Player of a Ruined World - Chapter 97

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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 097
Was it because I was gripping the gauntlets and the curved blade?
My stats were maintaining a level that exceeded 150, the physical ability cap of the Main Episode.
Moreover, when I checked my accumulated points, I couldn’t close my gaping mouth.
I never expected to earn this much.
I’d hunted many Mutants and Mutant Zombies, and the number of Zombies I’d slain was considerable, so 170,000 points had accumulated quickly.
So then….
“Enhance Balhwa.”
[Will you consume 30,000 points to enhance the Skill ‘Balhwa’?]
“Yes.”
[Enhancing Skill ‘Balhwa’.]
Ding-!
[Balhwa Lv.2: Strength, Agility, and Stamina increase 2-fold for 10 minutes, and movement speed increases 1.5-fold.]
-Cooldown: 40 minutes.
Seeing the changes to Balhwa, my eyes lifted at the corners without my realizing it.
Nothing changed except the cooldown reduction?
I remember that in No Way Home, the skill duration also increased.
Is it because it’s still only Lv.2?
“Keep enhancing.”
[Will you consume 60,000 points to enhance the Skill ‘Balhwa’?]
“Yes.”
[Enhancing Skill ‘Balhwa’.]
Ding-!
[Balhwa Lv.3: Strength, Agility, and Stamina increase 2-fold for 10 minutes, and movement speed increases 1.5-fold.]
-Cooldown: 20 minutes.
This time too, only the cooldown decreased.
My remaining points were now 80,250.
The next enhancement would require 120,000 points.
Was my memory mistaken?
Why is only the cooldown decreasing?
Though disappointed inwardly, pondering wouldn’t yield answers.
‘Could it be because of this?’
The cooldown reduction was 20 minutes.
In No Way Home, it decreased by 10 minutes each time, but in reality, it decreased by 20 minutes.
Now I could use Balhwa every 20 minutes.
Perhaps the larger cooldown reduction meant there were no stat changes.
I’d understand better once I reached Level 4.
Besides, skill enhancement was the only remaining use for my points anyway.
Vroooom-
Following that, I heard an automobile engine sound and spotted 2 Sandworms approaching this location.
“Hyung!”
Kim Suhan rushed out of the vehicle after his treatment was complete, hurrying to my side.
“I’m sorry. I should have covered my ears, but I was afraid to let go of the steering wheel, so I couldn’t.”
Kim Suhan immediately began apologizing.
I ruffled his hair and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes! I’m completely fine.”
Kim Suhan smiled brightly as he looked at me.
I offered a faint smile in return and spoke.
“Actually, I’m the one who should apologize. I was supposed to be driving, but it seems like I’m putting too much burden on you.”
“No, that’s not it! You’re already carrying so much, hyung.”
“….”
“You’re doing enough as it is. I’m the one who feels sorry for not being more helpful… I’m always sorry.”
Kim Suhan, still just a high school student.
He’s doing more than enough.
I gently flicked his forehead and said, “Don’t apologize. You’re doing just fine.”
“Hyung….”
“Let’s go. We need to clear out L Tower before it gets any later.”
“Yes! I won’t make any mistakes this time!”
Kim Suhan rushed toward the driver’s seat.
Hong Yeonhui, who had been watching him, scratched the bridge of her nose as she approached me.
“He’s completely a fan of yours, isn’t he?”
“Huh?”
“You’re pretty good to your younger ones.”
“….”
I haven’t done anything particularly good or bad for them.
I’ve simply lived my life doing the best I could.
“I’ve just fulfilled my duty.”
When I spoke my honest feelings, Elder Chulmin beside me smiled warmly and said,
“That’s the hardest thing to do.”
“….”
“Doing your best in your own position. Not many people do that.”
“Is that so?”
You’ve worked at a company before, haven’t you? Out of ten people, three or four are salary thieves, and another three or four only do what they’re told. And even that, slowly.”
Now that I think about it, that’s true.
It depends on the company, but there are places where most people don’t do their work and just jingle bells all day.
I chuckled dryly and asked Elder Chulmin, “Then what about the remaining two or three?”
“One is the representative, and the remaining one or two are the real gems.”
I asked Mr. Chulmin with a faint smile.
“Then what about the remaining two or three people?”
“One person is the representative, and the remaining one or two are the key members.”
“Now that you mention it, I suppose that’s true.”
“Doyun, you’re a gem. You say you do your best in your own position, but you’re always helping us as well, aren’t you?”
“….”
“Who wouldn’t like someone like that?”
“….”
“To the children, you must seem like an idol.”
Elder Chulmin’s praise left me feeling oddly embarrassed.
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
“There are groups who see such people as easy marks, but there are also those who are grateful and want to work harder, aren’t there?”
“That’s right.”
“I want to work harder because I think you’re all good people. I want to do well.”
At that, every Hunting Dog Alliance member around me stared at me with wide, astonished eyes and gaping mouths.
What? Why are they looking at me like that?
“Wow, Doyun has grown a lot.”
At Park Sangil’s words, Elder Chulmin laughed heartily and patted my back.
“Haha! Good, a very positive change indeed.”
“…?”
A positive change?
What was I like before that would warrant such a reaction?
Park Sangha, who had been observing the situation, smiled warmly at me instead of saying anything else.
Park Sangha, who had said I seemed to be searching for reasons to think poorly of myself.
Suddenly, his words about how there seemed to be an invisible wall within me came to mind.
Perhaps that smile Park Sangha showed me meant that the wall had finally crumbled.
Without my realizing it, I had been gradually melting into the group.
I was living among people, in a place where human warmth existed.

* * *
The voices of Zombies echoing through the thick fog.
I sat in the passenger seat, examining the 3D terrain map while picking up the radio.
“We’re almost there.”
-Once we cross the Jamsil Bridge, L Tower is right ahead.
Park Sangil’s voice came through the radio.
He was right.
The moment we crossed the Jamsil Bridge, the towering silhouettes of countless high-rise buildings came into view.
We moved along Songpa-daero at a reduced speed.
After passing the apartment complexes on both sides, the clear form of L Tower came into focus.
“Suhan, do you see any Zombies nearby?”
“We made such a commotion at the Jamsil Bridge that I don’t see any yet.”
“Let me know if you spot any clusters of Zombies.”
“Got it.”
Kim Suhan scanned the surroundings with wide, alert eyes.
Meanwhile, I called out to Kim Hanna in the back seat.
“Hanna, has your Skill cooldown reset?”
-Not yet.
“How many usable Skills do you have?”
-None. The King’s Summons is already exhausted.
When multiple Zombies appeared, Kim Hanna’s King’s Summons was a Skill that could instantly turn the situation around.
It could convert all Zombies within a 300-meter range into Subordinates.
But it wasn’t a Skill that could be used indefinitely.
Like my Challenge of the Tyrant, it had daily usage limits.
It could be used every 30 minutes, but the maximum was three times per day.
Since we’d already used all three charges getting through Jayangno and the Jamsil Bridge, we couldn’t rely on King’s Summons anymore.
“Suhan, are there no Zombies at the building entrance?”
“They’re starting to appear little by little.”
“Then park here.”
We stopped in front of Exit 7 of Jamsil Station and exited the vehicle with muffled footsteps.
As we got out, the mixed-use complex and large mart came into view right ahead.
Hong Yeonhui approached my side and spoke.
“Don’t just stand there gawking. Stick to the wall. The building is crawling with Zombies.”
The Zombies inside didn’t seem to have heard the commotion from the Jamsil Bridge.
There was no reason to deal with the Zombies in the mixed-use complex.
With all sorts of Mutant Zombies in there, it was better to just confirm our destination and move on.
“Should we handle the Zombies at the L Tower entrance?”
Park Sangil, Elder Chulmin, Kim Suhan, and Park Youngsu approached next.
I nodded readily to their question.
“Use crossbows instead of rifles.”
“Okay.”
As Park Sangil shouldered his crossbow, the other members with Shooter abilities followed suit in unison.
Twang— twang— thud-twang— twang—
Bolts pierced through the thick mist, flying forward.
Thwack! Thud! Thud!
The sound of bolts embedding into flesh mixed with the thuds of falling zombies.
Park Sangil crossed the sprawling Jamsil Station intersection, his eyes sweeping left and right.
The Shooters led the way, with the rest following behind them.
I trailed after the students, staying alert for any threats from behind.
Park Sangil continued forward, recovering the bolts lodged between the fallen zombies’ brows.
Every movement flowed as naturally as water.
The same was true for Elder Chulmin, Hong Yeonhui, Park Youngsu, and Kim Suhan.
Even Han Hye-ri, who was responsible for the defensive team.
Like seasoned instructors, they all moved toward the L Tower entrance with barely a sound.
After passing the luxury goods mall visible just ahead, the entrance to L Tower came into view beside it.
“We’re going in.”
At Park Sangil’s words, everyone behind him nodded.
Creeeak—
Was it from the heavy rain that had poured down for so long?
No matter how slowly I pushed the glass door, the rusty hinges creaked loudly.
Park Sangil pressed his lips together tightly and carefully opened the door to minimize the sound.
Upon entering, a vast lobby spread before us.
Or should I call it an atrium?
Regardless, I could take in the interior situation at a glance.
The problem was that the space was so open, the amount of information my eyes had to process was overwhelming.
“Sangil and Elder Chulmin, please focus on the first floor. Yeon-hee, Park Youngsu, Suhan, and Hye-ri, check the second floor.”
I quickly assigned positions and we moved forward in silence.
Once, L Tower had been a place where countless people came to shop and enjoy entertainment.
But now….
“Isn’t it too quiet?”
“Our voices echo in here.”
Park Sangil and Hong Yeonhui were right.
The interior of L Tower was so empty you wouldn’t see a single ant.
I had expected zombies to be swarming everywhere, but instead, the silence felt almost jarring.
“Could the place where the Sandworm is set up be a safe house?”
At Do Sohee’s question, I paused to gather my thoughts.
“It’s possible. Most safe houses are designated with subway stations in between.”
If safe houses were designated centered around Jamsil Station….
Yes, the mixed-use building where we parked the vehicle and L Tower might both have been designated as safe houses.
Since this place failed to stabilize as a safe house, there’s no way anyone would still be here.
No people means no Zombies either.
Since there are many Zombies inside the mixed-use complex, I suspect the L Tower was the first safe house to be abandoned.
Perhaps… I might be able to clear the main episode far more smoothly than expected.
“Doyun’s brother, what should we do now?”
Kang Haneul, who had been quietly following along, asked, and Han Hye-ri beside him opened her mouth.
“The mister said it when we left. We need to find traces of the research facility.”
Han Hye-ri was still calling me mister.
Called “brother” by the male students and “mister” by the female students.
Every time I hear it, I get confused about whether they’re calling me or someone else.
Kang Haneul asked with a sullen expression.
“I know I need to find traces of the research facility too. But look. Does it seem like there would be any traces of a research facility here?”
“….”
“There needs to be a place where research is actually conducted to find any clues in the first place.”
“….”
“It’s all luxury brand stores everywhere—what kind of research would happen here?”
At Kang Haneul’s question, Han Hye-ri made a sullen face and stopped walking.
Students who fight constantly.
I can just laugh and watch when they argue in the safe house, but outside, I can’t tolerate it.
“Both of you—focus, will you?”
As I raised my eyes sharply and asked, Kang Haneul and Han Hye-ri quickly closed their mouths.
Han Hye-ri opened her inventory and handed the bolts and ammunition magazines inside to the people at the front.
It seemed she thought Park Sangil, Elder Chulmin, and Hong Yeonhui would be running low on bolts after the prolonged battle.
Judging by how everyone accepted the bolts Han Hye-ri offered without complaint, there weren’t many bolts and ammunition left.
“Psst.”
At that moment, Elder Chulmin at the front raised his right hand and gave a stop signal.
Without anyone needing to say it first, the shooters readied their crossbows and scanned their surroundings.
“What is it?”
Park Sangil asked, and Elder Chulmin, eyes narrowed, pointed toward the second floor.
“Something just passed over there.”

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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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