Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 78

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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 078
“Hah….”
I exhaled slowly, tracking the creature’s movements with unwavering focus.
At this moment, I felt I could even catch falling raindrops with precision in my bare hands.
Every sense had been honed to razor-sharp clarity, responding with the keenness of a freshly whetted blade.
Boom—!!
The Zombie King launched forward, kicking off the ground.
‘The abdomen.’
I could read its target with crystalline clarity, understanding exactly where it aimed.
The boxing techniques Park Sangil had taught me whenever time allowed.
Combined with my heightened reflexes and improved dynamic vision, I had reached a level where I could perfectly anticipate my enemy’s attack trajectory.
I pulled my right foot back and drove my left thigh forward like a stake, driving my fist directly into the Zombie King’s face.
Screeeech—!!!
The heavy impact reverberated through my fingertips.
Resistance rippled through my wrist, elbow, and bicep.
Overcoming all that resistance, I extended my arm fully.
Crash—!!!!
The creature flew across the main road and crashed into the building exterior wall on the opposite side.
Sent flying roughly forty meters by a single punch.
I stared at my fist with a dazed expression.
The moment my fist connected with the Zombie King’s face, I knew instinctively.
That I could overwhelm the Zombie King while these skills remained active.
Simultaneous activation of Frenzy and Balhwa.
My base strength was 60, so Frenzy increased it to 120.
Balhwa increased it by another 60.
A total of 240.
The gauntlet, enhanced twice over, multiplied the wearer’s current strength by 1.2.
Was that the reason for this power?
Strength of 240 (+15) multiplied by 1.2.
In other words, my current strength reached 306.
Overwhelming the Zombie King was inevitable.
“Graaaaaahhhhh!!!!”
A roar erupted from among the collapsed bricks.
Whoosh—!
Shattered bricks and chunks of concrete flew toward me.
I steadied my breathing and swiftly punched away the rocks and cement fragments hurtling at me in a straight line.
It was throwing bricks like baseballs.
Fastballs, no less.
Was the Zombie King completely unharmed by that impact?
My attack had landed perfectly.
Crash—!
Immediately after, I heard the sound of something launching off the ground, and I caught sight of the Zombie King hurtling toward me at incredible speed.
‘The carotid artery.’
It closed the distance in an instant, targeting my carotid artery with lethal precision.
Its eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
I couldn’t let it bite me.
No matter how high I’d raised my epidermis stat, if the Zombie King bit me now, chunks of flesh would be torn away.
I quickly twisted my waist, grabbed the Zombie King by the collar, and slammed it straight into the ground.
Boom!!!!!
The Zombie King’s head bent at a ninety-degree angle, and its shoulder collapsed inward.
I’d grabbed the collar of something that rushed at me like an arrow and driven it down—even a Zombie King shouldn’t be able to move for a while after that….
Crack—pop—crackle—
But with the sickening sound of bones realigning, the creature’s broken parts regenerated in an instant.
‘Ultra-regeneration?’
This should be a passive skill that appears in the fifth episode…
Gaia, you bastard—how far did you unlock this thing?!
If it’s learned ultra-regeneration, there’s only one way forward.
I need to drain as much blood as possible before its regeneration slows down.
The creature’s eyes flashed with strange light as it reached its arm toward my ankle.
I clenched both fists and spoke the incantation.
“Strike, six consecutive hits.”
Ding—!
[Strike: Attack an enemy with powerful force.]
[Can be used in combination with other skills and delivers an attack equivalent to twice your strength stat.]
-Can be used 6 times per day.
A skill that delivers impact equivalent to twice your strength, including stat increases from other skills.
Let it try to regenerate from an attack worth 612 strength.
Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom!!!!!
My fists drove forward without pause, without breath.
I felt the sensation of cracks forming in the hard skull through my fingertips.
‘Not enough.’
If I’d landed twenty Strikes, maybe—but six was woefully insufficient.
The creature’s head and upper body were only slightly dented.
Not completely crushed.
I couldn’t give it time.
I didn’t know when it would finish regenerating and hunger for my flesh again.
So I quickly opened my inventory.
Whoosh—slash—slash—slash!
I drew the dual blades and immediately severed the Zombie King’s limbs.
This should buy me time before it recovers.
Balhwa’s remaining time is limited, but the Zombie King is equally pressed for time.
The Majesty of Authority, which doubles all physical abilities, can only be maintained for thirty minutes at most.
So I’ll keep the Zombie King pinned here until the Majesty of Authority expires, then drag him to the Han River once the skill duration ends.
Crunch—crackle—!
The severed limbs of the Zombie King begin regenerating in succession.
Even the grotesquely deformed skull started regaining its original shape, as if air were being pumped into a balloon.
A sight so repulsive I could barely stomach watching it.
My spine instinctively tingled with revulsion.
But… this is far too fast.
Even at No Way Home, the regeneration wasn’t this rapid.
Is this because of the Frenzy state?
Or did the Majesty of Authority amplify his regenerative ability?
I couldn’t determine the reason.
And my knowledge has its limits.
This isn’t a game—it’s reality.
I tightened my grip on the sword hilt.
I continued hacking away at the regenerating body parts as if pruning branches, methodically dismembering the creature like a beast.
I wanted nothing more than to drive my blade through the Zombie King’s brow and be done with it, but if I did, there was a high probability that Park Sangil would become the Zombie King in the fourth episode.
So I had to keep this creature alive and suppress its Frenzy by any means necessary.
Thick blood erupted from every inch of its body like a fountain, and pools of gore began accumulating across the ground with each heavy spray.
“Huff… huff…”
My stamina should have increased along with the boosted stats from the skill, yet I felt it draining several times faster than before.
My breathing needed to match my accelerated movements, but having never experienced such an increase in physical ability, I couldn’t adjust easily.
It was like singing a song without taking a single breath—that’s the best way to describe it.
As dizziness forced me to halt my movements momentarily, a System Message appeared.
Ding—!
[Balhwa’s duration has ended.]
Ten minutes have already passed?
A throbbing headache crashed down on me, followed by a sharp pain stabbing at my temples.
My legs weakened, and I staggered once before grimacing and shaking my head.
With my brow furrowed, I looked toward where the creature lay.
“Grrrrr…”
It ground its throat as it raised its upper body.
By now, the lower body had fully regenerated, and the right arm was complete as well.
Even the deep lacerations had vanished without a trace.
What kind of absurd regenerative power was this?
Was this situation… truly only going to end if I killed it?
“KRRRRAAAAAAHHH!!”
The enraged Zombie King’s roar.
But this time, it didn’t approach as readily as before.
Is it because my left arm hasn’t regenerated yet?
Yes, having lost so much blood, my super-regeneration won’t be as fast as before.
I’m exhausted, but the Zombie King is just as worn down.
Whoever’s time runs out first will be decided right here.
Boom!!
This time I pushed off first and rushed forward.
The Zombie King lowered his upper and lower body into a defensive stance.
‘The thigh.’
Spotting the opening, I swung my twin blades toward his leg.
Whoosh—!
The angle should have cleanly severed his leg, but he twisted his direction just slightly and evaded the attack.
That was… only possible if he precisely understood my attack trajectory.
‘I’m being read.’
Can the Zombie King in a frenzied state make such calculations?
Shouldn’t he only feel the rage to destroy everything?
Or could it be… that Balhwa has ended and I’ve slowed down?
Thud-thud!
The moment he evaded, he rushed at me.
‘The face.’
Reading his shoulder movement, I instinctively sensed his fist heading toward my face.
Like a blade falling from a guillotine, I swung my twin blades with lightning speed.
I would take his arm before his fist reached my face.
Crack—!!
‘…What?’
But contrary to my expectation, his fist never reached me.
Instead, a spinning kick followed the path of my blade and struck the crown of my head.
Is this what it feels like when your head shatters?
I couldn’t even feel pain.
The impact was so tremendous that my vision went black and my hearing went numb.
As if all my senses had died, like a small boat drifting through an endless cosmos, I forgot my own existence for a moment.
“…Gasp!”
As I staggered, breathing roughly, my vision gradually began to return.
Light flickered before my eyes, and soon I could make out something blurry hurtling toward me.
Smack—!!
It was the Zombie King’s fist.
With the impact of my bridge collapsing, electricity surged through my entire body.
I had to regain my senses somehow.
Whoosh!
Swinging my twin blades widely to buy time, I could make out the blurry human form retreating backward.
“Cough…!”
Blood streamed from my nose like a faucet left running, twin rivulets flowing without pause.
I wiped away the rainwater soaking my forehead with the back of my hand.
“Damn it…”
My hand came away stained crimson.
I’d felt the impact as if my skull might shatter.
Except it wasn’t “might”—it had shattered.
Blood continued trickling from my head.
Even with Balhwa finished, I hadn’t expected Frenzy to be this taxing.
The only reason I’m still alive is because I’m wielding both the Gauntlet and dual blades simultaneously, plus the 10% damage reduction effect is keeping me in one piece.
My vision gradually returned.
It wasn’t as blurred as before, but something was wrong with my head—my sight swayed side to side.
Can I win this?
No, I need to stop thinking about winning.
What matters now isn’t victory—it’s not losing, it’s enduring.
‘How much time does the Authority’s Dignity have left?’
I needed to gauge the remaining duration.
Fortunately, when I stopped moving, the creature didn’t rush forward.
Was it being cautious of me?
‘No.’
This meant the Zombie King was being cornered too.
Its left arm still showed no signs of regenerating.
And with the Legion March Skill exhausted, it couldn’t move with the same ferocity as before.
Right now, both of us battered and hesitating.
‘That favors me.’
The Zombie King had been using its Skill since I was in the dog car, so less than ten minutes remained.
Just ten more minutes, somehow.
I had to endure—it was kill or be killed.
“Grrrrr…”
The creature didn’t roar like before, only grinding its throat while glaring at me.
I swallowed hard and gripped the sword hilts tighter with trembling hands.
As I steadied my breathing and met its gaze directly.
“Home… I… must… go…”
“…!”
“My… child… waiting… for… me…”
“Has your sanity returned?”
“Child… alone… at home…”
If you can hear my voice, answer me. Has your sanity returned?”
It was speaking, but its expression suggested otherwise.
Bound in chains and having consumed so many human brains, it appeared capable of language even in its rampage state.
Crunch—!
The grinding of the Zombie King’s teeth echoed all the way here.
A chilling sound, like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard.
“GRAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”
“Tsk.”
The Zombie King charged forward in a frenzy.
Conversation and all that—I had no choice but to refocus on combat.

* * *
“When is Doyun getting here?!”
“I don’t know! How many minutes have passed?!”
We’d eliminated as many zombies as possible in the Rabbit Hole, but the first vehicle was already in poor condition and couldn’t hold out much longer.
We’d managed to eliminate only around three thousand zombies from the Rabbit Hole at most.
Eventually, smoke began pouring from the first vehicle’s engine, and we had no choice but to relocate to Sebit Island before it was too late.
Park Sangha, who had arrived first, had already installed a barricade on the bridge connecting Han River Park and Sebit Island.
A barricade five meters high.
From a brief explanation, it seemed the Maker could install barricades by consuming Points.
The barricade installed by the Great Assembly was also created that way.
Barricades installed by the Maker consume Points at exponentially higher rates depending on their grade, and the cost varies wildly depending on the width of the location where it’s installed.
Because the connecting bridge to Sebit Island was narrow, they were able to raise a tier-3 barricade.
This was equivalent to the Great Assembly’s 1st Barricade in terms of level.
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
Park Sangil and Elder Chulmin fired relentlessly at the zombies’ brows from atop the barricade.
“How much durability does this thing have left?!”
Park Sangil, replacing his magazine, called down to Park Sangha below.
Park Sangha stood with both hands pressed against the barricade entrance, concentrating intently.
“I’m constantly repairing it, so kill them faster! This real-time repair is draining Points like crazy!”
“Where did Sanghun go?! Park Sanghun!”
“Shouldn’t he be defending the other barricade?!”
There were two bridges connecting to Sebit Island.
Park Sanghun and the Shelter’s Survivors were holding the opposite barricade.

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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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