Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 4

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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 004
I turned my head toward the sound and spotted over a dozen figures clustered together.
There was no time to be startled.
I reflexively crouched low and slipped silently into the first floor of the villa right beside me.
This happened frequently in No Way Home as well.
The thick fog made it difficult for the zombies to distinguish between enemies and allies.
They mistook each other’s footsteps for prey and approached.
One or two would gather, then three or four, gradually forming a horde.
‘What do I do?’
I only needed to walk two more minutes to reach my house.
Unfortunately, I’d have to abandon the idea of going home.
There was no need to hole up in my own villa for seventy-two hours anyway.
Besides, the storefronts and buildings around me looked different from my memories—it was entirely possible my villa had been destroyed.
Over a dozen zombies clustered at the street corner.
If I used them wisely….
‘I could use them as a shield.’
They could hide my refuge and prevent other survivors from approaching.
I stuffed the 3D terrain map I’d been holding deep into my pocket and gripped the baseball bat as I climbed the stairs.
A four-story villa.
The first floor was dangerous, and the second floor was risky since zombies might smell me or hear my footsteps.
The third floor would be difficult to escape from in an emergency….
‘The villa next door had the same number of floors.’
The fourth floor would be ideal—I could evacuate to the rooftop in an emergency and cross over to the adjacent building.
I climbed the stairs silently, checking each floor as I went.
Before long, I sensed movement on the third floor.
“Grrrrr… Kack! Kak-”
The zombie on the third floor had sensed my presence too.
Peering carefully over the stair railing, I watched as it sniffed the air and began looking left and right.
‘Damn.’
Had it caught my scent?
I couldn’t afford a commotion here….
If the zombie on the third floor cried out, the ones outside would come flooding in.
I didn’t have long to deliberate.
I locked eyes with the zombie on the third floor and bolted up the stairs in panic.
Hearing my footsteps, the zombie’s jaw dropped wide as it lunged at me with murderous intent.
“Ka…! Kuk!”
Before a sound could escape its gaping maw, I thrust the baseball bat straight forward, jamming it into its mouth.
Impossible for a baseball bat to fit in a human mouth, you say?
That’s only true for ‘humans.’
The aluminum bat, driven with all my strength, shattered its teeth like brittle candy.
The creature thrashed about with its mouth gagged shut.
I drove it straight into the wall.
Thud!
When I slammed it hard enough that its skull should have shattered, the skull remained intact—instead, its jaw dislocated.
Could it not feel the pain of a dislocated jaw?
The creature flailed both arms wildly, desperately grasping at my collar.
“Hah…!”
Gripping the baseball bat with both hands, I smashed its head against the wall and drove it down into the floor.
Crack!
With a sound like a watermelon bursting, the creature’s eyes rolled back.
No matter how much a zombie was merely a beast consumed by violence and madness, it still fundamentally possessed a human body.
Even the slightest shift in its center of gravity made it easy to subdue.
I didn’t stop there—I relentlessly battered it until its face was completely crushed.
Ding!
[Zombie eliminated.]
[1 point awarded.]
As the zombie’s pupils dilated, a system message materialized before my eyes.
Why hadn’t such a message appeared until now?
‘Perhaps because I didn’t kill it properly?’
Indeed, until now I’d been batting away and pushing back the charging zombies, breaking through the downpour as I fled.
I could only earn points by ensuring I severed the breath of life completely.
I stared at the zombie’s face, now a cold corpse.
“Ugh…!”
Goosebumps erupted across my entire body, and my stomach began to twist.
“Retch…!”
Unable to suppress the nausea rising from within, I vomited everything I’d eaten.
When I treated reality like a game, I hadn’t noticed—but now, staring at a corpse with a mangled face…
Something inside me felt like it was crumbling.
Was it morality?
Was it humanity?
Regardless, such trivial sentiments offered no aid to survival.
I took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart, then gripped the baseball bat once more.
So then…
‘First, I need to sweep.’
I systematically opened every entrance throughout the villa to confirm there were no other zombies inside.

* * *
Was it because everyone had been summoned at once?
Every residential space bore the unmistakable traces of habitation, yet not a single zombie was in sight.
What puzzled me was that every entrance lock had been unlocked.
Could the Gaia System have intervened here as well?
Since I couldn’t know the answer by dwelling on it now, I focused on the present moment.
The Stairs connecting 3rd and 4th floors were barricaded with an iron gate.
Of course, the bolt was already undone.
The 4th Floor, being the owner’s unit, had only a single entrance.
Gripping the baseball bat tightly, I opened the door to find a cozy Living Room, and a pleasant fragrance tickled my nostrils.
Air freshener.
I checked every room by opening all the doors, but again, no zombies appeared.
Were there zombies in the common areas but none in the private spaces?
To be certain, I’d need to check other Villas and apartments as well.
I dried my damp hair with a towel from the Bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
Somehow… I felt a strange sensation, as if everything I’d experienced so far had been a dream and I’d finally come home.
Was it relief?
Or perhaps the tension finally releasing.
Only then did I notice my arms trembling uncontrollably.
I clasped my hands together and squeezed hard.
The moment I struck the zombie’s head flashed through my mind unbidden.
To stop the trembling, I shut my eyes tightly and exhaled a deep breath.
First… I needed to organize the chaos in my head.
After drying off completely, I entered the Study beside the Living Room.
I opened a random notebook from the Study and used a pen to organize the current situation.
An emergency episode had occurred.
This was not information I had about No Way Home.
After clearing this episode, the main episodes would begin in earnest.
The first episode was the Safe House.
Since I was told I belonged to Seongdong-gu, a Safe House would be generated somewhere in Seongdong-gu.
Upon reaching the Safe House, I would inevitably encounter other survivors.
It seemed wise to think in advance about how to handle that situation.
After the first episode ended, I would be given a brief rest period, and after that rest, the second episode would begin.
The second episode would likely be…
‘Recruiting allies.’
An episode where I form a party with the survivors gathered at the Safe House.
I didn’t need to form a party with everyone.
Finding only the necessary allies would suffice.
Character and personality would matter, but what mattered most was their abilities.
No Way Home contained a total of 5 characters.
Each ability type needs at least one representative to aid in survival and growth later on.
The Buster ability I chose becomes stronger as the game progresses, but it’s difficult to see its value in the early stages.
A Shooter who can maintain vision even in heavy downpours and see the world as clearly as daylight even in pitch-black darkness was essential.
A Healing Factor who can cure every wound except viral infections is absolutely necessary.
Additionally, weapons crafted by a Maker possess special abilities, so I need to find someone with the Maker ability as well.
Whisper might seem relatively useless, but it becomes an indispensable class starting from the third episode.
It’s a communication network that allows party members to contact each other no matter where they are.
To find them and form a party, I would need to…
I have to become stronger.
Civilization has vanished, and law has lost its function.
Zombies roam the streets, and humans distrust and cannot believe in one another.
A world of survival of the fittest.
The strong inevitably wield greater influence.
Though I start as a weak Buster, I received the first clear reward, the closed beta reward, and all game clear rewards.
I must leverage this advantage to the fullest, actively accumulate points, and grow stronger.
I closed the notebook and stood up from my seat.
I wanted to rest a bit, but I couldn’t afford to waste the given 72 hours like this.
I replaced the magazines and notebook wrapped around my limbs with new ones, then wrapped them tightly with packing tape.
My body trembled with cold, so I rummaged through the closet and put on a padded jacket to endure the chill.
I put on fresh socks and opened the shoe rack to find comfortable shoes for myself.
I had several pairs of walker boots that could protect up to the ankles, so I put on one of them.
Finally, I secured my hands gripping the baseball bat firmly with bandages and wrapped them thoroughly with packing tape so they wouldn’t come loose in the rain.
With the resolve not to return home until I’d killed 100 zombies, I steeled myself and stepped out the front door.

* * *
“Kahahaack!!”
“Grrrrr…!”
“Kak! Haak!”
About three hours into the hunt, I encountered three zombies at a street corner.
Without hesitation, I swung the baseball bat and struck the temple of the one in front.
Crack!
The sensation of a skull fracturing transmitted through my fingertips.
Was it because I’d been hunting for three hours?
My stomach no longer felt heavy, and I’d reached a level where I could gauge the impact on the zombies just from the vibrations transmitted through my hands.
‘Ten seconds.’
The one I’d just hit in the temple wouldn’t be able to attack for at least ten seconds.
Zombies don’t feel pain, but their essence is still human flesh.
A strike to the temple causes momentary blindness and loss of balance.
“Kahahaak!!”
Regardless of whether its companion fell, the zombie on the right lunged at my trapezius with its mouth wide open.
Since I’d just struck the head of the one in front with all my strength, it was difficult to build momentum again while fighting the centrifugal force.
A baseball bat isn’t just a weapon you swing.
Gripping the handle tightly, I struck the philtrum of the gaping zombie with the shrink-wrap area of the barrel.
Thud!
With the sound of its philtrum collapsing, the creature tumbled backward.
“Kahak!!”
One more remained on the left.
A zombie charging with both arms extended.
It grabbed the barrel of the baseball bat and began pushing with all its strength.
Fighting a zombie with brute force is foolish.
I let the bat slide smoothly and swept its legs out from under it.
Rather than engaging in a test of strength, I focused on destabilizing the zombies’ center of gravity.
That way, I could conserve my stamina and continue hunting.
Before the three zombies on the ground could get up, I gripped the handle with both hands and shattered their skulls like the blade of a guillotine.
Crack! Crunch! Splat! Thud! Crack!
Zombie brains flowing down with the rainwater as their skulls were crushed.
I could see chunks of brain matter and fragmented pieces of gray matter.
[You have eliminated the zombies.]
[1 point awarded.]
[1 point awarded.]
[1 point awarded.]
I caught my breath heavily as the System Messages appeared in succession.
Though I’d hunted while conserving my stamina as much as possible, three hours of continuous movement without rest had exhausted me completely.
I’d maintained a regular exercise routine after work, but fighting continuously in the rain had its limits.
‘I can’t push any further.’
Continuing to hunt would be sheer greed.
Since I need stamina to return, it seems wise to head back now.
Relying on the 3D terrain map, I safely retraced the path I’d cleared of zombies.
Without the 3D terrain map, wandering these streets would have been impossible.
Judging by the sunlight occasionally breaking through the dark clouds visible through the window, I’d say it’s around noon.
“Tell me my current points.”
[Current Points: 158]
I’d sworn not to return until I’d killed a hundred zombies, yet I’d slain far more than expected.
“Invest in stamina.”
[Consuming 100 points to increase stamina by 1.]
Early on, it’s best to invest heavily in agility and stamina.
Strength only needed to be enough not to be overwhelmed by zombies, and stamina was essential to extend hunting time.
Moreover, agility was crucial for reacting to zombie attacks or escaping in dire situations.
Growwwl—
Was it because I’d been moving without rest since morning?
My stomach was loudly demanding food.
Unable to resist the hunger, I opened the kitchen cabinet and spotted instant ramen and a burner.
‘Jackpot.’
I cheered silently and tried to cook the ramen, but there was a problem—no water.
Now all electronics were dead, and the water supply was cut off.
But that was fine.
These days, more people ordered bottled water than used water purifiers.
Searching the kitchen, I found six bundles of bottled water stacked in the lower cabinet.
As for showering… rainwater would do.
I thought there were eggs in the refrigerator too. Should I add an egg?
The moment I opened the refrigerator and pulled out an egg.
‘Huh?’
Something seemed… off about the egg.

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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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