A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 61: The Promise (4)

“They turned into blue particles… and disappeared?”

It was only then that I understood why BangguseokYeoBo was in such a state of shock and fear.

When food touches the lips and turns into blue particles before vanishing—that’s a characteristic of players.

At least, it had been up until now.

Unlike players, the other NPCs ate normally, chewing and swallowing food like regular people.

But if BangguseokYeoBo had seen the same phenomenon occurring when a monster devoured a person, it was natural for him to be confused.

“Why do you think that happened?”

BangguseokYeoBo asked me, his tone anxious.

“Do you think those creatures are players too?”

“How would I know, even if you ask me?”

“You’re smarter than I am!!”

This guy seemed to get more objective when cornered.

However, that didn’t mean I had any particular guesses myself.

After all, I hadn’t even seen the monsters eating people by the time I arrived.

It was already headache-inducing trying to figure out why those monsters had run away when they saw me. Now, the idea that their “eating habits” might be similar to ours?

“I think… I’ll have to see it with my own eyes before I can say anything for sure.”

When I gave him a lukewarm response, BangguseokYeoBo jumped up from his seat.

“I’m telling you, I saw it clearly!”

“I’m not doubting you. I just think there’s something I need to feel for myself.”

Although BangguseokYeoBo asked if those monsters were players as well, just because “something” touching their lips turned into blue particles and vanished didn’t necessarily mean they were players.

Even the horned rabbit I saw during a previous hunt had nibbled on the cookie I used as bait. So, maybe this ability only belonged to the specific creatures he saw earlier.

“Anyway, these alien monsters already have the ability to heal their wounds using moonlight. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if they could also heal by eating something…”

I stopped mid-sentence, and BangguseokYeoBo gave me a knowing look.

“You’re realizing something strange as you speak, aren’t you?”

“…”

I glanced down at my body.

‘Right after the possession, I just assumed this was a game world and didn’t think too deeply about it, but…’

As if he had read my mind, BangguseokYeoBo asked me, “Have you ever thought about where the bodies we’re possessing came from?”

Now that I thought about it, even the word “possession” was strange.

If we had truly possessed these bodies, someone should have known the previous owners.

Even Anton couldn’t find a single person who knew me, which is why he suspected my past.

That meant the bodies we were currently using had simply appeared out of nowhere on the day we were possessed.

“So that’s why you asked earlier if those monsters were players.”

I looked at BangguseokYeoBo and asked, “What are you really trying to say?”

For the first time, BangguseokYeoBo responded with a serious expression.

“I think… we might be monsters.”

I stared at BangguseokYeoBo for a moment.

Then, I let out a long sigh.

“Whew…”

“Hey! I’m being serious, and you’re sighing? Don’t you find your own body suspicious? There’s something weird about it. This body’s physical capabilities are way beyond normal!”

To be fair, I had thought the same thing when I fought that large monster earlier—it was impossible for a ten-year-old’s body to generate that kind of output.

I’d assumed the enhanced physical and healing abilities were merely perks exclusive to players…

There could be some other secret to it.

However,

“I don’t think we’re monsters. For one thing, we don’t have any gems.”

“Ah…”

At the mention of the gems, BangguseokYeoBo seemed to calm down a little.

The difference between monsters and humans wasn’t just their appearance or healing abilities—what really set them apart was the presence of a “gem.”

Monsters born from meteorites each had a core gem, and even if a rabbit with horns was wandering around, if it didn’t have a gem embedded in its body, it was merely a mutated rabbit.

We didn’t have any gems embedded in our bodies, so the idea that we were human-shaped monsters seemed like a bit of a stretch.

BangguseokYeoBo, deep in thought after hearing my words, muttered quietly.

“Still… those creatures were unnervingly intelligent. Maybe some players have possessed large monsters?”

It seemed he thought there was some connection between the monsters and the players.

I took his theory seriously this time.

“What you’re saying isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. I’ve heard of players, like the ones from Unicorn Zone, possessing adult bodies. So, I guess there could be other exceptions.”

“Right?!”

“That’s why I need to see it for myself. If those creatures are players, they’ll regret causing a ruckus in my front yard. And if they’re not…”

I trailed off as I noticed Commander Hayden and Meursault emerging from the barracks behind BangguseokYeoBo.

“We’ll figure it out when the time comes. Whether we’re humans or monsters, it doesn’t change the fact that we need to clear this world.”

BangguseokYeoBo still seemed a little unconvinced by my “human or monster, it doesn’t matter” line, but he nodded nonetheless.

I watched him for a moment before asking, “By the way, doesn’t it seem strange to you that I scared off those monsters?”

If their eating habits were strange, shouldn’t it have also seemed suspicious that they ran away when I showed up? I asked him, but BangguseokYeoBo responded as if he found nothing strange about it.

“What’s so weird about that? I’d run away if I saw you too.”

Hmm.

What did Meursault and this guy even think of me, exactly?

—

* * *

After reorganizing the team, we headed out for another search.

The original plan was to search around until the injured soldiers recovered and returned, but after hearing BangguseokYeoBo’s story, I felt the need to capture at least one of those fleeing monsters and figure things out.

I had to know if they really healed their wounds by turning food into blue particles, why they moved in groups, and why they fled the moment they saw me.

Until I cleared up at least one of these mysteries, I wouldn’t be able to shake off this uneasy feeling.

I glanced at the combat rations hanging from my belt.

‘No idea if combat rations would be considered food for monsters, but…’

If worst came to worst, I’d just offer up one of my arms, knowing the risk involved.

The real issue was figuring out how to lead this team—which included the commander—beyond a simple search and onto the trail of those four monsters.

To make matters worse, the snow that had begun to fall earlier was getting heavier, meaning we wouldn’t be able to continue searching for much longer.

When we discover monsters, the signal flare we fire is white.
If the snow starts falling harder, it’ll become indistinguishable from the snow.

“Lord Haydam.”

Second Lieutenant Plato, the former leader of Team 9, who had been reassigned to Team 1 with me, approached with eager eyes.

It was obvious why this guy was talking to me now.

The other members of Team 1 had all been busy taking turns talking about my recent performance—how I had managed to chase off four large monsters with just a glare. Even I was tired of giving vague answers to those kinds of questions, simply because I didn’t know how I had done it.

“Are you curious about how I chased them off too?”

Seeing the fatigue in my eyes, Plato waved his hands as if to prove his innocence.

“No, no, Lord Haydam.”

“Really?”

“Actually… I don’t understand why they’re making such a fuss.”

Well, that’s a new perspective.

Intrigued, I looked at him, and Plato continued.

“For you, chasing off a few large monsters is nothing. The monsters clearly realized they didn’t stand a chance against you and ran away, but it’s frustrating that the soldiers from the same zone still don’t get it.”

Hmm. You seem to be the one making the biggest fuss.

“Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to ask.”

“Then what?”

“About identifying the location of gems. Did you share that method with the military?”

While I did have the new officers trained in gem location detection before the subjugation campaign, I never explicitly mentioned that I had created the method.

It’s the same reason people believe Meursault, not me, is the strategist for this operation.

Since this method was being implemented for the first time this year, I wondered if the soldiers would really trust and follow it if they knew it was devised by a mere ten-year-old.

The new officers had met me at the Academy and knew of me, but it was different for the regular soldiers.

The majority of them wouldn’t even recognize my face.

Even during the recent engagement, the soldiers hadn’t immediately followed my orders. They only moved after watching Meursault’s reaction.

That’s why the gem location identification method was relayed to the soldiers through the commander and Meursault after they thoroughly verified it.

But it seemed Plato was convinced that I was the one who came up with the method.

“Why do you think I’m the one who shared it?”

“We were trained on the method as well, but when it came to actually facing large monsters, almost no one applied it correctly. Yet, as soon as you arrived at the front, you shot twice and took down two monsters.”

Hmm. The first one was actually thanks to Meursault’s help, but it seems people have already forgotten that part.

“Let’s say I did come up with it… Why are you so curious?”

“I mentioned earlier that almost no one managed to apply the method correctly… but there’s one soldier who fought the monsters with skills nearly on par with yours, Lord Haydam.”

Plato then turned and looked behind us.

His gaze landed on BangguseokYeoBo, who was following at a slight distance.

Since we had too few members in the team, I made him walk separately to prevent him from saying something reckless if we stuck together.

Plato turned his attention back to me and added, “The large monster that was dealt with before you arrived—that was taken down by him.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

So, he had taken down a large monster himself but only came to me to talk about how weird the monsters seemed.

I guess seeing monsters eat like we do had left him deeply shaken.

It seemed that the reason the commander brought BangguseokYeoBo to Team 1 wasn’t just because he ran to help me during the fight.

“You seem to know him. Is that right?”

At this point, everyone already knew that BangguseokYeoBo and I were familiar with each other, so I didn’t bother denying it.

“Yeah, we know each other.”

“Then…”

For a moment, Plato hesitated—a rare sight for him—before quietly asking.

“Is that boy… the one my father kidnapped?”

I stopped in my tracks and stared at Plato.

‘How does he know about that?’

Could it be that this guy was now digging into his father’s past for my sake?