Player in a Ruined World – Chapter 008
So… did that mean they only had four character options to choose from?
No wonder no one had picked Buster.
That’s why they each chose a different one.
“We’ve never heard of that character. What does it do?”
“It’s a character that can enhance the body.”
“Enhance the body?! Like strength and stamina? That sounds insanely overpowered.”
“You can raise those easily with Maker equipment too.”
“Ah… really?”
“It seems like only people who’ve played or cleared No Way Home can choose Buster. This is my first time realizing that too.”
“Why would they design it like that?”
“I don’t know… but it feels like the system’s consideration.”
At the word consideration, Park Sang-il tilted his head.
He didn’t understand.
I shrugged.
“If you had chosen Buster, you’d all be zombies by now.”
“Is it that bad?”
There was no need to explain everything.
A rough explanation was enough.
I asked about their stats.
They all had around 15 in strength, agility, and stamina.
That made sense—other characters started with stat bonuses.
But Buster…
“Buster starts with all stats at 5.”
Park Sang-il didn’t ask anything further.
One-third of normal.
When zombies had stats of 12 or 14, surviving with 5 was impossible.
Even I would’ve hesitated to choose Buster if I hadn’t received clear rewards and beta bonuses.
Sang-il scratched his head.
“So if someone who didn’t know the game picked Buster… they’d just die early?”
“Exactly. That’s probably why only experienced players can select it.”
“What are your stats right now?”
“Similar to yours. Just a bit higher.”
“So body enhancement means you can directly raise stats.”
“…Yes.”
“Is it easy to level up?”
“It costs 100 points for 1 stat.”
“100 for just one?! Then… you killed over 3,000 zombies in two days?”
One zombie equals one point.
In reality, I earned around 5,300 points.
4,000 of that was bonus.
But I didn’t need to explain.
I just looked at him.
Sang-il slowly nodded.
“I could tell… from the way you crushed their faces. You’re not normal.”
“….”
“Feels embarrassing that I doubted you.”
“It’s understandable.”
As Sang-il stood there stunned, Sang-ha spoke.
“At that level… we should be thanking you for choosing us.”
No one disagreed.
Silently, they all accepted it.
Since I had questions too, I asked,
“By the way, where did you come from?”
“Near Sangwangsimni Station.”
That was northwest of Seongdong District.
I tilted my head.
“Was that your starting shelter?”
“You mean the first building we reached?”
“Yes.”
“There’s an elementary school there. That’s where we ended up.”
I had started at an apartment.
So shelters differed per person.
Sang-il spoke with a bitter expression.
“That place… wasn’t good.”
Then Sang-hoon added,
“It was full of trash.”
“Trash?”
“We’re the same age—just speak casually.”
“Oh… okay.”
He explained.
About 200 survivors gathered at the school.
Since it was a school, food had to be gathered outside.
People split into two groups—
Those who wanted to go out.
And those who wanted to wait for rescue.
Their family chose to go out.
But they were outnumbered.
‘Makes sense. No one wants to go outside with zombies roaming.’
“Then yesterday… things went bad.”
Those who stayed inside attacked those who risked their lives to bring food back.
For one reason—
Food.
Outnumbered, they couldn’t fight back.
People who lost reason over food were no different from zombies.
So Sang-il fled with his family.
They avoided zombies all night, taking turns keeping watch.
Then in the morning—
They got spotted.
And ended up in the situation I found them in.
“If it weren’t for you… we’d never have seen each other again.”
I nodded.
“I understand. Then… you should rest here.”
“…What?”
“I’m going out to hunt zombies.”
“You’re going out again?!”
“Yes.”
“…You said you killed over 3,000 in two days.”
“….”
“We were barely surviving, and you’re hunting them… unbelievable.”
Sang-il laughed in disbelief.
Then picked up his knife.
“I don’t like being carried. I’ll help.”
“Dear…”
Kim Hee-joo grabbed his sleeve anxiously.
He gave a small nod, then looked at his daughter.
Even without words, it was clear—
He knew.
If he wanted his family to be treated fairly—
He had to earn it.
In this world, strength determined voice.
‘The more I see, the more I like him.’
Responsible. Rational.
Then Sang-ha and Sang-hoon stood up too.
“Three is safer than two.”
“And four is better than three.”
They were supporting their brother.
Better than expected.
I went inside, grabbed notebooks and tape, and returned.
“Wrap these around yourselves.”
They had already seen how I protected my limbs.
No explanation needed.
They understood.
Sang-il finished preparing and said to his wife,
“Take care of Kyung-seo.”
“Are you sure?”
“We have to get used to it.”
Then he asked me,
“They can stay here, right?”
“Yes.”
I had no intention of bringing them along.
If the child cried—it would be disastrous.
I turned to them.
“Be careful while we’re gone.”
“Yes… like what?”
“Don’t open windows. Don’t touch curtains.”
“Okay!”
“And don’t turn on lights at night. Be careful of wind too.”
“Wind?”
“If curtains move, you’ll be noticed.”
She nodded repeatedly.
Then I looked at the child.
“And… make sure she doesn’t cry.”
“…Okay.”
“No loud sounds. The zombies earlier came because of her voice.”
She hugged her daughter.
“I’ll take care of her.”
I crouched down.
“Got it, Kyung-seo?”
“…sniff…”
She looked like she might cry.
…I smiled though.
Am I scary?
She buried her face into her mother.
Shy kid.
Once everyone was ready, Sang-il asked,
“Got a plan?”
“You’ll lead since you can see. We only engage groups of five or less.”
“Talk casually.”
“Ah… okay. Hyung leads.”
That word felt strange.
I wasn’t used to calling someone that.
“Why not fight like earlier?”
“If we overdo it, we’ll burn out. This is long-term hunting.”
“Ah.”
“Slow and steady.”
“…You even think about stamina.”
“It’s hunting.”
He nodded.
I pulled out my 3D map.
With a click, the terrain appeared.
Sang-ha stared.
“What is that?”
“A 3D map.”
“How’d you get it?”
“Clear reward.”
“Can I see?”
I handed it over.
It shut off instantly.
“It’s bound to me.”
“…Wow.”
It had helped a lot.
Without it, rescuing them would’ve been harder.
“Let’s move.”
I gripped my bat and stepped out.
The three brothers followed.
* * *
We hunted until sunset.
Earned plenty of points.
And I observed their skills.
Most people panicked when seeing zombies.
But not them.
They fought.
Still rough—but improving.
I gave advice:
- Always confirm kills
- Watch for fallen zombies
- Aim for temples, neck, arteries
- Focus on balance, not brute force
They absorbed everything like sponges.
“It’s too dark…”
Sang-ha muttered.
He was right.
Pitch black.
No moonlight.
Heavy rain and clouds made it worse.
“Sang-il, what can you see?”
“Like night vision.”
Sang-hoon was amazed.
I’d only seen it in-game.
Sang-il scanned the area.
“No zombies nearby. Let’s head back.”
Probably around 11 PM.
I nodded.
We killed about 200 zombies.
My stamina reached 30.
Enough for today.
No need to push further.
We needed rest.
Because tomorrow—
The first main episode begins.
