Chapter 322: Assigning Roles

In other words, if Gaia really were colonized, then for some players who had joined powerful factions, the invading forces might give the factions those players belonged to some face and consequently treat those players with "leniency."

However, at most, this only changed the difference between being regarded as a slave, an ant, or a beast of burden.

Could it be that all the people in those faction alignments were good people?

In any case, all of this was still too far away from Joo Joowon at present. Therefore, he only allowed his thoughts to wander a little before putting the matter aside. He only wanted to live well in the present. As for what would happen in the future, he would deal with it when the time came.

After all, it was impossible for him to refuse two world trade because of these concerns. Even if they secretly tampered with the items involved in the transactions, he would not be able to detect it.

It was just like when the Age of Apocalypse descended. Before the game announced that it had entered open beta, not a single country or person in the entire world had ever discovered its existence.

The difference in power was simply too great.

After putting away the supplies, Joo Joowon did not hurry to cook. Instead, he summoned everyone under his command.

"Come on, let’s have a meeting first."

Looking at the two cats, one ant, and three plants sitting across from him, all of them showing the exact same clear and innocent look of foolishness, Joo Joowon could not help rubbing his forehead.

Animals that had only recently gained intelligence naturally could not be expected to possess very high intelligence, let alone become the kind of genius adorable children who ran away with a child in novels.

However, Joo Joowon also believed that as time passed, they would definitely be able to stand on their own.

Among them, the one Joo Joowon had the highest hopes for was Byeol. He had been clever since he was little, and even before the apocalypse, he had already seemed almost as if he had gained sentience.

Joo Joowon cleared his throat. "Do you have any plans for our future development?"

?

Gaemi and Hwi looked at each other.

It could be said that, apart from Byeol, the other few had not understood Joo Joowon’s meaning at all.

It was not that they could not understand him completely. However, it was like talking about ideals with a student who had only just entered elementary school. Expecting them to provide any useful answers was obviously impossible.

Byeol had indeed thought about things a little more than they had, but he genuinely had never considered these matters.

The safe environment from before had changed. The only thing he cared about was protecting Joo Joowon. At worst, their lives could simply return to the way they had been when they were wandering around in the past, and he would work hard to hunt for food.

As for making plans for the future, he really had never thought about it.

It was just a little kitten. Wasn’t worrying about all these things already more than enough for him?

At least Byeol was still frowning and thinking about it. As for Hwi, after being confused for a moment, he simply tossed the matter to the back of his mind and walked straight over to Joo Joowon, wanting to rub against him.

Cuddle time!

Joo Joowon: "...Be serious."

When he had chosen to become a lone player, he had already prepared himself for the possibility that he might not be able to find suitable people to help him when problems arose in the future. Now, looking at his makeshift team, he did not regret his decision at all. He simply said, "Since none of you have any ideas, I’ll make the arrangements myself."

"Byeol, from now on, you’ll be my deputy."

Byeol: "???"

"Well... A deputy is my assistant. You’ll help me manage everything in our territory, just like how you used to be the boss of the cats outside." Joo Joowon thought for a moment and tried his best to explain it in a way Byeol could understand.

Anyway, there wouldn’t be anyone else in his territory for now, so it wouldn’t matter if he let a cat manage things. Perhaps after some training, Byeol might actually become capable of handling things on his own.

Besides, wasn’t it perfectly normal for animals to manage other animals?

Byeol suddenly understood. Now that Joo Joowon had explained it that way, he got it.

"Meow!"

No problem!

Byeol didn’t think there was anything difficult about it.

[ System Notification: You have appointed your follower [Byeol] as your Deputy. The permissions granted to your Deputy include... Do you wish to confirm this appointment? ]

Joo Joowon did not grant Byeol all the available permissions. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him. He simply wasn’t comfortable giving him so much authority yet.

After all, Byeol was still just a little kitten who couldn’t even calculate that one plus one equaled two. There were some things Joo Joowon would have to teach him gradually before he could feel comfortable handing them over.

They were mutated beasts, not pets that couldn’t survive without their owners. As long as he took the time to teach them properly, he believed they would eventually become his most capable assistants.

"Hwi, from now on, you’ll be the captain of the hunting team." Joo Joowon knew that Hwi might not understand, so he explained it in a familiar way. "It’s the same thing you used to do when you got hungry outside and wanted something to eat."

The thing he used to do when he wanted food?

Hwi thought about it for a moment, then lay down on the ground, rolled over, and exposed his belly. He let out a meow.

Like this?

Whenever he got hungry in the past, he would randomly find someone by the roadside and beg them for food.