Chapter 107

Candy (3) Dentist’s answer was simple. “I received plenty of messages.” Since there were not enough chairs, Dentist dropped onto the rug across from us and continued. “But I ignored all of them.” “You ignored every message from the other players? Why?” “I don’t know much about this world… or the game called Safe Zone. I may not play games, but even I know that a clueless beginner is easy prey wherever they go. Since I knew nothing about this game, I would have had no way of knowing whether another player was deceiving me… So I decided that I should first try to survive on my own.” It was admirable that a newbie had decided to survive by his own strength, but hadn’t he immediately sent me a friend request? Still, bringing that up would require me to reveal that I was Dopamine Addict first. “Are there no other players here besides you?” “Not as far as I know.” So Dentist was the only one who had chosen Candy. Well, a Safe Zone veteran probably would not have shown any interest in something like a piece of hard candy. “First… I’ll teach you how to use Character Inspection.” “What exactly is that?” “Look at me and say, ‘Character Inspection.’” “Character Inspection.” Dentist repeated my words without the slightest hesitation. I watched his expression change by the second. Beside me, Han Yeoreum clutched her mug with both hands and watched Dentist’s reaction with an intensely expectant expression. “Do… pamine Addict?” He looked as though he were suffering from cognitive dissonance. “Isn’t Dopamine Addict the all-zone clearer whom all the other players call a hedonist?” “That’s right.” “But your Character Inspection says Dopamine Addict…” “That means I’m the hedonistic all-zone clearer himself.” Dentist was briefly rendered speechless. I spoke in a coaxing tone. “I told you to come to my zone once you survived the Candy Zone. That’s why I came to pick you up. So—” “That’s impossible!” Dentist suddenly shouted so loudly that Han Yeoreum, who had been watching with interest, flinched in surprise. “Why are you suddenly yelling?” “There’s no way you could be some dopamine-crazed, antisocial sociopath who treats other people like they’re nothing!” …Wasn’t that a little harsh? “The senior I knew was quiet, ascetic, and unable to walk past a fellow student who looked like they were in trouble…!” Han Yeoreum, who had been listening silently, muttered in disbelief. “Who the hell is he talking about?” [Seriously.] Hmm… Was that really the image I had at university? There was no way. Dentist appeared to have a serious misunderstanding about me. In that case, I should explain things properly. “I think you’ve misunderstood me.” “Misunderstood… you?” “Yes.” I gave Dentist a bitter smile. “It seems the other players have misunderstood me as a sociopath.” Han Yeoreum stared at me in horror. Dentist, on the other hand, looked at me as though everything finally made sense. “I knew it! The others misunderstood you, didn’t they?” I naturally nodded at Dentist’s words. “The other players saw only fragments of who I am and branded me a hedonist, so I stopped appearing in the public chat room. Just as you said, I’m quiet, ascetic, and unable to ignore someone in trouble.” “Huh…” [Huh…] Han Yeoreum and Luna sighed at the same time, but I ignored them. “The reason I came to see you before the Second Apocalypse was because I thought you might be struggling without knowing anything. Seeing that you didn’t even know about Character Inspection, it seems coming here was the right decision. Had I known you were my junior, I would have come sooner. You must have suffered a lot.” “Senior…” Dentist looked deeply moved, while Luna and Han Yeoreum turned their faces away from us. “Do you remember me a little now, then?” “No.” Dentist immediately became dejected again. I really was curious about how he supposedly knew me. However, that was not what mattered right now. “But suppose…” “Yes?” “What would you do if you could log out?” The moment I asked, Dentist’s front door flew open. A man who looked like a mountain bandit stormed inside. His was a face that anyone familiar with Safe Zone would recognize. He was the NPC whose enormous face appeared on the game’s login screen, as well as the leader of the Candy Zone—Argon. Argon’s gaze slowly swept across us before stopping on me. He stared at me coldly and opened his mouth. “Get out of our zone this instant, wicked child.” Dark-brown hair, a coarse beard covering his jaw, and deep wrinkles carved into his forehead. Judging from those features, he was definitely Argon, the leader and effective ruler of the Candy Zone. ‘Did Argon just tell us to get out?’ More importantly, had he called me wicked? Han Yeoreum and I could not understand what was happening, so rather than reacting hastily, we maintained innocent expressions as though we had no idea what he meant. “What did you just say?” Dentist stood and asked Argon in a bewildered tone. Argon answered without wavering. “I said that these are wicked people and that they should leave our zone.” So he really had called us wicked. Han Yeoreum and I slowly rose from our seats as Dentist angrily confronted Argon. “Didn’t the others tell you that these people saved us and helped carry back the food? Even if you hadn’t heard, how can you be so rude to my guests?” Dentist raised his voice, but Argon remained firm. “I came because I heard it from them. They said a black-haired, black-eyed child saved them.” “What? Then you’re calling the people who helped everyone in the zone wicked and telling them to leave?” “I suspect that black-haired brat knows better than anyone why I’m acting this way.” Me? I was just as confused, since I currently had no idea why Argon was treating us with hostility. Argon gestured for me to follow him. “Wicked brat. You and I need to have a brief talk.” “……” Why had he singled me out? I found it strange, but there was no reason I could not go with him. As I took a step, Han Yeoreum grabbed me. “Hey! You don’t know what he’s planning! You’re really going alone?” “Are you actually worried about me right now?” “You may be ridiculous, but of course I’m worried!” This girl. “I’m more worried about you. Stay close to Dentist.” I removed Han Yeoreum’s hand and placed it against Dentist. After watching Han Yeoreum and Dentist recoil and pull away from each other in disgust, I approached Argon. “Lead the way.” Perhaps because I had agreed without hesitation, Argon stared at me suspiciously for a moment. His gaze then shifted to Luna, whose head was sticking out of my pocket. I handed Luna over to Han Yeoreum and looked at Argon as though asking whether that was enough. Only then did he gesture for me to follow and limp outside. ‘Come to think of it, he was lame.’ I followed slowly behind Argon and spoke. “There’s something I’d like to ask.” He answered before I could even finish. “You want to know why I brought only you?” Hmm. I was curious about that too. “Why do you keep calling me wicked?” “Because you look wicked.” What? Was this racism? As that ridiculous thought crossed my mind, Argon turned back and said something unexpected. “What is your relationship with Hayden?” *** I entered what appeared to be Argon’s house. Dentist’s home had at least felt warm and cozy, whereas Argon’s contained only the bare minimum of furniture. He had not even lit a fire, leaving the place dark and bleak. The only light inside came from sunlight filtering through the fir leaves beyond the window. “Now, tell me.” Argon sat across from me with a round wooden table between us. “What is your relationship with Hayden?” ‘Did Argon know Hayden?’ My customized appearance closely resembled my real face, and in my own opinion, I did not look much like Commander Hayden. I had no idea why people kept saying that Commander Hayden and I resembled each other. It could not be that anyone with black hair and black eyes simply looked like Hayden to them. Still, the fact that I was Commander Hayden’s son was neither something worth hiding nor something that would benefit me if concealed, so I answered honestly. “How do you know my father?” “So you really are that bastard’s son.” Even after I revealed that Commander Hayden was my father, Argon showed no surprise. Instead, he asked, “Then are you Haydam?” He even knew the name of Commander Hayden’s son. Either the two had been closer than I expected, or Haydam’s existence was widely known in other zones. “I am Haydam Goodman, but… how exactly do you know my father?” “How do I know him? That’s what I’d like to ask. It’s been one long, wretched connection.” ‘A wretched connection?’ In the Safe Zone game, players interacted with one another, but the relationships between the leaders of each zone were never described in detail. The explanation merely stated that the zones had once traded with one another and even formed alliances. Since this world did not actually have barriers separating the zones like the game did, it made sense that their leaders might have met before. However, the phrase “one long, wretched connection” bothered me. I suddenly remembered that Commander Hayden was an NPC whose backstory stated that he came from another zone. “I heard that my father originally came from another zone. Was he perhaps…” “From this zone? Of course not.” Argon immediately denied that Commander Hayden had come from the Candy Zone. So that was not it. Considering his stats and personality, there was no way he could have originated from the Candy Zone anyway. “Ask your father about our miserable history. In any case, if you truly are that bastard’s son, then I must ask you to leave my zone.” Had he kept calling me wicked because he had a bad history with my father? Still, an NPC from the Candy Zone did not seem like the type to pass a grudge against a parent down to their child. “I’m different from my father.” “Different? You’re exactly the same.” Argon frowned and added, “Why did you deceive that innocent child?” “Excuse me?” “The Saint of the Christmas Forest. I’m talking about him.” Argon rested his elbows on the table and leaned closer. “I know perfectly well that you’re Haydam Goodman, the son of the commander of the Cola Zone. So how do you explain pretending to be the Saint’s senior?”