Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 30

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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 030
“Why aren’t they moving?”
Park Sangil spoke as he watched the situation through the window.
Kim Suhan seemed afraid to check outside the window, hiding behind the curtain with an anxious expression.
They deserved to die, that much was true, but witnessing human death with one’s own eyes was an entirely different matter.
I placed my hand on Kim Suhan’s shoulder and watched silently.
Kim Suhan forced a bitter smile, then asked in a trembling voice.
“Doyun hyung, will we… be alright?”
“I don’t know. The Mutants might track our scent.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Kim Suhan trailed off, his head drooping as if all strength had drained from him.
Just days ago, he was probably studying normally at school, talking about games with friends.
His greatest worries in life were likely test scores and university entrance.
Kim Suhan’s ordinary life shattered in a single day, and he was thrown into a world overrun with Zombies and madmen.
Should I be impressed that he’s maintained his sanity this long?
If only Kim Suhan had been a delinquent with character flaws… would he have adapted more easily to this situation?
Among the middle and high school students at Han O Apartment, there were no troublemakers.
No selfish people, no exclusive people.
People who practiced the principle that those who don’t work shouldn’t eat.
Something Park Sangil had said came to mind when I looked at these students.
-There’s not a single student here who acts out of line. They’re all admirable. Not like kids these days.
At the time, I agreed with Park Sangil’s words.
But the phrase “not like kids these days” existed even in ancient Rome.
I think about it this way.
We were all “kids these days” to someone.
Regardless of era, regardless of age, there are simply people with problems and people without them.
So the fact that only mentally sound children found their way to Han O Apartment… I consider that a tremendous blessing.
“Shh, they’re coming.”
Chulmil Grandfather, peering through the curtains at the window, made a silencing gesture and swallowed hard.
Following that, the expressions of Gwak Cheolmin and Park Sangil began to turn ashen.
“Krrrraaaaaahhhhh!!”
A scream echoed across the apartment district.
Park Sangil’s pupils began to tremble as he stared out the window.
Park Sangil himself was trembling with fear.
Chulmil Grandfather was no different.
The elderly man, well over sixty who had seen it all, covered his mouth with his left hand and swallowed a short gasp.
Park Sangil described what he was witnessing.
A woman with ten fingers elongated like long needles was stumbling forward through the pouring rain.
Her wet hair, soaked and drooping, hung down to her waist, her posture hunched as she staggered and lurched.
An indescribable sense of wrongness overwhelmed him.
There were apparently three women like that.
Exactly three Water Demons.
When they discovered the bound survivors, they rushed forward in a frenzy as if they’d encountered a long-held grudge, according to the account.
What happened after that….
“They’re tearing them apart.”
“….”
“They’re not even eating them. They won’t eat them, yet… they’re tearing them into pieces.”
Chulmil Grandfather’s voice flowed out like a groan.
His voice had grown so strained from tension that it carried a metallic rasp.
At that, Park Sangil beside me swallowed hard and called my name.
“Doyun.”
“Yes.”
“Are they… laughing?”
They were laughing like madwomen, intoxicated with glee as they tore humans apart.
That laughter was piercing enough to cut through the window and reach us here.
A deranged woman, her mind completely gone, continued laughing like a broken machine.
When I played No Way Home in the early morning, I’d always jump in fright upon encountering Water Demons.
Because of the woman’s sobbing sounds coming through the headset and that mad laughter.
Hearing it in reality… was shocking even to me, who possessed all the information.
Chills ran down my spine to my cervical vertebrae, and my upper body trembled once.
At least one thing was fortunate….
“We can breathe easier now.”
“Huh?”
“When Water Demons laugh like that, it means they’ve finished hunting.”
“It’s over?”
“Yes. When they’re satisfied, they laugh like that. If we don’t provoke them, they’ll just keep laughing and leave.”
Park Sangil exhaled a sigh of relief and gazed out the window.
I too exhaled a sigh of relief and sank into the living room.
The tension and anxiety that had gripped me melted away like spring snow.
The situation had finally come to a close….
“Huh?”
Suddenly, bewilderment colored Park Sangil’s voice as he peered beyond the curtain.
Looking at him, Chulmil Grandfather beside Park Sangil widened his eyes and shouted.
“Don’t come! Don’t come!! Don’t come out!”
Who was he shouting at?
I hurriedly stood and peered beyond the curtain.
The heavy downpour obscured the view, but I could make out a human figure walking toward Building 105.
Just from the fact that they were holding an umbrella, I could tell they were one of ours.
No, this won’t do—they’ll be discovered by the Water Demons.
“Wait, Han Hye-ri?!”
The name that tumbled from Kim Suhan’s lips.
Han Hye-ri?
Where have I heard that name before?
Who was it again?
Suddenly, the image of someone flashed through my mind.
The female student who had called me “mister.”
The female student who had posed that sharp question—if we found survivors, would we have to guide them to Building 118 as well?
“Go back! Hye-ri, go back!”
It seemed she thought we were still in Building 105 and had brought snacks.
So we could eat something and talk things over.
Of all times for this to happen….
“Hye-ri!”
Kim Suhan began tapping on the glass window.
I hurriedly rose from my seat and tried to calm him down.
If he tapped on the glass, the Water Demons might discover us.
“Invest remaining points in strength.”
[Consuming 500 points to increase strength by 5.]
[Current Stats: Stamina 45(+5), Strength 30(+5), Agility 30(+5), Skin 110, Mental Power 0]
[Remaining Points: 14]
[Remaining Coins: 0]
I invested all my remaining points into strength, gripped the curved blade I had set down, and headed toward the entrance.
“Doyun!”
Park Sangil called out to me.
There was no time to explain, so I looked at Park Sangil and spoke.
“I’ll lure the Water Demons away. The rest of you take Han Hye-ri and return to Building 118.”
“What?! No way, damn it! How are you going to handle those things alone!”
“There’s no other way.”
“Don’t do something insane!”
Park Sangil strode forward and grabbed my arm.
I looked at Park Sangil and forced the corners of my mouth upward.
“Do I seem like the type to do this without any plan?”
“….”
“You know me.”
“You have a way to catch those things? They’re Water Demons. You said if we encounter them early on, we’re finished!”
“That applies to people with no information at all.”
“… I’ll help too. Tell me the plan.”
Park Sangil’s expression showed unwavering resolve.
I appreciated the sentiment, but right now he would only be a burden.
I brushed away Park Sangil’s hand and spoke.
“I have to lure them alone for this to work.”
Chulmil Grandfather, who had been observing the situation, also tried to stop me.
“Doyun, didn’t I tell you? Don’t strain yourself alone. If we all work together….”
“Working together would be more dangerous. If you trust me, please take Hye-ri and return to Building 118.”
“….”
“Check on the Safe House on the way back. There’s a possibility that another Mutant has entered it.”
Once I had calmed everyone down, they all looked at my face with expressions full of worry.
Though it troubled me to send them away alone, they couldn’t object when I said I had a method.
Without needing words, I could feel their hearts, and my own heart swelled with emotion.
“Don’t worry and hurry back.”
“…Understood.”
“Let’s move before it’s too late.”
As I hurried to open the entrance and stepped outside, the cries of Mutants began to sound through the pouring rain.
Hearing the whimpering again, it seemed the Mutants had sensed Han Hye-ri’s presence.
“Protect Hye-ri first!”
I shouted to the group behind me, then rushed toward where the Water Demons’ cries were coming from.
“Doyun!”
Park Sangil’s voice from behind.
When I turned my head, Park Sangil bit his lower lip firmly and clenched both fists tight.
He had something he wanted to say, but his lips wouldn’t part easily.
Just as I was about to move again.
“Come back before we eat the ramen!”
Park Sangil’s voice, heard from a distance.
His words about coming back before eating ramen carried so much emotion.
Words saying come back alive.
Words saying be careful.
Words saying return without injury.
I answered with a faint smile.
“Don’t eat it all—save some for me!”
Tada-tat-!
Gripping the curved blade in my hand and rushing forward, the form of a human began to come into view in the distance.
A woman holding an umbrella and carrying a plastic bag.
Startled by the whimpering cries, she looked around in confusion.
“Return to Building 118.”
As I passed by Han Hye-ri speaking these words, I could see her startled expression.
With no time for lengthy explanations, I continued past Han Hye-ri toward where the Water Demons were.
“Whimper… sob… cry….”
The cries growing closer.
Soon, reaching the source of the sound, I confirmed three Water Demons sitting on the ground whimpering.
From behind, they were difficult to distinguish as human or Mutant.
I had told the group I had a method, that I had a plan.
There was a method, but it wasn’t part of the plan.
I’d intended to use it once before the second episode began, but I never expected to deploy it like this.
I gripped the curved blade tightly and whispered the incantation.
“Balhwa.”
Shhhhh—
The muscles throughout my body began contracting and expanding in rapid succession.
My blood flow accelerated, and a searing heat spread across my entire frame.
Simultaneously, like steam rising from a body during intense winter exercise, vapor began coiling upward from every inch of my skin.
Ding—!
[For 10 minutes, your Stamina, Strength, and Agility stats increase by 2x, and your movement speed increases by 1.5x.]
I closed the System Message and fixed my gaze on the Water Demons before me.
They slowly rose to their feet.
From their bloodshot eyes blazed the savage killing intent of beasts thirsting for blood.
“Kiiieek…?”
Were they confused that I wasn’t fleeing?
They tilted their heads at ninety-degree angles, staring directly at me.
Then came the corners of their mouths rising in what resembled a grin.
I gripped the curved blade with both hands and whispered the incantation.
“Frenzy.”
A skill that grants immunity to the virus for one hour and triples all physical abilities.
However, it comes with the drawback of losing all reason while the effect persists.
Crack—!
Thick veins bulged from the backs of my hands to my forearms, and my vision began darkening.
The last thing I felt before losing consciousness was the thunderous pounding of my heart, as if it might burst at any moment.
And then came the image of my curved blade sweeping toward the Water Demon’s carotid artery.

* * *
“What?! A Water Demon?!”
“We’ll explain on the way back!”
Park Sangil hurried toward Building 118 with the bewildered Han Hye-ri in tow.
Han Hye-ri had dropped her umbrella and snacks in the chaos of being suddenly grabbed and pulled along by the group.
Upon arriving at Building 118 without pause, Park Sangil immediately spoke as he opened the common entrance door.
“Sanghun, take the students upstairs first! Elder, you stay here with me and we’ll monitor the situation.”
“Got it.”
As Park Sanghun led the high school students upstairs, Park Sangil turned his gaze toward the common entrance and spoke.
“Safe House status.”
Ding!
[Current Survivors: 40]
[Danger Zones: Building 202, Building 201, Building 111, Building 104, Building 121.]
Upon seeing the Safe House status display, Park Sangil’s jaw fell open.
The Water Demons from moments ago had been between Buildings 111 and 104.
There had been three Water Demons there.
Yet the status display showed Buildings 202, 201, and 121 were also dangerous.
“Are there more Mutants?”
When Gwak Cheolmin, who had been observing the status display beside him, asked this, Park Sangil moistened his dry lips and nodded.
Gwak Cheolmin narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“Since Buildings 202 and 201 are close to Building 104… it’s likely Doyun lured them there as well.”
As Park Sangil’s expression grew troubled, Gwak Cheolmin raised his eyebrows and asked.
“What, are you feeling guilty?”
“I’m not sure if it was right to leave him alone.”
“Didn’t Doyun say he was fine?”
“…”
“Doyun does tend to push himself somewhat, but he’s not the type to bash his head against a wall.”
“What?”
“He doesn’t do hopeless things.”
“…”
“Trust and wait. If Doyun says he has a way, then he has a way.”
At Gwak Cheolmin’s words, Park Sangil took a deep breath and nodded.
“More importantly, Sangil, isn’t Building 121 close to here?”
“Yes. That’s where the apartment’s side exit is located.”
“That’s the place we discussed before—the escape route if we ever had to abandon the Safe House?”
“Exactly. If a Mutant has entered through there… then Building 118 is no longer safe either.”

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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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