Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 114

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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 114
Park Sangil nodded at Jo Yunhwan’s response.
“Very well. Since you’ll need to guide us, ride in Vehicle 1 with me.”
“Could my niece Yeonah ride in Vehicle 1 with us as well?”
Jo Yunhwan glanced at his seven-year-old niece Cho Yeonah, whom he carried on his back.
He seemed reluctant to be separated from her.
Park Sangil spoke with a faint smile.
“Children come first, no matter what. You know that.”
“….”
“Yeonah will be safer on the bus. Vehicles 1 and 2 are more likely to be used as bait to lure zombies and mutants.”
“Then… I understand. I’ll do as you say.”
“Doyun, you’re in Vehicle 1 too.”
At Park Sangil’s words, I walked obediently toward Vehicle 1.
The children were split into two groups and boarded the buses, while the defensive team was equally divided between them as well.
I’d worried the buses might be cramped, but they turned out to be quite spacious.
After confirming everyone was aboard, I looked at Kim Hanna one last time.
All the people were in the vehicles, but one problem remained.
No matter that they were the Zombie King’s subordinates, having them run from Seoul to Daegu was impossible.
Their numbers had dwindled significantly, but they still weren’t few enough to fit on the buses.
“Hanna, how many of your subordinates… I mean, how many do you have?”
“It seems difficult to take them all with us.”
Apparently, Kim Hanna had about 120 subordinates remaining.
Taking all of them was impossible no matter how I thought about it.
“Among your subordinates, do you have any exceptional ones?”
“Any with rank?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Right now I have a captain of the guard and one commander.”
“Let’s just take those three.”
“Then what about the remaining subordinates….”
“Don’t you have a release function?”
“I do have one.”
“Once we’re about 500 meters away after departure, release the remaining subordinates.”
Kim Hanna looked at her remaining subordinates with a bitter expression.
She had made the sturdiest-looking zombies into her subordinates, their limbs intact and strong.
She’d lost many subordinates in the previous battle, and now she had to release the remaining ones too—it seemed wasteful to her.
“Even though they’re zombies… I feel uncomfortable about this.”
“Pardon?”
“They’ve helped me, after all.”
Unlike me, Kim Hanna… regarded her zombie subordinates as comrades who had worked hard for her all this time.
How embarrassing.
I had merely viewed Kim Hanna’s subordinates as combat power.
Is that why everyone says I’m cold?
Feeling awkward, I offered a suggestion.
“What about this? Order them to wait in the apartment parking garage, then we move out.”
“Will that work?”
“Yes. Even if survivors come here, they won’t venture down into the basement.”
“…”
“And if they do go down, they’ll turn back once they see the zombies clustered together.”
“Then… I’ll do that.”
Kim Hanna herded all her remaining subordinates into a corner of the basement parking garage and issued a single command.
Not to move from this spot under any circumstances.
Once I released her subordinates, the order she’d given would disappear as well, but without further stimulation, they wouldn’t leave this location.
Kim Hanna bowed her head toward her subordinates crowded in the corner and spoke.
“Once the vaccine is complete… I will return.”
I could feel the sincerity in Kim Hanna’s words.
So this was the kind of person she was.
In battle, she appeared as a fearless berserker, yet toward her allies, she was endlessly warm.
Kim Hanna gazed at her subordinates for a moment longer, then turned her head away.
“Let’s go.”
Kim Hanna, her personal guard captain, and the commander-in-chief boarded Vehicle 3, with Elder Chulmin taking the wheel.
Park Sangil, Park Sanghun, Jo Yunhwan, Do Sohee, and I boarded Vehicle 1.
Hong Yeonhui, Jang Wooheok, Han Hye-ri, and Park Sangha boarded Vehicle 2.
Once everyone was aboard, Park Sangil picked up the radio and spoke.
“Do the buses have enough capacity?”
*Crackle—crackle—*
—Bus 1 has enough capacity.
—Bus 2 also has enough capacity.
Lee Kwanghyun, driving Bus 1.
Park Youngsu, driving Bus 2.
Park Sangil checked his side mirror once, shifted gears, and spoke.
“We’re departing. Everyone, please be careful not to fall behind the buses.”
Twelve days remained in the twelfth episode.
Even if the main episode exploit didn’t work, we had enough time to return to Seoul and check the remaining two locations.
With nothing to lose, we set out toward the final chapter of No Way Home.

* * *
Perhaps it was thanks to clearing the route from Seongsu Bridge to Nonhyeon-dong beforehand?
There weren’t many zombies on the streets.
A few lunged at the vehicle upon spotting it, but they were ground to pulp like soft tofu by the Hellhound enhanced three times over.
A left turn at Nonhyeon Station, then a right turn at Shin-Nonhyeon Station.
Watching the vehicle merge onto the expressway, I asked Park Sangil, who was gripping the steering wheel.
“Sangil’s Hyung, there aren’t many parked vehicles on the road?”
“It’s clean. I was expecting an apocalyptic landscape, but this is surprising.”
The background update had occurred in the early morning.
A time when there weren’t many vehicles on the streets yet.
Since people had been suddenly summoned into the pouring downpour at that moment, it was natural that there was no traffic congestion.
Hearing Park Sangil’s words, I exhaled a sigh of relief.
Perhaps the expressway might be safer than the city.
No people meant fewer zombies as well.
So… I should organize the points I acquired from L Tower on the way.
“Tell me my current stats and points.”
[Current Stats: Health 204, Strength 204, Agility 170, Epidermis 600, Mentality 600]
[Damage Reduction: 15%]
[Points Held: 1,090,814]
[Coins Held: 4]
My jaw dropped at the sight of my held points.
No, wait.
It was only natural—I hadn’t dealt with just one or two Mutants at L Tower and the riverside apartments.
Moreover, there were the zombies I’d crushed with the modified vehicle, plus the zombies and Mutants my party had eliminated, so perhaps this was an inevitable result.
The fact that Agility was now displayed as 170, different from before, was likely because I wasn’t holding the curved sword in my hand.
The Health and Strength being displayed as 204 was thanks to wearing the gloves.
“Enhance Skill Balhwa.”
[Will you consume 120,000 points to enhance ‘Balhwa’?]
“Yes.”
[Enhancing Skill Balhwa.]
Ding-!
[Balhwa Lv.4: Strength, Agility, Health, and movement speed increase by 2x for 10 minutes.]
-Cooldown: 10 minutes.
During that time, only the cooldown had decreased, but now at level 4, the effect had increased.
Strength, Agility, and Health showed no change, but movement speed rose from 1.5x to 2x.
The cooldown became 10 minutes.
For most Skills, enhancing up to level 4 was the most efficient.
But seeing Balhwa, my thinking changed.
‘If I enhance it five times, doesn’t it become passive?’
What if the cooldown decreased by an additional 10 minutes here?
Then it’s unlimited.
“Enhance Skill Balhwa.”
[Consuming 240,000 points to enhance ‘Balhwa’.]
Even the cheapest Balhwa required 240,000 points to reach level 5, so I couldn’t afford to upgrade any other skills.
I calmed my racing heart and waited for the skill enhancement to complete.
Finally, the enhancement finished.
Ding-!
[Congratulations! Skill ‘Balhwa’ has reached maximum level!]
[Balhwa Lv.5: During combat, Balhwa activates with a 50% probability.]
[While Balhwa is active for 10 minutes, Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Movement Speed increase by 2x.]
[If you wish to use the skill directly, please speak the activation word ‘Balhwa’.]
[When using ‘Balhwa’ with the activation word, Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Movement Speed increase by 2.5x for 20 minutes.]
[When using the activation word, the passive effect does not activate for 1 hour.]
The impossible had happened.
Getting results that matched my expectations for the first time left me genuinely bewildered.
A passive skill with a 50% activation rate that lasts 10 minutes?
This was essentially the same as having it active from the start to the end of any battle.
Even better, when I used it manually, there was a 1-hour cooldown, but the effect increased to 2.5x.
What’s wrong with you, Gaia? Why are you suddenly being so generous?
Why the sudden kindness?
Suppressing my excitement, I enhanced another skill.
“Enhance Challenge of the Tyrant.”
[Will you consume 50,000 points to enhance the skill ‘Challenge of the Tyrant’?]
“Yes.”
[Enhancing skill ‘Challenge of the Tyrant’.]
Ding-!
[Challenge of the Tyrant Lv.2: All status abnormalities are removed, and you become immune to status abnormalities for 1 hour.]
-Can be used 5 times per day.
-Challenge of the Tyrant can be activated whenever the player wishes, and automatically activates if afflicted with a status abnormality.
Five times per day.
Since twice had been sufficient until now, this level of enhancement for Challenge of the Tyrant should be enough.
Being able to use a skill that lasts 1 hour five times daily was more than adequate.
The next skill to enhance was….
“Enhance Skill ‘Shockwave’.”
[Will you consume 120,000 points to enhance the skill ‘Shockwave’?]
120,000 points just to go from Lv. 1 to 2?
Wasn’t Frenzy 100,000 points?
Legendary skills are ridiculously expensive.
But the effects must be worth it, right?
“Enhance Shockwave twice.”
[Consume 360,000 points to enhance the Skill ‘Shockwave’ twice?]
“Yes.”
Ding-!
[Shockwave Lv.3: A shockwave is added to attacks directed at enemies.]
[Applicable to all weapons, and the shockwave’s range varies depending on the weapon used.]
[Unarmed attacks: Delivers a cone-shaped shockwave in the direction of the attack. The shockwave reaches up to a maximum distance of 20m.]
[Bladed weapons: Delivers a shockwave that gradually expands in range as the blade is swung. The shockwave distance is limited to 12m in exchange for wider coverage.]
[Projectiles: Upon impact, a cone-shaped shockwave of up to 4m is generated. This effect possesses a piercing property.]
-All shockwaves can be used 30 times per hour, and the count is shared.
The effect increase was as substantial as the cost.
Both the usable frequency and skill range quadrupled.
“Tell me my remaining points.”
[Points held: 320,814]
[Coins held: 4]
Where should I spend the remaining points?
Based on my experience so far, skills that directly boost physical abilities haven’t shown significant gains.
However, skills with long cooldowns or those that expand attack range have shown definite increases.
In that case, it seems wise to upgrade Frenzy and Whirlwind, which have long cooldowns….
Frenzy requires 100,000 points for one enhancement.
“How many points does it take to enhance the Skill Whirlwind?”
[To enhance Skill ‘Whirlwind Lv.4’, 800,000 points are required.]
Investing points here would be insane.
I’ll get a skill enhancement voucher later and raise it then.
“Frenzy requires 100,000 points, right?”
[That is correct.]
“Show me the Frenzy description.”
[Frenzy Lv.1: For 1 hour while the effect lasts, you are immune to viruses and status abnormalities, and all physical abilities increase threefold.]
-Cooldown: 24 hours.
-While Frenzy is active, you lose your rationality.
-When Frenzy ends, you fall into a sleep state for 12 hours.
-Upon acquiring Frenzy, Mentality is added to your stats.
-For every 50 Mentality gained, rationality maintenance time increases by 5 minutes and sleep duration decreases by 1 hour.
Frenzy is currently level 1.
In No Way Home, enhancing Frenzy reduced cooldown and sleep duration.
I’m not asking for much from one enhancement.
I’d be satisfied if it just reduced both by 2 hours each.
“Enhance Frenzy once.”
[Consume 100,000 points to enhance the Skill ‘Frenzy’.]
Ding-!
[Frenzy Lv.2: For 1 hour while the effect lasts, you are immune to viruses and status abnormalities, and all physical abilities increase threefold.]
-Cooldown: 2… Zzzzzt, Zzzt- Zzzt-
In that instant, noise erupted from the System Message.
What’s this?
Did I enhance too many skills?
As I moved to close the System Message in my confusion.
Ding-!
[Your Mentality stat has reached its maximum value.]
[With cooldown reduction and sleep time reduction, player Baek Doyun gains no further benefit.]
[Player Baek Doyun can already maintain rationality in Frenzy state, and no longer falls asleep when the skill duration ends.]
[The enhancement effect will be modified.]
I swallowed hard at this unexpected notification.
This is… good news, right?
Ding-!
[Target detection effect has been generated for Skill Frenzy.]

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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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