Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 116

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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 116
“What is this? Did we come to the future?”
Bewilderment was written all over Park Sangil’s face.
I swept my bangs back and my mind raced quickly.
Following one thought after another, I arrived at a single hypothesis.
In the early stages of the game, a System Message like this had definitely appeared.
It said a background update would proceed.
When the background update finished back then, buildings I knew had sometimes disappeared.
A lottery shop became a kimbap restaurant, a wedding hall became a funeral home, and so on.
Back then, I was too busy surviving to spare any thought for such details.
Since I’d been rushing forward with the thought that I had to end the game, I hadn’t thought deeply about the ‘background.’
“It seems… that’s the case.”
As I answered calmly, Park Sangil raised the corners of his eyes and looked at me.
“Does that make sense? I mean… ah, I’m getting dizzy.”
“That’s how Earth changes in 2030.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“There are plenty of things that don’t make sense.”
“No, think about it carefully. Battlesteam announced three games, right? Now different countries are running different games.”
That’s right, Park Sangil has a point.
Instead of arguing, I crossed my arms and looked at him, and he continued speaking.
“There’s a medieval fantasy game too, right? Last something-or-other.”
“Last Odyssey.”
“Oh, yeah, that one. But that’s not set in the future.”
“…”
“How could a medieval fantasy setting be 2030?”
Actually, Park Sangil has a point there too.
As I scratched my head in confusion, Park Sangil shrugged and continued.
“Plus Giant Punisher? That’s a game where giant monsters and robots fight, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I could understand the zombie virus. But the other two games aren’t situations that could happen in 2030.”
“…”
“This doesn’t seem to be about focusing on numbers alone. There’s something we don’t know.”
Park Sangil’s words are correct.
Perhaps I’m too fixated on the number 2030.
Three games I’ve already seen the ending to.
A fourth game that unfolds at the end, a new world.
Another World.
Regardless, there must be a reason we have to proceed through these three games.
Gaia said so.
Not just anyone can have citizenship in the fourth game, Another World.
A world granted only to those who have proven their right to survive.
“This might not be just a simple game.”
When I turned at the voice behind me, Park Sangha, Park Sanghun, Elderly Grandfather Kwak Cheolmin, and Hong Yeonhui were approaching.
It seemed they had been eavesdropping on the conversation between Park Sangil and me.
Park Sangha suddenly extended his hand toward me.
“So Hee said your Twin Swords were destroyed.”
“Ah. Yes. Here it is.”
I pulled out the hilt of the Twin Swords from my inventory and handed it over, and Park Sangha immediately created a small furnace.
Park Sangha spoke as he repaired the Twin Swords.
“If you need to talk with Gaia again later, ask her directly then.”
“….”
“Right now, no matter how much we worry among ourselves, we won’t find the answer.”
At Park Sangha’s words, Hong Yeonhui opened her mouth this time.
“That’s not necessarily true. We might discover something if we keep searching for clues.”
“If a problem can be solved, there’s no need to worry about it. If it can’t be solved, no amount of worrying will give us an answer.”
“….”
“With the information we’ve gathered so far, what can we do? This is a situation even Baek Doyun, who has seen the endings of all the games, doesn’t understand.”
“That’s exactly why we should think more. Especially since we can learn information about the future here….”
“There isn’t just one game.”
“…What?”
“Don’t you understand?”
At Park Sangha’s words, Hong Yeonhui furrowed her brow and offered no response.
Sometimes… Park Sangha seems like someone who has transcended everything.
It’s not that he lacks will or is discouraged.
In fact, he’s the coldest person here among all of us.
He doesn’t see the trees—he sees the forest.
Park Sangha continued speaking.
“What I’m trying to say is… there are too many possibilities.”
As everyone looked at Park Sangha, he spoke while examining the Twin Swords.
“The three games have different themes, settings, and configurations.”
“….”
“The reason we must play such games. The qualifications for the Fourth Game—Another World—that Gaia speaks of.”
“….”
“If everything is connected… the answer is singular. We must achieve the minimum conditions necessary for survival through the three games.”
“You’re saying Another World will also be in the worst situation like the game we’re playing now?”
At Hong Yeonhui’s words, Park Sangha nodded calmly.
Park Sangha, lost in thought as he gazed at the Twin Swords glowing with heat.
Not long after, he opened his mouth while checking the blade being forged along the furnace.
“Perhaps Another World is… a hopeless game that compiles all the worst situations from the three games.”
“Older brother, isn’t that too much like fantasy?”
Park Sanghun asked with an awkward expression, and Park Sangha tilted his head.
“Not right now?”
“Even so, right now the setting is based on reality….”
“Where do zombies exist in reality? In the first place, we’re only thinking that way because we’re playing No Way Home.”
“….”
“If we had ended up playing Last Odyssey or Giant Punisher instead, could you still talk about reality then?”
Park Sangha’s words were correct.
What we’re thinking right now is focused on our situation.
All we can do here is speculate.
Park Sangha continued speaking as he examined the furnace.
“Humans cannot imagine what they have not experienced.”
“….”
“By experience, I mean indirect experience through books or visual media as well.”
“….”
“If Baek Doyun, who has experienced the entire worldview of Battlesteam, cannot make a judgment, then all our worries are nothing but futile imagination.”
Everyone fell silent at Park Sangha’s words.
Park Sangha pulled the twin swords radiating intense heat from the furnace as he spoke.
“So how the ending will unfold, what the fourth game is—only the creator can know that.”
“….”
“No matter how hard we rack our brains and worry right now, it’s like trying to see the world through the eye of a needle.”
“The creator… you mean Gaia?”
Park Sanghun asked, and Park Sangha nodded as he spoke.
“That’s right. So everyone, don’t get absorbed in this information about 2030. Most of the answers we’re looking for will probably be wrong anyway.”
Park Sangha, who was a novelist before the world’s destruction.
No one but the creator can know.
I wanted to refute Park Sangha’s words, but nothing suitable came to mind.
Instead of a refutation, I felt only an inexplicable sense of injustice.
I am someone who has cleared all three games.
Isn’t he saying that even I could face unpredictable results?
Perhaps… what I’m feeling right now isn’t injustice, but helplessness.
That feeling came pouring out of my mouth.
“Isn’t that an excessive loser’s mentality?”
“Huh?”
“What you’re saying is… no matter how many variables we create, reality flows according to the creator’s design, right?”
“….”
“Then no matter what we do… the result won’t change, will it?”
“….”
“Even if we clear No Way Home, ultimately our fate is already determined in Another World, isn’t it?”
“….”
“In the end… in the end, everything flows according to what Gaia wants, doesn’t it?”
I’m not angry at Park Sangha.
I’m not trying to confront him either.
It was because something he’d said when I connected with Gaia suddenly came flooding back.
-Can a human who barely lives a hundred years comprehend the Creator’s profound will?
-The balance of survival. Everything that defies it will disappear.
At that moment, I had shouted at Gaia.
‘That’s bullshit, you crazy bastard.’
But Gaia responded without any emotional disturbance.
-Bark all you want. One day you’ll understand, and you’ll realize it yourself.
I was anxious that this might be the predetermined outcome Park Sangha was talking about.
Anxiety breeds fear, and fear breeds anger.
So I wouldn’t appear weak.
So my anger was still proof that I remained weak.
With both fists clenched and no words coming out, Park Sangha simply stared through me.
Before long, Park Sangha’s quiet voice reached my ears.
“Writing novels gives you strange experiences.”
“This isn’t the time to talk about fiction.”
“It’s one of the questions many people ask writers.”
“….”
“How do you write such long novels? Do you have the entire scenario in your head?”
Regardless of what I said, Park Sangha continued with his story.
“Of course, every writer has a different style. Some plan everything from beginning to end perfectly before writing, while others just establish the framework and write.”
“….”
“Some people just write aimlessly, thinking only of the ending.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Styles differ completely, but there’s one thing all writers agree on.”
Park Sangha handed me the repaired twin blades as he spoke.
“Ultimately, it’s the protagonist who drives the novel.”
“….”
“The creator sets the broad framework and background, but it’s the protagonist who ultimately drives the detailed episodes.”
“….”
“Once you reach a certain level, the protagonist moves forward to the ending, and the writer merely expresses it in words.”
As I gripped the handle, I felt its substantial weight.
The twin blades were more solid and sturdy than before.
Park Sangha retrieved the small furnace and stood up, then lightly tapped my forearm with a satisfied smile.
“Often the ending changes too.”
Park Sangha rolled his stiff shoulders and gazed toward the parking area.
“I’ve told you before—everyone’s life is a piece of literature.”
“…Yes.”
“There’s only one protagonist in your life. A novel and a life are written as the protagonist desires.”
“….”
“I’ll head out first. Everyone, gather what you need and get organized before coming.”
Park Sangha walked toward where the children were, his hands thrust into his pants pockets.
“Uncle!”
Kyeongeo came running at the sight of Park Sangha.
Park Sangha embraced his nephew and laughed brightly.
As I stared blankly at the scene, Elder Chulmin, who had kept his mouth shut until now, finally spoke.
“Don’t any of you feel uncomfortable about this. And don’t misinterpret Park Sangha’s intentions.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure what you mean.”
Park Sanghun laughed awkwardly with a sheepish grin, and Elder Chulmin chuckled before speaking.
“It means to push forward with conviction.”
“That’s what he meant?”
“…Sanghun, there was nothing to misinterpret after all.”
“Anyway, that guy… he’s my older brother, but he sure does make things complicated.”
“If he spoke directly, everyone would object.”
“What?”
“If Park Sangha had spoken directly, would everyone have followed willingly?”
At Elder Chulmin’s words, Park Sanghun wore a sullen expression and scratched his head.
When Elder Chulmin looked at Hong Yeonhui, she averted her gaze with a slight cough.
Seeing the expressions of both, Elder Chulmin smiled contentedly and gazed at Park Sangha outside.
“Direct speech has its merits, but when everyone has a direct nature like us, we need people like him too.”
“….”
“Don’t those who run at full speed without even catching their breath need a moment for maintenance?”
Elderly Grandfather Kwak Cheolmin was right.
With a deep breath, I opened my mouth.
“Let’s move. To Innovation City.”
“Right, we won’t know anything until we check it out. Worrying here won’t give us any answers anyway.”
Park Sangil led the way toward the parking lot, and we followed in his wake.
For some reason, Park Sangha’s words from when we first arrived at the Safe House kept circling in my mind.
-You’ve seen the end of this game, haven’t you? Then you’re the protagonist.
-My stamina may be lacking, but I’ll do my best to support you. Let’s keep going.
A person with frighteningly good self-awareness.
Someone colder than anyone else, someone who tried to see the whole picture of the situation.
Now that I think about it, thanks to my companions who silently trusted me and supported me, I was able to focus on clearing the game without stress all this time.
Meeting the Park Brothers in the early days of the world’s destruction… wasn’t that the greatest blessing I could have asked for?

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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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