Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Eroded World - 5
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Just then, Yeoulli burst out of the dimension gate and smacked Seok-hyun on the back.
He didn't even try to block it, just snorted.
"Heh, hit me harder."
"You perv! I can't deal with you!"
I asked why the usually sweet girl was so pissed, and she said he'd done some creepy shit at the Elderwood.
"How could you rub your naked body all over its roots? Those stag beetles revere that tree!"
"It's just a tree, though?"
"It's huge! Something that big has to be special."
It was... pretty damn big.
With roots the size of houses, you had to wonder just how massive the trunk was.
I didn't think much of it, but apparently the stag beetles were furious.
"The animals around were going berserk too. The whole vibe was insane. The Elderwood roots flipped everything upside down, so we can't harvest there for a while."
"Dirtball's fault."
Dajeong kicked Seok-hyun in the butt, and he sprawled out like a starfish, playing dead.
No one buys a guy with resurrection playing dead.
"Yeoulli, calm down and talk it out."
Listening to her, I realized the situation was pretty serious.
Why the hell had Seok-hyun done that, anyway?
I asked, and got a ridiculous answer.
"Felt like I should."
"That's a weird reason. Felt like what?"
"It looked pitiful. Wounded and weak... Felt like it needed a hug."
"Hugging naked and grinding on it is too much!"
"I was healing it."
"Healing my ass. That's molester shit."
Yeoulli kept protesting, so he squatted down, looking all mopey.
Well, he had his own brand of admirable intent, at least.
The problem was the Elderwood didn't appreciate it.
Still, if Seok-hyun got that vibe, maybe it really was hurt.
Like, 0.0001% chance.
Yeoulli grumbled about wasting 100 points for nothing and ducked back into the dimension gate. Seok-hyun popped right up.
Dajeong smacked his butt.
"Because of you, we can't even approach the Elderwood now."
"It'll call for me again someday. Got that feeling."
"Your feelings, man."
At least his pervy stunt was at the end. They had harvested some Elderwood sap.
I pointed to the ghoul flower outside the window.
"You two help out. Too many whips."
"Pull aggro from above, we go under and yank the core?"
"Yeah. Mi-kyung'll help."
She nodded.
Having watched so many brutal fights, she stayed cool even with vine whips lashing everywhere and monsters rampaging.
If not for her just now, I'd have taken a real hit.
Thanks later... Focus on the ghoul flower first.
Dajeong subtly wrapped around my arm.
"Sung-ho. I wanna ask a favor..."
"No."
"I didn't even say it."
"You're gonna say snag a bit of that drug."
"Just one fruit. Let's test it, please? I'm dying to know what it feels like."
Figured.
"Absolutely not."
I held firm, and her lips pouted.
"So stubborn. What's the difference from a Sun Apple? Both give buffs."
"Sun Apples work. No side effects. That drug? Who knows what backlash hits later."
Seeing I wouldn't budge, she threw up her hands and gave up.
"Sigh... Fine. But after we're done... You know."
"No idea."
I shrugged it off, and felt her scorching glare on my back.
Too sharp senses can be a curse.
Anyway, exhaustion was gone now.
My recovery was so good, status ailments cleared fast.
"Let's go."
Mi-kyung grabbed Seok-hyun first and headed for the bud.
The whip swept the area, striking him late.
But the tanky bastard blocked it easy.
"This ain't shit! Bring bigger ones!"
Ogre gauntlets made his strength insane.
A gross rip echoed as the whip tore from the bud, spraying sap.
"Whoa, Bunny uncle's strong."
"He's an ogre right now."
Mi-kyung returned, took Dajeong, and blinked again.
Her wolf cubs fought fiercely below with the monsters.
My turn.
I timed it and jumped down.
Not just the two, Mi-kyung pulled aggro too, so the main body area was relatively quiet.
Ran fast into the lobby. Someone was trapped in a huge swelling.
"Seong Sang-geun..."
His arm twitched weakly, pressing what looked like a mithril knife to his chest.
Better suicide than burn in poison agony, probably.
Not much thought, pure instinct.
"Farewell."
I bid him goodbye and opened a dimension slot for the flamethrower.
Looked like U.S. military issue, old and worn.
"This the nozzle... This the lever..."
Dangerous thing had safeties on the fuel and spray tanks.
Released both, opened the valve. Ready to fire.
From a safe distance, I pulled the lever on the four swellings.
Whoosh!
A sour-smelling stream shot out first, then turned to flames.
"Holy shit!"
The firepower was nuts. Swellings and thick stems ignited instantly, belching black smoke.
The four swellings writhed and burst, spewing poison.
"Yikes."
Backpedaled while spraying; engulfed stems snapped.
I hosed everywhere, no slacking.
About 10 seconds in.
Tank empty, spray done.
Flames wrapped the whole ghoul flower, burning hot.
The three aggro-pullers vanished; monsters howled and fled.
Last, I lobbed two grenades deep into the lobby.
Boom!
Ground shook as the supporting upper ghoul flower crumbled.
The building started collapsing.
"Oppa!"
Mi-kyung grabbed my arm from nowhere.
"Run."
We bolted to a nearby building.
.
.
.
The museum fire raged, scorching everything around before barely dying down.
Monsters burned, animals fled—major damage, but no one cared.
It was another world's ecosystem anyway.
After the blaze, Sung-ho rummaged the debris and found the core.
The ghoul flower's base, aka the rootstock. Not super useful, but horn mushrooms grew great on it.
Seok-hyun said it pulsed with strong energy.
—Not useless, we just don't know how to use it? Powers that massive flower and whips...
—Sounds good, but let's grow horn shrooms for now.
Sung-ho handed the core to Jjammi.
Heading to the shelter for rest, Hannam-dong folks showed up.
Oh Jeong-min opened a big case.
"The promised Dragunov sniper rifle. Full accessories, 200 dedicated rounds. Useful."
"Not bad."
Sung-ho knew zilch about sniping, so rifle-level utility.
But he took it, figuring it'd come in handy someday.
Oh Jeong-min rubbed his hands.
"Anyway... Come to our shelter for a meal? Chat about the world."
"Our kids don't know much. Mind if they listen?"
"Well..."
Even Soye chimed in, but Sung-ho looked reluctant.
Then Oh Jeong-min flashed the case, and he swallowed hard.
Radiation suit and detector.
With that, Busan was doable.
His hometown, place to return someday.
"Russian-made. Reliable."
Gov shelter lacked these.
Probably stashed by Jang Won-taek somewhere.
But how'd they know about Busan?
"How'd you know I'm from Busan?"
Sung-ho's voice dropped; Oh Jeong-min waved frantically.
"Heard from Korean Shelter. Probably trending now."
Auction house confirmed: Korean Shelter promo.
—Terror of all monsters!
—Ogre and giant ghoul flower butcher!
—Warm to humans, though!
—Meet Kimbap Lover from Busan!
—At Korean Shelter now!
"Kimbap's here."
Seok-hyun noted; Dajeong poked Sung-ho's side.
"Warm to people?"
"Dead guys wouldn't agree."
This old fox was trouble.
Pretending to care while profiting...
Looked kindly grandpa, but politician cunning seeped through.
Sung-ho stuck out his hand wordlessly; Oh Jeong-min handed over the case quick.
"No fancy meal. Just rice together."
Hannam-dong faces lit up.
Soon, at Oh Jeong-min's villa shelter.
Metal plague gone, they emerged from bunker, moved supplies, settled.
Luxury villa worth 10 billion per generation: sturdy, spacious.
Elevator smashed, vertical stairs in its shaft.
"Well-prepared."
"Haha, we got supplies to spare."
Oh Jeong-min bragged subtly.
Sung-ho unimpressed.
If his stockpile leaked, chaos.
In Oh Jeong-min's office, familiar faces sat.
Sung-ho glanced away.
Lee Min-su and Park Kyung-hoo from before... Others vaguely familiar.
First-timers, yet faces rang bells.
Soye smiled, introducing.
"This is Zero Black's Ryu Jin. Real name's hilariously country-bumpkin Jun-gu."
"Don't spill my name."
Short stocky guy grumbled.
"Zero Black? That idol group?"
"Yeah, whatever."
Sung-ho asked; guy bowed.
Dajeong couldn't believe it, muttering impossible.
"Gained weight."
As Seok-hyun said, Zero Black's lead vocal and face, Ryu Jin, was a pig now.
Short, but powered by voice and energy; fat made him average uncle.
He scratched his beard, chuckled.
"Months bunkered up did this."
Others similar.
Sung-ho shocked at each intro.
No makeup, no stage lights: just normal...
Idol proportions lingered, though.
Harsh world roughed them up.
Time would normalize them fully.
Sung-ho crew ate casually and left.
Hannam wanted them to stay.
Showed weapons, supplies, tempted with luxury villa.
No interest from Sung-ho side.
Why, with great otherworld shelter?
Sung-ho said,
"Home time."
.
.
.
"Impressive, Sung-ho."
Jang Won-taek gold-coated him on sight.
Sung-ho asked about promo.
"Had to go that far? Strangers'll think I'm some saint."
"I believe. Your heart beats with my passion—for humanity."
"Hah... Whatever. Not a speech contest."
Why was Hyun-woo here?
They weren't close; no talk since subway riot.
If matchmaking, he'd bolt.
Luckily, no.
Hyun-woo flipped the board to Seoul map.
"Cleared 20 ghoul flowers near Yeouido. Next: Bangbae, with support."
"Smooth progress."
Sung-ho baffled.
So many ghoul flowers; clearing one by one?
Hyun-woo listed plans; Sung-ho cut in.
"Korea population?"
"...50 million."
"Zombified?"
Glanced at Jang Won-taek, then,
"Near 50 mil. Why?"
"Ghouls evolved from them? Final energy drain to ghoul flowers?"
"Get to point."
"Waste of time."
"Clearing ghoul flowers?"
"Millions nationwide. Picking off one by one? Time to burn?"
"Misunderstanding here."
Jang Won-taek explained.
Summary: Just Yeouido area ones.
"Many still hesitate joining. Crowded spots dangerous from ghoul flowers. Gotta shatter that image."
"And use me as poster boy?"
"You're our guy now, right?"
Sung-ho speechless; Hyun-woo droned on.
"New recruit Lee Sang-shin... Combat skills top-notch. Tons of game time."
Sung-ho perked.
"Hours?"
"Not much play, but watched streams."
"Streams? Only I played that shit game."
Early streamers jumped on fresh survival hype, but brutal difficulty dropped 'em.
Sung-ho only real streamer.
"Viewer then."
Hyun-woo shrugged; big for Sung-ho.
Late-stream viewers: Poor Man and few.
One of them?
"Lee Sang-shin? Gotta meet."
"Not here."
"Where?"
"Why tell you?"
Staredown; Jang Won-taek smirked inwardly.
Better petty fights than cold ignore.
Friction breeds bonds, right?
Casually,
"Sang-shin loves gukbap. Suggestion box full of 'gukbap pleas.'"
Gukbap Addict.
Sung-ho clenched fist.
The viewer valuing all in gukbap terms arrived.
Stood abruptly, but sat at Jang's words.
"Seoul not yet, but Gangwon: owl bear sighted. Giant green snake too. Time to talk that?"
Battle Royale.
The brutal event incoming.
Eroded World - 5 End