Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 119

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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 119
What are you talking about?
How would I know that?
The middle-aged man continued speaking.
“Since you’ve played No Way Home, you should understand.”
“Understand what, exactly?”
“You’re the only person who’s seen the true ending of No Way Home.”
“If you’re the only one who’s seen the ending…”
“Baek Doyun, the speedrun master. Anyone in the Battle Stem player community would know.”
At the mention of Baek Doyun, Park Sangil beside me flinched and looked at me.
When I glanced sideways at Park Sangil’s face, the corners of his mouth were twitching.
He was suppressing laughter.
Park Sangil knew.
That the Baek Doyun they were talking about was me.
Without revealing my real name, I looked at the middle-aged man and asked.
“So you’re saying you’re holding on while waiting for that person to finish the game?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that irresponsible? In the end, you’re entrusting your own life to someone else.”
“Because even if I take the initiative, I can’t finish this game.”
“…”
“Information is scarce, and I don’t know what episodes might be waiting ahead.”
“…”
“If I were alone, it might be different, but stepping forward and leaving my family behind… it feels too burdensome.”
“…”
“In that situation, should I risk my life following the leading group to clear the game? Isn’t that an even riskier move?”
He had a point.
This wasn’t a competition.
If there was a party leading the way to clear the game, it didn’t create rivalry—instead, it was a system that made you want to support them.
The middle-aged man continued speaking.
“There’s a group that cleared the first and second episodes first.”
“…”
“And the main episode jumped straight to the twelfth one. What do you think that means?”
“I’m not sure.”
“They’re exploiting a loophole in the system.”
A loophole in the system?
I crossed my arms and looked at the man as he continued.
“Do you know what glitch and exploit sections are?”
“I do.”
“That’s exactly it. Skipping the main episodes is only possible for those who know the system’s loopholes and bugs.”
“…”
“Who would know such a section?”
So that’s why he thought Baek Doyun was alive and leading the charge in clearing the game.
From the middle-aged man’s perspective, there was no choice but to firmly believe that Baek Doyun was alive.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I cleared my throat before asking.
“It seems you were active in No Way Home, but isn’t there a possibility that the Three Elders are the ones pushing the main episodes right now?”
The Three Elders.
I’d mentioned them briefly before, but in No Way Home, there were three users who actively posted game guides.
Other users called them the Three Elders, but I paid them no mind.
I didn’t consider guides posted by someone who hadn’t seen the true ending worthy of being called guides at all.
The middle-aged man shook his head and answered.
“No. There’s no such possibility. It’s definitely Baek Doyun who’s moving things forward.”
“Why? The Three Elders have posted guide collections too, so saying there’s absolutely no possibility seems a bit…”
“Because Baek Doyun is the only person who knows the ending to this game.”
At his words, I tilted my head and asked.
“Are you saying the guides posted by the Three Elders are of no help?”
“Actually, the guide collection posted by the Three Elders is… more like a manual for new players. It’s not even at the level of being called a guide.”
“….”
“So right now, only Baek Doyun, who cleared all of Battle Sim’s games first, is our only hope.”
Only hope—what an exaggeration.
Feeling awkward, I rubbed my philtrum, and Park Sangil beside me cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“Are you perhaps a fan of Baek Doyun?”
“Personally, I’m a fan, and I hold a one-sided sense of rivalry.”
“A sense of rivalry?”
“A one-sided sense of rivalry. I want to create a perfect guide collection but can’t… you could call it self-consolation of a loser.”
The man smiled bitterly and lowered his head.
Park Sangil observed his expression carefully, then raised the corners of his eyes and asked.
“Could you be… one of the Three Elders?”
“….”
“You seem to know a lot about the Three Elders, and you’re so certain that Baek Doyun is leading the charge on episodes.”
Then the middle-aged man laughed helplessly and spoke.
“Embarrassing as it is… yes, that’s correct.”
Though I didn’t show it outwardly, my jaw nearly dropped in surprise.
The man standing right in front of me was one of the Three Elders?
The person who had written countless guides and lengthy essays analyzing characters.
But most of his guides were only helpful for the early episodes.
Once you reached the seventh episode, his guides were no longer useful.
Following that, Song Junhyeok, who was standing beside the middle-aged man, smiled awkwardly and spoke.
“I’m one of the Elders too.”
“What?!”
“Since two of the three are here, there are no Elders in the vanguard. Haha!”
Song Junhyeon scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh.
So that’s why I was certain Baek Doyun would be the one pushing the main episode forward.
As I stared at them with a blank expression, the middle-aged man cleared his throat lightly and asked.
“I’ve told you everything I know. So this time… would it be alright if I asked you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“The brain research institute was dangerous, so I fired the light, but there was actually another reason for it.”
As I suspected.
He seemed to be hiding something.
As I regarded the man with an impassive expression, he asked with an embarrassed look.
“Are you perhaps… moving together with Baek Doyun?”
“….”
“I haven’t heard a car engine in such a long time.”
“….”
“And they were modified vehicles at that. Two buses and three small cars. All of them Hellhounds.”
The reputation of the Three Elders wasn’t earned for nothing.
He knew the exact reinforcement level of the vehicles we’d arrived in.
It would be difficult to distinguish between Sandworms and Hellhounds without seeing the skill effects with your own eyes.
The middle-aged man scratched his head and asked.
“So I want to know. Is Baek Doyun among your group?”
“….”
“If Baek Doyun is there, could I meet him just once? Just one time?”
“What’s your reason for wanting to meet him?”
The man’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“He is?! Baek Doyun is?!”
The middle-aged man was filled with anticipation.
Ignoring his gaze and looking at Park Sangil instead, he shrugged his shoulders with a bland smile.
It seemed he was saying to do as I pleased.
The misunderstandings between us had been cleared up, and there was no harm in joining forces in the current situation.
After all, they would know the geography and circumstances here better than anyone.
“Let’s go inside and finish talking.”
As I spoke while looking at the man, he asked with an apologetic expression.
“I’m truly sorry, but… we have many children among our people.”
“….”
“If we suddenly take people away, everyone will be very startled. Would it be alright to organize things here?”
“You’re saying we each go our separate ways here?”
“No, it’s about making a plan here….”
The middle-aged man trailed off, then shook his head vigorously and spoke.
“No, I apologize. I can’t help but remain cautious.”
“I understand. If you’re uncomfortable, we can talk here.”
“No, that wouldn’t be right either, leaving guests standing outside like this. Let’s go inside and continue our discussion.”
“I have no intention of making things difficult. If you’d prefer to talk here….”
“No. Let’s go.”
The middle-aged man stepped ahead toward the apartment complex, then turned to look at me with a short exclamation.
“Ah, forgive me for the late introduction. I’m Bae Hyeonseok.”
“I’m Baek Doyun.”
“Baek Do… Baek Do?!”
In that instant, Bae Hyeonseok’s eyes widened in shock as he stared intently at my face.
I responded with a bland smile.
“Yes, that Baek Do.”

* * *
“Come in, make yourself comfortable! Right this way, right this way!”
We were able to enter the apartment complex in the modified vehicle.
Park Sangil stepped out of the car and surveyed the interior of the complex, then called out to Bae Hyeonseok after spotting several people by the windows.
“There are quite a few sentries.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Bae Hyeonseok made a hand signal toward the people by the windows, and they began descending the stairs.
At a glance, roughly twenty people came down to the first floor.
“Allow me to introduce them. They’re our alliance’s defense team.”
They ranged from high school students to elders in their sixties and beyond, a diverse mix of all ages and genders.
Were they in a similar situation to us?
I felt an unexpected sense of kinship.
“This way, please.”
Following Song Junhyeok’s guidance as he entered the common entrance first, Lee Kwanghyun, who had been following behind, leaned in close and whispered to me.
“Doyun, can we trust these people?”
“I don’t have trust yet, but there’s no malice either.”
“I’m still uneasy. Everything came together too smoothly.”
“It didn’t come together smoothly. We were cautious of each other until we found common ground.”
“Common ground?”
“Yes, No Way Home clear.”
Lee Kwanghyun still hadn’t lowered his guard.
It was natural—he hadn’t heard our conversation on the main road.
Moreover, having shouldered the burden of defense for so long, he likely harbored some old-fashioned concern about our group mixing with outsiders.
That side of Lee Kwanghyun made me feel even more reassured.
It was proof of his strong sense of responsibility.
“Don’t worry.”
I spoke with a satisfied smile, and Lee Kwanghyun scratched his forehead with an awkward grin.
“How can I not worry? It all feels so unfamiliar.”
“We need a safe place for the children to rest, and they need us. They won’t do anything foolish.”
As we reached the fifth floor, Song Junhyeok opened the entrance door and spoke.
“This way. I had them prepare some drinks, but there are more of you than expected, so I’m not sure if everything is ready.”
“Your class is Whisper? I haven’t seen you use any communication devices.”
“Yes, that’s correct. Whisper.”
Song Junhyeok readily revealed his class.
Following suit, Bae Hyeonseok, who stood beside him, also disclosed his class.
“As you probably guessed, I’m a Shooter.”
I’d figured it out from the moment he walked through the fog.
His gait was unwavering, and he walked straight toward me without hesitation.
Upon entering the apartment, I spotted five children playing in the living room.
They appeared to be around Kyeongeo’s age.
“Children, that’s enough. Everyone follow the teacher. We need to make room for our guests.”
“Yes!”
“While the adults talk, let’s play a drawing game. Understood?”
“Yes!”
An unnamed woman calmed the playful children.
From the way she was called “teacher,” it seemed she had once been a kindergarten instructor.
The woman glanced at us with a somewhat nervous expression, then bowed her head slightly and led the children into the inner room.
Given the number of people, it was impossible for all of the Hunting Dogs and Hong Yeon-hee’s group to fit in the living room.
Song Junhyeok surveyed the indoor space with his hands on his hips, then spoke with an awkward expression.
“It seems rather cramped for everyone to sit. Would it be alright to show the other members to the adjacent unit?”
When Park Sangil glanced at Kim Heejoo, she assured him not to worry and headed to the adjacent unit with the children.
Bae Hyeonseok, seemingly bothered by this, wore a bitter expression and spoke apologetically.
“I apologize. This apartment only has small units.”
“It’s fine. But you mentioned an alliance earlier—did you all form one as well?”
“Yes. It’s a system that didn’t exist in the game.”
The mention of forming an alliance made them appear in a different light.
I had assumed they were merely persisting to survive, but that wasn’t the case.
To form an alliance, they would have had to undertake an emergency episode, and the fact that they’d successfully completed it meant they were far more capable than I’d initially thought.
Bae Hyeonseok then pointed to the sofa and spoke.
“Please, sit comfortably.”
Gathered in the living room were the Park Brothers, myself, Elder Chulmin, Hong Yeonhui, Jo Yunhwan, and Lee Kwanghyun.
The other members were assigned to a total of three units and moved accordingly.
“It’s hot, so please drink slowly.”
An unnamed survivor approached from the kitchen, carrying a tray.
She handed us cups of water with warm steam rising gently from them.
Though not tea, warm water still eased the body’s fatigue and brought peace of mind.
I took a sip of the water they offered.
It wasn’t that I drank it carelessly without caution.
Because I possessed regeneration, I drank it to observe their reactions.
Bae Hyeonseok then drank as well, a faint smile crossing his face.
It doesn’t seem like anyone tampered with the water glass.
“How many people are in this alliance?”
“Thirty-two members.”
“What’s the name of your alliance?”
“That is….”
Bae Hyeonseok trailed off with an embarrassed expression, glancing toward Song Junhyeok.
Song Junhyeok, equally uncomfortable, cleared his throat before speaking.
“Well… you might find it a bit awkward….”
“It’s fine. Please tell me.”
“It’s Backba.”
“Back… what does that mean?”
“Baek Doyun’s Wish, so….”
*Pfft!*
In that instant, Park Sangil and Park Sanghun sprayed the water they’d been holding in their mouths.

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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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