A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 67: The Promise (10)

‘What is that…?’

I checked the shape that popped out of the ring and made a perplexed expression.

“A cat…?”

It wasn’t just any ordinary cat, but a tiny kitten with pure white fur.

‘A cat, not an NPC?’

I blinked in confusion, unsure of how to react to this situation. The cat, which had emerged from the moonstone, stretched its body and started licking its front paw.

I stared at it blankly for a while before coming to my senses and barely managed to squeeze out some words.

“Help… me…”

Whether it heard my voice or not, the creature looked at me. Its bright blue eyes sparkled like jewels.

“My pocket… hey!”

I was about to ask the cat to fetch the combat rations from my pocket, but before I could finish, it dashed off somewhere without even listening to my request.

Already in extreme pain, the added strain from shouting made it feel as though my spine was about to snap in two.

‘What’s up with that thing?’

Resigned, I watched what it was doing. The cat was climbing up the frozen body of the immobile Snow Giant, impaled on an icicle.

What on earth was it trying to do?

As I continued to observe, the cat eventually reached the Snow Giant’s forehead.

‘Is it after the gemstone?’

Was it going to try and bite the gemstone off with its tiny teeth?

That small mouth wouldn’t even leave a scratch on it.

At least, that’s what I thought. But then, the cat pressed its forehead against the gemstone.

For a moment, I thought the creature was paying its respects to the Snow Giant’s death.

Then, the gemstone embedded in the Snow Giant’s forehead dislodged itself, floating into the air.

“…!”

Did it just pull the monster’s gemstone out?

It has that kind of ability?

‘What on earth is this creature?’

Even I, a conqueror of the entire Zone, had never heard of such a phenomenon.

Could it be that this thing, like the Snow Giant, is a legendary monster with supernatural powers?

However, it didn’t seem like a monster. After all, I couldn’t see any gemstones embedded in the body of this small kitten.

After it left, the moonstone ring that had once been bright now lay dull and pathetic on my finger, like a mere rock…

Meanwhile, the cat, with the gemstone in its mouth, gracefully leapt down from the Snow Giant’s body.

As soon as the cat landed softly on the ground, the Snow Giant’s body collapsed sideways with a loud crash, the icicles shattering along with it.

I frowned unconsciously at the cloud of dust it kicked up, but when I opened my eyes again, the cat with the gemstone was standing right in front of me.

It didn’t give me the combat rations as I had requested, but since it defeated the Snow Giant, it was clearly here to help me.

“Thank you… Mmph?!”

Just as I was about to express my thanks, something entered my mouth.

The cat had shoved the Snow Giant’s gemstone straight into my mouth without any warning.

“What are you…!”

As soon as the gemstone dissolved into blue particles in my mouth, an unbearable pain, far worse than having my spine broken, overwhelmed me, and I lost consciousness on the spot.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, I was staring up at a familiar ceiling.

It was the same hospital room I had been in after being shot by that player from the Unicorn Zone.

“Lord Haydam!”

The first thing I noticed was Bones, who was standing nearby, holding a comb and jumping to his feet.

Next, Lucas, Plato, and BangguseokYeoBo came into view one after the other.

Lucas spoke to me.

“Have you regained consciousness?”

I tried to answer his question, but my throat felt like it was splitting open, probably because I’d been unconscious for a while.

“Water…”

As soon as I uttered the word, two people dashed out of the room.

One was Lucas, who ran to fetch a doctor, and the other was Plato, who went to get water.

BangguseokYeoBo poured water into a cup from a jug and handed it to me, his tone incredulous.

“What do you think you’ve been drinking this whole time, huh?”

I couldn’t help but be taken aback at how BangguseokYeoBo was bad-mouthing a superior officer even with Bones present.

But Bones didn’t seem to mind at all, his face utterly devoid of any reaction, as if he was used to it by now.

What on earth had happened while I was unconscious?

The water BangguseokYeoBo handed me turned into blue particles as soon as it touched my lips, and soon enough, the dryness in my throat was gone.

“Lord Haydam, do you feel any pain?”

“Well…”

I had been in terrible pain just before I passed out, but now that I had woken up…

There was no pain at all.

In fact, I felt even stronger than before.

“How long have I been out?”

“Today marks exactly one week.”

One week?

Even if I had been unconscious for a week, my injuries shouldn’t have healed this quickly…

‘Did BangguseokYeoBo have a hand in healing me?’

If BangguseokYeoBo was the one who treated me, it would explain why Bones turned a blind eye to his insolence.

“What about the Commander—no, my father?”

“He’s safe. Lucas went to fetch the doctor, so His Excellency will soon be informed that you’ve woken up.”

Hearing that everyone was safe, I let out a sigh of relief.

It was only natural.

With the Snow Giant dead, the blizzard would have stopped, making the rescue operation much easier.

‘I wonder what happened to the 2nd Team Leader…’

I was about to ask about what had happened while I was unconscious, but I suddenly sat up and looked at my hand.

The Luna Moon ring, as usual, was glowing dully and was securely on my finger.

The only difference was that, unlike before, when it used to be loose, the ring now fit snugly around my finger.

I stared at the ring for a moment before asking Bones.

“Did you see any… cat while rescuing me?”

“A cat?”

Bones looked at me, puzzled, as if he couldn’t understand why I would ask such a thing.

“Well, I wasn’t there during the rescue, so I’m not sure of all the details. But I didn’t hear anyone mention seeing a cat-like monster.”

When I asked if he had seen something like a cat, naturally, they assumed I was talking about a monster.

Well, in this day and age, an ordinary cat wouldn’t be living under such a cliff.

The cat I saw looked exactly like a baby kitten, but considering its strange abilities, it was probably closer to being a monster.

“You must still not be in your right mind, talking about a cat right after waking up,” muttered BangguseokYeoBo.

This time, Bones didn’t let it slide and frowned deeply.

“Lord Haydam, is that brat always this rude?”

“But why is he even here? And why were all of you here as well?”

“We were hospitalized too.”

Now that I looked, Bones was wearing a patient’s gown.

Come to think of it, Plato and Lucas, who had run out earlier, also seemed to be wearing hospital gowns…

It seemed BangguseokYeoBo, who was dressed in a military uniform, had safely returned to the Zone along with Meursault.

At that moment, BangguseokYeoBo stepped closer and spoke proudly.

“You should be thanking me, Haydam.”

It seemed like he wanted to brag about treating me, but since he did help, I was about to thank him when he added,

“I’m the one who found you.”

“You found me?”

“Yeah! How else would anyone have found that cave on the cliff?”

I had assumed they located me by using a drone to search the area, given they knew where I had fallen.

But apparently, it was BangguseokYeoBo who provided the exact location.

Yet, even I had never seen that cave before.

“How did you know about that cave?”

“Because it’s a cliff I know.”

A cliff he knows?

I stared at him in disbelief, but BangguseokYeoBo had an expression that said that was all the explanation he was going to give.

I looked at Bones, who just shrugged as if he didn’t know anything either.

“Funny guy, right? We asked him the same thing, and all he said was, ‘it’s a cliff I know.’”

Had BangguseokYeoBo fallen off that cliff while playing the game before or something?

“And… what about treating me?”

“Treat you?”

BangguseokYeoBo and Bones looked at each other briefly before they both spoke.

“We didn’t treat you or anything.”

“I heard that when we found you, only your clothes were slightly torn, and you were otherwise perfectly fine.”

“That’s why the entire Zone is in an uproar right now.”

“They’re calling it *the Miracle of the Crevasse*, Lord Haydam.”

Wha… what miracle?

The Miracle of the Crevasse?

That’s ridiculous…

“But why the cat? Is it important?”

“Well, that—”

Just as I was about to give a vague answer to BangguseokYeoBo’s question, Lucas returned with the doctor. The doctor immediately kicked out all the outsiders, so we couldn’t continue the conversation.

The Commander appeared exactly 10 minutes later.

“Haydam!”

For the first time ever, he showed his emotions fully, rushing over to me and hugging me tightly.

It was a gentle hug, as if he was afraid he might hurt me.

His arms, holding me, were trembling slightly.

‘For some reason, this makes me feel guilty…’

Unlike his usual composed self, when he’d say I could heal even if I got injured, I realized that he had been hiding his worry for me all along.

The Commander let go of me and immediately began speaking without pausing to take a breath.

“Never do anything so reckless again.”

“…”

When I didn’t respond, the Commander looked at me with eyes filled with fear.

“Please… I’m begging you. If anything had happened to you there, how could I possibly face Luna Moon in death…”

His voice trembled as he spoke.

“Please, Haydam. Promise me you’ll never do something like this again. You’re a regressor, not immortal!”

He wasn’t wrong.

I was a player, not immortal.

It wouldn’t hurt to give him the answer he wanted right now.

After this experience, I realized that overestimating my abilities could easily lead to my death, so perhaps it was better to focus on becoming a proper heir while safely planning future conquests.

If it weren’t for the ring’s power, I would have probably met a game over back there.

But for that very reason, I had to answer this way.

“I can’t do that.”

“Haydam!”

“I’ve already made a promise to my mother.”

The Commander, about to argue further, froze when he heard me mention my mother.

“A promise…?”

“Yes, when I regressed, I swore at her grave that I would protect you this time. So if I can’t protect you, there’s no point in my regression.”

The Commander looked dumbfounded.

Who wouldn’t be speechless when hearing that their ten-year-old son regressed to save them?

“Haydam…”

The Commander tried to say something, but just then, the doctor re-entered the room and announced that visiting hours were over, effectively cutting the conversation short.

“Since he only just regained consciousness, it’s important for him to rest both physically and mentally. While I understand your concerns, he needs time to recover.”

Reluctantly, the Commander said his goodbyes and left the hospital room.

After even the doctor and nurses exited, reminding me to press the bell if I needed anything, I muttered softly.

“…That’s the answer you wanted, right?”

The moonstone on the ring shimmered briefly as if acknowledging it had been found out, then went dark again.

“Now that I’ve done what you wanted, come out and explain.”

I raised my hand to the ring and whispered.

“What did you do to me?”