Chapter 388: Wild Horse (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 388: Wild Horse (2)
The community of evil spirits opened at midnight on the fifteenth of every month. Time inside Ghost Busters moved differently than it did outside.
One hour in here is one second out there.
Put simply, even if I used up the entire twelve hours that the community was open, that would only translate to twelve seconds in the outside world.
But he won't wait that long.
The marquess's intentions were obvious. He was harboring unsubstantiated suspicions about me and was going to try to confirm them tonight. There was only one problem here.
How much time do I have?
I was hoping for at least four seconds, as that would give me enough time to participate in the Round Table that would be held in three hours. Doing so would help prevent any suspicions that might arise if Lion failed to attend, and also ensure that I didn't have to miss any information by taking a break this month.
As I thought, four seconds would be cutting it too close.
I suppressed my mounting greed. Yeah, I had to sacrifice what I needed to for this to work.
Tick, tick.
The second I came to that decision, the computer finished booting up. I quickly moved the mouse to check the chatrooms.
[Long Live Korea's Independence – 1 person is online.]
Without wasting any time, I immediately entered the chat. The player online was Hyeonbyeol. I was wondering if Baekho had returned considering I requested the GM lift the ban on him, but, well, there was still time for that.
"You're here." Hyeonbyeol was already sitting on the sofa with crossed legs and simply lifted her head to acknowledge me. Her outfit was the same as last time: a white blouse and suit skirt.
"What's with that reaction? You're making it sound like you thought I wouldn't come." When I sat on the sofa across from her and fired off a casual reply, a conversation that reminded me of the old days followed.
"I thought there was a chance you wouldn't. You always ran away whenever things got even slightly uncomfortable."
Hey.
"Unless it's something that you need to deal with yourself, you can waste less energy by retreating." It was common sense to skip side quests that offered low rewards for high effort. Pursuing efficiency meant reducing waste—like right now. I didn't have time to waste on trivial chitchat so I got straight to the point. "Hyeonbyeol. Did you meet the GM last time?"
This was the reason why I entered this chatroom instead of logging out right away even though I wasn't going to enter the Round Table this time. I wanted to confirm this.
Hyeonbyeol's brow furrowed slightly, and after a beat, she parted her lips. "...How did you know?" These were words of confirmation, not denial.
I calmly explained the reason for my suspicion. "I thought it was odd that you got a message in the middle of our conversation. So I looked into it a little."
I had gotten a strange feeling right after parting ways with Hyeonbyeol. Back in the bedroom, I was fiddling with the mouse when I remembered the GM being very interested in this chatroom. The GM may not have been able to eavesdrop on the conversations happening inside, but he was able to check the list of participants. Suspecting the GM may have been the one to send that message to Hyeonbyeol, I searched for one specific chatroom and kept an eye on the number of participants. It wasn't long before my suspicions were confirmed.
"The number of participants in the secret chatroom the GM usually uses soon went up to three. I thought the timing was very coincidental and figured it was you."
"...Then why didn't you reach out to me then instead of waiting until today?"
"Because the GM can spy on people's messages."
"Then you could've just written to tell me to come to the chatroom."
"He might think that strange too."
"...So annoying." Hyeonbyeol glanced at me and sighed. "I'm telling you this now so you don't get the wrong idea, but I had no intention of deceiving you."
"I know."
"I was going to tell you today. Of course, I'm sure that's hard for you to believe—What? What did you just say?"
"I know that you had no intention of deceiving me."
Hyeonbyeol gave me a weird look. "I'm glad to hear you say that, but... on what grounds?"
My grounds were simple. "If you were planning to hide it, you wouldn't have answered my question so easily in the first place." Considering her personality, she would've thoroughly covered up the truth. Even if she thought she was caught, she probably would have denied it to the bitter end just in case.
"But I could've been acting."
"If you want to go there, we'll end up going in circles forever. If you still can't accept my logic, just take it as me wanting to believe in you," I joked.
Hyeonbyeol pursed her lips and studied me for a long while. "Hansu, do you have a girl here?" she suddenly asked.
Missha immediately came to mind the second the question left her lips, but I decided to figure out what she was getting at first. "Why are you asking that out of the blue...?"
"Just 'cause," Hyeonbyeol said in a strange tone. "It seems like you've gotten more eloquent, is all..." She trailed off.
Was that a compliment or a criticism? I decided to take it as the former and changed the subject. Not only was that a topic I didn't want to dwell on, but I also had no time to do so. "Hyeonbyeol, I don't have much time."
"Is this an example of the 'efficient retreat' you mentioned earlier?"
"No, I really don't have time. I just need to check on something before I go, so please answer me this."
"Okay. What is it?"
"What did the GM offer you?"
"He asked me to be a spy for GP or whatever I want."
"Of course."
"What have you been up to that someone like that is so obsessed with you? His nickname was weird too..."
"It's just a coincidence. I didn't do anything," I said dismissively.
Hyeonbyeol thankfully didn't pry. "...Anyway, so what do you want me to do for you?"
"If I tell you, will you do it?"
"Have I ever not done what you asked?"
Uh... plenty of times?
I supposed the important thing was she almost always did it, even while grumbling the whole time.
Whatever, I'll just tell her.
"I want you to purposefully leak information for me."
"Okay. Is there something you want me to tell them this time too?"
"The number of participants in the secret chatroom the GM usually uses soon went up to three. I thought the timing was very coincidental and figured it was you."
"...Then why didn't you reach out to me then instead of waiting until today?"
"Because the GM can spy on people's messages."
"Then you could've just written to tell me to come to the chatroom."
"He might think that strange too."
"...So annoying." Hyeonbyeol glanced at me and sighed. "I'm telling you this now so you don't get the wrong idea, but I had no intention of deceiving you."
"I know."
"I was going to tell you today. Of course, I'm sure that's hard for you to believe—What? What did you just say?"
"I know that you had no intention of deceiving me."
Hyeonbyeol gave me a weird look. "I'm glad to hear you say that, but... on what grounds?"
My grounds were simple. "If you were planning to hide it, you wouldn't have answered my question so easily in the first place." Considering her personality, she would've thoroughly covered up the truth. Even if she thought she was caught, she probably would have denied it to the bitter end just in case.
"But I could've been acting."
"If you want to go there, we'll end up going in circles forever. If you still can't accept my logic, just take it as me wanting to believe in you," I joked.
Hyeonbyeol pursed her lips and studied me for a long while. "Hansu, do you have a girl here?" she suddenly asked.
Missha immediately came to mind the second the question left her lips, but I decided to figure out what she was getting at first. "Why are you asking that out of the blue...?"
"Just 'cause," Hyeonbyeol said in a strange tone. "It seems like you've gotten more eloquent, is all..." She trailed off.
Was that a compliment or a criticism? I decided to take it as the former and changed the subject. Not only was that a topic I didn't want to dwell on, but I also had no time to do so. "Hyeonbyeol, I don't have much time."
"Is this an example of the 'efficient retreat' you mentioned earlier?"
"No, I really don't have time. I just need to check on something before I go, so please answer me this."
"Okay. What is it?"
"What did the GM offer you?"
"He asked me to be a spy for GP or whatever I want."
"Of course."
"What have you been up to that someone like that is so obsessed with you? His nickname was weird too..."
"It's just a coincidence. I didn't do anything," I said dismissively.
Hyeonbyeol thankfully didn't pry. "...Anyway, so what do you want me to do for you?"
"If I tell you, will you do it?"
"Have I ever not done what you asked?"
Uh... plenty of times?
I supposed the important thing was she almost always did it, even while grumbling the whole time.
Whatever, I'll just tell her.
"I want you to purposefully leak information for me."
"Okay. Is there something you want me to tell them this time too?"
"Once I leave the chatroom, I'm going to log out immediately. The GM will probably wonder why. Tell him I couldn't talk for long because I'm in the middle of a battle and that I left in a hurry with a promise to meet next month."
"Okay. But let me ask you one thing."
"What is it?"
"What's the real reason you're logging out?"
"That? It's similar to what you're going to tell the GM for me."
"Are you saying... you really came here in the middle of a fight? The labyrinth hasn't even opened yet!"
"I told you, it's similar." Fights weren't just physical, right? Anyway, that should be enough of an answer. "Then I'm heading out! See you next time!"
I left the chatroom before Hyeonbyeol had a chance to say anything else.
***
They were in a quiet study with furniture designed and arranged by her.
"If we're all done here, I'll leave now..."
"Yes, I will send you the GP we agreed on right away."
"Right, then..."
As soon as the Asian woman, who gave off an intellectual yet somewhat bumbling vibe, left the chat, the GM muttered, "He is in the middle of a battle, huh? That's very strange. If a man like him is in a position where he can't waste a single second, that must mean the enemy he's fighting is on the same level as him."
The GM's voice was full of despondency. Soul Queen, who had been working with him for a long time, knew why—there was no way she couldn't. She felt the same way.
The Korean woman had asked them to call her Black Star if the nickname HS123 was too difficult to pronounce. And until that woman told them what was going on, they knew nothing. Nothing. Normally they were confident in their information-gathering abilities, but until they happened to collide with this newcomer in the dark, they didn't even notice the signs that something was brewing.
"...Still, I'm glad we were able to recruit Black Star. If a conflict big enough to cause that man to struggle has occurred, there are bound to be traces of it left behind. For now, let's focus on finding those traces."
Even as she nodded at the GM's words, Soul Queen did not hesitate to ask a question in return. "But there's something else that's strange about this. If he was really in such a dangerous situation, why did he enter the chat at all?"
"But this is him we're talking about. That woman said he didn't look to be in a rush, either. Perhaps he was simply confident."
"That's... true."
It was a strange thought, but Soul Queen believed that could be the case. No, she definitely thought that was the case. She couldn't imagine Lion ever looking harried. He was like a giant. Because he had absolute faith in himself, he always walked at a leisurely pace, but still left behind a big footprint.
"Before that... Soul Queen, shouldn't you get ready?"
"Get ready?"
"It'll be time to enter the Round Table soon."
"But Lion won't be there."
"Still, there is quite a bit of useful information being exchanged there. More importantly, there is Corpse Collector, who is connected to Noark. You should go. You may get some information about the conflict that is happening wherever Lion is right now."
"If you put it that way... all right."
Soul Queen left the chat as instructed by the GM. Then, as soon as the time came, she entered the Watchers of the Round Table.
"Once I leave the chatroom, I'm going to log out immediately. The GM will probably wonder why. Tell him I couldn't talk for long because I'm in the middle of a battle and that I left in a hurry with a promise to meet next month."
"Okay. But let me ask you one thing."
"What is it?"
"What's the real reason you're logging out?"
"That? It's similar to what you're going to tell the GM for me."
"Are you saying... you really came here in the middle of a fight? The labyrinth hasn't even opened yet!"
"I told you, it's similar." Fights weren't just physical, right? Anyway, that should be enough of an answer. "Then I'm heading out! See you next time!"
I left the chatroom before Hyeonbyeol had a chance to say anything else.
***
They were in a quiet study with furniture designed and arranged by her.
"If we're all done here, I'll leave now..."
"Yes, I will send you the GP we agreed on right away."
"Right, then..."
As soon as the Asian woman, who gave off an intellectual yet somewhat bumbling vibe, left the chat, the GM muttered, "He is in the middle of a battle, huh? That's very strange. If a man like him is in a position where he can't waste a single second, that must mean the enemy he's fighting is on the same level as him."
The GM's voice was full of despondency. Soul Queen, who had been working with him for a long time, knew why—there was no way she couldn't. She felt the same way.
The Korean woman had asked them to call her Black Star if the nickname HS123 was too difficult to pronounce. And until that woman told them what was going on, they knew nothing. Nothing. Normally they were confident in their information-gathering abilities, but until they happened to collide with this newcomer in the dark, they didn't even notice the signs that something was brewing.
"...Still, I'm glad we were able to recruit Black Star. If a conflict big enough to cause that man to struggle has occurred, there are bound to be traces of it left behind. For now, let's focus on finding those traces."
Even as she nodded at the GM's words, Soul Queen did not hesitate to ask a question in return. "But there's something else that's strange about this. If he was really in such a dangerous situation, why did he enter the chat at all?"
"But this is him we're talking about. That woman said he didn't look to be in a rush, either. Perhaps he was simply confident."
"That's... true."
It was a strange thought, but Soul Queen believed that could be the case. No, she definitely thought that was the case. She couldn't imagine Lion ever looking harried. He was like a giant. Because he had absolute faith in himself, he always walked at a leisurely pace, but still left behind a big footprint.
"Before that... Soul Queen, shouldn't you get ready?"
"Get ready?"
"It'll be time to enter the Round Table soon."
"But Lion won't be there."
"Still, there is quite a bit of useful information being exchanged there. More importantly, there is Corpse Collector, who is connected to Noark. You should go. You may get some information about the conflict that is happening wherever Lion is right now."
"If you put it that way... all right."
Soul Queen left the chat as instructed by the GM. Then, as soon as the time came, she entered the Watchers of the Round Table.
"You're early."
"Yes. I had some spare time."
Fox had arrived before her. As they exchanged brief greetings, the other members entered one by one. Goblin and Crescent were first.
"Pshehe, I'm surprised Deer isn't here today." Clown soon followed.
A total of five people gathered around the Round Table, and there continued to be five until the door slammed shut, signaling the end of the entry period.
"I don't care if Deer is dead in a ditch somewhere but this is kind of a problem. I can't believe Mr. Lion isn't here." Clown got up without hesitation, grumbling the whole time. "Honestly, it's because you people never bring anything interesting! Ugh, whenever I think about you acting high and mighty out in the real world..." He kept muttering as he headed to the door, before trailing off and turning to Soul Queen. "Huh? Aren't you leaving, Ms. Queen?"
"No. I'm going to participate this time."
"If I leave, you're going to be left with the dregs."
Soul Queen chortled, covering her mouth at Clown's arrogance. "Oh my, what an amusing claim. You're no different, Mr. Clown."
"Are you saying I'm on the same level as them?"
"Hmm, seeing as you believe that the reason Mr. Lion didn't come was because he was unsatisfied with our information, I think you're on a somewhat similar level, yes."
"...You make it sound like you know why Mr. Lion didn't come."
"I don't know. I can't just tell you that for free. If you're curious, why don't we do a round?"
"...Pshehe, you and your bluffing. You almost had me fooled. There's no way you know anything about Mr. Lion."
"Are you sure? If you are, you can leave."
Despite her taunting tone, Clown's feet did not move. This was about what she expected. Clown's blind interest in Lion wasn't anything new.
Tap.
Clown turned back around from the door and sat down, then muttered an excuse. "...Well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what absurd thing you have to say before I leave. Pshehe." Although his tone was rude, he had still played directly into her hand. The fact was that she needed Clown for high-quality information.
When Clown sat down, all eyes naturally gathered on her. As she took in those expectant, curious gazes, she felt the corner of her mouth lift behind her mask. She hadn't intended to go first, but there was no particular reason not to.
"Pshehe, why are you staying silent now? Well, how can you possibly know something even I—"
She cut Clown off and announced, "Lion is currently battling someone."
Clown didn't even make a fuss about being interrupted. Instead, as soon as she finished, his gaze immediately snapped elsewhere, to the place where the jewel that identified the truth was located. It wasn't just Clown, either—all of the other members looked in that direction with shining eyes.
Shaaaaaa.
Soon, light emanated from the jewel.
"I-It's green." Once Goblin broke the silence, a commotion ensued.
"Queen, did you figure out Lion's identity?" Crescent was so worked up that he kicked back his chair and jumped to his feet.
"It wasn't Queen," Fox said softly. "It must be the GM who figured it out."
"M-More importantly... if Mr. Lion can't participate in the gathering because of a fight, who could possibly be the opponent...?" Goblin then seemed to pick up on a strange vibe from across the table and trailed off.
Clown, meanwhile, said nothing.
"You've gotten very quiet, Mr. Clown—"
"How...How were you able to find out...? Did he tell you? But, then why? W-Why you first, and not me?" Clown's voice, which was light and casual until just a moment ago, was now filled with emotion. He was glaring daggers at Queen through the cracks in his mask, his eyes full of more fervent interest than ever before.
"Hmm, I don't know. I wonder why." She found herself smiling without realizing it. "If you tell me something interesting, perhaps I can tell you more." It was an almost addictive feeling.
***
[You are being transported to Rafdonia.]
About twenty minutes in Ghost Busters, when converted to real time, was about 0.3 seconds—too short of a time for anything to happen to me in an empty room. As soon as I finished talking to Hyeonbyeol, I clicked Log Out, making the executive decision not to go to the Round Table today. Even if I stayed, I'd just be scrolling through the bulletin board cackling to myself until it opened. I decided it was better to log out early and prepare for what was about to happen instead.
It's quiet.
When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the same darkness from less than a second ago. I couldn't hear a single sound, and the windows were also sealed tight.
Rattle.
Just then, the locked bedroom door opened. Even as I shut my eyes again, my near-superhuman warrior's body sensed an unknown entity rapidly approaching.
If I chose to take my time, I would have been screwed.
The time it took for the enemy to open the door and reach my bedside was only about one second.
What is this guy, a cockroach?
My eyes immediately shot open and I threw out a hand.
Grab!
I grabbed their neck in a single move. Then I sat up and confirmed the identity of my uninvited guest. A completely unexpected person was struggling in my grip.
"Eltora Tercerion."
To think the prime minister's son himself had come to see me. Of course, this wasn't cause for alarm. I didn't care if it was him or his elderly grandfather—my job here remained the same.
"...I hope you came prepared to die." I planned to collect full compensation for getting called back here and missing out on community activities.
"You're early."
"Yes. I had some spare time."
Fox had arrived before her. As they exchanged brief greetings, the other members entered one by one. Goblin and Crescent were first.
"Pshehe, I'm surprised Deer isn't here today." Clown soon followed.
A total of five people gathered around the Round Table, and there continued to be five until the door slammed shut, signaling the end of the entry period.
"I don't care if Deer is dead in a ditch somewhere but this is kind of a problem. I can't believe Mr. Lion isn't here." Clown got up without hesitation, grumbling the whole time. "Honestly, it's because you people never bring anything interesting! Ugh, whenever I think about you acting high and mighty out in the real world..." He kept muttering as he headed to the door, before trailing off and turning to Soul Queen. "Huh? Aren't you leaving, Ms. Queen?"
"No. I'm going to participate this time."
"If I leave, you're going to be left with the dregs."
Soul Queen chortled, covering her mouth at Clown's arrogance. "Oh my, what an amusing claim. You're no different, Mr. Clown."
"Are you saying I'm on the same level as them?"
"Hmm, seeing as you believe that the reason Mr. Lion didn't come was because he was unsatisfied with our information, I think you're on a somewhat similar level, yes."
"...You make it sound like you know why Mr. Lion didn't come."
"I don't know. I can't just tell you that for free. If you're curious, why don't we do a round?"
"...Pshehe, you and your bluffing. You almost had me fooled. There's no way you know anything about Mr. Lion."
"Are you sure? If you are, you can leave."
Despite her taunting tone, Clown's feet did not move. This was about what she expected. Clown's blind interest in Lion wasn't anything new.
Tap.
Clown turned back around from the door and sat down, then muttered an excuse. "...Well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what absurd thing you have to say before I leave. Pshehe." Although his tone was rude, he had still played directly into her hand. The fact was that she needed Clown for high-quality information.
When Clown sat down, all eyes naturally gathered on her. As she took in those expectant, curious gazes, she felt the corner of her mouth lift behind her mask. She hadn't intended to go first, but there was no particular reason not to.
"Pshehe, why are you staying silent now? Well, how can you possibly know something even I—"
She cut Clown off and announced, "Lion is currently battling someone."
Clown didn't even make a fuss about being interrupted. Instead, as soon as she finished, his gaze immediately snapped elsewhere, to the place where the jewel that identified the truth was located. It wasn't just Clown, either—all of the other members looked in that direction with shining eyes.
Shaaaaaa.
Soon, light emanated from the jewel.
"I-It's green." Once Goblin broke the silence, a commotion ensued.
"Queen, did you figure out Lion's identity?" Crescent was so worked up that he kicked back his chair and jumped to his feet.
"It wasn't Queen," Fox said softly. "It must be the GM who figured it out."
"M-More importantly... if Mr. Lion can't participate in the gathering because of a fight, who could possibly be the opponent...?" Goblin then seemed to pick up on a strange vibe from across the table and trailed off.
Clown, meanwhile, said nothing.
"You've gotten very quiet, Mr. Clown—"
"How...How were you able to find out...? Did he tell you? But, then why? W-Why you first, and not me?" Clown's voice, which was light and casual until just a moment ago, was now filled with emotion. He was glaring daggers at Queen through the cracks in his mask, his eyes full of more fervent interest than ever before.
"Hmm, I don't know. I wonder why." She found herself smiling without realizing it. "If you tell me something interesting, perhaps I can tell you more." It was an almost addictive feeling.
***
[You are being transported to Rafdonia.]
About twenty minutes in Ghost Busters, when converted to real time, was about 0.3 seconds—too short of a time for anything to happen to me in an empty room. As soon as I finished talking to Hyeonbyeol, I clicked Log Out, making the executive decision not to go to the Round Table today. Even if I stayed, I'd just be scrolling through the bulletin board cackling to myself until it opened. I decided it was better to log out early and prepare for what was about to happen instead.
It's quiet.
When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the same darkness from less than a second ago. I couldn't hear a single sound, and the windows were also sealed tight.
Rattle.
Just then, the locked bedroom door opened. Even as I shut my eyes again, my near-superhuman warrior's body sensed an unknown entity rapidly approaching.
If I chose to take my time, I would have been screwed.
The time it took for the enemy to open the door and reach my bedside was only about one second.
What is this guy, a cockroach?
My eyes immediately shot open and I threw out a hand.
Grab!
I grabbed their neck in a single move. Then I sat up and confirmed the identity of my uninvited guest. A completely unexpected person was struggling in my grip.
"Eltora Tercerion."
To think the prime minister's son himself had come to see me. Of course, this wasn't cause for alarm. I didn't care if it was him or his elderly grandfather—my job here remained the same.
"...I hope you came prepared to die." I planned to collect full compensation for getting called back here and missing out on community activities.