Chapter 105

Chapter 105
I maneuvered the airship not directly above the Candy Zone, but down at a nearby landing spot.

“If an airship drops out of the blue, they’ll instantly go on high alert. By this point, even a rookie knows the zone they are stuck in is the easiest difficulty around.”

“Does that mean we have to change outfits too?”

Han Yeo-bom had already stripped off his pristine white military uniform, pulled on regular civilian clothes, and grumbled as he zipped up a jacket.

“I’ve gotten so used to the uniform that anything else feels weird. And it’s freezing.”

“If you were in their shoes, would you just stand around while some total stranger in full military gear comes marching in?”

“Ugh, this shirt is clinging to me. Don’t you have anything else?”

“If you hate it that much, go in naked. I didn’t exactly plan on lending you clothes anyway.”

Peter Parker—whose casual wardrobe we had just requisitioned—shot Han Yeo-bom a sharp glare.

“Still, he has a point. Why bother changing at all? With your power, you could just descend like a deity and snatch up the newbie. End of story.”

True to form as an absolute copycat, he clearly had zero intention of cutting the rookie any slack.

Han Yeo-bom likely felt the same way, as he clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“It’s people like you who turned the Safe Zones into a stagnant, veteran-only nightmare of a game! You slaughter every single newcomer the moment they appear!”

“And thanks to that, those people never got trapped in this game in the first place. Total win for them.”

“What? Aren’t you one of the ones trying to get back to reality?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Who on earth wants to linger in a world on the verge of collapse? Unless you are a complete social outcast, most people would want out of a shithole like this.”

“…….”

“…….”

While those social misfits fell silent, Luna climbed out from the apparel, scrambled onto my head, and glared fiercely at Parker.

A shithole like this?! You owe an apology to the residents of this place right now!

“Holy cat. What on earth is that?”

Judging by Miki Parker’s reaction, Dopamine Addict had clearly never mentioned Luna to him.

Perhaps the white-haired iteration had kept quiet about the sibling residing inside the ring.

I had no obligation to provide an explanation either, so I simply replied, “Older brother.”

“Older brother?… Lee Dam mentioned you lug around plenty of strange things. Guess he wasn’t lying.”

He must have been profoundly bored in the Unicorn Area if he was sharing gossip like that with Miki Parker.

Come to think of it, I still needed to figure out how he acquired that ability of his… but with Han Yeo-bom and Taejung present, the timing was all wrong. That power originated from a monster that only emerges after the Second Apocalypse, so discussing it would inevitably expose the fact that the Dopamine Addict of the Unicorn Area had regressed.

At that moment, Taejung trudged back wearing a sheepish expression. He was still clad in his original snowy-white military uniform.

“What? Why are you still wearing that?”

Han Yeo-bom asked. Taejung answered in a meek voice.

“The buttons won’t close.”

He held up the thoroughly strained shirt he had clearly attempted to force himself into.

Poor shirt…….

Yeah. Given Taejung’s massive frame, that made complete sense.

“Taejung, you stay here with the pilot guy then.”

“What?! With… him?”

Instead of pointing out that someone of his size in full military attire would terrify every single resident of the Candy Zone on sight, I simply cast a glance at Miki Parker.

“No way am I dragging him along when I have no clue what trick he might pull. Someone needs to stay behind and keep an eye on him.”

“Ah… if that’s how it is, I’ll stay.”

I figured Taejung might be glad to connect with the person who, according to Miki, had supported him through difficult times.

Instead, they behaved like absolute strangers.

If they had never interacted before, it might have been less awkward, but the guy was walking around using his friend’s in-game alias, which only made the atmosphere vastly more uncomfortable.

Whether they truly were strangers was something I would have to observe a bit longer to be sure.

“You’re fine staying behind as well, right?”

“Naturally. I have zero interest in the newbie tutorial, Little Darth Vader.”

…Was he seriously labeling me a dictator just now?

“Hey! Why am I the only one forced to wear this ridiculous shirt?! My social skills are garbage—how am I supposed to help anyone?!”

Han Yeo-bom complained with his signature brand of self-pity.

A single glance in a mirror would have made it obvious why I was dragging him along.

Even without going as far as the appearance-obsessed Love Area, Han Yeo-bom’s face would get results in any zone. That face was a foolproof icebreaker for lowering NPC suspicion.

Even a shut-in social outcast has his uses.

What about me?

“You can come too… but only in your cat form. If you pop out of the ring, they’ll mistake you for a monster and panic. Stick to telepathy. Think you can act like a normal cat?”

No problem! This is gonna be fun!

Luna bounced with excitement, then dove straight into my coat pocket with only her head peeking out.

I scratched the top of her head with a single finger, pushed open the airship door, and stepped outside.

Alright.

Time to go meet the newbie.

Leaving the airship behind, Han Yeo-bom and I trudged through the snowfield for roughly thirty minutes until we reached the outer perimeter of the Candy Zone.

The Christmas Forest was an immense, seemingly endless expanse of giant fir trees. From afar, you could not appreciate their true scale, but up close, the Christmas trees towered so high that craning your neck all the way back failed to reveal their crowns.

Amidst the pure white snowfield, the forest radiated a vibrant green color never found in the Cola Area. It was breathtaking, yet I could not bring myself to simply enjoy the scenery.

Something about the profound silence of the woods felt deeply unsettling.

Perhaps it was the total absence of bird calls, despite standing right in the middle of a forest.

Once the Second Apocalypse arrived and airborne monsters claimed the skies, you would hear bird-like shrieks once more—though that brought its own brand of eerie dread.

“It’s warm in here.”

Han Yeo-bom, trailing behind me among the trees, finally loosened the collar he had been clutching shut.

“So what’s the plan now?”

“What do you mean, what’s the plan?”

“We came all this way, so you’re definitely going to swindle someone again, right? What’s the setup for the con this time?”

What on earth did this guy take me for?

“You think I’d scam a newbie?”

“You totally would…….”

You totally would.

Even Luna…….

Yet I genuinely harbored no intention of running a scam on him.

“The newbie Dentist is sharp and fiercely cautious.”

“Oh right, wasn’t he an actual doctor?”

“Exactly. If we try any underhanded tricks and get caught, rebuilding that trust will be a nightmare. He’s bound to cooperate with Logout anyway, so sticking to the unvarnished truth is more than enough.”

“But you plan to drag him back to our zone entirely, don’t you? Will a newbie just tag along so easily?”

“You’re basically admitting that anyone who has played Safe Zone automatically holds a prejudice against you.”

“And he seems like a genuinely decent person. So…….”

“If we simply talk to him honestly, he’ll understand our side?”

“We’ll lean on that decency until he has no other choice but to follow us.”

“…I fail to see how that differs from a scam.”

Until now you only targeted bad people, but you’ve completely crossed over to the dark side…….

These two were already treating me like a villain without having the faintest idea what I intended to offer the Dentist.

Whatever. They could think whatever they liked.

My only objective was securing the newbie.

Right at that moment—

Luna abruptly stretched her neck outward, her ears twitching as she stared deeper into the forest.

“What is it, Luna?”

There’s something over there.

“Something?”

Han Yeo-bom and I exchanged a glance, then began walking in that direction together.

The closer we drew to the spot Luna was fixing her gaze upon, the clearer the sound became.

With only her head poking out of my coat pocket, Luna whispered:

Sounds like a fight.

“Who’s fighting?”

Don’t know. But I can sense a jewel.

Sensing a jewel meant a monster was lurking ahead.

Perhaps residents of the Candy Zone had ventured out on a hunt and engaged it in combat.

After walking a bit further, a mixture of shouts and a beast’s roar reached Han Yeo-bom’s ears and mine distinctly.

Unmistakably, a human scream.

Without needing to debate who would lead the charge, both of us broke into a sprint. The voices grew sharper and more frantic.

“Saint!”

“I’ll hold it back—everyone retreat to the village!”

“You can’t do that, Saint! It’s far too dangerous!”

Saint!

Within the Candy Zone, the sole individual addressed as Saint was a player.

I had previously reviewed the highlight reel where the Dentist earned the title of Saint of the Christmas Forest. The person up ahead had to be my rookie.

We charged toward the noise, bursting past the grove of firs into an open expanse of snow. Frantic figures snapped into view.

First was an NPC sprawled across the ground, groaning in agony as though he had been batted away by a beast, accompanied by two residents rushing toward his aid.

Shattered bows and broken arrows littered the snow around them. Beyond them stood the Dentist—his shoulder clamped firmly inside the jaws of a massive white unicorn jaguar.

‘Why is that creature roaming all the way out here?’

A fully matured unicorn jaguar was classified as a large-tier monster.

Yet this was the Candy Zone—an environment so forgiving you could clear it half-asleep. Large-tier monsters virtually never appeared here.

And yet, one was prowling right beside the Christmas Forest.

Something unusual was unfolding in this district as well.

Not that I had a single second to spare figuring it out.

My precious newbie’s entire shoulder was moments away from turning into a light snack.

Inspect Character.

Title: Saint of the Christmas Forest
Affiliation: Candy Zone

* A friend request has arrived from player Dentist. Accept?

Confirmation that it was indeed my rookie. I pivoted toward Han Yeo-bom.

“Han Yeo-bom, head for the NPCs.”

“Got it.”

He split off, sprinting toward the civilians while I summoned a churning thundercloud overhead and closed the distance on the beast.

Rumble…….

The roiling sky caused the unicorn jaguar to sense impending danger; the crushing pressure of its jaws on the Dentist’s shoulder slackened for a fraction of a second.

I did not let the opening slip by. A bolt of lightning struck the snow directly in front of its paws.

Crash! Crash!

“Kyaaak!”

Two rapid-fire bolts startled the jaguar into spitting out the Dentist’s shoulder. I whipped a firearm from my inventory and leveled the barrel at the beast.

“Get down.”

Whether he heard the warning or simply passed out from blood loss, the Dentist crumpled into the snow.

Thud! Whump!

The heavy projectile streaked past the Dentist’s head and shattered the horn protruding from the center of the unicorn jaguar’s forehead.

“Kraaaagh!”

The monster shrieked in absolute agony, thrashing its head wildly from side to side, though every violent twist exposed the jewel previously hidden beneath its jaw.

That thrashing was merely a defensive reflex. Now, standard bullets would struggle to land a hit on such a frantically moving target.

‘However.’

To me, it posed zero difficulty.

I lowered the firearm and produced a single coin.