Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 15

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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 015
Knock, knock—
It wasn’t long before I heard knocking at the entrance, so I rushed over and opened the door.
“Oh? You’re awake?”
Park Sangil spoke casually as he sniffed the air.
“What’s that smell? Is that ramen?”
“Come in, everyone. Let’s eat.”
Kim Heejoo emerged from the kitchen with a large pot and set it on the living room table as she spoke.
The drenched survivors broke into bright smiles and quickly gathered around the table.
Kim Heejoo then handed out towels as she spoke.
“Everyone, dry off first before sitting down.”
“Ha ha! Thank you for the meal!”
A middle-aged man laughed heartily as he spoke, and Kim Heejoo responded with a warm smile.
The living room grew lively and bustling.
Kim Heejoo then opened the entrance and unlocked the door to Apartment 105 across the way.
The savory aroma of ramen wafted from Apartment 105 as well.
It seemed they were preparing meals in both places simultaneously due to space constraints.
In Apartment 105, children under ten were playing with toys.
“Kids, the adults are back.”
At that, the children in Apartment 105 scrambled to their feet and rushed into Apartment 106.
The children nestled into the adults’ arms.
Whether they’d been strictly taught not to make loud noises, there were children whose eyes glistened with emotion, but none cried aloud.
As I stood awkwardly in the corner like a rough stone, Kyeongeo approached and squeezed my hand tightly.
“Uncle has to eat too!”
“….”
“Uncle Doyoon has to sit down!”
As Kyeongeo spoke with determination in her eyes, everyone’s gaze turned toward me.
It felt burdensome.
At that moment, Park Sangil patted the seat beside him.
“Doyoon, come on over. It tastes better when it’s hot.”
Feeling awkward, I hesitated before moving to his side and sitting down.
Park Sangil then addressed the people gathered in the living room.
“Everyone, this friend here is the leader I mentioned earlier.”
“…?!”
I looked at Park Sangil in surprise, and he shrugged as he spoke.
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
“No, I’m not….”
“Park Sangha said so. That you’re the protagonist.”
Bewildered, I looked toward Park Sangha among the crowd, and he smiled warmly and nodded.
Me… the leader?
“Does anyone have any objections?”
“No objections! We’ve already heard the full explanation anyway.”
Apparently, Park Sangil had been recounting the incident from the villa to everyone.
While everyone else worried about survival, he was the one who thought of hunting.
The one who struggled alone to clean up this harsh world.
He was packaging me like some great hero.
It seemed he’d explained that I didn’t join this hunt because I was physically exhausted and had gone to rest in my room.
“After hunting thousands of zombies alone, it would be strange if you weren’t tired.”
“You’re quite the remarkable young man, mentally speaking.”
The elders chuckled warmly and looked at me with pride.
As I stared back with a bewildered expression, Park Sangil placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke in a hushed voice.
“Regardless, I’ve made it clear that you’re the best—now seize the initiative.”
“…How much did you tell them about the game?”
“Just that you’ve played No Way Home.”
“Please keep that secret from now on. There are no Players here, but if we ever meet one, it could become problematic.”
Park Sangil nodded briefly with a soft hum of acknowledgment.
There’s no point in stirring up unnecessary trouble.
Then Park Sangha, who had been standing among the crowd, opened his mouth.
“Come on everyone, don’t just stand around—let’s eat. We can talk while we eat.”
“That’s right. Let’s eat quickly and clean up the remaining zombies!”
When Park Sanghun chimed in as well, the people who had been standing blankly began sitting down one by one.
Since there weren’t enough plates, some ate their ramen from paper cups.
Though much was lacking, their faces were filled with smiles.
As if they’d forgotten the world had ended, like people reuniting with long-missed friends.
Perhaps I was swept up in that warm atmosphere?
Without realizing it, the corners of my mouth lifted.

* * *
The thirty-two survivors who arrived at this place were all mentally sound individuals.
The elders said that thanks to the stat adjustments, they seemed to have regained their youth, appearing as if they were in their forties.
Excluding the five children, everyone possessed the will to fight and was willing to do whatever it took to survive together.
There were no people here who blamed others, betrayed at the drop of a hat, or were garbage who demanded rights without contributing anything.
Rather than reflexively countering others’ opinions, I appreciated how they first listened with open ears.
The same was true for the twenty minors.
The fifteen middle and high school students asked to be given any task at all.
There was no one here trying to satisfy their own ambitions at the expense of those remaining.
How did only people like this manage to survive and reach this point?
If anything, I’d call that a blessing.
Seeing this made me wonder if the saying “birds of a feather flock together” might actually be true.
We shared many conversations over ramen, and I decided these were people I could work with.
“Before we deal with the remaining zombies, there’s something you all need to know.”
As I spoke while looking at the people gathered in the living room, those holding spoons suddenly turned their gaze toward me.
“It’s about what happens after we’ve cleared out the remaining zombies.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Park Sangil asked as if he didn’t understand, and I continued calmly.
“There’s something we’re overlooking related to this episode.”
“Something we’re overlooking?”
“Have you ever thought about why we need to clear out the zombies quickly?”
“Well… because we need to clear the episode? Or maybe to get the first clear reward?”
The remaining zombies in the Safe House currently numbered four hundred and three.
If we cleared four hundred and three… would the second episode truly begin?
I pondered this aspect while eating ramen.
At No Way Home, the first episode ended as the first episode.
It didn’t continue as a linked quest like 1-1.
Since one episode had been subdivided, I considered what variables might arise in the future.
If 1-1 existed, then naturally 1-2 could exist as well.
There had to be a reason why we were told the time limit and the number of remaining zombies.
So I reached one conclusion.
“Originally, No Way Home had only one Safe House. But the setting here is that there are multiple, and they’ve even placed Safe Houses in adjacent locations.”
“Is that so?”
“The apartments at Haengdang Station are like that, and the same goes for the apartments at Ttukseom Station. They’ve set up Safe Houses facing each other, haven’t they?”
“Ah, that’s right.”
The middle-aged man listening to my explanation tilted his head and asked.
“I heard earlier that you’ve played a game called No Way Home before—so do you also know how to end the current situation?”
Everyone’s attention focused on me.
I spoke about it casually.
“There’s a clear difference between how the game progresses and how reality progresses. I’m merely someone who predicts future situations and considers countermeasures, not a god who knows all the answers.”
As the people nodded in agreement, Park Sangil spoke up before any other questions could arise.
“So, what happens once we’ve dealt with all the remaining zombies?”
“According to the system, once we clear the main episode, all survivors on the Korean peninsula advance to the next episode.”
“Right, that’s what it said.”
“You’ve all confirmed the penalty that occurs upon failure, correct?”
The penalty incurred upon failure of Episode 1-1.
Destruction of the Safe House.
I spoke while checking the contents written in the system window.
“Only the Safe House that clears the zombies first will be recognized as a Safe House.”
“…!”
The expressions of the people gathered in the living room grew grave.
It wasn’t simply that zombies roaming the district made things unsafe—it was a situation where only first place would be recognized as a Safe House.
Just moments ago while eating ramen, the atmosphere had been warm and friendly, but now people began confronting reality once more.
Then Park Sangha, still chewing ramen, spoke up.
“So only the team that clears the zombies first and receives the initial reward can continue living in the Safe House?”
“Yes.”
“Whoever designed this system… must be completely insane, right?”
Such thoughts were only natural.
I swept my gaze lightly across their faces and continued.
“If you think about it differently… it means we can survive even without the Safe House.”
“Survive without the Safe House?”
“Yes. The Safe House will be destroyed, but the failure penalty isn’t death.”
“….”
“In other words, there will come a day when we must eventually leave the Safe House.”
At those words about eventually having to leave, the room stirred once more.
Park Sangil calmed the anxious survivors and spoke.
“Everyone, please settle down. Let’s hear what Doyun has to say first.”
The look in Park Sangil’s eyes as he gazed at me had changed from before.
He’d caught on.
That I was speaking in roundabout terms.
Not that we’d eventually have to leave the Safe House, but that a day would inevitably come when we must abandon it.
The thirty-two survivors might not know, but the Park brothers and Kim Heejoo were aware that I’d seen the game’s ending.
To prevent the survivors from suspecting anything, I continued as calmly as possible.
“As more survivors gather in the Safe House, there will be more conversations like now—discussing and planning episodes.”
“That’s true.”
“But those would be ideal survivors. You’ve already experienced it at the elementary school, haven’t you? Where there are many people….”
“There’s plenty of trash too.”
At Park Sangil’s response, everyone in the living room nodded.
I also agreed with Park Sangil’s answer and continued.
“Exactly. So after finding party members to stay with in the Safe House, we’ll live through the remaining episodes with them. The Safe House itself isn’t what matters.”
“So the Safe House is… just a meeting place?”
Park Sangil asked the question in a way that helped everyone understand, even though he already knew the answer.
I nodded.
“That’s quite likely. If you can’t find good companions here, you’ll be left alone in the wilderness crawling with zombies.”
“So the people who cleared the episode first get the Safe House’s benefits? What kind of benefits are there?”
“I don’t know exactly, but the fact that the Safe House is maintained means there’s something to it.”
Silence settled over the living room.
To gain the Safe House’s benefits, we had to deal with the zombies first.
I looked at the people and asked.
“What will you do? Do you think it’s right for us to clear out the zombies first and obtain the initial reward, or do you think it’s right to hesitate and lose the Safe House?”
I’d already proven these people could stand on the front lines.
But I needed to confirm how resolute they could be when a decisive moment arrived.
Soft-hearted people always make mistakes eventually.
Though it seemed like I was asking the thirty-two survivors, this question was really directed at Park Sangha and Park Sanghun.
I’d considered how to move forward with the thirty-two survivors depending on their opinions, but if such arguments kept breaking out, it would be problematic.
As I looked at Park Sangha and Park Sanghun, both of them swallowed hard.
Their expressions showed they understood what I was saying and what my intention was.
“This seems like unnecessary deliberation. Are you hesitating?”
As I pressed for an answer, Park Sangha spoke up before long.
“Let’s clear out the zombies.”
Park Sangha, who’d spoken about surviving humanely.
Now he was talking about clearing out the zombies.
Park Sanghun didn’t object either.
Since I needed to clarify this point, I looked at Park Sangha and asked.
“Can you do it?”
“I might look like a hypocrite, but I’m not a god. How could I save everyone? I don’t have the capacity for that.”
“….”
“What I meant by humane survival is… at least not turning away from people who are still human.”
The survivors in the living room agreed with Park Sangha’s opinion and each spoke up.
“We don’t have the resources to look after complete strangers.”
“It’s unfortunate, but we can’t die while worrying about others!”
As the adults spoke, the middle schoolers raised their voices too.
“That’s right! If kindness keeps going… what was that called?”
“It becomes a right?”
“Right, that’s it.”
“Yeah, right.”
Seeing everyone nodding in agreement, I readily nodded and stood up.
“Then let’s not overthink it and move right away.”
“Let’s go!”
Everyone picked up their weapons and stood.
If I delay any further, they might clear the episode at another Safe House, so it’s best to hurry.
Meanwhile, I spoke to the Elderly Grandfather, a man in his sixties.
Despite being only in his sixties, his hair was completely white, as if snow had settled upon his head.
“Elder, has the cleanup of Building 118 been completed?”
“Building 118? Yeah, it’s all done.”
“Then I have one request to ask of you.”
“Me? Go ahead and tell me.”
“Once we head outside, please move to Building 118 with the other Survivors.”
“You want me to take the children and move to Building 118?”
“Yes. Relocate there and construct a barricade.”
The Elder folded his arms and quietly gathered his thoughts, then raised the corners of his eyes as he asked me.
“Install a barricade? Is there another reason for this?”
“It’s just a precaution. We can’t know what will happen after the episode is completed.”
At that, the Elder’s eyes twitched slightly.
“You’re thinking the Survivors from the Dae O Apartment across the way will try to cross over here, aren’t you?”
So the Elder was already aware of that possibility.
But that alone isn’t enough.
“That’s correct. However, it’s not just because of them.”
“…?”
“We need a barricade strong enough that it won’t be easily breached even if multiple zombies rush at it.”
As I spoke while looking directly at the Elder, he nodded instead of saying anything else.
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
“Thank you.”
The Survivors who were at the Elementary School should have arrived at the Dae O Apartment across the way by now.
I’ll anticipate their reaction and prepare countermeasures in advance.

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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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