Stagnant Water of Apocalypse
chapter-18

“Eugh…” As soon as consciousness came to me, I could feel something was pressing down my chest. When I opened my eyes and looked at it, it was the furball Dingo. I gently moved him to the side of the bed and got up.

“Ahhhh.” I put my arms in the air and stretched my body. After a few seconds, I head to the bathroom and wash my face before walking to my desk to check what I need to do today.

“Ah, first of all, the cave.” I opened the portal and looked around to make sure the cave was safe.

Interior OK, Door OK, Detector OK, Barbed Wire OK, Fence OK…

Except for some animal footprints outside the fence, all of it was no different from last night.

“This kind of footstep is new. What animal is this?” I don’t think it’s a wild boar or a valley deer.

Dingo sniffed around the ground a few times before sitting down and growled.

“I’m not going to hunt in the morning, so leave it alone.”

I brought Dingo into the cave and checked on the poison frog.

How are you?

I cleaned the tank and put some food in it. After I finished, I lightly touched the frog’s back with a chopstick and it secreted a yellow poison.

“Don’t spill it.” I slowly put the poison into a sauce bottle. Using this poison, I would try to develop my tolerance.

Isn’t it said that the more contact you have with poisons, the higher your resistance towards it?

After all, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

“In the game, I couldn’t do it because there were no goblins who carried these frogs in their pockets…” But now I have one. And I would make sure that this guy was treated well.

The reason why I tried to do things like these was because goblins were very troublesome monsters. Even if I couldn’t get the paralyzing immunity, a resistance would definitely be better than having none of it.

“Afterall, I will keep meeting goblins until I get fed up with them from now on.”

The next thing to do was to check the shopping list and place an order. Most of them were food and daily necessities. Thinking that all lives would end in 17 days made my heart race.

“Let’s just buy in bulk.” I could just divide it into small portions and put it into an unused can later on so let’s order the biggest one available on the market.

I put an order for dozens of seasonings, sauces, and many other things. It seems like it’s too many, but as I am preparing for things to come, I’m sure all of this will come in handy in the future and when the apocalypse begins, I don’t want to be regretful for not buying things ahead of time.

I would also need a lot of sugar, salt and pepper.

As I kept looking at the pages related to food, preserved food came to mind.

“I think I also could make pickles…” it would be okay to bury the jar in front of the cave just like how people traditionally store a Kimchi. Afterall, the more varied the food I had, the better.

In the apocalyptic world, eating would become the second most important thing for humans. The first one was survival itself.

I put in the keyword ‘pickle making’ into the search bar of MeTube.

“Wha…There’s a lot of videos.” The varieties were also numerous. There’s peppers, onions, eggplants, corn, pumpkins, etc. It was a shock to me, who only thought about cucumber pickles.

Survivalists think of pickles as an important preserved food as it could be stocked up for years. Another thing that stood out to me was how long an egg could be stored.

“Wow, so it was possible to store it for a year?”

Even without a refrigerator?

A grandmother with a luxurious accent on the videos said that eggs would last long if you coat it with oil as it would act as a natural repellent against water.

I should write this down.

In the related videos list, a survivalist even laid out a dried cod in bulk in his basement.

“Dried fish also lasts quite a while.” For example, something like dried pollock.

Moreover, there’s even a sea that only I could use. Even though it would be difficult to catch a fish there, if I could get my hands on one, I could dry it in that way and it would become a reliable preserved food.

“It would be nice to know how to make a home-made canned food.” It’s not often used these days as canned food was mass produced, but it’s a type of preserved food that you can make yourself.

I was salivating even more when I read that if it’s sealed well, it can be stored for a year or two.

“Let’s see… 17 days left.” I thought that I had become quite free, but surprisingly I don’t have much time to dilly dally. I ordered everything I needed before leaving my home and went to a nearby grocery store to buy a bunch of daily necessities.

Then, after returning home, I quickly put it in the cave. It’s really reassuring to see the supplies piled up in the cave.

“…isn’t this too narrow?”

Woof~!! Woof~!!

Dingo barked before going to the corner of the cave and dug into the soft ground. The place he dug was where the glowstone and ignition stone were mined. It seemed to me that he was telling me to quickly make the basement.

I’ll have to hurry up to secure the warehouse. Storing supplies outside the cave was unreasonable at the moment.

“Wait a minute… I should have stocked up on something in my house too.”

I promptly returned to the other side and skimmed through the first floor and the second floor. It was lacking in many ways to make it a hiding place, but I couldn’t just leave it alone. Afterall, one cave wouldn’t be enough to completely guarantee my safety.

“If the cave is in danger, I should use this place as our hiding place…” I quickly abandoned the 1st floor. It used to be a store, so it was difficult to use it as a hiding place unless it was remodelled extensively.

If so, it was better to completely empty it because there was a high probability that looters would pass by and enter.

“When they know that this place used to be a snack bar, they would search for something to eat.”

I contacted the demolition company and negotiated a price. An hour later, a truck came and picked up all the furniture together with the store sign.

“Why is it so dirty?” I quickly took cleaning tools to clean it up. But at that moment, Dingo suddenly came down to the first floor.

“This guy, go up, go up.” Despite my gestures, he seemed like he didn’t have any intention to climb to the second floor.

Should I just leave him be?

He looks like a husky puppy with some weird fur, anyway. And he only sat still while watching people passing by. It was unlikely that he would cause an accident.

Then, a familiar silhouette called to me.

“Seongho, do you have time?”

“Ah, Hyung-nim, come in.”

It was Hyung-jun Hyung. He looked haggard, as if he was carrying all the worries of the world on his shoulder.

He looked at me as I was cleaning and said,

“It seems like you cleaned it all up? Maybe because of ‘that’?”

“That’s right Hyung-nim. I would be in great danger if there were people passing by and knowing that it was a snack bar.”

“Ah… well, if it’s a snack bar, they might think like that. But aren’t you pretty serious about all this?”

“Hyung-nim, I also have to figure out my own way to survive.”

“A way to survive, huh…” Hyung-jun Hyung pulled out a cigarette from the depth of his pocket and lit it up.

“I’m really going crazy these days. My members advised me to turn the gym into a hideout because of those zombies.”

“The gym is on the 4th floor, isn’t it? I think it would be fine as long as the entrance is blocked. And if you also piled up some supplies, it would be perfect.”

Listening to my words, Hyung-jun Hyung made a surprised expression.

“Seongho, you said the same things as my member. Do you think the zombie apocalypse is really coming?”

“Hyung, didn’t the dongsaeng you know appear on the TV a while ago, and tell people that the zombie apocalypse is coming and they will all die if they aren’t prepared? The internet is all over the place these days because of him.”

“I’m not aware of that… Older men like me are all unaware of it, while younger ones are all telling people they are going to die right away. Why did they do that?”

“It must be because of that game, Survival Life or something.”

“Huh… Are they making this much uproar just because of a game?”

“By the way, Hyung-nim, if that game becomes a reality, it’s no longer something that can be easily brushed off. It’s better to prepare in advance rather than get lost and get hurt.”

“…that’s correct, but… Whoo…”

In my opinion, this Hyung was really someone from the stuck-up generation. They were well aware of what young people were saying, but yet, they still refused to fully believe it and dismissed it as nothing but nonsense.

Hyung-jun Hyung let out a huge puff of smoke from his mouth.

“I can’t even sleep these days. I’m really worried that everyone will turn into a zombie when I’m asleep. What should I do with my mom and Ji-eun, really…”

Ji-eun is the name of Hyung-jun Hyung’s daughter. She’s a 5 year old girl and since she listens to people’s words so well, I find her really cute. She’s currently visiting Gimhae with her mother.

Hyung-jun Hyung rubbed off his cigarette and tried to enter the store when he found Dingo.

“Uh? what kind of dog is this? Husky?”

As expected, Dingo really looks like a husky. What a relief.

“Yes. I adopted him just in case it helps.”

“In case the zombie apocalypse really happens? Ah, because of his smelling? Anyway, this guy is cute. come here, come here.”

“Please don’t do this!”

What is this all of a sudden?

Of course, it wasn’t Dingo who said that. The sound came from the hair salon next door.

When I looked from the outside, I saw several men standing in a circle around Mikyung. It seems like they came to make a second offer towards her. Not in a peaceful way though, but in a slightly coercive way.

The man with the tattoo I met several days ago here was also present. He was sitting down on the sofa.

I quickly opened the door.

“Hello!”

Surprised by my loud voice, the men simultaneously look at me like a meerkat. Mikyung also looked at me, his face was brimming with happiness as if she’d just seen an angel.

I’m more like a devil than an angel, though. But at this moment, I would gladly become an angel for her.

.

.

.

I checked the faces of all the men. Just as I thought, the gangs had all gathered. They’re the ones who go around making loud exhaust noises on their motorcycles at night.

When someone reports them to the police, they would run away. And when they come back, they will create much more noise than before.

The tattooed man moved his head and asked me.

“Just who do you think you are?”

I ignored him and told Mikyung.

“You promised me a lunch, Mikyung. It’s time, let’s go.”

She was dazed and just stood there without words. Then, when she tried to answer after belatedly realizing the meaning of my words, the tattooed man shook his head and spoke first.

“Just where are you going to go? You have to come up with an answer first!”

“Didn’t I already tell you? I won’t be joining your group.”

As Mikyung reaffirms her refusal, the tattooed man’s voice rose an octave higher.

“That’s why I tell you to think carefully one more time! Wouldn’t it be safer for you if you come with us? Are you trying to be bitten by zombies while walking alone?”

He’s really spewing nonsense…

I beckoned to them.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but please stop. Didn’t she already say she won’t join you? It’s not like you are a thug, so what are you doing in someone else’s shop?”

“A thug?”

The tattooed man stood up from the sofa as he said that. His shoulder looks quite powerful, but because of his short stature, he didn’t look that scary in my eyes.

He came over to me and stopped just a few distance away from me. He must have thought that I was too big for him to take on. Judging from his momentary pause, I don’t think the ability he got was a powerful one.

I raised my voice.

“If you hate to hear the words ‘thug’, then go quietly.”

“I came as a guest, so why should I leave, o great sir?”

“Are you really a guest? The owner doesn’t seem to think so, doesn’t she?”

“Uh… I’m going to eat. The store will be closed, so please leave.”

When Mikyung had the courage to finally say it, the men burst into laughter.

“Wow, this is too much. So, please repay us by joining us.”

“Are you saying that if you die, it will be our responsibility too? Let’s see what happens later, huh? Let’s see.”

Their bullshit didn’t last any longer though. Because Hyung-jun Hyung suddenly opened the door and came in.

When the muscular gorilla appeared, the men all planted their eyes in the ground. Afterall, everyone must have had experience working out at his gym. Men from their 20s to the 50s in this neighbourhood, including me, had at least one experience of working out at Hyung-nim’s gym.

“Wow! Isn’t it Cheol-jun who ran away back then? Are you not exercising these days? Ugh, look at this shoulder… Just what is this?”

The man called Cheol-jun seemed to be embarrassed by the sudden appearance of a close acquaintance. However, Hyung-jun Hyung did not stop there, he also rolled his eyes to the other thugs.

“You were all here, huh? Back then when I said I was going to give you a personal training, why did you run away?”

“Oh, no, that…”

Even though they were thugs, it seems that they couldn’t treat Hyeong-jun Hyung recklessly. The tattooed man was the only one who was still smiling. It seems like he’s confident in his ability to stun his opponent.

But it won’t be long before he realizes that it’s useless.

“Let’s not do this here! Let’s exercise together. Exercising before eating has a good effect on your body.”

Hyung-jun Hyung held out his hand and encouraged the tattooed man. However, the man took a step back and said,

“Just forget it! Exercise my ass.”

Before he went out, he shot a glare towards me.

“We’ll see how it goes later. Snack bar ahjussi.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

The man then went out, followed by his underlings.

I gently look at him. At the same time, I burn his face into my mind.

The reason I did this was not because Mikyung is pretty. It was to lay the foundation in advance so that when the zombie apocalypse broke out, I could kill him.

Judging from what they were doing, I was certain they would become a group of predators. I wanted to get rid of them as soon as the zombie apocalypse happened. Afterall, it should be easy to catch your opponent off guard when they are confident. Though, I still have to make sure that I won’t be tagged as a ‘ murderer’, so I’ll have to be extra careful.

Another reason was that I couldn’t just watch someone with an ability like Blink follow a group like them.

After the last men left the salon, Mikyung plopped down to the chair helplessly and sighed.

With his eyes gesture, Hyung-jun Hyung asked me what was going on.

“It’s no big deal, Hyung. They’re just forcing Mikyung to join their group and she turned down that offer.”

“Is that so?”

At that moment, M-kyung jumped up and greeted Hyung-jun Hyung.

“Ah, ahjussi, thank you very much… I almost had a bad day.”

“I don’t think anything big will happen in broad daylight.”

“I’m sure it would happen because they have some kind of ability.”

“Ability? Are you talking about something like levitating?”

“Yes. But what they have is different.”

Hyung-nim’s face turned serious as he heard Mikyung’s words.

And when his phone rang, he said to me, “Seongho. I have something to do, so I’ll go first.”

He passed through my side and whispered in my ear.

“Are you two lovers?”

“No.”

“You mean not yet?”

“That’s not it either.”

“Pretending till the end I see. Anyway, I’ll leave first.”

“Okay. Thank you so much, Hyung-nim.”

Hyung-jun Hyung opened the door and went out. At the same time, Dingo slid past the door and came in.

Mikyung’s eyes widened when she saw the little guy.

“Oh, it’s a dog… come here, come here.”

However, Dingo ignored her and only scratched his head with his hind paws.

“Is this dog Ahjussi’s dog??”

“His name is Dingo. He’s a Husky.”

“He’s too big for a Husky… isn’t he a Malamute?”

Well, to be exact, he’s a Silver Wolf, but oh well…

Mikyung called out to Dingo once again, but the guy didn’t even spare a glance towards her.

My usual training seems to be paying off.

Feeling proud, I picked him up and handed him to Mikyung.

“Dingo is so cute…”

I concur, he also looks really cute to me.

Mikyung performed various cute acts towards Dingo such as kissing him in the snout. I wonder if dogs usually respond to this kind of cute act or not, but it doesn’t really matter to me.

Anyway, now it’s time to get serious.

“Mikyung, the guys from earlier, they will keep coming.”

“I clearly said no…”

“They are not the type who will give up after hearing those words. It would be nice for you to get somewhere quickly. The internet said there’s not much time left.”

To be precise, there’s only 17 days left.

She lowered her head and stroked Dingo’s head. I know that she wants to go with me, but I couldn’t take her. I have so many things to do once the apocalypse arrives such as hunting zombies and the bad guys.

Mikyung was indeed someone competent as she had Blink ability, but she’s nothing but a burden for me in her current state.

So, I gave her some recommendations.

“The Ahjussi who just left is someone who runs a gym… how about it? I think it would be fine if you exercised there and improved your stamina a bit. It seems that there are quite a few members of the gym who are interested in the situation.”

“I am quite confident in my stamina. I used to dance.”

“Dance?”

What did she mean by those words?

She hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.

“Ah, anyway, as it was Ahjussi’s recommendation, I’ll go there once my aunt arrives. But… will you be okay against those people, ahjussi?”

It’s cute how she cared so much about me.

“I should be fine. You don’t have to worry about me. Come on Dingo.”

At my words, Dingo’s ear perked up and he escaped from Mikyung’s arms.

Mikyung sighed and stood up before bowing towards me.

“Ahjussi, thank you very much for today.”

“It’s nothing. I just did it because next time we meet, you might be the one to help me instead.”

“I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help…”

“Haven’t you thought about this? If you train your Blink ability well, you might be able to move not just yourself, but others as well.”

“Oh…”

It’s nothing but a speculation on my part, but Mikyung seems to have been quite shocked to hear it. It looks like she never thought she could develop her skills.

In my case…

How can I develop the ability to open doors to another world?

Will it let me bring someone else to the forest?

I would have to give it some thought.

I took Dingo back to the store.

“The generator and the net gun will arrive tomorrow.” It was something that would drastically change my life in the forest.

Anyway, I had cleared the first floor.

You looters, there’s nothing here.

So, don’t come.

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