Those Who Tend the Scrub (3)
But the problem was that it blew up even before morning came.
Something's... off.
Yang Min-cheol gripped the bedsheet tight against the wave of drowsiness crashing over him.
What the hell is this?
It wasn't just fatigue making him sleepy—his body felt way too heavy for that. Yang Min-cheol tried to sit up. Sleeping now seemed dangerous.
"What's wrong? You sound like you're in pain."
An old man's voice rang out. Yang Min-cheol barely managed to turn his body and look toward the source.
"My body's... acting weird."
"Your body?"
The old man, still lying on his mat, gazed at Yang Min-cheol.
"Is something wrong with your body?"
"Yeah. I'm so sleepy."
Yang Min-cheol frowned as he gave the short reply. It wasn't just his body that felt off. The old man's demeanor was subtly strange too.
"If you're sleepy, just sleep. Rest easy. I'll keep watch."
"It's not normal sleepiness. It feels like something's forcing my eyes shut."
Even after the explanation, the old man kept his calm expression. That's when Yang Min-cheol realized the source of this unease.
"N-No way..."
"You're holding out well for someone so young."
The old man slowly rose from his mat.
"You shouldn't fight it too hard. A good night's sleep till morning, and it'd all be over."
"Over? What do you mean?"
"Your recovery would be done."
The old man forced a kindly smile.
"All that fatigue would vanish too."
"What did you do to me?"
At Yang Min-cheol's question, the old man waved his hands in mock surprise.
"Do to you? I didn't do anything. Just saved you, that's all."
"If you didn't do anything, I wouldn't be like this."
"Must be 'cause you touched that."
The old man pointed to the can.
"Wasn't something smeared on the outside?"
"Something on the outside...!"
"Leaf poison."
The old man shook his head.
"Made from the leaves of those monsters you saw."
"Poison...!"
"Don't worry. It's just a sleeping pill at worst. Absorbs right through the skin."
Yang Min-cheol stopped listening to the old man altogether.
Crash!
Forcing himself up, Yang Min-cheol's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. The old man approached, looking down at him with a gentle gaze.
"Don't push yourself. You could get hurt."
Yang Min-cheol glared up at him. The words were still kind, but a sinister undertone seeped through.
"Up you go."
The old man helped him back onto the bed.
"Let me introduce myself properly."
"Damn it..."
Yang Min-cheol gritted his teeth, fighting the drooping eyelids. He had to tell Go Cheon-su. There was a dangerous person here—he had to warn him.
"See you in the morning then."
But with those words, Yang Min-cheol's vision went black.
At that moment, in a corner of the arboretum.
"This is insane."
Go Cheon-su sighed as he surveyed the Ents filling the area.
"There are way too many..."
Nearly every tree in this arboretum could be called an Ent. Go Cheon-su turned to Jang Seo-yeon beside him.
"You okay? Looks like you got hurt."
She'd tripped while fleeing, lost her K2, and was clutching her arm, groaning.
"I'm fine. More importantly, can we get out of here?"
At Jang Seo-yeon's question, Go Cheon-su scanned the surroundings again. He pulled out the flashlight he'd forgotten about, hoping to find a path, but nothing stood out.
The viewers didn't seem to have any useful advice for this situation either.
"You guys said there'd be tons of bear dolls here."
Seeing something might give him hope to survive.
"We barely escaped that place, and now what are you all doing?"
"Damn it."
Go Cheon-su grabbed Jang Seo-yeon's hand and pulled her along as the Ents closed in.
"Jang Seo-yeon, we gotta keep moving. No time."
"O-Okay."
Jang Seo-yeon grimaced in pain but hurried after him.
Grrrrowl.
That's when it happened. Go Cheon-su shone his flashlight on an Ent right next to them and widened his eyes.
"Huh?"
There was a bear doll. Perched on the Ent's trunk.
"What the... Onlybear?"
Onlybear stared straight at Go Cheon-su, as if urging him to follow.
"Go Cheon-su?"
Jang Seo-yeon urged the suddenly still Go Cheon-su.
"What are you doing? We gotta go!"
"Hold on."
Go Cheon-su thought fast.
No way out of here like this anyway.
Monsters everywhere—no path in sight. Yang Min-cheol might've helped, but the kid was lucky to be alive on his own.
"Jang Seo-yeon, this way."
For now, follow Onlybear. Go Cheon-su bolted after the Ent carrying it. Jang Seo-yeon gave him a puzzled look but followed without complaint. They'd built enough trust by now.
It jumped down!
Seeing Onlybear leap off the Ent, Go Cheon-su sighed in relief. Onlybear glanced back at him, then waddled off somewhere.
"Jang Seo-yeon! Follow me!"
Go Cheon-su sprinted full speed to keep up with Onlybear. He couldn't lose it.
A few minutes later, he spotted Onlybear stopped ahead.
"Found it...!"
Go Cheon-su saw the green box where Onlybear stood. A Supply Box.
As he rushed over, Onlybear vanished.
I have 37 Zen right now...!
Way more than the first one. So the item in this box would be...
"Huh?"
Go Cheon-su blinked blankly. The box's icon was a weapon—fine so far. But the Zen cost made his mind go numb.
"What...?"
Go Cheon-su stared blankly. A 72-Zen box? Totally unexpected.
"Why's there a 72-Zen one?"
The chat filled with "lololol."
Everyone just laughed—no real answers.
"What is this?!"
It was a paid box. Visible because he had Zen... but priced exactly to what he had.
"Ah."
Go Cheon-su sighed.
"Ah, fuck."
Having Zen made it visible, but not that it'd cost exactly what he had. Realizing this too late, he clutched his head and screamed.
"Aaaah!"
"Go Cheon-su!"
Jang Seo-yeon caught up and grabbed his shoulders.
"What are you doing on the ground?!"
She couldn't see the box. Go Cheon-su turned to her with a blank face.
"No, this thing here... the Zen...!"
"Snap out of it!"
Jang Seo-yeon slapped his cheeks lightly.
"You zone out at a time like this? Get up! Now!"
She yanked him to his feet by the arm.
"Whatever it is, come back for it later! That's fine!"
True enough. He'd marked the spot. As long as it didn't vanish before opening, he could return.
"Got it? Let's go!"
Ents were swarming already. Jang Seo-yeon dragged him forcefully.
"Run! Hurry!"
Even now, she was aggressively proactive, eyes blazing as she led the way, searching for an opening.
What now?
Snapping out of it thanks to her, Go Cheon-su considered options.
Pull some aggro?
His physical stats were at 1.9 from Record Accumulation. Nearly double his starting strength. More aggro might let him handle Ents.
No.
Their armor was too tough. No telling how much aggro he'd need. And if he got impaled trying, no stats would save him.
To fight Ents safely: fire. That's what he needed.
Whoosh!
That's when water appeared instead of fire. A jet from somewhere slammed into the Ents.
Graaaah!
Hit by the water, the Ents changed direction.
"What the?"
As Go Cheon-su twitched an eyebrow, nearby sprinklers activated too. Sprayers doused everything, sending Ents milling in confusion.
"Over here!"
A shout came from somewhere. Go Cheon-su turned.
"Here, here!"
A skinny man held a long hose, waving them over.
"I'll help! Come this way!"
A person here? As Go Cheon-su questioned it, Jang Seo-yeon pulled his arm.
"Go Cheon-su! That way!"
He hesitated at the stranger but soon decided and moved. No choice but to hold out here anyway.
"Hurry!"
The man waved bigger, dropped the hose, and ran. Go Cheon-su and Jang Seo-yeon followed close.
"Here!"
The man flung open a large ground-level door. A ladder led down.
"Down now!"
Go Cheon-su paused despite the shout.
"Go Cheon-su! Hurry!"
Jang Seo-yeon descended without hesitation. Go Cheon-su told the man,
"Thanks for the help. You first."
"Huh? I'll close the door. Go ahead."
"No, you helped. Can't let you do that."
Go Cheon-su pushed him inside.
"Ah, no, wait—what strength...!"
The man couldn't resist and stepped in.
"O-Okay! Going first!"
He climbed down. Go Cheon-su followed, closing the door.
Thud thud thud.
Ents passed overhead. Close call.
"Whew."
The man, down first, sighed.
"We lived. That was close, you two."
Go Cheon-su, descending slowly, looked around silently. An air-raid shelter—well-organized basement. Lights from a few bulbs, walls lined with shelves and drawers. A bed on one side.
Bathroom too?
Another door suggested more facilities.
"Uh, hey."
As Go Cheon-su scanned, the man spoke.
"Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first? Plenty of time to look around."
Fair point. Still, Go Cheon-su glanced at Jang Seo-yeon instead of replying. She tilted her head at the eye contact, then spoke to the man first.
"Guess I'll go. Jang Seo-yeon. Thanks for the save."
"No thanks needed. Glad I could help. Oh, I'm Yoo Gi-seong."
Yoo Gi-seong extended a hand; Jang Seo-yeon shook it. Pretty friendly, but Go Cheon-su cut in stiffly.
"Yeah, I'm Go Cheon-su."
"Ah, Go Cheon-su."
Yoo Gi-seong smiled brightly, almost unnaturally.
"Nice to meet you."