LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 4 - I'm a Dopamine Addict
Chapter 4. I’m a Dopamine Addict
Although I posted the Cola Zone strategy on the Safe Zone community, I didn’t write everything I knew.
My strategy only mentioned that players should dig up a grave and take ‘Luna Moon’s belongings.’
The player who got to this grave before me probably thought the belongings were ‘dog tags’ after reading my strategy.
Of course, just taking these dog tags was enough for any Asian-looking kid to be recognized as the commander’s child.
Commander Hayden, plagued by guilt over abandoning his lover and child, would accept an Asian kid with Luna Moon’s belongings without much suspicion.
One thing to be cautious about is that the commander I knew was only a character in the game, and the commander here might suspect someone claiming to be his child. But I knew a perfect proof that the commander couldn’t doubt.
The real ‘proof’ that Commander Hayden gave to Luna Moon wasn’t the dog tags; it was a ring.
A ring embedded with moonstone, supposedly made from a fragment of the meteor that brought this world to ruin.
An irrefutable, genuine proof. I didn’t mention this in the strategy… out of sheer whim.
The proof ring was inside the mouth of the skeletal Luna Moon.
It meant Luna Moon bit the ring before she died, probably not wanting anyone to take it even if her grave was later robbed.
Even though I knew this was the real proof, I didn’t mention it in the strategy, and when I first discovered this ring, I only used its advantage once and never again.
… If you ask why I looked inside the mouth of a skeleton when just taking the dog tags was enough, I have no excuse.
I didn’t intentionally search; it was just that the moonlight shone on the skeleton, making something glint between the closed teeth.
Feeling slightly uneasy, I would come back to this grave every time I tackled the Cola strategy, offering my respects and even pouring some liquor.
In the Safe Zone, repeated actions earn you a ‘title,’ and I got a title like ‘Luna Moon’s Friend’ because of this. “Anyway… I initially planned to just take the dog tags too, but since someone got ahead of me, I have no choice.”
I clasped my hands together and offered a prayer of apology to Luna Moon. I never did this while playing the game, but facing a real skeleton made me feel the need to properly apologize.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your rest, Luna Moon. I also apologize in advance for pretending to be your child. But in return, I promise to genuinely consider Hayden as my father and strive to survive the apocalypse.”
After finishing my prayer of apology, I reached for the mouth of the skeletal Luna Moon, and something strange happened.
Luna Moon’s skeleton seemed to glow brightly, and the ring floated up from the hollow eye socket.
The moonstone in the ring, usually emitting a dull light, now shone brilliantly.
“What, what’s this?”
‘There wasn’t such an event before!’ I quickly grabbed the ring with both hands to cover the light, worrying that others might see it. As soon as I touched the ring, a whispering voice echoed.
[You have taken a step closer to the secret of the apocalypse…]
Before I could react, messages started appearing in front of me.
[Opening part of the system.]
[There are perks for the conqueror of all zones. Do you want to check them?]
“This…”
This simple UI was unmistakably a Safe Zone system notification.
Up until my conversation with BangguseokYeoBo, I thought there were no perks. But both the system and the perks seemed to unlock upon achieving specific conditions.
I still didn’t know why obtaining Luna Moon’s ring was one of those conditions.
I decided to check what had been unlocked in the system.
[System messages (activated)]
[Character view (available)]
[Inventory (available)]
[Chat (not unlocked)]
‘Chat function? Does it mean I can chat with other players if it’s unlocked?’
Just then, a message urging me to check the perks blinked. I wanted to explore more about how much of the in-game system could be used…
‘Confirm.’
As soon as I thought about confirming, the message opened, revealing the perks.
[Player ‘Dopamine Addict,’ welcome to this world.]
[The title inheritance for the only player who conquered all zones, ‘Dopamine Addict,’ is granted.]
[*Title effects cannot be stacked.]
‘Oh.’
The perk for conquering all zones was title inheritance.
As mentioned before, in the Safe Zone, repeated actions grant titles.
When starting a new strategy, all stats, skills, and inventory reset, but the titles remain.
The title effects are related to the actions that earned them.
For example, having the ‘Luna Moon’s Friend’ title makes it easier to gain favor from NPCs friendly to Luna Moon.
[Luna Moon’s Friend]
[Poison Expert]
[Eternal Commander]
[Enemy of the Goodman Family]
[Hero of the Suppression Battle]
.
.
.
‘I should activate the ‘Luna Moon’s Friend’ title since I need to meet the commander tomorrow.’
Only one title can be active at a time, so I activated the ‘Luna Moon’s Friend’ title from the seemingly endless list of titles. ‘It might have been fun to strategize without any titles…’
Seeing that they provide such perks to prevent the apocalypse, it seems like whoever possessed us here also wants us to prevent it. ‘But if it’s a perk for conquering all zones… it means we have to tackle the rest from scratch…’
For now, I decided to think about the intent of whoever possessed us later.
The ring, which had been shining brilliantly, had lost its light and returned to its original dull color.
I absentmindedly slipped the ring onto my finger. It was loose, being sized for Luna Moon’s finger, but a message suddenly appeared.
[The ‘Luna Moon’s Friend’ title effect applies to the subject.]
‘…?’
Such a message would only appear if an NPC affected by the title was nearby. But there was nothing around me but stillness, just me and the skeletal Luna Moon.
I tilted my head and removed the ring from my finger, then put it back on.
[The ‘Luna Moon’s Friend’ title effect applies to the subject.]
The message appeared again without fail.
‘…?’
I felt something was off, but lingering in the grave any longer would increase the chances of being seen on my way back.
Anyway, since the title effect applies, it must be an NPC favorable towards me.
I made sure the coffin was properly closed and covered it thoroughly with soil before leaving the graveyard. ‘I wonder if the one who took the dog tags has already headed to the commander’s mansion.’
I felt sorry for the diligent player who tried to follow a perfect strategy only to be driven out of the commander’s mansion by me.
Tonight, I would sleep in the abandoned church, and head to the commander’s mansion at dawn.
* * *
Two soldiers were guarding the front of the commander’s mansion. However, it wasn’t difficult to enter.
These soldiers had orders from Commander Hayden to let anyone who knew about Luna Moon pass through.
As I approached the main gate, the soldiers didn’t seem particularly wary.
“Halt. What business do you have at the commander’s mansion?”
I recited the lines I had memorized while playing the game.
“I heard that the commander is looking for a certain woman and child. I have information about them.”
“Hmm?”
The two soldiers exchanged glances.
They didn’t seem suspicious of me, but rather, they looked somewhat troubled.
“Originally, the commander said to let anyone who knows about them in regardless of their identity, but…”
“But something strange happened. Yesterday, a boy about your age came in saying the same thing. And…”
The soldier trailed off, looked around, then whispered to me.
“He hasn’t come out since. Something might have happened inside… I don’t recommend going in now.”
Oh… were they worried I wouldn’t come out if I went in too? This area had low difficulty, so the NPCs had high morality levels, but still, these soldiers were quite kind.
‘As I thought, the guy who took the dog tags beat me to it.’
Anyway, the fact that the previous player hadn’t come out meant the strategy worked in this world as well.
I had worried that even with the proof, the strategy might fail… but this meant there was no reason to hesitate.
“I appreciate the warning, but that makes me even more determined to go in. I think the boy you mentioned is someone I know.”
“Are you here to find a friend?”
“Not a friend, but if I tell the commander what I know, I can bring him out.”
Bring him out… actually drive him out, but whatever.
The two soldiers still seemed concerned about me, but since they were soldiers with the principle to follow the commander’s order to let anyone who knew about Luna Moon in, they reluctantly nodded.
They checked me for any suspicious items or weapons, then opened a small visitor gate attached to the main gate.
Since the ring had lost its light and looked like a cheap trinket, the soldiers showed no particular interest despite me wearing an oversized ring.
The player who entered before me probably also didn’t scrutinize the dog tags, thinking they were from early enlistment. NPCs in this area had good morality but low intelligence…
Entering through the visitor gate, I saw a sign directing visitors.
Following it led me to the back of the mansion, where a soldier sitting in a small booth jumped in surprise upon seeing me.
“…Strange. I didn’t expect to greet such a young visitor two days in a row.”
He must be referring to the player who came yesterday.
“Kid, what’s your purpose for visiting the commander’s mansion?”
“I know about the people the commander is looking for.”
The soldier’s expression
became odd.
“…The young master was right. They really came.”
“…?”
This wasn’t the reaction I expected. ‘Young master…? Really came?’
Did he mean the player who entered yesterday? The soldier gestured inside with a nod.
“Go inside and wait. I don’t know why, but I was told not to just send you away.”
“….”
Apparently, the player who took the dog tags was waiting for other players too.
I was also curious about the existence of other players besides BangguseokYeoBo, so I went inside and waited.
Surprisingly, more than one person came into the room.
One was an Asian with black hair and black eyes like me, and the other had red hair and freckles, looking distinctly Irish.
The Irish-looking one seemed surprisingly big for starting at ten years old.
I identified them as players because I used the ‘character view’ function from the activated system to check their information.
[Name: Safe8]
[Title: None]
[Zone: Cola]
*Player without an unlocked system, friend request not possible.]
[Name: TaejongTaeseBeyonce]
[Title: None]
[Zone: Cola]
*Player without an unlocked system, friend request not possible.]
Both were familiar names.
They had commented when I last posted my strategy.
Both ended up in the Cola Zone… well, it’s hard to resist the allure of Cola. But why was Safe8, who said he only read my strategies for fun, not enlisted but following my strategy?
“Hello.”
As I stared blankly at them, Safe8, probably playing the role of the ‘child,’ spoke to me first. He had Luna Moon’s dog tags around his neck.
“You’re a player, right?”
When I nodded, Safe8 smiled and continued.
“No need to be wary. You may not know, but this world hasn’t patched its language yet, so if we speak Korean, they won’t know we’re not from here.”
Seeing him offer information made me think he was a friendly player…
“Why were you waiting for other players?”
“You’re quite impatient. Such things can be discussed after introductions.”
Then I realized. ‘These guys haven’t unlocked the system, so they can’t see my info.’
So I could lie and pretend to be Tbalrom like I did with BangguseokYeoBo…
“Let’s start with introductions.”
Safe8 began speaking absurdly.
“I am Dopamine Addict.”