Chapter 44 – Variable

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“How… do you know?”

That CornerHoney knew the ‘Middle-Aged Men Dating Simulation Game.’

I stared at CornerHoney with suspicious eyes, but.

A refreshing answer returned from him.

“No, I’ve played that game.”

“You’ve played it?!”

Not just simply knowing it… he had played it?

…The Middle-Aged Men Dating Simulation Game?

When I looked at him with eyes carrying complicated feelings, CornerHoney answered with a frown.

“My older sister is a classic game otaku, so she just made me do it too. I found out about Safe Zone because of that dating sim in the first place.”

‘He had an older sister too?’

It was unexpected that there was someone among the Safe Zone possessors who knew that dating sim.

But judging by the fact that CornerHoney’s older sister or CornerHoney himself did not possess into the dating sim.

Unlike the Safe Zone where an unspecified majority possessed, it seemed the dating sim side was not a system where just anyone could possess.

“I didn’t know there was a dating sim among the Safe Zone series.”

However, at my mumbling, CornerHoney shook his head.

“It’s not that.”

“It’s not?”

“The two weren’t made by the same company.”

Not made by the same company?

“The dating sim was made by a company called Cthulhu Games. Although it seems they went bankrupt after releasing just that one.”

“Oh. That is indeed a suspicious-looking game company name.”

Cthulhu is indeed a famous mythical creature… but hearing that she possessed into a dating sim made by a game company with that name just sounded suspicious.

‘Then Square Soft must have made Safe Zone as an homage to that dating sim.’

The logo of the American game company Square Soft, which floated up massively whenever one started Safe Zone online.

Square Soft was not some suspicious game company heard of for the first time in one’s life like Cthulhu Games, but a sound enterprise that had maintained its life for decades.

‘A game company…’

That person also set up a game company.

My mother, whom I sometimes forget even exists after we lost contact.

The last company name I heard before contact was cut off was something like the Salvation Project, roughly a name like that.

I avoided games because of that person, and only at the very end did I seek dopamine and end up playing Safe Zone.

To be possessed inside that game of all things.

‘Well, my mother doesn’t really matter now anyway.’

“…But why is your expression so bad?”

“It’s nothing.”

It seemed it immediately showed on my face because I thought about useless things.

I shouldn’t bother clumsily recalling a connection that was already over anyway.

“So what on earth is that middle-aged whatever game?”

“What do you mean what game, don’t you know dating sims?”

“I don’t know.”

“What did you do all your life until that age without even playing a dating sim?”

I went to the military, you punk.

“Simply put, a dating sim is a game where the goal is to date handsome game characters. The reason why apocalypse games like Safe Zone have favorability farming is because the original was a dating sim in the first place.”

Having spoken up to that point, CornerHoney suddenly put on an arrogant expression.

“To not even know dating sims… you might have become the conqueror of the entire zone first, but I will probably become the conqueror of all NPCs first. I have conquest skills trained by the dating sims recommended by my sister, after all.”

Conqueror of all NPCs?

‘I don’t know if that’s impressive or not…’

Was he not doing zone conquests but just doing NPC favorability farming even though I uploaded all the strategy guides?

The fact that this guy was using a pointlessly handsome customization also felt like it was because of favorability farming for some reason.

“Luna Moon and Daphne… it is surprising that those two NPCs are players who possessed through different games.”

Taejeong said, naturally ignoring what CornerHoney was saying.

“If there are such possessors in other zones too, there might be far more players who possessed into this world than we think.”

I thought Taejeong’s opinion was reasonable, but CornerHoney said while shaking his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean you don’t think so?”

“The dating sim’s background is just this one zone. No, even saying this one zone is too generous. Classic games are all like that. The world-view is not big. It’s a game where you raise the favorability of characters you run into while only going back and forth between places like the commander’s residence, training ground, church, backyard… If there are more possessors, they would only be inside this zone.”

Did that mean the dating sim’s background was only Cola Zone?

If that was true, the probability was high that there were only two players who possessed through the dating sim: Daphne and Luna Moon.

Although I wanted to ask how different the dating sim status window and the Safe Zone status window were.

Since CornerHoney didn’t have a status window, it would be difficult to compare.

“Did that dating sim not have some special function or something?”

“I also played it too long ago, so I don’t remember. Didn’t you ask Daphne?”

“Daphne?”

“If she revealed to you that she is a player, she seems favorable.”

CornerHoney, speaking up to that point, suddenly looked at me with surprised eyes as if he had just remembered.

“Come to think of it, then did you reveal to Daphne that you are a player too?”

“No.”

“Without even revealing that you’re a player, how did you find out she was a dating sim possessor? You have good talent.”

“If I reveal that I’m a player, I can’t act as the bastard child anymore, can I?”

“Huh, that’s true.”

“Huh, that’s true?”

It might have been better to just let this bastard die at the hands of the Unicorn Zone player…

“Since we’re on the subject, you guys should also be careful not to get caught that you are players. If there is anything you wrote in Hangul, discard it as soon as you go back. Because Daphne will recognize it.”

“Makes sense.”

“Yes. I will discard it immediately.”

Daphne is favorable to me, but that is strictly because she thinks I am Luna Moon’s real son.

A figure whose reaction cannot be predicted if she finds out I am another player.

Daphne’s side was more dangerous than the commander’s.

While the commander was merely an NPC, Daphne was a true veteran player who had survived for ten years inside the apocalypse game with the dating sim system.

“Let’s be careful not to let variables arise. Since not much time is left until the subjugation battle. Outsider, you practice healing hard. Taejeong won’t go out this time, but if something goes wrong with us, I’ll leave the aftermath to you.”

“Yes. Although you will surely return safely.”

As Taejeong said, nothing much will happen in the first subjugation battle.

If only it flows just like the game.

Although there is no barrier between zones unlike the game, and the Unicorn Zone player guy is wandering around.

…I hope nothing happens.

* * *

After Haydam scaled the wall of Daphne’s quarters and came in.

Daphne, as if relieved of something, ended her seclusion and restarted external activities.

She did not even refuse Anton’s request to have a cup of tea, so Anton, who was drinking tea in the courtyard of Daphne’s quarters, watched for an opportunity and carefully opened the subject.

“Lady Daphne, how are things with the Commander lately?”

Then, an ordinary answer returned from Daphne.

“It’s the same, you know.”

Seeing Daphne speak as if it were someone else’s business, Anton couldn’t hold back and asked.

“Lady Daphne, are you really planning to divorce as that child wants?”

Daphne’s movement bringing the teacup to her mouth stopped.

Daphne set down the teacup again and stared straight at Anton.

“Do you think I’m trying to divorce because that child wants it?”

“…”

In truth.

Anton knew it too.

That Daphne herself also wanted the divorce.

It was something that could be known just by looking at Daphne’s relieved expression after Haydam invaded her quarters and declared he would make them divorce.

However, just because he knew didn’t mean it was something he could understand.

In the past, wasn’t Daphne the one who wanted marriage with Commander Hayden more than anyone else?

For what reason did he accept a man who even made a child with another woman as Daphne’s husband.

“Lady Daphne. I have watched Lady Daphne since you were a very young child. I also know that you are not someone who would become weak-hearted toward a mere child like that.”

“Watched me since childhood…!”

Flaring up for some reason, Daphne’s voice was raised.

“Anton knows nothing about me. You know absolutely nothing about who I am or what I want!”

“What is it that Lady Daphne wants?”

“I don’t know either!”

After the hysterical answer returned, Daphne’s words, which returned to her usual tone, followed.

“…But at least, giving birth to Hayden’s heir, that person’s heir, is not what I want. It must be what Anton wants.”

“Lady Daphne.”

Anton held one of Daphne’s hands and whispered quietly.

“What I want is Lady Daphne’s happiness. From the moment Lady Daphne was born until now, I have spent more time with Lady Daphne than with my own son, Plato. I regarded you as no different from my own daughter, and even when you said you wanted to marry an unidentified man who crossed over from another zone, I helped so that Lady Daphne could marry without saying a word. Yet now you raise your voice at me, claiming that bearing his child is what I want.”

As Anton spoke gently, Daphne showed a slightly embarrassed expression.

“…I am sorry for shouting. Yes. The one who chose Hayden was me. Therefore, I am trying to choose my separation from him too.”

“I am just getting impatient because if everything is passed over to that child Haydam like this, I will no longer be able to guarantee Lady Daphne’s happiness.”

“Why does passing everything to that child become a matter where my happiness cannot be guaranteed?”

“He is a child who returned after losing his mother. You know he is different from ordinary children. Who knows what is inside his mind, whether he might be thinking of revenge?”

Although Anton said that out of sincere worry, Daphne shook her head peacefully as if that wouldn’t happen.

“I know that. Haydam, that child, will not harm me.”

At that, Anton immediately furrowed his brows.

“Why do you trust that child to that extent? He is Luna Moon’s son. He is a child who scales Lady Daphne’s courtyard wall at will.”

“I’m not trusting that child.”

“Then?”

“Haydam is a child who knows me better than Anton, and perhaps better than anyone else in this world. What I trust is the ‘me’ that he knows. As long as he knows that I am myself, there’s no way he would be hostile to me.”

“…I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.”

Anton, intuiting that talking any further wouldn’t get through to Daphne, said in a resigned tone.

“At any rate, I understand that you wish to get along well with that child. If Lady Daphne wants that, it is only proper to support you just as when Lady Daphne chose the current Commander.”

“I am glad you say so.”

“I do not hate that child either. How could it be an easy thing to lose his mother at a young age and live as a bastard among strangers? I also often feel sorry when looking at that child. Since not even a single photo of his mother remains, he won’t even have anything to remember her by…”

Fading out his words and observing Daphne’s reaction, she was looking at him with surprised eyes as if it were a fact she also didn’t know.

“Yes? Does he not have a single photo of Luna Moon?”

“You did not know. Upon looking into it, it is said that Luna Moon cleaned up all her personal information when she deserted ten years ago. Let alone a photo, she didn’t leave even a single portrait, which the Commander was very regretful about, but they said they did not make one because they thought drawing a portrait of Luna Moon again would be discourteous to Lady Daphne, his marriage partner. In my opinion, it seems he thought he might see that woman Luna Moon someday, so he didn’t bother to remake the portrait… but since she died like that, only the child has become pitiful.”

“…”

When Daphne wore a face fallen into some worry, Anton spoke stealthily.

“Come to think of it… doesn’t Lady Daphne remember? That woman’s face.”