WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
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◈ The Little Prince of the Ossuary
00008 <-- The Little Prince of the Ossuary -->
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#Faction (1), Camp Roberts
The boy was pondering which path to follow next when a quest marker approached him on its own. It was a person. He was slight of build, wearing glasses, and seemed quite uneasy as he looked around.
"Hello. Um, may I call you Gyeoul-ssi?
Despite being clearly older, his hesitation to speak informally was evidence of the respect or fear the boy commanded. Despite minors typically being disregarded due to their age, there was no sign of that here. It was probably due to the intimidating rumors about the boy and his presence amplified by skill adjustments.
He could have told him to speak informally, but did he need to put him at ease? When speech is comfortable, so is the heart, and a comfortable heart can easily lead to being underestimated. The boy simply nodded.
"What can I do for you?"
"My name is Jang Yeon-cheol. It's difficult to discuss here, but there are people who'd like to meet Gyeoul-ssi. They mean no harm. They're just in need of help. Would you spare a moment?"
The boy agreed readily. The augmented reality interface, a hologram visible only to players, updated his mission log. The interaction between the environment and players is evaluated in real time by the Control AI, which registers interactions with clear causal relationships as missions (quests). It's a mechanism to deviate from scripted developments.
When capabilities are lacking, missions whose content is not fully understood are marked with ???. The boy could discern a general objective thanks to the skills ‘Insight’ and ‘Perception.’ He had invested some of the experience points gained from a previous logistics mission into leadership skills, allowing him to more accurately grasp clues about upcoming events. It was an advantage given to players.
"A faction... is it?"
He had been waiting. The boy decided to follow for now.
On the way to their destination, Yeon-cheol kept a vigilant watch. He was aware of the gaze of various organizations, but it seemed a futile effort. This was a refugee area. Though without rank insignia, Gyeoul's U.S. military uniform was too conspicuous. He was already being tailed. By several people, likely members of major organization's action teams. Their gazes were filthy, not by nature, but because their hearts were.
"Please wait a moment."
"Yes?"
Stopping Yeon-cheol, the boy turned and pointed out the people who were following them. It was unexpected. Many had failed to hide in time, and even those who did were not hidden well enough. With the help of ‘Survival Instinct,’ ‘Combat Sense,’ and ‘Crisis Detection,’ the boy did not miss their subtle hostility.
"You, come out."
Pretending not to know was futile when he was pointing directly at them. There were so many. It was puzzling how so many organizations had formed among people in such difficult circumstances.
However, the world was created through data mining. Mining, like extracting resources from a mine, refers to extracting human history and behavior from the vast online realm, from accumulated information over time, from big data. Thus, the lives of refugees in virtual reality were reconstructed based on the lives of real refugee camps.
Eventually, members of eleven different organizations gathered. They growled at each other and also tried to intimidate the boy, creating a tense atmosphere. Especially, they seemed to struggle against the threatening presence the boy exuded due to skill adjustments. Yeon-cheol turned pale.
"What the fuck do you want?"
As soon as someone spat that out, several others opened their mouths as if they couldn't be outdone.
"Look at this little fucker, acting tough... Who do you think you are, pointing fingers at adults?"
"Ha, fuck. This is ridiculous. Yeah, you called us here. What are you gonna do?"
Among the other harsh words that followed, the boy's mere gaze was enough to quiet them down. They were nervous. They tried to hide it, but the boy's ‘Insight’ and ‘Perception’ saw through them. The Control AI's advice popped up messily, suggesting keywords for conversation, recommended actions, combat power evaluations, and advice.
He was aware of the rumors circulating in the camp. What had happened during the last logistics mission, what the boy had done there. And rumors tend to grow as they spread. Some included him being a heartless psychopath, a butcher, a murderer. The fear in the men's eyes was precisely that.
"Don't follow me. It's annoying."
His demand was short and forceful. The tingling sensation scraped at his bones. Virtual reality was good because there was no need to hold back anger.
"Who the fuck are you to say that..."
"I've heard that already."
He cut off the impending retort.
"Or maybe, to be fair, should I take an interest in you and follow you around? I have a good memory. I won't forget anyone here later on."
Unread messages quickly piled up. The current situation must be interesting to others. He wasn't interested. Not right now. The boy was focused on this moment. He knew what role he had to play.
"Is this a threat from a little shit like you?"
"If you're asking for it, then maybe it is a threat."
"Ha, this is crazy... Getting a bit famous and now you've lost your mind. Kid, wearing that combat uniform and thinking you're something..."
"This uniform means nothing."
He interrupted again, not exploding in anger, likely because their fear outweighed their irritation. If Gyeoul had shown even a slight sign of shrinking back or overreacting, the situation would have been much different, but from the beginning, Gyeoul had remained calm and collected.
Gyeoul emphasized again.
"This uniform… means nothing."
"......"
"Don't judge me by my clothes. I don't want that. You should judge me by what I've done, what I can do, and what I will do."
This statement was made without any system assistance, entirely by the boy himself. It was genuine, born from experience. A long-standing frustration boiled near his heart, overflowing directly into his throat without passing through his mind.
'I'm sick of unilateral evaluations and demands from others. I am nothing more than how I live my life... In this world, there's nothing else.'
The boy grasped the greatsword on his waist but did not draw it. He took a step forward.
"There's no need to follow me aimlessly, as you already know what I've done so far. Now, would you like to see firsthand what I can do and what I will do?"
"Fucking hell. This kid's gone mad already..."
The boy and the men were like opposing poles of a magnet. A step forward from one side resulted in a step back from the other. Yet, despite their pride, none wanted to show their backs in such a crowded place. A few tried to stand their ground, but even among those larger than the boy, some trembled with frail hands, their words quivering naturally.
"Do you dare to mess with me knowing I'm from the Korean Patriotic Association?"
"You disregard my clothes but hold your affiliation in high regard?"
"Ugh..."
"What if I end this here and now? Would your organization really retaliate? Really? How would the U.S. military view an incident involving eleven adults and one boy? I'm curious. If you're curious too, why not try it out? It'd be beneficial for both of us."
It was madness, even by his own admission. The fact that he could spout such words spontaneously surprised him. ‘Did I have these words in me?’ The boy found himself oddly pleased.
It must have shown. Realizing it, he found himself smiling. An unintended smile in a fleeting moment struck more fear in them. It seemed like unadulterated madness. Since they belonged to different factions, it was hard for them to unite their strength. The men could no longer find words to say. They backed off and, once at a safe distance, turned and quickly left.
It was just a conversation, but the Control AI, evaluating interactions with NPCs or the environment in real-time, converted this into experience points. The viewer message log flashed with the abbreviated symbols that highlight when someone gifts ‘stars.’ Gyeoul paused time momentarily and opened the log to calm his mind.
「Chillichongkane: Lol that acting skill lol how can you be so fluent without using a single system-assisted keyword or sentence? Improvising like that? I can't even do that with NPCs lol」
[Chillichongkane gifted 20 stars.]
「Don't_NickPun: You realize not just anyone can stream. Is this host really new to broadcasting? Did a famous BJ change their nickname and fix their face to draw attention? Looks like a high TOM rating to me.」
「activeXfuckoff: Who cares if they're a famous BJ or a newbie? As long as it's fun, it's good. It's refreshing.」
「HardGay: Yeah, what does it matter if they're male or female? As long as it tastes good, that's all that matters.」
「Cashmere: BJ is the wrong term. Let's call it streaming.」
「BillyHarrington: Fuck↗You↘」
[Cashmere gifted you 5 stars.]
[SnowyFox gifted you 20 stars.]
「LendMeYourStrength: These old fucks with star-shaped eyes, acting so bad it's a whole different level! It's good it's not like reading a textbook, fuck.」
「GalaxySS505 gifted you 1 star.]
After some deliberation, Gyeoul reluctantly replied briefly.
「Han Gyeoul: Thank you to those who gave stars.」
He felt he should have said more, but he wasn't broadcasting out of desire, nor did he feel like it, nor did he know what to say. It was vastly different from just a moment ago when words spontaneously overflowed. He wanted to stop the broadcast, but he couldn't. He needed the stars.
「HardGay: Look how cool the host is. These star-hungry oldies glance at each giver's nickname, hoping for more stars.」
After that message, he closed the log. Star-hungry oldies... He was fundamentally no different from those people. His heated heart cooled down in a bad way. An unpleasant tempering. Time resumed its flow.
Yeon-cheol, who had introduced himself, stood there like a stone statue, overwhelmed. The update messages for various statuses were diverse, but the most noticeable was the increase in Esteem Affection. Among Affection types – Friendly, Esteem, Romantic – Esteem Affection was essential for being recognized as a leader within a group. Especially notable was the +3 Immutable Correction. It's usually hard to even get a +1.
Gyeoul asked.
"Are you going to keep standing?"
"Uh? Oh, no. Let us proceed, sir."
Whether by mistake or intentionally, his honorifics went up a level. It was half out of fear, half out of admiration. Likely an unconscious reaction. The Control AI's advice supported this.
「Psychological Insight (Insight Level 6/Perception Level 6): Yeon-cheol admires you for remaining unshaken after that ordeal. (Error possibility 35% / To reduce the error possibility, higher Insight and Perception skills and ability adjustments are needed.)」
He followed Yeon-cheol to a large tent designed to accommodate 24 people. Thinking it might be a trap, he first checked inside through the window. The only light was from a single incandescent bulb hanging in the middle. Eyes flickered uneasily in the dark. Their gazes met. They were on guard.
Footnotes:
[1] Broadcast Jockey (BJ) is a Korean term for people who deliver live streaming to viewers. A BJ records events as they happen simultaneously and broadcasts in real time to viewers.
[2] '-ssi' is used for anyone of the same age and social status, and is common upon meeting strangers. '-nim' is slightly more formal and used to show respect and politeness to someone in formal and professional settings.
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