Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 21

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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 021
A Water Demon?
No, Water Demons tend to cease their pursuit once prey escapes beyond a certain range.
In the first place, the Survivors from Dae O Apartment wouldn’t have made it this far if they were fleeing from a Water Demon.
Then… the Mutant in Building 204 is the type that chases its prey relentlessly until it cuts off their breath.
Which means it’s a creature with that level of obsession…
“Mimicry Species.”
As I muttered the words under my breath, Park Sangil’s eyes widened.
“Species? King?”
“Mimicry Species.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a type of Mutant. One that disguises itself in human form.”
“…What?”
Park Sangil furrowed his brow, his expression darkening with displeasure.
The Elder beside me then looked directly into my eyes and asked.
“You know how to identify them, don’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean the method for distinguishing Mimicry Species.”
“Yes, I can do it now.”
“Now?”
The Elder’s expression grew puzzled, so I explained carefully.
“Just as my points increased when I eliminated Zombies earlier, Zombies will continue to grow from now on. Similarly, Mutants will evolve as well.”
“…”
“When Mutants grow, it’s not simply that they become stronger. They become more cunning.”
“If they become more cunning…”
“Eventually, it will become difficult to distinguish between Mimicry Species and humans.”
“…”
“I don’t know everything myself, so this is all I can tell you.”
The thirty-two Survivors who joined our group don’t know that I cleared No Way Home.
But they seem to have a rough idea that I’ve played the game.
Since I couldn’t reveal everything, I explained the situation with fragmented information.
The Elder pressed his lips firmly together in contemplation, then carefully opened his mouth.
“What’s the possibility that what’s in Building 204 isn’t a Mimicry Species?”
“The possibility… is about 20%.”
“Tell me about the abilities of the Mutant that falls into that 20%.”
“There aren’t many Mutants that track prey. One is the Mimicry Species I just mentioned, and the other is the Severance Species.”
“Severance Species?”
“Yes. Literally severance. A creature capable of moving its body parts independently.”
The Middle School Students beside me then trembled violently.
They shuddered at the thought of a body moving independently.
Park Sangil, who had been listening quietly, rose from his seat and spoke.
“We should grab some Molotov cocktails. The thing in Building 204 might be a Severed Mutant.”
“….”
“If its body parts move independently, it won’t die even if its head gets cut off, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then we have to burn it to death.”
“Are you going to Building 204?”
When I asked Park Sangil, he looked flustered and glanced at the others.
Then, with an awkward expression, he asked me.
“You’re not going?”
Everyone’s gaze turned to me once again.
I answered seriously.
“We need to think carefully. If we rush in recklessly, we could all end up dead. You still don’t understand the power of mutants.”
“….”
“Severed Mutants and Mimicry Species only pursue prey they’ve discovered. Perhaps… after they’ve eaten their fill, they might leave the Safe House.”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m not trying to rescue the survivors in Building 204. I’m worried my family might be in danger. That’s what this is about.”
Ah, so that’s what he meant.
I thought he was just rushing in with some misplaced heroism.
If we can kill the mutant… of course we should deal with it.
Eliminating a mutant yields rewards incomparable to ordinary zombies.
But can we actually handle the mutant in our current situation?
This isn’t something we can solve through sheer determination and effort.
With our lives on the line, we need to think realistically.
Instead of answering, I stroked my chin thoughtfully, and Park Sangil smiled wryly and asked.
“What, did you think I was trying to rescue survivors?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“How could I do that when I can barely take care of myself?”
“….”
“You only meddle in others’ affairs when you have the luxury to do so.”
At Park Sangil’s words, I smiled wryly and threw out a joke.
“You’re different from me, though. You actually like saving people.”
Since I rarely joked with anyone, it felt awkward and embarrassing.
When someone who never jokes suddenly makes one, it comes across as serious, which adds to the burden.
But Park Sangil laughed heartily and accepted my joke.
“Hahaha! Come on, I’m no Superman.”
As Park Sangil burst into hearty laughter, Park Sangha beside him snorted and spoke.
“Our brother isn’t some saint. He’s the type who lives by the motto ‘Heaven helps those who help themselves.'”
“Heaven helps those who help themselves,” huh….
Those are wise words.
Self-directed effort, sincerity, and perseverance—they’re the keys to success.
Then Park Sanghun, standing beside Park Sangha, chimed in with his own thoughts.
“I absolutely hate people who just wait around for persimmons to fall from the tree without doing anything.”
“That’s a good mindset.”
“Really? Some people say I’m stingy though.”
Park Sanghun shrugged his shoulders and spoke casually.
I agreed with the Park brothers’ sentiments, so I smiled warmly and responded.
“The ones who whine about others being stingy are usually the real stingy ones themselves.”
“Haha! See, big brother! Didn’t I tell you? I said I liked Doyun!”
Park Sanghun seemed delighted about something, grinning widely as he stood up from his seat.
Then Park Sanghun gripped his curved sword and asked.
“When should we go catch it? Now? Or should we rest a bit first?”
“Let’s observe the situation more before we move. We need to recover our stamina too, and we should monitor what’s happening.”
Speaking calmly, Park Sanghun thrust both hands into his pants pockets and asked.
“Monitor the situation? Will anything change if we just watch?”
“If the number of survivors decreases, there’s a high chance it’s a Severing Species. Otherwise, it’s likely a Mimicry Species.”
“Mimicry Species don’t kill people often?”
“They have strong curiosity. Some of them even observe human behavior for days.”
“That’s persistent. Perverted, even.”
Yes, persistent and perverted creatures.
That’s why Mimicry Species become increasingly threatening as time goes on.
Park Sangil folded his arms and opened his mouth.
“If they observe behavior to that extent… does that mean they have intelligence?”
“Yes, they’re capable of thought.”
“Tricky. So when are you planning to move?”
“We’ll move in 30 minutes.”
Is that enough time?”
“A Mimicry Species only moves when it judges there’s nothing more to learn from that group. In the current situation… 30 minutes should suffice.”
In No Way Home, evolved Mimicry Species even appeared as cult leaders.
As time progresses, they become harder to distinguish from humans, eventually even empathizing with human language and emotions.
But I know something.
I know how to identify a Mimicry Species.
So my companions will never fall victim to one.
Park Sangil clapped his hands and spoke.
“Alright everyone, go upstairs and get some rest. Rest well, and let’s regroup here on the 10th floor in 30 minutes.”
“Understood!”
With the situation settled, everyone headed upstairs.
As everyone climbed the stairs, I found myself unable to move forward.
It wasn’t that my companions were inconveniencing me—I felt like I was forgetting something important.
What am I missing?
Everything is unfolding exactly as I predicted.
Setting aside the mutant’s unexpected appearance in the first episode.
The resolution of each incident has matched my predictions perfectly.
So why do I feel so uneasy?
Because things are going smoothly as planned?
‘No, something… there’s something.’
In that moment, I stroked my chin thoughtfully, lost in contemplation.
“Doyun?”
Park Sangha, ascending the stairs, turned back and called out to me.
“Oh, yes. Hyung.”
“What are you doing there?”
“I had something I needed to think about for a moment.”
I brushed it off vaguely, and Park Sangha gestured for the others to go ahead before approaching me.
“Is something troubling you?”
“No. It’s nothing particularly important.”
I shook my head with a bitter smile, and instead of speaking further, Park Sangha stared intently at my face.
After a moment, he asked in a quiet voice.
“If it’s difficult to talk about, I can go up first.”
“No, it’s not that… I just feel like I’m missing something.”
Park Sangha adjusted his glasses and shoved both hands into his pants pockets.
“Want my help?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Would asking Park Sangha yield any answers?
After a brief moment of deliberation, I chose silence.
Park Sangha fell into deep thought, then looked at my face and asked.
“Doyun, have you ever thought about human nature?”
Human nature?
Like innate temperament?
Since I’d never given it much thought, I scratched my sideburns and changed the subject.
“I’m not sure. That’s quite a sudden question.”
“Haha, am I being too abrupt?”
“Well, a bit…”
Feeling awkward, I smiled weakly and averted my gaze.
Park Sangha seemed uncomfortable too, clearing his throat before continuing.
“What I’m trying to say is… you don’t need to try so hard to appear cold.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve lived, but the you I know is a good person.”
“…”
“So don’t try to find reasons why you need to be bad.”
Someone searching for reasons to be cold.
Do I come across that way?
“Do I seem that way to you?”
When I asked directly, Park Sangha shrugged and spoke.
“A little? It feels like you’re putting up walls between yourself and people.”
“That wasn’t my intention. I apologize if I came across as cold.”
“No, no. That’s not what I meant to say.”
“….”
“Just… if you need help, tell us anytime. The people here aren’t the type who won’t listen.”
“….”
“Don’t try to carry everything alone.”
“…Me?”
Carrying everything alone?
Me?
I thought I was actually the opposite kind of person.
I laughed awkwardly at Park Sangha’s words and asked.
“I’m not the type to take responsibility or carry burdens like that….”
“Do you really think that?”
“….”
“If you were that kind of person… you wouldn’t have saved us in the first place, and you wouldn’t have avoided conversation when you brought those 32 people.”
“….”
Is that… so?
Instead of arguing back, I listened to what Park Sangha had to say.
Park Sangha continued calmly.
“You guided the survivors to an empty room instead of abandoning us. And you came up with a way. A way for all of us to be together.”
“….”
“How someone thinks and acts in a moment of confusion reveals their true nature.”
“….”
“You didn’t turn people away. You didn’t leave us either.”
When I looked at Park Sangha without saying anything, he smiled faintly and continued.
“If something difficult comes up, don’t worry about it alone—you can tell us. We may lack information, but we’re good at following orders.”
“….”
“I think I spoke a bit disjointed.”
“…No. It’s fine.”
“I’ll head up first. You rest too.”
“Brother.”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you suddenly telling me something like this?”
It felt strange hearing such words from Park Sangha, who was the first of the three brothers to open his heart.
Park Sangha quietly stroked his chin, then tilted his head and asked.
“Have you ever asked someone for help?”
“Asked for help?”
“I mean asking someone to help you when things get tough.”
Asking for help when things get tough.
Now that I think about it… I don’t think I’ve ever done that.
I had a few experiences like that when I was young, but there was no one who would help even if I asked.
After that, I think I gave up on asking anyone for help.
When I didn’t answer anything, Park Sangha smiled contentedly and spoke.
“Be careful not to become too accustomed to anything.”
“….”
“For some people, familiarity is peace, but for others, it’s isolation.”
Park Sangha finished speaking and climbed the stairs.
Peace and isolation.
So his main profession is writing.
He sure knows how to talk.
Am I in a state of peace or isolation?
That’s… something I’ll figure out as time goes on.

* * *
The hideout at the top floor where our group stayed.
I entered an empty room and fell into quiet contemplation.
I didn’t understand what Park Sangha had told me, but I thought about what I might have missed while progressing through the 1-2 episode.
The survivors at Dae O Apartment and the mutants.
The survivor count with no changes whatsoever.
The survivors who arrived at Dae O Apartment… wouldn’t all be good people like us.
It was already proven at the elementary school, so there’s no need to think further.
When the #1-2 episode was progressing, the survivors at Dae O Apartment would have also confirmed that this location was marked as a coordinate.
Then naturally, they should have fled north instead of here.
Yet they came here anyway….
‘That means they had a different intention.’
Why would they deliberately flee here and bring a mutant with them?
Unless they weren’t in their right minds.
Unless they were trying to die together, it wouldn’t be possible.
And the fact that they broke through the zombie wave pouring into this place….
In that moment, a flash of insight streaked through my mind.
I got it.
What I’ve been missing.
Click—!
As I opened the door and headed toward the living room, Park Sangil, who was dozing off, caught my eye.
“Sangil, Sangha, Sanghun—listen for a moment.”
I called out to the three brothers, and they brushed themselves off before approaching my side.
I entered the empty room with the three brothers and asked what was on my mind.
“When you were at the elementary school, did you notice anything strange?”
“Something strange?”
“Yes. Among the survivors, wasn’t there someone who seemed unusually composed?”

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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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