Chapter 11

The Veteran and the Newbie

I had plenty of questions for Home Protector—and plenty I wanted to confront that bastard about—but the public chat room, where all the other players were present, was hardly the place for it.

More importantly, that was not what mattered right now.

The newly arrived players were ‘God,’ ‘Dentist,’ ‘TotallyPossible,’ ‘I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio,’ and ‘DrugDealer.’

Including ‘Home Protector,’ there were six of them in total.

Adding T-Bastard and me, who had already been in the chat room, brought the number to eight.

There were nine safe zones and nine meteorite items in total. If one person from each zone had unlocked the system, there should have been nine people in the chat room.

Of course, it was possible that the last person had simply failed to unlock the system yet.

But now that six people had entered almost simultaneously, that possibility seemed extremely unlikely.

The zones were not assigned randomly. They depended on which item each player had chosen at the convenience store.

Perhaps there was a zone corresponding to an item that no player had chosen.

[Home Protector: Oh! Dopamine Addict! So you got possessed too?]

Home Protector casually greeted me first, as though nothing had happened.

Judging by his friendly tone, he did not seem dissatisfied about being transported into the game either, just like Taejeong Taese.

Then again… true to the username Home Protector, he had probably been unemployed and living at home in reality.

[TotallyPossible: I figured both of you probably got possessed too…]

TotallyPossible, who had frequently commented on my strategy guides, also seemed remarkably unconcerned about the possession.

[God: Dopamine Addict? Are you really Dopamine Addict?]
[God: I’m a huge fan of yours!]

Another airhead.

Had this person landed in a relatively easy zone?

[DrugDealer: What is this? A chat room? Why does something like this exist? I wasn’t the only one who got possessed?]

That kind of confusion was probably the normal reaction.

The new players all began blurting out whatever they wanted to say at once, causing the chat window to scroll upward at a dizzying speed.

Only after quite some time did they calm down.

They seemed to be watching my reaction, until the player with the gym-bro-like username cautiously addressed me.

[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: Um…]
[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: As far as I know, Dopamine Addict was the first person who posted that convenience store’s address. Did you get possessed too?]

Compared to T-Bastard, who had immediately declared that he would kill me, the question was exceedingly polite, so I answered without resistance.

[Dopamine Addict: Yes, I was possessed too. I only sent the convenience store’s address to Home Protector. I never imagined it would spread and cause all of us to be possessed like this.]

[God: What zone are you in right now, honey?]

I briefly considered whether I should reveal my zone to the player called God, then decided to answer honestly.

[Dopamine Addict: I’m in the Cola Zone.]

There was no particular reason to hide it.

Until the Second Apocalypse arrived, none of us could make contact with another zone.

That was an unbreakable rule between zones.

Besides, once the Second Apocalypse began, I planned to head for the Unicorn Zone anyway.

Revealing my current zone would not pose much of a threat.

Most importantly, T-Bastard already knew I was in the Cola Zone. There was no need to attempt a pointless bluff here and risk losing the other players’ trust.

It would also be troublesome if the chat room developed into a place where everyone was obsessed with concealing information from one another.

I wanted at least a rough understanding of the other zones before the Second Apocalypse arrived.

I would offer some of the information I possessed and use it to draw information out of the other players.

The very existence of a public chat room probably meant that players were expected to exchange information.

[Dopamine Addict: I’d like to know which zones everyone else is in so we can understand the overall situation.]

[God: I’m in the Love Zone~]

Perhaps because God had asked about my zone first, they revealed their own without hesitation.

Still… I had assumed they were an airhead who had landed in an easy zone, but the Love Zone?

[Home Protector: I’m in Tobacco.]

Just as Stay-at-home wifey and I had predicted, Home Protector seemed to have landed in the Tobacco Zone.

[TotallyPossible: I’m in the Beer Zone. It’s underwater.]
[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: I’m in Chicken.]
[DrugDealer: I-I’m in… Cocaine…]

[God: Pfft! You bought cocaine at that convenience store?]

[DrugDealer: I thought it was just some kind of powder!]

[God: Your username smells pretty drug-related for someone claiming that~]

[DrugDealer: It’s just a role-playing gimmick…!!]

He admitted to being a role-playing edgelord without the slightest hesitation.

Meanwhile, the user named Dentist had remained silent throughout the entire exchange.

Were they still assessing the situation?

They seemed cautious.

[Dopamine Addict: Dentist, are you not going to tell us which zone you’re in?]

Only after I singled them out did Dentist finally send a message.

[Dentist: There is still someone else who has not revealed their zone. We may be in the same zone, so caution is appropriate.]

Someone else who had not revealed their zone?

Ah, did they mean T-Bastard?

Beside the chat window was a list of everyone currently in the room, displayed in the order they had entered.

Just as I had been wary of Dentist for not saying a word, Dentist apparently found T-Bastard’s silence suspicious.

[Dopamine Addict: If you mean T-Bastard, he’s in the Knife Zone.]

[God: The Knife Zone?!]

When I revealed that T-Bastard was in the Knife Zone, even God, who had been speaking so casually until now, seemed startled.

[Home Protector: Isn’t that a hidden zone?]
[Home Protector: Ah, right. Since the starting zone is determined by what you bought at the convenience store, I guess someone could end up in Knife.]

[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: The Knife Zone… My condolences…]

It was unlikely that T-Bastard was not reading these messages, but he still did not say anything.

[Dentist: Why isn’t Mr. T-Bastard saying that himself?]

As expected, Dentist did not like that part.

I supposed it was inevitable that T-Bastard would appear suspicious.

[Dopamine Addict: T-Bastard probably isn’t in a state where he can check the chat properly right now. More importantly, he bears a grudge against me, so it’s difficult to obtain his cooperation.]

[Dentist: If not everyone is cooperating, then I don’t think I can reveal my zone.]

Hmm.

Should I call that excessively cautious or simply foolish?

The only remaining zones were Candy and Unicorn. What did they hope to accomplish by concealing which of the two they were in?

[Dopamine Addict: I understand, but I don’t think anyone will want to share information with someone who refuses to reveal even their zone.]

[Dentist: How can I be certain that the information you people share is reliable?]

To be fair, I did not blindly trust everything the other players said either.

But what I wanted was not for Dentist to trust us.

I simply wanted Dentist to reveal their own information.

Rather than trying to earn their trust, I slightly shifted the point of the conversation.

[Dopamine Addict: I unlocked the system on the first day of possession. That means I possess more information than anyone else here. The fact that I unlocked it before all of you and had already spoken with T-Bastard should make that obvious.]

[Dentist: Merely unlocking the system earlier does not necessarily…]

Perhaps frustrated by the tedious conversation between Dentist and me, God interrupted.

[God: Wait, does Dentist not know who Dopamine Addict is?]

[Dentist: Am I supposed to?]

[God: You don’t use the community boards, do you?]

[God: Dopamine Addict cleared every zone!]

[God: Passing up a chance to exchange information with someone who cleared every zone would be an incredibly stupid decision, don’t you think?]

I had avoided calling myself someone who had cleared every zone because it felt like praising myself too much.

Even so, I was also surprised that Dentist would refuse to exchange information with me.

I began wondering whether they might be one of my haters, like Stay-at-home wifey.

But then Dentist gave an unexpected reply.

[Dentist: Cleared every zone? Is that… supposed to be impressive?]

[Home Protector: Huh?]

[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: ?]

Something was strange.

It felt awkward to say this myself, but there was no way a Safe Zone player would not know who I was.

…Ah.

Could this Dentist possibly be…

[God: Um, Dentist… how long have you been playing Safe Zone?]

[Dentist: Safe Zone? What is that?]

[God: Huh?]

I suddenly realized something and asked Dentist a question.

[Dopamine Addict: Dentist, do you not know that this is the world of a game called Safe Zone?]

[Dentist: This is a game world?]

[Dentist: Then all that talk about being possessed… you meant we were possessed into a game?!]

Ah.

Now I remembered.

The convenience store’s address had not been registered on the online map, so I had sent Home Protector the address of the building next door instead.

And if I remembered correctly, there had been a dental clinic in that building.

Had the dentist gone to the convenience store by coincidence and gotten possessed along with everyone else?

[God: Whoa… Then you got possessed without knowing anything at all?]

[Home Protector: You’ve never even played this game?]

[TotallyPossible: That means…]

At that very moment, the same thought must have crossed the minds of every veteran player who had been transported into the game.

[Dopamine Addict: A newbie.]

[Home Protector: A newbie.]

[TotallyPossible: A newbie.]

[Dentist: …What is a newbie?]

[DrugDealer: Um, is this really the time to be happy about finding a newbie? We’ve been transported into a game, remember?]

In any case, I now had a good idea which zone Dentist was in.

The only zones still unaccounted for were Candy and Unicorn.

But there was no chance a complete beginner could have survived in the Unicorn Zone.

Dentist might be intelligent, but there was no way a newbie could have acquired the Unicorn Zone’s meteorite item in just two days.

[Dopamine Addict: You’re in the Candy Zone, aren’t you?]

[Dentist: Are you trying to test me?]

[Dopamine Addict: There are several reasons I think it’s Candy, but most importantly, an ordinary person with common sense like you probably wouldn’t have bought a unicorn doll at the convenience store. That leaves Candy.]

[Dentist: ……]

Apparently, I had hit the mark, because Dentist remained silent for a while.

[Dopamine Addict: In any case, Candy is a relief. It shouldn’t be too difficult to survive there. If you make it to twenty, leave the zone immediately and come to the Cola Zone. I’ll protect you.]

[Dentist: Why are you showing me such kindness?]

[Dopamine Addict: Because you’re a newbie.]

[Dentist: What does that even… I’ll think about it.]

Dentist did not immediately agree, but he seemed to have lowered his resistance toward speaking with us.

There was no grand reason I wanted to protect him.

A dentist was an important resource, after all.

Players might not need to eat, but that did not mean NPCs’ teeth would never rot.

Dentistry was a narrow medical specialty, but we still did not know how far a player’s healing ability extended. Having a real doctor around certainly would not hurt.

And besides, he was a new. bie.

[Dopamine Addict: More importantly… I have a theory.]

[God: What is it~?]

[Dopamine Addict: I suspect that only players who obtain a certain “item” can unlock the system. Did the rest of you acquire that item too?]

[God: Ah! You mean the meteorite item? I have one. Earrings made from meteorite!]

[Home Protector: So that’s why the system unlocked… I have one too. A meteorite pistol.]

[TotallyPossible: Uh… I came into contact with a meteorite yesterday too. It was the submarine’s power source.]

[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: I’ve got one too! A meteorite dumbbell!]

[Dentist: The leader of this zone made me touch some kind of stone. That may have been a meteorite.]

[DrugDealer: Is unlocking the system connected to a meteorite…? Uh… I’m not sure. I don’t have anything that could be called an item.]

The meteorite item in the Cocaine Zone had no tangible form, so it was understandable that DrugDealer did not realize he had come into contact with one.

In any case, I had learned something new.

The system was not unlocked only by players who possessed a meteorite item.

Simply coming into contact with one was enough.

Perhaps I could unlock Taejeong Taese’s and Stay-at-home wifey’s systems by letting them touch my ring.

But…

If there was more than one player in the other zones, it was strange that only one person each from the Beer and Candy Zones had unlocked the system.

[Dopamine Addict: Have any of you encountered other players in your zones?]

[Home Protector: Other players? I haven’t seen any.]

Assuming he was not lying, it seemed Home Protector was the only player in the Tobacco Zone.

That was unexpected.

I would have thought plenty of players would buy cigarettes.

[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: There are quite a few of us in the Chicken Zone! We decided to work together to survive!]

[Dentist: This chat room was the first time I learned there were other players.]

[TotallyPossible: There were several in Beer…]

TotallyPossible hesitated for a moment before adding,

[TotallyPossible: They were aiming for the same route as me. So I had no choice.]

Ah.

Either TotallyPossible killed them, or they died from the penalty for failing the route.

[Dopamine Addict: There was another player in my zone who was attempting the same route as me. When they failed, they died on the spot.]

[God: They died?!]

[Dopamine Addict: I don’t know whether they truly died or were simply logged out, though.]

[God: Wow… There are quite a few players in my zone too. But they all agreed to serve me.]

…What was that supposed to mean?

All the other players in the same zone had agreed to serve her?

What exactly had God done in the Love Zone over the past two days?

Leaving that aside…

If there were other players in the Chicken and Love Zones, yet only one person from each had unlocked the system, then perhaps only the first player to come into contact with the meteorite could unlock it.

For now, I should stop exchanging information here.

They did not yet possess the information I wanted.

Still, giving them at least one useful fact would increase the likelihood that they would share information with me first in the future.

So I revealed the same thing I had told T-Bastard.

[Dopamine Addict: You all know what happens when a player consumes food, right?]

[I’mNotCryingThatCountsAsCardio: Ah, yes! It works just like in the game!]

[Dopamine Addict: Do you also know that absorbing food can heal injuries?]

[God: Oh my! I didn’t know that. Thanks for the information.]

[Dentist: That is… useful information. Thank you. I’ll share anything useful I learn in the future as well.]

Dentist seemed to have a strong sense of give-and-take.

I wanted to ask how each of them planned to clear their zones, but to do that, I would probably have to reveal that I was pursuing the illegitimate-child route, so I decided against it.

We might currently be cooperating, but they all had to know it too.

Once we turned twenty, became adults, and the Second Apocalypse began, we might find ourselves in a situation where we had to kill one another.

The fact that none of them mentioned their own routes at all made that obvious.

With the exception of Dentist, who knew nothing about the later story, everyone here was a veteran of Safe Zone.

Because we understood one another’s circumstances, we also understood the danger each of us posed.

The Second Apocalypse of Safe Zone marked the true beginning of the survival game.

Most of them were acting favorably toward me, but I could not afford to let my guard down.

[Dopamine Addict: I’m going to get back to clearing my route now. Message me if anything happens. I’ll help if I can.]

Just as I was wrapping up the conversation, a familiar child’s voice came from the direction of the mansion.

“There you are, Brother!”

Ah, that Taejeong Taese brat.

Fortunately, he had not been thrown out yet.