Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 8

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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 008
So these people only had 4 selectable characters to choose from?
It seemed no one had picked the Buster.
That’s why they each chose one.
“We don’t know about that character. What’s their ability?”
“It’s a character that can enhance the body.”
“Enhance the body?! Strength, stamina, things like that? Isn’t that completely broken?”
“You all can easily raise those stats using the Maker’s crafting equipment.”
“Ah… Really?”
“It seems the Buster can only be selected by people who played No Way Home or cleared it. This is my first time learning about this too.”
“Why did they make it that way?”
“I’m not sure about that either… but it seems like the system’s consideration.”
Park Sangil tilted his head at the word consideration.
I couldn’t understand what was considerate about it.
So I shrugged and explained.
“If you had selected the Buster, you would have turned into zombies long ago.”
“Does the Buster character have a lot of problems?”
There was no need to explain everything in detail.
A rough explanation would be sufficient.
When I asked about their stats, they all said their strength, agility, and stamina were 15.
Other characters that start at 15 with character ability bonuses.
Meanwhile, the Buster….
“The Buster starts with all stats at 5.”
Park Sangil asked no further questions.
One-third the level of a normal character.
With stats of 5, it was impossible to survive when zombies had stats of 12 or 14.
If I hadn’t obtained game clear rewards and Battlesteam closed beta play rewards, I would have hesitated to choose the Buster.
Park Sangil then scratched his forehead and asked.
“If someone who doesn’t know about the game picks the Buster… they’d have no choice but to die early on, right?”
“That’s right. So I think it was set up so only people who are somewhat familiar with the game can select it.”
“Doyoon, what are your stats right now?”
“Similar to yours. Just a bit higher.”
“So body enhancement means you can directly raise your stats.”
“….”
“Is it easy to raise stats?”
“You can raise 1 stat for every 100 points.”
“1 stat for 100 points?! Then… you’ve killed over 3,000 zombies in two days?”
1 point per zombie.
To be precise, the points I obtained over two days were approximately 5,300 points.
Though 4,000 of those points were bonus points.
There was no need for detailed explanation, so instead of answering, I stared at him intently.
Park Sangil finally seemed to understand, quietly stroking his chin.
“Somehow… I figured it out when you were smashing the zombie’s face. That you weren’t an ordinary person.”
“….”
“I’m embarrassed for being so suspicious and cautious.”
“It’s fine. I understand completely.”
As Park Sangil wore a bewildered expression, Park Sangha beside him opened his mouth.
“At that level… shouldn’t we be thanking you for choosing us instead?”
To Park Sangha’s words, Park Sangil and Park Sanghun gave no response.
No one spoke, but I could tell they all agreed with what Park Sangha said.
Since I also had questions for them, this time I posed one.
“Anyway, where are you all from?”
“Near Sangwangsimni Station.”
Sangwangsimni Station… the northwest of Seongdong-gu.
With a sense of confusion, I tilted my head and asked.
“Was that your Shelter?”
“When you say Shelter, you mean the first building we found, right?”
“Yes. The first building you arrived at after being summoned onto the street.”
“There’s an elementary school in front of Sangwangsimni Station. We arrived there.”
I had arrived at Shin OO Apartments…
Thanks to that, I learned one thing.
The location of the Shelter differs from person to person.
Park Sangil spoke with a somber expression.
“The situation there… wasn’t good.”
As Park Sangil’s expression turned gloomy, Park Sanghun behind him opened his mouth.
“It was a gathering place for trash.”
“Trash?”
“We’re the same age. Speak comfortably.”
“Ah, yeah. Got it.”
Right, Park Sanghun, the youngest of the three brothers, was also twenty-eight.
Park Sanghun continued with a somber expression.
Apparently, about 200 survivors had arrived at the elementary school.
Since it was an elementary school, they had to go outside to find food.
The survivors split into factions—those who wanted to go out and those who wanted to wait for rescue.
Park Sangil’s family was among those who believed they had to go out, but they were outnumbered.
‘No one would want to go outside when zombies are roaming around.’
It was a natural reaction.
“Then yesterday… a problem arose.”
Park Sanghun continued with a deep sigh.
Those who had risked their lives going outside and brought back food were attacked by those inside who had only been waiting for rescue.
Their objective was singular.
Food.
They said it was impossible to withstand the sheer numbers pressing forward.
People who had lost their reason before food were no different from zombies, or so they claimed.
In the end, Park Sangil escaped that place with his family.
Throughout the night, they evaded the zombies and took turns standing watch.
When morning came and they tried to move again, they were discovered by the zombies and found themselves in the situation from moments before.
“If it weren’t for you, Doyun… we would never have seen our family again.”
At Park Sanghun’s words, I nodded slowly and spoke.
“I think I understand the situation well enough. Then… you should rest here.”
“Huh?”
I could roughly grasp how things had unfolded, and now that everything was sorted, I needed to return to my tasks.
“I’ll spend my remaining time hunting zombies. You must be exhausted, so rest here.”
“You’re going hunting?!”
“Yes.”
“Ah… you said you’ve caught over three thousand in two days.”
“…”
“We were struggling just to survive, and here’s someone hunting zombies. This is unbelievable…”
Park Sangil laughed as if bewildered.
Then Park Sangil picked up the kitchen knife he had set down and spoke.
“I hate being a burden, so I’ll help too.”
“Dear.”
Kim Heejoo grasped Park Sangil’s sleeve with an anxious gaze.
Park Sangil nodded silently, then looked at Kyeongeo with a faint smile.
I could tell just from his expression.
He understood it himself.
A five-year-old child and a wife who must care for that child.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
To distribute food equally to his wife and child and have them respected as equal individuals, he had to sacrifice himself.
By going out himself, even if discord or other problems arose later, he would have the right to speak up.
In this age of survival of the fittest, a voice wasn’t given to just anyone.
It was granted only to those who had proven their worth.
‘The more I see, the more I like him.’
A conscientious and intelligent man.
Then Park Sangha and Park Sanghun also stood up, gathering their weapons.
“Three is safer than two.”
“Four is better than three.”
Understanding Park Sangil’s position, his younger brothers were lending him their support.
Better than expected?
People like this were always welcome.
There was no need to actively object, so I went into the room, gathered a suitable notebook and tape, and returned to the living room.
“Everyone wraps these around.”
When I first arrived here, they had seen me wrap notebooks around my forearms and shins.
Without explicit explanation, they all seemed to instinctively understand which areas needed protection.
Park Sangil finished all preparations and spoke to his wife in the kitchen.
“Take good care of Kyeongeo.”
“Are you really sure about this?”
“We need to get used to it.”
Park Sangil glanced at this place, then asked with a furrowed brow.
“Is this okay? I think my wife and child would be better off staying here.”
“Yes. That’s fine.”
I also want to refuse hunting while carrying luggage—or rather, while looking after them.
If Kyeongeo cries… that would be a real disaster.
I looked at Kim Heejoo and Kyeongeo and spoke.
“Please be as careful as possible while we’re away, both of you.”
“Yes? What do you mean…?”
“Never open the windows, and don’t touch the curtains.”
“Ah, yes!”
“And don’t turn on the lights at night just because it’s dark. You need to be careful of the wind too.”
“The wind?”
“If the curtains sway because of the wind, we could be discovered because of that.”
Kim Heejoo nodded repeatedly instead of answering.
Finally, I looked at Kyeongeo and spoke.
“And… make sure to firmly tell Kyeongeo not to cry.”
“…Yes.”
“No matter what happens, you can’t make loud noises. When we were on the villa rooftop earlier, the zombies inside the building came up because of Kyeongeo’s voice.”
Kim Heejoo embraced Kyeongeo and said not to worry, that she would take good care of her.
I approached Kyeongeo, smiled warmly, and spoke.
“You understand, right Kyeongeo?”
“Sniff…”
Kyeongeo teared up upon seeing my face.
I was smiling… so why is she crying?
Do I look scary?
Still, she seemed to understand what I meant, and buried her face in her mother’s arms with her lower lip pouting.
Once Park Sangha and Park Sanghun finished preparing, Park Sangil looked at my face and asked.
“Do you have a plan?”
“Since you can secure visibility, you’ll take the lead…”
“I told you to speak comfortably.”
“Ah, yes. You’ll take the lead, and we’ll try to face no more than five zombies if possible.”
I couldn’t believe the word “hyung” came out of my mouth.
I didn’t have anyone close enough to call “older brother” or “older sister,” so the title felt awkward on my tongue.
Uncomfortable with the strangeness, I rubbed the back of my neck, and Park Sangil asked flatly.
“Why not fight like before? Like at the Church?”
“Are we just going to fight briefly and stop? If the number of zombies increases, managing stamina becomes difficult.”
“Ah.”
“We shouldn’t catch many at once. We need to hunt slowly and steadily. Safely.”
“I didn’t know you’d think about stamina too.”
“It’s hunting, after all.”
Park Sangil swallowed dryly and nodded.
I pulled out the 3D terrain map I’d kept in my pocket.
When I pressed the button, the surrounding terrain came into view at a glance.
Then Park Sangha snapped his fingers and asked.
“Ah! Right, that’s right. What exactly is that?”
“It’s a 3D terrain map. It lets me check the surrounding terrain.”
“How did you get it? Can I obtain one too?”
“I’m not sure. It seems difficult. I received it as a game clear reward.”
“Can I take a look?”
Since it was a bound item, others couldn’t use it anyway.
Just to verify, I handed the 3D terrain map to Park Sangha.
The screen went dark, and no matter how many times I pressed the power button, the map wouldn’t display.
“It’s a bound item, so only I can use it.”
“That’s amazing. So the clear reward wasn’t for nothing.”
At first, I thought it was excessive to give a map as a clear reward, but it turned out to be incredibly helpful in many ways.
Without it, I wouldn’t have known the Church’s layout and would have had difficulty rescuing Park Sangil and Park Sanghun.
“Then let’s move right away.”
I gripped the baseball bat tightly and stepped out the front door first.
Three burly men followed behind me.

* * *
Our hunt continued until the sun fell below the horizon.
We’d accumulated plenty of points, and I’d gotten a good measure of the three brothers’ capabilities.
Most people would panic at the sight of a zombie, but these three swung their weapons without hesitation or deliberation.
There were still rough edges to their technique, but I offered guidance generously whenever they appeared.
Before receiving weapons from the Maker, one must always verify that a zombie is truly dead after dispatching it.
Never let your guard down around a zombie lying on the ground—always watch out for the ankles.
Aim for the temples, cervical spine, or carotid artery whenever possible.
Rather than thinking about striking hard and dropping them in one blow, focus on breaking their balance and eliminating them safely.
They absorbed my advice like sponges.
“It’s gotten so dark all of a sudden. I can’t see anything.”
At Park Sangha’s words from behind, I gripped my baseball bat tighter.
The darkness tonight was intense enough to make even me tense.
A pitch-black darkness where you couldn’t see even an inch ahead.
The world was already gloomy from the heavy rain and dark clouds, but tonight the moonlight was hidden behind those clouds entirely—there was no moonlight at all.
“Big brother, what can you see?”
“Like night vision goggles.”
Park Sanghun marveled repeatedly at the sight.
I’d only ever used the Shooter’s ability in the game, so I had no idea what Park Sangil felt like using the Shooter’s ability directly.
Park Sangil stopped walking and glanced around, then brushed the moisture from his face as he spoke.
“There don’t seem to be any more zombies in the vicinity. Should we head back?”
By now it should be around 11 PM.
I nodded at Park Sangil’s suggestion.
With two hundred zombies eliminated, my Stamina stat had reached 30.
There was no need to push ourselves and hunt further, and it would be better to rest for tomorrow.
Starting tomorrow… the first main episode would begin.

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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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