A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 80: Divorce (6)

“Now you believe me.”

The player from the Love Zone, who had witnessed my ability, finally said that they would no longer doubt me.

The fact that I gained this ability after eating the Eye Giant’s jewel was known to no one but Luna.

Since it was a setting that never appeared in the game, even a player wouldn’t suspect that this power was obtained through a method other than a perk.

So, they had no choice but to believe me.

‘Yeah… it’s good that they believe me, but…’

An unexpected problem arose.

“Aren’t you going back to your zone?”

“I just arrived today. There’s no way I could leave right away.”

…with those words, they declared they’d stay in my zone for a few more days.

Of course, even though they were a player, it was possible that fatigue had accumulated since the Love Zone was far from here.

Even the Commander and Meursault knew that they were my guest, so even if the player had intended to leave, I would’ve likely suggested they stay a few more days.

Nevertheless, there was something unsettling about them staying in my zone.

They still feared me, but that fear felt subtly different from before.

For instance, when I called them ‘God’, they shook their head and told me not to call them that anymore.

“Then what should I call you? Shaman?”

“Shin Eunjoo.”

“What’s Shin Eunjoo?”

“It’s my real name.”

“You want me to call you by your real name?”

“Because calling me ‘God’ is confusing.”

So, they wanted me to call them by their real name because their player name, “God,” was confusing?

[It is confusing, though.]

‘That’s true, but…’

I had no idea what caused this sudden change in attitude, considering they hadn’t cared at all before.

“Instead of overthinking, why don’t you just return to your zone?”

“When I leave, I’ll leave one of my earrings with you. It should be enough to cover my stay for a few days, right?”

It was more than enough to refuse.

[Let them stay and take both of the earrings!]

Luna was getting quite shameless now.

In exchange for letting Shin Eunjoo stay at the Commander’s Residence, I decided to have Taejong monitor them.

Taejong had become much more reticent compared to when we first met, and he barely made his presence known, blending in with the other staff at the Commander’s Residence.

As soon as Shin Eunjoo encountered Taejong, they seemed to have opened the character review function and mumbled Taejong’s nickname.

“TaejongTaeseBeyonce?”

The young girl who had just encountered Taejong called out their nickname, but Taejong didn’t seem particularly surprised.

Perhaps Taejong had heard from others that a girl from another zone had come to visit, and had guessed she was a system-unlocked player.

Unexpectedly, Shin Eunjoo showed interest in Taejong.

“I know you. You’re one of the followers of DopamineAddict, right?”

“You know me. But I don’t know who you are, miss.”

He called her ‘miss’ without even knowing who she was?

“I’m Shin Eunjoo. But why are you here? Wasn’t your base in the Chicken Zone?”

Was Taejong’s base in the Chicken Zone?

Come to think of it, most players seemed to know about me, but…

I knew very little about other players.

Tbalrom had stuck in my memory because he had been targeting me, which is why I also pretended to be Tbalrom when I spoke to BangguseokYeoBo.

‘Could Taejong also know something about the Salvation Project?’

As that thought crossed my mind, I realized there was a question I hadn’t yet gotten an answer to from Shin Eunjoo.

I had sent OwlEyes back to the Love Zone with one question.

– Do you know anything about the Salvation Project?

OwlEyes didn’t seem to know, and while I hadn’t specifically suggested they ask Shin Eunjoo, I assumed that if OwlEyes had to report back to Shin Eunjoo, the question might naturally come up.

However, when I suggested we discuss something more important, Shin Eunjoo didn’t bring up the Salvation Project. Instead, they talked about the perks of being a “Conqueror of All Zones.”

This meant there was a high probability that Shin Eunjoo didn’t know about the Salvation Project either.

‘But still…’

[That girl seems cautious, so it’s also possible she’s hiding what she knows.]

That was true.

At the very least, while they were staying here, I could subtly probe to see if they knew anything about the Salvation Project.

With that decided, I looked at Taejong.

“While they’re staying here, I’ll leave this one in your care. Don’t worry, I’ll send them back before the entrance exam.”

“Leave it to me, sir.”

“Entrance exam?”

Shin Eunjoo looked at me curiously, as if wondering what I meant by ‘entrance exam.’

Instead of explaining what the entrance exam was, I deliberately issued a warning.

“If you want to stay here, it’s best not to take an interest in the affairs of my zone.”

“With all that power, are you really that wary of a lowly player like me?”

I didn’t expect them to call themselves a ‘lowly player’ just because I showed them one ability.

[Whether they’re sincere or not, I don’t know.]

‘Do you have the ability to see through lies?’

[Would I, though…?]

Before I could issue another warning, Shin Eunjoo spoke first.

“Being cautious is a good thing. I won’t leave my room unless you call for me.”

But still.

“It’s suspicious how you’re suddenly agreeing with everything I say.”
“But I’m serious. What good would come from antagonizing a player with such absurd power? I don’t think there’s any.”

My intuition told me that what they said was genuine.

So why did I still feel uneasy?

“I’ll stay locked in my room, so if you need my help, feel free to call me anytime.”

After saying that, Shin Eunjoo really followed Taejong to the room assigned to them and didn’t come out.

Offering help if I needed it was an interesting remark.

What help would I ever need from a player of the Love Zone?

* * *

“Lady Daphne refused to meet with Meursault?”

“Yes.”

The Commander, who relayed the news to me, looked at me curiously, as if puzzled.

“Why are you so surprised? Daphne is my wife. Of course, she would refuse to meet Meursault privately.”

“……”

“But she didn’t refuse to meet *you*. She said you could come as long as Meursault doesn’t accompany you.”

She would meet me as long as Meursault wasn’t with me?

‘What in the world happened while we were away for the subjugation?’

I had promised to take Meursault to her tea time with Daphne, but now he was being shut out by her right at the entrance.

How was I supposed to break this news to Meursault?

‘If my memory serves me right, she said she was planning to confess her feelings to Meursault back then.’

It might have sounded like a death flag, but it wasn’t something she said impulsively.

But now she was refusing to even meet him?

As I contemplated the situation with a serious expression, the Commander, looking confused, asked me:

“Haydam, why are you so intent on getting Meursault and Daphne together? Is this related to the future?”

‘If I said it’s necessary for the future, the Commander would help me without hesitation.’

But if I lied and said those two needed to get married, the Commander would eventually figure it out.

It’s better not to lie when it’ll be discovered quickly.

“I just feel sorry for them.”

“For Daphne?”

“No, for all of them.”

It was partly an excuse, but there was also some truth to it.

Daphne, who married someone she didn’t love.

The Commander, who married Daphne because the person he loved wanted it.

And Meursault, who had to serve the man who married the woman he loved.

Their fates were so tangled, I just wanted to set everything back in its place.

And erase my debts along the way.

I wasn’t sure what the Commander was thinking after hearing my words, but he gave a slight chuckle.

“This isn’t something you should worry about alone. Go see Daphne. She said she’d meet you if you came alone, so she must have something to say.”

“Yes, I need to confirm something too.”

As our conversation seemed to end, Luna, who had been resting on the Commander’s lap and getting petted, got up and stretched.

I watched Luna for a moment before asking the Commander:

“Oh, by the way. She only refused Meursault, right?”

“That’s right… why?”

“I have another companion.”

“Another companion?”

The Commander tilted his head, puzzled, but then a mysterious smile appeared on his lips.

“Now that you mention it, you’ve let a girl from the Love Zone stay in my residence.”

“I couldn’t just kick out a guest after one day.”

“So, are you going to tell me why she came all the way here to see you? What kind of relationship do you have?”

“There’s nothing between us.”

“Nothing between you, but she specifically asked to see *you*? A girl from another zone?”

“Seems like Meursault didn’t report that part to you.”

At the mention of a report, the Commander raised an eyebrow.

“During the last subjugation, I saved a lost child.”

“Ah… I think I heard something about that. That you, unusually, sent them back kindly.”

“The guest who came to see me is that child’s sister.”

“Sister?”

“She’s only here to express her gratitude, so please don’t misunderstand. Tell Meursault that too.”

Finally understanding, the Commander nodded.

“I’ve said this before, but I was also saved by Luna Moon from another zone—”

Before the Commander could finish, I grabbed Luna and bolted from the office.

* * *

And so,

I went to ask Shin Eunjoo for help.

The first thing I said when I asked for help was:

“Are you really a girl? You’re not some netkama, right?”

“…Do all men ask such pathetic questions?”

She looked like someone who had already heard the same question before.

Was it HomeProtector?

“Why does it matter if I’m really a girl?”

“Because I think you, as a woman, would connect better with Daphne.”

“Daphne?”

Shin Eunjoo looked at me with interest.

“So, you didn’t just spare the Commander and Meursault. You decided not to kill Daphne either? Are you going for a no-kill route?”

“I’m going to get them divorced.”

“…”

Shin Eunjoo stared at me with a dumbfounded expression before finally asking:

“Are you trying to make them divorce instead of killing them?”

“You’ll understand once you meet Daphne, but divorce is what she wants.”

“I’m not sure what you mean yet… but what am I supposed to find out by meeting Daphne?”

As expected, she was quick on the uptake.

Shin Eunjoo immediately grasped what I wanted.

What I needed was for Daphne to open up to Shin Eunjoo about her true feelings.

There was something Daphne was clearly hiding from me, something she couldn’t say.

Whether it was because I was a child of Luna Moon, because I was close to Meursault, or simply because I was a boy.

That’s why what Shin Eunjoo needed to find out was:

“Her feelings toward Meursault.”

“…Huh?”

Shin Eunjoo furrowed her brow deeply.

Since in the Safe Zone game, Meursault was depicted as an unrequited lover chasing Daphne like some adulterous character, it probably seemed ridiculous to ask Daphne about her feelings for him.

But that thought quickly vanished when Shin Eunjoo’s next words came out.

“Meursault isn’t even a target character, though?”

“I know that, but… wait, what?”

She knows that Meursault isn’t a target character?

I might need to reconsider my assumption that Shin Eunjoo doesn’t know anything about the Salvation Project.