Freeloaders Are Not Welcome (2)
Go Cheon-su had found a nearby pet supply store.
But it wasn't exactly a proper pet supply store. At best, it had dog food, collars, and leashes.
"Anything you like?"
At Go Cheon-su's question, Heukgu slowly padded over and stopped in front of a display case.
Heukgu turned to Go Cheon-su and stuck out his tongue.
"What, you wanna taste it?"
Go Cheon-su let out a hollow chuckle and peeled open a strip of jerky from the snack aisle, handing it over.
Chomp chomp.
Heukgu eagerly devoured the jerky and stuck his tongue out again.
"Well, well."
Amused despite himself, Go Cheon-su peeled open a few more and passed them over.
"Yeah, eat up."
They'd have plenty of heavy lifting once they got upstairs, so stocking up on snacks for stamina here was smart. Go Cheon-su even stuffed a few into his bag.
Inside the bag were the medical supplies Kim Ha-ryeong had left behind.
'Well, he probably didn't need to grab these too.'
The cruise ship would have a clinic. These might even be better.
'Who knows.'
Still, no telling if the medical facilities were intact, so better to keep them.
'...Wonder how everyone's really doing.'
Kim Ha-ryeong, Jang Seo-yeon, Yang Min-cheol. Go Cheon-su wasn't not worried about the group he'd parted with. He'd left them behind because he had to survive somehow himself, but he hoped they hadn't died.
It probably wouldn't happen, but if they failed to clear the game and the world stayed like this, their fates as decided so far would stick.
Woof!
Just as his shoulders grew a bit heavier, Heukgu barked furiously in front of a certain dog collar.
"What, you want this one?"
It was covered in spikes like thorns.
"Your taste is... well, not bad, I guess."
It could double as defense if something tried to bite his neck.
Freak. Not a bad way to put it.
Go Cheon-su immediately grabbed the collar and fastened it around Heukgu's neck.
Woof woof!
Heukgu bounced in place like his morale had skyrocketed.
"Like it, you rascal?"
In a world where personal survival came first, even companions had to be parted with eventually. Go Cheon-su had no plans to get too attached to anyone in particular, but if someone stuck with him through it all, he wouldn't ignore their effort.
"Let's do this, Heukgu."
Go Cheon-su hoped Heukgu would live up to that, then glanced toward where Park Chang-sik had gone.
"But where'd that old man...?"
"Cheon-su!"
Park Chang-sik suddenly appeared, running over fast.
"How's this!"
A Hawaiian shirt. He was wearing a vacation top with blue tropical plants splashed over a white background.
"What? Why that face? You don't like it?"
"No."
Go Cheon-su shook his head with a sigh.
"I said pick a weapon, and you come back with clothes."
"Oh crap!"
"I'll pick one for you, so hold onto that."
Go Cheon-su walked over, yanked the pole from a mop in the corner, and handed it to Park Chang-sik.
"Here."
"Uh, will this work?"
"For a beginner, wide attack range is best."
Better than him swinging some other weapon, getting bitten by a zombie, and becoming a liability. At least he could protect himself.
"Alright, let's go. Stay sharp."
Go Cheon-su beckoned and headed back toward the elevators. The zombies they'd taken out earlier lay sprawled comically around.
Click.
He tested the elevator button. Seeing a light nearby, he'd given it a shot, and luckily, it seemed to work fine.
Creak.
The quietly descending elevator slowly opened its doors.
"Tch."
Go Cheon-su tensed, axe raised, then sighed in relief seeing it empty inside.
"Yeah, all good. Hop in."
Go Cheon-su furrowed his brow slightly and shook his head.
Even if you couldn't see from outside, once inside an elevator, you had to stay alert for whatever event might pop up.
"You guys don't know? There are ones flattened to the floor that pop up, or ones that drop from the ceiling outta nowhere. Gotta be careful."
And indeed, a cruise ship was perfect for zombies ambushing like traps. In games, zombie maps on ships always had them popping out from weird spots. The enclosed ship spaces seemed wide but had plenty of tight spots, leading to that.
"Get in quick."
Park Chang-sik stepped in first and waved Go Cheon-su over.
Go Cheon-su hopped in with Heukgu right behind.
Creak.
As Park Chang-sik hit the button and it started moving again, Go Cheon-su blanked out for a second—then his eyes widened.
The shop has been updated.
"Ah."
It was the notification he'd been waiting for.
"The shop..."
Bang!
Right then, before he could finish, the elevator shook violently.
"Kuh?"
As it passed Upper Deck 4, a zombie had slammed into the door.
"What the."
Kraaaah!
The zombie's form receded. The elevator reached Upper Deck 5 and stopped.
Grind!
With a strained groan, the doors slowly opened.
Go Cheon-su thought the same. He quickly exited and peered over the railing below.
Kraaaah!
"Ah, damn it."
A grotesquely twisted red zombie stood there.
Bang!
The red zombie kept slamming around in rage.
At least it seemed dumber than regular zombies, which was a relief.
Bang!
The red zombie just kept pounding the spot where the elevator had passed.
'Can't use this elevator on the way down.'
It had mangled the Upper Deck 4 doors and shaft—if they tried again, it'd get stuck.
"H-Hey!"
Park Chang-sik tugged at Go Cheon-su.
"Let's go quick! Stop sightseeing!"
"Ah, yeah."
With a special zombie here, they needed to hustle more.
Go Cheon-su walked on with Park Chang-sik, opening his mouth.
"Folks, this is within my limits, right?"
If it wasn't, someone would've warned before they even boarded, but Go Cheon-su couldn't help worrying from his side.
Lame cheer, but one thing was clear: This place was clearable, whatever it threw at them. No telling how many zombies hid, but survival seemed possible.
"Whew."
Go Cheon-su swallowed and nodded slightly.
"Definitely tense up here on the ship, folks."
"Yeah, thanks."
At least no one was booing, which comforted Go Cheon-su a bit.
"Alright, where to now."
Six more decks up.
'Should've climbed the outside after all.'
The thought flashed, but he shook his head.
'Nah, that would've been too risky.'
Few decks had railings outside. High chance of slipping off, and if windows didn't break right, entry was dangerous. No choice but to skip it. Plus, what if some unheard-of monster showed mid-climb with nowhere to hide? Pass.
'Viewers aren't pushing for that either...'
Sticking to the interior ascent seemed the safest bet.
"Go Cheon-su, something's coming down from up there."
Park Chang-sik nudged his shoulder. Go Cheon-su turned—someone was stumbling down the stairs from above.
"Zombie."
This one wore crew uniform. Go Cheon-su raised his axe.
"From now on, stick close to me. We'll take 'em one by one as we go."
Kraaah.
As he approached, the zombie lunged.
Crack!
The axe-embedded zombie staggered sideways and fell. Go Cheon-su yanked it free and advanced slowly.
Aggro 1 - 09:47
"What is this."
Only the zombie he'd just killed counted toward the freshly restarted Aggro skill.
"That bastard really just charged the elevator."
Kraaaah!
The red zombie's cries echoed from below. Go Cheon-su swallowed dryly.
'This feels off.'
One mutant zombie already was bad enough.
'What if there are more?'
Wood zombies could be blamed on ents, but red zombies mutated on their own. Who knew what forms others had taken.
"Driver, over there."
Go Cheon-su spotted a sign reading "Grand Theater" and pointed.
Park Chang-sik tilted his head in confusion.
"What? Wanna watch a movie all of a sudden?"
"Nah."
Big ships sometimes had multi-floor theaters.
"Maybe there's an elevator or connected emergency stairs inside that go up several floors at once."
"Ah, looking for another elevator or straight stairs."
"Yeah."
Climbing floor by floor would take time. Go Cheon-su wanted to reach the captain fast.
"Got it."
Park Chang-sik shrugged, understanding, and opened the theater door first.
"I wanna get upstairs quick too. Hurry..."
Creak.
Park Chang-sik froze mid-step.
Go Cheon-su checked the chat and flinched, raising his axe.
"...Driver?"
No response from Park Chang-sik. Go Cheon-su crept up behind him cautiously.
"What the..."
Then even he froze, eyes widening.
'This is...!'
People. Several, tangled and slumped inside the door.
They seemed to be breathing faintly, just as the chat said.
"......"
But Go Cheon-su couldn't bring himself to check their conditions.
Behind the sprawled people, past the door, was another door. Clearly a soundproof inner one.
"Folks, hear any sounds?"
With it closed, he couldn't check the theater interior—or sounds from within.
He wasn't planning to enter. Just wanted to check if something was inside.
'Not just passed out.'
Veins bulged unevenly on them. Bitten or not, they weren't normal.
"Cheon-su, what now?"
Park Chang-sik gestured at the people.
"Back."
Go Cheon-su said curtly, waving him off. Park Chang-sik retreated carefully and shut the door.
"Whew."
Park Chang-sik exhaled shakily and turned to Go Cheon-su.
"What was that just now?"
"Dunno."
He couldn't say for sure. But Go Cheon-su chose not to stir up trouble.
"Skip this spot for now."
Just give up the easy upward path.
Go Cheon-su beckoned Park Chang-sik and Heukgu again.
"We'll go the proper way. Quiet and fast as a bonus."
He strode off casually.
And then...
"Ha, shit."
They spotted more people sprawled on the escalator.