Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 47

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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 047
The moment I pushed off and bolted forward, I spotted Kim Suhan rushing toward me in panic.
Behind him came Kang Haneul and Hwang Anbae, the latter lugging a heavy gasoline canister.
Rain poured down in torrents.
My shoes were soaked through.
Pitch-black darkness stretched before me—I couldn’t see even an inch ahead.
And a suffocating fog blanketed everything.
My hand trembled as I gripped the curved blade.
I couldn’t tell if the moisture was sweat or rainwater seeping through.
Charging into a place swarming with zombies while my vision was completely cut off—no one could truly understand that feeling without experiencing it.
“Kaaaaaahhh!!”
A grating, metallic screech of throats echoed from ahead.
Dozens, hundreds of zombies materialized instantly from the pitch darkness, appearing right before my eyes.
Shlick!
I slashed the throat of the zombie directly in front of me, then swung my curved blade relentlessly.
“Kaaahhh-!”
“Grrrrr… Ka?!”
“Kaaahhh!!”
The zombies reacted in unison to the commotion.
Was it due to the resonance phenomenon among them?
An enormous mass of zombies had clustered together.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-
Simultaneously, a sinister sound of footsteps erupted from the opposite main road.
Hundreds of zombies in the intersection had detected us.
It was the sound of zombies that had found prey rushing toward us all at once.
While continuously eliminating the zombies blocking my vision, I reached into my pocket and deployed a flare.
Whoooosh-!
Beyond the crimson glow, I could see the frenzied expressions of the zombies.
Behind them stretched an endless sea of shadows.
“They’re converging! Suhan, guide us!!”
“This way!”
Kim Suhan sprinted toward the building across from us.
I couldn’t see it clearly, but it was a building with “G City” written on its upper section.
Without time to look back, I ran following only Kim Suhan’s silhouette.
Whoooosh-!
As I entered the building, Kim Suhan ahead of me ignited another flare and held it aloft like a torch.
“Kaaaaaahhh!!”
The zombies inside the building immediately reacted to the light.
“Conserve the flares! We don’t have many!”
“There’s too much cover in here—I can’t see clearly either!”
The moment I followed Kim Suhan toward the escalator.
Crash!! Crackle!! Shatter—!!
The sound of something shattering and breaking echoed from the entrance we’d come through.
Turning back, I saw hundreds of Zombies from the Main Road smashing through the glass doors and pouring in like a tidal wave.
Display stands on the 1st Floor toppled, signs fell, and the Zombies trampled over one another while pursuing us with blind determination.
Faced with such overwhelming numbers, even I couldn’t help but tense.
“Go faster! Don’t stop, keep climbing!”
I pushed Kim Suhan forward, and he began ascending in alarm.
“Gahhhhh!”
But ahead, I noticed Zombies positioned in front of the escalator.
Kim Suhan couldn’t panic.
If he stopped, we’d all be trapped here and crushed.
“Suhan, keep going…!”
Slash!!
Before I could even finish speaking, Kim Suhan cut through the Zombies’ throats without hesitation and rushed toward the escalator leading to the 3rd Floor.
“Hurry! This way!”
The time for teaching them one by one had passed.
The time for testing and proving had passed.
Everyone had become someone who moved fluidly and proactively, doing their best in their position.
Regardless of age, they were all reliable comrades.
“Suhan! Anbae! Climb faster!”
I sent the two of them pouring gasoline across the floor toward the center of our formation, while I moved to cover the rear.
‘Not enough. I need to gather more.’
Though plenty of Zombies were already chasing us, there would be even more inside the Shopping Mall.
To concentrate the Zombies’ attention here, I struck the Emergency Exit’s iron door across from the escalator with the hilt of my blade.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Gahhhhhhh!!”
As I continued striking the iron door while slashing the throats of charging Zombies, I began hearing footsteps approaching from the Stairs and various passages.
Like demons from hell converging, a shadow of death seemed to descend.
“Brother, hurry!”
My companions called to me from in front of the escalator leading to the 4th Floor.
I rushed to join them, and Kang Haneul and Hwang Anbae began pouring gasoline again.
Upon reaching the 4th Floor, various clothing stores came into view.
‘This is it.’
The perfect location to lure and trap the Zombies.
“How much gasoline is left?”
“Just under half.”
“Haneul and Anbae, pour the oil on the floor and everywhere visible here.”
“Yes!”
“Suhan, break every window you see. Make sure it’s visible from outside.”
“What about you, hyung?”
“I need to hold back the zombies until you finish your work.”
Already, hundreds of zombies were climbing up the escalator.
They were struggling to ascend due to the narrow space and the gasoline spread across the floor.
“Cough hack!!”
Slash!
I slit the throat of the first zombie to reach the top, then kicked its upper body.
Thud! Thunk! Crash—Thunk!
The zombie tumbling down the escalator became like a bowling ball, knocking over the zombies climbing up.
The problem was the zombies from the 5th floor descending after hearing the commotion.
Without blinking once, I swung my curved blade, waiting for the students to complete all their work.
“Hyung! We’re done!”
“Catch!”
Not long after, Hwang Anbae came running over.
I pulled out the matches I’d kept in my pocket and threw them to him. Hwang Anbae caught them with both hands in a flurry.
“Light them and throw!”
“Yes!”
Where there are many people, there are many zombies.
Once the flames rise, we’ll move to the emergency exit right behind us.
There shouldn’t be many zombies at the emergency exit.
“Cough hack!!”
“Cough—hack!”
“Screech—clatter!”
“Graaaah!”
More and more zombies were descending from the 5th floor.
Even hundreds of zombies climbing up from the 3rd floor.
I was at my limit.
“Why aren’t you lighting the fire?!”
“The matches are wet from the rain—they won’t light!”
Glancing back, the rain-soaked matches refused to ignite.
Click—click—click—snap.
Hwang Anbae broke the matches while trying to force them to light.
Even with Kang Haneul joining in to help light them, the flames wouldn’t catch.
“Suhan, where is Suhan?!”
“He went to find a lighter!”
“Why is he looking for a lighter?! We have flares!”
Two flares had already burned out.
Kim Suhan, who was leading the way, had the bag containing the flares.
How panicked must we have been to overlook that?
“Kim Suhan!! Hey, Kim Suhan!!”
“Hurry! Why?!”
“Flare gun!!”
When Kang Haneul called out to Kim Suhan, he finally opened his bag.
The moment Kim Suhan reached the two of us, he ignited the flare.
Whoooosh!!
As fire caught on the gasoline-soaked floor, flames erupted in an instant.
Thud- thud! Thud!
Regardless, zombies rushing down from the 5th and 3rd floors began swarming around my body.
“Grrrrgh…!”
I shoved them back with brute force, swung my curved blade, smashed temples with the hilt, kicked with my feet, but the zombies kept coming endlessly.
Crunch! Crack- snap!
As the zombies’ teeth tore into my limbs, my muscles screamed in agony.
Despite wearing protective gear, I could clearly feel the bite force.
“Aaaagh…!”
There was no risk of my skin being pierced, but it was dreadfully painful.
Even pinching my skin with my fingers hurt, so what could I expect from teeth biting down with all their might?
Moreover, with both my arms bitten, I could no longer wield my curved blade.
Slash! Swish! Crack!
Kim Suhan, Kang Haneul, and Hwang Anbae, who had joined late, dealt with the zombies clinging to me while grabbing my collar.
“Are you okay, hyung?!”
“Get inside! Through the emergency exit!”
I burst open the emergency exit door.
True to a shopping mall emergency exit, it had double iron doors.
The moment I opened the second iron door and stepped into the stairwell.
Thud-! Thud! Thud!
A bizarre sound echoed from above.
I instinctively looked up and saw a zombie falling.
‘Insane…!’
Did it jump over the railing after spotting us?
The zombies’ reckless behavior was becoming increasingly bold.
With the second episode beginning, the zombies’ physical abilities had increased by 1.3 times.
That was the beginning of their madness.
“Keep going down! Don’t stop, keep going!”
Thud! Thud! Thud-!
Zombies rained down like hail above our heads as we rushed down the stairs.
Some of them clung to the railing, trying to bite at Kim Suhan’s ankles as he led the way.
Crunch!!
I stomped on one’s head and crushed it, then continued descending while watching above and below.
-You’re in.
Park Sanghun’s voice rang in my ear at just the right moment.
Every party needs a Whisper, after all.
“Everyone! Once we reach the 1st Floor, run straight ahead!”
“Where to?!”
“The building across from us! Design Plaza!”
“Yes, understood!”
I bounded down the stairs several steps at a time, descending in frantic haste.
Finally reaching the 1st Floor, I yanked open the first emergency exit door, and without hesitation, the moment I threw open the second metal door.
Bang!
Kim Suhan recoiled in shock and slammed the door shut again.
“What are you doing? Don’t go out!”
“B-brother… outside…”
“A Zombie?”
“…”
Kim Suhan’s expression was vacant, as if he’d seen a ghost.
What on earth did he see to react like that?
As I reached for the door handle, Kim Suhan urgently grabbed my arm.
“You can’t open it.”
“…”
If Kim Suhan was this frightened, then…
“…A Mutant?”
“Our eyes met.”
“What kind?”
“A female. A Water Demon.”
A Water Demon, of all things.
Why would one appear here?
There were Zombies on the 1st Floor.
If there were Zombies, there shouldn’t be any Mutants.
Just as cockroaches and ants don’t coexist.
But why, then?
Could it be…
‘Did the one from the basement come up?’
If the Water Demon that had settled in the basement heard the commotion and came up… that would make sense.
“Does the Water Demon not attack the Zombies?”
“I’m not sure. Our eyes met and I panicked, so I shut the door immediately.”
Damn it. If I go down to the basement and try to escape from there… I’d have to cross the entire building to reach the opposite side.
The problem is…
If there’s a Water Demon, there could be other Mutants in the basement too.
There might be more Water Demons, or it could be a Resonance Species territory.
By now, wouldn’t the Water Demon be dealing with the Zombies?
Right—with prey this abundant, there’s no way it would stay still.
With modest hope, I gently turned the doorknob.
The moment I peered through the crack.
“Ugh… ugh….”
The Water Demon’s face visible through the door gap.
It was crying from its mouth, but the corners of its lips were caught on its ears.
Startled, I shut the door immediately.
That insane creature…!
Why is it still here instead of leaving?!
I had to break through the Water Demon and get outside.
“Go down, everyone go down!”
“We were already trying to, but this door won’t open!”
The emergency exit had double doors.
I tried opening the opposite door and entering the stairwell again, but it wouldn’t budge.
It felt like something on the other side was blocking us from getting out.
I pushed the iron door with all my strength.
Crash—crash—crash—
“Grraahhh….”
“Haaack…! Kaaack!”
“Gweeeek!”
The sound of bones crunching mixed with the screams of zombies.
Zombies were piled up at the entrance, preventing the door from opening.
Why were there so many zombies in the emergency exit?
Had everyone trying to escape through here been bitten?
Our escape route was completely blocked.
In the cramped space, my rough breathing was depleting the oxygen.
“D-Doyun hyung, I’m feeling dizzy.”
Hwang Anbae swayed, holding his forehead.
In this tight space with insufficient oxygen and the pressure of having no escape, he was experiencing vertigo.
Hwang Anbae was beginning to feel claustrophobic.
Unable to delay any longer, I spoke to the group behind me.
“When I signal, run.”
“To the Design Plaza?”
“Don’t look back no matter what. Just run.”
As I clenched both fists, Kim Suhan swallowed hard and asked.
“Hyung, you’re not planning to use that knockout technique again, are you?”
“….”
“No way! There are so many zombies—what are you thinking?!”
“I’ll just buy us time and follow after. Go ahead and clear out the zombies in the Design Plaza first.”
“But….”
“Do as I say.”
Speaking with intensity in my eyes, Kim Suhan no longer offered any rebuttal.
Kang Haneul, supporting Hwang Anbae, glanced toward me.
As if to say he was ready for my signal at any moment.
I sheathed my curved blade and, drawing a deep breath, whispered the incantation.
“Balhwa.”
Whoooosh—!
The muscles throughout my body began to contract and expand in rapid succession.
My blood flow accelerated, and a searing heat spread across my entire frame.
Ding—!
[For 10 minutes, your Stamina, Strength, and Agility stats increase by 2x, and your movement speed increases by 1.5x.]

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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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