Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: One Roof, Multiple Families - 4
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Ultimately, Sang-shin accepted my proposal.
However, he didn't come into the shelter right away.
It was because the only person he was acquainted with was Ji-man, and even that was someone he'd never actually met in person.
"If I go in and everyone's getting along while I'm the only one sitting awkwardly, won't that be embarrassing?"
That was a fair point.
In the end, he decided to stick with Brother Hyung-jun for the time being.
I said goodbye to everyone and headed outside, when I suddenly glanced at my sister-in-law's belly.
It was starting to show quite a bit now... She'll handle it herself.
Butting in without being asked would just be ridiculous.
When I went down to the office, there were no staff members around, just Lee Beom-seok sorting through documents.
They contained information he needed to report to me.
Since Jang Won-taek had delegated full authority over the Korean shelter to me, it was my responsibility to handle it all.
Looking at the stack of papers, a wave of regret hit me for taking on something so pointless.
But I wasn't too worried.
In the apocalypse, most problems got solved with violence anyway.
And if there were no people, there were no problems, right?
Lee Beom-seok glanced at me before handing over a few sheets from the pile.
"This is the shelter's personnel list. And this is the list of people who applied for relocation."
I tore up the relocation applicants' list.
Through the shreds of paper, I could see Lee Beom-seok's startled eyes.
"Why all of a sudden..."
"We're not accepting relocations for the time being. We'll reopen after we've cleaned up the shelter thoroughly."
"People are dying out there right this moment. Are you just going to ignore them?"
"Not my problem."
His startled expression turned to anger.
"...It seems like the President made a mistake delegating authority to you..."
"How much more do you have to get screwed over before you'll stop saying that? Do we need some lowlifes to come in and start a civil war?"
It felt a bit off for me—the king of lowlifes—to say that, but whatever.
"That's not what I meant."
"Listen up."
I raised my voice.
"Battle Royale just ended not long ago. There are tons of grudge-holders out there grinding their teeth. If we let them in, they'll settle their scores inside the shelter. Why let that happen? Tell them to sort it out outside."
"So you're saying only accept the survivors after they've killed each other off?"
"Whether they kill or not is their business. Point is, we're not taking anyone right now. Give it a few months, things will sort themselves out. Why take on that risk?"
"..."
Lee Beom-seok fell silent for a long while.
He wanted to argue, but couldn't come up with anything.
I flicked the papers.
"Forget this stuff. Bring me the list of bunkers the military prepped. And check if we have any anti-tank mines."
This time, suspicion colored his eyes.
"Anti-tank mines all of a sudden? Why..."
"Need them to break through the Grand Labyrinth. The monsters there are such a pain."
Seok-hyeon and Da-jeong were working on it, but since their abilities were identical, progress was stalled.
It wasn't just doppelgangers either, making it pretty tough to push through.
Da-jeong seemed to want me to join, but that was too risky.
If they copied my dimension gate ability, it'd be chaos.
Worst case, a doppelganger could open a gate right into my shelter.
The sound of papers rustling came, and a few sheets landed on the desk.
"Here you go."
Anti-tank mines... They were in the U.S. military bunker.
These would let us blast through the doppelganger zone and reach the 7th floor.
All abilities except stats got sealed there, but the rewards were sweet.
The minotaur would be an issue, but we could turn it into Swiss cheese with gunfire.
As I sorted the documents, Lee Beom-seok asked,
"Anything else you need?"
"I need the lists for Yeouido Union Faction and Hangang Faction."
Lee Beom-seok flinched for a moment.
He could probably guess what I'd do with those lists.
Having given up on everything, he replied obediently.
"I'll sort them out right away."
"And reach out to the Hannam-dong Clan. Ask if they'd like to join us."
"No way the Hannam-dong Clan would accept that."
"They'll think about it seriously. They've got their own headaches too."
They were dealing with Battle Royale aftermath just like us.
Milder compared to ours, but the key was they lacked the ability to handle it.
If I extended a hand, they might not grab it outright, but they'd consider it.
And if some incident popped up in the meantime, they'd jump ship completely.
"You think you can trust those people?"
"I don't trust anyone except a few. But we can work together."
You could tell from their actions so far.
A bit clumsy, but they didn't stab you in the back.
The issue was one guy who clung too stickily, but by then, I'd be gone.
Turning them into allies was up to Jang Won-taek.
"Supplies... We can use that big warehouse."
"We're done here."
Lee Beom-seok turned to leave the office but looked back at me.
"I don't like you."
I knew that was coming.
To Lee Beom-seok, Jang Won-taek's die-hard fanboy, my very existence was a thorn in his side.
But I held the keys.
"I never asked you to. Just keep it professional."
I didn't need everyone's approval.
No matter what I did, some would hate and despise me without changing their tune.
If anything, I wanted to give those types even more reasons to hate me.
Best to flush out the annoyances quickly.
I stared at him and said slowly,
"Just don't cross the line. That's all I ask."
"...Understood."
Our dry conversation ended, leaving me alone in the office.
"He's definitely hiding something..."
I settled into a suitable building and opened my first dimension gate.
This connected the Korean shelter, my shelter, and the Grand Labyrinth's 2nd floor.
As if waiting, Seok-hyeon and Da-jeong emerged.
They looked dejected, having failed to break through the doppelganger room.
Seok-hyeon said to me,
"Looks like we need you, Kimbap."
"Can't have me copied. No telling what happens with the dimension gate ability."
Da-jeong sat in a chair, crossing her legs.
"I told you no. A doppelganger could open a gate into the shelter. Total wipeout."
"I've got a good method."
Their eyes turned to me.
I explained the plan, and Da-jeong's face twisted in shock.
"Blow them away with anti-tank mines in one go?"
"Pretty badass, right?"
"But who's stepping on them? Anti-tank means they need heavy pressure."
"Gukbap Addict will do it. He's got telekinesis."
"He's coming in?"
"Lured him with pork soup."
"What an easy guy..."
Seok-hyeon narrowed his eyes and asked,
"Gukbap Addict... strong?"
"No match for us. But he'd be even with Geom-in."
"So he's pretty strong then."
"As my viewer, he knows monster weak points inside out. Five long knives flying around in mid-air, apparently."
"Total telekinetic sword master."
"What's that?"
Da-jeong apparently hadn't read wuxia novels, so she didn't get the reference.
Anyway, time to wrap that up.
I explained our future plans to them.
"We'll make this our base for now. And we'll be staying here for a bit. The President delegated authority to me."
Their expressions changed instantly upon hearing that.
"Huh? What?"
"In simple terms, I'm the big boss of the Korean shelter now. Jang Won-taek's worn out and resting."
"You, Sung-ho? Since when? You hate hassle."
"Gotta be worth it. The U.S. military bunker list is no joke."
"So what do we have to do?"
"Just patrol the shelter and keep the vibe in check. Seok-hyeon, you scare people just existing anyway."
A guy in a bunny headband and briefs wandering the shelter? Everyone would feel the danger.
"Da-jeong, you need to tame a griffon. If another one spawns..."
Then Da-jeong stood, came behind me, and wrapped her arms around my neck.
It wasn't her usual soft touch.
"Su-yeon unnie took off her glasses? Asked how it went, and she said you fed her like with a spoon."
"Wearing broken glasses must suck. You know that feeling."
"True, but I should've been first. Who am I?"
"Wife?"
"Drop the question mark. Anyway, next griffon that shows up is mine."
Da-jeong's voice softened.
Seok-hyeon, who had been staring, spoke up.
"We need mobility now too. Let's tame a few more griffons."
"You're just bored."
Seok-hyeon grinned.
"You know too much..."
"Griffons aren't that common though..."
Flying monsters were rare like that.
As I trailed off, he snapped his fingers.
"We can go to other countries. The Grand Labyrinth connects everywhere."
Da-jeong chimed in.
"Oh yeah! Heard Japanese people came through the Grand Labyrinth too."
"Kenji and Yuzuka?"
"Nah, other Japanese from Japan. Hannam-dong Clan ran into them, that's the word. Don't know after that."
Makes sense, since even suspected Russians showed up.
The 1st floor of the Grand Labyrinth was huge, linking to spots worldwide.
If Korea had five entrances, other countries probably did too.
They'd be confused now, but soon figure it out.
Once they realize Korea's in decent shape, they might try coming here.
Like cramming multiple families under one roof...
For now, focus on griffons.
Two would massively expand our range.
I'd tell the others later.
If they find an entrance to Japan, post it on the board.
Da-jeong returned to her chair.
"So we're holing up here for a while?"
"Tons to do. Gukbap stuff, chase out the trash, negotiations."
"Bunny."
She called to Seok-hyeon, and they exchanged looks.
The moment I sighed, they both leaped amiably out the window.
"We're off!"
"Handle it yourself!"
Sorry, but work's gotta be split.
Even the Diamond Mountains look good after a meal, as the saying goes.
Or the ghost that dies after eating has a fine complexion—point is, people need to eat to live.
Sung-ho set up a brazier on the shelter's shopping district road and hung several large pots.
He'd kept them in storage thinking they might come in handy someday, and now they did.
"Geom-in! Bring the prepped stuff!"
"Coming!"
Shelter members hauled ingredients for the pork soup.
He boiled wild boar bones and meat thoroughly for the broth, dumping in chicken stock and seasonings generously, creating a convincing look.
He made kkakdugi from garden radishes and chopped green onions finely.
Su-yeon tasted the skimmed broth and nodded.
"It's good. Doesn't smell off."
Wild boar could have a strong gamey smell if not handled right.
Not satisfied with her assessment, Sung-ho called Sang-shin over.
They were similar in age, so they'd dropped formalities.
"You're from Seoul, right? What do you think?"
He shoved his face close to the pot and sniffed deeply.
"Hmmm... Yeah, that's the stuff."
"You haven't even tasted it yet."
"This rich color and aroma bring the flavor to mind."
How much pork soup had he eaten to develop that skill?
Sang-shin was probably 20% pork soup by composition.
As the aroma spread from the pots, people gathered, wondering what it was.
"What's that boiling?"
"Pork broth, I think."
"Where'd we get pork... Oh, the wild boar."
"Turning fantasy into reality."
Everyone stuck out their tongues, never expecting pork soup in the apocalypse.
Some subtly meddled with the cooks.
Like saying the kkakdugi wasn't fermented enough.
Sung-ho made note of everyone.
Once the rice was done, people gathered by the pots, swallowing hard.
Assuming it'd be shared out.
But Sung-ho had no such intention.
"Yeouido Union Faction, Hangang Faction members—step aside. For the record, I know exactly who you are."
His Truth-Seeing Eye skill was long gone, but people still thought he knew names.
Shin Il-hwan and his crew, burned before, exchanged glances.
Do we have to leave?
Seok-hyeon, sitting in a provocative pose, raised his fist.
"Move now, or I'll shave your heads like mine."
"Ugh."
No one could withstand the threat.
As fifteen stepped back, Sung-ho tempted them.
"If joining the group wasn't your choice and you just want to live quietly, you can come back. But only once."
Seok-hyeon started counting backward from ten.
"Ten, eight, six..."
A few glanced around and bolted from the group.
Now the faction leaders were fuming.
What the hell is this?
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? You got the authority for this?"
Sung-ho stared him down straight.
It was Kim Young-soo, Hangang Faction leader.
Skinny build, but a vicious face you couldn't forget.
Similar vibe to Shin Il-hwan.
A guy with guns, eyeing the Korean shelter.
Sung-ho skimmed fat from the broth.
"Of course. Jang Won-taek delegated authority over this shelter to me."
"Ha! Where's the guy who said it'd be run democratically? Total dictator now."
"Democracy in the apocalypse? You bought that?"
He gritted his teeth, and Shin Il-hwan stepped up.
Having been thoroughly beaten by Sung-ho before, he couldn't look straight, but wanted to salvage some pride.
"Wh-what do you want?"
"For all of you to get out. Go outside and don't come back. We'll give you some supplies."
"Policies can't just flip like that! This isn't kid stuff."
Instead of answering, Sung-ho pulled a mithril blade from his dimension slot and stabbed it into the ground.
The long sword pierced the pavement block, making everyone flinch.
"Nothing more to say. This is my shelter, and I don't feel like keeping tumors around. You ignored the warning, so no supplies. Get out now."
"...And if we don't?"
"You all die."
"What did we even do wrong?"
"Leave troublemakers like you stirring shit inside the shelter?"
"You, who causes the biggest disturbances, have no right to say that!"
Kim Young-soo exploded, but Sung-ho was indifferent.
"Fine."
Seok-hyeon answered.
Without a word, he charged and started pummeling Kim Young-soo.
Thud, thud, thud!
Each blow was a critical hit.
Kim Young-soo, who fancied himself tough, twitched like a frog electrocuted.
Seok-hyeon, eyes red, scanned the gang members.
"Anyone else want some?"
No one replied.
Sung-ho pointed outside, and they slunk away one by one.
Hiding wasn't an option, with Da-jeong's monsters escorting them.
Thus, the Korean shelter's troublemakers were purged.
Only then did Sung-ho drop his fierce expression and say to the others,
"Let's eat."
One Roof, Multiple Families - 4 End