LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8 - The Secret of Luna Moon
Chapter 8. The Secret of Luna Moon
Before the Commander returned, the servants confirmed that we had finished all the snacks and then guided us to the bedrooms.
Fortunately, the Commander didn’t seem to have any intention of sending TaejongTaese out of the Commander’s residence and had assigned him a bedroom as well.
The worn-out adult military uniform I was wearing when possessed was discarded, and instead, I was dressed in rough but clean pajamas.
After confirming that all the servants had left the room, I opened the system and looked into it in more detail.
“First, let’s check the inventory….”
In the inventory were Luna Moon’s ring and Luna Moon’s dog tag.
Despite the Commander taking Luna Moon’s dog tag from Safe8, it seemed that player ownership took precedence, as it was in my inventory.
I tested it with the ring I currently had. If an item was under my ownership, I could store it in the inventory window and retrieve it when needed, even if I wasn’t carrying it.
I could probably retrieve the dog tag from the inventory if I wanted, but I didn’t want to arouse the Commander’s suspicion, so I left it alone.
Next, I looked at the still-locked chat window. To chat, I’d need someone to talk to.
“Will the chat window open when another player unlocks the system?”
If the chat system opened and I could talk to other players, I could verify if getting the meteorite item really unlocked the system.
I explored the system thoroughly, but for now, the only usable functions seemed to be character viewing, inventory, and titles.
Among the unlocked systems was the “Zone Development” system, but…
“Anyway, if the Second Apocalypse hits, the zone will become meaningless.”
The beer zone guys who lived in a huge submarine at the bottom of the sea and the unicorn zone guys who created a floating island had to come down to the ground because of the Second Apocalypse.
The Second Apocalypse starts the same way as the First, with meteors falling from the sky. But from these meteors, flying and aquatic monsters are born. Thus, the zone guys who escaped to the sea and the air to avoid land monsters have to crawl back to the ground.
That’s when the war begins. The beer and unicorn guys need a place to live, so they start attacking the safe zones, and the other zones, unprepared for aerial or underwater battles, fall into chaos.
So, zone players have two choices. One is to ignore zone development and only increase their own abilities. The other is to develop the zone into a shelter.
Zones with better land or resources usually create shelters, but zones with low basic stats like the cola zone become easy targets for other zones if they build a shelter.
Even if I built a shelter here, it would likely be taken by another zone. That’s why my main base was Unicorn. Unicorn’s shelter is less likely to be taken by others.
Other players can’t fly. How did I fly? I tamed a flying monster. How did I tame it? There’s a way. But other players said it was difficult.
Anyway, if the one who fell in the unicorn zone followed my strategy, it would be a goldmine. They would develop the zone into a shelter and be prepared for flying monster attacks.
Hmm, before the Second Apocalypse, there are no monster attacks, so why is that zone’s starting difficulty high?
The unicorn zone, with almost no monster threats for the next ten years, focuses on zone development, becoming self-sufficient in food, advancing scientifically for better medical care, and despite rare combat, having advanced weaponry.
The problem is the slightly mad residents. Call it the Mad Scientist Zone. Doesn’t the idea of floating the zone to avoid the apocalypse give you an idea?
It’s full of NPCs smarter than players, so if they judge you slightly less intelligent, you become a test subject for the public good.
Zone difficulty correlates with the residents’ personalities.
“By the way, I need to decide on the second reward before the Commander returns….”
The only thing I could ask the Commander right now was to let TaejongTaese stay in the Commander’s residence. Or summon BangguseokYeoBo, whom I enlisted. But using a reward to keep just two players by my side seems wasteful.
BangguseokYeoBo is a newly enlisted guy with little to no training. However, to discuss future zone strategies, I need to meet with those two regularly.
“If I specifically call for those two, it will draw attention….”
At that moment, there was a knock on the bedroom door.
“It’s me.”
The Commander’s voice.
It sounded more fatigued than in the afternoon.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, come in.”
Only after I gave permission did the Commander open the door and enter, holding something like a first aid kit in one hand.
“Oh, no way….”
“Give me your hand.”
Just as I feared. The Commander seemed to be here to treat the wound on my finger. He must have noticed the injury when I handed him the ring. It’s touching that he remembered and brought a first aid kit, but…
“My wound has already healed.”
How would the Commander take this? Would he think he saw wrong because it was a brief moment?
Anyway, I couldn’t keep hiding my fingers in front of the Commander, so I quietly held out both hands to him.
“……!”
The Commander flinched at the sight of my unscathed fingers and, with a trembling voice, said,
“This healing ability… You really are Luna Moon’s child.”
“Huh…?”
What was he talking about? The fact that he was sure I was Luna Moon’s child upon seeing my healed finger… Did Luna Moon have such a healing ability too?
“No NPC would have such an ability….”
I wanted to ask precisely what kind of healing ability Luna Moon had, but he would become suspicious if I did. It would be strange for me, as Luna Moon’s child, not to know her abilities.
The Commander seemed completely convinced that I was his child. His stern face softened, and he even seemed overwhelmed.
“Heydam. Why I loved Luna Moon, married another woman, and why I couldn’t protect you and Luna Moon despite my high position as a commander… There are many things you won’t understand while you’re still young. When you grow up and can understand my words, I’ll tell you everything I know. So when that time comes, tell me everything you know. Will you do that?”
Everything he knows? I wasn’t particularly interested in the love story between the Commander and Luna Moon. But it might be helpful to know why the Moonstone ring, holding the secret of the apocalypse, became a symbol between them.
And what exactly Luna Moon’s healing ability was.
“Could Luna Moon have been….”
No, thinking that she was a player too was going too far.
For now, the Commander was waiting for my response, so I slowly nodded.
The Commander gave a faint smile and patted my shoulder lightly.
“You must be tired. Go to sleep now.”
“Um….”
“Yes?”
“I have one request.”
As soon as I said that, three reward count messages popped up before my eyes.
“What request?”
The Commander looked at me with eyes that said he would grant any wish.
The second reward I would ask from the Commander.
It was.
“I’d like to have a meal with children my age every month.”
“…A meal with children?”
This idea came to me after hearing the Commander mention Luna Moon’s healing ability. If there were anyone in this zone besides us who could “heal,” or “absorb food,” they would likely be players.
In other words, having a “meal” together would allow me to distinguish between NPCs and players. The players, still unaccustomed to player-style meals, would surely show signs of awkwardness.
There might be no other players besides BangguseokYeoBo, TaejongTaeseBeyonce, and me, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.
Having meals with children my age would also leave a good impression on the zone’s residents.
It would make it natural for TaejongTaese or BangguseokYeoBo to attend and discuss things.
And the children my age would be the ones to shine in the Second Apocalypse ten years from now. Building trust with them in advance isn’t a bad idea.
The Commander seemed a bit puzzled by my request.
“Why do you want to ask for such a thing?”
“I was lucky to receive good clothes and meals, but there are still hungry children outside. I want to share with them, even a little.”
“Hmm….”
The Commander hesitated, unable to give an immediate answer. That was understandable. He probably expected a child’s simple request, but gathering children for a meal every month was entirely political.
However, it wasn’t an impossible request for the Commander to fulfill.
At times like this, guilt-tripping works well. I pretended to look at the Commander’s face while fidgeting with my fingers.
“If it costs too much to arrange the meal… I can eat only one meal a day.”
“What?”
The Commander’s voice grew louder than ever. I continued speaking.
“I starved a lot outside, so I can manage with one meal a day. I don’t need expensive snacks like earlier. Can’t you do it…?”
“…No. It’s not difficult to arrange that. It won’t be possible this month, but I’ll set it up next month.”
Though the Commander seemed a bit paler, the reward count moved by one, showing that his answer wasn’t a lie.
—
[Three rewards: 2/3]
—
“One left.”
To maintain a good relationship with the Commander, I should give him some incentive.
I clutched his sleeve and exclaimed with joy,
“Thank you, Dad!”
The Commander was startled by my thanks.
“Dad…?”
“Should I call
you sir?”
“Hmm… no, call me whatever you like.”
This guy, pretending not to be pleased. I’ve played your son more than once, buddy.
The Commander insisted it was time to sleep, laid me in bed, and tucked me in.
“Sleep well.”
“Good night, Dad.”
The Commander left the room with awkward, creaky movements. His actions were clumsy, but his heart for Luna Moon’s child was clear.
“Come to think of it, I promised Luna Moon I’d treat Hayden as my real dad….”
While it might be hard to think of him as my real dad, I could at least prevent him from dying in the Second Apocalypse.
After all, he needs to survive the Second Apocalypse to manage my shelter.
“But….”
Why did that convenience store possess so many players?
As I lay down, Safe8’s final moments flashed through my mind. He hadn’t made a significant mistake. He just wasn’t acknowledged as a legitimate child.
He could have stopped the apocalypse through other strategies in the future. Yet, despite the willingness to erase players who failed the strategy, why possess so many players?
“If they’re giving special treatment only to the main zone strategist, why bother with the others….”
Just then, a new system message appeared before my eyes.
—
[The chat is now active with more than two players who have unlocked the system.]
[Do you wish to enter the public chat room?]
[1:1 private chat requires a mutual friend relationship.]
—
“Oh….”
It seemed another player had unlocked the system. It’s true that the chat opens with more than two players.
“I need to verify if the meteorite item is the unlock condition.”
Thinking that, I clicked the ‘Enter’ button, and two messages appeared one after the other.
—
[‘Dopamine Addict’ has entered the public chat room.]
[‘Tbalrom’ has entered the public chat room.]
—
“……!!”
I jumped up from my seat.