Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 89

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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 089
“Suhan! Kim Suhan!”
I gripped the steering wheel urgently and checked Kim Suhan’s condition.
His pallid complexion and body trembling without cease.
Even his eyes had rolled back into his head.
His eardrums had ruptured.
The Water Demon’s scream had sent shockwaves all the way to his brain—if I didn’t treat him immediately, his condition would become critical.
“So Hee! Hold Suhan’s head!”
Do Sohee, who had been in the back seat, quickly grabbed Kim Suhan’s head instead of responding.
Then she cried out with an alarmed expression.
“Dad, we need to treat him right now! Can’t you pull over?! He needs to lie down immediately to concentrate!”
I knew that.
But how could I hit the brakes when I couldn’t see?!
With only fifty meters of visibility, driving in this awkward posture wasn’t easy either.
My eyes never blinked as I scanned the road ahead, and then the fork between Jamsil Bridge and Cheonho Bridge appeared.
There was no other choice.
All I could do was hope to crash into the impact barrier and stop.
“Everyone hold on tight!!”
I shouted to the group behind me, and they all grabbed the assist grips with both hands.
Do Sohee had nothing to grab, so she seemed to grip Kim Suhan’s head even tighter.
Crash-!!!
The vehicle rammed directly into the impact barrier.
But thanks to the Sandworm’s effect, the vehicle pierced through the impact barrier like soft tofu.
The Sandworm didn’t stop there, pushing through even the thick road sign post.
I was so shocked I couldn’t even scream.
How could I stop this when it was piercing through everything?!
Screech-!!
But if I had to call it a blessing in disguise—
This was an overpass interchange section.
The left wheel climbing toward Cheonho Bridge went up the elevated ramp, while the right wheel heading toward Jamsil Bridge went down the lower ramp.
The first vehicle, having pierced through the impact barrier, naturally tipped over to its side.
Screech-screech-screech!!!
The vehicle lost its balance and flipped, and the metal bars attached to the windows began grinding against the asphalt surface.
Sparks flickered endlessly before my eyes.
There was nothing we could do inside the tumbling vehicle.
We could only pray the vehicle would stop.
A normal vehicle would have stopped quickly, but the Sandworm wasn’t grinding the vehicle—it was grinding through the asphalt itself.
The hardness made it difficult to stop.
“Everyone hold on!!”
“Aaaahhhhh!”
Only after sliding several dozen meters did Vehicle 1 finally come to a halt.
My vision spun, so I shook my head vigorously and pressed my temples.
“Is everyone okay?!”
I glanced back slightly.
“Y-yes…”
“Hyung, are you alright?”
“What about Suhan?”
Everyone’s faces had gone pale, but no one was injured.
My party members groaned and spoke one by one.
“Let’s get out. We need to exit and treat Suhan first.”
“…Yes!”
As I helped Kim Suhan out of the vehicle, I spotted Vehicles 2 and 3 rushing toward us.
“Doyun! What happened?!”
Park Sangil’s expression was alarmed.
Hong Yeonhui looked the same way.
“Sangil Hyung, are you okay? You must have heard the Water Demon’s scream too.”
“We’re fine. Thanks to Vehicle 1 taking the direct hit.”
Right, sound reflects off objects too.
Vehicles 2 and 3 didn’t seem to have suffered as much damage as we did.
“Uncle Doyun, lay Suhan Oppa down quickly.”
Do Sohee, who had followed behind, checked Kim Suhan’s condition with an anxious expression.
As I laid Kim Suhan on the ground, the healing specialists here, including Do Sohee, immediately examined his condition.
“Let’s check the vehicles.”
Park Sangha returned to Vehicle 1 with Hwang Anbae, who was beside me.
While the two inspected the vehicle, I remained vigilant and scanned the surroundings without lowering my guard.
“What’s wrong?”
Park Sanghun approached, tilting his head in confusion at my behavior.
Didn’t he notice?
I opened my inventory and gripped my curved sword.
“It’s gone.”
“What is?”
“The Water Demon.”
“The Water Demon? It was completely crushed under Vehicle 1 earlier…”
“We should find the body, but there’s no body either.”
“…”
Moreover, when you kill a Mutant, a System Message confirming the kill appears before your eyes.
Since it was a Stage 4 Mutant, I should have received far more points than before.
But all I witnessed with my own eyes was the Water Demon’s lower body being pulled under the vehicle.
When the car flipped, the Water Demon’s corpse should have been visible beneath it.
Realizing the abnormality belatedly, Park Sanghun also swallowed hard and began scanning the surroundings.
“Doyun! Over here!”
At that moment, Elder Chulmin’s voice rang out from thirty meters away.
When I turned my head, I could see Elder Chulmin surveying the surroundings from atop the hood of Vehicle 2.
The others seemed oblivious, but Elder Chulmin knew.
That the Water Demon was still alive.
As I approached Elder Chulmin, he lowered the binoculars he’d been holding.
“It looks like it fled in that direction.”
“The Water Demon is running away?”
“There’s blood over there.”
I couldn’t see it with my own eyes.
Only those with a Shooter’s ability could confirm it at that distance.
According to Elder Chulmin’s explanation, the Water Demon with one leg ground away had simply abandoned the riverside road.
It had broken through the sound barrier wall visible on the left and fled into the apartment complex.
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“Water Demons don’t flee during combat. They fight until death, even if it’s imminent.”
Then Hong Yeonhui, who was behind me, spoke while gazing at the sound barrier wall.
“It definitely fled.”
“….”
“There’s Water Demon blood on the sound barrier wall. And you know as well as I do—when a Water Demon flees, there’s always a reason.”
I crossed my arms and fell into thought at Hong Yeonhui’s words.
Right, there’s only one reason a Water Demon would flee.
Though it would be more accurate to call it a temporary withdrawal rather than fleeing.
There’s a Reinforcement Type nearby.
Based on the direction the Water Demon fled, there must be a Reinforcement Type somewhere in that apartment complex.
And if there’s a Reinforcement Type….
“So what are you going to do now? We’re already exposed.”
Hong Yeonhui calmly asked for my opinion.
No, she wasn’t asking for my opinion.
The answer was already decided.
She was confirming my resolve.
“Exposed? To whom?”
Park Sangil, unaware of the current situation, looked at Hong Yeonhui and asked.
Hong Yeonhui gestured with her chin toward me, silently telling him I should explain instead.
I smacked my lips and spoke.
“Because of the Reinforcement Type.”
“There’s a Reinforcement Type in that apartment?”
“Yes. I mentioned it before, didn’t I? That there are aggressive mutants.”
“You mean Water Demons, Severing Types, Mimicry Types—things like that? You said Water Demons had poor stamina.”
“You can’t think of Water Demons the way they were before. Back then, because the Water Demon’s stamina was poor, once it fled far enough, we’d give up the chase, but….”
“So you’re saying it’s not an option anymore?”
“Yes. That creature saw us, and it caught our scent.”
Park Sangil listened intently to my explanation while gazing at the highway sound barrier.
I continued speaking calmly.
“Mutants become more distinctive from Stage 3 onward. The aggressive ones grow more aggressive, and the defensive ones grow more defensive.”
“….”
“That Water Demon which fled over there didn’t just discover us—it was also wounded. If we don’t kill it, it will keep coming after us.”
“It’s tracking our scent?”
“Yes.”
Hong Yeonhui, who had been listening quietly, added to my explanation.
“It will bring other mutants along with it.”
At Yeonhui’s words, Park Sangil asked in disbelief.
“Are mutants communicating with each other now?”
“Since the Reinforcement Type appeared, mutants have changed. They’re no longer ruling their own territories individually—they’re starting to join forces.”
“….”
“They’re banding together around the Reinforcement Type.”
Mutants growing increasingly intelligent.
Park Sangil asked with an incredulous expression.
“So… should I think of the Reinforcement Type as the leader of the mutants?”
“No, they’re not banding together because it’s a leader—they’re banding together because it’s a protective type. They can only grow stronger with the Reinforcement Type present.”
“….”
“That’s how the game is designed. The mutants have realized that after a long battle with zombies, they can only survive by joining forces.”
Park Sangil swallowed hard and hesitated, then looked at me and asked.
“So what do we do…?”
“We change our destination. Before heading to L Tower, we need to find that Water Demon that fled.”
“….”
“If we don’t deal with it now, it’s like wearing shackles around our ankles.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Yes. L Tower will have all kinds of mutants, and if the ones there join in, we’ll be pushed back completely.”
I finished my explanation and glanced toward where Vehicle 1 was located.
Park Sangha, Hwang Anbae, and several others were righting the overturned vehicle and checking for any damage.
The Healing Factors were focused on Kim Suhan.
“Have you confirmed where Kim Hanna is?”
I asked while looking at Hong Yeonhui, and she checked the rear.
The Gangbyeon North Road we had just traveled.
“She’s about 400 meters back from here.”
“The situation has changed, so we don’t need to maintain distance anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“We need a separate unit to go after the Reinforcement Type.”
“We’re not all going in together?”
“Suha’s condition is serious, so treatment will take considerable time. The Healing Factors can’t move.”
“….”
“The Makers will need time for vehicle maintenance, and we need Shooters to stay behind and help guard the perimeter in case any Zombies or Mutants approach.”
“So….”
“Let’s settle this among ourselves.”
As I spoke while looking at Hong Yeonhui, Park Sangil, and Elder Chulmin, Hong Yeonhui’s expression grew flustered.
Meanwhile, Park Sangil and Elder Chulmin opened their inventories as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
Rifles and crossbows emerged from within.
“Where should we start?”
“Wait a moment. You’re saying you agree to just the four of us entering a Mutant den?”
When Hong Yeonhui asked in disbelief, Park Sangil chuckled flatly and shrugged his shoulders.
“With Kim Hanna, it’s not just four of us.”
“….”
“We’re a legion.”
Park Sangil smiled contentedly and waved toward Kim Hanna visible in the distance.
I could see Kim Hana, who had been waiting for orders at a distance, rapidly approaching.
On the way to L Tower, I had maintained a certain distance from Kim Hana to gain Zombie points.
Since that was no longer necessary, I pointed toward the H Apartment visible to my left.
“Hana, I think there’s going to be a big fight.”
-Tell what is needed. Help what can be helped.
“A Mutant fled toward that apartment over there. Please give orders to your Subordinates.”
-What command?
“Search the apartment thoroughly and find the Mutant.”
-Wait.
Kim Hana stared in the direction I indicated, then widened her eyes and gnashed her teeth.
I could see Kim Hana’s pupils turn red.
Did her pupils change color when giving orders?
I had gained new information.
No Way Home didn’t implement such minute details.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-
The ground trembled gently, and the sound of hoofbeats echoed from a distance of about 400 meters.
I couldn’t visually confirm the movement path of the Subordinates, but Park Sangil and Hong Yeonhui could.
The two of them marveled as if witnessing a spectacle.
“Wow… Kim Hana’s Subordinates are no joke? The numbers have increased significantly too.”
Ah, right.
Numbers.
By the twelfth episode, the maximum number of Subordinates a Zombie King could command reached 3,000.
Over the past week, I had conducted various experiments while cleaning up street Zombies with Kim Hana.
Through this, I had also replenished the lacking numbers of Subordinates.
But that wasn’t all.
Kim Hanna only accepted zombies with all four limbs intact as her subordinates.
If there was any defect in their bodies, she gave them to me as points.
So the three thousand zombies now moving toward the apartment complex were….
‘Grade A.’
They were no different from a special forces unit selected by the Zombie King himself.
“Hanna, if you spot anything that appears to be a Reinforcement Type, let me know immediately.”
-Understood.
After jotting down brief notes in my notebook, Kim Hanna stared at the apartment complex without blinking once.
She had said the positions of her subordinates would appear as red dots in her mind, so by now a map should be forming in Kim Hanna’s consciousness.
Without needing to directly confirm the interior of the complex, every terrain would be rendered in meticulous detail.
“Grrrrr….”
Not long after, Kim Hanna’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and a faint grinding sound came from her throat.
It had begun.
The battle between the Zombie King’s subordinates and the Mutants.

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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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