Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 32

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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 032
At Park Sangha’s words, every scout in the basketball court turned their gaze toward the windows of Apartment 121.
The apartment tower rose as if touching the sky.
In the downpour of heavy rain, confirming dozens upon dozens of windows one by one was no simple task.
“There?! Look!”
In that moment, Kim Suhan pointed his finger at a specific location.
However, it was a spot beyond the visible range of Park Sangha, Park Sanghun, and Kang Haneul.
Meanwhile, those blessed with Shooter abilities began rushing toward Apartment 121 as if by prior agreement.
“Follow us! It’s the 12th floor!”
Following Park Sangil’s words, Park Sangha, Park Sanghun, and Kang Haneul hurriedly entered Apartment 121.
Park Sangil climbed the stairs without pause.
As their breathing grew ragged, the number “12” marking the floor came into view.
“Which unit?!”
When Park Sangil asked, Kim Suhan alternated his gaze between the unit numbers on both sides, then pointed to the right.
Park Sangil gripped his curved sword and pushed the entrance door open.
“Brrrrgh…”
Then came a strange sound from the balcony.
I wasn’t sure whether to call it a sound or the noise of boiling water.
Its appearance differed from other Mutants from the very start.
Roughly two meters tall with no limbs, just a mud-like mass with eyes attached to its torso.
Its form resembled a character from a children’s cartoon.
Though it was enough to cause panic, the scouts who visually confirmed the Mutant’s appearance rushed toward the balcony with swords drawn, without hesitation.
Thwack-!
When Park Sangil, arriving first, swung his curved sword at the Mutant, the blade penetrated less than ten centimeters before embedding itself in its body.
“What the—!”
The others experienced the same result.
Park Sangha and Gwak Cheolmin, who also swung their curved swords at the Mutant, failed to cleave through its body.
The moment the blade made contact, it felt soft and gelatinous, but the instant it sank ten centimeters, it hardened in an instant.
It wasn’t like touching hard bone—rather, the viscosity increased dramatically in a flash.
A stickiness that couldn’t even be cut by the Maker’s crafted weapons.
When they tried to pull the sword out again, the deeply embedded blade wouldn’t budge no matter how hard they yanked.
“Prrrrr…”
Simultaneously, a massive mouth appeared at the center of the Mutant’s torso, and Park Sangil’s eyes widened as he screamed.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Just from seeing that gaping maw, I could sense it instinctively.
That touching that mouth would result in at least a fatal wound.
Sssssss-
Following that, smoke rose from the blades embedded in the Mutant’s body, and three swords corroded away.
“Hydrochloric… acid?!”
“Don’t let your guard down!”
The moment Park Sangil shouted.
“Fwooooosh!”
A liquid streamed out in a straight line from the Mutant’s mouth.
The group’s eyes widened like lanterns as they desperately threw themselves left and right.
Sizzzzzzz—
The liquid shot out a good five meters.
Where the liquid poured, acrid smoke rose up along with a stench that burned the nostrils and seared the lungs.
The sofa and living room floor where the liquid touched ignited and charred black.
Without needing to ask, I could tell that any body part touching that would be fatal.
“You said the Mutants that appear early in the episode are weak?!”
As Park Sanghun cried out in shock, Park Sangha spoke while keeping his eyes on the Mutant.
“That is weak.”
“What?”
“We can see it with our eyes and dodge it.”
….
The difference Baek Doyun had mentioned between Mutants to be cautious of early on and those that weren’t.
It wasn’t a matter of whether we could handle the Mutant when we encountered it or not.
It was the difference between whether we could survive or couldn’t survive.
If we had encountered a Water Demon, our heads would have been severed long ago.
But the Mutant before us was something our group’s tracking vision could easily evade.
The problem was that we couldn’t kill it.
“Hyungs! This smell is absolutely unbearable!”
Kim Suhan covered his nose and mouth with his right hand, his face contorted in disgust.
Whatever strong acid it was, a fishy stench mixed with the reek of corroding metal and a pungent odor.
Even without knowing the chemical composition, anyone could tell this was toxic gas.
Gwak Cheolmin furrowed his brow as he stared at the Mutant.
“Sangil, our weapons are melting.”
….
“Any ideas coming to mind?”
At Gwak Cheolmin’s question, Park Sangil also stared directly at the Mutant and spoke.
“Did you bring Molotov cocktails?”
“I have them.”
Give me one and everyone else head outside.
Then Kang Haneul, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.
“Acid doesn’t burn.”
…What?”
“Hydrochloric acid doesn’t burn, sir.”
At Kang Haneul’s words, Park Sangil hesitated, and this time Park Sangha beside him adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“No, it does burn.”
“No sir, acid doesn’t….”
“If it’s an acid with strong oxidizing properties, that changes things.”
At Park Sangha’s words, Kang Haneul blinked rapidly and his mind worked quickly, but it wasn’t long before he tilted his head in confusion.
“How did you know that thing is an acid with strong oxidizing properties?”
“Look at our saber that was embedded in that creature’s body. It didn’t melt—it corroded.”
“….”
“And the liquid it spewed from its mouth caught fire the moment it touched the sofa.”
“Ah.”
“The bait we saw at the basketball court—if it was separated from that creature’s body, it makes sense that rainwater dissolved it.”
“It maintained its form at first. It only dissolved after discovering us.”
“That must be the mutant’s ability. When I swung the saber, its body hardened instantly. Its physical composition isn’t made solely of acid with strong oxidizing properties.”
At Park Sangha’s explanation, the people in the living room nodded with short exclamations of understanding.
Kang Haneul also quietly stroked his chin, and before long, he slowly nodded.
“The bait outside—it has strong oxidizing properties. Regardless of how that creature’s body is composed, Molotov cocktails will work.”
“If it can change its body composition at will, then that explains it.”
“….”
“Come to think of it, when those creatures at the basketball court dissolved in the rain, there was definitely an acidic smell.”
“You smelled that?”
“No matter how hard it rains or how thick the fog is, I can tell. According to chemical reactions….”
“Wait a minute.”
“The dissolved body moving against the rainwater—we might have misunderstood it as water flowing upward when actually the heat generated from the acid and water mixing created water vapor, and….”
As Kang Haneul displayed strong curiosity, Kim Suhan beside him covered his mouth and spoke.
“Sorry about that, hyungs. Haneul talks a lot when he gets like this.”
“….”
“His nickname is Mad Scientist, after all. Haha!”
“Mad Scientist?”
“Ah, he’s not actually a crazy scientist or anything. It’s just that when topics like this come up, he dives deep into them on his own.”
Once Kim Suhan stopped Kang Haneul, his mouth finally closed.
The reason he was usually quiet was because he found no interest in everyday matters.
A child who loved fields like this.
Park Sangil, who had been observing the situation, cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“So Molotov cocktails will work?”
“Yeah, but it’s dangerous.”
“What now?”
“It’ll explode.”
At Park Sangha’s explanation, Park Sanghun in the back asked with curiosity.
“How does a humanities major like you know something like that?”
“A writer’s knowledge is broad but shallow, after all.”
“Oh….”
“That creature probably has a body composed of concentrated nitric acid or perchloric acid. If we throw a Molotov cocktail, it’ll detonate violently.”
At Park Sangha’s explanation, Park Sangil looked at Gwak Cheolmin and spoke.
“Elder, give me the Molotov cocktail.”
As Park Sangil extended his hand, Gwak Cheolmin handed over the Molotov cocktail without thinking.
Park Sangil lit the Molotov cocktail as he spoke.
“Everyone, get outside.”
“You’re lighting it already?! It’s going to explode huge!”
As Park Sangha shouted, Park Sangil let out a dry laugh and replied.
“I’m confident in my speed. I’ll throw it and bolt immediately.”
The Molotov cocktail was already ablaze.
As Park Sangil took his throwing stance, the group scrambled toward the entrance.
Park Sangha hesitated for a moment, then rushed out through the entrance with a resigned expression.
Park Sangil confirmed everyone had left, then looked at the Mutant and raised the Molotov cocktail high.
If he threw it at the creature’s torso, the bottle might not break, so he aimed precisely at its feet.
“A grenade inside fire, you monster bastard.”
Park Sangil hurled the Molotov cocktail with all his strength at the Mutant, then bolted toward the shoe cabinet without looking back.
Crash—!
The moment the Molotov cocktail shattered and mixed with the Mutant’s acidic body fluid.
Hisssss—!
An eerie hissing sound erupted along with a deafening blast that seemed to tear the air itself.
Boom—!!!
Every window in Building 121 shattered, and a storm of red smoke and flames erupted outward through the wide-open entrance.
Cement dust fell from the ceiling, and the hallway trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
The group all crouched down, covering their heads with both hands.
“Cough! Cough—cough!”
Park Sangha coughed and turned to look back.
Had Park Sangil escaped in time?
A blurry silhouette visible through the thick smoke.
“…Brother?”
Park Sangil lay collapsed beside the entrance, completely motionless.
“Brother… cough! Brother!”
Park Sangha rushed to Park Sangil’s side and checked his condition.
[You have eliminated the Mutant!]
[500 points awarded.]
These System Messages hovered before the unconscious Park Sangil’s eyes.
The Mutant was definitely dead, but Park Sangil had lost consciousness.
The ringing in Park Sangha’s ears continued relentlessly from the blast impact.
“Brother! Wake up, brother!”
“…”
“Park Sangil!”
When there was no response no matter how much he called, Park Sangha hoisted Park Sangil onto his back and rushed toward the stairs.
The scout members, who belatedly grasped the situation, scrambled to their feet and followed Park Sangha.
Park Sangha descended the stairs without pause.
Beside him, Park Sanghun followed with his hand on Park Sangil’s back.
Even as they ran, Gwak Cheolmin checked Park Sangil’s pulse.
“Suhan! Get down first and guide the way!”
“Yes!”
Kim Suhan, who had clear visibility, took the lead, while Kang Haneul at the rear followed the group and checked the Safe House status.
The moment they reached the 1st floor and exited through the Common Entrance.
“Everyone, wait a moment!”
Kang Haneul’s voice came from behind.
As everyone turned their heads, they could see Kang Haneul’s expression had turned ashen.
Kang Haneul stared at the group with a hollow expression after reading the text on the Safe House status board.
“Building 121… it’s still marked as a danger zone?”
At Kang Haneul’s words, everyone lifted their heads and looked upward without hesitation.
The Mutant on the 12th floor was definitely dead.
So Park Sangil must have seen the Mutant elimination message before his eyes.
Then the remaining reason was…
“There wasn’t just one Mutant?”
As Park Sanghun asked in disbelief, Park Sangha swallowed hard and spoke.
“Mutants aside, treating my brother is urgent right now! His burns are severe!”
“You go first! We’ll handle things here!”
Gwak Cheolmin shouted while staring at the smoke-filled 12th floor.
If they all returned to Building 118 together, the Mutant might follow them, so he intended to send Park Sangil and Park Sangha ahead first.
Then Park Sanghun pushed the Elder’s back and spoke.
“Suhan, Haneul, and I will stay, so please return with them, Elder.”
“How can I leave you young people behind…!”
“Your weapon is corroded and gone anyway, Elder.”
“….”
“We’ll manage somehow.”
Unable to resist Park Sanghun’s pressure, Park Sangha, Park Sangil, and Gwak Cheolmin were practically driven toward Building 118.
“If it gets dangerous, don’t push yourselves—come back immediately! If we all fight together, there will be a way!”
Park Sangha seemed reluctant to leave his younger brother behind, constantly glancing back to check on Park Sanghun.
Park Sanghun smiled contentedly and shouted for them to go, to treat his older brother first.
Once they confirmed the group had disappeared from sight, Park Sanghun gripped his curved blade and looked at Kim Suhan.
“Do you see anything?”
“I can’t see because of the smoke.”
As Kim Suhan stared out the window with an anxious expression, Kang Haneul beside him furrowed his brow and spoke.
“Breathing in this smoke continuously isn’t good for our bodies either.”
“That can be treated. As long as it’s not a severed limb, the Healing Factor can handle it.”
“That’s only if we’re still alive.”
As Kang Haneul spoke in a blunt tone, Kim Suhan slapped his back with his palm and spoke.
“Think positive, man! Why are you being so negative?”
“It’s not negativity, it’s facts. When a highly oxidative acid explodes, toxic gases spread throughout the surrounding area…”
“Enough! Shut it, Big X Bee.”
Kim Suhan’s irritation made Kang Haneul pout his lower lip and droop his expression.
Regardless, Park Sanghun narrowed his eyes and gazed at Building 121, smudged with smoke.
Without the Shooter’s ability, nothing appeared clearly, but at minimum, he needed to confirm what kind of Mutant was here…
“KYIEEEEEEK-!!”
In that moment, a sharp scream that pierced Park Sanghun’s eardrums erupted from within the thick smoke.

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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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