Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 161

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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 161
I hadn’t anticipated this either.
So it’s true what they say—when people put their heads together, new solutions keep emerging. I’m witnessing it firsthand.
“Wow… I hadn’t thought that far ahead either.”
“I’m eager to see it. If it doesn’t run on mana, it has to run on an engine.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And that engine doesn’t exist in the reality we came from.”
“That would be correct.”
“If we add No Way Home’s capabilities to that… just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.”
Park Sangha’s words ring true.
If I could obtain the blueprint of a legendary-grade colossal weapon and actually construct it… a monster that doesn’t exist in the game would be born.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble—
In that instant, dust cascaded from the ceiling.
Rumble rumble— rumble rumble rumble crack—!!
The ground began to shake violently.
This is…
“What?! Another monster?!”
Park Sanghun asked in alarm, and all eyes snapped toward me.
Everyone except Park Sanghun had instinctively recognized it.
This is…
“An earthquake! Everyone get outside!”
A real earthquake.
Crack—! Crackle crackle!
Long fissures spiderwebbed across the solid granite bedrock, warping its surface.
I scooped up Kim Suhan, whose movements were sluggish, and bolted frantically toward the cave entrance.
Glancing back at the group following behind, they were all running with their hands clasped over their heads.
Stone fragments and lights tumbled from the ceiling.
By the time thick dust obscured my vision, I barely managed to emerge from the cave.
“Oh? It’s the Korean man.”
As we burst from the cave, I spotted children staring at us.
They were the same children Sato had been holding when we first entered the village.
“It’s dangerous! Get down quickly!”
“This level of earthquake is fine.”
“…What?”
“Aftershocks like this aren’t very dangerous.”
How often did these children experience earthquakes?
Unlike us, tense and vigilant, the children seemed to be enjoying the tremor.
“Do earthquakes like this happen often?”
“At least once every four days, the ground shakes.”
The child holding a metal pinwheel spoke while spinning it lazily.
Even the children are taking this calmly, and here I am feeling embarrassed.
“Um… Doyun’s Brother, please put me down.”
Kim Suhan, nestled in my arms, spoke as though mortified by the situation.
I set Kim Suhan down from where I’d been cradling him like a princess, then turned to address the group behind us.
“We need to adapt quickly to this as well.”
“Adapt to earthquakes? This world’s rules are far too irresponsible.”
Hong Yeonhui spoke with evident displeasure.
What could be done about it?
This was simply the nature of this world.
How could the children here be so unfazed by it all?
Perhaps it was because Japan, the nation where they lived, was a country where earthquakes occurred frequently?
It was much like how foreigners viewed Korea with apprehension.
Koreans went about their daily lives without concern, yet in the eyes of outsiders, Korea was a dangerous nation where war could break out at any moment.
Regardless of circumstance, one becomes this composed once adapted to the situation.
“Children, when you meet Sato, could you tell him we’re at the place with the large display?”
“The Korean uncles’ place with the display? Got it!”
Once the earthquake subsided, the children picked up their pinwheels again and began running.
“Let’s go as well.”
As I moved eastward through the village with the group, a cave entrance came into view—roughly the same size as the entrance to the repair shop.
The ground here was unstable; the aftereffects of the recent earthquake were plainly visible.
“Everyone, be careful not to fall.”
We entered the dim cave, navigating around the debris.
The lights weren’t functioning—the power had been cut.
Yet thanks to the azure radiance emanating from deep within the cave, we could advance without difficulty.
“What… is this now?”
Upon reaching the portal, Park Sanghun lifted his head and stared at it blankly.
A portal that resembled the gates so frequently depicted in fantasy novels.
It towered high enough for an 80-meter colossal weapon to pass through.
Beside it loomed an enormous display screen.
It was no artificially constructed display.
Like some vast system window, it filled an entire wall.
Numbers were inscribed there, along with information about every monster I’d encountered thus far.
The Grade 3 Monster’s information, recently registered, occupied the largest section of the display.
Its weaknesses, size, attacks to be wary of—all meticulously documented.
The details were remarkably comprehensive.
“Doyun, what are those numbers at the top of the display?”
Park Sangha pointed to the upper portion of the screen and asked.
“It’s the time of the next attack.”
“The next attack? It tells us when monsters will appear?”
“Yes.”
“This game’s system is rather generous, isn’t it?”
Yes, compared to No Way Home, it’s generous.
But generosity doesn’t always lead to favorable outcomes.
As episodes and stages progress, the spawn intervals grow shorter, eventually reaching a point where one creature appears every five minutes.
That helplessness you feel when you know something is dangerous but find yourself powerless to stop it.
Giant Punisher was designed with that very focus in mind.
Unlike No Way Home, where constant vigilance is required, everything collapses in an instant—a terror that leaves you hollow.
That was Giant Punisher.
Right now, it seems a colossal monster appears once every four days….
‘Was it originally seventy-two hours?’
Currently, we’re on Stage 1.
If my memory serves, one should appear once a week at normal progression.
Somehow the spawn timing has been accelerated.
“What’s this portal for?”
I answered Hong Yeonhui’s question while gazing at the portal.
“You can use that portal to cross over to other villages.”
“Isn’t that dangerous then? You said earlier that another faction declared war on this place.”
“You can only move to factions you’ve formed alliances with. You can’t move to hostile factions.”
“Then we need to be careful about forming alliances too. One wrong move and the village could burn down.”
“Exactly.”
Park Sanghun alternated his gaze between Hong Yeonhui and me, then slowly nodded.
“I see. Baek Doyun wasn’t being overly cautious for nothing. There was a reason behind it.”
“Huh?”
“When you were talking with Sato, you were checking things so meticulously that I thought you were being excessive.”
“That’s just my nature.”
“What?”
Park Sanghun blinked like a toad before scratching the bridge of his nose and speaking.
“Um… Doyun, isn’t it unattractive when someone is too honest?”
“Huh?”
“I’m trying to wrap you up nicely, but you keep poking out of the wrapping.”
I laughed flatly and turned my attention back to the display board.
The display board also showed a map of Japan.
Judging by the blue dot near Fukuoka, it seems there’s a faction allied with Sato’s Faction there.
Ah, that’s right.
He mentioned having a friend in Fukuoka.
I was worried he might be constructing complicated alliance networks, but it doesn’t seem like he’s the type to cast a wide net.
Now that I’ve grasped the situation well enough, I should check on the progress of the declaration of war….
Tap tap tap! Tap tap!
Followed by the sound of multiple footsteps approaching this place.
“Baek Doyun!”
Sato and the Elders wore expressions that seemed oddly tense, though I couldn’t quite place why.
“Has the conversation concluded?”
Sato had hastily summoned the Elders because of the declaration of war.
I think I understand what the declaration of war means.
They want to demonstrate how bold their faction has become.
Otherwise, there’s no way they’d engage in all-out war with Sato’s Faction, now ranked second.
They’re establishing a strong impression and forcibly opening the door to dialogue.
And through that dialogue, they aim to forge an alliance as equals.
That must be their objective.
It’s not the wisest approach, but they must be desperate enough to resort to it.
Since Sato’s Faction has claimed second place, the factions pushed down to first and third won’t sit idle.
That must be the true intention of the Lords ranked 24th, 29th, 50th, and 79th who declared war on us.
That’s why I acted so calmly.
They don’t truly want war.
“This is serious. A massive weapon is mobilizing.”
…Wait?
But contrary to my expectations, the words from Sato’s mouth carried an urgency that belied the gravity of the situation.
“Are they actually mobilizing a massive weapon?”
“Yes. They’re currently encamped 30 kilometers away.”
They made such a foolish choice?
Since Sato’s Faction power index increased so suddenly, they must understand what this means.
The only way to increase faction power by 100 at once is through producing a Unique-grade massive weapon.
‘Wait, they don’t know?’
What if the factions that declared war on Sato have no Players?
Or what if none of them have experienced Stage 2?
Then… the situation changes entirely.
If they believe Sato’s Faction brought numerous Lords to their knees through large-scale combat?
Then they’d think now—after the battle, when Sato is depleted—is the optimal moment to declare war.
“Ha…”
As my thoughts reached this point, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
So this is what they mean by ignorance masquerading as courage.
The importance of information.
This is why reconnaissance matters, and why intelligence is crucial.
“Elder Chulmin, Hong Yeonhui, Park Sanghun.”
As I called the three names, Elder Chulmin and Hong Yeonhui withdrew rifles from their inventories.
They understood what needed to be done without me saying another word.
“W-what was that just now?!”
Sato was startled not by the rifles themselves, but by the inventory function.
I’d explain that later. For now, I looked at Sato and spoke.
“Do you have any massive weapons that can move right now?”
“Still under repairs….”
Sato had fought a Grade 3 Monster alone without any other units.
With the final weapon still in the repair shop, only we could move right now.
“Brother! Me!”
Kim Suhan raised his right hand eagerly, his expression brimming with anticipation.
He seemed desperate to pilot the Unique-grade colossal weapon.
I refused outright.
“No way. You don’t even know how to control mana yet. Want to trigger a mana overload?”
“….”
“Everyone stays here. We’ll go check and come back.”
When I gestured to move, Elder Chulmin, Hong Yeonhui, Park Sangha, and Park Sanghun followed behind me.
“Sangha, you stay here.”
“Walk 30 kilometers?”
“….”
“You might be fine, but Elder and Yeon-hee would struggle physically. And I don’t trust Sanghun.”
Park Sanghun snorted in protest.
“Hey, little brother. That’s the kind of thing you’re supposed to keep to yourself. What’s the point if everyone hears it?”
“I meant for you to hear it.”
When Park Sangha opened his inventory and pulled out a modified vehicle, Sato stared blankly, alternating his gaze between the vehicle and us.
“What exactly are you people….”
“Want to come with us?”
“Pardon?”
“You should see Sato. What they’re thinking, what kind of people we are.”
This was a good opportunity to demonstrate our superiority clearly and position Sato as a figurehead.
Sato glanced at the Elders beside him, swallowed hard, then nodded and stepped forward toward me.
“I’ll go as well.”
“Get in.”
It would be better for Sato to accompany us for directions anyway.
We boarded the vehicle and headed toward the 30-kilometer point Sato had mentioned.

* * *
How long had we been driving?
Park Sangha, gripping the steering wheel, navigated the unpaved road as he spoke.
“By the way, Doyun.”
“Yes?”
“The fact that they’re declaring war first… it seems like the enemy isn’t entirely evil, wouldn’t you say?”
Ah, right. I hadn’t explained this part.
“Giant Punisher can’t attack other villages without a declaration of war.”
“The system is set up that way?”
“Yes. Only people can enter other villages without a declaration of war. To attack another village with a massive weapon, you must declare war first.”
“I see.”
“A declaration of war lasts for two days, and after that, the declaration’s effect disappears.”
If we had played this game from the beginning, the system would have kindly taught us all of this.
But since our group joined midway, we had no way of knowing such detailed information.
Do Sohee and I could only explain it ourselves.
I turned to look at Sato in the back seat and asked.
“Sato, were you already on bad terms with the faction that just declared war?”
“They’ve always been poking around in our territory, but they’ve never mobilized forces so directly before.”
Then Hong Yeonhui, sitting beside Sato, asked with a puzzled expression.
“How do you know the other side declared war? Does the system tell you?”
“Remember that massive building in the center of the village?”
“The one with cypress wood covering the walls? The village hall?”
“There’s a hologram there that shares information about the factions. When the other side declares war, it shows up there.”
Then Sato asked with evident curiosity.
“Baek Doyun, you really don’t seem to be missing anything. I heard Korea played a different game—how do you know so much?”
“Because I’ve played this game before.”

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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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