Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 60

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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 060
It happened in an instant.
I lost consciousness for a moment, not even aware of how I was struck or how many times the blows landed before my senses returned.
As I shook my head vigorously and pushed my upper body upright, Yun Taeseong smirked and spoke.
“Ah, this is fun.”
“….”
“Fighting weaklings just doesn’t compare. There’s real satisfaction in hitting someone like this.”
“Your tastes are truly… twisted.”
“Your stats are pretty high, aren’t they? With other guys, their skulls crack from casual hits, but you’re still alive?”
Even as I tried to rise, my balance wouldn’t stabilize.
It seemed my nose had collapsed.
‘There’s no way out.’
I couldn’t continue fighting in this state.
I’d intended to identify every possible variable in case he had hidden cards, but at this rate, I’d fall first.
Whether he had hidden cards or not, there was only one choice left—go all out.
“Balhwa.”
Whoooosh—!
Every muscle in my body began contracting and expanding in rapid succession.
Blood flow accelerated, and intense heat spread throughout my entire frame.
Was it because the blood flow increased?
My face stung more sharply, and the tip of my nose throbbed.
Ding—!
[For 10 minutes, your Stamina, Strength, and Agility stats increase by 2x, and your movement speed increases by 1.5x.]
As vapor-like energy rose from my entire body, Yun Taeseong’s mocking expression hardened.
“What did you just do?”
“….”
“Why is smoke coming from a human body, you bastard….”
Boom!!
I kicked off the ground and rushed forward like a tidal wave.
In an instant, I closed the distance and burrowed into his space. His eyes went wide as saucers, and he desperately tried to create distance.
‘Too slow.’
It was already too late to escape.
Whoosh—!
I clenched my fist so tightly that thick veins bulged across the back of my hand, then drove it straight into his lower jaw.
Crack!!!
With the sound of shattering brick, Yun Taeseong’s face snapped 90 degrees to the side.
Without stopping, I unleashed a relentless barrage across his entire body.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!! Crash!!
It was no longer the sound of striking a human.
The sound of bricks shattering echoed repeatedly.
I pummeled him without pause, determined to pulverize every brick to dust.
‘Still not enough.’
But since I didn’t feel his bones crumbling, I exhaled and muttered.
“One Strike.”
Ting—!
[One Strike: Attack an enemy with overwhelming force.]
[Can be used simultaneously with other Skills, delivering an attack equivalent to twice your Strength.]
-Usable 6 times per day.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!!!!
Like a drill boring through bedrock, I drove my fist repeatedly into his chest, eyes blazing with murderous intent.
The shattering crack of ribs breaking, the sensation of bone pulverizing and piercing through organs.
My senses had been honed as sharply as my enhanced physical abilities.
I felt every impact accumulating on his body vividly, and when only one use of One Strike remained, I lifted my head slightly to gaze at his face.
Dark crimson blood was surging backward from Yun Taeseong’s mouth because his lungs had been punctured.
Bloody tears streamed from his two eyes, now deeply bloodshot, and his gaping mouth showed no sign of closing.
Since his pupils had vanished, I couldn’t even tell if his eyes were rolled back or if he was staring at me.
What did it matter.
“Haaah…!”
I drew a deep breath into my lungs and drove my final One Strike into Yun Taeseong’s face.
Boom!!!
The sound of a massive boulder splitting in half echoed, and his face was driven deep into the ground.
The earth had transformed into mud from the torrential downpour.
The sodden ground absorbed the impact that should have shattered his skull.
I felt his skull crack, but it wasn’t the definitive crushing sensation I needed.
So I raised my right foot high and was about to bring it down like an axe blade toward his face.
“Gack…! W-wait….”
The bastard still had breath in him.
A stubborn one.
His teeth were shattered, scattered like corn kernels across the ground, yet even so he was thrashing about, desperate to survive.
He raised his trembling arms and spoke.
“I… I’ve lost….”
The bastard couldn’t even pronounce words properly.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“….”
“How does it feel to be beaten?”
“…! P-please… spare me….”
“Stop spouting nonsense.”
Crack!!!!
My right foot came down like the blade of a guillotine falling vertically, smashing into his face.
One Strike severed his vocal cords and shattered his cervical spine.
“Unblock point messages.”
I unblocked the point messages I’d been filtering and simultaneously gripped the stake I’d stored in my inventory.
Just as I was about to drive the stake through his face in case he was still alive—
Ding—!
[You have destroyed the Sanctuary!]
[Seoul Jeongneung Sanctuary is registered as a Sanctuary with over 100 survivors.]
[A Sanctuary with 100 or more survivors counts as occupying 6 Sanctuaries.]
[3,000 points awarded.]
I confirmed the messages appearing before my eyes and returned the stake to my inventory.
The destruction notification meant there were no more people with malicious intent in this place.
I calmed my racing heart and looked at Yun Taeseong, whose head was embedded in the ground.
When I was striking him mindlessly, I hadn’t noticed, but now I could see his body was pulped as if he’d been crushed under a massive truck.
This was the end of a man drunk on arrogance.
Ping—
“Ugh…!”
Following that came a sharp headache piercing my temples and a ringing in my ears.
It wasn’t from Balhwa ending—as the tension released, pain I hadn’t been aware of came flooding in.
The moment I raised my right hand to press my forehead—
I could see the skin had been stripped away from my fingers to the back of my hand.
Yun Taeseong’s bones and epidermis must have been incredibly hard to have flayed my skin like this.
As I groaned and collapsed in place, I could hear footsteps and engine sounds rushing toward me.
I lifted my head to see Vehicle 1, Vehicle 2, and Party 1 members running toward me.
“Doyun’s brother!”
My companions who had dealt with the group outside Jeongneung came rushing to my side.
While facing Yun Taeseong, there hadn’t been a single distraction—it was all thanks to my team.
“Gasp! Y-you, brother, are you okay?”
“Does that look okay?! So Hee!”
“Don’t move and stay still!”
Kim Suhan, Kang Haneul, and Do Sohee hurriedly laid me down on the ground.
Do Sohee placed both hands on my face and began treatment.
I thought something felt wrong with my facial sensation—apparently my nose had collapsed.
“My ribs are broken too. Right now… breathing is difficult.”
“Just a moment, I’ll treat you right away.”
Do Sohee called for the Healing Factor from Party 2.
The Healing Factor from Party 2 came to my side and began treatment, while Park Sangil, who had exited the vehicle, asked with wide eyes.
“Hey! What happened to your face.”
“That guy was incredibly strong.”
“How strong could he be for you to end up like this….”
“His average physical ability… seemed to exceed 80.”
“80?! You took down someone that strong alone?”
“It’s all Skill abuse.”
I laughed flatly and gave a thumbs up.
Then I felt a sharp tingling sensation at the bridge of my nose.
“Don’t laugh! If you laugh now, the bones will set wrong.”
“….”
At Do Sohee’s words, I stared blankly at the sky where torrential rain was pouring down.
Beyond the fading tinnitus, I could hear the sound of raindrops hitting the ground.
A sound that somehow brought peace to my heart.
Ding-!
[Balhwa’s duration has ended.]
At the same time, a notification sounded in my ears.
As Balhwa ended, my upper body reflexively trembled.
“I told you not to move!”
“…I know.”
What’s going on?
I expected a rebound to come naturally when Balhwa ended, but now nothing happened except for a chill running through me.
Well… just the pain becoming a bit more distinct?
Wasn’t it probably because I’d raised my Stamina, Skin, and Mentality so significantly?
Thanks to that, the shock that occurs after the Skill’s duration ends seems to have diminished.
“Doyun, what do we do about those people?”
“Huh?”
“Over there.”
Park Sangil pointed to the people behind us.
Behind Vehicle 2, people bound with rope stood in the rain.
“Are they Makers?”
“No, Group members who surrendered. The Makers are over there.”
Behind Vehicle 1 were the Makers who had been held captive by the Group, and behind Vehicle 2 were the remaining Group members who had expressed their intention to surrender.
“Don’t turn your head!”
Do Sohee then grabbed my cheek and held it in place so I couldn’t move.
With no choice, I sighed and spoke.
“Sangil’s Hyung, let’s finish this conversation after the treatment is done.”

* * *
Since the process involved reattaching broken bones and healing torn skin, I had to lie still for about twenty minutes.
Once all the treatment was complete, I rolled my stiff shoulders and spoke to the exhausted members of Healing Factor.
“Thank you. You all worked hard.”
“Your fatigue level is quite high. Should we treat it right now?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Fatigue could be managed with rest at home, so I needed to handle the urgent matters first.
I walked toward where the Makers were and counted the number of people.
There were fifty-eight Makers alone.
“Are there no more? Are all the people brought here accounted for?”
“….”
The people gave no answer.
They all looked pale, their expressions devoid of energy.
“I’ll just ask you a few questions and then let you go.”
“…Let us go?”
At that, a middle-aged man among the crowd spoke up.
When I looked at him, he swallowed hard and asked.
“You’re not taking us away… you’re setting us free?”
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
Why, he asks?
As I grew more bewildered, the Makers here looked at me with confused expressions.
“You’re not going to use us?”
“Why would I use you?”
“Then… why did you save us?”
People who couldn’t comprehend being saved.
I wasn’t sure how they should accept this situation, but I needed to clarify what mattered.
“To be precise, we didn’t come here to save you. We came to deal with the Group.”
“….”
“Since we’ve accomplished our objective, you’re naturally free.”
Then the people’s expressions went blank.
Soon, sobbing sounds came from among them, and one by one they began to shed tears.
Some stared at me with dazed expressions, blinking their eyes slowly.
How long had they been held captive that they’d come to believe it was natural for people to use and take away other people?
They seemed unable to comprehend the sudden freedom that had arrived.
I cleared my throat and continued speaking.
“Before that, I’d like to ask you all a few questions.”
As I looked at the people, all their attention focused on me.
“There was a man named Yun Taeseong here. He was wearing enhancement equipment. Is there anyone among you who has undergone a Second Awakening?”
“Awakening? What’s an awakening?”
It was clear that none of them understood what awakening meant.
“Then, is there anyone here who can teach us the method of how Yun Taeseong’s equipment was awakened?”
The people exchanged glances and fell silent.
They seemed to think that if they revealed the method, we would capture them.
How could I ease their anxiety?
Thud—thud—
At that moment, Park Sangil approached my side and spoke while looking at the people.
“If you don’t tell us, we have no other choice either.”
No other choice?
Even hearing it made me more anxious—it was a threatening statement.
But did such a threat actually work?
A middle-aged man sitting among the people opened his mouth.
“Ah, if we tell you… you won’t let us go, will you?!”
So that was what they were worried about.
Park Sangil placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke.
“You don’t want to upset this friend here. Just answer the questions we ask, and we’ll really let you go.”
“How are we supposed to believe that…?”
“If you don’t believe it, what can we do? Should we cater to your feelings in this situation?”
Park Sangil frowned.
As the people grew frightened, Park Sangil began looking around.
“Suhan, Haneul, An Bae.”
“Yes!”
“Go get some clubs.”
“Yes, sir!”
The students moved swiftly at Park Sangil’s command.
Why was he asking for clubs?
Before long, the students returned carrying steel pipes, wooden clubs, sickles, baseball bats, and more.
Park Sangil set down various blunt weapons before them and spoke.
“Take them.”
“…”
“You can take them and deal with those tied up over there, or just leave. Do whatever you want. You’re free.”
“W-we’re supposed to take these? Are you trying to attack us?!”
“If you attack us with those weapons, we won’t just sit back either. If you’re confident, come at us.”
Park Sangil spoke casually, shrugging his shoulders.
The people began murmuring among themselves.
Then the middle-aged man picked up a steel pipe from the ground and glared at Park Sangil, and Park Sangil stared back at him expressionlessly.
Crack!!

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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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