Downpour (3)
“Yes, Mr. Go Cheon-su……”
At that, Kim Ha-ryeong—who'd been sleeping in a bizarre, flipped-over position—rolled onto her side and cracked her eyes open just a sliver.
Go Cheon-su jolted at the sight and yelled,
“Ack! You scared the shit outta me! Put on a happier face—thought you were a zombie for a sec! Get up already!”
He hauled Kim Ha-ryeong upright and pointed at the ceiling.
“That thing's spazzing out—do something about it!”
“Ah.”
Kim Ha-ryeong's mouth fell open slightly, then she waved it off.
“It's fine. Probably just reacting to the water dripping.”
“Water?”
“Roots normally stretch out toward water sources and then contract—that's how they work.”
As a root, it was reacting to nutrients and water, Kim Ha-ryeong explained.
“It needs a ton of water and nutrients to grow back. A little bit won't do anything, so don't worry. It's just some drips from above right now.”
Go Cheon-su shone his flashlight on the metal structure. Sure enough, pooled water was steadily dripping onto the Ent's root.
“Water……”
The water was trickling down from the manhole cover onto the metal framework.
Is it raining outside?
He'd half-expected it ever since the weather turned sour. It wouldn't have been weird if it started pouring anytime.
Drip, drip.
The water was even reaching down here. Judging by the amount, it seemed like a light drizzle.
Clang!
The Ent root slammed into the metal structure again. It probably wouldn't aggro the hearing-impaired Ents, so no big issue there.
Should be okay…… but still.
The inside was still bone-dry for now, so no risk of flooding yet.
“Whew.”
Go Cheon-su sighed and headed back to his spot.
“Yeah, looks fine. Go back to sleep, Ha-ryeong.”
But he wouldn't realize how wrong he was for long.
Another distorted female voice rang out.
This time, Go Cheon-su—who'd been dozing off against the wall—cracked his eyes open lazily.
“……Ugh, huh? What's up?”
Go Cheon-su yawned as he watched the viewer whining.
“Bro, chill—don't say 'zen' so much. Better to just sponsor instead. And pick a different voice next time.”
Go Cheon-su glanced forward—and bolted upright in shock.
“What the hell is this……!”
The low-lying area was filled with water. Go Cheon-su gaped and groaned.
“Feels like I barely slept ten minutes……!”
In that short time, the water had risen this much. He craned his neck up.
Whoosh!
Water was pouring relentlessly from the ceiling—not just from the visible manhole, but from somewhere else too.
“Everyone up! Get up now!”
Go Cheon-su bellowed. His crew stirred groggily, rubbing their eyes.
“What the—huh?!”
“Hyung!”
Jang Seo-yeon and Yang Min-cheol spotted the situation and jumped up in alarm. Kim Ha-ryeong, unprompted, started stuffing supplies into her red-cross-marked medical backpack.
“Grab your packs—one each!”
Go Cheon-su shouldered his own bag and looked up again.
Damn it……!
If the water stopped rising here, great—but it was climbing way too fast. And it wasn't draining anywhere.
This isn't just a waterway!
The fresh air in this underground space wasn't from connections elsewhere; it had ventilation. But now water was flooding in faster through those vents, with nowhere to go, so the level was surging.
It's an underground water tank!
A facility to store rainwater. They'd picked the absolute worst spot for this weather.
Of all the luck……!
A freak downpour like this? Their luck sucked.
“What do we do, Cheon-su? Head out?”
Jang Seo-yeon asked, geared up. Go Cheon-su bit his lip.
Going out now meant facing Ents.
“Anyone know how Ents act in the rain?”
The roots moved differently from the main body, so not helpful. Time to poll the viewers.
Going up meant danger either way. Go Cheon-su sighed.
He'd thought they'd rest well and head out refreshed, but nope—rain-soaked wandering it was.
For now……
Rain might stop. Fully geared, he decided to wait a bit.
“Um, Mr. Go Cheon-su.”
Kim Ha-ryeong handed him a yellow raincoat she'd pulled from somewhere.
“Here. No rain so far, but just in case—I kept 'em.”
Go Cheon-su took it. Her hands were full of more for the others—prepared for a group from the start.
“Don't worry too much. Rain'll stop soon. They say if you wish hard enough, it comes true. I'm wishing hard.”
“……”
Go Cheon-su swallowed dryly at Kim Ha-ryeong's wide-eyed, desperate stare. He knew she hated burdening the party she'd just joined. Turning from her anxious face, he stared up for a long while.
But unfortunately, the rain didn't let up.
The water kept rising. Go Cheon-su groaned.
What kind of rain is this……!
Like a disaster had hit. A sudden storm.
“Everyone, prep to climb!”
Go Cheon-su grabbed the ladder. Opening the manhole cover above didn't look hard—lure the Ent root to bash it open.
The problem was after.
Rainy season? Go Cheon-su blinked at the sudden comment.
“Bro, what're you talking about?”
Go Cheon-su's eyes widened.
A monster affecting the surroundings……
“No way!”
He peered into the rising, murky water—impossible to see through.
Go Cheon-su grimaced.
“What is it? Something there?”
Jang Seo-yeon came over and looked too.
“You see something?”
“What?”
Yang Min-cheol followed her gaze.
“I don't see shit.”
“Me neither.”
Kim Ha-ryeong just tilted her head.
No one else could see into the water from here.
“Up—now!”
Go Cheon-su yelled suddenly.
“Grab the ladder, everyone!”
The pooled water sloshed in one direction. He was sure something was in there.
“Damn it all……!”
Jang Seo-yeon scrambled up the ladder first in panic, followed by Yang Min-cheol and Kim Ha-ryeong.
Left alone below, Go Cheon-su scanned around—then chucked nearby debris into the water.
Splash.
Ripples spread. Then, atop them, a long green snout and gleaming eyes surfaced.
“Gahhh!”
“It's a crocodile!” Jang Seo-yeon screamed from above.
Yeah. A croc had slipped in somehow.
“Shit!”
Startled, Go Cheon-su grabbed the ladder and climbed. At the same moment, the water surged higher.
What the……!
Not normal. Definitely the environmental change the viewer mentioned.
“Bros! What's that monster?!”
It couldn't be a regular croc.
“It didn't just wander in normally, right?”
Popped up suddenly. Felt like it spawned with the rising water, not from elsewhere.
So, bad luck confirmed. Go Cheon-su gritted his teeth.
Stay here, and the water would drown them all.
“Jang Seo-yeon! Grab that tree root up there and bash the manhole cover! It'll react to the drips—use that!”
They had to go. No other way.
“Huh?”
But things didn't go to plan.
“G-Go Cheon-su!”
Jang Seo-yeon, who'd yanked the root to smack the cover a few times, yelled pale-faced.
“It won't open!”
“What?”
“Won't budge!”
Even as the root thrashed, the cover didn't move.
“Something's on top!”
Go Cheon-su stared blankly at her screaming like a banshee.
“Something…… there?”
He guessed what immediately. Ents stopped for rain to drink. If this "rainy season" affected outside too, Ents everywhere were halted, slurping water.
So……!
The cover wouldn't open because an Ent was right on top.
Grrrrr.
As water rose below, the Elcroco growled threateningly.
Top blocked? End the rainy season at least. Go Cheon-su clenched his jaw.
Fight underwater?
The Elcroco stayed submerged. As water rose, it'd attack. Meaning an aquatic battle.
“This is insane……”
Go Cheon-su reached for the axe at his waist. Only weapon he had.
Might work outside, but here? Underwater swings would be impossible.
No aggro yet either.
It wasn't targeting him—just chilling till full flood. Go Cheon-su fumed.
“Go Cheon-su! What now? This damn root's blocking the cover!”
Jang Seo-yeon despaired from above.
Go Cheon-su clutched his forehead and groaned.
Think. Think……
Even if it wouldn't surface, there had to be a way.
“Cheon-su!”
Then it hit him.
“Kim Ha-ryeong!”
“Yes? What is it, Mr. Go Cheon-su?”
He looked up at Kim Ha-ryeong, who wasn't panicking much even now.
“You said roots need tons of water and nutrients to grow? If they get that, they sprout right away?”
Normal roots would die in a tank, but Ent roots? This one was already going nuts for drips.
“Yes, exactly. But it'd need really a lot to grow much.”
“Perfect. Everyone, clear out.”
Go Cheon-su started climbing the ladder.
“Huh? Mr. Go Cheon-su?”
“Hyung?”
“Wh-what?”
He pushed past them to the top—and faced the Ent root.
“You crazy bastard, huh?”
Even severed, it thrashed grotesquely. But that mad survival instinct was exactly what he needed.
“Here goes.”
Go Cheon-su drew his axe. One target.
The single cord suspending the Ent root from the ceiling.