Insomniac Player

The question lingered between them. "Are you... the Damien from Sir John Jones?"

For a brief moment, Damien’s heartbeat stumbled.

Then, he laughed. A relaxed, carefree laugh. "You’ve got the wrong person."

Salma watched him. Her expression didn’t change.

"I think you’re mistaken." Damien casually picked up his coffee. "I’ve heard Sir John Jones is pretty famous. I’m just another player."

Salma remained silent; she neither argued nor insisted. Instead, she calmly took another sip of her coffee. "...Alright."

That was all she said. She didn’t push; she didn’t threaten, just accepted the answer. This response, in some way, made Damien feel even more uneasy.

The silence stretched for nearly a minute. Then, Damien spoke first. "Hypothetically."

Salma glanced at him.

"What if I were Damien?"

She leaned back and whiffed smoke. "Then what?"

"...That’s your answer?"

"What else should it be?" She rested her chin on one hand. "Your identity as Damien does not provide me with any financial benefit. It doesn’t clear Gates, nor does it make my cigarettes taste better."

Damien narrowed his eyes. "I expected something more dramatic."

"I dislike drama," she answered without hesitation. "I prefer facts."

Another pause. Then, she smiled. "So let’s stop pretending."

Damien’s smile slowly faded. Salma leaned forward. "I know you’re Damien."

"..."

"You’ve known?"

"Yes."

"...How?"

She folded her arms. "It started with Daria."

Damien frowned. "Daria?"

Salma nodded. "We have a private communication group. Government Players. Several independent Hunters. A few trusted elites... Daria occasionally asks strange questions."

"What kind of questions?"

Salma’s lips curled slightly. "A few hours ago... she asked whether anyone had seen counterfeit First Blood Daggers."

Damien’s eyes widened ever so slightly. "A mage."

Salma raised one finger. "Why would a pure mage care about a legendary dagger? I found that strange. So I checked.

The First Blood Dagger was upgraded from epic to legendary rank because very few had them; there are only 104 of them, and every owner is registered. There are surprisingly two in our region."

She held up two fingers. "One, a Lv. 412 infamous assassin. Legendary Class, African American. He obtained his in the tutorial and still owns it."

She lowered one finger. "The second... is Damien."

Silence crept before she broke it. "The Damien who disappeared from this second tutorial."

Damien’s relaxed posture stiffened slightly. Salma continued. "Then I remembered another detail. The Horn of the Chief."

She tapped the table lightly. "The only complete owner of both legendary tutorial rewards is the player who possesses the First Blood Dagger and Horn of the Chief. No one else has ever recordedly possessed that combination."

She looked directly into his eyes. "Interesting coincidence."

Damien quietly listened.

"Then I remembered Sir John Jones," she continued. "He gave dozens of interviews; he repeated the same details every time."

Damien disappeared shortly after reaching Level 10.

’He had severe insomnia.’

Salma smiled. "You." She pointed casually toward him. "Level Ten. Your alias is Sleepless."

She tilted her head. "People aren’t that dumb."

Damien slowly exhaled. "...I underestimated you."

"You underestimated everyone," she corrected. "You just assumed no one pays attention."

Damien rubbed his forehead. "When you put it together like that... it sounds obvious."

"It is, especially when your picture is available to everyone."

She folded her arms. "I’m glad."

Damien looked up. "...Glad?"

"That you’re hiding." Her expression became serious again. "Don’t trust anyone; the world has changed. People kill for legendary equipment; they kill for rumors. They kill just because someone else might become stronger."

She stared directly at him. "So stop making life easy for them."

Damien nodded slowly. "And never..." Her tone hardened. "...ever use the Horn of the Chief publicly again."

Damien blinked. "...It’s that dangerous?"

"It’s worse," she answered immediately. "Legendary items attract greed. You currently don’t have the strength to survive that."

She pointed toward the black folder still lying on the table. "You’ve survived because people don’t know who you are. The day they do..."

She left the sentence unfinished; it didn’t need finishing. Damien quietly looked down at his coffee. For several long seconds, neither spoke.

Finally, he chuckled. "...You’re terrifying."

"I know."

"No."

He shook his head. "I mean your observation. You noticed things I’d never even considered."

Salma shrugged. "It’s my job as a doctor; I simply diagnose different diseases now."

"What disease do I have?"

She looked him straight in the eye. "Terrible lying."

Damien laughed despite himself. "...Fair enough."

He rested both elbows on the table. Then, very slowly. He nodded. "...Yeah."

Salma waited.

"...I am Damien."

She didn’t celebrate or gasp. Didn’t react dramatically. Instead, she smiled.

"So." She clasped her hands together. "Tell me, I’m curious. How did a missing legend turn?" She looked him up and down. "...this?"

Damien sighed. "It’s a long story."

"I’ve got time."

He looked outside; the noon traffic flowed peacefully through the streets. "...Alright."

And so... he began.

◇◇◇

Damien told her everything; she calmly judged him and said so. "I’ve heard stories about legendary players. They’re usually fearless. Calculating and charismatic."

She looked at Damien. "You... are just unlucky."

Damien sighed. "...That’s harsh."

"It’s accurate." She smiled mischievously. "Your alias shouldn’t be Sleepless. It should be Hapless."

Damien groaned. "Absolutely not."

"Oh, definitely." She nodded enthusiastically. "’Sleepless’ sounds mysterious. ’Hapless’ actually describes you."

"I refuse."

"I’ll call you Hapless anyway."

"You can’t."

"I already did."

She extended a hand dramatically. "Pleasure meeting you, Hapless."

Damien buried his face in one hand. "I regret telling you."

"Too late." She grinned. "I know your biggest secret now and will surely reveal it to others."

She pretended to type "Hapless" on the screen.

Damien reached across the table. "Don’t you dare."

She quickly pulled the screen away. "You’ll never find out."

After several minutes of teasing, Salma finally stood.

She picked up the black folder and tucked it under her arm. "I’ll inform you."

She returned to her usual serious tone. Don’t be late when you are called."

"I won’t."

She walked toward the exit. Halfway there, she stopped.

Without looking back, she said, "Oh, goodbye... Hapless."

Damien sighed loudly. "...Please stop."

"I don’t think I will." The café door closed behind her.

Leaving Damien sitting alone, already regretting the fact that he had ever admitted the truth.