Chapter 103

Chapter 103
The alternate version of myself displayed on the monitor possessed the exact same appearance he had held six years prior, presenting a sharp contrast to the physical maturation I had undergone during that period as though his appearance had been locked in time permanently.

“Did you happen to dispatch this airship?”

I directed my inquiry toward the monitor, but Ttopamine Addict stared blankly in the direction of the camera lens rather than looking at me and began to speak.

—If you choose to ask a question, do not anticipate a reply.

“What?”

—This communication is pre-recorded. By the period you observe this… approximately six years will have elapsed.

This indicated the footage had been captured six years ahead of time, which accounted for why his face remained unchanged from his previous look. Even so, despite being a recording, his opening greeting had explicitly addressed Dopamine Addict, implying he already knew I would be the initial individual to board this airship. True to his statement that the message was recorded, Ttopamine Addict continued talking without paying the slightest attention to us standing directly before him.

—Should you manage to arrive this far and view this, you likely understand already that this airship belongs to “Dopamine Addict,” meaning you will encounter no difficulties utilizing it.

I had suspected as much the moment we entered the pilot cabin without meeting any resistance, but had he truly sent this vessel for my personal use? Room Corner Hubby clearly harbored doubts regarding Ttopamine Addict’s assertions as well, stepping closer with a suspicious expression to whisper his thoughts.

“Do you seriously believe that thing is saying this airship is ours to operate?”

“He is not the sort of person to hand things over so easily.”

“This feels entirely suspicious. What if it detonates?”

—You feel anxious because I abruptly chose to show generosity, do you not?

The dialogue from the recording seemed to seamlessly follow our exact conversation, causing Room Corner Hubby to narrow his eyes further.

“Is this genuinely a recording? It feels completely absurd.”

—I am not simply presenting you with the airship without conditions. There is a catch.

“A condition?”

—I still believe the timing is inappropriate for you to visit my Area. This craft contains programmed navigation routes for other Zones, but it remains locked to prevent you from establishing a direct course toward my Region or the Cocaine Area situated directly underneath it.

Interesting. Consequently, if I intended to travel using this vehicle, I was barred from even contemplating a journey toward the Unicorn Area? Recalling the occasion when he initially informed me that no barriers existed between territories, he had specifically noted that the Unicorn Area stood as an exception. What on earth was he occupying himself with inside the Unicorn Area that he would go so far as to provide an airship just to deter visitors? Still, it mattered little to me, as I could leisurely tour the Love Area via airship before simply completing the remainder of the journey to the Unicorn Area on foot. The vessel itself remained restricted from approaching the Unicorn Area, but my own feet were entirely unrestricted to travel wherever I desired.

—Provided you avoid my Area, you are free to pilot this craft anywhere you wish. Whatever actions you take in alternative Zones, I shall not interfere.

Given that he had already executed the additional system unlocks, he must have been aware that my ultimate objective was Logout. Yet he still insisted I steer clear of his territory and the Cocaine Area, which suggested he intended to personally activate the status windows of the players within those two specific Zones. He surely realized that if I managed to open the status panels of every other territory and Logout failed to materialize, I would inevitably direct my journey toward Cocaine and Unicorn. However, because Ttopamine Addict had previously clarified that the message was recorded, no opportunity remained to pose follow-up questions. He offered a slight smile toward the camera lens.

—Very well, accept my congratulations on safely reaching seventeen years of age. Ah, and feel free to utilize the included gift however you see fit.

Following those final remarks, the display turned dark, and the automated flight guidance system resumed its functions. In any case, the airship appeared to genuinely belong to me now. Yet the phrase regarding the included gift left me puzzled, and Room Corner Hubby voiced his confusion with a bewildered expression.

“What gift?”

In response to that inquiry, an answer that should never have materialized suddenly sounded behind us.

“He is referring to me.”

“……!”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I jerked my head toward the source. A young man with platinum-blond hair swept roughly backward and extremely pale, thick eyelashes that obscured the exact shade of his eyes stood nearby, wearing a tight shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his muscular elbows while a black half-gloved hand rested casually upon Room Corner Hubby’s shoulder. His face was entirely unfamiliar.

“Greetings, friends.”

“What the hell—!!”

Room Corner Hubby recoiled in utter astonishment, completely disregarding my prior caution against discharging weapons, and snatched the firearm from his waist to level it directly at the platinum-blond individual. He executed a clean, professional trigger pull, but the young man merely smiled and extended an open palm. Following the sharp report of the gunshot, the sole remaining sound was the projectile deflecting off the outstretched hand and clattering softly across the flooring of the airship. After effortlessly deflecting the round, the newcomer raised both hands in mock surprise.

“Easy now. Ammunition is quite costly, you know.”

A magnetic-field shield. A player originating from the Unicorn Area. Character Appraisal. I opened his profile to review the player data, and my eyes widened in disbelief.

Name: mikisoccer

Title: High-Intelligence Test Subject

Affiliated Area: Unicorn

This system is subordinated to player Dopamine Addict.

mikisoccer?! I had suspected it to some degree, but he truly had been possessed by the individual who appeared at that convenience store. More astonishing than realizing he genuinely underwent possession inside the Unicorn Area—a detail Tae-jung had previously shared with me—was the revelation that Ttopamine Addict acted as the master who unlocked this scoundrel’s system. Had I utilized points to unlock the system of the person who used to steal my guidebooks?

“Room Corner Hubby?”

Miki Parker must have initiated an appraisal on Room Corner Hubby as well, as he tilted his head curiously.

“I have never encountered this player before.”

He then slowly reached a hand toward Room Corner Hubby, who remained frozen in shock after discovering his gunfire had no effect. I was already in the process of expanding my three-section staff to launch an attack when the lazy tone of his voice froze me in place.

“So you happen to be the obstacle mentioned by Lee Dam.”

Lee Dam…? He knows my actual name? How? Did Ttopamine Addict inform him personally?

“Snap out of your trance, Han Yeo-bom!”

Hearing his true name snapped Room Corner Hubby back to reality, prompting him to scramble backward in haste to escape the reach of the advancing hand. Miki Parker had not actually inflicted any harm yet, meaning the reaction might have seemed excessive, but the gaze he directed at Room Corner Hubby while discussing obstacles was distinctly hostile. Bearing in mind how Ttopamine Addict had attempted to eliminate Room Corner Hubby from the very beginning, this subordinate player likely harbored similar intentions. Above all, the specific title displayed on Miki Parker’s profile troubled me deeply: High-Intelligence Test Subject. That designated classification was assigned to players within the Unicorn Area who had been relegated to public-service experimental subjects. The individual who effectively governed that territory was Ttopamine Addict, and the fact that he allowed this person to become a test subject before elevating him to a subordinate player was alarming enough. Furthermore, considering he had allegedly served as an experimental specimen, his physical condition appeared remarkably intact, carrying the casual demeanor of a cheerful, attractive youth who might easily be mistaken for an ordinary person. Even so, the eyes of that scoundrel were completely devoid of warmth.

A preemptive strike always represents the most reliable route to triumph. When an outsider trespasses into my designated territory without authorization, this degree of response constitutes the absolute minimum requirement. Once I verified that Room Corner Hubby had successfully distanced himself from Miki Parker, I clenched my fists tightly, glanced upward toward the overhead ceiling structure, and called out,

“Strike him once more.”

“What? But this individual possesses a shiel—”

“Just fire the weapon!”

Room Corner Hubby halted his objections and aimed his firearm barrel straight at Miki Parker.

“Hmm~”

Even with a gun pointed directly at him, Miki Parker merely tilted his head slightly, displaying zero apprehension.

“Projectiles have no effect on me, you realize.”

“I am well aware.”

KRA-KOOM!

The brief reply was immediately drowned out by a thunderous crash as an external force slammed down onto the top of the airship, causing the entire hull to lurch violently. Miki Parker, who had failed to anticipate the vessel’s movement, stumbled slightly under his own weight, but Room Corner Hubby had already anticipated my intentions, bracing himself against the control console while keeping his sights locked onto the target.

“What on earth did you just—”

What else could it be? I disabled the airship’s magnetic-field barrier first to ensure my attack could reach you.

“Taste this, you thieving scoundrel.”

CRACKLE-ZZZT!

Electrical currents punched straight through the upper deck and pierced the adversary’s back with pinpoint accuracy. The protective magnetic field enveloping his physique shattered into fragments.

The adversary stared at me with wide, startled eyes, but Room Corner Hubby had already squeezed the trigger. Three gunshots echoed in rapid succession. The projectiles launched by Room Corner Hubby without missing the opening raced forward at lethal velocity, yet no sound of tearing flesh followed.

“What in the world?”

I stared at the bullets now suspended impossibly in midair. The rounds that had hurtled toward Miki Parker now drifted in slow elliptical paths centered around his body. The spectacle appeared completely surreal, resembling tiny planets orbiting a solar body. A supernatural ability?! If my recollection served correctly, that power belonged to a legendary-grade monster that emerged exclusively following the Second Apocalypse. Ttopamine Addict’s initial-round highlight reel flashed through my consciousness. The footage had definitely featured a sequence where he defeated that specific creature. Had he extracted the core jewel from a legendary beast secured via regression and bestowed it upon this individual? Since the ability originated from a monster exclusive to the post-Second Apocalypse era, Ttopamine Addict the regressor must have participated in granting Miki Parker that strength. Why on earth would I supply a legendary-grade power to a thieving wretch…!?

Even amidst those thoughts, I discharged another bolt of lightning toward Miki Parker, but the suspended projectiles surrounding him functioned like lightning rods, intercepting the electrical discharge and letting it dissipate harmlessly onto the flooring. Summoning additional lightning would not have posed a challenge, but observing the fallen bullets rise back into the air at Miki Parker’s mere gesture made me hesitate. I had no way of knowing how many electrical strikes this airship could withstand, and I had no intention of destroying my own vessel simply to eliminate a single adversary. Damn it. Did he intentionally dispatch someone equipped with a counter-attribute?

Miki Parker swept back the strands of hair that had fallen across his eyes and remarked while observing the bullets still crackling with residual energy,

“I heard you acquired the Eye Giant’s power six years ago… and you are already capable of handling it to this degree?”

So he was aware that I possessed the Eye Giant’s ability. I had suspected as much ever since he sought me out after noticing my collapse inside that cavern. The fact that I secured the Eye Giant’s power must have been orchestrated by my alternate self as well. Yet precisely how much information had that scoundrel disclosed to this individual? Was this person not acquainted with Tae-jung back within our territory? Had Ttopamine Addict deliberately omitted any mention of Tae-jung?

“Wh-what is the meaning of this!”

Unlike myself, Room Corner Hubby clearly panicked, squeezing the trigger repeatedly. Every single bullet exiting the barrel simply joined the revolving formation, tracing graceful curves as they orbited. Miki Parker gazed at Room Corner Hubby with overt pity.

“I was told your choice in companions was pathetic. It appears they were not exaggerating.”

“What did you just utter?!”

The moment Room Corner Hubby bristled and snapped back, every projectile orbiting Miki Parker darted toward him simultaneously.

“Gyaaah!”

“Han Yeo-bom!”

As many rounds as he had discharged pierced his body in a fraction of a second. Room Corner Hubby emitted a strained groan and collapsed backward.

“Ah, wait just a moment.”

Acting as though asking us to pause, Miki Parker reached inside his coat, drew his own firearm, and discharged several additional rounds into Room Corner Hubby until the twitching ceased entirely.

“Phew…….”

He re-holstered the weapon and smiled in my direction.

“That should suffice to ensure he is incapable of ‘consuming’ anything further.”

What variety of lunatic had that wretch sent me as a gift? He shot him repeatedly for the sole purpose of preventing me from healing him? Ttopamine Addict as well… why were both of them so intensely driven to eliminate Room Corner Hubby? I had no estimation of how much disclosing Tae-jung’s presence here might assist me against an adversary like this, and I certainly wished to avoid letting Tae-jung encounter this psychopath.

“Are you alright?”

The instant I attempted to approach Room Corner Hubby, Miki Parker stepped directly into my path with a cunning grin.

“Attempting to rescue him?”

“Step aside.”

“Why refuse to associate with companions who match your actual status, little boss?”

“Companions matching my status?”

“For instance… myself.”

Hearing that prompted me to emit a brief, dry laugh, which caused the adversary’s expression to twist with irritation.

“What is amusing?”

“A thief discussing status tiers is profoundly ridiculous.”

The remark evidently struck a sensitive nerve, as his face flushed red.

“That occurred during my past existence. I am different now!”

“In what manner are you different?”

“Significantly different! At the very least, I prove far more useful than that individual collapsed in a heap behind me.”

“You believe so?”

“Indeed! You recognized that brat was pathetic as well—which explains why you stood by passively while I reduced him to a pulp, correct? With your capabilities, you could have protected him effortlessly.”

“Not particularly. I simply chose not to interfere because protecting him was entirely unnecessary.”

“What?”

I looked past Miki Parker and spoke in a subdued tone.

“Because he already possesses more than enough competence to match my level.”

While Miki Parker stared at me with an expression conveying total incomprehension, Room Corner Hubby drove a blade into the back of the adversary’s neck utilizing every final fragment of remaining strength.