LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 11 - Veteran Player and Newbies
Chapter 11. Veteran Player and Newbies
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There were many things I wanted to ask and argue with HomeProtector, but a public chat room with other players was not the place for that.
More importantly, that wasn’t the priority right now.
The newly entered members of the chat room were ‘God’, ‘Dentist’, ‘SappPossible’, ‘IWon’tCryThat’sCardio’, and ‘Addict’.
Including ‘HomeProtector’, there were six new members in total.
Even with Tbalrom and me who were already in the chat room, we had only eight.
There were nine safe zones and nine meteor items in total. If one person opened the system per zone, there should be nine people in this chat room.
Of course, it’s possible that the remaining one hadn’t opened their system yet.
But considering six people entered simultaneously, that seemed highly unlikely.
Zones weren’t assigned randomly; they depended on what items players chose at the convenience store. Perhaps there was a zone that no player chose.
[HomeProtector: Oh! DopamineJunkie! You also got possessed, huh?]
HomeProtector was the first to speak, acting friendly.
Judging by his tone, he didn’t seem to mind the game possession, just like TaejongTaese.
Well, in reality, he probably was unemployed, fitting his nickname HomeProtector.
[SappPossible: I had a feeling both of you would get possessed…]
SappPossible, who often commented on my strategies, also seemed indifferent to the possession.
[God: DopamineJunkie? The real DopamineJunkie?]
[God: I’m a huge fan!]
Great, another person with their head in the clouds.
Probably someone from an easy zone.
[Addict: What’s this? A chat room? Why is this here? Am I not the only one possessed?]
That confused reaction was likely the normal response.
With new players entering and spewing their own words simultaneously, the chat screen scrolled rapidly.
After a while, they seemed to be gauging my reaction before someone with a nickname like a gym rat cautiously asked me.
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: Um…]
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: I heard you were the first to post the convenience store address. Were you also possessed?]
Compared to Tbalrom, who wanted to kill me immediately, this was a polite question, so I answered honestly.
[DopamineJunkie: Yes, I was also possessed. I only sent the convenience store address to HomeProtector. I never imagined it would spread and result in a mass possession.]
[God: Which zone are you in now?]
After a brief hesitation about whether to tell ‘God’ my zone, I decided to be honest.
[DopamineJunkie: I’m in the Cola Zone.]
Revealing my zone had no particular reason behind it.
We couldn’t contact other zones until the second apocalypse.
That’s the unspoken rule between zones.
Anyway, I planned to go to Unicorn once the second apocalypse started.
Even if I revealed my current zone, it wouldn’t be a big threat to me.
Besides, Tbalrom already knew I was in the Cola Zone, so bluffing here would only make me lose trust from other players.
Moreover, if this chat room turned into a place where everyone hid their information, it would be problematic.
I wanted to face the second apocalypse with a certain understanding of other zones’ situations.
By sharing some of my knowledge, I intended to extract information from the other players.
The existence of this public chat room implied that players were supposed to exchange information.
[DopamineJunkie: To understand the situation, I’d like to know your zones too.]
[God: I’m in the Love Zone~]
Perhaps because he asked me first, ‘God’ also revealed his zone easily.
By the way… I thought he was in an easy zone because he was an airhead, but it’s ‘Love’?
[HomeProtector: I’m in the Cigarette Zone.]
As expected, HomeProtector seemed to have ended up in the Cigarette Zone.
[SappPossible: I’m in the Beer Zone. Underwater.]
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: I’m in the Chicken Zone.]
[Addict: Uh… I’m in… Cocaine…]
[God: Pfft! You bought cocaine at the convenience store?]
[Addict: I thought it was just powder!]
[God: For someone like that, your nickname sure smells like drugs~]
[Addict: It’s just a persona…!!]
He said he was a persona addict without hesitation.
The user with the nickname ‘Dentist’ remained silent despite the commotion. Assessing the situation? Seems cautious.
[DopamineJunkie: Dentist, aren’t you going to reveal your zone?]
Only after I pointed it out did the Dentist respond.
[Dentist: There are others who haven’t revealed their zones yet. We might be in the same zone, so it’s better to be cautious.]
Someone who hadn’t revealed their zone?
Oh, he meant Tbalrom.
The chat window listed the current participants in chronological order.
Just as I was wary of Dentist’s silence, he seemed suspicious of Tbalrom’s quietness.
[DopamineJunkie: If you mean Tbalrom, his zone is Knife.]
[God: Knife?!]
When I mentioned Tbalrom’s zone, the usually relaxed ‘God’ seemed startled.
[HomeProtector: Isn’t that a Hidden Zone?]
[HomeProtector: Well, the starting zone is determined by the items bought at the convenience store, so I guess he could end up in Knife.]
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: Knife… I feel sorry for him…]
Tbalrom might have seen the messages, but he didn’t respond.
[Dentist: Why doesn’t Tbalrom say it himself?]
As expected, Dentist didn’t like this.
It was unavoidable that Tbalrom seemed suspicious.
[DopamineJunkie: Tbalrom is probably too preoccupied to check the chat. He doesn’t like me either, so cooperation is difficult.]
[Dentist: If not everyone cooperates, I find it hard to reveal my zone.]
Hmm.
Was this being cautious or foolish?
With only Candy and Unicorn zones left, hiding it wouldn’t change much.
[DopamineJunkie: I understand, but no one wants to share information with someone who hides their zone.]
[Dentist: How can I trust that the information you share is reliable?]
Certainly, I didn’t fully trust what other players said either.
But what I wanted was for Dentist to share his information, not trust us.
Instead of instilling trust, I slightly diverted the conversation.
[DopamineJunkie: I opened the system on the first day of possession. It means I have more information than you. You should know I chatted with Tbalrom before anyone else.]
[Dentist: Opening the system first isn’t enough…]
Perhaps finding our sluggish conversation frustrating, God interrupted.
[God: Do you not know who DopamineJunkie is, Dentist?]
[Dentist: Should I?]
[God: You don’t follow the community?]
[God: DopamineJunkie is the guide for all zones!]
[God: Missing the chance to exchange information with him is a foolish choice!]
It felt like they were overly praising me by calling me the guide for all zones.
It was surprising that Dentist, of all people, would refuse to share information.
As I wondered if Dentist might be an anti-fan like BangguseokYeoBo, I received an unexpected response from him.
[Dentist: Guide for all zones? Is that… impressive?]
[HomeProtector: Huh.]
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: ?]
Something felt off.
I found it hard to believe any Safe Zone player wouldn’t know me.
…Oh.
Could it be that Dentist…
[God: How long have you been in the Safe Zone, Dentist?]
[Dentist: Safe Zone? What’s that?]
[God: Huh?]
I suddenly realized something and asked Dentist.
[DopamineJunkie: Do you not know that this place is the Safe Zone game?]
[Dentist: This is a game?]
[Dentist: Does that mean being possessed means being possessed in a game??]
Oh.
I remembered.
I had sent the address of the adjacent building to HomeProtector because the convenience store address wasn’t registered on the internet map.
I recalled there was a dental clinic in that building.
Did the dentist get possessed by going to the convenience store by chance?
[God: Whoa… then… you got possessed without knowing anything?]
[HomeProtector: You’ve never played this game?]
[SappPossible: That means…]
At this moment, one thought crossed the minds of all the veteran players possessed in the game.
[DopamineJunkie: Newbie.]
[HomeProtector: Newbie.]
[SappPossible: Newbie.]
[Dentist: …What’s a newbie?]
[Addict: Hey, is this the time to be happy about a newbie? We’re possessed in a game, remember?]
But now I could guess which zone Dentist was in.
With Candy and Unicorn left, a newbie wouldn’t have survived in the Unicorn zone.
Although he was a dentist, it was unlikely a newbie would have acquired the Unicorn zone’s meteor item within two days.
[DopamineJunkie: Your zone is Candy, isn’t it?]
[Dentist: Are you trying to provoke me?]
[DopamineJunkie: There are several reasons why I think so, but mainly because a sane person like you wouldn’t have bought a Unicorn doll at the convenience store. So, the only option left is Candy.]
[Dentist: …]
Dentist remained silent for a while, seemingly hit right on the mark.
[DopamineJunkie: Anyway, it’s reassuring that you’re in Candy. Surviving there shouldn’t be
too hard. If you survive until you turn twenty, leave that zone and come to Cola. I’ll protect you.]
[Dentist: Why are you being kind to me?]
[DopamineJunkie: Because you’re a newbie.]
[Dentist: What’s that… I’ll think about it.]
Dentist didn’t agree right away, but he seemed less resistant to talking with us.
There wasn’t a significant reason for me to protect him.
After all, being a dentist was a valuable asset.
Players might not need to eat, but NPCs’ teeth would still decay, right?
Even though he was a specialist, having a real doctor wasn’t a bad idea, given our limited knowledge of players’ healing abilities.
And because he was a new.bie.
[DopamineJunkie: Besides… I have a hypothesis.]
[God: What is it?]
[DopamineJunkie: I suspect that players who can open the system are those who obtained a specific ‘item’. Do any of you possess ‘that’ item?]
[God: Oh! You mean a meteor item? I have one. A meteor earring!]
[HomeProtector: I wondered why the system opened… I have a meteor pistol.]
[SappPossible: Uh… I did touch a meteor yesterday. It’s the power source of a submarine.]
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: Me too! A meteor dumbbell!]
[Dentist: The leader of my zone made me touch a stone, which might have been a meteor.]
[Addict: Is the system opening related to the meteor…? I don’t know… I don’t have anything like that.]
Given that the meteor item in the Cocaine zone wasn’t tangible, it made sense that Addict didn’t realize he had encountered a meteor.
Anyway, we learned something new.
It wasn’t about owning a meteor item that opened the system.
Just ‘contacting’ the meteor item could open the system.
Perhaps I could open the systems for TaejongTaese and BangguseokYeoBo by letting them touch my ring.
‘But…’
If there were more than one player in each zone, it was odd that only one in the Beer or Candy zones had opened the system.
[DopamineJunkie: Haven’t you encountered other players in your zones?]
[HomeProtector: Other players? I haven’t seen any.]
If he wasn’t lying, HomeProtector was the only one in the Cigarette zone.
Surprising. I thought many players would have chosen Cigarettes.
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: There are quite a few in the Chicken zone! We’ve agreed to cooperate to survive!]
[Dentist: I first learned about other players through this chat room.]
[SappPossible: There were some in Beer… But…]
After a slight hesitation, SappPossible added.
[SappPossible: They were after the same strategy as me. So, I had no choice.]
Oh.
‘So SappPossible either killed them or they died from a failed strategy penalty.’
[DopamineJunkie: There was another player in my zone aiming for the same strategy. But failing resulted in their death.]
[God: Dead?!]
[DopamineJunkie: I can’t say for sure if they are completely dead or just logged out.]
[God: Whoa… there are quite a few players in my zone too. But they all chose to serve me.]
…What? All the players in his zone chose to serve him?
What had ‘God’ been doing in the Love Zone for the past two days?
‘Anyway…’
Despite the presence of other players in zones like Chicken and Love, only one person had opened the system. Maybe only the first player to contact the meteor could open it.
I’ll stop exchanging information here.
They don’t have the information I need yet.
Still, sharing something might encourage them to share information with me in the future.
I shared something I’d already told Tbalrom.
[DopamineJunkie: Are you all aware of the effect when players consume food?]
[IWon’tCryThat’sCardio: Yes! It’s just like in the game!]
[DopamineJunkie: Did you know you can heal wounds by absorbing food?]
[God: Oh! I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info.]
[Dentist: That’s… valuable information. Thank you. I’ll share useful information with you if I find any.]
Dentist seemed to value give-and-take.
I wanted to ask how they planned to conquer their zones, but asking that would mean revealing my strategy of targeting illegitimate children.
Although we’re cooperating now, they likely understood that when the second apocalypse began, we might end up fighting each other.
Everyone keeping silent about their strategies was telling.
Except for Dentist, everyone else was a veteran of this Safe Zone.
Understanding each other’s circumstances meant they knew the situation well.
The second apocalypse would be the beginning of survival.
Though they showed me goodwill, I couldn’t let my guard down.
[DopamineJunkie: I’ll get back to my strategy now. Message me if anything happens. I’ll help.]
Just as I was about to end the chat, I heard a familiar child’s voice from the mansion.
“There you are, brother!”
Ah, TaejongTaese.
Luckily, he hadn’t been kicked out yet.