Blood froze in Kim-Do's veins. The word "imposter," pronounced with such certainty, sounded like a death sentence. The park, once peaceful, became a cage. The boy in front of him, with his disturbing smile, held the key.
The "Emotional Camouflage" was recharged, pulverized. Panic rose, wild, uncontrollable. Escape. You have to run away. But his legs refused to move, nailed to the ground by the shock.
"Who... who are you?" he stammered, his voice strangled.
The boy ignored the question. He took a step forward, his large eyes peering into every micro-expression of terror on Kim-Do's face.
It's not important. What is, that's what you're doing." He had a dry laugh. "The real Kim-Do, the one everyone feared, would never have wasted his time explaining boxing. He would have put them on the mat, over and over again, until they understood through pain. You taught them to think. It's a mistake."
Every word was a stab. The stranger didn't just know his secret; he understood the nature of difference. He saw the imposter's soul behind the borrowed gestures.
"What do you want?" asked Kim-Do, squeezing his fists to keep them from shaking.
"A demonstration," the boy replied with disconcerting simplicity. "The system tests you. Me too. Show me that you're not just a scared rat. Face me."
VZZT.
As if he was just waiting for that, the system confirmed.
"'
URGENT QUEST: CHALLENGE THE UNKNOWN
Objective: Accept and survive the fight against the unknown profile.
• Reward: Answer to 1 question. Identification of the profile.
• Failure:??? (Indeterminate consequences)
"'
Survive. The word was sinister. Kim-Do cast a desperate glance around him. The park was deserted. No help in sight. Refuse? The stranger might shout his secret to all winds. Accept? He was going to be slaughtered.
"I... I have no enemy against you," he tried, looking for an escape.
"It's not a question of enmity," the boy replied. He took a fighting position, surprisingly fluid and balanced. "It's a matter of necessity. Show me the spark that made you choose."
There was no choice. Fear turned into bitter resignation. Kim-Do took a deep breath and warned himself, somehow remembering the basic techniques that had been injected into him. His posture was stiff, uninsured.
The stranger smiled again. "There you go."
He swooped down on him.
It was not a brute force assault, but something much more terrifying: precision and speed. A shower of sharp blows, aimed not at knocking out, but at testing, ringing, unbalancing. Kim-Do tried to talk, to block, but he was slow, awkward. A blow to the solar plexus took his breath away. Another on his forearm showed him stars.
He fell heavily to the ground, his back into the moist earth, panting in pain. The fight lasted less than thirty seconds.
The stranger stood above him, without even being out of breath." Disappointing. You have the knowledge, but not the instinct. Not rage."
Shame overwhelmed Kim-Do, more stinging than physical pain. He had failed. He was weak. It was all over.
But instead of leaving, or revealing his secret, the stranger leaned over, his face a few inches away from his.
"Why are you here, imposter?" he whispered.
The question, direct and brutal, broke the last ramparts. Lying in the mud, defeated, Kim-Do felt the words escape him, driven by despair stronger than reason.
"I don't know!" he sobbed, tears of frustration and fear running down his cheeks. "I woke up here! I don't know why! I don't know how! I just want to go home!"
It was the first time he had said this out loud. The first time he admitted his absolute terror.
The expression of the unknown changed. Analytical coldness gave way to an intense, almost... satisfied curiosity.
"Good," he whispered. "The truth. Finally."
He got up and held out an unexpected hand to help Kim-Do get up. Stupefied, the latter seized her.
"You're not the first," said the stranger, dusting his own pants.
The words hit Kim-Do hard. "What... what?"
"You heard it right. Exchanges. Replacements. It's not a one-off accident." He looked Kim-Do straight in the eye. "My name is Joon. I'm a... regulator. My role is to make sure that replacements don't destabilize the balance."
VZZT.
"'
[Question accomplished: CHALLENGE THE UNKNOWN]
+ Answer to 1 question granted.
Identification: "Joon - Regulator (Level 1) "
"'
Kim-Do's world will capsize. He wasn't alone. It was part of something larger, more organized. The horror of his situation suddenly doubled with a mad hope.
"There are others... like me?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Joon nodded. "Yes. Some succeed. Others... disappear. "His gaze became more serious." The real Kim-Do was about to discover the truth about the system. He was becoming a threat. We took it out. You were placed here to maintain appearance, but also to be tested."
Withdrawn. The word was terrifying. Tested.
"Why me?" begged Kim-Do, the burning question on his lips.
Joon smiled. "Is that your question? All right." He leaned over again. "Because in your world, you were an analyst. An observer. You don't have the strength, but you have the spirit. The system needs new perspectives. You're an experience."
An experiment. A lab rat in a cage much larger than he had imagined.
"What now?" whispered Kim-Do.
"Now you go on," said Joon, turning away. "You survive. You're learning. And you're suspicious of everyone. Even from me. Especially me."
With that, he moved away into the growing darkness, leaving Kim-Do alone, covered in mud and bruises, his mind boiling.
He wasn't alone. But he was more lost than ever. The system was not just a guide; it was a jailer, a scientist. And Joon, the regulator, was both his executioner and his only hope.
As he dragged himself to his apartment, a new, icy thought emerged. If the real Kim-Do had been "withdrawn" for investigating... what would happen to him if he did the same?
The game had just changed. And the rules were written in a language he didn't yet understand.