00008 - The Little Prince in the Ossuary
#Faction (1), Camp Roberts
"It is about time," thought the boy. As he pondered which faction to follow next, a quest marker started closing the distance on its own.
It was a person. He had a small frame and wore glasses, looking rather uneasy as he glanced around.
"Hello. Um, uh, can I call you Mr. Gyeo-ul?"
Even though he was clearly much older, he hesitated to speak informally—evidence that the boy had garnered a certain level of prestige or fear.
Usually, minors are dismissed due to their apparent disadvantage in social dynamics, but there was no hint of such treatment here.
Perhaps it was due to the fearsome rumors about the boy, or it could be the technological enhancement of Gyeo-ul's presence.
Gyeo-ul thought, 'I could tell him it's okay to speak informally.'
However, was it really necessary to make the other comfortable?
When words are easy, so is the mind, and when the mind is easy, it's easy to be looked down upon.
The boy simply nodded.
"What brings you here?"
"I'm Jang Yun-cheol," he replied. "It's challenging to explain here, but there are people who would really like to meet you, Mr. Gyeo-ul. They mean no harm; they just need help. If it's okay, could you spare a moment?"
The boy accepted the request without hesitation. An augmented reality interface, visible only to the player, appeared—a hologram.
The mission log updated.
Under the supervision of the AI, interactions between the environment and the player are continually evaluated, turning those with a clear causal relationship into missions (or quests).
It's a mechanism to deviate from a formulaic progression.
When one's abilities are insufficient, missions with unclear objectives are marked as ???.
The reason the boy could confirm at least the general objective was thanks to the techniques of 「Insight」 and 「Perception」.
He had invested some of the experience points acquired from previous resource procurement into the Leadership skills branch.
This gave him more precise clues about upcoming events, an advantage given to the players.
'An organization... A faction, perhaps.'
He had been waiting. The boy decided to follow.
Throughout the journey to their destination, Yun-cheol constantly checked their surroundings, conscious of the various organizational eyes on them.
However, the effort seemed pointless. This was the refugee zone. Though insignia were absent, the boy's U. S. military combat uniform was too conspicuous.
They already gained attention.
From many.
They likely belonged to the action groups of major organizations, their gazes were filthily piercing.
It wasn't due to their innate appearance, but corruption in their minds that tainted their looks.
"Please wait a moment."
"What?"
Yun-cheol was paused, and the boy turned around, pointing at those who were tailing them.
It was sudden.
Many couldn't hide in time, and those who did, failed to do so adequately.
Guided by the boy's 「Survival Sense」,「Combat Sense」, and 「Crisis Detection」, he didn't miss their subtle hostility.
"You there, come out."
Pretending to be ignorant was futile; he pointed them out one by one. There were many.
Despite hardship, they established numerous organizations.
It was a world created through data mining.
Like mining resources from a mine, the process extracts human history and behavior from vast amounts of online data and accumulated information over time—big data.
Thus, the refugees' lives in the virtual reality were reconstructed, based on the realities of actual refugee camps.
Ultimately, members from eleven organizations gathered in one spot. While growling at each other, they also challenged the boy with a display of force.
A menacing atmosphere formed.
They made evident efforts to counteract the boy's presence and technological-enhanced intimidation.
Yun-cheol's face turned pale.
"Who do you think you are, ordering us around?"
At someone's retort, as if in defiance, multiple voices erupted simultaneously.
"Little brat acting like he's grown... How dare you point fingers at adults?"
"Hah, unbelievable. Yeah, you called. So what now?"
Among other offensive words, they clammed up just by the boy simply staring. They were on edge.
They tried to hide it, yet the boy's 「Insight」 discerned their intentions.
An overload of the AI's help displayed keyword dialogues, recommended actions, combat power evaluations, and advice.
He knew rumors were spreading around the camp—about what transpired during the recent resource procurement mission, about what the boy did there.
And as rumors tend to magnify as they spread, labels like remorseless psychopath, human butcher, and notorious killer crept in.
That's what tipped off the fear visible in the men's eyes.
"Stop following. It's unpleasant."
The demand was short and forceful, a chill tracing through one's bones. Virtual reality had an advantage—it required neither tolerance nor restraint.
"Who do you think you are—"
"I've heard that already."
Cutting into whatever they wanted to say.
"Or would you prefer I take an interest and start following all of you? I have a good memory. I doubt I'd fail to recognize any of you later."
Unread messages accumulated rapidly, seeming intriguing to others. It didn't concern him. Not now. The boy concentrated on the moment, engrossed, understanding the role he needed to perform.
"... Are you threatening me?"
"If you're engaging in actions that warrant it, perhaps you'll perceive it as a threat."
"Hah, famous or not, seems like you're losing it. Kid, you think dressing up like a soldier makes you someone important...."
"These clothes mean nothing."
Despite interrupting them relentlessly, their lack of an outburst betrayed fear surpassing annoyance.
Had Gyeo-ul even slightly flinched or overreacted, the situation could have been drastically different.
Yet, from the start, Gyeo-ul maintained a calm and composed tone.
Gyeo-ul reiterated with emphasis.
"These clothes mean nothing."
"...."
"Don't judge me by my attire. I don't expect you to. You should base your judgments on what I've done, what I can do, and what I will do."
This pronouncement was crafted all by the boy, devoid of AI system assistance—a sincere statement forged from experience.
A lingering weight boiled by the heart, bypassing the mind, directly spilling over from the throat.
'I'm tired of others' unilateral evaluations and demands. I am nothing but the life I lead... Here, it's a world with nothing else.'
The boy grasped the longsword slung on his waist. He didn't draw it. He took one step forward.
"Rest assured, I won't follow you unnecessarily. You're aware of what I've done until now. So, why not find out directly what I can and will do to you?"
"Damn, this brat really lost it...."
The boy and the men were like magnets of the same polarity. A step forward from him led to a step back from them.
But for the sake of appearances, the men couldn't stand yielding in front of so many eyes. Some struggled to hold their ground.
Though bulkier than the boy, their courage didn't match their size, leaving some with trembling hands. Their trembling voices revealed much.
"Do you know I'm with the 「Korean Patriotic Society」, yet dare behave like this?"
"You disregard my clothes yet flaunt your affiliation?"
"Uh...."
"If I were to finish you off here, would your organization retaliate? Really? What would the military think of an incident where eleven adults face off against one boy? I'm curious. If you're curious, too, for mutual benefit, why not make it a reality?"
It was deranged.
Even as he uttered the words, he marveled at his audacity.
'Did I have such words in me?'
The boy found it amusing.
Apparently, he was smiling, catching the realization.
Unintended but genuine—his smile projected an unfeigned madness, engulfing them in terror.
With affiliations so varied, they couldn't harness collective strength. The men, unable to retort further, retreated, breaking off once sufficiently distant.
It was merely a dialogue, yet the AI evaluating NPC or environmental interactions in real time analyzed its success, converting it into experience points.
Highlighted star indicators, emphasized only when someone gifted 'stars', flickered in the viewer message log. Gyeo-ul paused time briefly to calm down and opened the log.
「ChiliConCarne: Lololol this acting was insane!!! Holy shit, fluent without using a single system-assisted keyword or sentence? Improvising? I can't do that even with NPCs lololl」
【ChiliConCarne gifted 20 stars.】
「Don'tPinchWithNames: Makes you realize broadcasting isn't for everyone. Is this streamer's first stream? Not some famous BJ hiding under a name change and a different face? His TOM rank looks high enough, doesn't it?」
「ActiveXStaresDown: Who cares if it's a famous BJ or a newbie? It's fun, that's what matters. So refreshing.」
「HardKay: Yeah, who cares if it's a guy or a girl? As long as it's good.」
「Cashmere: BJ is an incorrect term. Let's say streamer.」
「BillyHarrington: Fuck↗You↘」
【Cashmere gifted 5 stars.】
【SnowfieldFox gifted 20 stars.】
「Ryu Kwon-nae Lau: This is leagues above those money-grubbing old star-chasers with their atrocious acting! Thank goodness it wasn't like reading a textbook.」
【GalaxySS505 gifted 1 star.】
After a brief deliberation, the boy reluctantly offered a succinct response of gratitude.
「Han Gyeo-ul: Thank you to everyone who gave stars.」
He felt like he should say something more, but truthfully, this broadcast wasn't by choice, wasn't agreeable, and he didn't know what else to say.
Unlike the words that naturally poured out earlier, he found speaking to the viewers difficult.
He wanted to stop broadcasting, but that wasn't an option. Stars were needed.
「HardKay: Look at this cool streamer. Star-chasing oldies name-drop each person just to milk more stars.」
After that comment, he closed the log. Star-chasing oldies... They weren't fundamentally different from him.
His heated heart cooled unpleasantly. A bitter quenching. The flow of time resumed.
Yun-cheol, the man, stood frozen like a statue. Overwhelmed, his range of status updates varied, but the standout was an increase in reverence.
Among the affection categories of fondness, reverence, and romantic admiration, reverence was crucial for gaining recognition as a leader within a group.
The +3 fixed modifier was intriguing, as earning even a +1 is usually challenging.
Gyeo-ul inquired, "Are you going to stand there?"
"Oh? No, let's go."
Whether accidental or not, his honorifics slightly elevated. Half the tone was fear, half admiration. Likely an unconscious reaction, supported by guidance from the supervisory AI.
「Psychology Assessment (Insight Level 6/Perception Level 6): Yun-cheol is impressed by your composure after that incident. (With a 35% chance of error / Reducing error probability requires higher Insight and Perception skills, alongside ability augmentation.)」
Under his lead, they arrived at a large tent designed to accommodate 24 people.
Considering it might be a trap, he first peeked through a window inside. The sole light source was a dangling incandescent bulb in the center.
Within the dimness, wary eyes flickered. Gazes met. They were guarded.