Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 49

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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 049
Closing my eyes tightly to focus on the treatment, I felt the torn skin gradually beginning to stitch itself back together.
The wound sealed without a trace, perfectly clean.
It never ceased to amaze me.
That this was reality.
The fatigue accumulated in my body vanished completely, and the grip strength returned to my clenched fists.
I tried to stand and help the group, but the zombies had already been cleared.
Zombie corpses scattered everywhere.
All of them had their heads and upper bodies severed.
“Is everyone okay? If anyone’s injured, speak up!”
“We’re fine!”
“All good!”
“Are you alright, big brother?”
After the battle ended, the group checked on each other’s condition.
Fortunately, no one had been bitten by zombies or sustained serious wounds.
However, some had gotten scraped from hitting walls or falling, so the Healing Factor users were sweating profusely as they focused on treatment.
The Healing Factor consumed 1 point per 6 seconds of recovery.
I checked the torn area on my chest with my hand while watching the Healing Factor users.
With such an absurd ability available, it made sense that point consumption would be high.
“Doyun, take off your protective gear.”
Park Sangha approached next and pulled out a small furnace.
Park Sangha repaired the torn protective gear.
The protective gear’s material had a texture similar to leather, and all item crafting and repairs were done in the small furnace.
I wondered if this was an error from implementing a game into reality, or perhaps a limitation of the system.
Either way, I checked the 3D terrain map while waiting for the protective gear repair to finish.
“Which way do we need to go?”
Park Sangil approached my side and looked at the 3D terrain map.
“It seems to be the adjacent building.”
“Do we have to go back outside?”
“There appears to be a connecting bridge, but since it’s too dark outside right now, I think it would be better to move to the 1st Floor.”
“I’m here. We can just check if there are zombies around and move accordingly.”
“There’s a risk of Mutants.”
At the mention of Mutants, Park Sangil’s eyes twitched.
“How many are there?”
“I’m not certain, but we encountered a Water Demon at the shopping mall across from here earlier.”
“So that’s where the wound came from….”
“Since there’s a possibility of Mutants here too, it would be better to avoid areas with wide open sightlines.”
“You mean they could be watching us from places we can’t see?”
“Yes. With the heavy rain, it’s difficult to keep your eyes open outside anyway, right?”
“I just squint and move forward.”
“If there happens to be a Resonance Species… we’ll all turn to stone on the way there.”
While the Resonance Species’ attack and defense power were noticeably inferior to other Mutants, meeting its enormous eyes would paralyze the body.
A single moment of carelessness could leave everyone here paralyzed and become food for the Zombies.
Park Sangil agreed with my assessment instead of objecting.
He soon explained the current situation to the group undergoing treatment, then approached me again.
“What about your skill?”
“The cooldown is running.”
“Should we wait for the cooldown and then go?”
That would be safer, but….
I checked the System Message.
[Second Awakening Episode: Giant Zombie Hunt]
[Please hunt the giant Zombie inhabiting the Zombie nest.]
[Time Limit: 1 hour 10 minutes]
[Clear Reward: 1,000 Points]
[Failure: Permanent Awakening Failure]
Time remaining: 1 hour 10 minutes.
If I wait for the cooldown and move, I’ll lose that much time needed for the hunt.
The time pressure could cause me to make mistakes, or the group might overexert themselves.
‘I’ve wasted far more time than expected.’
I never imagined there would be survivors near the Zombie nest.
The Villa Village took up too much of my time.
“Let’s move as soon as treatment is finished. We don’t have time to wait for the cooldown.”
“Right, let’s do it.”
Not long after, everyone’s treatment was complete, and I received the repaired protective gear from Park Sangha.
Perhaps because it had just been repaired?
It felt comfortable and warm.
Like putting on clothes fresh from the dryer.
“Everyone, please focus.”
As I called the group, they all rose from their seats, donning their damp protective gear.
“As I mentioned before, we need to bind the giant Zombie’s limbs and then dispose of it.”
“….”
“When the giant Zombie appears, Party 1 will draw its attention. The rest of you should eliminate the Zombies around it, then join us.”
“Then you take this.”
Park Sangil handed me his stake.
The others then pulled out their stakes and passed them to Party 1.
Party 1’s bag was now full of stakes and rope.
“I’m coming along this time too!”
It was Do Sohee.
I wanted to object, but if I kept excluding her just because of her age, she’d feel isolated.
The other children might say things about her too.
I nodded and spoke.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. One moment of carelessness and you’re done for.”
“…Yes!”
Do Sohee answered with both fists clenched tightly.
Since she’d steeled her resolve, I’d have to watch how she performs.
Everyone wore expressions of firm determination.
There was no one trembling with fear or losing their nerve.
The group had gained confidence through several battles with Zombies.
When I looked at Park Sangil beside me, he stepped forward and spoke.
“Everyone stay close and keep up without falling behind.”

* * *
Whoooosh—
A world where torrential rain poured down without pause.
Whether there was a problem with the sewage system, water had overflowed in various places throughout the area.
“What kind of structure is this?”
Park Sangil, who was leading, grumbled while shading his forehead with his right hand.
The entrance was visible right ahead, but to reach it, we had to navigate through winding paths multiple times.
The DDP building expressed fluid linear textures, beautiful curves combined with nature.
Before the world collapsed, it had been a truly beautiful and wondrous structure, but now in this world teeming with Zombies, it had become a complex maze of buildings with right angles everywhere.
Stairs would suddenly appear on streets without a single light, or railings would exist where paths should be—such cases were common.
Park Sangil, Kim Suhan, and Elderly Grandfather Kwak Cheolmin exchanged opinions and searched for the shortest route.
Even with a 3D map unfolded, the increasingly heavy downpour made it impossible to confirm the structure clearly.
“Huh? There!”
After walking for some time, Kim Suhan pointed to the right with his finger.
We finally found the entrance.
Park Sangil and Elder Chulmin entered first to scout the interior.
They then gestured for me to come closer, so I approached his side.
“What’s the situation?”
“There are damn a lot of Zombies.”
“Is it overwhelming?”
“It’s not just the numbers—the interior structure is too complex. There are probably more in places we can’t see.”
The interior had a non-linear structure.
Just looking at the stairs made me dizzy.
“Do you see the Giant Zombie?”
“No. Where does the 3D map say it is?”
“It says it’s very close. About 30 meters from here.”
“30 meters? I don’t see it.”
“Isn’t it above us?”
“Above?”
Park Sangil cautiously poked his head out to glance at the upper portion of the building, then quickly whipped it back with a sharp motion.
I could tell from his shocked expression alone.
Within visual range, there stood a colossal Zombie reaching five meters in height.
“Hey, is this for real?”
“Pardon?”
“That thing’s absolutely massive.”
Five meters wouldn’t register as a concrete sensation without experiencing it firsthand.
To put it simply… imagine a muscular giraffe with a human-like form standing before you.
Even charging at it with all your might, attacking its thigh would be the limit of what you could manage.
Park Sangil spoke while moistening his lips with his tongue.
“Its head is way up there. How are we supposed to restrain something like that?”
“That’s why I said we need a 10-meter rope.”
A rope connecting two stakes to each other.
As I pulled the stakes from my bag, Kim Suhan, Kang Haneul, Hwang Anbae, and Do Sohee from behind all approached my side.
This was a rope I’d purchased from the Point Shop.
Unlike ordinary rope, it was made of special material that wouldn’t break under normal circumstances.
It was more durable and flexible than steel reinforcement in reality.
“Should we pull ours out too?”
Kim Suhan from behind asked, and I nodded while speaking.
“Listen carefully. We need to immobilize the giant Zombie’s limbs.”
“Got it.”
“Its attack power is terrifying, so avoid it at all costs.”
“What about its speed?”
“It’s slower than Mutants. But its attack and defense power are ridiculous, so be careful. One hit from it and you’re done for.”
The first party members gripped the stakes in both hands, their expressions turning serious.
I looked at Park Sangil and spoke.
“Let’s change the plan.”
“Now? How?”
“There are many Zombies inside the building, so please lure them out first.”
“What if the giant Zombie follows them out?”
“It’s fortunate that it’s trapped inside the building. That size won’t fit through the entrance.”
“Then… what about the first party?”
“The first party will handle the giant Zombie. It might take a while, so once you finish clearing the Zombies, come support us.”
Park Sangil nodded and looked toward Elder Chulmin.
Now they were the kind of companions who trusted and followed me rather than worrying about my opinions.
Elder Chulmin gave hand signals to the group behind him.
A gesture to retreat the way they came.
As Park Sangha and Park Sanghun led the students back, Elder Chulmin gripped a flare in his hand.
When Elder Chulmin looked at Park Sangil, the two men nodded at each other.
Whoooosh—!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Elder Chulmin ignited the flare, Park Sangil began striking the inner wall with the hilt of his blade.
Sound and light.
Conditions more than sufficient to provoke the Zombies.
“Grraaahhhhh!!”
“Kahahaack!!”
“Guuuhhh…!”
Dozens—perhaps hundreds—of Zombies poured out from within in a coordinated surge.
Elder Chulmin and Park Sangil hastily retreated to where the rest of the party stood.
Party 1 pressed themselves flush against the outer wall, waiting for every Zombie to escape.
An endless wave of Zombies flowing for a full minute.
It seemed like well over 300 of them.
“Let’s go.”
Confirming that no more Zombies were emerging, Party 1 hastily entered the building.
Tap-tap! Tap-tap!
I entered with stakes gripped in both hands, yet the massive Zombie that had been here moments before vanished as if it were a lie.
The colossal Zombie was nowhere to be seen, no matter how I scanned my surroundings.
“Brother, above!!”
In that instant, hearing Kim Suhan’s voice from behind, I hurriedly raised my head.
“Damn…!”
Bang!!
The massive Zombie’s left foot crashed down where my head had been.
I barely evaded its attack through sheer animal instinct and looked upward.
It hadn’t disappeared at all.
Its height was simply so immense that it stood before the entrance, unable to squeeze through either way.
I had been searching for where it went while standing beneath the creature’s legs.
Its legs were so thick that at first glance, I’d mistaken them for pillars.
“Everyone, get inside quickly!”
Shouting to Party 1, the students scrambled through the massive Zombie’s legs and entered.
“Flares!”
Whoooosh-!
Whoooosh!
Kim Suhan and Kang Haneul hurled two flares into the interior.
If any Zombies remained, they would appear at the sight of light, and we needed illumination to secure our vision.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-
As the massive Zombie turned, a sound erupted as if a stone golem were moving.
Boom-
With each step it took, the ground trembled, and the vibration and weight reverberated through my entire body.
“Suhan and Haneul, circle right! An Bae and So Hee, go left! Cripple its legs first!”
“Yes!”
The moment I gave the order, I bolted up the stairs.
To have any chance of targeting its head, I needed to climb as high as possible.
Boom!! Boom-!!
With each step up the stairs, I heard heavy, dull explosions from behind.
Without even looking back, I could tell the colossal Zombie was hurling its fists toward my party members.
Sculptures inside the building crumbled, and the stairs trembled each time it struck the walls.
In the moment I grabbed the railing and rushed upward in panic.
“Kaaack!!”
A Zombie that had remained inside the building spotted me and began grinding its throat.
The creature was on the floor above me.
Due to the non-linear structure of the stairs, the distance between us was roughly 1.5 meters.
Whoosh!
Regardless, the Zombie that had spotted me kicked off the railing and leaped down toward my head.
Thunk-!!
As I drove the stake straight through its face, I heard the unpleasant sound of its skull piercing.
Frowning, I hurled it down to the first floor and looked toward my party members below.
My companions moved side to side, dispersing the colossal Zombie’s attention.
“Left calf!”
“I’ve got the right!”
“Its leg’s up! Create distance!”
“Who are you targeting?!”
“Do Sohee!!”
Do Sohee looked up at the colossal Zombie, and seeing the kick hurtling toward her, she desperately threw herself behind a pillar.

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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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