The members of Dot Island had left for the government shelter with only some of their supplies in the bag. They did so because I told them that I will keep the rest of their supplies in my shelter for future use. I also put all the chicken that Jiman had raised into the portal and put them together with the Hwajo .
As I went to the front of the dormitory, Da-jeong, who was drinking coffee while gazing at the sea, uttered.
âItâs really interesting to see you having fun while working.â
âWell, it was because I consider this as some kind of farming in a way.â
âDo you know what I am most curious about?â
âThe root of all this chaos?â
âWrong.â Da-jeong chuckled. âIt was how you build your shelter inside your portal.â
âWell, the shelter there wasnât anything special.â I answered. It only consisted of a cave, a free lot, and warehouses that acted as a storage for the suppli⊠No, wait. Now that I think about it, thereâs also a vegetable garden, a basement, a barbed wire fence, and a lot more of this and that there. But for now, letâs just say to Da-jeong that it was nothing special.
Anyway, it was quite a lot of work to move all the supplies in the island because the members of Dot Island worked hard in searching for supplies. Iâll give it back to them someday, but as of now, it could be said that all of their supplies have become mine.
Da-jeong sighed at that moment. âYou are really a supply pervert. By the way, will we have our lunch only when the two others arrive?â
âYeah. We should wait for them. Donât worry, those two will arrive soon. They are quite fast on their feet, after all.â
Yeowoolâs childhood friends, Park Junho and Kim Doyoung, had gone to Changwon a few days ago. Itâs not for a grand purpose of going to a dungeon whatsoever, but they went there just to look for something to loot. But, since Yoohyeon had sent them a message using his doll before he went to Seoul, they should arrive soon since their unique skill was a cheat skill in terms of pure mobility. The farming dungeon portal will remain here for at least two or three days, so I will wait for them before moving again.
While waiting, Da-jeong was bored out of her mind because of the peaceful atmosphere. So she wandered around the island and found the vegetable garden that Jiman tended.
âHiaaah~ Poor Manâs unique skill is just insane~ farming strawberries in this weather?â
âItâs insane, isnât it?â Though, I was also surprised by the size of the garden and the number of types of the crops. They all grew up so well to the point I began to think about making business out of it. Out of all the crops, my eyes especially gleamed at the strawberries. After all, there were a lot of them which had grown to the size of a childâs fist.
If my garden back in the shelter could grow crops well thanks to the mysterious power of the forest itself, this garden could grow the crops this well entirely thanks to Jimanâs unique skill.
Da-jeong squatted, plucked some strawberries from the stems and put them into her mouth.
âUwah! Itâs really sweet and refreshing. This is my first time eating strawberries like this. Seongho, have one too.â
I ate the strawberry that Da-jeong put in my mouth. And at that moment, the burst of sweetness really makes me regret my decision of sending him to Seoul. I had an ominous feeling that Jang Won-taek would never let him go.
âDa-jeong. Does the government have extra land? I mean, land that could be used to grow crops.â
âThey have. Do you remember the time when the government tasked me to slay plant monsters before? It was on that island. They said that once the situation stabilized, they would use that island to farm some crops.â
âI remembered that. Was the name of the island, Bam Island?â
âYep. Thatâs the one.â
âWhere actually is it, though?â I queried. However, without waiting for her answer, I opened the map and checked its location. Turns out, it was a small island in the middle of the Han River. Therefore, its distance from the mainland was quite close.
With that distance, wouldnât the monsters be able to cross by swimming? No, wait⊠This is just my guess, but I think monsters cannot cross through water, based on what the government called âserver separationâ.
âDa-jeong, were there any monsters on Bam Island?â
âThereâs nothing but plant-type monsters there. Are you perhaps curious about whether monsters can cross through water or not?â
âYeah. I know that your ghouls can do it, but what about the other monsters?â
âHmm⊠should we experiment?â
âIf you are willing, then yes please.â As she heard my answer, she dispatched some of her ghouls to catch some wild ghouls and goblins. It will take quite a while for them to swim there and bring them back here, so in the meantime, I decided to move the whole garden to the shelter.
Some time later, the two monsters which were caught by Da-jeongâs ghoul landed on the island and were instantly surrounded by her other ghouls.
âI just have to make them swim, right?â
âYeah.â
Da-jeong snapped her fingers and the giant ghoul tossed the wild ghoul into the sea. It floundered and flapped its arm around, but it wasnât swimming at all.
Were zombies and ghouls unable to swim? Well, I have never seen any of those two monsters appearing in the wetland labyrinth back in the game, so it was probably correct.
âBy the way, you didnât teach your ghouls how to swim, right?â
âAre you crazy?â Da-jeong snapped back at me with her eyes wide open. âDo you think Iâm that diligent? Guys, push the goblin.â
When the ghouls walked closer towards the goblin, it took a step back. However, although it was clear that it was terrified by the ghouls, it did not even think of running away to the sea. A ghoul even came close to the goblinâs nose and threatened it by opening its mouth. However, the goblins seemed to be more afraid of the sea.
Looking at the sight, I concluded. âThey seem to perceive the sea as the boundary of the server.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âIf you play a game, users can freely connect to whichever server they want, right? But for NPC monsters, thatâs impossible. In other words, those monsters perceive the sea as the boundary of the server and do not want to approach it.â
Da-jeong squatted down and placed her chin on her knee.
âDoes that make sense? Theyâre monsters. They werenât something which was programmed by someone.â
âThey might have been influenced by some force, just like we, humans who were awakened because of the system.â
âHmm⊠I donât like it.â
âItâs the reality, so it canât be helped. By the way, where is the nearest riverâŠâ
The Nakdong River in the north of the island should be sufficient for another experiment. The goblin, who refused to the end, was then being thrown away by the ghoul. Just like the ghoul earlier, it floundered a lot before sinking into the sea.
Now, It became clear that land monsters were weak against the sea. If I combine it with a shelter which could withstand zombie raids made with Geom-inâs unique skill I wonder how strong it would beâŠ
At that moment, Da-jeong sat on the bench and took off her padding and cotton pants. At the sight, I couldnât help but think that it was nice to live in the warm southern part of the country.
âWhy havenât those two come yet?â Her slender legs danced in the air as she said that.
âI know right.â I smirked. They are really late
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The two still did not come until evening. Therefore, both me and Da-jeong decided to just have our meal without them. After eating, we set ourselves around the bonfire and looked at the sky.
Suddenly, Da-jeong who sat next to me said something out of the ordinary. âDid you see the faces of the doctor and Mi-kyung during the day?â
âNo.â
âYou are too much⊠The two of them are in love with you, you know? How can you didnât even care about it?â
âI already expect to some extent if itâs Mi-kyung, but Sooyeon is like that too?â I asked. Sheâs a person who doesnât express herself at all, after all.
Da-jeong straightened his legs and murmured. âWhen people were packing their bags. I asked them about their willingness to do 3P.â
âHey, you crazyâŠ.â I was surprised by those words and snapped my head at her as quick as acceleration unique skill. However, Da-jeong didnât even flinch at it.
âThey are adults, arenât they? So whatâs wrong with asking them that question? Anyway, the doctor looked completely disgusted.â
âWho will like it?â
âMe! And for your information It doesnât matter if itâs a woman or a man.â As I got used to her antics after traveling together for so long, I forgot for a moment that she had a few screw looses. No wait, this is not even a screw loose, tthis is a question of sexual orientationâŠ
Anyway, I wanted to changed the subject quickly, but I failed miserably as Da-jeong seems to enjoy the topic.
âActually, Iâm fine with women. So I tried to seduce the doctor and Mi-kyung. but I failed.â Da-jeong said as she put her legs on top of my thigs.
âYou were determined to make me hated you, huh?â
âAre you really hated the idea being together with them? So, why did you let Mi-kyung touched your hair for an hour?â
Hearing what she says, I coldnât find any rebuttal. I mean, Mi-kyung spend one full hour to cut my hair. And to be honest, For me, who believed that menâs hair could be cleaned in 20 minutes, it was a bit too long. But I donât have heart to stop her in the middle because she look serious.
âWhen I look at the two of you from the side, she treat your face as if it were a bottle of wine. She keep caressing your face.â
âShe just shaved my beard.â
âIsnât she a hairdresser? Can you cut your beard at a hair salon too?â
âNoâŠâ I donât know if it was in an expensive hair salon. But most of the time, the cut will ends with them washing my hair.
Da-jeong leaned her upper body and looked at me.
âEven though the doctor said no, Mi-kyung still remains. Someday weâll do 3P with her!â
Looking at her, I couldnât help but to let a long sigh. The good things is, Iâm sure it wouldât happen because Mi-kyung wouldnât agree to it.
By the way, what kind of life did she have to be this crazy?
âDa-jeong, you know that before the end I ran a snack bar, right? Can I ask what you did in the past?â
âHmm⊠It was something a lot of people do, but it wasnât normal at all. But itâs better for you not to know or weâll be uncomfortable with each other.â
âAh okayâŠâ She said it in a somewhat complicated tone. Therefore, I should keep my mouth shut from this point. However, my curiosity about her past did not leave my mind. Iâm sure just like Seokhyun, she had led an unusual life. But as of what kind of live⊠I donât know.
We leaned against each other and looked at the moon hanging in the night sky.
âThose two troublemaker still not coming yet.â
âI know right.â Seems like we wou;d have to go find them as soon as we wake up in the morning.
At that moment, Da-jeong snuck into my arms.
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We woke up early in the morning and prepared to leave the island. It would be impossible for the two to move to Seoul using the Farming Dungeon if we didnât find them by tomorrow.
Leaving the beloved Dot Island behind, I walked for a long time on the industrial road with the ghouls in front. As we entered Yanggok-dong, we heard the chorus of zombies and ghouls shriek. It seems like a zombie raid is happening near here.
âI think thereâs people living in this area.â
âAre they the same as the Japanese from yesterday?â
The Japanese who attacked the island were only a few. Therefore, there is no need for us to kick a fuss here. We turned northeast without stopping at Yanggok-dong. While we were looking at the empty industrial complex at the intersection, someone passed by.
Who is it⊠I forgot his name, but this movements were vivid in my memory.
âJunho!â After tying my best to recall his name, I called him. The guy stopped and climbed over the iron sand.
âHuh? Seongho hyung?â I think heâs really Junho. He ran quickly and gasped in front of me.
âWow, Seongho-hyung, itâs been a long time. By the wayâŠâ It seems that he forgot Da-jeongâs name. Well itâs only natural since even though the two of them met in the farming dungeon, they barely spent time together.
âIâll give you 10 seconds. Say my name in ten seconds.â
âNo-noona Iâm sorryâŠâ
Da-jeong covered Jun-hoâs face with her hands at that moment and pressed it hard.
âItâs Da-jeong, Choi Da-jeong. If you forgot again in the future, Iâm going to shove something into your ass. Do you understand?â
ââŠâ Seeing his face blushed, it was unknown whether he loved it or not.
I pulled him away from Da-jeongâs clutch and asked. âDid you guys get the paper airplane?â
âWhat paper airplane?â
Ah, It seems like the paper airplane couldnât found them. Then, I briefly explained the circumstances to him. And his expression turns urgent in an instance.
âThat canât be⊠We have to go too.â
âDonât worry, there is still time. Whereâs Do-hyeon?â
âDo-hyeon is with the Japanese now.â
With the Japanese?
Seeing that my impression was getting worse, Junho hurriedly corrected it. âThey are not bad people. We were treated well by them even though they didnât have much.â
Ah⊠It seems like they were different kind of Japanese from the crazy Japanese we met. From what I hear from Junho, theit number was about a dozen. Moreover, the two who appear to be brother and sister were the one who lead the group.
âFrom what I hear from the siblings, they come from family of Japanese nobility. It was a high-standing family to boot.â
âNobility?â
When Da-jeong asked, Junho told her everything he knew. In summary, the family the siblings came from was a family which had been a Japanese nobility for a long time. Though the class itself had been abolished a long time ago, its influence was still there.
âGo to Da-hyeon now and tell him to come with you. You two should go to the government shelter too.â I said so, but Junho groaned.
âBut hyung⊠Iâm on my way to a pharmacy right nowâŠâ
âWhy?â
âThe noble girl, Yuzuka was sick⊠so I want to find some cold medicine for herâŠâ
âOh my gosh. Our Junho fell in love with a Japanese noblewoman.â Da-jeong chuckled. At her teasing, Junhoâs face turned red.
âItâs not like that noonaâŠâ
âThen what?â
âI just want to helpâŠâ
âOkay, okay.â Da-jeong laughed. Even though sheâs crazy most of the time, sheâs still sensible enough to not downplay his desire to help others.
By the way, havenât I seen the name Yuzuka before?
âAh, from the auction house!â
âWhat auction house?â
âLong time ago, someone asked if there were any Japanese people at the auction house. At that time , I was looking for someone, so I checked her ID too, and the name Yuzuka came up.â
âAh, so if someone doesnât have a Survival Life ID, their real name will appear, huh?â
âHyung, Noona, what are you talking about?â Junho tilted his head as he asked. Ah right, he still doesnât know who I amâŠ
âYou should ask the others later, bur for now, letâs go.â
Da-jeong intervened. âWhy, will you help them?â
âBecause they are people from high rank, I think they will have some good information.â
âWhat they have should only be information about Japan. Hang on⊠Donât tell me?â
I said what I had in mind. âArenât we going to go to the Japanese server someday? Remember those foreigners who come to our server from a speedrun labyrinth? We should do it like themâ
âNice! By the way, Iâll use the ghoul to beat the monsters, you just need to get the last hitt. I will take you to level 27 here.â
I should say at this point that her tenacity to go inside the portal was commendable. With that in mind, we hurriedly headed to Yanggok-dong.
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Led by the Shiraishi brothers and sisters, Japanese nomads waged an arduous battle against the zombies. Most of those Japanese didnât know about zombie raids. It was only Yuzuka and Kenji who knew about it thanks to the auction house. However, they often forgot that it was not allowed to gather more than 5 people in one place. And every time, the result was always like this.
âHiyap!â Shiraishi Kenjiâs long knife and wooden sword violently cleaved the zombieâs skull. He was someone who was strong enough to fight several zombies or even one or two ghouls, but the current situation was still a bit too much for him as there were too many zombies. On top of it, there was a ghoul mixed amongst them, making it far more harder.
âKenji-sama, we canât continue like this any longer!â Screams were heard one after another. As the icing on their misery, the number of people who were only a few continued to decrease.
Kenji clenched his teeth as he glared at the ghouls running towards him. Those bizarre twisted limbs, no matter how many times he saw it, he still couldnât get used to it. He wanted to run away in all honesty, but behind him stood his sick sister. So, he couldnât bring himself to do it.
âEven if this becomes my grave! I will not fall!â He shouted after taking a rough breath.
Finally, the ghoul in front of him jumped towards him. Kenjiâs eyes shook as he saw its long claws and sharp teeth. However, just before his long knife collided with the ghoul, something really amazing happened.
Someone was grabbing the ghoul by the ankle.
âWh-who?â
Kenji and Yuzukaâs mouths fall to the ground. What they saw was a man of great size. That man casually grabbed the ghoulâs leg and slammed it to the floor.
Kieeeek-!!
Blood and bodily fluids gushed out of the ghoulâs mouth as it screamed.
âYou can endure this, huh?â The man said in an even tone as the ghoul struggled to free itself out of the manâs hand.
âEutcha!â Finally, the ghouls freed itself. However before long, a long knife greeted it.
Swwwosh-!!
In the air, the ghouls were dismantled into pieces. Kenji couldnât keep his mouth shut at the sight. The man just casually cut the strong ghoul into many pieces!
Oblivious to his thoughts, the man wiped the blood off his long knife and looked at the siblings. At his eerie and cold gaze, they couldnât help but swallow a dry saliva. They realized that the men in front of them was a league above them in terms of power.