Episode 45
In Lee Jae-heon’s opinion, there were only three things that were most important in surviving in the wild.
‘House fire water.’
Of course, there are many other things you need and desperately need, but if you don’t have those three things, your chances of survival drop drastically. If you wanted to live, you had to have a house, fire, and water.
‘First of all, human physical strength is a depleting resource, so we need space to build up strength again.’
But it’s not just about choosing either. Even if you simply decide, ‘I’m going to stay here!’, it’s useless if you don’t have a minimum level of stability.
Basically, you need a ceiling to block rain or foreign substances falling from the sky, and you need to build a wall to escape the gaze of dangerous animals or other people. Whether you put soft grass in it or whatever else you do, building a framework for a shelter can be said to be the most basic thing.
A fire that lights up such a shelter and maintains the temperature is also an essential requirement, but…
‘That has already been solved.’
Jaeheon Lee continued his thoughts while looking at the steadily burning bonfire.
‘So, the most urgent thing is probably water.’
The good news was that this place was not completely wild.
Well, if you were to land on an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you would be splitting your hair trying to find fresh water, but the other side of the world may be devastated, but it is not wild at all. This meant that there was no need to go through the trouble of distilling seawater.
‘Of course, in the case of large lakes, the water quality was bad enough to cause green algae, but…’
At least the small lakes around here were said to be clean enough for fish to live in. In a real park.
Also, there was no way that such things would not be reflected in the other world, so even in the worst case, if you boiled it over a fire and drank it, you would not get an upset stomach. It was the best option for those who could not afford to stop by convenience stores or supermarkets.
Lee Jae-heon turned his gaze and glanced at the group.
“….”
Actually, it’s probably natural. The best option would have been to stop by one of those amenities.
‘It’s a problem because there’s a 90% chance you’ll die if you go.’
He swallowed a sigh with difficulty.
Not all of the survivors in the novel were in the park for no reason. Ordinary people without basic survival skills entered a building full of monsters and all died.
This is a fact that can be seen if you think about it a little. Not all the people who were devoured by the underworld were gathered in one place, nor was the park smeared with honey or gold, but in the end, all the survivors who appeared in the novel were in the park.
‘It means that the park is the only space where survivors who have spread out in all directions can survive.’
Of course, this may be an over-inference, and it is not safe at all even though it is a park. At the beginning of the episode, the monsters were not very active, so their lives were only preserved at that time.
If it were just Lee Jae-heon, he could go to a convenience facility and get several bottles of bottled water, but not only was the condition not that good right now, but it seemed unlikely that the group would allow it.
‘Because you’ll be nagging me, asking me where I can go in that condition.’
Therefore, the most efficient thing he could do was to bury himself in his companions and suck honey.
Well, that’s true though.
“…Can’t I just go with you?”
“Please, Manager.”
“It’s because I’m anxious. “I know it’s not possible, but I just tried saying it.”
Honestly, I felt more comfortable doing it myself. If I tried to behave like that, I was threatened from all sides, so I changed my plan to a more pathetic route.
Jaeheon Lee, out of concern for him, took some special measures to understand the team members who were being annoyingly inefficient.
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon muttered in a voice that seemed deeply impressed.
“…Why are you able to stand up?”
“Are you arguing?”
“Please consider the feelings of a 21st century doctor who witnessed an inexplicable phenomenon before his eyes.”
He got up from his seat and announced that there was no major problem with his movements.
Although he was limping on one leg, if it weren’t for his spotty body that would make anyone who looked at him scream in surprise, he would have looked like a person suffering from a serious cold. Although it didn’t look particularly normal, it meant that it didn’t look like a corpse that was about to die or a zombie that had just emerged from the grave.
In fact, this part was largely due to him recalling his past life.
‘…I guess something like this can happen when mental power is reflected?’
This is a bit surprising to me too.
The ability he had in his past life was none other than regeneration, and his ability to recover seemed to be evolving little by little based on the memory of how difficult it was to die.
‘Or, as you say, it may really seem that way.’
After Lee Jae-heon made it known that he was unlikely to collapse and die while walking, he entrusted separate tasks to the rest of the group.
“Boss and Chief Kang Yeon-seok, can you get some water? “It’s still broad daylight, and Manager Kang seems to be getting used to the hammer… Oh, put water in a bucket and bring some cans if you have them nearby.”
“all right.”
“Employee Kwon and you two need to pick up some more firewood. Don’t go too far. Even if it gets a little wet, you can dry it with a fire. “Make sure to remember where the sounds of animals or insects come from.”
“I’m good at that kind of thing.”
He divided the group into a team to pick up firewood, a team to fetch water, and a standby team to guard the bonfire.
Perhaps because Lee Jae-heon himself had fallen asleep, there was no extra firewood for the bonfire he had made, and since he did not know what would happen in the other world, he needed someone to guard the fire he had made. Above all, his condition was not very good and he had difficulty moving, so being put on standby was an inevitable choice.
Of course, it’s not like I’m worried about what kind of monster might catch me if I let him go like this, but…
“Director Kang is quite reassuring. yes?”
“yes yes.”
Surprisingly, Chief Kang Min-ah was trustworthy.
Anyway, Chief Kang’s personality is such that he becomes more intimidated if he doesn’t find his own use. A good hammer-holding posture would also be good. Since combat personnel other than In-ho Jeong and Jae-heon Lee were needed, a good option was to go around the nearby area and improve one’s abilities.
In that case, there was an opinion that we should all move together, but it was quickly dismissed.
“why?”
“I told you to practice using your head. “If we all move together, it will be difficult to protect them.”
“He’s good at running away…”
“I bet he’s like that.”
Employee Kwon Yeon-hee tried to catch up with him and Kang Min-ah, wondering if she had any remorse, but even in broad daylight, it was difficult for them all to move together in this state.
To put it bluntly, if a green algae monster appears, they all have to die, so they don’t have the power to protect anyone.
‘I don’t have stamina and I don’t have any fighting skills… Who can a guy like that protect?’
Employee Kwon, who was the youngest among all chicks, was just a burden.
At least, Jaeheon Lee organized the gathering group that is now formed so that it has a high chance of surviving in the underworld. The members were President Yoon, who had good judgment, Manager Kang, who held a hammer, and Noh Intern, who was physically strong.
“I said the lake isn’t that far away, so it’ll be okay and I…”
“I’ll be next to you, Manager.”
“….”
“Oh, doctor too.”
I felt bad in an instant.
“…Okay, so please feel safe.”
The only ones left for Lee Jae-heon, who could not move, were doctor Ha Seong-yoon and the protagonist, assistant manager Jeong In-ho.
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon had a basic coldness, and Jeong In-ho was disgusting as he was not the main character for no reason. These two would protect Lee Jae-heon, and he himself was an expert at survival. No matter what happened, the doctor and the protagonist were there, so I was confident enough to at least survive until the entire group returned.
Fortunately, Employee Kwon was easily convinced, and Jaeheon Lee consciously spoke with an air of relief.
“Please be careful. “If possible.”
“….”
“…and the kids.”
“ah.”
Lee Jae-heon continued speaking after seeing her exclaim.
“Actually, it’s hard to protect someone in this situation. “It’s hard to just stay still.”
“…yes.”
“Just get some kids… um. okay.”
He blurted out his words and turned his head.
‘I have to use the images that have already been captured.’
Even if you just break it down to this level, you will probably understand it roughly. It means, ‘Anyway, I’m worried about you, and I’m especially worried because they’re children, so please take care of them and comfort them.’
When Employee Kwon nodded, the atmosphere improved and the two collecting groups left.
“….”
“….”
Then there was a breathtaking silence.
‘…It’s hard to make a living.’
I feel like I want to run away right away, to sort things out.
Lee Jae-heon slowly pulled his upper body back and leaned his back against a tree that grew upright. At first glance, the long tree, which seemed to reach the sky, might seem thin. It’s too big for that, though.
As he looked at the sky filled with thick greenery, he heard a disgusting voice disguised as sincerity.
“Boss.”
“….”
I hate it the most when he calls me like that.
“why.”
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
“….”
“There were more than one strange thing.”
Disgusting bastard…
Lee Jae-heon, who confirmed that Dr. Ha Seong-yoon was just quietly listening to Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho, cursed the protagonist inwardly, but swallowed it and shook his head. The protagonist was building up the atmosphere one by one, trying to gain control from him.
Should I pretend to hand over the initiative here or pretend not to take it away?
“Your pipe-playing skills are unusual. Where did you learn it?”
“…well.”
In this case, it was better to mistakenly believe that the other person had the initiative.
“I guess I used to swing a bit when I was younger.”
As if he had told a funny joke, but as if he knew that it wasn’t funny at all. Jaeheon Lee calmed down his voice and expression without difficulty.
Little by little, the boredom he felt from memories of his past life appeared on his face.
“I’m kidding.”
“I guess so.”
“….”
“I thought the manager didn’t like us very much, but it seems that’s not the case.”
“I don’t like you guys.”
Honestly, this much was sincere.
“I didn’t listen to anything and didn’t even think about it. “I don’t know if there’s anything these guys who are old enough know how to do on their own…”
But it shouldn’t feel 100% sincere.
“….”
“Now I want to take care of my children.”
He had self-deprecation in his voice.
It was to show that although reason thinks so, emotions do not.
‘If you really feel like you don’t like it, it goes against the settings you’ve made so far.’
Jaeheon Lee had a lot to worry about while coming here.
What image should I approach them with? What should the main character make me think?
So, if he is the main character, we are the supporting characters, and everyone in the world is an extra… If
this world is a novel, what role should I appear to the reader?
“…You continued to protect us.”
“Because I couldn’t let him die.”
“Is there a reason?”
“There is no reason.”
Jaeheon Lee readily shared his thoughts.
“Firstly, because of my conscience. “I may have a bit of a twisted personality, but at least I’m not at the point where I let someone I can save die.”
He naturally mixed self-deprecation into his words.
Before returning, Lee Jae-heon unknowingly beat himself up when Jeong In-ho left. Of course, it wasn’t self-torture, but rather an objective view of his current life from memories of his past life, and even if that wasn’t the case, he really loved himself, but at least to the people in the group, it would have been very self-deprecating.
Jaeheon Lee mixed his words with self-deprecation because it was laughable to show that he loved himself now. It wasn’t something I liked, but it wasn’t a big deal to put myself down if necessary.
“….”
“Secondly, efficiency. How many times did I say that? People must be able to think about efficiency. “If you have a lot of people to work with, isn’t it natural for someone among them to feel comfortable?”
“…the manager didn’t look particularly comfortable.”
“It will get easier someday.”
“Are there any other reasons?”
“There are many reasons…”
Lee Jae-heon mixed his words with a sigh and fatigue.
Even if he didn’t try to force it out, he was actually tired, probably because of memories from his past life, and the protagonist observed him with pitch-black eyes. It was a gaze so blatant that it made him irritated in a way that never existed.
Lee Jae-heon looked at it for a moment and erased even the smallest trace of arsenic from his face.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
Tired voice.
“….”
“What do you want to say?”
At the same time, it was a mechanical voice.
This is easy.
