Chapter 3

Chapter 3
There were several explanations behind why I had pushed Homebody Darling to join the military.

First, having been suddenly transported inside an apocalypse game, mastering firearm operation was non-negotiable. Within the virtual world, players simply pressed the space bar to fire, but real life operated differently.

Second, characters in this game began their journey as default orphans, meaning zero guardians to look after them and nowhere to return to. Enlisting stood out as the most straightforward method to secure guaranteed meals and a safe shelter.

The relatively mild difficulty level of the Cola Safe Zone existed for a clear reason, seeing as a military warlord faction governed the area.

Sign up for service, and basic survival necessities became taken care of.

Naturally, emergencies could still force individuals to get drafted unexpectedly into deadly assignments. The world remained divided into nine distinct Safe Zones precisely to safeguard remaining humanity against the aggressive alien monsters roaming outside their boundaries.

The First Apocalypse, known as the Ice Age, commenced when an enormous meteor struck the planet, releasing extraterrestrial entities that rapidly multiplied. According to the background lore, every single zone—except for Beer, which relocated deep beneath the ocean, and Unicorn, which hoisted its entire landmass up into the sky—regularly dispatched troops to clear out the hostile creatures gathering near their perimeters.

Entering the armed forces meant inevitably getting drawn into these dangerous purge operations. Making it through those trials alive opened up a path to advance all the way up to commander ranks. Rapid promotion also carried the inherent danger of being falsely labeled as a coup conspirator and executed directly by the commander, though that specific obstacle would resolve itself once authorities recognized my identity as the commander’s secret illegitimate son and designated heir.

“Enlist… fine. Whatever.”

Since joining the forces served as a standard survival tactic, Homebody Darling accepted the directive without significant resistance. Fortunately, he remained an ordinary civilian; had he already finished his mandatory service previously, he never would have agreed to wear a uniform a second time.

Enrolling within the Cola Safe Zone presented zero complications. Anyone capable of handling a weapon—even a ten-year-old child—received immediate acceptance, reflecting the harsh reality of how young people managed to stay alive through the apocalypse.

My goal was to get him signed up before initiating my personal master plan. That was when two separate hurdles surfaced.

The first issue, quite unexpectedly—or perhaps entirely predictably—was that this universe completely lacked any Korean language translation patch.

Safe Zone: Apocalypse had never received an official Korean release. Strategy guides only flourished across online community boards because dedicated players translated the raw game scripts while drafting walkthroughs. Having taught myself English specifically to publish those guides, the absolute absence of a native language patch should not have shocked me.

Even so, dropping players straight into this environment without granting a basic translation skill felt rather cheap.

Due to a transmigration event that showed total disregard for conventional web-novel ethics, I was forced to speak English directly with the local non-player characters—meaning the inhabitants of the zone—and fill out all paperwork in English. Because Homebody Darling lacked English fluency, drafting the documents fell entirely onto my shoulders.

Observing the nearby soldiers show complete indifference toward our conversation in Korean led to an important realization. Following the collapse of civilization, refugees of every nationality had flooded into the various zones, and that multi-lingual setting had apparently carried over into this reality. In the original game, that feature only existed as background flavor text since every character spoke English.

Homebody Darling expressed furious indignation.

“You drop us straight into a video game and can’t even provide a Korean localization patch?!”

Whoever had shoved us into this scenario clearly wanted to watch us struggle.

“I can’t speak a word of English… how am I supposed to survive life in the military?”

“Once you report for duty, you will essentially become a robotic yes-man, so advanced English proficiency won’t even be necessary.”

He would not literally respond with single-word approvals every time, of course, but looking like a young kid offered a distinct tactical advantage here. Even if his grammar fell apart completely, people would naturally show him some leniency.

The second obstacle was that the official enlistment application demanded a legal name.

“I never even considered needing a real name.”

Inside the game, users simply went by whatever customizable handle they typed out. Walking around introduced as “Dopamine Addict,” “Homebody Darling,” or “T-balnom” after undergoing a mystical transmigration felt a bit excessive. While I could safely utilize the designated name of Hayden Goodman’s hidden son, Homebody Darling needed to invent a completely new identity on the spot.

He shook his head as though the simple mental effort of picking a name proved far too exhausting.

“It has to be an English name anyway, right? Just choose something random for me.”

“…Fine.”

Having zero time to waste on brainstorming aliases for Homebody Darling, I quickly scrawled a name onto the document in a single motion and handed it in.

Official clearance required a brief waiting period, so we used the pause to review our upcoming steps.

“Once you report to your unit, we won’t be able to travel together for a while. We can reconnect later after each of us establishes a solid foothold inside this zone.”

“What exactly counts as a proper foothold?”

“Hmm… once I gain official recognition as the successor, I will send for you. I’ll explain to the commander that you were like a younger brother to me back when we were street orphans, and arrange to have you transferred directly into the commander’s personal residence.”

I offered a stern warning to ensure he took things seriously.

“You need to work hard during your service. Even if I want to pull you up later, I cannot justify bringing in dead weight.”

“You are already assuming I will be completely useless, aren’t you?”

Ignoring his entirely justified suspicion, I kept moving forward.

“And since this region operates on English just like the video game did, make sure you write down anything concerning the apocalypse—or any crucial intelligence—exclusively in Korean. Always.”

“I can manage that much.”

This raised the question of what other players scattered across alternative zones were currently doing. Having no idea when an encounter with another player might happen, establishing rules of engagement right away was essential. In the best-case scenario, they would cooperate just as readily as Homebody Darling; in the worst-case, certain players definitely would not.

“Are you genuinely planning to follow through with this illegitimate-son scheme?”

Homebody Darling inquired, visible anxiety written across his expression—though whether he truly doubted the feasibility of the plan or simply dreaded entering the military alone remained unclear.

“Couldn’t we just enlist together instead? You understand English well and seem clever. You asked earlier if I was a civilian, which implies you might have served before… you would handle military life much better a second time around, correct?”

This kid possessed an uncanny talent for uttering terrifying suggestions with a completely innocent expression.

Several hours seemed to pass before an enlisted soldier finally arrived carrying the official approval documents, calling out the exact name written on the paperwork. Homebody Darling instantly regretted letting me handle the naming process.

“The name listed is Darling Outsider, correct?”

The soldier spoke in English, but Homebody Darling clearly grasped that “Darling Outsider” referred directly to him.

“Da-Darling… what did you say?”

“You look rather young… and you are choosing to enlist?”

As the soldier continued speaking in English, Homebody Darling—now officially designated as Darling Outsider—cast a desperate glance in my direction for assistance. I lowered my voice to a whisper.

“Whatever the soldier asks you, just answer yes.”

“Does that even make any sense? More importantly, my name is Darling Outsider? Are you out of your mind?”

I considered the choice a flawless localization of his original online handle.

“It is certainly better than Darling Hikikomori, isn’t it?”

“What kind of garbage translation is that?!”

It was already too late, as the moniker was officially registered with zero chance of reversal.

“You insane bastard… I think that soldier is quietly laughing while pronouncing my new name…”

His deduction proved entirely accurate, as the official reading his papers struggled to suppress a grin, the corners of his mouth visibly twitching.

“Darling Outsider. What is your response?”

I muttered under my breath for him to reply immediately. Forcing his reluctant lips to move, Homebody Darling complied.

“Ha… damn it… Yes, sir…”

“You are officially enlisting in the military forces, correct?”

“Yes… sir!”

“Splendid. Follow behind me.”

“Yes, sir!”

Adhering strictly to my guidance, Homebody Darling transformed into a compliant yes-man and marched away alongside the soldier. He clearly harbored a minor grudge concerning his assigned name, but the rigorous demands of military life would smooth that out quickly enough.

Very well. For the immediate future, this journey would proceed as a solo operation.

The primary objective on the agenda: locating a specific burial site.

Specifically, the final resting place of Commander Hayden Goodman’s former lover—the tragic woman interred alongside concrete proof of his secret offspring.

Regarding Commander Hayden Goodman himself, he originally hailed from an entirely separate zone. A soldier conducting a routine purge mission had discovered him collapsed and near death, rescuing him before Hayden joined the Cola military forces to repay the life debt. His combat talents proved extraordinary, allowing him to climb the promotional ladder with astonishing speed. The commander at the time grew deeply impressed, eventually introducing Hayden to his own daughter. Hayden married her and successfully secured the commander’s seat for himself without encountering major resistance. That formed the official public narrative.

The rest of the story remained hidden from general knowledge.

The individual buried in the grave I intended to find was Luna Moon—the very soldier who once saved Hayden during that historical purge.

In reality, Hayden had aligned himself with the Cola forces entirely because of her. He fell deeply in love with the woman who had pulled him out of the dirt. Luna Moon and Hayden became romantic partners, leading to a pregnancy. Afterward, driven by ambition and a desire for higher status, Hayden accepted an arranged engagement with the commander’s daughter, offering Luna a promise that once he attained supreme command, he would return to claim both her and their unborn child.

Did he honor that vow after seizing power? No, not because he deliberately broke his word, but because he never received the opportunity, as Luna Moon had mysteriously vanished.

Even throughout the original Safe Zone playthrough campaigns, the zone’s commander continued searching for his lost lover and child, remaining entirely unaware that Luna had passed away and been buried prior to the baby’s birth.

The crucial factor was that my prior knowledge revealed the exact location of her grave.

Following her separation from Hayden, Luna concealed her true identity and slipped into the neglected Slums to escape potential retaliation. Having trained as a military physician, she spent her pregnancy treating local residents—which explained why community members constructed a proper burial marker for her after her death. Within the dangerous Safe Zones, deceased individuals were typically discarded outside the perimeter walls. Ferocious monsters roaming beyond the barriers made no distinction between living or dead prey, and feeding them fresh corpses kept the beasts pacified for a time. The fact that her memorial remained safely situated inside the zone indicated she had earned deep respect from the locals.

The complication arose when that same benevolence transformed into a lethal hazard.

A severe plague swept through the Slums where she resided. Anyone healthy enough to pack up and flee did so immediately, whereas she chose to remain behind and care for the infected. Naturally, she contracted the illness herself and perished. Grateful patients, dragging their failing bodies, managed to construct a grave for her along the outer boundaries of the Slums.

Because she succumbed to a contagion, and because plague survivors had built the tomb, people continued to avoid the area entirely to this day. The name inscribed on the marker was an alias, representing a location citizens refused to mention aloud and stayed far away from. It came as no surprise that Commander Hayden had never managed to track her down.

While tragic, these conditions could not have been more favorable for a player needing to unearth that specific grave.

After locating a reasonably sturdy piece of scrap metal suitable for digging, I waited near the outskirts of the Slums until nightfall descended. Even though local inhabitants avoided the site, caution remained paramount. A destination where nobody traveled meant any visitor would immediately stand out. A ten-year-old boy wandering alone toward an abandoned graveyard holding a jagged piece of iron scrap created a memorable image best avoided.

If anyone later reported witnessing me heading out toward Luna Moon’s burial site, complications would quickly follow, making early discretion essential.

Remaining out of sight, I navigated the darkened pathway until arriving at the gravesite. The moment my hand brushed against the mound of earth, an instinctive sense of alarm flared up.

The soil feels uncomfortably soft.

Dirt covering a grave of that age should never feel so loose—unless someone had already excavated the site recently and hastily packed the soil back down.

I immediately tore into the earth. Because the ground had already been disturbed once before, my bare hands proved sufficient. Upon prying open the coffin lid and discovering that the military identification tags were missing from around the skeleton’s neck, understanding struck instantly.

Another player had arrived here first.

This meant someone else besides myself and Homebody Darling operated within this zone.

It appeared another user was pursuing the illegitimate-son strategy as well.

Things were starting to get genuinely interesting.

Heading over to the commander’s residence tomorrow morning would almost certainly trigger a confrontation with the rival player attempting the exact same sequence.

Even so, I intended to emerge victorious.

The ultimate proof confirming the illegitimate child remained safely hidden inside the coffin.