Chapter 37

Chapter 37
Haydam-nim! Why on earth did you set those conditions?!

I had planned to remain at the academy for a little while longer and had just been assigned a personal living space, getting ready to settle in, when the cadets I had defeated burst through the door the moment morning assembly concluded. Behind their anxious faces, Platon offered a quiet bow in greeting before being instantly crowded out by the rest of the group.

Haydam-nim, if even one of us gets eliminated, we lose?!

You took down every single one of us completely by yourself, and now you are enforcing that rule—what are we supposed to do…?

We never even agreed to this condition in the first place!

If we end up losing again, we will actually face expulsion.

You have no idea how much teasing and mockery we have been subjected to because we were defeated by you, Haydam-nim.

I looked at them with a mixture of open sympathy.

I was wondering why Lucas was acting so hostile earlier. Now I realize there was a specific reason behind it.

Pardon?

Even after listening to the conversation I had with Cadet Lucas just moments ago, none of you felt anything at all, did you?

I placed my storage container on the floor, let out a deep breath, and continued speaking.

If your fellow cadets are mocking you, that serves as all the more reason for you to embrace this training exercise.

What do you mean by that…?

If a cadet is already anticipating defeat before the match has even started, does that not make the criticism entirely justified?

Th-that’s….

They had rushed over in a state of panic, but the embarrassment of their behavior finally seemed to dawn on them.

The reason I had deliberately chosen to run the simulation against this specific group was because they were the ones destined to make a name for themselves after graduating from the academy. Right now, they were merely acting miserable from the shock of losing to a ten-year-old. They needed to graduate safely and eventually become my loyal subordinates. Finding officers of their specific caliber was far from easy. Therefore, it was time to offer them an incentive and calm their nerves.

I softened my features into an approachable expression.

Do any of you understand why I specifically selected you for this training simulation?

The cadets stared back blankly, as if they could not figure out the underlying motive of the question. The response finally came from Platon, who was standing near the back.

Because we are the most talented cadets.

I nodded in acknowledgment of his timely input and pressed on.

I still believe you are the finest cadets in this entire academy. And I want the rest of the student body to recognize that as well.

So you are saying you will join our team for the simulation to prove our worth?

One cadet asked cautiously.

But… we were defeated by you so soundly… and under such impossible conditions, the thought of winning feels hopeless…

Your opponents know those conditions are unreasonable too. You yourselves initially thought that facing all of you at once was an impossible task, didn’t you?

The recollection of how profoundly they had underestimated Haydam during their initial encounter in the simulation caused their faces to flush red once again.

What do you think was the actual reason I managed to defeat you?

Uh…

No one was eager to respond. Eventually, someone mumbled,

We fell for your acting…

That was not the answer I was looking for. I posed the question once more.

Why did you fall for it?

You believed it was genuine and you underestimated me—

Underestimating you was truly—ah!

Following the sequence of questions, sudden realization lit up the cadets’ faces as they fixed their gazes on me.

You fell for it so easily because you assumed that no matter what actions I took, you could still easily overpower me. Our upcoming opponents will unconsciously harbor that exact same mindset: We only need to eliminate one person to secure victory. We are going to use that overconfidence against them.

Use it against them?

First of all, we are completely abandoning any notion of fair play.

How can you say something like that so openly…?

Fortunately, you were all so mortified by your defeat that you chose not to share the exact details with the others, correct?

No, it wasn’t just out of embarrassment—Director Meursault explicitly ordered us to remain silent—

Good.

Pardon?

Let us pay them back using the exact same methods I used against you.

…Why would we retaliate against those guys for what you did to us, Haydam-nim?

They still failed to grasp what I meant by resorting to underhanded tactics. But that was completely fine. The inclination to be sly was something every human already harbored somewhere within themselves.

All you need to focus on is winning. By any means necessary.

Since the cadets had already made the trip to my room, they offered to assist with unpacking, and moving my belongings was completed in no time. The only issue was that while every other cadet had departed, Platon remained standing in place.

Are you not leaving, Platon?

Judging by the fact that he waited until everyone else had cleared out, the matter was likely significant. Following an extended silence, Platon finally spoke up.

I actually heard about something from my father.

Heard what?

That you ventured outside the zone and sustained injuries…

So he is aware that I got hurt. The commander had explicitly issued a strict gag order regarding the incident. Anton’s information network must have been far more extensive than anticipated. Then again, given the commotion surrounding my hospitalization, anyone could have easily deduced that someone from the exploration party had been wounded. And since I had kept out of sight for several days afterward, identifying me would not have been difficult.

I remained indifferent to the fact that Anton knew about my injury. It was something I could heal whenever I chose to. I had intentionally left the wound partially healed so that Meursault would not find my recovery suspiciously rapid, but if the injury ever presented a genuine complication, I could simply resolve it using my ability.

What genuinely piqued my curiosity was something entirely different.

Do you also know how I sustained the injury?

I asked to determine whether he had any knowledge concerning that individual’s existence. Platon immediately shook his head.

No, nothing that specific… I believe my Father simply put the pieces together after learning of your hospitalization.

Just as I suspected—he deduced it from hospital records. Therefore, they remained unaware that I had been ambushed by a resident of another zone. What on earth was that person, anyway…?

I had pondered that mystery the entire time I was bedridden, yet no clear answer emerged. He possessed an appearance identical to my Unicorn starting character. Yet, unlike ordinary players, he was an adult. Calling him a mere impostor felt incorrect when his character inspection window clearly displayed the six-character designation Dopamine Addict, accompanied by an unfamiliar title, also reading Dopamine Addict.

In the case of Safety No. 8, who had previously attempted to impersonate me, he had introduced himself as Dopamine Addict first. This new individual, however, had proven that he genuinely was Dopamine Addict. But if he is not an impostor, what exactly is he?

Much like Daphne and Luna Moon, who functioned as both players and non-player characters, had I—the one who cleared every zone—also been permanently designated as a non-player character in this world? Or perhaps he was some lingering remnant of a player artificial intelligence? At present, nothing could be verified with certainty.

The only silver lining was that, assuming the system was telling the truth, that individual held a favorable disposition toward me. At the very least, he does not believe I am the one impersonating Dopamine Addict.

I remained completely clueless. Realistically, I wanted to message Tibalrom and discuss every single detail of the conversation they had shared from start to finish, yet I still could not bring myself to tell even Tibalrom that I had encountered the individual. Only a few days had passed since the revelation that two Dopamine Addicts existed within the public chat. If I suddenly announced that I had met him, who would actually believe me? They would far more likely assume I staged the entire encounter myself. Everyone already seemed to view me as someone seeking attention.

And as for Platon…

Anton had apparently shared the information with his own son, and the boy had come straight to me with it. He must have also been briefed on the commander’s gag order. Was my previous offer to make him my adjutant truly that appealing?

Haydam-nim?

When I remained quiet for a brief moment, Platon addressed me cautiously, his expression filled with genuine worry.

Are you alright? I understand you were just released from the medical ward… perhaps it would be wise to postpone the training simulation for a little while…

Even after discovering that I possessed healing abilities, the commander never fussed over me to this extent. Since circumstances had unfolded this way, I might as well leave Platon with an even deeper impression.

You are genuinely concerned about my well-being. Thank you.

I paused to let the words sink in. I had deliberately maintained my weakened state, of course. I slightly narrowed my brow and offered a helpless, gentle smile.

To be honest… while I was hospitalized, I heard stories about all of you.

About us?

Word reached me that the other cadets were mocking you for your defeat against me. So I spoke with Father and hurried back.

You came back… because of us?

If I can help restore your pride and honor, this injury means nothing at all.

Platon looked visibly moved.

Why… would you go to such lengths…?

I am trusting you to keep this matter a secret from the others. They would likely feel uncomfortable being indebted to me.

Haydam-nim…

Yes. The exact response I wanted to hear was finally leaving Platon’s mouth.

I, too, will give my absolute best in this upcoming training exercise. For your sake, Haydam-nim, I am willing to do anything.

I replied as though I had been anticipating that exact declaration.

Ah, I almost forgot to mention. Platon, you are excused from participating in this training session.

Pardon? I am excluded?

It is an eight-versus-eight match. We need to balance out the numbers somehow, do we not?

B-but I…

He could not quite bring himself to state out loud that he possessed superior skills compared to the other seven cadets. His voice trailed off into silence.

However, I do have a different assignment specifically for you, Platon.

Ah! So there is another mission. Please instruct me. What must I do?

I flashed a bright smile.

How are your skills when it comes to spreading rumors?

On the day of the training simulation, Lucas of Team B spotted Haydam’s Team A waiting from a short distance away and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Those seven—I genuinely thought they would try to run away, yet look at them showing up on the training grounds anyway.

Another Team B cadet shook his head in response to Lucas’s remark.

What good does showing up actually do? Earlier, they would not even cast a single glance in Haydam-nim’s direction.

What? The exercise is about to commence and they are still sulking over their loss to him?

All they did was whine about how they never wanted any part of this arrangement to begin with.

A slightly younger cadet who had been listening in asked carefully,

If that is the case, why is Senior Platon not participating on that team? Isn’t Senior Platon by far the strongest among them?

You didn’t hear the news?

Hear what?

Platon walked away from that team entirely, stating that they were a lost cause.

The inquiring cadet looked utterly stunned. Platon was widely known for always ensuring that no one was left behind during training exercises, regardless of the circumstances.

Senior Platon abandoned them…?

I have never heard Platon talk down about anyone like that before either.

They are genuinely pathetic.

What on earth was Haydam-nim thinking when he established conditions like those…?

As the murmuring Team B cadets began expressing sympathy for Haydam, Lucas stamped his foot on the ground to capture their attention and spoke up.

Listen closely everyone. I would love to say we should take it easy for Haydam-nim’s sake… but you all know those guys lost previously simply because they underestimated him. Therefore, we are not letting our guard down. We are going all out. Understood?

Having solidified their determination, the first thing Team B’s reconnaissance unit discovered upon advancing was a sight so jarring that it caused them to drop their collective jaw.

There, securely wrapped in thick ropes, was Haydam.