Chapter 196: Master Key (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Master Key (1)
As soon as I entered the community, I turned on my computer, checked the usual chat room, and froze.
[Long Live Korea's Independence - 2 people are online.]
Why two people? Was there a new Korean around? Wait, but it didn't make sense for a newbie to have found the chat room this quickly.
Click, click.
Dubious, I moved the mouse and double-clicked on the room's name. Then, an unusual message popped up.
[Participation in this room is temporarily restricted. Remaining time: 9 minutes and 51 seconds.]
What was this, now? It was confusing at first but I soon managed to piece together what was happening. Restricting participation was one of the inherent privileges of the host who opened the chat room.
In other words, it means someone came to find Baekho as soon as the community opened, and Baekho locked the door to speak with them.
This was the most probable explanation. This person was likely an acquaintance of Baekho's. If they had been strangers, he wouldn't have locked the door but instead kicked them out.
An acquaintance of Baekho's, huh?
It made me curious. Baekho was an old user who had taken the pill in the early days, which had the side effect of restricting his access to the community to one hour. He must have been in this community for ten years, easy, and would have many acquaintances. He was the one who gave me the invitation code to enter the Watchers of the Round Table in the first place.
But this person has to be someone who's been around for as long as Baekho.
"Welp."
I wished I could at least see the nicknames of the participants. Kind of disappointed, I watched the time tick down and before long, the number of participants dropped to one.
[Long Live Korea's Independence – 1 person is online.]
When I checked, the participation ban was lifted as well. Had the person already left? With that question in mind, I entered the chat room.
"Are you the person from Mr. Lee's home country?"
What the fuck was this? I hurriedly turned my head at the strange voice and came face to face with an unfamiliar Caucasian man. Wait, maybe not completely unfamiliar.
[Elfnunalove]
When I checked the nickname above the man's head, my mind went momentarily blank. Surprisingly, I had met this person before. Back when I heard rumors of a dimensional collapse and was asking around about a wizard named Shernal Fergang, he had been one of the users who sold me information.
"Come to think of it, it's all right. You seem to be a fan of theirs too."
After watching him decline the twenty thousand GP I had offered as compensation, I realized that I really was a rookie here, and I grew determined to rise to the top as quickly as possible. But to think this guy was acquainted with Baekho...
Wait, but where is that guy?
I quickly came to my senses. This man was also sending strange looks at my nickname. "Hmm, we've met before, haven't we?"
Okay, so you recognize me too.
Seeing as he was using a nickname as unpleasant as Elfnunalove, it seemed that my nickname, Elfnunna, was memorable to him.
"Yes. We meet again." Something about this situation was making me uneasy, so I held my tongue. I had a lot I wanted to ask, but sometimes you could accidentally leak information of your own just by asking questions. For now, I waited for the man to speak first.
After a moment, Elfnunalove scratched his head, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry about this."
"What do you mean?"
"I feel I have taken away the friend you haven't seen in a while."
"...Are you talking about Baekho?"
Elfnunalove nodded. "Yes. As you know, there aren't many Koreans here. I know very well how important it is to have people from your hometown around."
"I don't understand. What do you mean by taken away?" This wasn't my usual noob performance—this was genuine. I had no idea what he was talking about. Could it be that Baekho had had to leave the chat because of him? But, how? Surely the moderator of this chat room was Baekho?
As all sorts of questions ran through my head, the white man continued, "It's just as I said. You won't be able to meet up with Mr. Lee here from now on. I've been leaving him alone up to this point thinking he might serve as a key, but... Unfortunately, he made a big mistake."
"What?"
"I was actually just going to leave, but I'm letting you know so you don't waste your time waiting for him. Have a good day." Before I could say anything, Elfnunalove left the chat room. I just stood there, staring blankly at the spot he was just standing.
Goddamn it. What the hell is going on?
Before long, I was left alone in the empty room.
Made a mistake? He can't come here again?
My thoughts were all jumbled, but at times like these, it was important to calmly organize them. Who the hell was Elfnunalove? As I ran through the conversation I just had line by line, I quickly came to a conclusion.
It's still just a hypothesis, but I'm pretty sure he's one of Ghost Busters' admins.
Like Soul Queen, whom I met when I entered for the first time, he must be someone who oversaw the newbies and managed this place so that the community didn't become a mess. I couldn't explain what had just happened any other way.
"Unfortunately, he made a big mistake."
Elfnunalove wasn't even the host, but he had still kicked Baekho out of the room. He must have been the one to restrict entry to begin with. At least on the bulletin board, admins had considerable authority. Only an admin could permanently boot someone from the community. In all likelihood, he wasn't just an ordinary admin, but...
Hold on.
When my thoughts reached that point, I hurriedly returned to my own room. Then I quickly opened my inbox.
[Elfnunna's transaction history has exceeded 50. EXP +50]
[Your member rank has been adjusted: Orc -> Troll]
[From: Ghost Master]
Ghost Master was the top administrator of Ghost Busters, who was referred to as the Game Master or GM by users of the community and whose identity was unknown. I suddenly remembered a conversation I had had with Baekho.
"Do you know who the Game Master is here?"
"Ah, I don't know that. In fact, I only found the pill after robbing the Ministry of Security's headquarters in the early days."
"Then they won't know who you are, either?"
"They probably have an idea. I also have a guy I've been suspicious of..."
"Who?"
"There are three. Should I tell you all of them?"
Baekho had told me the names of three suspects then. They were all wizards, and each was famous enough that everyone in the city knew their names. Since Baekho was the one doing the speculating, there was no way his theories were completely groundless.
After a moment, Elfnunalove scratched his head, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry about this."
"What do you mean?"
"I feel I have taken away the friend you haven't seen in a while."
"...Are you talking about Baekho?"
Elfnunalove nodded. "Yes. As you know, there aren't many Koreans here. I know very well how important it is to have people from your hometown around."
"I don't understand. What do you mean by taken away?" This wasn't my usual noob performance—this was genuine. I had no idea what he was talking about. Could it be that Baekho had had to leave the chat because of him? But, how? Surely the moderator of this chat room was Baekho?
As all sorts of questions ran through my head, the white man continued, "It's just as I said. You won't be able to meet up with Mr. Lee here from now on. I've been leaving him alone up to this point thinking he might serve as a key, but... Unfortunately, he made a big mistake."
"What?"
"I was actually just going to leave, but I'm letting you know so you don't waste your time waiting for him. Have a good day." Before I could say anything, Elfnunalove left the chat room. I just stood there, staring blankly at the spot he was just standing.
Goddamn it. What the hell is going on?
Before long, I was left alone in the empty room.
Made a mistake? He can't come here again?
My thoughts were all jumbled, but at times like these, it was important to calmly organize them. Who the hell was Elfnunalove? As I ran through the conversation I just had line by line, I quickly came to a conclusion.
It's still just a hypothesis, but I'm pretty sure he's one of Ghost Busters' admins.
Like Soul Queen, whom I met when I entered for the first time, he must be someone who oversaw the newbies and managed this place so that the community didn't become a mess. I couldn't explain what had just happened any other way.
"Unfortunately, he made a big mistake."
Elfnunalove wasn't even the host, but he had still kicked Baekho out of the room. He must have been the one to restrict entry to begin with. At least on the bulletin board, admins had considerable authority. Only an admin could permanently boot someone from the community. In all likelihood, he wasn't just an ordinary admin, but...
Hold on.
When my thoughts reached that point, I hurriedly returned to my own room. Then I quickly opened my inbox.
[Elfnunna's transaction history has exceeded 50. EXP +50]
[Your member rank has been adjusted: Orc -> Troll]
[From: Ghost Master]
Ghost Master was the top administrator of Ghost Busters, who was referred to as the Game Master or GM by users of the community and whose identity was unknown. I suddenly remembered a conversation I had had with Baekho.
"Do you know who the Game Master is here?"
"Ah, I don't know that. In fact, I only found the pill after robbing the Ministry of Security's headquarters in the early days."
"Then they won't know who you are, either?"
"They probably have an idea. I also have a guy I've been suspicious of..."
"Who?"
"There are three. Should I tell you all of them?"
Baekho had told me the names of three suspects then. They were all wizards, and each was famous enough that everyone in the city knew their names. Since Baekho was the one doing the speculating, there was no way his theories were completely groundless.
The GM is a wizard.
This wasn't 100 percent confirmed, but assuming that premise was true, I recalled the first time I met Elfnunalove.
"...Is it okay for you to just tell me all of this?"
"What does it matter? It's not like I'm the master of that school."
As I listened to him divulge the inside scoop on the Tarutein School, which had spread rumors about a potential dimensional collapse in the labyrinth, I thought this: This guy talks like a wizard.
I gulped nervously as the puzzle pieces I'd collected began to form a very distinct picture. This might have been a leap on my part, but if my speculations were correct, I may have just met the GM.
"Holy shit."
A strange shudder ran through my body, but before long, I was back to normal. Even if Elfnunalove was the GM, that didn't pose a serious problem for me. That nickname did bother me a bit, but at least it was a sign that he wasn't hostile toward me. Even if my identity were revealed, he wouldn't be coming for my throat or anything. Probably.
Okay, let's erase that ASAP.
I went to the message board and deleted the comment I had left on my Canadian friend's now-blurred post. It would be impossible to deduce my identity just with that, but just in case. While I was at it, I erased any and all of the other traces I had left here. Aside from some comments left on a funny post, there wasn't much: that one post from when rumors of the dimensional collapse were going around, and another post I had made on the Exchange to gather information about Orcules after my battle with the Dragon Slayer.
Does this mean I can't see Baekho anymore?
After I finished cleaning up my digital footprint, I thought of Baekho. I was kind of disappointed. Aside from the fact that I wouldn't be obtaining valuable information through him anymore, to be honest, I had fun hanging out with him.
But what did he even do for the admin to come kick him out personally?
As of now, I had no way of learning the truth, but it wasn't hard to speculate that it was closely related to the conquest of Noark. That had been the only big event as of late.
Type, type.
After that, I spent time wandering around the bulletin board, mostly just surfing the web. I checked to see if there were any posts left by Elfnunalove too, but there wasn't a single one. The same went for Baekho.
I should refrain from posting too.
A true veteran stayed far away from the community and silently did his own thing. Taking this incident as a learning experience, I set in stone a new rule for using the community.
After browsing around for a long while, it was time to enter the Round Table. However, this time, I didn't bother waiting until right before closing and just entered. With everything that had happened recently, I figured that I could obtain information from the small talk before the gathering too.
Everyone is here today, right?
Starting in the customization room as usual, I hurriedly donned the navy suit I always wore and put on the lion mask.
Creaaak.
After I finished getting dressed, the door opened on cue and I walked down the carpet to the Round Table.
It was Clown who greeted me first. "You came early this time, hehehe."
Since he skipped last month, it had been two months since I'd heard that distinct laughter. I approached my usual seat and scanned everyone.
The GM is a wizard.
This wasn't 100 percent confirmed, but assuming that premise was true, I recalled the first time I met Elfnunalove.
"...Is it okay for you to just tell me all of this?"
"What does it matter? It's not like I'm the master of that school."
As I listened to him divulge the inside scoop on the Tarutein School, which had spread rumors about a potential dimensional collapse in the labyrinth, I thought this: This guy talks like a wizard.
I gulped nervously as the puzzle pieces I'd collected began to form a very distinct picture. This might have been a leap on my part, but if my speculations were correct, I may have just met the GM.
"Holy shit."
A strange shudder ran through my body, but before long, I was back to normal. Even if Elfnunalove was the GM, that didn't pose a serious problem for me. That nickname did bother me a bit, but at least it was a sign that he wasn't hostile toward me. Even if my identity were revealed, he wouldn't be coming for my throat or anything. Probably.
Okay, let's erase that ASAP.
I went to the message board and deleted the comment I had left on my Canadian friend's now-blurred post. It would be impossible to deduce my identity just with that, but just in case. While I was at it, I erased any and all of the other traces I had left here. Aside from some comments left on a funny post, there wasn't much: that one post from when rumors of the dimensional collapse were going around, and another post I had made on the Exchange to gather information about Orcules after my battle with the Dragon Slayer.
Does this mean I can't see Baekho anymore?
After I finished cleaning up my digital footprint, I thought of Baekho. I was kind of disappointed. Aside from the fact that I wouldn't be obtaining valuable information through him anymore, to be honest, I had fun hanging out with him.
But what did he even do for the admin to come kick him out personally?
As of now, I had no way of learning the truth, but it wasn't hard to speculate that it was closely related to the conquest of Noark. That had been the only big event as of late.
Type, type.
After that, I spent time wandering around the bulletin board, mostly just surfing the web. I checked to see if there were any posts left by Elfnunalove too, but there wasn't a single one. The same went for Baekho.
I should refrain from posting too.
A true veteran stayed far away from the community and silently did his own thing. Taking this incident as a learning experience, I set in stone a new rule for using the community.
After browsing around for a long while, it was time to enter the Round Table. However, this time, I didn't bother waiting until right before closing and just entered. With everything that had happened recently, I figured that I could obtain information from the small talk before the gathering too.
Everyone is here today, right?
Starting in the customization room as usual, I hurriedly donned the navy suit I always wore and put on the lion mask.
Creaaak.
After I finished getting dressed, the door opened on cue and I walked down the carpet to the Round Table.
It was Clown who greeted me first. "You came early this time, hehehe."
Since he skipped last month, it had been two months since I'd heard that distinct laughter. I approached my usual seat and scanned everyone.
Crescent Moon, Deer, Fox.
Including Clown and myself, there were a total of five people participating in this rally. Fox met my eyes before looking away and saying to everyone, "Anyway, Mr. Goblin is late today."
"Hehe, maybe he's dead. I heard the losses on the paladin side were significant."
"...We should hope not."
As expected, the main topic of conversation even before the official meeting was the conquest.
"I'm just amazed this many people came back alive. If there is a hell, it would have been that place. I participated without much thought and regretted that decision."
"I agree. I never imagined Noark would be hiding so much power. When the conquest army was first formed, I felt like we could attack even the royal palace."
"Hehe, yet everyone suffered a huge blow."
"Clown, you speak as if this doesn't pertain to you."
"Of course it doesn't. The number of people who die is irrelevant to me. Isn't that right, Mr. Lion?"
"I'm not interested in the conquest." I rested my chin on my hand like I was bored and listened to the conversation with perked ears. The dark wizard of Noark, the priests of Karui, the inside scoop on a large clan that had suffered huge losses, other races, et cetera—information too lacking in scarcity to bring up during the official meeting continued to flow out under the guise of small talk.
Good thing I came early.
Hiding my satisfied smile, I was listening to them discuss the latest situation when Goblin appeared through the open door.
"Oh, Mr. Goblin!"
"So you are alive."
"Oh, yes. It was really dangerous, though. God was truly on our side." Goblin naturally brought up his god, even though he wasn't from this world.
Clown laughed mockingly. "What god? It's obvious you were hiding in the back like the goblin you are, hehe."
"Clown, why are you always so mean to me?"
"Because you're too easy."
Despite being openly mocked, Goblin simply sat back in his seat, letting out a hollow scoff.
He's scared.
At first, I didn't understand why Goblin was taking such a weak stance, but maybe it made sense. Goblin's identity as a paladin had already been exposed. He could never openly make an enemy of Clown, who was clearly strong.
Boom!
Once Goblin sat down, the door clicked closed. That meant it was time to start the meeting.
"Lion, is your promise still valid?" Before we decided on the order, Crescent Moon tossed me a question.
There was context missing, but I understood it well enough. He must have been talking about my promise to provide information on the Stone of Revival in exchange for interesting information. When I nodded, Crescent Moon's expression grew determined.
"Hehe, looks like you're really confident this time."
"Just desperate. I need that item more than anything." His answer was accompanied by an obvious resolve to learn more about the Stone of Revival at any cost.
"Then who will start?"
Just before the game of wits to decide who would start could begin, the door, which had been firmly closed, opened.
Creak.
This had never happened before.
The heck? Another member? I thought no one could enter the meeting once it started. Surely that must have been the rule?
Given how everyone else also looked confused, it seemed I was not the only one who found this strange.
Boom.
Soon, the thick wooden door flung open, and a figure appeared through it. It was a man wearing a featureless white mask. The only skin exposed on his hands was wrinkly. "Haha, this place hasn't changed a bit." An old man's voice came from behind the mask.
For a moment, silence filled the hall. The first one to come to their senses was Fox. "Master...?"
From that single, murmured comment, it hit me. This was the Master, the creator of the Watchers of the Round Table.
"That's a mask I haven't seen before. Who are you?"
At his question, Fox, who had been baited by me many times, tilted her head. "Didn't you invite him, Master? I'm certain that's what he said..."
Strictly speaking, I didn't say that. I had just cleverly avoided answering to create a misunderstanding. But that excuse wouldn't work here.
Goddamn it. What should I do?
One wrong move and my act would be exposed.
Crescent Moon, Deer, Fox.
Including Clown and myself, there were a total of five people participating in this rally. Fox met my eyes before looking away and saying to everyone, "Anyway, Mr. Goblin is late today."
"Hehe, maybe he's dead. I heard the losses on the paladin side were significant."
"...We should hope not."
As expected, the main topic of conversation even before the official meeting was the conquest.
"I'm just amazed this many people came back alive. If there is a hell, it would have been that place. I participated without much thought and regretted that decision."
"I agree. I never imagined Noark would be hiding so much power. When the conquest army was first formed, I felt like we could attack even the royal palace."
"Hehe, yet everyone suffered a huge blow."
"Clown, you speak as if this doesn't pertain to you."
"Of course it doesn't. The number of people who die is irrelevant to me. Isn't that right, Mr. Lion?"
"I'm not interested in the conquest." I rested my chin on my hand like I was bored and listened to the conversation with perked ears. The dark wizard of Noark, the priests of Karui, the inside scoop on a large clan that had suffered huge losses, other races, et cetera—information too lacking in scarcity to bring up during the official meeting continued to flow out under the guise of small talk.
Good thing I came early.
Hiding my satisfied smile, I was listening to them discuss the latest situation when Goblin appeared through the open door.
"Oh, Mr. Goblin!"
"So you are alive."
"Oh, yes. It was really dangerous, though. God was truly on our side." Goblin naturally brought up his god, even though he wasn't from this world.
Clown laughed mockingly. "What god? It's obvious you were hiding in the back like the goblin you are, hehe."
"Clown, why are you always so mean to me?"
"Because you're too easy."
Despite being openly mocked, Goblin simply sat back in his seat, letting out a hollow scoff.
He's scared.
At first, I didn't understand why Goblin was taking such a weak stance, but maybe it made sense. Goblin's identity as a paladin had already been exposed. He could never openly make an enemy of Clown, who was clearly strong.
Boom!
Once Goblin sat down, the door clicked closed. That meant it was time to start the meeting.
"Lion, is your promise still valid?" Before we decided on the order, Crescent Moon tossed me a question.
There was context missing, but I understood it well enough. He must have been talking about my promise to provide information on the Stone of Revival in exchange for interesting information. When I nodded, Crescent Moon's expression grew determined.
"Hehe, looks like you're really confident this time."
"Just desperate. I need that item more than anything." His answer was accompanied by an obvious resolve to learn more about the Stone of Revival at any cost.
"Then who will start?"
Just before the game of wits to decide who would start could begin, the door, which had been firmly closed, opened.
Creak.
This had never happened before.
The heck? Another member? I thought no one could enter the meeting once it started. Surely that must have been the rule?
Given how everyone else also looked confused, it seemed I was not the only one who found this strange.
Boom.
Soon, the thick wooden door flung open, and a figure appeared through it. It was a man wearing a featureless white mask. The only skin exposed on his hands was wrinkly. "Haha, this place hasn't changed a bit." An old man's voice came from behind the mask.
For a moment, silence filled the hall. The first one to come to their senses was Fox. "Master...?"
From that single, murmured comment, it hit me. This was the Master, the creator of the Watchers of the Round Table.
"That's a mask I haven't seen before. Who are you?"
At his question, Fox, who had been baited by me many times, tilted her head. "Didn't you invite him, Master? I'm certain that's what he said..."
Strictly speaking, I didn't say that. I had just cleverly avoided answering to create a misunderstanding. But that excuse wouldn't work here.
Goddamn it. What should I do?
One wrong move and my act would be exposed.