A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 18. Healer Wanted

—

“Luna Moon might have been a player?”

BangguseokYeoBo asked back, as if not understanding what I meant.

“Luna Moon? Isn’t that your mom? That grave NPC.”

“That’s right.”

“How could that NPC be a player?”

“I’m not sure either. But considering everyone, including the commander, says I resemble Luna Moon, she must be an East Asian like us. Besides, she was also called the ‘Hero of the Subjugation War.’”

“The Hero of the Subjugation War?”

BangguseokYeoBo’s expression turned peculiar as if he realized something.

“That’s a player title.”

“Right. In the game, there was no NPC called the Hero of the Subjugation War except players.”

“No, but just that alone isn’t enough……”

“More importantly, they said she had the same abilities as us.”

“The same abilities as us?”

“Healing abilities.”

“What?!”

The two of them became serious when they heard she even had healing abilities.

The first to speak was Taejong.

“If Luna Moon really had healing abilities, it is strange……. Who did you hear that from?”

“The commander. I didn’t hear if she was the type to eat to heal like us, but it’s certain she had healing abilities.”

“The commander has no reason to lie to you about something like that, so it’s probably true.”

“No, but you know! Everyone must have tried the bastard strategy!”

Didn’t this guy initially talk about being a dopamine addict strategy believer?

“I tried many times as a bastard, as Luna Moon’s son, to conquer the Cola Zone!”

It seems he tried it more than once or twice.

“Healing abilities in Luna Moon? I’ve never heard such a thing! If she had those abilities, it would have been in the game script!”

“That’s why I brought up the possibility that Luna Moon was a player.”

BangguseokYeoBo’s argument that if Luna Moon had such abilities, it would have appeared in the script during strategy attempts, and players like us would know about it, is valid.

But that only applies if this world is exactly the same as the game ‘Apocalypse: Safe Zone.’

“It seems there are things in this world that we don’t know about. Our knowledge isn’t everything.”

“……”

BangguseokYeoBo seemed to ponder something for a moment before asking me.

“Then… doesn’t that mean the strategies we know are useless? If this is different from the game……”

“That’s not the case. There are players who died because they failed the strategies. The strategies are effective. Even though there are parts different from the game, there hasn’t been anything different enough to affect the strategies.”

“Then maybe Luna Moon having abilities different from the game is also possible?”

“Isn’t that even stranger? Everything else is the same as the game, but why is the information about Luna Moon different? If Luna Moon was really a player, it might not be the first time for such a possession.”

“…Can’t we just roughly prevent the apocalypse and be done with it?”

I wanted that too.

But since the ‘Secret of the Apocalypse’ is related to Luna Moon’s ring.

To prevent the apocalypse, we couldn’t just ignore Luna Moon.

But it wasn’t something we could deal with immediately…….

“For now, just keep it in mind. For now, I plan to prioritize going to the Subjugation War event.”

“Ah, the first Subjugation. We have to participate. Even surviving gives us a title.”

“Good. I have a proposal for that.”

“A proposal?”

“Not something to talk about here. Taejong, bring Ahsaa to my room after the meal. I’ll inform the servants in advance.”

“Got it.”

“Understood!”

Since staying together for too long could draw attention, we were about to disperse when BangguseokYeoBo grabbed me and whispered in a small voice.

“Hey, don’t have samgyeopsal parties anymore.”

Don’t have samgyeopsal parties?

‘Could it be… because there might be other players besides Luna Moon?’

Just like we weren’t the only ones possessed at the same time.

There might be other players existing as existing NPCs besides Luna Moon.

If those NPC players were all Koreans, even just having a samgyeopsal party could clue them in that we are players.

It’s something we should be cautious about.

Just as I was about to be impressed by BangguseokYeoBo for thinking of that.

BangguseokYeoBo continued.

“I can’t even taste it anyway, and it’s killing me out of frustration. Just serve something like pig’s food.”

This guy has a terrible personality.

—

After wrapping up the samgyeopsal party.

While waiting in my room, it wasn’t long before Taejong brought BangguseokYeoBo in.

But…….

“…Why are you so happy?”

I asked because BangguseokYeoBo looked oddly triumphant.

He replied with a beaming face.

“When I came here, I came with a senior. It’s forbidden for a soldier to leave alone. So while we were eating meat, the senior was waiting outside.”

“And?”

“You told me to come back after the meal ended, right? So I told him I had to stay longer, and he flipped out.”

“You didn’t…….”

“I told him not to mess around since the commander’s son called me, and he shut up. Puhaha!”

“…….”

How could he not deviate a bit from my expectations?

I feel sorry for the soldiers who have to do military life with you from now on.

“So, what’s the point of gathering here?”

When BangguseokYeoBo asked, I pulled out a cookie jar from under my pillow.

“Cookies?”

“You didn’t call us for dessert time, did you?”

“We’re going to practice eating.”

“Practice eating?”

“Practice eating?”

The reason for practicing eating is simple.

We need to eat not for a meal but for healing.

If we can absorb food quickly in an emergency, we’ll be safer.

“Based on my tests, the amount and speed of absorption differ when you focus on eating.”

Just putting food near the mouth resulted in more energy spreading than being absorbed.

Besides, when I focused on eating, the speed at which my wounds healed was slightly faster.

I opened the cookie jar and handed out cookies with forks for them to try.

“Why a fork when we can just eat with our hands?”

BangguseokYeoBo asked me that, but Taejong, who had already experienced how I used a fork, resignedly stabbed his own hand with it.

“Aaah!”

BangguseokYeoBo screamed and jumped, clearly startled.

“What the hell?! Why are you self-harming all of a sudden? Are you crazy?”

“Stab yourself too.”

“What? Why should I?”

“How will we know if healing works well without wounds?”

“……!”

BangguseokYeoBo looked at me and Taejong in shock.

“It’s not the first time, is it……. You guys are really crazy… Insane…….”

“You’ll get used to it.”

BangguseokYeoBo refused, saying it was absurd, but only after I offered to stab him did he reluctantly stab his own hand to create a wound.

And after a while of munching on the cookies.

“Oh. Really. Focusing while eating does make a difference in healing quality.”

“Ugh… Why did they give us such a special ability…….”

“Indeed. It would have been better if we couldn’t feel pain.”

“What a sociopathic remark.”

I didn’t care if BangguseokYeoBo thought I was a sociopath, but it stung a bit that Taejong nodded in agreement with BangguseokYeoBo’s muttering.

“And… since our purpose is healing and not eating, it’s too inefficient to have to put food near the mouth.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“If we can grow our ability through practice to heal by just holding food in our hands, our survival chances will greatly increase. Although it’s uncertain if we can absorb through parts other than our mouth.”

“Hmm… It’s worth trying.”

“Right?”

“Why are you looking at… ah, damn. I have to stab again.”

This time, I was going to stab too, so don’t feel too bad.

“Maybe because you’re a dopamine addict believer, you’re taking strategies in a crazy sociopathic way.”

Ignoring BangguseokYeoBo’s remarks, Taejong and I each made wounds with forks and held the cookies tightly, waiting for the wounds to heal.

“…Oh?”

Unlike Taejong and me, who couldn’t absorb without touching our mouths.

BangguseokYeoBo’s wound was healing very slowly just by holding the cookie.

The cookie he was holding was also getting smaller as if being nibbled away.

“Why… why is that working?”

“Why are you asking why it’s working?”

BangguseokYeoBo frowned, irritated, and added casually as if it was nothing.

“I was often bedridden and received IV drips instead of eating. Thinking about that sensation made it work.”

Aha.

He’s used to absorbing nutrients in ways other than eating because he often got nutrients through means other than eating?

‘By the way, this guy… was weak in reality.’

Is that why he became a shut-in gamer?

Thinking that made me feel a bit sorry for him…….

“I’ve decided.”

“It makes me nervous when you say that. What have you decided?”

I looked at BangguseokYeoBo and smiled.

“You’re the healer from now on.”

Both BangguseokYeoBo and Taejong looked bewildered.

“What nonsense is that? I can heal myself by holding it, not

others.”

“No, you can heal others too.”

“How?”

“When everyone is injured, you can heal quickly without eating.”

“How does that lead to me being a healer?”

How could he not understand such a simple calculation, tsk.

“You’ll be the first to recover and feed others. That’s healing.”

“…You’re insane. Every idea you have is crazy.”

Since he said that, I thought I’d have to go through another long persuasion session, but unexpectedly, BangguseokYeoBo nodded.

“Well… I’ll do it.”

“…Really?”

“I can’t catch medium monsters like you with shooting, and I’m not big like him. I have to do what I can.”

Oh.

Contrary to my thoughts, he seemed a bit mature.

Feeling a bit proud, I gave him additional advice.

“Since you’re good at control, you might be able to transfer the blue particles to others.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to be a madman who shoves food into dying people’s mouths.”

“Haha.”

I didn’t mention that he’d be a madman during the first Subjugation War since he wouldn’t be able to do that yet.

After finishing our talk, I sent the two back and lay down on my bed.

A system message I couldn’t believe appeared before my eyes.

[You have received a friend request from Tbalrom.]

[Do you accept?]