Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 88

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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 088
[Baek Doyun’s Gloves (Bound)]
[Equipping the gloves increases Health and Strength by 20%.]
-30% chance to trigger the ‘Blood Combat’ effect.
-When Blood Combat activates, the next attack applies as a multi-hit.
The gauntlet’s name had changed to gloves.
Though looking at the form, they were closer to gloves than a gauntlet anyway.
The Blood Combat effect’s activation probability had risen from 20% to 30%.
The multi-hit effect remained unchanged, but Strength was now added to the stat that previously only increased Health.
It was a sufficiently satisfying result.
What concerned me was….
‘How will they implement multi-hit?’
I couldn’t implement the Sandworm’s shield, so could they really implement multi-hit?
“Oh right, Doyun.”
“Yes, Sangha.”
“And this.”
Park Sangha opened his inventory and pulled out arm guards, handing them to me.
The arm guards that had been a dark crimson color had transformed into a pitch-black shade.
It was far darker and murkier than the black from when I first crafted the original arm guards.
“I strengthened your arm guards too.”
“What? My arm guards are a waste of points….”
“We had spare points, so I did it.”
“I heard from Sangil’s hyung. You said we have no points left now.”
Park Sangha made an awkward expression, then glanced away and shot a look at Park Sangil.
Park Sangil shrugged as if it was no big deal.
Knowing Park Sangha’s desire to always be a reliable support, I didn’t say anything more.
“Try putting them on.”
As I equipped the arm guards Park Sangha handed me, I felt a change in my body as if I’d put on a perfectly fitted rash guard.
Outwardly, they looked no different from the old arm guards except for the color change.
Yet I felt this sensation….
‘It’s a change in physical ability.’
The sensation of increased physical ability from equipping the arm guards being felt through my skin.
Why? The arm guards’ effect shouldn’t have increased that much.
“Show me my current physical stats.”
As I looked at the System Message and asked, these numbers appeared before my eyes.
[Current Stats: Health 170, Strength 170, Agility 170, Skin Resilience 600, Mentality 600]
[Damage Reduction: 15%]
[Points Held: 8,950]
[Coins Held: 3]
Originally, my base stats were Health, Strength, and Agility at 150.
It seemed the protective gear boosted my stats by 20, but it no longer showed in parentheses.
‘Is that why the fit feels different?’
Now the protective gear’s abilities applied directly to my base stats.
Before, the increased physical abilities from the gear had always felt disconnected from my body.
That sensation had completely vanished.
If that’s the case….
Could I now fully receive the stat increases from using Skills?
For example, if I used Balhwa while wearing the old protective gear.
My stats would have increased like 300(+15).
But now that the parentheses are gone, it becomes 340.
What happens when I equip a weapon on top of this?
Eager to check immediately, I put on the gloves and gripped the curved sword in my hand.
“Show me my current stats.”
[Current Stats: Vitality 204, Strength 204, Agility 221, Epidermis 600, Mentality 600]
This is insane.
Stats far exceeding the episode’s maximum threshold.
On top of that, my damage reduction increased from 10% to 15%.
I let out a dry cough and glanced up at the sky.
Gaia… you made a promise, so you won’t go back on your word, right?
Since there’s no message about imposing restrictions, it seems I’ve gotten through this unscathed.
All preparations are complete.
Now what remains….
is to see the ending of this game.

* * *
The search team boarded vehicles 1, 2, and 3.
Kyeongeo seemed bothered that she’d only given chocolate to me, so this time she handed some to Park Sangil as well.
“Dad! Please be careful out there!”
“Kyeongeo, you need to listen well to your mom.”
“Okay!”
“Not ‘okay’—you should say ‘yes.'”
“Yesss!”
Kyeongeo grinned widely, and the children behind her beamed as they waved us off.
Park Sangil smiled contentedly, kissed Kyeongeo’s cheek, and spoke to Kim Heejoo.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“If anything happens, tell Kim Miyeon right away. Got it?”
“Don’t worry about us—just come back safely.”
Park Sangil boarded the vehicle, and his voice came through the radio.
-This is Vehicle 2. Vehicles 1 and 3, please respond in order.
“Yes, I copy.”
Crackle—
-I copy as well.
Vehicle 1 carried Kim Suhan, myself, Kang Haneul, Do Sohee, and Hwang Anbae.
Vehicle 2 carried Park Sangil, Park Sanghun, Han Hye-ri, the Middle School Student with Healing Factor, and Elder Kwak Cheolmin.
Vehicle 3 carried Hong Yeonhui, Jang Wooheok, and Park Youngsu.
I picked up the radio and spoke to Hong Yeonhui in Vehicle 3.
“Yeon-hee, like I said before, don’t overextend yourself. Hong Ryeon is still dangerous in this episode.”
-I know. Close combat is risky, but we can take them all down with crossbows and rifles just fine.
Hong Ryeon’s Survivors, who had defeated the Giant Zombie on Sebit Island and cleared through the Zombie King episode, achieving their second awakening.
However, due to insufficient points, they wore protective gear one tier below the Hunting Dog Alliance’s standard.
The stats of 4-reinforced protective gear and 3-reinforced protective gear were worlds apart.
3-reinforced protective gear had lower physical capabilities than the common zombies roaming the streets, so having them take the front lines was a burden.
In the end, only Hong Yeonhui and Park Youngsu, who possessed Shooter abilities, would engage in combat with crossbows and rifles, while Jang Wooheok, who possessed Healing Factor, would provide support.
-Are you really sure just us is enough? The twelfth episode… you know the difficulty is absolutely insane.
Hong Yeonhui’s voice crackled through the radio.
One might think the defensive team was too large, but the offensive team had the most reliable support imaginable.
“We have Kim Hanna. That’s enough.”
Zombie King Kim Hanna.
With her fighting alongside us, the offensive team’s combat power was more than sufficient.
Moreover, with mutant zombies becoming increasingly prevalent, adding more personnel to the offensive team would only create confusion.
I picked up the radio and spoke.
“We’re moving out. Suhan will take point, so please follow closely.”

* * *
-Doyun, we’re heading to Gangbyeon-bukro, right?
Park Sangil’s voice crackled through the radio.
Since vehicles 2 and 3 were following vehicle 1, he seemed to want to confirm our route.
“Yes. We’ll continue straight on Gangbyeon-bukro and then cross via Jamsil Bridge.”
-We already cleared Seongsu Bridge. Why not go that way?
“You saw how the zombies are clustered on the Gangnam side. The passage to Songpa will likely be similar.”
-Won’t we pick up zombie points along the way?
“The zombies’ physical abilities aren’t what they used to be. The Sandworm won’t last long against them.”
Crackle— crackle—
Static mixed through the radio, then Hong Yeonhui’s voice came through.
-Ah, sorry for interrupting, but can I say something too?
-Sure, go ahead.
-Park Sangil, feel free to speak casually. Doyun’s already speaking informally, so it feels awkward when you use formal speech.
-Ah, right. Go on then.
-The Sandworm works well up to the tenth episode, but by the twelfth episode, you should have upgraded to the Hive.
-Hive? Is that the name of the next modification after the Sandworm?
-Yes. At the current state, you could hold out for about fifteen minutes fighting multiple zombies.
After listening to Hong Yeonhui’s explanation, I smiled and asked.
“Hong Yeonhui, honestly, how far did you clear? We don’t need to hide anything from each other now.”
-Didn’t I mention it before? I got to just before the ending. Failed because I couldn’t make the vaccine.
Even without me, there would have been plenty of people who saw the ending of No Way Home.
Hong Yeonhui was the person closest to achieving it.
Perhaps… I was simply fortunate.
“I agree with that assessment, but upgrading to the Hive under current circumstances is impossible.”
-Can’t be helped. We jumped from the second episode straight to the twelfth.
“Right. If we’d progressed through the episodes gradually while hunting zombies, the Hive would definitely have been possible.”
-Getting the Sandworm under these ridiculous conditions is impressive. I respect that.
Hong Yeonhui’s words made me feel unexpectedly embarrassed.
No matter how much praise I received, I never got used to it.
“Uh? Doyun, look there.”
Following that, Kim Suhan, who held the steering wheel, gradually slowed the vehicle.
The heavy rain had stopped, but the world remained shrouded in thick mist.
My visibility extended at most fifty meters.
“What is it, a zombie?”
“I’m not sure what that is.”
“What does it look like?”
“It looks similar to a Water Demon, but… it’s a bit different from what I know.”
Similar to a Water Demon but slightly different?
“Stop.”
Screech—!
Kim Suhan slammed on the brakes in urgency.
I leaned my upper body against the front windshield, squinting my eyes open.
The silhouette appeared hazy through the glass.
Unlike the Water Demon from before that had collapsed on the ground whimpering, this one—now twice as massive—shuffled forward with a grotesque gait.
Long hair cascading down to its pelvis and shoulders sagging limply.
Its thin, spindly arms swayed side to side like reeds bending in the wind.
The monstrous creature walked along the riverside road with its head hung low.
I swallowed hard and picked up the radio.
“Water Demon ahead. Everyone, stay alert.”
Kim Suhan beside me tilted his head and asked.
“That’s a Water Demon?”
“It is a Water Demon. But it’s the twelfth episode—there’s no comparison to the Water Demons we knew before.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told you. Just as we grow and Zombies grow, Mutants grow too. Mutant Zombies are the same.”
….
Crackle—
Hong Yeonhui’s voice came through the radio next.
-What stage is it?
“Looks like stage 4.”
-Stage 4 already? Stage 4 shouldn’t appear until the fourteenth episode….
“Everything’s been accelerated. Mutants appeared in the first episode to begin with. There’s nothing strange about it.”
Hong Yeonhui, who had played No Way Home, understood immediately.
But the group in vehicle two did not.
-Doyun, what is that? Stage 4?
“Mutants evolve with each passing episode.”
-Can we handle it?
“A stage 4 Mutant can only be defeated by me or Kim Hanna.”
-Something like that just appears out of nowhere?
“There should have been an episode where Zombies and Mutants fight each other as we progress through the main episodes, but we skipped that too, so this is what happened.”
Originally, there should have been an episode where Zombies and Mutants fought to protect their own territories, consuming and being consumed as they grew to a certain level.
Through that process, the numbers of Zombies and Mutants should have decreased, but since we skipped most episodes, the ones that exist now….
‘They’ve been forcibly evolved.’
Zombies, Mutants, Mutant Zombies—all had grown rapidly to match the system’s progression speed.
And their numbers hadn’t decreased at all.
‘Is this what’s going to happen?’
Gaia, who had promised not to interfere with my work.
-Just as I don’t touch you, you mustn’t go against my will either.
Something felt off about that.
Unable to place restrictions on me, she had simply raised the difficulty of the game instead.
“Everyone, reverse!”
-Are you trying to evade?
Park Sangil’s voice crackled through the radio.
“No. We’re going to accelerate as much as possible and ram it.”
It was time to use the Sandworm’s special ability.
It could block strong impacts up to five times per hour, so I would accelerate as much as possible and push the Water Demon aside.
If I could see its shadow with my own eyes, the Water Demon would have already sensed our presence.
Vrroooom— vuuuum—
The modified vehicles all reversed in unison.
“Suhan, how was it when you and Sangha went to test the modified vehicle earlier?”
“It just pushed through utility poles like they were nothing.”
“Has an hour passed?”
“Yes. Should we go now?”
“Don’t hesitate. Press the accelerator all the way down.”
Vroooooom—!! Baaaaaang—!!!
The RPM shot up in an instant.
I gripped the assist handle as my entire body was pushed backward by the pressure, tensing my eyes.
I could see the creature in the mist staring at us with both arms spread wide open.
Instead of evading or defending, it opened its lower jaw wide.
“Everyone, cover your ears!!”
Everyone in the vehicle immediately covered their ears with both hands, but Kim Suhan, who was gripping the steering wheel, was a moment too late.
“Shrieeeeeeeeek—!!!!”
A piercing sound like a pig being slaughtered struck my eardrums.
Sharp, needle-like sensations erupted across my entire body as electric currents spread through me.
Even though I had covered my ears completely, an endless ringing persisted.
Crash—!!!!
The vehicle rammed directly into the Water Demon.
I saw with my own eyes that the Water Demon was hit, but almost no impact was transmitted to us.
The Sandworm’s special effect was blocking the shock to this degree.
The effect was definitely working.
Screech— screech—! Squeal!
In that moment, the vehicle began to shake violently as if the steering wheel had broken.
‘Suhan.’
I checked Kim Suhan in the driver’s seat a moment too late.
“Suhan!”
Blood was flowing from Kim Suhan’s eyes, ears, and nose.
Kim Suhan was convulsing, foam at his mouth.
He should have been pressing the brake, but having lost consciousness, he continued pressing the accelerator.

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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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