Apocalypse Theory Of The Abandoned World

Chapter 4: On the Move (ll)

[SURVIVE THE GREAT TURTLE'S ATTACK.]

[TIME BEFORE THE FALL OF SEOUL]

[00:07:57]

The clock ticked away ominously over their head as each and every living being residing in Seoul ran for their lives. This was the very first time they had ever received a quest such as this, in which the only goal was to survive.

  Doyun and the Co ran as fast as possible, doing their best to avoid being trampled under the creatures fleeing alongside them. Lava ate away behind them, gaining more ground with each step they took. It was relentless in its chase, granting no moment for anyone to rest and gather their bearings.

  So with certain death literally coming knocking down on their doorstep, the group of four wasted no time in using up the stat points they had painstakingly collected for the last week and half into increasing their speed.

  Then with renewed strength, they quickly outran the bigger creatures without fear of being trampled to continue heading for the outskirts of Seoul. It turned out to be a good thing when the next set of notifications flashed by.

[TIME BEFORE THE FALL OF SEOUL]

     [00:05:00]

[Activating Emergency Protocols]

[Time Until The Completion of Seoul Dome]  

[00:05:00]

[Survivors are encouraged to leave the perimeters immediately.]

A bright silvery star sparked above the heart of Seoul, spreading a shield, a dome of some sorts around it that quickly gained ground, covering 1/5th of Seoul in barely a minute. Doyun cursed internally and held Ah-In closer as the group quickened their pace. Being trapped inside the dome meant death and they barely had 3 minutes left until the accursed thing was completed.

 If there was one thing the green eyed man had learnt in the past week, it was that ignoring the system's warning was the most dangerous thing one could do. While it was neutral at most, the system worked to assist the users as much as possible. He also theorized that it was most likely some kind of divine intervention. But, seeing as it was God that forsaken them to this post apocalyptic world, Doyun was willing to bet it was more demonic than divine. He wasn't the one to look a gift horse in the mouth however so was perfectly willing to leave it be.

  [TIME BEFORE THE FALL OF SEOUL]

[00:01:42]

They barely had any time left before the lava caught up to them. Cha Doyun, Lee Iseul and Kim Sung-Jin however weren't about to give up when the city outpost came into their view. With little Ah-In secured in his front, the dark haired man picked up the pre-teen by his middle and ran as fast as he was able to with the additional weight. Iseul was not far behind them and quickly went past him and passed the city perimeters. 

  Once past, a silver pulse shook through the city and the speed of the barrier increased. The red headed teen made grabby motions at Doyun, who raised the suddenly alarmed Sung-Jin up and threw the kid towards Iseul. 

  As the pre-teen went flying past the lines, Doyun cradled Ah-In as close as possible and leaped towards the line.

  He hit the road behind the city post painfully just as the timer ran out and the dome formed completely, successfully isolating the lava inside. Doyun's back burned from the impact as the toddler on his chest cried from the shock and terror she had just gone through.

  Kim Sung-Jin was quick to take his little sister off of their guardian and calm her down while Lee Iseul moved to help Doyun up. She carefully pulled the groaning man off of the ground then held a flask of green liquid into his lips. Blood of Nadja, a type of healing item that dropped from killing the monster Nadja. They were nasty little creatures that lived in groups and used hallucinations to lure their prey into isolation.

   Doyun greedily took a sip from the foul tasting liquid, swallowing it without a problem. He sagged a little as the burning feeling in his back and legs were replaced by a cool sensation of numbness. 'Good, it means the wound is healing.' He thought.

   The man nodded towards his oldest charge in thanks as the red head put the item back into her [Inventory].  He stood up slowly and dusted his clothes.

 He looked at Sung-Jin who was watching the city burn down through the dome. Lava came rushing in wave after wave but none made it past the barrier. They watched together as creatures left inside cried in desperation and pain as they burned to death. They could not hear but they could see. It was an image that would haunt them for the days to come.

 "What do we do now?" Iseul asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice. It was jarring to see the usually loud mouthed girl to be this subdued.

 "We move on." Doyun answered her, short and simple. He took Ah-In from the grasps of her brother and secured her back into the baby carrier around his chest.

  Sung-Jin himself huffed a little at that but otherwise settled to follow him.

"But where?"

 That was a good question. Where were they supposed to go from here? Doyun wondered. Closest major city to Seoul was Suwon and from there they could go to Daejeon where survivors camp was situated before they were cut off from the rest of the world.

 "We'll go to Suwon but for now, let's find a place to rest." He declared and herded the two teens away from the barrier. They could probably break into one of the abandoned houses in the outskirts of Seoul, he supposed.

 "Hey Mr.Doyun, what do you think will happen to us now?" This time the question came from Sung-Jin, who held onto his hand firmly. Doyun exchanged a quick glance with the identity walking behind Sung-Jin then gave the child a reassuring squeeze.

"Well I think we will find your aunt and settle in away from all this chaos to live a happy life." He smiled. The pre-teen snorted at him, giving him a look that clearly screamed 'I think you're being stupid but I won't say anything because I am respectful.' 

  Iseul who saw the look on Sung-Jin's face over Doyun's shoulder started laughing. It made being made fool of almost bearable, almost.

"You don't like my answer? Fine, then you have to think of an answer to your question yourself." The green eyed man smirked, leading the kids into the streets where he knew houses were. He glanced around the buildings for a bit before settling on one of the only few that were still standing and pushed them towards it.

 "Mr.Doyun, are we breaking in?"

 "Technically not breaking in if it's ownerless." 

"So we are breaking in." Iseul muttered with lots of emphasis on the word 'are'.  "You're quite cheerful for someone who just survived being burnt to death-" they all grimaced at the reminder. "Are you high Mr.Doyun? Was it the blood?"

 This time Doyun snorted, his good mood darkening a little.

  "No Iseul, I'm not high. I'm just dealing with the stress." He muttered, fiddling with the lock of the apartment they chose to stay in.

  There was a barely audible click before the door was opened and the elder was dragging the youngsters in. He then closed the door back up and locked it behind them. They didn't turn on the light, opting to move about in the dark. They were all exhausted beyond belief at this point and had no energy to really do anything else significant.

As they headed for the bedroom, Doyun heard a fourth set of footsteps that did not belong to any of them. Instantly, the man was wide awake and on alert. He motioned for the other two to be ready, the ghostly being saying something that made Sung-Jin summon Mul.

 Doyun moved for the lightswitch just as the figure got closer. Within minutes, Sung-Jin tripped the stranger and Iseul had them pinned against the floor. There was a thump and a masculine groan of pain as Doyun flipped the lights on.

  On the floor, under Iseul sat a man looking to be in their early twenties with light brown hair. Closer look revealed them to be dressed like a priest. 

 "Who are you?" The red headed teen hissed at the man with Sung-Jun pressing Mul against their head.

 "Umm can you let me go first? You're hurting my arm…" the man requested with a pained frown on their face. When none of them moved, he tried again a bit more desperately.

"I promise I mean you no harm! See? I'm weaponless!" He tried to wiggle around but Iseul only tightened her grip on his arms. The man sighed in defeat and turned to Doyun, showing off his impressive aquamarine eyes.

"Please? My name is Lee HyunWoo. I'm a priest." When no sickly green ribbon appeared to tie around HyunWoo's wrists, Doyun nodded towards the kids.

  The man was not lying.

Once the kids moved away, the man stood up and dusted his robes. He then turned towards the guarded eyes of Doyun and smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you! May I ask how you got into my home, Mr.Stranger?"

[The Priest has made your Acquaintance.]