Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Subway Station Labyrinth - 1
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December 20th.
The snow had completely stopped.
The clock was working much better, but the temperature had dropped even further, dipping below -25°C.
For the first time in a while, the sun peeked through the clouds, but the frozen ground showed no signs of change.
The occasional blast of frigid wind tore mercilessly at the skin.
Truly, the harsh winter had begun.
Both humans and monsters would have to struggle desperately just to survive.
Especially those survivors who had lost their gear while moving from hideout to hideout—they were in real trouble.
They had no choice but to scrape by on the notoriously tasteless store-bought bread and water.
There was a rumor circulating in the auction house that someone had eaten raw goblin meat and spent three days suffering before dying.
Some sneered at it, while others expressed pity.
The common thread was that everyone quickly forgot about it.
In the apocalypse, there was no need to care about others.
...
Oblivious to this grim reality, I was leisurely drifting on a rubber boat in a warm sea.
"Man, not biting at all..."
Woof.
Dingo gave a small bark in agreement.
Our target was the big-mouthed sea bass teasingly circling the boat.
It didn't resemble real-world sea bass at all, but the size was about the same.
The thing circled the boat before chomping firmly on the clam meat bait and darting away.
"Swallow the hook while you're at it."
I shouldn't have been wasting the morning like this, but my bold promise to Da-jeong had backfired.
She knew tuna was impossible, so she'd asked for a big fish instead, and I'd bragged that I could catch one offshore.
"And that's why I'm stuck like this from the morning..."
Please get caught, Mr. Big-Mouthed Sea Bass. I'll come fully prepared next time.
Maybe my desperate wish worked.
Finally, the sea bass swallowed the bait and the hook.
I immediately set the hook.
"Gotcha!"
Since it was in shallow water, a brilliant spray erupted, and Dingo jumped to its feet.
This guy's got some serious strength!
But I wasn't one to back down either, and soon enough, the big-mouthed sea bass was hauled onto the boat.
"Whew. That's a big one."
About 85 cm long?
True to its name, the mouth was huge, so the yield probably wouldn't be great.
Still, it was more than enough to eat our fill.
I rowed back to the beach.
After gutting and preparing the sea bass and setting the table, I headed back to reality. Da-jeong was warming herself by the campfire.
"Whoa, did you catch that?"
"Big-mouthed sea bass. How do you want it?"
"It's cold, so make spicy stew. I want some hot broth. But it's safe to eat, right?"
"The stag beetle said it has no poison, so it should be fine."
Surprisingly, they could detect poison in animals and plants.
She didn't really like me eating animals, but she wouldn't pretend otherwise.
She grumbled but still did what needed to be done.
I placed a large slab of meat on the cutting board and sliced it thick with the ceramic knife.
It was so fresh that it felt a shame to use it all in stew.
I plated a few pieces with soy sauce dip and handed it to Da-jeong. Tears streaming, she dug into the sashimi.
"The texture is insane. The meat's bouncing off my teeth."
"You're exaggerating."
I started the spicy stew, chopped green onions roughly, and added them on top.
Chunks of radish bobbed up and down in the bubbling broth.
The aroma of the stew quickly filled the room.
Da-jeong polished off the sashimi in no time and picked up her spoon.
"Mmm. This is gonna be good... I'm really happy I met you, Sung-ho. Sea bass stew in the apocalypse."
She ladled some broth, slurped it, and shivered in delight.
Then she scooped a big spoonful of rice from the pot, topped it with well-fermented kimchi and sea bass meat, and crunched away.
She eats so heartily...
She swallowed and let out a wistful sigh.
"Mmm. Spicy and hearty—delicious. Back in the shelter, the food was so bad I farmed and scarfed down combat rations."
"Combat rations aren't good if you eat them too long."
"That's why I got constipated and all hell broke loose. I heard guys in the army can't poop for weeks?"
Poop talk at the sacred breakfast table?
"Hey. No poop stories while eating."
I realized my mistake as soon as the words left my mouth.
Da-jeong burst out laughing, tears flying.
"Puhaha! 'No meal talk while eating poop!' That's hilarious!"
"Slip of the tongue. Just eat."
She stuffed her cheeks with meat and chewed.
"This feels just like newlyweds, doesn't it?"
"Newlyweds?"
"What, don't like me?"
"It's not that..."
"Pretty, great body, delicious."
"Skip the last one. You kept asking if I was tasty."
Dragging bedroom talk to the table is cheating.
In the apocalypse, nothing to do, too cold outside—nights always ended up the same.
I could see why birth rates were high back in the day.
After finishing the meal, I sent pre-packed food to Seok-hyun via the auction house.
As I retrieved the tray, Da-jeong pounced, claiming we needed post-meal exercise.
"Hold up. Gotta scout the subway station first."
"Worried the old fart pulled something?"
"Not enemies, but not friends yet. Gotta stay suspicious."
She thought for a moment and snapped her fingers.
"Geom-in's coming too, right? You're not planning to kill him?"
"If I wanted him dead, I'd have done it in battle royale."
"True... So you're teaming up with Geom-in? And the old fart?"
"We'll see after talking. Anyway, that's my take. No need to make enemies."
Da-jeong's expression turned strange.
"What? You were talking like you'd overthrow the government shelter before."
"Situation's changed. Got a connection with Bae Geom-in, Joo's dead. And plenty of guns now."
I didn't see the point in waiting for cracks in the government shelter anymore.
With Joo around, there might've been conflict ahead where he played a role, but Seok-hyun's fists and knife strikes had snuffed that chance.
Not that Seok-hyun was wrong.
Thanks to him, we'd secured ample supplies and firearms.
After a deep kiss from Da-jeong, I headed out.
A lung-freezing wind blasted in, but oddly, I didn't feel cold.
I made my way to Sindorim Station.
.
.
.
Jang Won-taek and Bae Geom-in waited for Kimbap Lover on the iron-dust-covered platform.
In truth, they'd met him before.
In Incheon and the battle royale battlefield—they'd talked and even been threatened.
Jang Won-taek had even faced him directly in the farming dungeon.
Whether he remembered their faces was another question.
Geom-in was visibly tense, glancing around.
This station, once Korea's densest in population, was now filled only with chill and dust.
Soon, footsteps echoed, and someone descended the opposite stairs.
Finally, time to meet...
As expected, he was a very tall man.
Black stab-proof suit, backpack, and bow—standard survivor gear.
His features were sharp-eyed and square-jawed.
Geom-in felt himself shrinking at the sight.
Memories of the battlefield, where he'd drawn a gun and threatened mercilessly.
He steadied his nerves.
It's fine... It's fine... Nothing's happening. He's not here to fight, right?
What if he fought Kimbap Lover in a fair state?
Even with multiple traits, victory wasn't guaranteed.
More than that, the aura.
A lethal vibe that could kill in under a second terrified Geom-in.
He questioned if this was the same Kimbap Lover who'd gamed and joked around.
I'm a veteran too.
Geom-in puffed his chest and met his gaze head-on.
Kimbap Lover's impassive eyes scanned him and Jang Won-taek.
"Let's sit."
The three sat at the platform's edge.
Jang Won-taek chuckled dryly.
"We've met before, haven't we? I figured as much."
He remembered.
Presidential eyes were sharp, it seemed.
"In the farming dungeon."
"Yes... I met Da-jeong back then too... Haha, who knew she was with Kimbap Lover."
"Kang Sung-ho."
He nodded slightly.
Geom-in had worked hard to memorize the name so he wouldn't forget.
Jang Won-taek asked.
"So... I heard the commotion with Seok-hyun is tied to you. Is that right?"
"Joo Seung-cheol is dead."
"Haha, as expected."
He wanted to ask how he'd breached that sturdy bunker, but it was best to hold back here.
Above all, the reply reeked of not wanting to waste time.
Then they had no choice but to pick up the pace.
"What was in the bunker?"
"Mind if I ask something first..."
"Go ahead."
"About the Hannam-dong bunkers—did the president block the press? Never heard a peep from the media."
He shook his head.
"No. Media owners are tied to conglomerates one way or another. Family matters—no reason to report. There was some noise on communities, but as you know, it got buried under monster news."
"Did the president know?"
"...He was briefed."
"Knew Joo was linked to some force?"
"I don't know the entity."
"That their pawn was in the countermeasures HQ?"
Referring to the suited man who'd tried to grab Poor Man providing info.
Naturally, Jang didn't know that far.
He furrowed his brows.
"Suspected from biased reports, but no solid leads to investigate."
"Not blaming you. Point is, they know our info because of that. Game server data."
"Our info...?"
As Geom-in leaned forward, Sung-ho answered casually.
"Playtime, last content played, event clears—all laid out."
"Even mine?"
"All us veterans."
Geom-in was glad he'd said "our veterans."
Felt like an invitation inside the fence.
Meanwhile, Jang's face turned grave.
"Game logs only ops would know... Guess they're not transcendent."
"Plotting something, but power's negligible."
Implying if they had real power, he'd be dead for getting close to their truth.
Hearing that, Geom-in's heart skipped.
Wondering if he meant him.
At the same time, his pride stung watching him spill unknown info effortlessly.
Maybe he should operate outside the shelter?
But it was too cold.
"Good info—I'll share one. Government shelters aren't just one. There's a backup near Incheon..."
"I know that."
"You do?"
"Heard the Bucheon Time Shelter entrance is half-destroyed."
...Only Oh Seung-yeon, who'd gone to Incheon, knew that.
The couple met roadside were Sung-ho and Da-jeong.
Jang probed gently.
"So it's fully looted now?"
"Feels like I'm the only one sharing. Not a mistake."
Meaning: you give too.
Trivial info, and he'd walk.
"I see. Here's a big one. Korea is completely sealed."
Sung-ho looked puzzled.
Chinese entered fine.
"Chinese came through unharmed."
"People can, but the environment is sealed off. Months of coastal observation. Strange no impact from China's nuclear plants on our West Sea, right?"
"Now that you mention..."
Unable to stay quiet, Geom-in chimed in.
"Like game servers. Korea server, China server, Japan server. People cross servers."
"No typhoons this year. Some force isolating the peninsula blocked them. Jeju's probably been razed multiple times."
Server isolation...
Sung-ho recalled Masan's Dog Island.
A few hundred meters from land—not far.
Animals could swim; why not monsters?
But none crossed to the island.
Only occasional respawns inside.
...Maybe monsters can't cross the sea.
But Da-jeong's ghouls had swum.
Lost in thought, a sudden guttural roar echoed.
Groooaaar—
"Huh?"
Geom-in, watching Sung-ho, shot to his feet.
Only one monster wailed that loud.
And it wasn't visible on the surface.
"La-Labyrinth opened."
Sung-ho stood too.
"Nearby."
The labyrinth was one of Survival Life's final contents—a massive, complex underground dungeon.
Unlike simple clearable dungeons, most wandered in darkness for days.
Jang dusted his clothes and stood.
No time for chit-chat with a labyrinth open.
"Let's call it here for today. Tomorrow same time for the rest?"
"Here, same time."
They exchanged glances and nodded.
Jang headed up the stairs first. Geom-in fidgeted.
Now the three, including Sung-ho, would tackle the labyrinth.
He wanted in, but lacked courage.
Couldn't send weaker underlings either...
As he agonized, Sung-ho pulled something from his backpack and tossed it.
"Brought it thinking of you. Eat."
"Wh-what is it?"
"Unwrap and see. Sorry about before. Had to get rough to save you."
"I knew..."
After he left, Geom-in ducked into the bathroom and unwrapped the cloth.
The bento brimmed with thick-sliced smoked fish and meat.
A massive soy-glazed chicken leg lit up his eyes with joy.
Were chickens ever this big?
"Hmph, why all this..."
Stuck in the shelter eating bland slop, Geom-in devoured it ravenously.
"Ugh, cough, hack."
Choked from eating too fast.
Anyway, the fish and meat were insanely good.
Good enough to consider slotting Sung-ho into his grand plans.
No rule rulers must be solo. Right?
Sung-ho qualified to stand beside him.
"..."
But midway, melancholy hit.
Eating like this in the apocalypse made power feel so hollow.
Wasn't the whole point of power to eat well and live well?
While he flailed, Sung-ho was miles ahead.
No... He saved me in battle royale.
The outstretched hand wasn't imagination.
Proof: eating his handmade bento.
"Tasty."
Geom-in grinned, mood lifted for no reason.
End of Subway Station Labyrinth - 1