A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 68. Haydam

Until the moment I lost consciousness, my body had been nothing more than a rag. But when I woke up, the only thing that felt off was that my throat was a bit dry. That was strange enough.

But even stranger was the powerful force I felt inside me after opening my eyes.

I guessed this power had something to do with the Eye Giant’s jewel that was shoved into my mouth right before I passed out.

And then there was that Moonstone Cat who had shoved the jewel into me.

That thing surely knew the nature of this power.

Yet, despite my calls, it remained silent.

Well, considering it only appeared just before I was on the verge of death, it would be ridiculous to expect it to respond to something like this.

‘Looks like I have no choice. It’s a bit childish, but…’

This NPC in the ring usually only reacted to the Commander.

Whenever the Commander appeared, I could sense a faint feeling of regret, and when the Commander was in danger, a sense of desperation would flood in.

If I even thought poorly of the Commander, it would act like it was protesting, and if I behaved in a way that wasn’t like ‘Haydam,’ it would wag its finger at me, as if telling me to get my head on straight.

So, this thing would definitely respond to my ‘monologue.’

“What do you think would happen if I went to the Commander and told him that I’m not actually Haydam?”

[No!]

As soon as I provoked it, I heard a young voice from the moonstone, and with a bright flash of light, something white popped out and plopped itself down on my lap.

A kitten, as white as snow.

‘So I wasn’t mistaken back then.’

At that time, since I had been in a life-or-death crisis, I thought I might have hallucinated it.

But the cat now in front of me was exactly the same as the one I saw just before I lost consciousness.

I had assumed there was an NPC inside the ring, but I never thought it would be anything other than a person.

The cat that had popped out of the ring began to scold me.

[That’s not what we agreed on! You promised first! You said you’d treat me like a father and make sure I wouldn’t die!]

“So, you’ve finally decided to show up.”

Treat it like a father and make sure it wouldn’t die, huh…

That was the vow I made at Luna Moon’s tomb.

Ah, since it was there in its ring form, it must’ve heard the vow I made to Luna Moon.

Was that the reason it’s cooperated with me until now?

‘But if that’s the case, something’s still odd…’

[Are you really… really going to tell him you’re not Haydam?]

As I just said, this thing knew that I wasn’t the ‘real’ Haydam.

If it were an NPC related to Luna Moon, shouldn’t it be outraged that I’m pretending to be Haydam?

But judging from its attitude, it seemed like it wanted me to keep pretending to be Haydam… no, more than that, it seemed like it wanted me to *perfectly* become Haydam.

[You can’t do that… He’d be so sad if you did…]

What exactly is this cat?

Because the ring reacted in front of the Commander, I originally thought Luna Moon’s soul might be dwelling inside it.

But the feelings that came through the ring when I was near the Commander were never feelings one would have for a lover.

And if the cat were Luna Moon, there’s no reason for it to be uncooperative with me, another player.

Judging by its words and actions, it’s definitely not a player.

Even so, it must be an NPC somehow connected to Luna Moon.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so desperate to tell me not to make the Commander sad.

As tears started to well up in the cat’s eyes, I quickly said, “Alright.”

[Alright?]

“I’ll keep living as Haydam.”

[Really?!]

“Yeah, really.”

If it had been watching me from inside the ring all this time, it would know that I have no choice but to live as Haydam.

What a naive little thing.

[Then, this time, don’t break your promise!]

“When did I ever break a promise? I saved the Commander just like you wanted. I almost died doing it, too.”

[That’s why…! That’s why I gave you the Eye Giant’s jewel!]

Ah, so it popped out to help me right when I was about to die because I saved the Commander?

‘It has a bit of a temper, but it’s kind of cute.’

I brought my face closer to the cat and asked, “So… who are you?”

Its response to my question was unexpected.

[Don’t call me ‘you’!]

I can’t call it ‘you’?

“I don’t know your name, so what else should I call you?”

[Don’t call me ‘you’! I’m your hyung!]

“…Where do you get off saying that?”

The kitten that was clearly younger than me insisted that it was my *hyung*.

Ah, but cats do have a different age scale, don’t they?

I think I remember hearing that a cat at one year old is like a human at ten.

Even though my real body is over thirty, this kitten probably sees me as a ten-year-old kid right now.

But still, it looks like it’s only about six months old.

But the cat gave an unexpected explanation.

[I was born before you, so I’m your hyung!]

It’s seriously claiming it was born before me.

“So… are you saying you were born more than ten years ago?”

[Yes! So I’m your hyung!]

Hmm. I thought it was just being stubborn, but it seems pretty serious.

Well, considering it’s a monster, it could just have a young appearance.

[Call me hyung! If you don’t call me hyung, I won’t answer you!]

It definitely seemed mentally immature.

“Alright, alright. So, who are you, *hyung*?”

Satisfied, the cat puffed out its chest and slightly tilted its head up as it answered.

[I am the beginning and the end of everything.]

“…What?”

[And I’m your hyung.]

I didn’t think I’d be able to have a normal conversation with this thing.

“So… are you Luna Moon’s pet or something?”

[I’m not a pet! And neither are you!!]

“Then why were you in Luna Moon’s ring?”

[That’s…]

The cat, who had been acting all proud and high-handed, suddenly drooped its ears and lowered its head, looking dejected.

[“I can’t say…”]

“You can’t say?”

Seeing the kitten all slumped over, it seemed like it genuinely had a reason for being unable to talk about it. So, I decided to let it go for now.

After all, I didn’t summon this thing because I was curious about its identity, but rather to ask about the strange power that had settled inside me.

“Then, I’ll ask something else.”

[Something else…?]

The kitten, clearly feeling guilty for not answering my previous question, perked up and looked at me, relieved that I had decided to ask something different.

“Why did you make me eat the Eye Giant’s jewel?”

[That I can tell you!]

The kitten jumped up and down on my lap and then pressed its soft paw, with its squishy pink pad, against my chest.

Right around the spot where I had been feeling that mysterious power.

[‘You guys’ are vessels that can hold jewels.]

“You guys?”

[People like you!]

Was it talking about players when it said ‘you guys’?

While I was still confused, the kitten continued.

[Jewels hold the power of monsters, and if you absorb the jewel, you can use that power.]

‘This is the most NPC-like explanation I’ve heard from it so far.’

Still, absorbing a jewel to gain the power of a monster? That sounded like something out of a supernatural battle series.

What kind of crazy game genre is this?

“So, what you’re saying is…”

[Nyaa!]

“…You’re saying that I’ve absorbed the Eye Giant’s power, right?”

[Yes! The reason your body healed so quickly is because you absorbed the Eye Giant’s regenerative power.]

So that’s why I didn’t have any injuries when I was found?

But the power I felt inside me wasn’t just a simple healing ability. It was massive—an overwhelming force, like I could do anything if I reached out for it. A power that bordered on omnipotence.

[Of course, you didn’t just absorb its healing power. You inherited its most special ability.]

“The most special ability?”

[The Eye Giant’s ability to control the weather.]

The ability to control the weather.

The same power that created blizzards and summoned lightning, now inside me?

‘I guess I’m not quite omnipotent.’

But it was still hard to believe.

Absorbing a monster’s jewel to gain healing powers… that sounded plausible. After all, players did have abilities that allowed them to heal by eating in the game.

But to think that I could absorb a jewel and gain a monster’s unique ability… That was a concept I’d never seen in the game.

Still, considering the power I could actually feel inside me, it was hard to dismiss it as nonsense.

“If that’s true, I’d like to try out this power. How do I use it?”

[How to use it… Well, that’s hard to explain. Think of it like your limbs. When you’re a newborn, it’s hard to even turn your body over, but eventually, you start learning to walk. Since it’s become a part of your body, you’ll be able to use it eventually.]

“So… someday.”

[It took the Eye Giant years to fully master its control over the weather. Since you’re human, it’ll take some time for you to control that power too.]

So I couldn’t use it right away.

Well, if it’s something I’ll naturally learn over time, that’s fine.

But more importantly…

‘The fact that I can absorb a monster’s jewel and gain its power…’

What if I got hold of some powerful monster jewels and had Taejong and BangguseokYeoBo absorb them?

While legendary monsters with special abilities aren’t easy to come by, even high-tier monster jewels should provide some decent power.

Since the ability to enhance oneself through jewels wasn’t something from the game, it was information that the other zone people wouldn’t know about. That would put us far ahead.

Thinking about it like that, the kitten suddenly seemed incredibly useful.

I didn’t know how it had this knowledge, but it had information I didn’t. And more than that, the ability to easily extract jewels from legendary monsters.

It was definitely going to be useful to me.

If I could eventually get a flying monster’s jewel and gain the ability to fly, that would be even better.

“If I absorbed a flying monster’s jewel, would I be able to fly?”

[If it’s a monster with flying abilities, sure. But just because you eat a winged monster’s jewel doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly grow wings. Humans don’t have wings, after all.]

So, I wouldn’t sprout wings just from absorbing a flying monster’s jewel.

Though, even if I did, that would probably cause its own set of problems.

[Also, even if you ate a jewel from a monster with flying abilities, you wouldn’t be able to use it.]

“Why not?”

[Because you can only have one jewel ability at a time.]

“Ah…”

As I listened, a chill ran down my spine.

What if I hadn’t known this and had tried to absorb some random monster’s jewel?

Of course, up until now, I only knew jewels as things to destroy, so that scenario wouldn’t have happened… but still…

‘But is it just a coincidence that the first jewel I absorbed was from a legendary monster?’

It felt like things were being set up way too perfectly for me.

This little kitten claiming to be my *hyung*… its existence also seemed suspicious.

“How do you know all of this, anyway?”

[That’s because I’m the beginning and the end of everything.]

What the hell does it mean by “the beginning and the end”?

“Do you have a name?”

[I have a name… but it’s not mine right now.]

It’s not yours right now?

That phrase triggered a thought in my mind.

Someone connected to Luna Moon.

Someone who had a name but no longer claimed it as their own.

Someone who was born a little earlier than a ten-year-old player.

And a family member who didn’t want Commander Hayden to be sad.

There was only one NPC that fit those clues.

“Could you be…”

With a trembling voice, I asked the kitten,

“…Haydam?”