be able to help each other.
-F*ck you! Don’t you know Battle Royale applies to you guys too?

An angry Korean stormed towards the comment section and poured out abusive language. The comment section became noisy for a while, but Ju Seung Su responded calmly.

-So, what would you do if we continue to do so? Do you guys have any countermeasures?
-Do you know what a Battle Royale is? All your men are currently dying.
-Didn’t I say it doesn’t matter? There are many brothers who will die for us.

What kind of drugs did he take to be able to say those kinds of things out loud? Even if the Chinese were crazy, they probably weren’t retarded bastards who don’t think their lives worth anything.

I entered a comment.

-This is I Love Gimbap. Koreans, please be quiet for a moment. I’ll talk.

The noisy comment section became really quiet And Ju Seung Su showed interest in me.

-Who are you?
-No one. I just someone who like gimbap. Though, I am also someone who killed the subordinates you sent to the airport and someone who killed a woman called Shen Long in the past.
-Leader! It’s that bastard!

Chinese people started to comment at that moment. However, not long after Ju Seung Su said a word, everyone became quiet.

-Seeing you easily silence other Koreans with your words alone, it seems like you have a pretty high status among Koreans.
-Actually, I don’t have any status. I am just someone who is always trying his best to survive in this apocalypse.
-Seeing that you are not trying to boast or something, I believe you are a capable person. Okay then, what did you come here for?
-I’m curious as to why you guys are just going around that recklessly.
-It’s to live.
-You send people to their graves in order to live? The words don’t match.
-Didn’t you see what I said before? I said there are many, many other people that can replace them. Do you know what that means?

For a moment, I thought that he had a brainwashing unique ability, but it shouldn’t be. It’s simply impossible to brainwash so many people at once.

If so, maybe?

-Did you scam them?
-What?
-Are you fooling your subordinates by saying that they can be resurrected after they die?
-Please refrain from calling them my subordinates. They are my brothers.
-Funny. Are there any brothers out there who would push their brothers to die?
-Hahaha… Maybe there is? Who knows?
-What if I reveal the truth?
-There is no one who will believe you, Korean.

That’s right. If I told the other Chinese that they were being deceived by someone in their ranks, I would be treated like an idiot. The guys who were in this auction comment could be said as Ju Seung Su’s closest aides, so it doesn’t matter if they know. And even if I told them the conversation, he could simply take down the auction item; erasing all the evidence.

-Now that you’ve figured it out, you surely know our ultimate goal, right? I heard that there are a lot of supplies there.

Is he talking about the Korean Shelter?

In fact, that information was widespread, so it was unfitting to call it a secret now.

-If you people go there, you will all be killed. There’s a scary old man armed with a gun there.
-Doesn’t matter. If he kills 10 people, 100 people will take their place. If we see a slight gap, he will die. That event could only have one winner, right?

This is a pain in the ass. As he said, it would be difficult for even Hyunwoo to stop the enemies from all directions alone. After all, his stats and skills were limited. Even if he already won, it’s a high hurdle to kill 100 people alone. A simple slip up and he would be sent into the afterlife.

Should I just leave him alone? I am also contracted to the Korean Shelter now. But the problem is, If I try to come and help, he wouldn’t look at it kindly and would only lash towards me.

-Do whatever you feel like. Whether you die or not, I don’t care.

However, Ju Seung Su’s reaction was strange. It was as if he was trying to provoke me.

-Are you scared? Yes, you should be afraid. Our brothers believe that Koreans caused this incident. Look at you guys, knowing that the world would be destroyed, yet did nothing but silently prepare by yourself…Why didn’t you tell us if you knew beforehand?
-Funny. Our government did tell yours, and a lot others about it. But it looked like your government just ignored it.
-What I said earlier was a bit misleading. Our purpose is not to drive you out. It’s killing you all.

It seems that Ju Seung Su decided not to listen to me and speak only for himself.

-Aren’t you guys trying to survive the Battle Royale?
-We don’t have to kill each other, right?

Come to think of it, Most of the Chinese survivors were low-level. Even if the stats were sealed and the skills were blocked, their current power wouldn’t differ much from how it normally is. In other words, they accidentally became a beneficiary of a Battle Royale. But if they didn’t finish the battlefield, they won’t get anything. Even if new monsters and items appear, they cannot use it.

-The monsters will stop the Chinese.

When I spoke in a sarcastic tone, Ju Seung Su made an unexpected statement.

-I know what you’re talking about. But there is a way to work around it. We just have to pick a few of the useless volunteers, and kill them later… There are a lot of people who are willing to die for us anyway.

After that comment, the auction item went down.

Woah, that bastard is smarter than I thought?

Outraged Koreans went to other auctions and poured out their anger there. Meanwhile, I carefully organized my thoughts. No matter how I talked to them, It seemed that I wouldn’t be able to stop them. However, I hoped not all Chinese were like that.

Then there’s only one thing I should do.

“I need to kill a lot of them. But not all.”

.
.
.

Just because the Battle Royale event occurred, monsters did not just disappear. Therefore, the survivors had to deal with monsters on top of fighting each other.

“It will be difficult.” I said, before taking a motorcycle out of the portal. If someone moved to another area right after finishing their battlefield just like me, there’s a risk that they would be caught up in an on-going Battle Royale event. For them, it would be as if they were struck by a lightning bolt on a sunny day. There’s only one way to avoid that. It was by turning oneself into a murderer.

Murder wouldn’t be judgedas one if it was done on a battlefield where the Battle Royale event takes place. No matter how many people you kill, you won’t become a murderer. However, when the event was over, the battlefield would be returned to normal. If I kill someone near the airport, I would become a murderer, and I would be able to move without affecting other battlefields.

“I’m not 100% sure about it, but it’s worth a try.” This was some kind of bug, so I had only tried it once. At that time, I accidentally discovered it while fighting a national treasure. So, it was unclear whether it would work or not. (P/n national treasure in game refers to players who plays as a murderer. They’re so rare, that’s why the stagnant waters called them national treasure, because they’re rare and had to be preserved.)

“Let’s see, where are the Chinese…”

When I put a note inside the portal, two paper planes flew to the sky. It seems that Yoohyeon had returned to the shelter. Thanks to that, I was able to quickly find out where the Chinese were.

-There are Chinese people in the paddy fields above the runway. Their numbers are about 10 people.

“Thank you.”

I opened the Auction House again and contacted Seokhyun and Dajeong.

-People aren’t coming there?
-Yeah.
-Seriously…. Seongho, can you please do something?
-Just stay there. I’ll be going there.
-What? If you move now, you’ll have to play Battle Royale again.
-I’m going to be a murderer, so it’s okay.

I managed to convince them both.

Da-jeong asked.

-Are you using that bug?
-Yeah
-You really know everything… Even the strange things.
-Anyway, just keep staying there, because the Chinese are not going to get close to you guys. Also, don’t be alarmed if you hear the heartbeat.
-Seongho, fighting!

It’s a bit strange to say ‘fighting’ as encouragement when I was about to kill people, but oh well. When I pulled the throttle hard, the motorcycle jumped out.

Vroooom~!!

As I raced down the highway in the spring breeze, I saw Chinese people pointing at me. I stopped the motorcycle, pulled out my rifle and aimed it at them.

Bang-!!

The moment I got the notification about how many points I got, my vision turned red.

Thump-!!

When the deathmatch started, the Chinese were stunned and quickly scattered. However, it’s useless. After all, there’s no need for me to wait for the zombie wall to kill them.

I chased after them on a motorcycle and hunted them one by one. As I got murderer’s unique tracking skill and stats buff, I killed all 10 of them before the zombie wall even formed. To be honest, my current state was ridiculously inferior compared to my original stats. However, it was still a league higher than any other people.

Surprisingly, the 10th person netted me a friendliness skill.

“Ugh…” I took a deep breath and suppressed the growing desire to kill. It’s good to have a murderer-only skill, but the Eye of Truth and the Stigma of Death skill were now gone.

I finally called the Auction House and entered a comment in the most crowded Auction Item.

-This is I Love Gimbap. Currently, there is a portal leading to The Great Labyrinth in front of the shopping street in front of Gimpo Airport… Once you enter, you will not be affected by the Battle Royale event.
-Seriously?
-Is that portal the very same big portal that appeared in front of Yatap Station?
-Oh my god! Then, doesn’t it mean that we don’t have to do Battle Royale?
-Correct. The event didn’t happen inside because it was some place in a different dimension from Earth. Well, those who want to get a resurrection scroll should still aim for the win, though.

There’s some more things I need to tell them here.

-The area around the Airport should be fine as I already finished the event there. However, you should never go anywhere else. There are many places where Battle Royale is not over yet.
– Then what should we do next?
-When crossing a river, how do you cross it? You can cross by checking which stone is not a slippery one, right? You just need to do that. Try to share some information for others too.

In other words, they should check the area where the battlefield had ended and share it amongst them.

-There should be more portals in other areas, so make sure the battlefield is over before moving.
-If 100 people rush to enter the portal without knowing, will 100 people get entangled in the Battle Royale?
-You’re right. By the way, don’t be alarmed if you hear a murderer’s heartbeat. because it’s mine.
-Huh, did you become a murderer, I Love Gimbap?
-Yeah. But don’t worry. I won’t touch anyone other than the Chinese.
-Wow, if it wasn’t for you, a lot of people would have died.
-If you know something like that, you should’ve told us in advance…

To think there’s still someone who said such things…

However, before I could say anything, they were crushed by other people’s barrage of censored words. Some of them said things that were confusing whether they were serious or joking.

-I Love Gimbab-nim, you can see my name, right? If you come to my location now, you can have a good time.
-Are you a woman?
-If it’s a good time, then, is it sex?
-Wow, I’m fucking jealous.
-Let’s not talk about that.

I’m sorry, but the Eye of Truth skill was temporarily disabled from my arsenal, so I can’t see your name.

-Stop saying such nonsense and just focus on surviving.

There’s nothing more I can do. I closed the Auction House and drove my motorcycle. My destination was Sincheon.