Surprisingly, talking to Hyeonbyeol was easy. Considering our relationship and the fact that we were both hiding things, I thought it would be a lot more awkward.
She never crosses a line once someone draws it, which is very convenient.
The economy, culture, politics and administration... There were a lot of topics that we could connect about without finding out each other's identities, so we had a good time talking about those things freely.
«The library... We may have met once or twice in passing».
«Do you go often too?»
«Only when I have time».
«True, there is no better way to inform yourself than books».
When I looked at the time, I saw that it had been about two hours since I first encountered Hyeonbyeol.
Wow, I didn't even notice the time. What should we talk about now?
While thinking about this, Hyeonbyeol spoke cautiously. «But hey...»
«Yes, what's happening?»
«What kind of people are your friends?»
I tilted my head towards her. «...Why are you asking that all of a sudden?».
«I'm just curious», Hyeonbyeol replied indifferently. «Since it was actually your fault you didn't have friends».
«...Hey? Are you going to give me a sleeve cut like that all of a sudden?». I asked, stunned.
Hyeonbyeol was quick to clarify. «No, I didn't mean that... I meant that your criterion for having friends was always whether you considered them friends or not. In reality, there were probably a lot of people who considered you a friend. You know, those people who send you messages every New Year or on birthdays».
«Hey, those aren't friends. They are known».
«That's what I'm saying. The problem is your way of thinking».
I had a lot to say to that, but I didn't argue with her because I could see what she was trying to convey.
«That's why I was surprised. The friends you have now... are people you consider friends too».
«Yes...?»
«If I'm honest, I don't know what kind of magic they did to make you change so much. What kind of people are they?»
...Is the fact that she now has friends really strange enough for her to say this?
That left a bad taste in my mouth, but I still gave him an answer. «They are trustworthy. To the point that I wouldn't worry, even if they were behind me holding a knife».
«Hmm, so you were able to build deep trust because you had to fight together with your lives at stake?».
«I guess so?»
«But aren't they just colleagues, not friends?»
Eh... Yes, but...
«Considering the society we are in, colleagues, or comrades, consider themselves more than just friends, but an even closer relationship»
«So they're just colleagues.»
I couldn't answer. What did it matter if they were friends or colleagues? The key here was that we were important people to each other.
«...What is that?», she asked suspiciously. «That look in your eyes?»
«Come to think of it, you didn't have any friends either».
«There were a lot of people who considered me a friend, okay?»
I know, but you're like me. Someone who cares more about their own thoughts and feelings than what others think.
«So, have you made friends here?»
«...I don't need them. I'm going back, anyway».
«Really? I guess that's it, then.»
When I chuckled, Hyeonbyeol gave me an indignant look, but it didn't last long. «Hey?» Suddenly he shuddered. «I just heard a ding! in my ears».
«Oh, looks like you got a message».
«A message...?»
«Did you put anything in the stock market?»
«No, but I sent a proposal in a post from someone who wanted to buy information. I thought it would be convenient to win some GP. How do I check the message?»
«You can't see it here. You have to see it yourself on the computer».
«...Then I guess I'll have to check it out later».
«Go see it now. Seeing that the response came late, it seems that there must be a message from another seller».
When I gave him the go-ahead, Hyeonbyeol's expression lit up. It seemed like she thought it was the most reasonable thing to do too. «So I'm sorry. I'll be back soon».
«Hey? You will come back?»
«... Are you leaving?»
«If I wait here, you'll be in a hurry to finish. It is not necessary. I'll see you again next time. Also, you said it's your first time in the community. Instead of being here with me, you should take a look at the other pages».
«That's true... true». Unsurprisingly, when I made a logical argument, Hyeonbyeol nodded without objection. «Then I'll see you next month».
«Yes, take care».
We even exchanged brief goodbyes. Well, they should have been fired, anyway.
«Why don't you go?»
Hyeonbyeol did not respond.
«Oh, do you want me to leave first? Then...»
Just as I was concentrating my mind on leaving the talk, Hyeonbyeol urgently grabbed me by the sleeve. «Wait! Um.» He looked away, looking at a random corner of the room. «How do I get out...?»
Huh, no wonder I was alone in this empty talk. She is strangely dense about the strangest things.
«Were you...»
...Stuck here because you didn't know how to get out, not because you were waiting for someone?
***
«Twenty-two... years ago?», the pale man asked, pursing his lips.
«Yes», the woman responded. «That's what he said. And the jewel of the Round Table turned green. But how? That was before the community was created, right?».
The man kept his mouth shut. In reality, his mind was more preoccupied with other things, such as the masked man he met after taking over the spirit world of the old man he assumed was Auril Gavis.
«It's your choice whether you believe me or not. I just came to warn you».
At first, the man pretended to be someone else, but when his ploy was discovered, he gave the GM advice that almost sounded more like a threat.
«So that was your name».
Then he learned by force of his name.
«...Master, your hands are shaking.»
The man lowered his head reflexively and saw that his fingertips trembled slightly. Twenty years had already passed, but still. Of course, he now knew that the energy that had constrained his body back then had been killing intent.
Squeeze.
The man grabbed his knees with trembling hands and forced them to stop shaking. As the saying went, ignorance is bliss. Sometimes it was scarier to know something than not to know it. He couldn't imagine how many people someone had had to kill to be capable of that kind of murderous intent.
But to think it had been León...
It had been so long that I hadn't been able to make the connection right away. Now that he thought about it, it all made sense: the fact that Leon knew his name was Yurven Havellion and the Soul Queen's ridiculous killing intent.
He said three months...
The GM felt scared and relieved at the same time. If he had been proud and immediately ignored the threat, he might have fallen out with that man. However, no matter how afraid I was of him, I needed to know more about him. If León was really the strange man she found that day twenty-two years ago, what was she looking for? That would be the key to finding out.
He had reappeared in the community three years ago.
Her nickname was Elfnunna. I was under the impression that it was not an evil spirit from somewhere other than Earth, but there was no way to know for sure. The man was too reserved to reach concrete conclusions.
As soon as he entered the community, he met with Baekho Lee and immediately joined the Round Table.
If so, what was the reason? A clue was in the conversation they had twenty-two years ago.
«Auril Gavis...»
«Isn't that the name of the game's creator?».
After the GM took over the community, the man warned him to distrust Auril Gavis, the old man who gave him his rights as administrator. This man had dragged him into this world and he didn't feel the least bit guilty about it.
«Excuse me. You're busy thinking».
Slowly, the thread began to untangle. León was Auril Gavis' enemy.
And the reason he reappeared in the community after twenty years... was because the Round Table Master... Was it Auril Gavis?
Nickname 0720 was the creator of the Round Table Watchers, and someone he had assumed was an evil spirit from another realm.
No, there are too many holes in this theory too.
«Queen of Soul, you said that the Master of the Round Table has visited the Round Table once, is that correct?»
«Yeah. I wasn't there at the time, but that's what I heard».
«And the two seemed to be close friends».
«Yeah. Apparently, all the members were surprised because it seemed like a casual relationship».
«I see...»
It seemed like the thread was finally untangling, but it soon hit another wall. It seemed that the more he dug, the deeper he sank into quicksand. Auril Gavis, Maestro, León, Baekho Lee... the GM had no idea what any of them wanted. No matter how much he tried to reconstruct everything, he encountered contradictions due to lack of information.
The value.
However, he knew one thing for sure. Even now, somewhere out there, giants from a league he had no hope of joining never pursued their own goals with great determination.
«... At this point, I have no choice but to admit it.»
«Admit what?»
The man pursed his lips. The community manager? The GM? The oldest player? Although countless players described him that way and admired him, that did not change the facts. Ultimately, he was nothing more than weak compared to those people.
«Queen of the Soul, it seems that many things are happening out of our sight.»
«Yes, I feel this way more often lately too».
«We will have to work harder in the future». Instead of despairing, the man accepted his shortcomings and moved on.
Then, as if heaven itself had decided to honor her determination, Queen of Soul suddenly said: «Master! León is in the Korean chat room and there are two participants».
«Who is the other person?»
«A user named HS123. Someone I helped get on board earlier. They were Korean».
«...So he is a new member of this round.» The man hurriedly gave instructions. «Send them a message. I need to meet with them.»
An opportunity like this may never present itself again.
***
It was a small room with a bed on one side and a computer desk on the other. Hyeonbyeol Kang thought this was a funny thing.
«This space is a manifestation of your imagination and your sense of self».
That's what the guide told him when he first entered the community. Although the woman couldn't see it for herself since Hyeonbyeol's mental barrier was very thick, apparently this room was based on the first place that came to mind. It was supposedly the place where she thought she should be, or where she felt the most stability.
How funny. To think it's here.
Hyeonbyeol smiled happily. She knew this was the place, but most importantly, that person was not here.
«...Focus on doing what you have to do.»
Hyeonbyeol scanned the room before sitting at the computer desk. After checking the message he had received, he frowned.
But what...? It is not a message from the buyer.
Leaving aside the anger he felt, he carefully reviewed the content of the message. This was due to the sender's nickname.
Queen of the Soul... is the woman guide I met when I arrived.
Hyeonbyeol didn't know why, but that woman was requesting to meet with her.
Click click.
Without much hesitation, he entered the password written on the note and entered the chat. A strange man and a familiar woman were sitting inside the room.
Elfnunalove? What's that nickname for?
Hyeonbyeol felt visceral discomfort from the first moment, but she didn't let it show.
«Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Elfnunalove».
«Yeah. Hello. How can I help you?»
«I have something to discuss with you, Mrs. HS123-»
«Please call me 'you'. It's a little strange that you call me that out loud.»
«Ahaha, I understand. It can be like this». At Hyeonbyeol's request, the man laughed. She gaped.
Do you understand and still choose that nickname?
She studied the man with cold stoicism and quickly made a call.
Anyway, if you're going to take an overly accommodating stance despite the obvious edge of my voice... There must be a reason for that.
Hyeonbyeol did not intend to underestimate the man in front of him in the least. It seemed a little silly for some reason, but judging someone by their outward appearance was foolish. The woman nicknamed Queen of the Soul was an administrator, so it was impossible for the man she served as an advisor to be an ordinary person.
Someone who could be the GM personally called to see me, a rookie...
There was no need to think about it too much. The timing of the message, that creepy nickname, and the strangely submissive attitude... combined, there was only one possibility.
This has something to do with Hansu.
His assumptions were correct.
«You're Korean, right?»
«Um, excuse me, but can we get straight to the point? I do not have much time».
«Haha I understand. After all, it's your first visit. Twelve hours is not enough to check everything».
Hyeonbyeol didn't bother to respond. And as always, that method proved incredibly effective.
«I see that you are a woman of few words. Then I'll get straight to the point. What is your relationship with the user Elfnunna?»
«Why should I answer that?»
«I'll give you GP».
«Today I saw him for the first time. But what about him?»
«Hmm...» The man with the strange nickname Elfnunalove seemed to contemplate whether she was telling the truth or not before letting her know the reason why he called her here. «I want to buy information about Elfnunna».
«Are you telling me to investigate him? We met today».
«Even trivial information is fine. I have heard that Koreans have a close bond. Yes HS123-no, if you get close to it, it will let its guard down a little».
«...And the payment?» Hyeonbyeol asked carefully.
The man's response was short and direct. «Whatever your heart desires».
«...And do you know what I want?»
«Whatever it is, we have the power to make it happen».
«Is... that true...?» Hyeonbyeol put aside her indifference, the corners of her mouth raised. It was natural. She had no intention of walking away from this conversation for the sake of loyalty. It would be nonsense.
Hansu is so clumsy... I don't know what he did, but it seems like he ended up with these two on his trail.
His eyes wrinkled.