Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 135

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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 135
Lee Kwanghyun shouldered his rifle and scanned left and right before turning to Jo Yunhwan with a question.
“Yunhwan, do you see anything?”
“It’s a Healing Factor. How am I supposed to find something you can’t see, hyung?”
“Tsk, you look like a Buster—why’d you pick that class anyway?”
As Lee Kwanghyun vented his frustration, Jo Yunhwan’s expression grew dejected.
Seeing this, Lee Kwanghyun furrowed his brow in disapproval.
“Again, again! I said something and here you are, a grown man, just….”
“I’m sorry….”
A man who could deadlift three tons for five hundred reps, yet Jo Yunhwan was timid and tender-hearted.
Lee Kwanghyun exhaled deeply, smacked his lips, and spoke with creases furrowing his brow.
“Don’t apologize. I’m just on edge and saying stupid things for no reason.”
“…What?”
As Jo Yunhwan wore a bewildered expression, Lee Kwanghyun spoke awkwardly.
“I’m just getting irritable because I’m scared, that’s all.”
“You feel fear too, hyung?”
“What, am I a robot?! Fighting monsters like that—of course I’m terrified!”
“Why do you keep raising your voice!”
“Because I’m scared!”
“If you’re scared, why do you keep getting angry…!”
“Look, there are people like me too! So don’t lose heart. Just let it go in one ear and out the other.”
“….”
“When people are scared, some become timid like you, and some just yell like me.”
As Lee Kwanghyun displayed something between irritation and petulance, Jo Yunhwan’s lips began to tremble.
There was something he wanted to say, but it wouldn’t come out easily.
Finding this frustrating, Lee Kwanghyun asked first.
“Come on, if you’ve got something to say, spit it out!”
“A-are you a chihuahua, hyung? Do you just yell louder when you’re scared?!”
At Jo Yunhwan’s words, Lee Kwanghyun pressed his left hand to his forehead and released a deep sigh.
After several rounds of deep breathing, he spoke with wrinkles creasing his brow.
“I’m sorry.”
“….”
“Let’s focus now. You’re making me even more tense.”
“…I apologize.”
“Stop with those apologies already!”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry—no, yes. I can’t tell if you’re angry or apologizing….”
“There are just people like this. Don’t try to understand. I’m annoyed with myself too.”
At Lee Kwanghyun’s candor, Jo Yunhwan spoke in a noticeably calmer voice.
“I’m… sorry for making you anxious beside you. Ah, no, I beg your pardon.”
“Beg my pardon? Did you come from the Joseon Dynasty?”
“I hate this personality of mine too… but it doesn’t change easily.”
“People don’t change easily in the first place. It’s fine, so don’t blame yourself.”
“It’s just… you always treat everything as no big deal, hyung, so I’ve always felt reassured.”
“….”
“That was the first time you’ve ever said anything harsh to me, so I was shocked. I’m a bit… cowardly.”
Jo Yunhwan’s expression grew dejected once more.
Lee Kwanghyun pressed his temples firmly, and after a moment, he patted Jo Yunhwan’s shoulder and spoke.
“How could everyone be the same? If there are people like this, there are people like that too.”
“….”
“I’m not the one who treats everything as no big deal either. If I think too deeply, my thoughts sink into a quagmire, so I force myself not to think.”
“Really?”
“I’m not someone who steps forward and does things. I’m just an ordinary office worker who’s lived my whole life as a perpetual deputy manager.”
“….”
“I happened to meet Baek Doyun and ended up in a position like Defense Team representative, but honestly… I’m always afraid. Afraid of making mistakes.”
Jo Yunhwan’s eyes brightened as he looked at this side of Lee Kwanghyun he’d never seen before.
Uncomfortable with Jo Yunhwan’s gaze, Lee Kwanghyun cleared his throat and turned his head away.
Then he opened up about something he’d never told anyone.
“I’ve always lived under the pressure that I mustn’t make mistakes.”
“….”
“Whenever a problem arose or I was cornered, I’d shout first. To make it look like it wasn’t my fault.”
“….”
“Shouting when you’re scared—that’s a habit and a pattern. A very cowardly one at that.”
“Hyung….”
“So don’t feel discouraged. Most of those who shout at you are probably scared like me.”
Lee Kwanghyun scanned his surroundings with a furrowed brow.
His furrowed expression looked pitiful now, different from before.
Jo Yunhwan gripped his curved sword and pressed close to Lee Kwanghyun’s side.
“Leave the rear to me.”
“What?”
“Even if you make a mistake, hyung, I’ll support you from beside you, so don’t be afraid.”
“Ugh, don’t get so close! Man, it’s awkward.”
“I’m sorry. I felt like I’ve been a burden to you all this time.”
“….”
“Every time a problem arose at the Safe House, you always stepped forward first… so I thought that was just who you were.”
“….”
“Thank you for always giving us courage.”
The Defense Team hadn’t had it easy either all this time.
Whenever the Search Team went outside, they’d clear out the Zombies around the Safe House, or handle low-grade Mutants that made it inside.
In fact, during the Nonhyeon-dong incident, hadn’t a group of Survivors attacked and tried to loot the Safe House?
It was Lee Kwanghyun who stepped forward first to deal with the looters and protect everyone.
Unless the situation was truly dire, I resolved matters myself to avoid burdening the search team.
Lee Kwanghyun stood at the center of it all.
Even now, when everyone else cowered in their rooms, hadn’t he alone ascended to the rooftop to assess the situation?
Having witnessed only such moments, Jo Yunhwan had assumed Lee Kwanghyun had always been this way.
Two hearts laid bare in the urgency of crisis.
They came to know each other’s vulnerabilities, to understand each other’s shortcomings.
Some might exploit another’s weakness, but none within the Hunting Dog Federation were such people.
People capable of embracing the frailties of others.
Because they were such people, they had come this far without a single discord.
Screech—
The bus window slid open, and a high school student inside spoke up.
“Uncle Kwanghyun, thank you always.”
It was Hwang Anbae.
Starting with Hwang Anbae, the other high school students began expressing their gratitude and encouragement to Lee Kwanghyun.
Lee Kwanghyun felt embarrassed, clearing his throat as he grumbled at the students.
“If you open the window, the Hellhound effect disappears, doesn’t it? Close it quickly.”
“Huh? It disappears if we open the window?”
“I don’t know either. Just close it to be safe.”
Crunch—
At that moment, the sound of glass shards crunching from the left side.
Lee Kwanghyun hastily raised his gun.
A Water Demon came into view.
Blood stains were clearly visible on its head.
It was the one that had been shot moments ago, and it had already finished regenerating, now fixing its gaze on Lee Kwanghyun.
Seeing it sway its upper body left and right in an eerie manner, Lee Kwanghyun pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Single shots fired in succession.
But what was this?
The Water Demon evaded two bullets at an incredible speed, and blocked the final bullet with its palm.
I had thought it was a Stage 4 or lower Water Demon given its modest size, but…
“Oh, oh—a Stage 5 Water Demon?”
At Jo Yunhwan’s words from behind, Lee Kwanghyun switched to automatic fire and squeezed the trigger.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!!
Dozens of bullets rained down on the Water Demon as if daring it to evade.
Yet the Stage 5 Water Demon seemed to mock Lee Kwanghyun’s expectations, evading or blocking most of the shots with movements that defied belief.
Whoosh—!
Simultaneously, the Water Demon charged toward Lee Kwanghyun like a bullet.
Before he could even react, elongated fingers like awls flew toward his face.
‘It’s fast.’
My eyes couldn’t keep up.
Lee Kwanghyun realized he couldn’t create distance, so instead of retreating, he chose to drive forward.
If he could burrow into the creature’s embrace and strike its jaw with the rifle stock….
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The opponent was far too swift, and unfamiliar with such movements, I ended up taking the Water Demon’s abdomen strike to my forehead instead.
Lee Kwanghyun tumbled awkwardly to the ground.
The Water Demon seemed startled by Lee Kwanghyun’s reaction, hesitating as it lowered its head.
The Water Demon’s confusion didn’t last long.
It quickly drove its nail-like fingers downward in a vertical strike.
Clang!!
When Jo Yunhwan behind him deflected the creature’s fingers, the Water Demon’s target shifted from Lee Kwanghyun to Jo Yunhwan.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-!! Clang!!
The Water Demon’s relentless assault continued.
Jo Yunhwan seemed to endure the Water Demon’s attacks with wide eyes, but before long, he couldn’t overcome the speed and pressure, and his grip on the blade faltered.
“Gasp…!”
As Jo Yunhwan backpedaled, his foot caught, and he tumbled backward.
The Water Demon seized the opening and rushed in for the kill.
Crack!!
The rifle stock struck the Water Demon’s hamstring.
Caught off guard, the Water Demon dropped to one knee.
Click-! Clack! Click!
Lee Kwanghyun swapped magazines frantically, and the moment he chambered a round, he unleashed a barrage toward the Water Demon’s thigh.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!
The fire concentrated precisely on a single point.
The Mutant’s blood sprayed across my face, and the Level 5 Water Demon’s flesh hung in tatters.
Yet without even a scream, it endured every strike, and the Water Demon slowly turned its head.
Just from its gaze alone, I could tell fury had risen to the crown of its head.
Click- Click- Click-
Already thirty rounds spent, the trigger yielded only an empty sound.
As the Water Demon raised its upper body, limping on one leg.
Thud-thud-thud! Twang! Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud!
Dozens of bolts struck its temple as if waiting for this moment.
The High School Students aboard the Bus held their crossbows steady, firing bolts without blinking.
The Water Demon quickly raised its left arm to shield its face, then created distance from the Bus.
Was it the sheer volume of incoming attacks?
The Water Demon began moving toward the District’s outer wall.
Boom!!! Crash!! Boom! Boom!!
As if refusing to let it escape, explosions erupted continuously from its head.
Someone on the Apartment 8th Floor was pulling the trigger relentlessly at the Water Demon.
It was Park Youngsu, a Shooter from the Hong Ryeon Alliance.
—Now, hurry inside!
Following that, Kim Miyeon’s voice echoed directly into the minds of Lee Kwanghyun, Jo Yunhwan, and the students on the bus.
Hearing the gunfire, those inside the apartment began to move.
Yet for some reason, Lee Kwanghyun and the students didn’t flee—instead, they waited for Park Youngsu to exhaust his ammunition.
The moment Park Youngsu depleted all his rounds and began reloading, everyone on the bus drew their curved blades and rushed at the Water Demon.
“Grab that bastard!!”
“Kill it!!”
They charged forward with the fervor of those facing their parents’ killer.
There was only one reason they hadn’t retreated inside.
Their opponent was a Stage 5 Water Demon.
Leaving such a creature alive and fleeing indoors would be pointless—there would be nowhere to hide.
Its wounds would heal quickly, and as long as the Mimicry Species corpse remained here, Mutants would continue pouring in.
So they pressed forward with overwhelming force to finish it here and now.
One hit would be catastrophic, but the Water Demon’s defenses were relatively weak.
They maintained their relentless assault, riding the momentum.
“An Bae! You handle the Mimicry Species corpse!”
“Where should I move it?! There’s no fire or oil!”
“Figure it out and deal with it!”
If they didn’t burn the Mutant corpse and wipe away the blood, the stench would attract more Mutants, so Lee Kwanghyun was focused on the Mimicry Species remains.
Hwang Anbae hesitated for a moment, then opened his inventory and examined its contents.
“Molotov cocktails! Can I throw these?!”
“The basement! Go down to the basement and throw them!”
“Yes!”
Hwang Anbae took charge of the Mimicry Species corpse while the others focused on hunting the Stage 5 Water Demon.
“Grab its legs!”
“The left arm, the left arm!”
“I’ve got its head!”
No matter how formidable a Stage 5 Water Demon was, if it couldn’t eliminate Hunting Dog Federation members in a single strike, it had no chance.
Park Youngsu, watching the Water Demon hunt unfold from the 8th Floor of the apartment, muttered in disbelief.
“Huh… They really are like hunting dogs.”
They rushed in as one, severing the creature’s limbs and targeting its throat.
Most people would despair or be consumed by fear, but these fighters stabbed, slashed, and tore at the flesh relentlessly until the Water Demon’s heart was pierced.
Attack until it breaks. If it doesn’t break, attack until it does.
A tenacity that never released its grip once it had bitten down.
A hunt worthy of the Hunting Dog Federation’s name.

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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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