Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Player of the Ruined World – Episode 010
Perhaps Park Sangil and I didn’t look pleased with the situation.
Park Sangha, standing beside us, opened his mouth to speak.
“The time limit seems tight, but if we move without stopping from now on, it’s not an impossible number, is it?”
“That’s right. If we think of it as catching 250 each per person… it’s doable, isn’t it?”
As I spoke with a wry smile, Park Sanghun also opened his mouth as if it were no big deal.
“Anyway, as the episode progresses, other survivors will arrive too. Let’s gather as many points as possible before they get here.”
Still early in the episode.
The zombies weren’t particularly strong yet.
Our group had already finished combat preparations and had experience fighting zombies.
If the four of us hunted together… it wasn’t an impossible number.
Park Sangil looked at Kim Heejoo and Kyeongeo beside him.
“Let’s find a place for Heejoo and Kyeongeo to hide first, then move out.”
“I’ve already checked.”
“Already?”
I opened the 3D terrain map and confirmed the pond here as I spoke.
“Let’s head to Building 105 first.”
“Where is Building 105?”
“It’s close. Right here.”
As I pointed to a specific part of the map, Park Sangil alternated between looking at the map and the actual terrain, quietly stroking his chin.
“Hmm… the terrain is a bit confusing?”
“I think this apartment complex underwent land leveling work. The first floor isn’t actually the first floor.”
“What do you mean the first floor is at three-story height?”
“The path up seems to be over there.”
“Thank goodness for the 3D terrain map. If it were just a flat map, we’d waste the whole day finding the way.”
As Park Sangil was about to move immediately, I grabbed his shoulder and spoke.
“Wait a moment. Let’s change our weapons first.”
“Weapons?”
Right now we were using kitchen knives, steel pipes, and baseball bats to fight the zombies.
To eliminate a thousand zombies within 24 hours, we couldn’t afford to waste time confirming each fallen zombie.
“Sanghun, how many points do you have right now?”
“Currently 2,158 points.”
“It costs 500 points to craft one weapon, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Make four of them for us.”
“Should I make blunt weapons?”
“No. We need to increase our hunting speed, so bladed weapons would be better.”
At the mention of bladed weapons, Park Sangil tilted his head and asked.
“Is fighting with swords the right approach? Wouldn’t blunt weapons be better?”
“Weapons crafted by Maker come with special abilities, so bladed weapons are superior.”
“A special ability?”
“Right now, when we sever a zombie’s head, it stays animated for a few seconds?”
“Exactly. I’ve seen ones that keep moving for three minutes after decapitation. That’s why Doyun warned you to watch your ankles.”
“Yes. When you sever a zombie’s neck with a Maker weapon, it dies instantly.”
Park Sangil and Park Sanghun’s expressions shifted to shock, and Park Sangha immediately sat down and began crafting weapons.
Park Sangha opened the system window and tapped through various options while asking.
“There are many types of blades. Which would be best?”
“I think a hwandao would work well.”
“A hwandao? The sword used during the Joseon era?”
“Yes. The length is appropriate, and it’s easy to carry.”
Park Sangha opened the system window and began crafting the weapon.
Zzzzzt—!
A small furnace materialized before him, and sparks began flying from within it.
“Wow, that’s incredibly fascinating.”
Park Sangil spoke with his arms crossed, and Kim Heejoo tapped his forearm sharply.
It was clear she was telling him not to use such language in front of the child.
[Equipment crafting has begun.]
[Crafting time may be extended depending on the difficulty level.]
[Crafting item: Hwandao]
[Time remaining until completion: 10, 9, 8, 7….]
As the ten-second countdown ended, the shape of a blade began appearing above the glowing red furnace.
A single-edged blade with a slight curve to the edge.
At the end of the hilt, something resembling a ring was visible.
It resembled the hwandao used in the Joseon era, though it appeared somewhat larger.
Park Sangha handed me the completed hwandao.
“What do you think?”
The blade length was approximately 80 centimeters, and the hilt length was roughly 20 centimeters.
It felt somewhat large to call it a hwandao, but… what does it matter?
It was excellent for swinging, and remarkably light.
“It’s light. The swing feels good and the balance is perfect. Thank you.”
The furnace continued working without pause, crafting more weapons.
A remarkable furnace that wouldn’t extinguish even in heavy rain.
Soon four blades were completed, and each of us took one and tested it with swings through the air.
“It’s incredibly light. Won’t it break easily?”
It was natural to have such concerns.
I responded with a slight smile.
“It’s not made from any mineral that exists in reality. It has excellent durability and is extremely hard.”
“Hard despite this weight? Is it adamantium or something?”
“Well… it’s similar in that it doesn’t exist in reality.”
Now that we had weapons, it was time to make our move.
“Invest the remaining points into agility.”
[Consuming 1,000 points to increase agility by 10.]
[Current Stats: Stamina 45, Strength 25, Agility 30, Epidermis 5]
[Points Remaining: 19]
[Coins Remaining: 3]
With this level of strength, stamina, and agility, I could slaughter the zombies from the early episodes with ease.
Plus, now that I had a weapon crafted by the Maker, I could increase my hunting speed several times over.
After finishing my stat allocation, I looked at Park Sangil, and he drew his curved sword from its sheath as he spoke.
“Let’s go.”

* * *
“Grrrrr….”
Visibility was only twenty meters.
Amid the sound of rain coming from all directions, irregular splashing footsteps echoed unpredictably.
“Doyun, four zombies thirty meters to the right.”
“We’ll handle them and move on.”
Park Sangil pointed in the direction of the zombies with his finger as he spoke.
“I’ll take the one in front. The ones following behind—Doyun and Sanghun, you two handle them.”
“What about me?”
When Park Sanghun asked, Park Sangil turned to look at Kim Heejoo and Kyeongeo.
“You stay beside Heejoo and Kyeongeo.”
Once Park Sangil finished his briefing, we rushed at the zombies without hesitation.
“Kaaahhhh!!”
The zombies, sensing our presence too late, turned to look our way.
Thwack—Screech! Crunch—
Before they could even react, the curved sword cut through the air without obstruction.
Zombie flesh and muscle cleanly severed.
Even thin bones like wrists were sliced through like paper.
The weapon performance was incredible.
I couldn’t have felt this kind of satisfaction in No Way Home.
I’d only known that the Maker’s crafted weapons were good.
Using it directly in reality, I realized it was a weapon on a different level.
After quickly dispatching four zombies, Park Sangil stared at the curved sword with a bewildered expression.
“With a weapon like this, I could handle any number of zombies, right?”
“You can’t let your guard down. The deeper we go, the stronger the zombies become.”
As I spoke matter-of-factly, Park Sangha, who had been checking the System Message, tilted his head in confusion.
“Doyun, can weapons be enhanced too?”
“Yes. Enhancement is possible, but it costs a lot of points. You’ll see if you check.”
“Ah, I see. It doubles each time.”
“Each time you enhance, the cost will double.”
I gave a brief explanation and looked at Park Sangil, who was keeping watch toward Building 105.
“There are more on the way to Building 105.”
“How many?”
“Ten that I can see. With all the obstacles around, there might be more taking cover.”
“I’ll take care of them.”
I gripped the sword hilt and dashed ahead into the rain.
I wanted to test the performance of the curved blade and my own physical capabilities.
“Grrrrr….”
“Kack- Haaaak!”
The zombies turned toward me at the sound of my footsteps.
Their blurred silhouettes sharpened instantly, and their gaping mouths hungered for my flesh.
Swish! Thud- Slash!
The weight of the curved blade was incomparable to swinging an aluminum bat.
After a horizontal slash, transitioning to the next move was effortless, and piercing through the zombies’ hearts or throats was equally smooth.
Simply by changing weapons, the strain on my muscles and stamina consumption had decreased several times over.
Moreover, with my agility, strength, and endurance all increased, the zombies’ movements appeared slower than before.
I felt I could respond adequately to any attack.
I dispatched the ten zombies in an instant and checked if any still had life in them.
“Cough….”
One lay collapsed, spitting blood.
Its upper body twitched irregularly.
My blade must have missed—its neck was still attached.
Did zombies fear death too?
I stared intently at the fallen zombie’s face.
Only the gleam of instinct—hunger for prey—shone in its eyes.
Click- Clack-
It clicked its upper and lower teeth together, crawling across the ground toward me.
Even as it died, that relentless hunger drove it to tear at my flesh.
I gripped the sword hilt with both hands and severed its neck.
As its head separated from its upper body, the creature slowly ceased its movements.
“Kaaahhhaaa!”
In that moment, a zombie’s cry echoed from the bushes to my left.
Just from hearing the sound, my hand gripping the sword hilt reacted first—perhaps due to my increased agility and strength.
My reflexes had sharpened too.
Whoosh-
‘Huh?’
But nothing caught on my blade.
My gaze followed belatedly, and something at waist height came into view.
A child not yet ten years old was charging at my side, spewing thick saliva.
It was too short for my blade to reach it.
That fleeting moment began to stretch like taffy.
‘A child… No, a zombie.’
I frantically twisted my wrist to redirect the blade’s trajectory, then swung it straight toward the zombie’s carotid artery.
Squelch—!
The instant the zombie’s head severed from its body… the image burned vividly into my eyes.
A chill crawled across my entire body.
Standing there with a vacant expression, Park Sangil and Park Sangha rushed over a beat too late.
Park Sangha kept his lips pressed firmly together as he stared at the headless zombie’s corpse.
The corpse of a zombie that appeared to be in early elementary school, or perhaps kindergarten age.
Park Sangha couldn’t tear his eyes away from the decapitated zombie’s body.
Just from his expression, I could tell what he was thinking.
This must be difficult for him.
Hard to accept.
Everyone processes the apocalypse differently.
Some would despair, some would feel helpless, and some would cheer.
Regardless of which Park Sangha was, I hoped he’d find the strength to endure.
Even I had panicked momentarily upon seeing a child zombie—how much worse must it be for the kindhearted Park Sangha.
‘Get a grip.’
This wasn’t the time to indulge in sentiment.
If I don’t kill the zombies, I die.
“Sangha.”
“….”
“Sangha?”
“Huh? Oh, Doyun.”
“You have to accept it.”
“….”
Park Sangha offered a bitter smile and nodded.
Park Sangil silently patted Park Sangha’s back and called to the rest of the group behind them.
As Kim Heejoo, Kyeongeo, and Park Sanghun rushed over, Park Sangha positioned himself to block their view of the child zombie’s corpse.
I surveyed the exterior of Building 105 as I spoke.
“It looks exactly like the 3D map. Let’s use this place as our hideout.”
If we talked at the entrance, the group would discover the child zombie’s body.
It was better to move locations quickly, so I pushed ahead and opened the common entrance door, stepping inside.
We’d entered through the Line 5, 6 section.
Opening the entrance to Apartment 106 on the right, a clean shoe rack and living room came into view at once.
After thoroughly checking the living room, master bedroom, and bathroom, I spoke to Kim Heejoo.
“You and Kyeongeo stay here.”
“But it’s the first floor—is it safe?”
“The entrance is on the first floor, but the windows in the back have considerable height.”
“So it’s easy to escape if things get dangerous?”
“Yes. Unlike the villa, if we set up on the upper floors here, there’s nowhere to escape when the zombies come pouring in.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
As long as we kept the curtains drawn and avoided making loud noises, we’d be safe.
Now that we’d decided on a hideout, I needed to pick up the pace again.
“Let’s go. We need to move efficiently if we’re going to hunt a thousand of them within twenty-four hours.”
“Since we have weapons now, what about splitting into two teams?”
I studied the expressions of the others in response to Park Sangil’s suggestion.
That would certainly speed things up, but… would it be alright?
Uneasy, I stared intently at Park Sangil’s face.
“Will you be okay?”
“Ha! You’re worried about me?”
Hearing Park Sangil’s words, I realized my mistake.
I wasn’t their guardian, and there was no need for me to insist we stay together.
Park Sangil stared blankly at my face for a moment, then smiled bitterly.
“Why are you being so serious? I was just joking.”
“I’m not being serious.”
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and looked away, and Park Sangil crossed his arms and asked.
“Baek Doyun. Have you ever trained in kendo?”
“I learned a bit during difficult times.”
“You learned during difficult times? If things are difficult, you should rest, not…”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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