Chapter 220
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: 아포칼립스의 고인물-220화
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Lotus Natives - 2
I said I'd go sailing, but all I knew about the sea was that it was salty.
So, steering the boat was entirely up to the three ducklings aboard with me.
The three ducklings conferred among themselves, taking into account currents, winds, and every other factor to direct our course.
I was nothing more than a machine turning the boat in the right direction.
"Still, not bad..."
With the dimension gate as my ultimate fallback, sailing didn't feel half bad.
No fear of dying turned everything into pure romance.
The fishy wind, the occasional waves threatening to swallow the boat whole, even the sea monsters chasing us from afar—they all seemed fine.
"That thing looks like a turtle."
My first sea monster.
A Dragon Turtle, like a mashup of a turtle and a drake.
It spotted the boat from a distance and came charging after us.
It spewed jets of water from its maw, powerful enough to punch right through the waves.
Luckily, the range wasn't that long, and I turned the bow before it could hit.
"I'm not running from you, you bastard! Hey, I'm not scared of you!"
I totally was.
Fighting a monster the size of the boat out at sea was basically suicide.
I spent my days sailing the ocean and my nights in the Korean Shelter.
That's when I got an unexpected whisper.
An Geun-seok was summoning me to the auction house.
Wondering what it was about, I headed in and found a standard comment section set up.
I asked someone else out of curiosity, and they couldn't see the auction item.
Some kind of secret room, huh.
Anyway, I wondered why An Geun-seok wanted to talk.
Not surrender, surely.
This guy was surprisingly mild-mannered.
Maybe dying changed his outlook?
Pretty quick on the uptake.
Even with my sarcasm, An Geun-seok's attitude didn't change.
Fair enough. Seok-hyun and Da-jeong showing up was unexpected even for me, their ally.
He couldn't have anticipated it, so Seok-hyun beat him senseless one-sidedly.
Anyway, our conversation ran parallel lines.
No compromise possible when we're facing different directions.
Silence fell.
An Geun-seok dropped the auction item at that point, kicking me out.
Guess that question was too much.
Thinking about what Judecca could want from me stirred something unsettling.
Body... level... bloodline...
No way.
Seoul in early May had transformed into a lush forest.
Remnants of civilization—buildings and skyscrapers—began vanishing behind towering trees.
Familiar asphalt and concrete roads disappeared.
Taking their place was Lotus's unique ecosystem.
Given the situation, people avoided going outside unless absolutely necessary.
The auction house overflowed with desperate pleas to reclaim the city.
That was the problem.
Plant monsters were generally weak to fire.
But humans were too.
Vines covered buildings, so one slip and your hideout becomes kindling.
In that regard, the Korean Shelter was safe.
One of Seoul's few spots untouched by Lotus's ecosystem.
The system was decent too—get in, survive.
But after a major ordeal, they weren't taking just anyone.
Instead, they designated a few Yeongdeungpo District hideouts as Zone 2 and sent people there.
Most foreign survivors ended up there too.
Jang Won-taek had adopted the system out of necessity but didn't like it.
"Korean Shelter as Zone 1, those as Zone 2. Zone 2 has to suck up to Zone 1 to survive."
"They depend on Zone 1 for supplies."
"What happens if that drags on? Zone 1 folks start feeling superior."
"'Why supply them?'—resentment brews."
"Immigration policy needs caution. It's temporary, but can't last."
Clannishness was becoming an issue too.
With Seok-hyun and Da-jeong out, fake friends multiplied.
Fine if just friendly, but some leveraged connections for gain.
Jang Won-taek scowled at the report.
"Using ties to Seok-hyun to hit on women... can't punish that."
"Technically, 'ties' means one intro handshake."
"So she falls for it, gives in, then 'he's no friend, punish him'?"
"Is the deceiver at fault, or the deceived?"
Jang Won-taek gave a wry smile, chiding his subordinate.
"Blaming the victim for falling for it is wrong. But it's a shame—could just ask."
"Seok-hyun's personality is...
"Known for that. To me, he's a shy young man."
"Shy... young man..."
Anyway, these romantic dramas were hard to touch, so they let them slide.
Jang Won-taek worried it'd crack the Shelter.
"Such rifts start small, easy to ignore early. But we can't. Summon them."
As serious Shelter management talks unfolded in Jang Won-taek's office...
Seok-hyun, Da-jeong, and some others were playing in Yeongdeungpo woods.
With Dingo's grown pups and the two hornbirds.
"Legs is too fast!"
"How's a little guy that quick?"
Legs, Beak, and the two hornbirds dashed through the forest, drawing stares.
Small but insanely fast.
Heads whipped around.
Seok-hyun pitched to Ji-man-i, hornbirds' owner, to ride one.
"Hyung rides, its back snaps. Not yet."
"Diet? Starve a month, maybe?"
"Doubt it..."
Hornbirds grew fast, but not ride-ready.
Da-jeong was entranced by the hornbirds zipping through trees.
"More fun than griffon..."
Griffons lost thrill after novelty.
No speed rush, zero thrill.
Hornbirds looked thrilling.
"Me? I'm fine, right?"
She shoved her face in excitedly, but Ji-man-i shook his head.
"Noona's too heavy."
"I'm a girl! Light!"
"Still heavier than Poor Man."
"Wanna die?!"
Seok-hyun got a kick to the butt for his nonsense.
Then Yoo Hyun-i and Yeo Ul-i, scouting from the sky, brought good news.
"Griffon! Griffon sighted!"
"On it!"
Da-jeong climbed a tree, spotting the griffon circling nearby.
It eyed the clustered people but wouldn't descend.
"I tasty! Come down!"
Da-jeong yelled, but it ignored her.
"Not hungry!"
Seok-hyun shouted from below; she ground her teeth and climbed down.
"Gotta catch it. Where's Whitey?"
"With foreigners, dungeon grinding."
Da-jeong grumbled.
"Whitey's leveled up. Solo hunting now."
Shelter members were skilled.
Could lead anywhere in Seoul.
Just stuck with veterans/gods, no spotlight.
Da-jeong slumped.
"No Sung-ho or gods, no dice."
Ji-man-i pointed to a tall tree.
"Played trebuchet in game a lot. Use that to aggro griffon?"
Seok-hyun and Da-jeong's eyes lit up at the tree.
"Forgot that. Topung, gloves quick."
"I ride?"
Seok-hyun beamed childlike.
Soon, elderwood rope bent the tree.
Da-jeong in ogre gloves pulled.
"Yoo Hyun! Yeo Ul! Griffon direction!"
"Won't work."
"Will! Trebuchet flies, griffon notices!"
"Noona! Bit right!"
Seok-hyun monkeyed up.
Da-jeong adjusted aim with rope.
"Still far?"
Yeo Ul-i yelled urgently.
"Now! Now!"
Da-jeong released; tree snapped back, launching Seok-hyun.
"Aaaah—hyangya!"
Human bursting from woods startled griffon.
It flapped to flee, but Seok-hyun was too close.
Thud!
Dull impact; both crashed into forest.
It's falling.
"Yes! Ray!"
People stared dumbfounded as Da-jeong jumped, arms up.
Tree-bent human cannon? Da-jeong? Seok-hyun crashing into griffon? Neither normal.
Thus, griffon became Da-jeong's slave, soaring Seoul skies.
Days later, I reached the southern Lotus coast.
"North from here is Belond Forest, right."
Long post-apocalypse, no human traces.
Just occasional building foundations.
"No need for Belond Forest..."
Needed path to Ruat Kingdom, where griffon waited.
Ducklings guessed official road soon if head up a bit.
Lotus more advanced than medieval; good roads.
"Motorcycle doable?"
Two ducklings raised talons.
They'd roamed woods with Seok-hyun often.
Hours bushwhacking, finally found the road.
"Decent width."
Ducklings said designed for two adult hornbirds pulling cart.
Width for two galloping full-grown hornbirds.
"Hornbirds set road standards."
Our rail gauge from horse asses, kinda.
Anyway, pulled out motorcycle, rode.
Rode hours, refuel when low, Shelter when tired.
Learned Da-jeong got griffon.
Seok-hyun missile downed it.
I knew the trick firsthand.
"Lucky. One-shot."
Seok-hyun messaged.
"Where you at?"
"Uh... southern Ruat Kingdom. Here."
"Almost there. Lake here?"
His finger pointed wrong.
I nudged it to lake.
"At this speed, 3-4 hours. Tell Da-jeong later."
"OK."
Rode lonely road.
Nearer Ruat capital, more intact buildings.
Even villages.
"All dead...?"
Stopped nearby, checked—no people.
Monsters everywhere, no survivors likely.
Moto saved time; walking would've dragged.
"Anything left?"
Village search: just junk.
Disappointed, rode on.
Near lake, spotted unexpected village.
North shore hill beyond: inhabited.
Binocs: ragged folk leaving village.
They reached cave at mountain base.
One grimly unpacked, placed meat lump on rock.
"What's that?"
Like offering.
Soon, folk retreated fearfully.
From cave: surprisingly small ogre.
It sniffed offered meat, chomped in bites.
"Offering to a monster?"
To me, ogres were slaughter machines.
Watched curiously; amazingly, ogre and folk talked.
Ogre gaping mouth, folk nodding—proper chat.
Lowered binocs.
"Unbelievable."
An intelligent ogre?
Lotus Natives - 2 End
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