Chapter 10. The Little Prince in The Ossuary (10)

# Faction (2), Camp Roberts

「TaIent Advantage」 is a system that helps players reacquire skills they have already learned in previous playthroughs. If n = times the player has learned the skill in previous playthroughs, then the experience points required for learning the skill in future playthroughs becomes 1/n. But this often raises the question of whether there is any benefit when n only equals 1. The answer to this is yes, there is a benefit. And that is that the 「Ignorance Penalty」 will no longer be applied when learning the skill.

This mechanic is exactly what the game developers intended. They wanted players, on their first few tries, to feel helpless in the face of an overwhelming calamity, and then, for them to enjoy conquering those hardships with exceptional ability. Since players have the possibility of enjoying the same content from completely different perspectives, this is an excellent game mechanic in terms of controlling players’ content consumption speed.

Gyeoul had also experienced quite a lot of bad endings. Although the skills he acquired in each playthrough were never the same, there were certain skills he would always learn without exception. Those included most combat-related skills, a few survival skills, certain languages and some of the core leadership-type skills such as 「Insight」 「Detection」 and 「Deception」.

Skills can be classified into four great divisions according to one’s mastery over them. From level 1 to level 3, skills are classified as beginner, from 4 to 6 as ‘expert’, from 7 to 10 as ‘master’, and those that go beyond level 10 are called ‘superhuman’. The experience points required for increasing the level of a skill increase exponentially as the level goes up.

The boy had not yet spent the experience points gained from the San Miguel Mission. When considering his current progress in the game, his skill levels were already very high. The majority of his combat skills had already reached the superhuman level thanks to the Talent Advantage system. Therefore, Gyeoul was ready to engage in combat even under disadvantageous conditions. Otherwise, it would’ve been a problem.

Leveling up combat skills has an effect of increasing a hidden stat, 「Menace」. The effect activates when the player recognizes someone as an enemy. As for Gyeoul, he was now at the level of a ferocious beast.

Because of this, the volunteers in charge of distributing rations kept staring at Gyeoul as he stood at the ration center as promised. Refugees from different factions were working at the distribution counters, and the ones that didn’t belong to their factions were being treated unfairly.

Gyeoul spotted some of the people from the tent queueing up. When they met his eyes, they greeted him with a nod. Although they didn’t say anything, gratitude could be seen in their eyes.

As the boy stood watch, he noticed one of the volunteers behind a counter serving a copious amount of food on a man’s plate.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“I think your job is to distribute the rations evenly. Do you think this looks even?” Gyeoul said as he pointed at the plate the man was holding.

“Oh, umm.. I’m from the Damul Promotion Association,” she answered with her face pale.

“So what?”

“So..” The woman looked at the man with dismay.

The man put on a bold face in an effort to look strong. Many of the refugees in the same line also glared at the boy with anger while the rest of the refugees were bewildered, watching the sudden development.

But not long after, a middle-aged man came approaching with a smile on his face. Contrary to his kind-looking face, he had a muscular body. By all appearances, his physique should’ve been something impossible to maintain with the amount of rations that refugees normally received. Considering he was loitering around the ration center, he seemed to be a commissioner of one of the factions.

“Well, you’re as gutsy as I’ve heard. Hey kid, will you come here for a second? There’s someone I need you to meet.”

“No, I can’t.”

The man’s face grew grim. He threw a look around and pulled at the boy’s shoulder with a gentle-looking smile.

“If you just stand here and block these people, it won’t do any good to anybody here. It so happens that our boss wants to have a word with you. So why don’t you just come here for a second?”

The man tried to pull him away by force, but the boy didn’t budge an inch. To the befuddled man, Gyeoul said flatly, “I’ll give you the time after the rationing is done. By the way, if you happen to know these people, could you tell them to do their jobs properly? If they don’t, well, I’m gonna have to do something about it.”

Gyeoul didn’t say exactly what he would do. It was better to leave the job to their imagination.

The man looked at the boy with a blank expression and then sighed out loud before patting him on his shoulder.

“Alright. But promise me you’ll come with me afterward, will ya?”

“Okay.”

The middle-aged man then talked to some of the refugees waiting in line. They started pouring out loads of complaints, but when the man gave them a stern frown, they all became quiet. The other man who had previously received a pile of rations came back and returned his rations to the counter. The man stared daggers at the boy, but when the boy looked back at him, he winced and hurriedly moved out of the line with his head lowered.

Those who got their rations with the help of the boy gobbled up their ration on the spot. The reason why they didn’t go find indoor seats to eat their meal was because they were afraid of having their food taken away on their way inside. Refugees from different factions looked at them with displeasure, but they couldn’t cause any trouble because of the soldiers on watch.

Just when the refugees finished their meal, the middle-aged man came up to the boy.

“It’s time to keep your promise. Our boss is waiting for you.”

“Lead the way.”

“Gosh, aren’t you prickly.”

Though the man was trying to sound calm, his voice was quivering slightly. On their way, he kept stealing glances at the boy, from which the boy noticed both pent-up anger and fear within his eyes. He was being affected by the boy’s Menace.

The middle-aged man stopped in front of a tent. It looked almost too ordinary to be their boss’ quarters. Considering that the supplies the refugees had access to were military products, it wasn’t much of a surprise. But once they stepped inside, it was like a whole ‘nother world. As if they had stitched several tents together, the inside of the tent was wider than it looked from the outside. And just from what he could see from the entrance, five fireplaces were keeping the tent warm, and several light bulbs brightly illuminated every corner of the tent.

However, despite the size of the tent, it seemed like only a few people were residing in it. There were about twenty camp beds sparsely placed inside the tent, and the rest of the space was filled with pieces of furniture such as desks and chairs. There were even a couch and a TV on one side. Gyeoul couldn’t understand the reason behind having a TV here, since the only thing being broadcast should be disaster news, over and over again.

In the middle of the tent was a large rectangular table, and there was already a group of well-muscled men sitting around the table with an old man at its end. The table was also loaded with glasses, bottles of alcohol, and a few plates full of accompaniment for drinks. Gyeoul saw an empty seat at the other end of the table. Their intentions were obvious, but the boy decided to play along.

“Oh, here comes the man of the camp. Everyone, give him a big round of applause.”

‘Not this again,’ the boy thought.

The men and women sitting at both sides of the table clapped their hands with stiff expressions. It seemed like they were trying to look disciplined, but it only added to their awkwardness. Apparently, this faction was running under this kind of military discipline.

Suddenly, a girl in a provocative dress grabbed him by his arm and pulled him to the empty seat.

“Here, have a seat.”

The girl touched the boy’s body more than necessary, but the boy remained unperturbed. He was too well experienced with the game to be swayed by such a primitive desire. Gyeoul silently sat down on his seat and looked straight ahead.

“You are bold. I like that.”

The old man nodded with a broad grin.

“I should introduce myself first. I am Lim Hwasoo. I am the head of the Damul Promotion Association. Our people call me Magliji*. What is your name?”

“I’m Han Gyeoul.”

“Gyeoul, eh? That’s a good name. It fits you perfectly! In your eyes, I can see the cold winter wind blowing like a blizzard. Isn’t that right, my boys?”

“Yes, Magliji!” the people exclaimed in unison. Their voices were so loud that he felt like he had gone deaf for a few seconds. It must’ve been to scare him. But to Gyeoul, it was nothing more than dogs barking.

Noticing the boy was still unruffled, Hwasoo nodded as the edge of his lips curled up.

“A silent kind, I see. A man needs to know how to control himself. Do you know President Park? He managed to make our country so rich and so powerful by incorporating our people’s talents into his policies. The men in our country used to have so much power and courage. But the generations that came after ours, they grew up like flowers in a greenhouse. They lost the lofty spirits of our ancestors, the Great Goguryeo and the Great Jushin. However, you’re different from those weak and incompetent young men. Yes! That’s right. In the old days, a man could cut off the enemy’s head with one stroke at the age of seventeen! Don’t you agree, my boys?”

‘There he goes again,’ the boy thought. He knew that the old man asking for his subordinates’ opinions, was just him showing off his status.

It was easy to notice since the boy not only was good at understanding people’s minds, but he had also played Days After Apocalypse, where human relationships play an important role, too many times.

Once again, the people shouted out loud to express their agreement.

Hwasoo then let out a roar of laughter and beckoned to the girl still standing next to the boy.

“Age doesn’t matter for one to rise in the world. That’s even more so in today’s world. And a great man must know how to enjoy alcohol and women. Eunjoo, pour our great man a drink.”

“Yes, Magliji-nim.”

Before the boy could stop her, the girl standing behind him leaned towards him, grabbed a bottle on the table and poured the pumpkin-colored liquor into the glass with ice cubes placed in front of him. Her skin touching the boy’s cheek felt so soft and warm. And as expected, the corner of his view was being flooded with notifications of viewers’ messages. He didn’t bother opening up the message log since he knew that the viewers must be claiming for sex.

Considering the refugee camp’s current situation, this was all quite extravagant, including the liquor and the ice. Seeing the level of luxury of the Damul Promotion Association, the second largest faction, the boy began to wonder what kind of luxurious life the leader of the Korean Patriotic Association, the largest faction, was leading.

While Gyeoul was lost in thought as he watched the glass being filled, Hwasoo raised his glass and exclaimed, “Everybody, raise your glasses! We can’t not have a drink before having a man-to-man talk.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll pass on the drink. I’d be grateful if you could cut to the chase.”

“Huh, is it because this is your first time drinking? That’s great. The first experience is always important. This liquor right here, it’s called Chivas Regal..”

But Hwasoo couldn’t continue his words when he saw Gyeoul grabbing his glass, stretching his arm to his side and slowly pouring the liquor onto the floor.

Hwasoo’s face stiffened. The mood turned cold all of a sudden.

“You motherfucker!”

Some people pulled out knives. Although they were mostly kitchen knives, they were enough to kill a person. But Gyeoul, as if nothing could perturb him, put down the glass back quietly onto the table and stared straight at Hwasoo.

“Get to the point.”

When the refugees were about to attack the boy, Hwasoo quelled them down.

“Enough! What are you all doing? Did I tell you to interfere with our conversation? Or have you forgotten your place?”

“I, I’m sorry, Magliji-nim!”

The commotion subsided at once. Everyone fell silent as if nothing had happened in the first place. Only the tense atmosphere was left hovering in the air.

Hwasoo chowed down on a skewer, and relaxedly emptied a glass of liquor. Then he slapped his knees and said to the boy, “I like how fearless you are, but you ought to know when not to. Fear is a survival instinct that all animals have. So when you are in danger, you have to put aside your false bravado. This is advice from me as an elder in life, so I hope you bear it in mind.”

“Okay. So why did you want to see me?”

“Hahaha!”

Hwasoo cast a glance around the tent before grabbing another skewer. Gyeoul watched him swallowing the greasy skewer without budging an eyebrow. He knew that all his actions were just to show him how relaxed he was about the whole situation.

After seeing the boy unperturbed, Hwasoo put on a wry face before finally talking about his business.

“The reason why I called you here is nothing special. I just wanted to ask whether you’d like to join our faction. You’ve got skills, you’ve got guts and you’ve got some connections. I’ve also heard you’re a friend of that stickler, Lieutenant Capstone, aren’t ya?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in your offer.”

“Don’t jump to a conclusion and hear me out. I swear this is certainly not a bad offer for you either. You see, the Korean Patriotic Association is already the strongest faction here. They already have plenty of people like you. If you join them now, Gyeoul, those piranhas won’t let you take a big role. They always say that Koreans have to stick together, but when it comes to a turf war, they will try to tear you apart and eat you alive. But we’re different. Our faction needs a man like you. And we’ll treat you just as great as you are. Say, what do you think of Eunjoo? Do you like her? You can have her if you join us. And if you see any other girl you like, I can give them to you. Having one or two concubines is the basic aspect of a hero. You can also drink and smoke to your heart’s content! A man of your caliber, Gyeoul, deserves all this!”

And when Gyeoul turned his gaze to his side, Eunjoo began to cling to him. Blowing warm breath on his neck, she reached out to his hands, placed them on her breasts, and made him knead her breasts. The fruity scent of her skin sweetly tickled his nose. The warmth of her body was conveyed to the tips of his fingers and slowly spread out to the bottom half of his body.

The viewers with 「Sensory Synchronization」 activated must be cheering out loud by now. The female viewers, if there is any, must be frowning. Of course, there is also the possibility that they have their senses synchronized with Eunjoo.

He heard that many female viewers enjoyed this kind of content without any qualms, as they were in a virtual world. ‘I feel a bit sorry I’ll have to disappoint them.’ Although Gyeoul thought so, part of him did not feel sorry at all.

The boy pushed the girl away, slowly but surely. Eunjoo urgently tried to stick tightly onto him, but he rejected her even more firmly. She then looked at Hwasoo in terror.

“Oh? You don’t like her?” Hwasoo smacked his lips and let out a smirk. “Well, how about this one?” He then ordered his subordinates to bring in a Japanese girl.

After the largest Japanese faction, 「Sumiyoshi-kai」 was struck down to the verge of collapse during the conflict between factions, it was said that the Japanese refugees had fallen into precarious conditions. The boy knew this too. However, he who had only seen the report written in the game’s journal didn’t realize how bad their situation really was.

But now, the boy realized what it meant when he saw the girl being dragged into the tent.

“Lay her down.”

With the old man’s order, a group of three women came forward and suppressed the girl’s limbs.

“Stop whining, you pussy.”

The only thing she was wearing was a piece of cloth that was cut to look like a kimono. But even that soon slid down because of her struggling, leaving her half-naked. Her voice that was crying for help in Japanese was already raspy. The bodies of the girl who was trying to resist and the women who were weighing her down got tangled up and created a rather obscene scenery. In the end, the other women grabbed her legs and spread them out towards the boy.historical

Watching the whole incident with a pleased expression, Hwasoo turned to the boy.

“I know. What boys of your age look for is.. How should I call it.. Right, violence! A lust for conquest! Look. Can’t you feel something wriggling inside you?”

“What if I told you I’m not interested?”

“I’d call it a lie.”

The shadow of the old man drawn over the struggling girl looked like a statue of a demon. ‘Then those who surrender themselves would be devil worshippers.’

The reason why Gyeoul chose Days After Apocalypse over other games was because of how realistically things were described in this game. To Gyeoul, whose whole life was like living in winter, the real world was nothing but a paradise for the wicked. But contrary to his experience, the worlds described in most games had bright atmospheres, unlike the world he knew. No matter how hard the boy tried to enjoy those games, he couldn’t erase the thought of ‘this world is not real’ out of his head. Like a drop of oil could not mix inside a pool of water, he couldn’t help feeling isolated from the rest of the world.

But Gyeoul didn’t feel that in Days After Apocalypse. And thanks to that, he could immerse himself in this world and forget about the horrible reality.

‘This is where I belong.’

After a deep breath, Gyeoul spat out a sentence.

“Sir, go fuck yourself.”

It was as if a bomb had dropped inside the tent.

* The highest public post in the Goguryeo dynasty. Equivalent to a prime minister.