Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 80

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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 080
‘No time.’
At most, I had ten minutes before I lost my grip on sanity.
I had to eliminate the Giant Zombie within that window.
The Zombie King’s ultra-regeneration ability had already failed, and he lay completely unconscious with his left arm severed.
From the exhausting effort of knocking out the Zombie King, I felt as though I might collapse at any moment.
But this wasn’t a situation where I could afford to rest, so I gritted my teeth and pushed forward through sheer willpower.
“D-Doyun… your hand…”
Park Sangha stared at my hand with wide, shocked eyes.
My protective wraps were shattered, and the flesh beneath was completely torn open.
“I’ll explain later.”
With no time for explanations, I laid the unconscious Zombie King down where Park Sangha and Hong Yeonhui stood, then rushed frantically toward Solbit Island.
Thick smoke and the acrid stench of gunpowder filled the air.
Pushing through it, I spotted the Giant Zombie with chunks of flesh torn away.
It seemed Park Sangha had thrown grenades—yet the Giant Zombie’s skeletal joints remained intact.
“Grrrrr…!”
The creature glared at Park Sangha, seething with rage.
Had it not noticed me because of the smoke?
“Inventory.”
A pocket dimension materialized in my palms.
I drew out a stake, pushed off the ground, and launched myself upward.
Whoosh—!
The Giant Zombie’s massive face came into view, and I could make out its melted nose and lips.
Blood dripped from its mouth where gums and teeth were fully exposed, suggesting the impact hadn’t been entirely without effect.
Only its eyes and forehead remained intact.
They say it’s human instinct to cover one’s eyes first when shielding the face with one’s hands.
Even as a Giant Zombie, this creature was no exception.
Huff—! Huff—!
With all my strength, I hurled the stakes I’d been gripping directly at its eyes.
Squelch!
“SCREEEEEEEEE!!!”
Both stakes pierced directly into the Giant Zombie’s pupils.
Caught off guard, it covered its eyes with both hands.
But it was already too late.
The moment I landed, I opened my inventory again, drew out my twin daggers, and severed the Giant Zombie’s Achilles tendons.
Whether from the daggers’ dulled edges or the Giant Zombie’s tough musculature, each cut felt like tearing through stubborn, stringy jerky.
Riiiiip!!
As I wrenched through with all my might, blood gushed out like floodgates opening.
The creature, still covering its eyes with both hands, began hopping about frantically.
Like a person startled by a cockroach, it began stomping wildly in all directions, trying to crush me beneath its feet.
From the Giant Zombie’s perspective, it was merely stomping its feet—but from a human’s perspective, it was no different than carpet bombing.
Dodging the indiscriminate descent of those massive soles, I retrieved my curved sword from my inventory.
“Hah!”
With eyes wide open, I hurled the curved sword toward the Giant Zombie’s left calf.
Perhaps because the blade was sharp, unlike the twin swords?
The gleaming blade pierced through the calf in a single stroke.
“Krraaaaahhh!!”
The creature shrieked in surprise and lifted its left leg.
‘Now…!’
I seized that opening, leaping onto the Giant Zombie’s right shin, and with my twin swords firmly gripped, severed its patellar tendon.
Boom—!!!
As the tendon snapped, the Giant Zombie collapsed to its knees.
Not yet.
To truly finish this creature, I had to sever its head.
I stomped across the fallen Giant Zombie’s back and rushed toward its neck in an instant.
Simultaneously, I drew a rifle from my inventory, pressed the muzzle against its cervical spine, and pulled the trigger.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!!!
Thirty rounds. Magazine change.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!!!
Thirty rounds. Magazine change.
Flesh reduced to tatters, blood spraying in all directions.
These were not bullets that existed in the modern era.
They were a rifle and ammunition crafted by the Maker through Point investment.
Soon, I heard the sound of bullets embedding themselves into solid rock.
Finally, the cervical spine was fully exposed.
“Sangha! Grenade!!!”
As I continued unleashing volleys at the Giant Zombie’s cervical spine and shouted, I spotted Park Sangha crossing the bridge.
He threw the grenade he was holding toward me.
The moment I caught the grenade, I pulled the safety pin and shoved it directly into the Giant Zombie’s cervical spine.
“Get down!!”
I shouted to Park Sangha, then hurriedly dove into the rubble of a building myself.
Boom!!!!!
A deafening explosion echoed, and the Giant Zombie’s flesh scattered in all directions.
Mixed within the heavy downpour falling from the sky was the blood of the Giant Zombie.
As I turned my head, coughing, I could see the Giant Zombie with its head barely hanging on.
It was still alive?
Using my twin swords as a crutch, I struggled to push my upper body upright.
I had already reached my limit.
My arms could no longer rise above my shoulders, and I felt as though my breath might give out at any moment.
Had I fought for too long with a fractured skull?
I had already lost far too much blood, and my body trembled uncontrollably as chills spread across my entire frame.
Forcing myself upright, I gripped the sword’s hilt with shaking hands.
Ting—!
[You have defeated the Giant Zombie!]
[1,000 points awarded.]
A System Message materialized before my eyes.
Looking closer, the Giant Zombie that had been raising its torso with its head dangling loosely finally expired once its head completely severed from its body.
Die already.
Sick of this wretched thing.
“Doyun! Doyun!”
From across the distance, Park Sangha’s desperate voice called out to me as he crossed over to Solbit Island.
Just as I was about to respond with a smile.
Thump—
A violent impact struck my heart, and I felt a strange pain as my blood flow suddenly halted.
‘No. Not yet….’
My rationality began to blur.
The forty minutes I had to maintain my sanity were running out.
I had to endure.
If I couldn’t hold on somehow….
‘I might kill myself with my own hands.’
Because I would slay the Zombie King I’d barely captured—myself in a Frenzy state, devoid of reason.
With no other option, I looked around desperately, searching for something to restrain myself with.
That’s when something caught my eye….
“Ah, screw it… I don’t care!”
Among the ruins of buildings that had collapsed into rubble, there was one thing miraculously intact.
An aquarium brimming with fish.
Even as my rationality crumbled, I ran toward that aquarium alone, and just before consciousness slipped away, I hurled myself toward it.

* * *
-Sunwoo’s Mother, did you hear about that?
-About what?
-About Siyoon’s Mother, didn’t you hear?
-What? What is it?
-You know that real estate fraud scandal that had the whole neighborhood buzzing? That was Siyoon’s Mother.
-What?! That was Siyoon’s Mother?
-Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.
-Oh my, what a thing. I never would have thought Siyoon’s Mother was like that…
The neighborhood women tearing me apart behind my back.
Real estate scammer, scammer’s mother, despicable woman, woman deserving of death.
But it wasn’t me. I never committed fraud.
I was the victim.
I entrusted a building to a real estate agent, and they forged my personal seal stamp to write contracts on their own and committed fraud.
The double contract issue disrupted my cash flow, and from there, problems cascaded one after another.
Of course I filed a complaint, and the legal proceedings are still ongoing.
But throughout the neighborhood, I’d become known as a woman deserving of death.
At first, I didn’t care.
When the truth came out later, those women would approach me as if nothing had happened, flattering me.
They must resent my success.
It’s natural for them to envy and resent me—I have money, a good husband, and a beautiful daughter.
But… the legal proceedings dragged on longer than expected.
The real estate agent who forged my identity even stole other people’s identification documents to establish a shell company, and that shell company participated in the contract under a joint ownership structure.
I was supposed to catch the criminal, but instead I was chasing a ghost.
Everything began to spiral into a maze.
Layers upon layers, like peeling an onion.
As time dragged on in catching the culprit, the rumors circulating grew flesh and became irreversible.
That I’d committed adultery and secretly transferred the building to my lover without my husband knowing.
Or the opposite.
I could tolerate attacks on myself, but I couldn’t bear them dragging my honest and sincere husband into it as well.
And my daughter Siyoon on top of that.
-Mommy… waaah…
The day my daughter came home from kindergarten crying.
-Siyoon! Siyoon, why are you crying? What’s this on your forehead? Who did this to you?
-The kids… they said I’m the daughter of a bad woman… sniff, they keep bullying me.
-What?!
Is this what it feels like when your eyes turn red with rage?
How could they be so vile?
How could they be so petty?
I called the kindergarten immediately.
But the teachers’ response was even more shameless.
There was strong resentment among the parents toward Siyun and me.
They asked if I could transfer to a different kindergarten, apologetically.
Apologetically my ass.
My daughter was the victim, they said.
I was the victim too!
But why, why did we have to be the ones to leave?
What kind of woman carelessly ran her mouth like that…!
Just as I was about to storm into the kindergarten with the resolve to kill them all, it was my husband who stopped my raging self.
“Honey, doing that won’t get us anything.”
“You can tolerate this?! Aren’t you angry? I can’t stand it. I’m going to rip every hair out of those bitches’ heads!”
“Honey, don’t you know that if we react like this, those bastards just bark louder? It only makes the rumors worse.”
“How can you…!”
“I’m frustrated too. I want to grind up every single one of those kids who hit our daughter and their parents.”
My husband, who was always as calm as a still lake, showed killing intent before me for the first time as he spoke those words.
Just as much as I did.
No, perhaps even more than me—his desire to kill those wretches was written plainly across his face.
Yet he calmed his rage and made the better choice for our family’s peace and well-being.
In the end, I followed my husband to Gangbuk.
Since there were still legal issues pending and I was uncomfortable changing my registered address, we found an apartment in Gangbuk under my husband’s name.
My husband’s commute to work grew longer, but he always returned home without a trace of exhaustion.
With a bright face, a face that put the heart at ease for anyone beside him.
Our daughter Siyun made new friends at her new kindergarten and found her smile again.
And I too… was able to smile again.
Yes, what does it matter what others say?
As long as my family is happy, that’s all that matters.
As long as my family, just like now, doesn’t lose their laughter.
“We’ve got them.”
But a few days later, a phone call came through, and my heart began racing again.
The anger I’d forgotten, the tension, the shock that made my hands and feet tremble… surfaced once more.
I wanted to see with my own eyes the ones who had caused pain to my life, the ones who had brought sorrow to my home.
I felt like I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I slapped them across the face.
“Honey, are you really sure you’ll be okay alone?”
“You have to go to work tomorrow. I’ll go and check things out carefully.”
“Even with detectives there, isn’t it dangerous for you to go alone?”
“It’s fine. I’ll sleep at the Nonhyeon-dong apartment tonight, so you stay here with Siyun.”
“Are you really sure?”
“Don’t worry. I’m Kim Hanna.”
To catch even a glimpse of those scammers’ faces, I laid down to sleep alone at the Nonhyeon-dong apartment, and woke early in the morning to steel my resolve.
And just as I was about to leave the house.
Beep—! Beep—!
[Tutorial completed.]
[Battlesteam’s highly anticipated fourth game, ‘Another World,’ has had its release date determined!]
[Time remaining until new game launch: 3 years.]
[Open beta testing of existing games will be conducted until the new release.]
An emergency disaster alert had arrived.

* * *
A lengthy narrative materialized before the eyes of every player.
Park Sangil read through all the text and closed the System Message.
Then he gazed upon the Zombie King, who lay unconscious on the cold floor.
Park Sanghun approached and called out to Park Sangil.
“Older brother, this story… could it be…?”
“It’s about Kim Hanna here and the Zombie King.”
“Doesn’t something seem off?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s no mention of religion. Isn’t that different from the game’s setting?”
Then Siyun’s Father, Kim Hanna’s husband standing beside her, spoke up.
“It’s about our family.”
“Pardon?”
“Our Hanna… after that incident, she went to dawn prayers every day.”
“…”
“She wasn’t originally someone who believed in God or took interest in religion, but after that day, she attended the cathedral.”
“…”
“She said that going to dawn prayers calmed her heart, and she prayed every day for our family’s peace and wellbeing.”
Siyun’s Father gazed down at his wife’s face.
To everyone else, she was an object of terror, but not to him.
A man sitting on the floor, cradling the Zombie King’s head in his lap.
Though he appeared cold and distant to others, to his wife he was the most tender and devoted husband in the world.

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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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