Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

The drake was angry. It just went down to the ground to enjoy a delicious meal. However, out of its expectation, he was suddenly beaten. On top of it, something sharp was stuck in its mouth after it released its Breath.

The drake barely came to its senses and shook its head.

“Hup!”

Lifting its head, it saw a small creature descending with something shining on his hand. It didn’t know exactly what the thing was, but it knew that if the thing hit its body, nothing good would come out of it.

The drake quickly twisted its body and tried to get out of the human’s range. However, Seongho spread the dimensional wall around it, nailing it in place, and leaped into the air. His target was the drake’s eye.

The guy freaked out and turned its body in order to avoid the silver object. Then it closed its eyes and started pushing Seongho with its head. The amount of impact was similar to that of an armored personnel carrier ramming into a wall.

“You push too hard!”

Blocked by a dimensional wall, The drake spun around and lashed its tail. A drake’s strength doesn’t reach that of an ogre, but it still has an attack that has a similar level of power. It’s the tailwhip.

As its tail pounded the dimensional wall, it cracked and slackness disappeared from Seongho’s face.

“Knocking someone’s door should be done gently, you bastard!!!”

A hand-to-hand battle between a human and a drake continued. No matter how high the stats of a human was, having a close combat with a drake was beyond unreasonable. A drake had unimaginable agility for its size, and its toughness and attack power were no joke.

The wounds inflicted in the scale of the drake from the mithril blade increased one by one, but from the drake’s point of view, it was only a scratch.

At that time, Sangshin finally started to assist Seongho with his telekinesis. Five mithril blades soared into the air from under the road. The swords cut through the air like salmon swimming upstream, interrupting the drake’s attacks. The five mithril blades were the result of Jiman’s hard work in the shelter.

Pa-pa-pat!!

When the drake looked like he was going to charge, some of the swords moved towards its front, obstructing his vision, while the other swords attacked its joints, causing it to stagger.

Kuooookkk-!!

Finally, the drake roared loudly. It spread its wings wide, and soared into the sky. The rope was pulled tight, but right after, a mithril blade flew into its wing.

“Stop!”

As if brakes were applied to the mithril blade, it stopped in the air. At that moment, the drake’s muzzle snapped open, and flames poured out from within.

Whoosh-!!

Flames hit the road and spread around. Meanwhile, Seongho went under the drake. As his hand entered the portal, a bolt leaped out of the portal and stabbed the drake in its tender belly.

Bang-!!

Kiyaaaaak-!!

An unimaginable pain ran through the drake’s body to the point it stopped firing its breath and closed its mouth. It was only natural that the huge body stumbled and then fell to the floor the next moment.

As the mithril blades stuck on its back turned sideways, the drake couldn’t stand the pain and screamed.

“Aim for its eyes and mouth!”

Seongho shouted and threw the adamantium spear into the guy’s mouth. However, the drake snaps its mouth closed again, neutralizing the attack. In the same second, the drake gave strength to its body. Its scales trembled, and the mithril blades embedded in the body bounced off in an instant.

“You are really hard to deal with.” Seongho was dumbfounded and glared at the dragon-like monster. Just like the saying goes, the drake was also staring at him. If he could speak, he would have said exactly the same thing as Seongho.

It was Huxley who came onto the road that broke the tension between the two.

“Good god… you’re telling me to attract the aggro of that thing?” He was asked to pull its aggro, which should be nothing but an easy task with his unique skill. However, now that he saw the drake standing right in front of him, he realized that what seemed to be an easy task was a very daunting task. But since he’d come this far, he had to do something.

Huxley used to be an aspiring track and field athlete. However, his ankle injury put an end to his premature sport dream. However, that long forgotten dream was something that gained him the accelerometer unique skill. In the present time, no one in Houston was faster than him.

“Hey! You chicken!” As he started running, his voice dissipated. However, the drake did not turn its head to him. Its eyes were still fixed on Seongho.

It was because he felt that the small creature in front of him was dangerous.

The five silver skewers were intrusive but not very lethal. However, it was clear to it that if it let the guy go, it would get in trouble.

Kuoooh-!!

The drake lunged towards him, after pretending to open its mouth. Seongho, who was about to open the dimensional wall and call the bolt, had to retreat in a hurry at the guy’s charge.

The thick concrete floor cracked open as the drake swung its forepaw mercilessly. It was also at that time that the mithril blades were arranged neatly on the floor. Sangshin started moving concrete fragments instead of weapons.

Puck-!! Puck-!! Puck-!!

Debris weighing more than tens of kilograms hit the drake one after another. It was a blow that even the strong monster could not ignore. The shrapnels were heavy and hit the drake with great precision. Amongst numerous shrapnel, one sharp shard succeeded in stabbing the drake around the eye.

Kuoooh-!!

The drake was in agony as his eyes were bleeding profusely. Seongho, who had been running away, hurriedly changed direction. Then he glanced behind him and made a dimensional wall as a support and jumped away.

Sensing his movement, the drake spread its wings to create wind pressure, but Seongho was not pushed away.

Seongho jumped over the drake’s head and fixed the mithril blade underneath. The monster tried to avoid it by turning its head, but its response was too slow as Huxley harassed his tail from behind.

The mithril blade, loaded with the weight of a human and the power of an ogre, dug deep into the drake’s eyes. A pop could be heard at that moment, and then the drake opened its mouth and trembled.

Seongho twisted the mithril blade and opened his dimensional door. Right away, a bolt popped out and poked the drake’s disfigured eye.

Thud-!!

The explosion slightly raised the dust up, and the drake raised its head and let out a roar of pain. Part of its head was blown off, but it wasn’t dead yet.

Seongho paid homage to the guy’s vitality and dealt the final blow.

“Bye.”

The mithril blade finally pierced its brain. The drake’s head trembled and limped soon after as if he had been struck directly by lightning.

A message appeared in Seongho’s field of vision at that moment.

「Your level has risen to 42」

「You have acquired 250 points」

「You have acquired ‘Blue Scale’ skill」

“Whoa…”

Seongho sat down on the drake’s snout and caught his breath. The Hard Skin skill was gone from his status window, but it wasn’t a problem because the Blue Scale skill was definitely an upgrade compared to it.

When he checked his item, an option was attached to the body armor he was wearing.

「Bulletproof Clothing: Health +2, Strength +2, Fire Resistance」

Does it give me the fire resistance option because of the drake?

Anyway, Seongho now has considerable resistance to cold and fire.

“If you add up the elemental resistance…” With a little MSG, he could say that he was able to walk around a burning fire.

As he was about to stand up, Huxley came and saw the drake and stuck out his tongue.

“It was really a terrible monster. I salute you who killed this guy, my friend.”

“It was only possible because of your help.”

Huxley shrugged his shoulders as he raised his arm.

“What did I do? I was just running around it for a little bit.”

Soon after, Sangshin also came up and saw the drake. He then opened his mouth.

“It’s really a monstrous monster. Is there anything to loot, though?”

“Why do you think there isn’t?”

Drake’s claws make excellent material for weapons. It was hard to process because it’s strong, but the performance was guaranteed.

Seongho pointed at the drake’s claw with a mithril blade.

“Huxley. Take three of those.”

“Can I really have that?” Huxley asked, surprised.

“You helped me, so I have to repay you. You can use that as a weapon.”

It’s insanely hard to process, but it’s not impossible.

Seongho cut the tissue connecting the claws to the leg. Sixteen toenails the size of a human forearm were laid one after another on the floor.

“Take three of these.”

Huxley smiled brightly at the words. Houston’s survivors now have quite a variety of weapons. It was no exaggeration to say that the long knife was a basic thing for them. However, no one had ever used a drake’s claws as weapons.

Meanwhile, Sangshin tried to get the scales off the drake with a knife, but he ultimately failed.

“It won’t come out.”

“It did not drop in the game. It must be attached to the muscles.”

“Damn…” His ambitious plan to make armor out of scales came to naught.

After a while, the clan members came to see the fallen drake.

“God, did a human really kill this monster?”

“Damn, it was so fast I didn’t see it properly.”

“Hey, your body smells.”

“This idiot really wet his pants!”

During the commotion, Natalie looked at Seongho as he wiped the blood off his sword. Even though he had done an incredible job, his expression was expressionless. It was as if he felt that the feat he just did, which was an epic event for her and her clanmates, was merely an everyday affair for him.

She walked over to him and got down on one knee. The clan members were audibly gasping, and so was Seongho.

“Whoa! Natalie, don’t be weird.”

“It’s not like that. It’s just…”

“Just?” Seongho asked and she lowered her eyes.

“Accept me as your disciple.”

“Disciple?”

He thought that it would be another request, but it’s a mentorship request.

Seongho said while scratching his cheek. “I’m sorry, but I can’t teach you how to fight. I also don’t have the skills or the leeway to teach you.”

His strength was the combination of his unique skill and know-hows from his game experience. On top of that, he also had so much to do that he couldn’t afford to spare some time just to teach someone.

Natalie thought for a moment and then asked again.

“I don’t really have to be a disciple. It’s just, if you have something to hunt, I want you to call me anytime and let me help you. It doesn’t matter if you use me like a tool.”

“Why are you trying to get stronger so quickly?”

“Revenge. There’s a murderer in Dallas who killed my brother.”

At those words, words of ‘Is he the Texas chainsaw killer?’ was about to come out of his mouth. Thankfully, he barely held it in.

“I am no different from that killer. I had killed a lot of people. I even became a murderer several times already.”

Only a handful of people around the globe had committed as many murders as Seongho. Of course, the world was wide, so there’s a slight possibility that there will be a murderer whose body count had surpassed him.

Natalie shook his head. “I don’t care. All I need is the power to kill him. I believe that only you can give it to me.”

“Is that so…”

Seongho sighed and looked at her.

“I can’t accept you as a disciple. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Then…”

“Come to Korea. If you fight hard there, you might find your own way.”

“To Korea? Why? What kind of place is it?”

“It’s not that different from here. Originally, there were only Koreans there, but these days people from various countries have flocked there and it has become a mess.”

Seoul, the capital city of Korea, was an amazing place with many people. However, there’s also a lot of monsters there. Without the Korean Shelter as a rallying point, deathmatch would occur several times a day and it would be taken as an everyday thing. Compared to that, it’s no exaggeration to say that Houston was a quiet place.

Natalie stood up with a faint smile on her lips.

“Okay. I’ll do as you say.”

Her clanmates regretted it, but they couldn’t stop her. After all, the individual’s will should be respected.

Huxley put a hand on her shoulder, and asked. “Will you come back to Texas someday?”

“Of course, Chief. I will definitely come back to kill him.”

“After that, let’s play together like before.”

“I don’t know. I might meet a strong man in Korea and settle down with him.”

“Who’s gonna be able to handle Natalie’s huge ass?”

Someone called out and she raised her middle finger vigorously.

“Shut up.”

The clan members giggled as Sangshin untied the rope and took care of it.

Seongho said to Natalie. “There is a ranch a short distance from Crosby County. My colleagues are there, so let’s go there first.”

“It is difficult to get there. Wouldn’t it be better to tell them to come this way? The labyrinth is also here.”

“It’s not very difficult.”

Seongho jumped off the overpass and took out two motorcycles. The clan members who looked down at her direction were startled, and Natalie was also startled.

Where does that motorcycle come from?

“Sangshin!”

“Okay! Natalie… uh… get on, let’s go.”

A piece of concrete floated up and the two descended on it. Moments later, a motorcycle exhaust sound was heard and the three left.

Huxley and other clan members who were left behind looked at them and soothed their regrets.

“It seems like a lot of interesting things are happening in Korea.”

“Maybe···”

“Captain, but how do we process this? We don’t even have a blacksmith here.”

The object in question was the drake’s claw.

How do I process this…

After thinking about it, Huxley said to his clanmates.

“I guess we have no choice but to go to Korea.”

“Whoa, I heard it’s a real mess there.”

“Didn’t they say that compared to Koreans, we are complete beginners?”

“I heard that the average level of people over there was over 25.”

There were a small number of Koreans who came to the United States through the Great Labyrinth. They informed the situation in Korea with a little exaggeration, of course. Thanks to that, at the auction house, Korea was known as the master zone.

“Chief, is that okay? This place is our hometown.” As Oliver said, Houston was the hometown and life of the clan members.

But he was Huxley, the adamant leader of the Houston Braves.

“A hometown is called a hometown when there is something left. Right now, there’s nothing but fucking monsters. What is the difference between Korean cities and this city?”

“Uh…”

“The Chief is right.”

Many buildings and roads were destroyed by the ghoul flowers, making it difficult to tell which one was where.

Huxley looked back at his clanmates and notified them. “I want to go to Korea. I heard that there are other masters besides Seongho.”

Who he meant was Rapwi and Duck Butt. After all, Survivor 1 was not well known due to his lack of presence.

Huxley wanted to see them. To be precise, he wanted to see their power with his own eyes.

“By the way, Captain. Wouldn’t there be some shortage of food there? There are still some cows and horses here, but Korea is barren.” Someone objected.

“What’s the problem with that? We can just hunt some animals and eat them! There is also the Great Labyrinth! We can do it as long as we work together!”

“That’s right!”

“Texas is strong!”

Consensus was reached at that point. The clan members immediately returned to their hideouts and began to pack their belongings.

Oliver muttered blankly. “I wish I had followed them.”

Clan Leader Huxley belatedly inquired through the auction house. And as if he had heard good news, he smiled, showing his white teeth.

“Nice. Let’s gather in front of the Great Labyrinth. We will go together with Seongho and his party.”

“Whee, I’m glad. I’m afraid to go into the Great Labyrinth.”

The entrance to the Great Labyrinth was open all over the United States, but the survivors’ interest towards it had waned considerably lately. A lot of people died inside, so it was inevitable. One had to risk their life to pass through the Great Labyrinth, and only a few people, including Seongho, could do it with a light heart.

The Braves clan members waited in front of the entrance to the Great Labyrinth and joined Seongho and his party.

While they were on their way to Korea, The Lotus Exploration party finally arrived at the capital of Ruat Kingdom.

Da-jeong, who was looking down from the top of the gryphon, stabbed Seokhyun on his side with her elbow.

“Rapwi, Geom-in.”

However, the two of them gave her no reply whatsoever.

Da-jeong was angry and pulled the two of them by the ears.

“Are you guys sleeping? What do you take me for? Bus tour guide?”

“Uh? Wuh-What?”

Geomin immediately stood up and talked nonsense, and Seokhyun stretched.

“Huh… what is it?”

“Look over there.”

As she pointed her finger at what appeared to be the royal palace, she left a comment.

“We’re so screwed.”