Chapter 9 - Tbalrom
Chapter 9. Tbalrom
[‘DopamineAddict’ has entered the public chat room.]
[‘Tbalrom’ has entered the public chat room.]
‘The one who opened the system… is Tbalrom?’
I impersonated Tbalrom, but the truth is, I don’t really know him well.
From the time I posted the first strategy guide to the last, we only exchanged formal questions and answers.
Nevertheless, the reason I thought of Tbalrom first when deceiving BangguseokYeoBo was that he only asked questions, so no one would know his personality.
It wasn’t surprising that Tbalrom opened the system after reading all my strategies.
According to TaejongTaese, Tbalrom was likely dropped in the ‘Knife’ zone.
If he really was dropped in the Knife zone.
And if he got his hands on the meteorite item to open the system.
It meant that Tbalrom was currently carrying out the strategy of massacring the zone’s residents.
The Knife zone’s meteorite item was a dagger made from a meteorite, essential for the resident massacre strategy.
It’s a weapon that can kill with one shot, even in the body of a ten-year-old child.
‘But if he got it now, does that mean he survived in the Knife zone for two days by himself?’
I posted the strategy guide, but I didn’t succeed in the Knife zone on the first try either.
I barely managed to succeed after being killed several times by the psychopaths in that zone.
It’s not a place where you can last two days in the body of a ten-year-old child without any weapons…
The first to send a chat was Tbalrom.
[Tbalrom: DopamineAddict?]
Ah.
It’s impossible to hide one’s identity within the chat system.
And if Tbalrom opened the system, he could use the character viewing feature, so he would recognize me as DopamineAddict the moment he saw me.
‘How should I respond to this?’
Since opening or closing the system is done with thoughts, I wondered if sending messages worked the same way.
It seemed I wasn’t wrong, as words appeared on the system when I thought about what I wanted to say.
[DopamineAddict: That’s right.]
As soon as I awkwardly sent the message, Tbalrom quickly responded.
[Tbalrom: I see. You got possessed too.]
[Tbalrom: DopamineAddict…]
I wanted to ask Tbalrom if he was in the middle of a resident massacre strategy or if he had obtained the meteorite item.
But before I could, Tbalrom’s message appeared above the chat window.
[Tbalrom: I’m going to kill you.]
Huh?
[DopamineAddict: Huh.]
[Tbalrom: After surviving here]
[Tbalrom: As soon as I get out of the zone]
[Tbalrom: I’ll come to kill you.]
[Tbalrom: Wait for it.]
“……”
As expected, he resented me.
This guy… It seems he went through a lot in the Knife zone in just two days after being possessed.
It’s a bit unfair to blame me when I didn’t possess him.
But I couldn’t say I didn’t understand his feelings.
The Knife zone residents are murder maniacs.
They roam in groups and enjoy killing those weaker than themselves.
So Tbalrom would have faced death threats the moment he was possessed, and he’s probably hiding somewhere sending this chat even now.
He must be out of his mind.
Surviving and opening the system with a body without any perks is quite remarkable.
It meant that Tbalrom was also an excellent player.
And it also meant that he was someone I needed.
Someone who could survive the Knife zone and bring me another meteorite item.
So I decided to soothe him.
[DopamineAddict: First of all, I’m not the one who possessed you.]
[DopamineAddict: I was possessed just like you.]
[DopamineAddict: We’re in the same situation.]
[DopamineAddict: Are you in the middle of the resident massacre strategy?]
[DopamineAddict: If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll help.]
[DopamineAddict: I’d like to come help you directly, but as you know, you can only leave the zone when the second apocalypse arrives.]
[DopamineAddict: If you have any questions, ask.]
“……”
But even after a long time, Tbalrom didn’t respond.
Was he ignoring me on purpose?
Or had he fallen asleep?
[DopamineAddict: Hey, are you asleep?]
[DopamineAddict: Aren’t you curious why only you and I could open the system?]
[DopamineAddict: Aren’t you curious?]
[DopamineAddict: Hey]
[DopamineAddict: Hey]
[DopamineAddict: Hey]
[DopamineAddict: Hey, did you die?]
Even after provoking him with low-quality taunts, Tbalrom didn’t budge.
“Hmm…”
It’s troubling if I can’t communicate with the only other person who opened the system besides me.
It seemed like I needed to share some useful information to get a reaction from him.
[DopamineAddict: Let me tell you one thing]
[DopeamineAddict: As you already know, you don’t feel hunger, right?]
[DopeamineAddict: Players don’t need to eat.]
[DopeamineAddict: Instead, you can heal your wounds by consuming food.]
Only then did I get a reply from Tbalrom.
[Tbalrom: That’s good information.]
This bastard was pretending to be asleep while reading all my messages.
[Tbalrom: My chances of survival have increased.]
[Tbalrom: I]
[DopeamineAddict: Finally willing to talk, huh?]
[Tbalrom: If I survive,]
[Tbalrom: I’ll come and kill you.]
[Tbalrom: I will definitely kill you.]
[DopeamineAddict: …….]
‘Does everything have to end in murder?’
It seemed that Tbalrom was not in a stable enough mental state to have a proper conversation.
Even though he declared he would kill me, I felt pity for him considering his situation.
Having chosen the strategy of slaughtering the residents, the only thing left for him was a massacre.
He probably wouldn’t be able to endure without the goal of surviving and killing me.
I guess there’s no helping it…….
[DopeamineAddict: I’m in the Cola Zone.]
[DopeamineAddict: Make sure you survive and come kill me.]
I sent that message and waited for a while for Tbalrom’s reply, but he seemed to have gone silent again, as no response came.
I then fell asleep.
* * *
The next day, I had to wake up early in the morning.
‘I’m sleepy…….’
I was sleepy but still not hungry.
Even though my body didn’t need food, getting up in the morning was still hard, so I guessed I still needed sleep.
What kind of body was made with this principle?
Anyway, the reason I had to wake up early was none other than the commander’s aide, Major Meursault Pendleton.
Having been tipped off by the commander that I had found the child, he came to see me at the crack of dawn.
After getting help from the servants to wash and change clothes, I headed to the backyard of the Commander’s Residence.
In the backyard, there was a shooting range for the commander, and Major Meursault called me there.
You might think, ‘Who dares to summon the commander’s son?’ But Meursault had been the closest aide to Commander Hayden for the past ten years.
It meant that, for now, Meursault had more influence than I did, the commander’s son.
Ignoring Meursault’s summons would not end well if word got back to the commander.
As I approached the shooting range, I saw Meursault’s back with his neatly tied gray hair.
“Hello.”
I greeted first, and Meursault turned around.
He looked at me for a moment and then spoke in a stiff voice.
“I met someone who claimed to be His Excellency’s son here yesterday as well.”
Ah, so he came to meet Safe8 yesterday morning too.
“But to meet someone claiming to be His Excellency’s son again this morning, it’s truly bewildering.”
“…….”
‘What’s this about?’
There wasn’t a hint of friendliness in Meursault’s demeanor.
It didn’t seem like he distrusted me, especially since even the commander believed in me…….
‘Is this an attempt to assert dominance?’
Well, it made sense that someone would be wary of a suddenly appearing son when they’ve served their lord for a long time.
But to act this way towards a ten-year-old?
Even in the game, I was wary of the aide and the commander’s wife, but facing it in reality was far from pleasant. I looked at Meursault briefly and glanced around.
It seemed Meursault didn’t want our conversation to be overheard, as we were the only ones at the shooting range.
‘That’s a relief.’
Whatever I said wouldn’t reach the commander’s ears.
I looked up at Meursault defiantly.
“So. What?”
“……!”
Meursault’s expression crumbled a little.
“What did you just say?”
“I asked what I was supposed to do about you being bewildered.”
Meursault, clearly not expecting such a response, looked very flustered and very displeased as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead.
“That’s quite different from what His Excellency mentioned. His Excellency said he was worried that you were too soft-hearted.”
Instead of responding to Meursault’s words, I stood there with a face that said, ‘Is that all you have to say for calling me out so early in the morning?’
Yes, standing with a slouch, something military superiors hated the most.
Meursault stared at me, speechless.
He must have been told by the commander that I was a ten-year-old boy who wanted to share meals with other kids, in other words, a naive kid.
So he must have thought that a little pressure would make me fear him.
Moreover, the reason he wasn’t friendly towards me was…….
“No matter how much of a legitimate child you are of His Excellency, it’s best to maintain respect. After all, the formal wife is still Daphne. You’re just an illegitimate child.”
‘Just like the game.’
He tried to belittle me because I was an illegitimate child.
He wouldn’t make an issue of it in front of the commander, but deep down, he didn’t acknowledge me as the rightful heir and dreamt of rebellion.
In fact, in the original strategy for dealing with the illegitimate child, I had to cater to him appropriately.
Because that way, when I eventually poisoned him, I wouldn’t be suspected.
For the same reason, I maintained a good relationship with the commander’s wife.
If there were two poisonings in the Commander’s Residence, it would be impossible to avoid suspicion, but if only one of them died first, my position would become unassailable.
But this time, I didn’t plan to do that.
In a world where well-educated NPCs were rare, Meursault and the commander’s wife were precious human resources.
Meursault Pendleton might seem very strict, but fortunately, he was easy to handle.
He had a fatal flaw, or rather a weakness.
There was an absolute strategy to deal with him.
I didn’t need to be polite; I just needed to sympathize with one of his thoughts.
I smiled and replied to Meursault, who looked at me as if I were a bug.
“But you were waiting for such an illegitimate child, weren’t you?”
“Me?”
“I heard about you from His Excellency as well.”
I hadn’t heard; I’d seen it while playing the game.
Meursault became highly agitated when I mentioned hearing about him from the commander.
There was a reason for his agitation.
In fact, this Meursault Pendleton was responsible for some high-stakes episodes in this game.
Because he…….
“Meursault. Do you still plan to marry Daphne Goodman?”
I casually threw out the question.
To the disloyal man who loved his superior’s wife.