The Little Prince in The Ossuary (3)

# Procurement Mission (2), Camp Roberts.

The procurement mission commenced after a few more practice sessions of basic tactical maneuvers and hand signals, which the boy thought were just for the sake of formalities. Who'd be able to memorize so many things in merely an hour?

A lot of people showed up to see the mission team off. It was something that the boy couldn't understand. He decided to shrug it off, thinking that if he had a higher level of Insight, he would've been able to read their thoughts. And as soon as that thought crossed his mind, the Control AI responded to it and displayed an advice message.

「AI Advice (Lvl 4 Insight): You have unused experience points. Experience points can be used to acquire various skills. Your character's base stats can be upgraded by acquiring more skills. The amount of experience points consumed may vary depending on your level of knowledge regarding that particular skill. Sufficient information and knowledge of the skill will result in a cost reduction. Information about skills can be obtained from books or NPCs, you may also use keywords to search for a particular skill at the cost of experience points. Skills acquired in previous attempts can be learned for a reduced amount of experience points. The amount of points reduced depends on the number of times you acquired the skill in previous trials. Despite the large consumption of experience points, learning a completely new skill can be advantageous. It rests with you to choose.」

It was something he was already aware of.

The boy opened his skills window. The window showed a list of skills he had acquired with the experience points granted to him at the start of the game. Below the list of acquired skills were the skills he hadn't yet learned. The list didn't include skills that he didn't know of.

The boy, however, didn't bother looking for unknown skills. Unless he were to come across a skill by chance, he would have to either waste his time searching through books and bribing NPCs or waste his experience points by trying out keywords to find skills that he wasn't even sure existed. Not only that, he would have to spend a ton of experience points to learn the skills for the first time. It was due to one of the game's mechanics, which the players called 「Ignorance Penalty」.

Although the Ignorance Penalty was a big obstacle, learning a brand new skill wasn't necessarily a bad idea. For example, a player could learn medical skills to a high level even if they knew nothing about medicine. Of course, they'd have to spend a lot of experience points, but it could come in handy in times of emergency.

Fortunately, skills that one had acquired at least once during previous attempts weren't subjected to the Ignorance Penalty. Rather, previously learned skills had a「Talent Advantage」 applied to them. In other words, one could learn and train the same skills for fewer experience points. However, this benefit would only apply until the skill reached its previous highest level. This, along with the bonus effects granted for completing achievements, were the only advantages players with multiple playthroughs had.

Previously, the boy had allotted his experience points primarily on battle skills. He was able to raise quite a few levels with those few experience points he had. Of course, that had also led him to multiple bad endings in his previous attempts.

Level 9 「Close Combat」, Level 10 「Melee Weapon Mastery」, Level 8 「Small Arms Mastery」.

After distributing his experience points, the boy saw Corporal Elliot, the one in charge of management, writing something on a notebook with a green cover. Judging by the date written at the top, it seemed to be a diary.

Noticing the boy's stare, Corporal Elliot covered the diary with one arm, "I don't know how manners work in your country, but don't you think it's rude to look at others' diaries?"

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't reading your diary."

"Well, I didn't write anything special in it," the corporal then closed his diary.

The boy saw a button flickering in a corner of his view. It was a time-acceleration button, a feature used to skip the waiting time before a mission, but the boy just ignored it. It was a bad idea to use the acceleration option in the early stages of the game, as every small event and trivial relationship around this point would be useful in the future.

And just as expected, someone was already striking up a conversation with him.

"Hey, kid. What's your name?"

A Mestizo soldier asked for the boy's name. Though his English pronunciation was flawless, the name written on his name tag suggested that he wasn't Anglo American.

「GuiIherme」

Even though it was written in English, the boy had no idea how to pronounce his name. The advice window also showed a set of illegible symbols, which meant it was in a language he didn't know.

"It's Gyeoul."

"Gyo…wool?"

"Yup. It means winter in Korean."

"It sounds similar to mine."

"And your name is…?"

The soldier seemed to have found the boy interesting.

「He seems amazed at how you can remain calm when all the others look nervous and hesitant. He must be thinking you are very bold. (72% probability of containing errors / a higher level of Insight or higher Intelligence stat is necessary to reduce the probability of error.)」

The boy thought it was a rather obvious answer.

The soldier answered, "You can call me GuiIherme."

"Okay, Private GuiIherme-nim."

"Just call me GuiIherme."

The fellow soldiers laughed. It was because the expression 'Nim', the Korean honorific, was translated into 'Sir'.

The private grumbled, telling the boy not to make fun of him like that.

There wasn't much time to converse inside the vehicle, as their destination was only 5 kilometers away from the camp. The town's outline was already beginning to dimly come into view. Even from a distance, it looked very bleak and dreary, spreading agitation among the participants.

The private also said with a loud sigh, "Damn, the town's looking pretty spooky. I thought it'd be good to take a stroll around after being stuck in that camp for such a freaking long time, but I take that back."

The convoy drove along Route 101 leading to the upcoming junction and past the town since the gas station was located in the southernmost area of the town.

As the convoy began to slow down, the boy caught sight of a logo composed of two blue and red angled stripes below the name of a famous oil corporation, Chevron.

Taking a key out of his pocket to unlock a gun case, Corporal Elliot then addressed the participants, "As you all have been instructed, do not try to run away. There are patrol planes out there ready to shoot down anything that crosses the east border. Follow the orders if you want to make it out alive. Those who disobey will be sentenced and punished on the spot. Do you understand?"

The participants nodded with dark complexions.

Several infected mutants came out from the town attracted by the noise of the vehicles. Letting out growling voices, the mutants began to run towards the vehicles. Despite their weird posture, they were reaching the vehicles at a terrifying pace.

But before they could reach the vehicles, a soldier sitting on the foremost Humvee fired his rifle. On their way to the vehicles, the mutants crumpled on the ground one by one, accompanied by wind-piercing sounds. Even after getting shot, some of the mutants still tried to crawl their way over.

"Get back to your seats. The others will handle them."

Corporal Elliot tried to calm down the participants, but they didn't seem to listen.

A soldier sitting on the opposite side, Private Blake, grumbled, "I thought San Miguel would be safer thanks to the evacuation order. How come the mutants are already here to welcome us?"

"They must be from another area," Private Guilherme responded curtly, keeping his eyes and rifle pointed towards the outside.

Soon after and without further gunfire, the convoy was able to reach the gas station. While the tank trucks got to their positions, the participants were handed some guns and machetes before getting off. Despite having selected people with good mental health, the soldiers had to stay alert in case someone started shooting at others.

"Get off!"

With the soldiers at the front, the participants carefully got down from the cars. Some of the soldiers in charge of leading them proceeded to do a headcount while the others stood guard. In the meantime, the boy heard a disgruntled voice coming from the gas station.

"Why won't this damned pump work?"

A soldier seemed to have problems dealing with the pump. He put his finger under his winter cap and scratched his head. A handful of dandruff fell on his shoulder like snow. It seemed that the soldiers were also out of the cleaning products. Either that or he was just lazy.

"Remember—stick to the plan. If it's safe enough, clear the roadblocks and we'll deploy the trucks. If not, fill the duffle bags with supplies and return. We have some extra bags here, you may try making several trips until it's dark. We'll evaluate your contributions and reward you individually. I hope you all do your best."

The participants nodded.

"Then let's begin. As previously announced, we'll be defending from behind. Please take the lead in order."

The soldiers then went to the rear row. Although the participants put on sour faces, no one could raise a complaint, after all, it was them who had volunteered for this mission even after being reminded of the risks.

# Public Service Announcement, 2040, KBS*

In an old town, in an alleyway between dilapidated houses.

The screen showed an old man picking up scrap papers and cardboard boxes. The tattered edges of his sleeves swayed with the autumn breeze. The old man trembled as his poorly patched-up clothes weren't enough to protect him from the chilling wind. A girl passed by, peeking at the old man and covering her nose with her hand. The old man dropped his head in embarrassment. A phrase seemingly representing his inner thoughts appeared on one corner of the screen.

「I can have dinner if I sell these…」

The scene changed. It now showed a steeply sloping road. The old man was trying to pull the handcart up the hill, but it didn't seem to be easy. His body looked too small compared to the handcart loaded with tons of scraps. The sun was setting behind the old man.

Then, the warm voice of the female narrator followed, "The man's name is Park Woocheol, he turned 86 years old this year. He makes a living by selling scrap papers. Even though he receives 630,000 won every month from the national pension service, it's not enough. The minimum cost of living for a single-person household is estimated to be 1,645,053 won per month. Prices go up every year, but the national pension fund, which has run dry long ago, has been in limbo for years. Life is so hard for the elderly in Korea."

The old man finally managed to climb up the hill. The camera zoomed in on the old man's face. His wrinkly forehead was beaded with sweat. The scene once again changed and showed the old man selling the papers. The owner of the scrap store was classifying the papers while the old man waited anxiously by his side. The owner tapped on a calculator a few times, which showed the number 13,325. The old man then gave him a pocket that had been hanging next to the handcart. It contained a few valuable scraps such as aluminum cans and rusty iron. The owner weighed them and tapped on the calculator a few more times. This time, it showed a little more than twenty thousand. The owner paid him 21,000 won, to which the old man bowed his head several times in gratitude.

The narrator spoke once again, "Mr. Park is not the worst case. Several scrap dealers in Seoul have closed down due to the laws and regulations for waste, and many of the elderly cannot even sell scrap papers anymore. They have to live off of their monthly pension."

The screen now displayed the old man's room. Even though it was a small room, it appeared spacious due to the lack of furniture. The old man laid down on the cold bare floor with only a blanket to cover himself with. He fiddled with his old TV, but it didn't seem to be working. For lack of anything better to do, he closed his eyes. He pulled up the blanket over his head and curled up to keep himself warm.

「I have to save the briquettes for winter…」

It was not a matter of saving, but survival.

「I wonder how Suyeong is doing.」

The screen changed to show his daughter, who he had raised. The narrator continued with her sentimental voice, "Parents tend not to lean on their children, and we understand it. We know how hard it is to survive in this tough world even without being burdened by them, so they choose to live on their own. But is this really the right thing to do?"

The screen shifted once again. Engineers were building facilities and scientists were absorbed in experiments. 3D models of human brains, images of firing neurons… Everything was shown in a bright atmosphere that contrasted dramatically with the previous scene.

What was shown next were scenes of various people smiling happily. A young woman enjoying her summer in a valley was captioned 92 years old Ahn Miyeong, and a young man walking on a field filled with flowers was captioned 88 years old Choi Daeyang. The advertisement didn't stop there. It showed many other elderly people living a happy life in a young body as if they had gone back in time.

"The era of living is in the past. We are now in the era of existence. Convert your National Pension into Afterlife Insurance and experience an eternal life of freedom and unlimited happiness. Afterlife Insurance will cover your life after death."

Now, the screen showed the sad side of old man Park Woocheol and the joyous side of countless people living in virtual realities with cross-cut edits.

"Don't worry about the brain transference operation. The probability of an operation failure is lower than the probability of an airplane crash. Our world's most renowned life support device and neural connector will keep your brain healthy beyond your lifespan. If you aren't familiar with virtual reality, try visiting our Experience Facility. You may experience the worlds we have to offer and choose the world you'd like to live in. The Virtual Reality Experience Facility is open to the public year-round."

The Experience Facilities appeared to be neat and tidy. The elderly came in twos and threes and tried on the virtual reality devices. They laughed in satisfaction. Among them was Park Woocheol. The screen displayed a young man walking on a flowery path with a broad smile on his face.

"Afterlife Insurance will return your life to you."

The advertisement ended with the image of a fluttering Korean flag.

"This campaign is joined by the Korea Public Service Advertisement Council, the National Pension Service and the Afterlife Insurance Corporation."