Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: One Roof, Multiple Families - 6
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A message arrived from the Hannam-dong Clan.
They welcomed Sung-ho's proposal, wondering how he knew about their internal affairs.
They had gone through a similar ordeal due to the Battle Royale event.
Their positive evaluation of Sung-ho also helped sway them toward acceptance.
After all, the Hannam-dong Clan had only cooperated with Sung-ho without ever clashing.
However, there were two problems.
Joining up in Yeouido was fine, but what about all those supplies?
The newly joined members were also turning into headaches.
They might have been okay if they'd behaved, but they were busy causing chaos.
Sung-ho offered a solution.
—Leave the supplies as they are and just move your people. You remember the group that met up with me, right? Bring only them.
—What about the supplies?
—Once you move, they'll end up in the Korea Shelter warehouse.
—How...
They were clearly curious about how the supplies would be transported.
Sung-ho didn't reveal everything.
Even though it had become a trait that anyone in the know was aware of, it was better to keep some secrets.
Once he assured them he'd handle it cleanly, the Hannam-dong Clan's leadership made their decision.
The nuisances from the new recruits must have been no joke.
Soye's laments came pouring out in a stream.
—Seriously, who are these creeps asking me to dance for them? Sung-ho, do I look like an easy girl to you?
She was definitely the type to fall easily.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have clung to Sung-ho, whose looks were just average.
—Not exactly...
—Right? Ah... I'm so relieved you're handling the cleanup, Sung-ho. How should I repay you?
—No need for repayment. Just come to the shelter and behave. Otherwise, I'll kick you out.
—You're the leader now, right? What happened to that old grandpa?
—He's resting. When he comes back, I'll hand it over.
—Wait, so you're leaving the Korea Shelter?
Not necessarily.
Even after the shelter stabilized, Sung-ho planned to keep his registration without fully leaving.
In other words, he'd stay on the roster but act freely without being bound by the rules.
This was something he'd agreed on with Jang Won-taek.
When he explained, Soye was half-believing, half-doubting.
—If you leave the shelter, we won't have a reason to stay...
—I won't be leaving the shelter. I'll just move freely.
There was just too much to exploit.
The reserves in the preliminary shelters and bunkers around Seoul were no joke.
Less than 10% had been revealed so far.
Considering that, it was better to maintain registration even if he handed over command.
—So you're saying you'll keep staying at the shelter?
—Of course.
—Then we'll move. We've already agreed. It's just that some people aren't happy about it...
—Seal the bunker and slip out. I'll handle the rest.
And Sung-ho really did handle it.
No one knew what he did when he visited the Hannam-dong Clan.
But the screams echoing around the luxury villas nonstop were undeniable.
Days passed, and once the Hannam-dong Clan members had settled into the Korea Shelter, Sung-ho returned.
Soye tried to run to him joyfully but flinched back.
The thick stench of blood was wafting from his body.
He acted like nothing was wrong, but everyone could sense it.
Sung-ho was the one taking on the dangerous, repulsive jobs.
This was when Jang Won-taek and Lee Beom-seok met and greeted the Hannam-dong Clan members.
The former leader was impressed by the changed atmosphere in the shelter.
"You've changed so much in such a short time."
"The atmosphere?"
"People say the new leader is extremely authoritarian. But also inclusive. Do you know why there are such contrasting evaluations?"
Lee Beom-seok hesitated before answering.
"He skillfully used carrots and sticks..."
"Exactly... He ruled with an iron fist alongside several veterans, but loosened up when he could. Even I'd never betray someone giving out pork soup, samgyetang, or sashimi. Heh heh."
"It's just buying loyalty with food. It won't last."
Jang Won-taek was surprised by his subordinate's harsh assessment.
This guy's jealous.
Looking out the window, people were eating.
Even without Sung-ho, they had brought chairs and tables on their own and sat neatly in rows.
The reason they were so well-behaved was that they knew what happened if they didn't.
With not one but three veterans around, no one dared to act up.
Life was precious to everyone.
Jang Won-taek suddenly asked.
"...How long have you been following me?"
"21 years and 3 months... Something like that."
"It's been a long time... I remember when we first entered Yeouido. You were my escort knight back then, right? Didn't know the roads? You even parked in the wrong spot once."
"Embarrassing."
"Yeah... After 21 years in politics, Sung-ho is teaching us things we never knew. We should feel ashamed."
"President."
Jang Won-taek laughed hollowly.
"They say the waves behind push the waves ahead... These are times of survival of the fittest in the apocalypse. To avoid being swept away, we must strive—you, me, everyone."
Lee Beom-seok couldn't dare contradict his respected superior.
He was probably concerned because he'd heard about the argument between him and Sung-ho.
"What should we do going forward?"
"We have to acknowledge other methods and accept them. But they shouldn't serve evil purposes..."
"Please lead us, President."
"Hey now. Sung-ho is the shelter's leader now. Not me."
The mentor spoke, and the disciple accepted.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Gukbap Addict Lee Sang-shin entered Sung-ho's shelter.
Oh Hyung-jun and Yoo Ji-hye had decided to join the shelter too, but not right away.
Because Ji-hye's combat ability was lower than Yeo-ul's or Soo-yeon's.
Even taking Dingo and Duckling along and arming them with guns, success was uncertain.
Hyung-jun said he'd level her up for the time being, and Sung-ho agreed.
Once inside the shelter, Sang-shin was shocked.
"What is this place? It's a whole other world..."
"Welcome to Sung-ho World!"
He decided to ignore the bunny monster stretching out in his underwear for now.
Sang-shin looked around and spotted his hut under construction.
Ji-man and Geom-in were building it themselves.
"The other huts are all full, so we have to build a new one."
"Do I need to do anything?"
"You need to come with us to the 6th floor of the Great Labyrinth."
He was dragged off by the three veterans.
When he came to, he was in front of a room with bizarre patterns on the walls.
Sung-ho said quietly.
"You know the Doppelganger Room? If you go further in, copies of us will pop out."
"Copies of us?"
"They copy traits too, so they're extremely dangerous. Seok-hyun and Da-jeong tried rocket launchers, but they dodged."
Sang-shin gaped.
What the hell are their stats?
While he'd been messing around, they'd somehow leveled up massively.
"...So what do I need to do?"
"Press these anti-tank mines here. They need over 100kg of pressure. Think you can handle it?"
Sung-ho pulled three anti-tank mines from his dimensional storage.
One wasn't enough, so he planned to trigger them simultaneously.
Sang-shin demonstrated his telekinesis by lifting Sung-ho and the backpack at once, earning Da-jeong's admiration.
"Impressive... Does it work on people too?"
"It's moving the backpack, not Sung-ho. If it worked on people, it'd be total cheating. Just squeeze the heart and done."
"Ah, got it."
"Anyway, let's start."
Sang-shin focused and moved the three mines into the Doppelganger Room.
Now, when the four approached, four doppelgangers would spawn.
Stats were secondary; they had to take them out fast since they'd copy Sung-ho's traits.
"Let's go."
As soon as the four approached, the floor writhed, and something rose like a mud clump.
That was when over 100kg of pressure hit the three mines.
BOOM!
An indescribable explosion and shockwave swept through the dimensional walls.
Sung-ho saw the walls nearly shatter and quickly opened a dimensional gate.
The four huddled behind him, peeking out once the dust settled.
"Did we get 'em?"
"Stop calling me that, Earthworm. They'll come again."
"Nah, no more this time. Items dropped."
"Ooh, item time."
The three entered the wrecked room and each picked up an item.
Sang-shin, who'd triggered the mines, was thrilled.
"My level... went up by 2..."
"They copied our levels exactly."
"Lucky bastards, almost killing us."
To celebrate hitting level 30, Sang-shin deployed his telekinetic barrier.
A faint membrane spread out, and Seok-hyun tilted his head as he picked up an item.
"Can I punch that?"
Sang-shin nodded confidently.
"Of course. Now I'm the complete all-rounder. No one can..."
"Falcon Punch!"
Seok-hyun charged and threw a punch. The barrier vanished without a trace.
The shocked Sang-shin rolled across the floor like trash.
Da-jeong saw it and kicked Seok-hyun's butt.
"How could you hit him like that!"
"Didn't know the barrier was that weak."
Sung-ho opened another dimensional gate and tossed Sang-shin inside.
The shelter members would heal him.
"Now let's break through the 7th floor."
The three strode into the passage, one after another.
But the atmosphere felt off.
Seok-hyun, in the lead, touched the wall and frowned.
"This is... slimy?"
"Keep going for now. We'll check it out."
"Don't rush in when we arrive. It's a seal layer—skills and traits are all blocked. We have to break through with raw stats."
"We've got guns!"
But when the three reached the 7th floor, they were speechless.
The 7th floor they remembered was gone.
"What is this?"
"What's with these wriggling walls..."
The walls squirmed like they were alive.
Shining a flashlight made that spot writhe more.
The stuffy air felt like being inside a living creature, plus the creepy vibe.
Sung-ho activated hyper-senses and jolted.
"...I hear screams."
"Any idea what monster it is?"
"Never heard it before. It's like... a demon rising from hell..."
"This ain't good. And that threat about dying on the 8th floor."
"Means some 8th-floor monster did this to the 7th."
"Mid-boss."
Seok-hyun summed it up neatly.
Anyway, with their current power, breaking through was impossible.
Especially not knowing what would spawn.
Sung-ho heard rustling nearby and said urgently.
"Something's coming. Let's avoid for now and ask Yoo-hyun or Yeo-ul to scout first."
"Agreed."
"I disagree..."
"Quiet and follow."
Seok-hyun got his ear grabbed by Da-jeong and dragged along.
Then they spotted a humanoid something in the darkness.
He flipped it the bird.
"Laughing?"
It was grinning.
Geom-in had been enjoying happy days lately.
He'd finally succeeded in copying three of his friends' traits.
Though they were minor versions, it was still something.
Combining with his shelter reinforcement trait, he could swap among seven traits—three at a time, once a day.
Categorized into combat, exploration, daily use, it was incredibly convenient.
He couldn't get the additional effects, but it wasn't a big deal.
He'd acquire them as he leveled up.
At night, he booted up his laptop to game.
His veteran friends were out in Yeouido for some reason, and everyone else was asleep.
"Kuh... This is pure bliss."
As he gamed hard, one Duckling entered the hut and looked up at him.
Its eyes said:
—You're addicted to that laptop!
Geom-in flinched guiltily, shut down the game, and closed the laptop.
"What's up?"
Duckling looked disappointed and scratched the floor to draw a griffon picture.
"A griffon appeared? Wait, then we need to wake everyone."
No, it wasn't that.
It had just flown past the shelter airspace.
But Geom-in couldn't ignore it.
Waking Yoo-hyun or Yeo-ul felt bad, so he used a night-vision drone instead.
Soon after the drone whirred into the air, blurry footage streamed to his laptop.
"It's eating something..."
Probably munching on monster corpses scattered around the shelter.
Cleaning up was policy, but some got missed.
Watching with Duckling, Geom-in realized he could control one monster.
"Even if it's a griffon?"
He considered calling Da-jeong but held off.
She was busy with outdoor activities.
Other monsters could pass through dimensional gates, but the griffon was too big.
"I have to eat this myself."
Sung-ho would cover for him once he knew.
He steeled himself and stood.
Swapping traits to Blink and Monster Taming filled him with confidence.
Just blink up and touch it, right?
"Alright."
Duckling, informed, was half-forcibly perched on Geom-in's head.
Dark night.
The griffon, chomping on an orc corpse, spat out meat in surprise at the sudden human.
Kururuk!
It hurriedly spread its wings, but Geom-in mounted its back first.
Golden light briefly flashed at the contact, and the griffon's bulging eyes softened obediently.
"Ha, haha..."
Atop the griffon, Geom-in trembled in ecstasy.
It ended this easily?
But the taming wasn't complete.
Light returned to its eyes, it sensed the rider, and twisted violently.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?"
Because it was a minor version?
Terror struck Geom-in; he just clutched the feathers tight.
Before he knew it, the forest was below, and he held his breath.
It had taken to the sky.
"Wait, stooop!"
Blink's range was too short; using it would mean splatting.
He had a resurrection scroll, but using it here would make him too sorry to Sung-ho.
He knew exactly how Sung-ho had collected them.
Should've slotted in Physical Enhancement!
Regret or not, the griffon beat its huge wings and flew toward somewhere.
The distant sea.
End of One Roof, Multiple Families - 6