A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 45. Gift

I received an unexpected story from the Commander.

“They’re saying that the officers are looking for me because I forbade them from participating in the subjugation battle?”

“Yes.”

I frowned and asked.

“What’s this about? Don’t tell me they want to join the subjugation?”

“No one insisted on going. However, they said they want to know why they were forbidden from participating.”

So, they’ll obey if told not to go, but they still want an explanation?

That means…

“They seem to know that you’re involved in this.”

“Why didn’t you just say it was your decision to forbid them?”

The Commander gave a faint smile and replied.

“Well, even Josef was curious about it.”

Josef‘*s*’?

Josef was the head of the pro-Hayden faction.

It seems there was dissatisfaction not only from the pro-Daphne officers but also from the pro-Hayden officers.

Well, it made sense. While the pro-Daphne officers might not care, the pro-Hayden officers were people who used to fight alongside Luna Moon on the battlefield.

They’d have every reason to be upset that the son of none other than Luna Moon was prohibiting them from participating.

Although I’d left them aside because they weren’t people who would help me ten years from now during the Second Apocalypse.

Thinking the other way around, there were still ten years left, so I should at least pay attention to their complaints for now.

“Well… sure. If they want to know the reason, it’s not hard to explain.”

“But is this really okay?”

Okay?

It didn’t seem like he was asking if it was fine to tell them the reason.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean going with only a small, elite group.”

The Commander looked at me with concerned eyes.

“Of course, I’ve already confirmed through other soldiers that the practicality of the gemstone location identification method you devised has been verified. But if the guy who attacked you last time shows up again, things could become dangerous in an instant.”

It seems the Commander was also concerned about the player from the Unicorn Zone.

Well, it was understandable. If someone had crossed into another zone and shot the son of a regressor, it would naturally raise concerns.

“He won’t show up.”

He had outright said that he was hoping I’d come to his zone, so he was probably waiting for me on the Floating Island.

Though it was a bit strange to believe him just because he said that.

But given the way he dramatically appeared on a hoverboard, flaunting himself with a cool line about expecting me to come to his zone, I doubted he’d break his word and show up again.

However, the Commander still had a skeptical expression.

“How can you be so sure?”

“It’s a gut feeling, as a regressor.”

“Hm…”

Ah, playing the regressor card was always convenient in situations like this.

“If you say so, I’ll trust you…”

But then, the Commander brought up yet another unexpected story.

“Meursault will be going to this subjugation battle as well.”

“What? Meursault?”

“He said he’s worried about you.”

“I’m the one who’s worried about him…”

After having gone outside the zone with Meursault twice, I realized one thing:

That guy is someone who has poured all his points into brainpower.

His posture with a gun was awkward, his stamina was terrible, and he wasn’t the kind of soldier you’d want to bring along for a prolonged subjugation battle.

Yet, despite knowing this better than anyone, he wanted to join the subjugation just because he was worried about me?

“I appreciate the sentiment… but I don’t think having Meursault with me will make me any safer.”

“I told him the same thing, but he was stubborn. So, as you said, ‘stay safe.’ Otherwise, a lot could be lost.”

If something happened to Meursault, I doubt Daphne would forgive me.

I suppose I’ll have to pay a visit to Daphne, not only to ask her about visual novels but also to inform her about Meursault’s participation.

“And you can stop attending the Academy.”

“Really?”

I had grown tired of attending theory classes with the cadets, so this was welcome news.

But wasn’t it a bit quick for someone who had told me to attend until I could dodge bullets?

“It was clear from the rumors alone that there’s nothing left for you to learn at that school.”

“Rumors?”

“The rumor that after you shot the fur crocodile dead with a single bullet and eliminated eight cadets using only one arm, Plato knelt in front of your dorm and swore loyalty to you.”

What the heck? Where are these rumors coming from?

—

The officers were seated in the conference room, waiting for the Commander and Haydam to arrive.

This was the second time Haydam would be attending an officers’ meeting.

The first time was to introduce him.

Now, there was no officer who didn’t know who Haydam was.

On Haydam’s first day, one officer ended up dead.

Not long after, he went hunting outside the zone and brought back a Hippopig alone.

He even hosted a charity party for children his age.

In the training simulation, he annihilated the opposing team twice.

One time, he single-handedly eliminated eight graduating cadets, and the other time, he participated with injuries and still won.

It was revealed that those injuries had come from capturing a large-class monster—the fur crocodile.

‘Impressive.’

No, this was beyond what could simply be called impressive.

When I heard that he’d been going in and out of the operations room with Meursault, I thought it was just something the Commander had him do to learn.

But when the order came down forbidding officers from joining the subjugation, everyone knew that this command was different from anything that had come before.

Neither Commander Hayden nor Director Meursault had ever given such an order.

It was clear that Hayden was involved in the subjugation operation.

The Commander approved it.

The officers, regardless of whether they belonged to the pro-Hayden faction or the pro-Daphne faction, all had the same thought:

‘Dangerous.’

His mother, Luna Moon, and her comrades in the pro-Commander faction respected him, but the fact that Haydam showed no respect to them was extremely dangerous.

It would have been better if Haydam had openly opposed the pro-Daphne officers and blatantly sought revenge for Luna Moon.

At least that way, what Haydam wanted would be clear.

But now, Haydam’s actions…

‘Unpredictable.’

He was picking risky moves, ones too dangerous to be mere attempts to win the Commander’s favor.

It didn’t seem like he was trying to solidify his position within the zone either, as he didn’t even bother with the officers.

And it wasn’t just youthful recklessness either… He seemed unusually urgent.

Like someone who was being chased by something.

What was even more puzzling was the Commander’s attitude of tolerating such behavior from Haydam.

The Commander they knew wasn’t someone who would entrust the affairs of the zone to a child.

Could it be that even a man known as Iron Blood was weak when it came to his own bloodline?

But if that were the case, why push his only son into the subjugation battle? That didn’t make sense either.

Though they couldn’t understand the intentions of either the Commander or Haydam, Anton decided it was time to drive a wedge between the two.

Just in case Haydam was indeed a fake.

And to prepare for the day when Daphne’s successor might be born.

That’s why displaying Luna Moon’s portrait at today’s officer meeting was of utmost importance.

Repeated verification showed that Luna Moon’s grave wasn’t something that had been made just a year or two ago.

It was confirmed that the residents of the slums knew nothing about Haydam.

Most importantly, they had recently discovered what appeared to be traces of someone digging up the grave.

Combining all this information, Anton believed he could plant doubt in the Commander’s mind that Haydam wasn’t Luna Moon’s real son.

‘It’s too dangerous to claim outright that Haydam is a fake.’

Besides, Haydam resembled the Commander and Luna Moon far too much to be a fake.

The moment he saw Luna Moon’s portrait, completed with Daphne’s help, even he couldn’t help but think that Haydam was her real son and that there had been a mistake in the testimony of the slum residents.

Moreover, the things Haydam recited at the first officers’ meeting were details no one would know unless they had heard them directly from Luna Moon.

I had no idea how they knew the name of a puppy that was just born.

Finally… that child had proven too much to be a fake.

Even if he was an imposter, the chances were too high that the meritocratic Commander wouldn’t expel Haydam.

If the officers came forward and claimed that Haydam was a fake, the rebellious Commander would likely protect him even more.

‘So… planting seeds of doubt is the best option for now.’

In other words, Anton’s goal was to slowly lead the Commander to the conclusion that Haydam was an imposter, by allowing him to figure it out on his own.

Just as he hadn’t directly told Daphne to gift the portrait, but subtly guided her into deciding to do it herself.

The more self-assured a person is, like the Commander or Daphne, the more likely they are to believe that decisions they make themselves are the “right” ones, rather than those suggested by others.

At that moment, the Commander and Haydam entered the meeting room with indifferent expressions, and Anton kept a firm face, waiting for the right moment to present the portrait.

“It seems you all know that I’m involved in this operation, so I’ll just say it plainly,” Haydam opened boldly as soon as he entered the room.

“This operation will be conducted by a small elite force. Resources are limited, so taking a large group to waste bullets in a subjugation battle is inefficient. The combat rations you eat and drink while out there are all part of the zone’s resources, too.”

“A small elite force, you say? How many do you have in mind for this operation?” Josef, the head of the pro-Commander faction, who was usually supportive of Haydam, gritted his teeth in frustration this time.

“Do you know how many soldiers are required to take down a large-class monster? I heard you brought back a dying fur crocodile, but surely you’re not expecting the monsters we’re hunting to be in the same state, are you?”

“Even if it was dying, I personally killed that fur crocodile. Let me ask you instead—when was the last time you hunted a monster yourself?”

“Well, that’s…”

Josef was left speechless at Haydam’s question, prompting another officer to step in angrily.

“Just because we don’t participate directly in battle doesn’t mean you can exclude us. That’s a misunderstanding of the military, something Haydam must not yet fully grasp. We are commanders of each unit. A soldier isn’t only someone who fights on the frontlines. Someone has to organize the formations. Hunting a large-class monster requires advanced strategies and vast resources.”

“I can identify the location of a monster’s gemstone with the naked eye.”

“What do you mean by that…? Excuse me, what did you just say?” The officer who had been arguing with Haydam was startled and asked again.

“I said I can identify the gemstone’s location with my naked eye.”

The faces of the other officers around him showed similar shock.

Even Anton, who had dragged Haydam to this officer meeting just to show the portrait, looked at Haydam in surprise.

Despite this astonishing revelation, Haydam spoke as if it was nothing special.

“I know the rule for identifying the location of gemstones. You won’t have to recklessly shoot until the monster collapses and then search for it.”

“Wait… Is that really true?”

“It’s already been verified.”

Even the Commander spoke up to confirm it, causing a stir among the officers.

“Is that really possible?”

“There’s a rule to the gemstones’ locations…?”

“So, the rumor that he shot the fur crocodile with a single bullet wasn’t just a rumor?”

Anton had heard the story from Plato that Haydam had taken down the fur crocodile with one shot, but he had dismissed it as exaggerated praise from his overly respectful son.

But it turned out that Haydam was indeed capable of hunting a large-class monster with a single bullet.

“I’ve only faced a few large-class monsters, and even I picked up this skill quickly. How can I trust you to join the subjugation when, after decades of participation, you still don’t know something as basic as this?”

“……”

The room fell into silence, with none of the officers daring to speak up.

At this moment, the old officers were all thinking the same thing.

‘At this rate, we’ll be discarded.’

They were too old to participate in subjugations themselves, but they had maintained their positions as officers thanks to their decades of experience and knowledge.

However, the appearance of someone who far exceeded their experience and knowledge was enough to make them feel threatened.

Especially since Haydam had already declared that he wouldn’t be bringing the officers to the subjugation.

Anton thought it was now the perfect time to reveal the portrait.

“Very well. We will not participate in the subjugation,” Anton said, accepting the ban. The other officers seemed surprised but did not protest.

The pro-Daphne officers knew Anton was about to unveil the portrait, so they looked at him expectantly, hoping this would turn the tide.

Anton continued, “We’re getting old. Insisting on joining the subjugation would only prove that we’re not only old but also losing our judgment. It’s time to step aside and make way for younger blood. Therefore…”

He paused briefly before adding in a low voice, “I intend to retire after today.”

“What? Anton, sir?!”

“What are you saying?”

The pro-Daphne officers, who had been eagerly waiting for Anton to unveil the portrait, were shocked, but Anton ignored them and looked straight at Haydam.

“A gift from an old man on his last day… Will you accept it?”

Haydam, who had shown no change in expression at Anton’s announcement of retirement, displayed a slight shift at the mention of a gift.

“Surely, that giant thing behind you isn’t the gift, is it?”

The portrait of Luna Moon had been placed in a large frame, moved to the conference room early that morning. Although it was covered by a white cloth, the silhouette of the frame hinted that it was a painting.

“I’m not someone who values paintings,” Haydam said, sounding unimpressed, while Anton smiled slightly.

“You’ll recognize its value once you see it.”

With that, Anton dramatically pulled away the cloth covering the portrait, watching Haydam’s face intently.

‘Now, let’s see if this imposter can slip out of this one.’

Anton was ready to pounce if Haydam hesitated even slightly, prepared to accuse him of not recognizing his mother’s face.

But Anton’s face quickly fell into disappointment.

Haydam’s expression as he gazed at the painting wasn’t one of unfamiliarity.

His eyes were filled with deep longing, and even a hint of resentment.

It was unmistakably the look of a child who had been separated from his mother for a long time.

Then, Haydam’s faint, trembling voice slipped from his lips, announcing the failure of Anton’s plan.

“…Mother?”

**Before the officer meeting.**

I had heard from Daphne that Anton was preparing a gift for me.

“He’s working on a portrait of Luna Moon.”

A portrait of Luna Moon.

I immediately understood what that meant.

‘Anton is suspicious of my identity, isn’t he?’