Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Thump-!!

Seongho heard the distinctive heartbeat of a murderer echoing around him. Normally, a deathmatch would start immediately. However, since there were no zombies nor ghouls to act as the wall in the Great Labyrinth, the deathmatch event did not start.

Zhao Ziwei, who was glaring at Seongho, loosened his facial muscles and let out a relaxed laugh.

“Now that I have become strong, I suddenly feel relaxed. You are the same, aren’t you? I mean, the words and actions you take for your fellow countrymen.”

Seongho shook his head.

“Not at all. I can’t afford to relax. I’m always in a hurry.”

“Looks like your power isn’t so omnipotent, huh?”

“Well, you can think whatever you like.”

“Haha… That’s right. Whatever I want. Everything is up to me as long as I have this power!”

Zhao Ziwei clenched his fists and concentrated. An additional effect called ‘Bullet Time’ was given to him for reaching level 50. For a moment, he could see the man in front of him blinking at a snail’s pace.

“You are so slow.” He chuckled.

Seongho made a strange face as he realized something.

“You’ve gotten stronger.”

“It’s a matter of course! I didn’t endure that extreme pain from that weird thing for nothing!”

“Weird thing?”

“A dead man like you has no need to know!”

Zhao Ziwei’s explanation was vague at best, but Seongho was sure that Ahn Geun-seok had intervened.

Seongho checked Zhao Ziwei’s status window using his Ability Analysis skill. The amount of points he had were insignificant, but his level was shocking. It was a whopping 50!

It was absurd that the guy who barely exceeded level 20 had now become level 50.

“Amazing… You might be the strongest among the survivors.” Of course, that is if he and the other three stagnant waters were not included.

Zhao Ziwei felt full at the admiration-like tone of Seongho.

“Do you know why I… feel so relaxed?”

“Isn’t it because leisure was the luxury only the strong can have?”

“Puhuh… I like that answer, but it’s wrong. I just want to make you feel it too… Despair.”

“What sort of despair have you suffered?”

When Seongho pretended not to know, anger suddenly burst out of Zhao Ziwei.

“Potatoes! Those potatoes you sold for 10 points! Had you granted my request, I would not have been ridiculed by my countrymen!”

However, Seongho had something to say about that.

“10 points is the best price I could give. Killing just a few zombies can give you two days’ worth of calories…”

“Shut up!”

“And speaking of the bottled water, it was too reckless for you to jump in without knowing how much I have.”

Zhao Ziwei gnashed his teeth and stepped towards Seongho. His gait was like a predator oppressing its prey.

“120,000… a whopping 120,000 points! Gone! Because of you!”

“Let’s only tell the truth, shall we? I was just selling bottled water. It’s you guys who were too blinded by greed.”

As Seongho said that, he felt something odd. The points that the shelter earned by selling water bottles were only slightly over 80,000.

Then where did the other 40,000 go?

‘He wouldn’t have bought and sold it all alone… Did his subordinates notice something amiss and run away with them?’

If that was really the case, then there was a possibility that their level had also risen just like Zhao Ziwei. He had to be careful.

Seongho put his hand inside his chest pocket and took out the transformation bracelet.

A smile escaped Zhao Ziwei’s mouth at that moment.

“What the hell is that? It looks like a bracelet an Egyptian monarch would wear.”

“Did you feel that way too? Actually, it’s a bit embarrassing for me to use this kind of thing.”

“A last-ditch effort… it doesn’t matter. I will break your limbs and make you crawl on the floor.”

Seongho stood up and put his bracelet in place.

“And then?”

The fact that Seongho’s expression did not change even after hearing the threat made Zhao Ziwei angrier.

“I will not let you go easily… I’ll have to vent my anger on you for at least a few months.”

“A pity. I really don’t want to waste months playing with you.” Seongho shrugged.

As Seongho used the bracelet, his eyes flashed red for an instant.

However, Zhao Ziwei didn’t see it. He’s still focusing on the thoughts of crushing the man in front of him.

‘First of all, I’ll kick you in the face!’

Before he could finish his thoughts, his body burst through the air. He felt that the time flow around him slowed considerably.

However, Seongho’s gaze followed him without fail.

You can still see me at this speed?

‘It can’t be!’

He stretched out his fist, but was caught by Seongho’s hand, which sprang out at about the same speed as him.

“Ugh!”

Zhao Ziwei’s heart sank. He never thought that his opponent could move as fast as him. But there was something else that was even more shocking. It was the fact that the man’s whole body swelled greatly, and he began to transform into something else. Something inhuman.

“Huh?”

Zhao Ziwei couldn’t even use his ability properly and just watched the scene in front of him unfold. It was as unrealistic as a scene in a fantasy movie, so he couldn’t help but to gawk at it.

Isn’t it ridiculous that a human being is capable of turning into a gray-skinned monster? But it actually happened.

After completing the polymorph, Seongho took a deep breath.

Krukreuk-

“Wh-what are you…”

Zhao Ziwei trembled, not even thinking of removing his hand from Seongho’s hand. After all, the monster in front of him boasted a truly overwhelming size and huge sense of intimidation.

Only then did Zhao Ziwei notice its red eyes. It was dark red, as if it were filled with blood. On top of it, it looked eerie.

Then, Seongho put strength into his hand.

Crunch-!!

Zhao Ziwei’s sturdy wrists, which had been coated with all sorts of buffs, were crushed at once.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Zhao Ziwei couldn’t stand the pain and screamed.

Then, out of nowhere, two shadows appeared behind Seongho.

.
.

A heartbeat that suddenly rang in the Great Labyrinth, throwing many people into confusion.

“Just who is it!!”

“Everyone check the number of your people!”

Fortunately, no stampede happened because of people desperately trying to run away. After all, everyone who gathered in the Great Labyrinth had quite a lot of experience in handling these kinds of things.

They quickly tried to figure out who had become a murderer by communicating through the auction house. At the same time, a lot of Koreans gathered at the shelter installed at the key point on the first floor. Of course, amongst them, there’s also some foreigners in the mix. Especially those who were brought to the Korean Shelter by Seongho.

They were just about to advance to the second floor before Jang Won-taek intervened. Although they had guns, they were saving it for an emergency. Most of them used cold weapons with different types, switching according to the situation. For example, they would use a mace to deal with a skeleton in close quarter combat, and would change to bow and arrows when fighting against an orc while keeping some distance.

The monsters in the Great Labyrinth were quite strong compared to those on the ground, but somehow, with teamwork, the hunt got far easier.

Lee Beom-seok, who is leading the survivors, hastily posted a comment to the auction house.

-I checked the number of people, but it’s not someone from our group.
-There is nothing wrong here either!
-Seriously! Just who is the guy! Did he come from Changwon?

Even though it was said that Koreans were occupying the key points around the Great Labyrinth, there were still a lot of places they couldn’t reach. After all, the area which the survivors called “The Pasture” was only a small part of the first floor of the Great Labyrinth. Therefore, it wasn’t strange if an unknown murderer suddenly appeared from somewhere.

Still, shouldn’t there be at least news about it coming in?

Except for the fact that a murderer had appeared, everything seemed to be shrouded in fog.

Then, Jang Won-taek posted a comment.

-There is only one possibility. The murderer was stronger than expected, and no one had survived.
-Is such a thing possible? It must be difficult to obtain a pardon scroll.

The reality was that even Seongho had almost no spare of pardon scrolls. If someone stayed in the murderer state, they would attract the aggro of the survivors around them. It was questionable whether people could really kill them if it were last year, but now, most survivors were ready. So even the murderer had to worry about dying.

-What if the murderer didn’t feel burdensome being one?
-No way… No matter how brave they are, there’s no way they haven’t heard Seongho’s name.
-What if they are stronger than him?

Could such a guy exist?

However, Lee Beom-seok did not ignore the words of his respected superior.

-I will scout the surrounding area and check.
-You can look around yourself. It seems that something unexpected is happening.

Lee Beom-seok gathered people and asked them to scout around.

“Be vigilant and do not leave the shelter for the time being. If something happens that you can’t handle… Hyung-jun-ssi.”

“Use the gun.”

The use of firearms was supposed to be refrained as much as possible, especially within the vicinity of the shelter, but in this situation, it can’t be helped.

At that moment, a roar rang out from somewhere. It was a tremendous roar that seemed to shake the entire Great Labyrinth.

“What, what is that?”

“It sounds like a monster howling…”

Hyung-jun quickly searched the auction house and went to the Lotus Shelter’s main item. There, he found out that Seongho had entered the Great Labyrinth.

Urgent comments from shelter members were posted one after another.

-Ah oppa, you shouldn’t close the dimensional door.
-If I turn into an Abomination, the surroundings will be completely devastated. Better to close it.
-Isn’t the place where you are now on the first floor of the Great Labyrinth? There should be a lot of people there.
-Should I go to the office and inform them?

Then Hyung-jun intervened and the members explained the situation to him.

“Abomination? Transforming into such a monster?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Hyung-jun told people exactly what he had read. A conflict with the Chinese over bottled waters, a bracelet that could turn Seongho into a 2.5-meter tall monster, and more.

The people who heard the full story had expressions that said that they did not want to believe it.

“You are saying that Seongho-ssi had turned into such a monster, and now he is fighting against the Chinese?”

“Isn’t it just nonsense?”

“I’d like to say that there can’t be such a thing, but…”

The world had been destroyed and monsters had appeared. So, there was really nothing unusual about a human transforming into a monster. Even if a dragon were to fly in the sky of Seoul as soon as tomorrow, people would think that it was only a natural course of event.

People were buzzing, and Lee Beom-seok was concerned that Seongho was fighting against the Chinese. Their level shouldn’t even be close to his level, so how can people call it a fight?

When he asked Hyung-jun about it, he looked at the comment section and told him:

“Three of them are level 50.”

“Level 50? The Chinese? Is that even possible?”

“After hearing the story, there is this guy called Ahn Geun-seok who appeared in the Redneck settlement before. I think he did something to them.”

Lee Beom Seok’s mouth fell open.

“Isn’t level 50 much higher than Seongho’s level?”

“Seongho is about level 41 or 42 right now… it’s not that big of a difference, but it’s still true that the three Chinese are strong.”

Higher levels did not automatically make them stronger. The total combat power of a survivor was determined by the type of items, skills, and additional effects they had. However, the Chinese were a group that rarely went to the Great Labyrinth, so it didn’t seem like they had raised their level organically.

If so, what should I do?

“We…” When Lee Beomseok was about to say something, the roar shook the Great Labyrinth again.

“Wa- wasn’t it closer than before?”

“I think it’s coming from there…” People fixed their eyes on the hallway.

Hyung-jun, who has good eyes, saw something before everyone else could.

“Orcs are coming!”

“Should we shoot them?”

“Wait a minute! There’s someone behind it!”

Monsters were actually not a big problem because the number of people gathered in the place. On top of it, they also had guns. What they feared were the three level 50 Chinese and Seongho.

“Gather behind the fountain!”

At Lee Beom-seok’s signal, people hurriedly gathered on the wall behind the fountain where water gushed out. Before long, several orcs appeared. People looked at their faces and hesitated whether to laugh or cry. After all, it was clear by their faces that the orcs were frightened by something.

Just what in the world scared them?

The answer came soon. A shadow fell in the hallway and something crashed into the floor with a groaning sound.

“Keuk!”

“Uuuk!”

After rolling on the floor, the two tried to stand up, but their bodies couldn’t muster the strength it needed.

Their identities were Liangfan and Zhou Daoming, the two subordinates who had fled ahead of Zhou Ziwei.

Thump-!! Thump-!! Thump-!!

The entire cavity shook and a large monster appeared in the hallway soon after. The Koreans were, of course, shocked to see it.

Just what kind of muscular mass is that?

It looked like something which could make a tank and enhanced ghoul look like nothing but a kid next to it.

“A-a….” People lost their fighting spirit when they saw the gray monster.

Seongho came in slowly and swept around the area with his eyes. His consciousness was clear, but since his oral structure had changed, he cannot speak. Instead, he tapped himself lightly on the chest in order to reassure them.

But it backfired.

“Hee!”

“Please don’t kill me, esteemed Sir!”

People were scared and Seongho stopped communicating with them and threw something he was holding.

It was Zhao Ziwei. He wasn’t completely dead yet, but his arms and face were mangled in a mess. The intermittent wriggling of the body aroused fear in the people. In a sense, the guy had half of his body in the grave already.

Liangfan and Zhou Daoming quickly met their eyes.

Since they had come this far, there’s only one way that they could use to win. Taking hostages.

Liangfan’s eyes flashed and he appeared behind the people, and Zhou Daoming controlled the orcs.

The eyes of the frightened orcs turned red.

Kuaaa-!!

The orcs rushed to Seongho. Even though he was surrounded by five tall monsters which were over two meters in height, his presence did not change.

Khuong!

With a roar, an orc flew into the wall and turned into paste. The fate of the other four orcs was similar. The one who hung on Seongho’s leg was stepped on by his large foot and died instantly, and the one who bit his arm had its teeth broken. The orc chief, who had glowing eyes, was caught in Seongho’s large hand, and a strange sound was heard.

Crunch-!!

Seongho, who lightly cracked its skull, looked at Liangfan, who appeared behind the crowd.
(P/n ‘lightly cracked its skull’ lol)

The guy met Seongho’s eye straight and had thrusted a long knife into Yuzuka’s throat.

“Do-don’t move…”

But Seongho approached him nonetheless. When the sound of his heavy footsteps resounded, people opened the way in fright. Inevitably, Yuzuka, who became a hostage, bit her lip.

I’d rather die than be a nuisance for him here…

“I told you not to move! Can’t you see this?”

Liangfan strained the hand holding the long knife, but the blade could not pierce Yuzuka’s skin.

Could it be that her skin is actually made of steel?

Of course not.

A small dimensional wall appeared in the direction Seongho was looking at, blocking the tip of the sword. Liangfan then trembled at the overwhelming size of Seongho, who had approached him.

“Shit!” As he cursed, his body was gone. He hid with his unique skill, stealth. However, Seongho, who activated his Super Sense skill, was able to follow his movements as if he was seeing them with his own eyes.

It was also at that time that Zhou Daoming rushed at him.

“Keuk.”

The movement of a person with stats over level 50 was no joke. The wind blew up, and before he knew it, two long knives were pointed at his chest. People imagined that the long knives would be stabbed into Seongho’s chest, so they closed their eyes tight.

However, the sound they heard next was not the sound of flesh being torn. Rather, it was the sound of metal clashing against each other.

“Damn it!” The two of them threw their long knives out and hurriedly retreated while grabbing their wrists.

Surprisingly, the swords did not pierce Seongho’s skin.

“Oh my gosh…”

“It didn’t pierce through?”

People’s eyes were stained with astonishment.

At this moment, an unknown monster had appeared.