Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Chapter 8

“Ugh…” Just like these past few days, today too, I miserably woke up with a groan. However, this morning’s groan was deeper than usual because of the stinging pain I felt from the wounds I suffered from last night’s ambush.

Did the effect of the healing ointment end?

“Status window.”

?Level: 2

Point(s): 19

Vitality:9

Strength:10

Agility:8

Dexterity:9

Perception:8

Special Ability: Dedicated Dimensional Portal

Skill:-

Active Buff: Weakened?

My overall stats had dropped due to the ‘Weakened’ debuff. But it was still much better than the stats drop I got from the ‘Exhausted’ debuff.

While feeding myself a simple breakfast, I tried to figure out a way to avoid yesterday’s ambush from happening again in the future. The best method would surely be raising my Perception stats. And when I looked at the calendar, there’s still 26 days left before the zombie outbreak. That means, I couldn’t rely on items just yet because they won’t be available until then.

“No, wait, it was definitely there in the setting.” According to my memory, there’s an article in the backstory of Survival Life which reports the appearance of a monster in Mt. Jiri. And because of that very incident, the government would finally wake up from their denial and spurred into action.

It was only a background story, so most users would not even know about it. Survival Life was just that kind of game, there’s no way to know about the story if you weren’t digging deep enough.

Let’s check the video first.

I’d skimmed through pretty much every setting in Survival Life, so I was certain I had explained it at some point.

“Here it is.”

Thinking about it, the past me was really dedicated. Even though Survival Life was a shitty and unpopular game, I still covered things in depth in every video.

“If it’s 24 days before the outbreak…” That means, It would happen in two days. And even though it was extremely dangerous, I wouldn’t shy away from it because it was such a unique chance to get myself an item before the zombie outbreak occurs.

“Even though the stats on the item will be random, an item will surely come out.” and personally, I want an item with Perception stats to drop.

Usually, users who played Survival Life for the first time would think this way: ‘Isn’t it better to be stronger and more agile in order to kill monsters easier?’

They couldn’t be any more wrong. Such users would not last long and would eventually get eaten somewhere unseen and get their character deleted.

“In the first place, the title is Survival Life, isn’t it?”

The game was not about hunting, it’s about survival. It was important to run away and survive as long as possible. For that purpose, higher Perception serves better than higher Strength or Agility, especially in the beginning.

“The most important thing is to find them first and run away.”

Right now, my goal is to unlock the Item Shop which will open once I reach level 10.

When I checked the later part of the video, my annoying voice came out from the speaker.

-I Love Gimbap: This is just a background story; you can just play without even reading it.

-A Dog That Barks When It’s Curious: Woof Woof Woof!

-I Love Gimbap: I don’t know what you’re curious about in this minor setting, but very well. I’ll read it.

Good job you shitty puppy. Thanks to you, I was able to acquire the information in the back story.

In the backstory, it was told that the media had broken the embargo issued by the government, and leaked a picture of a typical orc corpse lying on the ground to the public. Next to the orc was a giant axe, the evidence that proves it drops an item.

“I might even get a skill if I kill the orc.” The skill name should be ‘Survival Instinct’. It was a skill which gave its user the racial trait of an orc, which was an increase in stamina regeneration, Perception stat, as well as a ‘fighting spirit’ buff that activates when the user was injured or cornered by an enemy, making it harder for the enemy to kill the user.

“It would be great if I could acquire Survival Instinct skill.” With those skills in their arsenal, an orc was certainly not a mob. They are powerful monsters with superhuman strength and high vitality. Even though it always stood in a slouched position, once it straightened its back, it would easily become over 2m tall. Moreover, they were even scarier because they could use weapons.

We stagnant waters often kite an orc towards the beginners who had just passed the tutorial. It could be said that it was some kind of selection process because we thought it would be possible for users to become a stagnant water if they could beat the orc.

And once they beat it, a very warm helping hand from us would be given to them. Of course, even with such support from us, many users still quit the game altogether because of Survival merciless difficulty.

Anyway, back to the topic. To get the item, I would have to kill a 2m tall monster which looks like a gorilla who religiously goes to a gym. Moreover, it would have a very fierce killing intent and has a weapon with it.

When looking at it from such an angle, it seems that the monster was unbeatable…

However, for me,

“It’s worth doing.”

Since currently the world had yet to be an apocalyptic world and still a healthy modern country, I wouldn’t use the stab-proof vest and the tactical boots I had ordered.

I would show that orc the taste of Korea.

And by that, I don’t mean Kimchi, mind you.

.

.

.

I started preparing for orc hunting. And because of that I had to temporarily stop the construction of the cave.

“Should I use a bomb?” To make a bomb I know from Survival Life, I would have to grind the ignition stone into powder and mix it with oil and organic solvents.

But now that I’m thinking about that…

“It’s a Molotov, huh?” To be precise, it was a Molotov cocktail without a can, not a glass bottle. And because ignition stone powder was added into the mix, the power it exhibited should be considerably higher than a normal Molotov.

Even after the monster dies, the fire it produces would continue to burn fiercely, and to put it out, a fire extinguisher would be needed.

“Gasoline, organic solvents, sugar, resin…” As I was thinking about the recipe, I remembered the time when I was throwing things at an ogre and playing around with it. Though, once it gets angry and destroys the surroundings, I would quickly run away.

“Wait, if I throw something like that, the surroundings will be caught on fire.”

Voice of an announcer who reported the appearance of an arsonist who burned 10 hectares of forest suddenly played in my head. It was highly possible to come true since there were many hikers on Mt. Jiri.

What’s the weather like in two days I wonder?

“Ah…it would be raining.” I sighed in relief. The rain would certainly make Mt.Jiri have fewer hikers than usual. Afterall, if there were many hikers that day, I would have to sneak around and pay a very close attention to my surroundings in order not to get seen by other people or get caught by the authorities since the location the orc was found is around the Jungsan-ri campground.

Moreover, as the weather forecast predicted hundreds of millimetres of rain would fall in two days’ time, I wouldn’t have to worry about my bomb getting extinguished since that much rain was powerless against the fire caused by the bomb.

The only problem was, I would have to walk around the mountain while being soaked by the rain. It would certainly be difficult.

“Well, I just have to do it, what else can I do? ”With that determination in mind, I tried to get up from my seat. However, when my arms held onto the armrest, waves of pain swept over me. It feels as if thousands of needles poke through my arm simultaneously. I almost scream because of it. If things continue like this, instead of catching the orc, I would be the one who got caught.

For now, let’s just rest for two days and forget all of the work I need to do. I need my body to recover as much as possible so I would be able to fight against the orc in top condition.

“Or, should I give up on hunting the orc?”nIn case I gave up, the orc would eventually be killed by the police and its identity would soon be known by the government. And then, when the media broke the embargo issued by the government just like in the background story, the public would become aware and naturally start to believe in the words of thousands of people on the internet about the soon spreading meteorite spores, zombie outbreak and the collapse of civilization. It would be a miracle if even after all of that, the public could remain calm and didn’t start a riot or something.

“And I’ll see the truck of those uncles in black across my store.”

Even though the government might not have the power to rectify the situation, it would be easy for them to find me.

“That’s why I can’t let it happen.”

For my safety, I need to kill the orc, and erase all of its traces.

“Let’s completely rest for two days…”

Even if I said something like that, it would only be a rest from physical work since I decided to download many videos from MeTube and store it on the hard disk as well as ordering another bulk of daily necessities.

By the way, since the world was going to be destroyed, shouldn’t I make something out of the trees in the forest?

“Oh… this is some nice selection of woodworking tools.” My shopping desire got stimulated as a long list of woodworking tools spread before my eyes. I really wanted to put many variations of it on the forest, but due to cost limitations, I decided to only choose one in the end.

As I was gleefully shopping, my phone suddenly rang. When I picked it up, it was a call from the bank.

“Ah…the loan has been approved? Yes. Okay. Yes, please deposit it today…I’m glad. Have a good day.”

Smiling, I leaned back to the chair. With the loan approved, my funds were much more relaxed now. That means, I could prepare some more by buying a lot more things.

What would I need in order not to die in the forest and in Korea?

I traced back into the memory of the bone creeper’s ambush yesterday. It was indeed a difficult monster to deal with. However, If I had been well prepared, I would be able to survive without even a single scratch on my body.

“A defense line would be good…” If I build a double defence line with barbed wire and fence, the bone creeper wouldn’t be able to break through. Even if it detonated itself, the worst thing that could happen would be the annihilation of the defence line. It’s still a cheap price to pay if it means I could keep my life.

“Should I buy an infrared detector?” If I had it, I would be able to prepare for a monster’s attack as it could detect movement and ring an alarm.

“Calm down, Kang Seongho.”

With a light slap on the cheek, I calmed myself before ordering an infrared detector and several sets of batteries.

It would be nice to have a telescope too. Even though the forest had limited visibility due to the thick foliage, there’s nothing wrong with having a tool which could make me see things in the distance.

“Oh, I could use a drone for that purpose too.”

I forgot about it for a second. It would be miles better than a telescope since it could help me scout in greater distance. That way, I would be able to figure out the location of the sea and the valley where owlbears were often seen.

After browsing through numbers of drones which were being sold and reading all the reviews left by the buyer, I finally placed an order for a drone I found most suitable for my circumstances.

“Let’s just buy 4.”

And after placing several more orders for various things, it’s already afternoon.

I sighed and looked at the ceiling. For some reason, I felt too bored staying at home like this. After mulling over my options, I decided to go shopping at the nearby grocery store to exercise. Though, since it’s more convenient to get my daily necessities delivered to my home, I would just buy some first-aid kits from the pharmacy corner of the grocery store.

Limping down to the first floor, I walked towards the Tamas and turned its engine on.

Fortunately, I could still drive.

“Ugh.”

Though, the pain keeps coming up on my arm every time I turn the steering wheel.

.

.

.

“Huh?”

“Ahjussi?”

In the grocery mart, I ran into Mikyung.

By the way, Is this girl crazy?

Why did she buy so many spams at once?

She’s like advertising to people who know about the situation that she was preparing for the outbreak. On top of that, her choice of food was so wrong. Canned food was absolutely a no go for the upcoming apocalypse since the package would quickly break due to the corrosive disease.

She closed her eyes and then smiled at me.

“I’ve lost weight these days… Ehehe.” As if knowing my inner monologue, she closed her eyes and then smiled at me.

It’s a very cute but obvious excuse. I wonder if she could survive the apocalypse when she’s this clumsy… Now that I look closer to what she had bought, it wasn’t spam but luncheon meat!

Why did she buy something that didn’t taste good?

After that question, I stopped my mind from prying deeper. Afterall, now is not the time to consider the circumstances of others. I need to quickly go home and rest.

As I was about to walk away from Mikyung after bowing slightly to her, she suddenly pointed at my sleeve.

“Ahjussi, why are you wearing a long sleeve? Isn’t it hot these days?”

“Well… I just don’t get hot that easily.”

Well, it’s obviously a lie. The truth is, I used it to cover my wounds.

Mikyung tilted her head on my answer before starting to fiddle with my sleeve.

“Uhm… Ahjussi, I have something to ask, do you perhaps have some time to spare?”

From her tone which was tinted with worry, I could infer it was something which was burdening her mind. So, I nodded my head after checking on my watch.

I pushed my cart to a suitable place before heading to the cafe next to the store together with Mikyung.

After we ordered our coffee, and sat on one of the empty tables, Mikyung finally opened her mouth.

“Ahjussi, did you know that some kind of zombie apocalypse is coming?”

Well, to be honest, I could confidently say no one knows better about that matter than I do, but let’s act clueless here. Afterall, Mikyung only knows me as an ordinary snack bar owner.

“Oh, that? I think I saw it on the internet. Isn’t that just a meme?”

“Ahjussi, that’s real, not a joke. You can also see a window where your abilities are displayed.”

I deliberately put on a puzzled expression.

“By any chance… Mikyung, do you have it?”

She looked around her surroundings for a moment before nodding.

“St…status window. If you call it like that, it will show you your stats… and ability…”

“That’s what you said before.”

“Yes…”

I wonder what kind of special ability she got?

By the way, Mikyung didn’t look like she’s good with games at all. But it seems like she had played that shitty game.

“The stats you’re talking about, was it like strength or agility like in a game?”

“Yes Yes. It’s Vitality, Strength, Agility, Dexterity, and Perception.”

“It’s amazing to know thousands of people could see that.”

“I looked it up, and read that everyone has different special abilities. For me…”

“For you?”

Mikyung licked her lips, but it seems like she couldn’t get the words out. Well it’s fine, no matter how naive she might be, she must have instinctively felt she should not speak about it.

“I’m sorry, I can’t say it…”

“Well, that’s fine. By the way, what do you want to ask?”

“Uh… about the thing that the truck driver ahjussi told me the other day…”

“Yes?”

“In your eyes, would it be okay?”

“Even if you ask me… ah, by the way, does that person have a status window too?”

“I think so.”

“Ah, I am the only one who doesn’t have a status window.” I crumpled my expression.

Across me, I could see Mikyung’s face turn solemn. It seems like I’m pretty good at acting.

“Anyway, I don’t think that person is a good person.”

“Yes?”

“I am not saying I’m a very good person, either. But I think I at least have common sense. However, that man is seriously no good. Haven’t you seen it before? He played a very loud music in front of the students at my store and made a lot of noise.”

“Did something like that happen?” Mikyung’s eyes widened.

I have told her them as they are, without any exaggeration.

“Was it last winter? He blocked the road and caused a ruckus with his illegally modified headlight.”

“Oh…”

“It’s fine if he wanted to park his car, but making people uncomfortable is no good, right? I don’t know why he parked his car in the middle of the road when there’s so many spaces on the corner and in the wall.”

Mikyung had a look on her face which looked like she completely believed in what I said.

“I said this because I believe in Mikyung, so don’t tell that person okay?”

As I joked, she waved her hand.

“No…Ahjussi…I’m not the kind of person who would do something like that.”

“I’m relieved. Anyway, if the apocalypse is really coming, trusting people like him is no good right?”

“I, I don’t know… In the first place, I don’t understand why things like the apocalypse suddenly happen…”

“But you also can’t completely brush it off and sit still so you come here to buy a bunch of spams?”

When I mentioned it, her cheeks became beet red. Like I said before it was actually a luncheon meat not a spam, but I think she let it slide because she thinks I was mistaken.

“People like me are really in trouble. I can understand what those people on the internet are talking about, but realistically, I can’t take any action. Even if I tried to do anything, I would still end up becoming a zombie.” I said it in the most pitiful tone I could.

“…”

“I envy you, Mikyung. Because you can still survive.”

“I…I’m sorry…”

“No, I don’t think Mikyung has anything to apologize for.”

I think my teasing has become too far, so let’s stop. I opened the lid of the coffee cup and emptied the contents inside in one gulp. After that, I stood up and held my hand towards her. “Since this is also a relationship… how about helping out each other if we meet again alive?”

“Ah, yes!”

Her hands were so soft. It was a feeling I had forgotten since I’ve been alone for too long.

Lastly, I gave her some advice. Just like what I promised to myself the other day. “I don’t know if you know, but stockpiling canned food wouldn’t help much because of the corrosive disease.”

“Uh… corrosive disease? What is that?”

“It’s a disease which breaks metal into small pieces. It was famous in the survivors’ community. They say it’s the default setting for Survival Life.”

Hearing my words, her face, which was originally white, turned whiter.

It seems like she thought that canned foods were a good idea for whatever the reason is.

“Then, what should I do, Ahjussi?”

“You need to focus on combat ration or emergency ration. Just make sure there’s no metal.”

“Ahh, thank you very much, Ahjussi!”

I bowed my head slightly and went back to the mart.

“I give her some advice, but…”

In the end, Mikyung must survive with her own power.