Player of the Ruined World – Episode 002
I raised both hands and checked my condition first.
The tape wrapped around my forearms, shins, and biceps was still there.
My clothes and shoes were unchanged as well.
My bag…
Thankfully, it was still with me.
“W-what… where is this?”
“What do we do?! Everything’s soaked!”
“What the hell is going on?!”
People began getting up one by one from the cold asphalt, shielding their heads with both hands as they looked around in confusion.
No one could accept the situation.
They staggered around in panic, completely disoriented.
Amid all that, I swallowed hard.
“This is impossible.”
This was… the opening episode of No Way Home, the game I had played for two years.
The protagonist arrives in the city through a storm so heavy you can barely see ahead.
Then, he must push through dense fog and zombies to find shelter in a nearby building.
That was how No Way Home began.
Thud—!
I ran without looking back.
Rain poured down as if the sky had split open, and the thick fog reduced visibility to less than 20 meters.
As I started running, a few people followed behind me, raising their hands to shield their eyes from the rain.
“Ahh! It’s raining so hard!”
“Hey! Where are we going?!”
“I don’t know! Anywhere indoors!”
A group of young women, seemingly friends, screamed as they ran through the rain.
Glancing back briefly, I saw they were following me.
Damn it…
They didn’t know.
What kind of world this was.
Even though BJ Gaia had explained it, they clearly hadn’t paid attention.
I tightened my grip on the baseball bat and ran in the opposite direction from them.
If they kept screaming like that, they would definitely attract those things.
“Grrr… krrgh!”
“Ghk! Kah—!”
The sounds were muffled by the rain, but something grotesque echoed through the fog.
A sickening, chilling noise—like something grinding its throat.
Where are they?
I could hear them, but I couldn’t see them.
My legs trembled.
I had to break through the fog and get to a safe place, but—
Am I even going the right way?
There was no minimap like in the game.
No guiding line telling me where to go.
Was I supposed to figure it out myself?
Even though this was based on the game, it was clearly different from the one I knew.
I didn’t know where to go…
But running was my only option.
Soon, this place would turn into hell.
Splash—! Splash!
“Kahhh!!”
Then I saw it—a blurry figure charging toward me, its upper body twitching unnaturally.
Because of the low visibility, it appeared right in front of me in an instant.
The moment I clearly saw its gaping mouth—
My eyes widened, and I swung the bat.
Thwack!
A dull impact rang out as it collapsed.
Its skull caved in.
That thing—once human—trembled violently on the ground.
“AAAH!!”
“W-what was that?!”
“H-he hit someone! He smashed his head!”
“Are you insane?! What are you doing?!”
The surrounding people started shouting.
I… ignored them and looked at my trembling hands.
The dull sensation of hitting a skull.
The shock still tingling through my palms.
Get it together.
I clenched my fists and shook my head hard.
This wasn’t the time to hesitate.
Thud—!
I ran back into the fog.
“Hey! Where are you going?!”
“That guy just hit someone and ran!”
“Where are the police?! Call the police!”
“Why isn’t my phone working?!”
They didn’t understand.
What kind of situation they were in.
And I had neither the time nor the reason to explain.
I wasn’t a hero.
Nor their guardian.
I could barely accept this reality myself—how could I convince them?
“Grrr…”
Behind me, the one I had struck began to rise, its crushed head wobbling.
Some people, clueless, approached it and tried to help.
Crunch!
“AAAAAHHH!!”
After that—only screams.
Screams mixed with fear, panic, and desperate cries.
“Huff… huff…!”
As I got farther away, the chaos faded beneath the sound of the rain.
My soaked shoes.
My drenched clothes.
My bag bouncing as I ran.
The rain blurring my vision.
My heart pounding like mad.
The alarm ringing in my head.
My peaceful life…
The world I knew…
…was gone.
* * *
“Kah!”
I knocked aside zombies with my bat as I kept running.
With visibility limited to 20 meters, I couldn’t even sprint properly.
Zombies kept appearing out of nowhere, making my heart drop again and again.
I was so focused that I didn’t even blink despite the heavy rain.
I kept scanning my surroundings as I ran through the fog.
After running for what felt like forever—
I finally saw the faint outline of a building.
My breath was already at its limit.
I didn’t know where it was, but I needed to hide and catch my breath.
As I got closer, the building became clearer.
– Haengdang-dong Shin ○○ Apartments
The words were written on the exterior wall.
“…What?”
I couldn’t hide my shock.
There were no Korean locations in No Way Home.
Then why was this here…?
“Grrr…”
That sound again from the fog.
No time to think.
I forced my heavy legs forward and rushed into the apartment entrance.
The glass door didn’t open automatically—probably no electricity.
I shoved it hard, and it slid open.
I entered, quickly shut the door, and headed for the stairs.
“Huff… huff… cough!”
I collapsed on the stairs.
I had no strength left.
My heart pounded uncontrollably.
Was this what people meant by “seeing stars”?
Calm down.
I covered my face and took deep breaths.
“…Damn it.”
The curse slipped out unconsciously.
What was this?
What the hell was going on?
My mind couldn’t process it.
No Way Home never had Korea.
Then—
What if that wasn’t a zombie?
No.
It definitely was.
It was a zombie.
Bluish veins spread across its body.
Lifeless skin.
Rotting flesh.
And all those people lying in the streets—
Some still in pajamas.
That wasn’t normal.
If this is a background update…
Right.
The Gaia System mentioned that.
A “background update.”
Had they applied the game’s world onto Earth?
Like… terraforming?
That would explain it.
I was summoned to the starting area, and beyond a certain range, real-world locations appeared.
Meaning—
The real episode starts now.
But why here?
Why Haengdang-dong?
Because it’s my home?
My thoughts spiraled endlessly.
Ding—!
[Congratulations! You have completed the starting episode.]
[You reached a shelter before the tutorial. Bonus awarded.]
[Points: 500]
A blue system window appeared before my eyes.
[Would you like to review the starting episode settings?]
“It’s the one where you escape the rain and find shelter.”
[Have you participated in the closed beta?]
“If you mean BattleSteam games… yes.”
[Please enter your BattleSteam ID and password.]
After a moment’s hesitation, I entered them.
[Verification complete.]
[Welcome, Player Baek Doyoon.]
[Closed beta bonus: 1,000 points]
More messages appeared.
[All three games completed.]
[Creator BJ Gaia expresses gratitude.]
[Bonus: 1,000 points]
[Clear bonus: 1,500 points]
[Title: BattleSteam Honorary Player]
[Coin Shop unlocked.]
A shop… just for me?
[Special reward: 3D Map provided.]
A device appeared in a flash—like a smartphone.
[Select your ability.]
- Whisper (communication)
- Shooter (enhanced vision)
- Healing Factor (regeneration)
- Maker (crafting)
- Buster (physical enhancement)
I already knew my choice.
“I’ll take Buster.”
[Confirmed.]
[Player Info]
Name: Baek Doyoon
Age: 28
Class: Buster
Title: Honorary Player
Stats: All 5
Points: 4,000
Coins: 1
