Chapter 437: Rival (3)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 437: Rival (3)

Passives and actives were sealed when you were inside the community, which was why the lie detector skill that gave me such a hard time in the outside world didn't work here. Plus, even if Baekho could use it, I could counter it with Auril Gavis's gift. But none of that really mattered right now.

Is he putting out feelers?

There were two possibilities here. One, Baekho wasn't sure if I was telling the truth about my intentions, so he was pretending to be mad so he could check one more time. Two, he was really confident I was lying.

Thump!

God damn it.

My heart pounded so fast it was practically vibrating. Maybe I'd underestimated him. This guy had lived in this harsh world for over a decade, right? Just because he didn't have a lie detector didn't make him a moron. No, rather, he would be more sensitive even without it. Thanks to his skill, he would be intimately familiar with the strategies liars used and accumulated a vast amount of data to subconsciously pull on.

The chances he's only testing the waters are very low.

In that split second, I made my decision.

It's better to cop to my mistake and apologize rather than assume an excuse will work.

Thankfully, it was Baekho who broke the silence. "Hansu."

"...Yeah?"

"Sorry, I can't give you Kitty back."

"...What?"

Baekho's lips curled into a cold sneer. "What, has living as a barbarian made you lose your hearing?" His tone was acidic in a way I'd never heard from Baekho while in Hansu's form. He looked me straight in the eye and made a point to speak in an exaggerated tone. "I can't give you back your precious Kitty."

My mind went blank.

"Can't you see? She'll be more useful for helping me achieve my goals than yours. You want to stay in this world, right? Of course, don't worry."

Oddly, I didn't find myself boiling over in anger.

"I'll give her back once I'm done."

Instead, I could only laugh. To be honest, I couldn't tell you why. But even knowing he was obviously provoking me, and also knowing I should make an effort to ensure our relationship didn't get any worse, the words burst out of me without filter. "Baekho, you... You're really a broken ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bastard."

I didn't even regret it.

"Wow, now you're showing your true colors. And you were always so careful." Baekho laughed too. "You have no room to talk, do you?"

I smiled wider. As a result, everyone here was smiling.

Crackle, crackle, crackle.

Despite the warmth of the fireplace, a cold air settled between me and Baekho.

"Interesting."

"Yeah, it is."

We each muttered, and he opened his mouth to break our standoff first. "But there's one thing I don't understand. How am I the broken bastard?" He no longer bothered with polite speech or honorifics.

I scoffed. "Isn't it obvious you're the one who's broken?"

"Think about it. Your real life is out there waiting, but you're so infatuated with an NPC that you would want to do something as foolish as stay here."

This wasn't even worth answering. No matter what I said, he wouldn't understand.

"Maybe I could accept that coming from some amateur, but you? Going back isn't even a dream for you. You have power. You have pretty good comrades. You've done some impressive stuff, are famous, and what's this? You even have a noble title—"

"What are you getting at?"

When I cut him off, Baekho got back to the point. "Don't pretend you're some normal guy. It's disgusting. It's obvious you're the one who's broken. Was it fun? Filling the void in your life with people? Getting powerful quickly with game knowledge, so you feel like you're someone worthwhile now? But, let me guess, now that everyone's treating you like a hero, you feel like you have to work even harder to live up to their expectations, right?"

Strictly speaking, he wasn't wrong. If I were to look at the changes I'd undergone from a third-person point of view, I would definitely come to a conclusion like that too. But it didn't matter whether he was right or not.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll bow down to Auril Gavis and thank him in time."

Jeez, this kid sure likes to talk. That's not how a proper keyboard warrior fights, man.

"Hm. You seem like a very angry guy, Baekho." I kept as much of a handle on my composure as possible and stared straight at Baekho. If this were a turn-based game, it'd be my turn to attack. And there was no need for a long-winded speech. "But I get it. You were the dumpee, not the dumper, right?"

"...Dumpee?" He didn't seem to understand what I was saying.

I kindly elaborated. "Why are you playing dumb? The story of those girls running away from you when they found out you're an evil spirit is well known."

"...Ha."

"That's why, isn't it? Why you're so desperate to go back? Tsk, you childish prick." I said that last part softly so that Baekho couldn't hear, but it seemed he was listening in like a peeping Tom.

Baekho's expression crumpled oddly, though it didn't stay that way for long. "Haha, hahaha! Kh—puhahaha!"

Baekho burst into laughter as if I'd just told a genuinely hilarious joke. It was a common coping mechanism. You're totally ridiculous, which is why I'm laughing like this—something like that.

I stood there staring at him, utterly silent, and Baekho's laughter slowly tapered off. "My friend."

"What."

"Do you really like that Kitty that much? Enough to attack me like this all of a sudden?"

"I don't care about all that."

"Of course you do. That seems to be your biggest reason for not going back." I once again stayed silent. "Wow, you can't admit it even now. You're surprisingly shy." I judged that no matter what I said here, I'd only get sucked into his antics. "Oh, wait! I just came up with a good idea."

The declaration sounded oddly ominous.

"About Kitty..." My instincts proved spot-on. "Why don't I just kill her?"

Fuck.

"Honestly, you only want to stay in this world because you're so satisfied with the status quo, right?" The more he talked, the more my heart tightened. "So it wouldn't be a bad idea to just kill her. If this place becomes unbearable to you, you'll naturally want to go back home. Like a baby rabbit seeking refuge when winter comes."

This was the fundamental reason I hadn't revealed my identity to Baekho.

"Hmm, I think that's a really good idea."

This guy would do anything to achieve his goal.

"Broken things can be repaired. Right?" He grinned at me. His smile was bright and didn't match the tone of our conversation at all. I felt chills go down my spine, fear instinctively creeping up on me.

"What are you getting at?"

When I cut him off, Baekho got back to the point. "Don't pretend you're some normal guy. It's disgusting. It's obvious you're the one who's broken. Was it fun? Filling the void in your life with people? Getting powerful quickly with game knowledge, so you feel like you're someone worthwhile now? But, let me guess, now that everyone's treating you like a hero, you feel like you have to work even harder to live up to their expectations, right?"

Strictly speaking, he wasn't wrong. If I were to look at the changes I'd undergone from a third-person point of view, I would definitely come to a conclusion like that too. But it didn't matter whether he was right or not.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll bow down to Auril Gavis and thank him in time."

Jeez, this kid sure likes to talk. That's not how a proper keyboard warrior fights, man.

"Hm. You seem like a very angry guy, Baekho." I kept as much of a handle on my composure as possible and stared straight at Baekho. If this were a turn-based game, it'd be my turn to attack. And there was no need for a long-winded speech. "But I get it. You were the dumpee, not the dumper, right?"

"...Dumpee?" He didn't seem to understand what I was saying.

I kindly elaborated. "Why are you playing dumb? The story of those girls running away from you when they found out you're an evil spirit is well known."

"...Ha."

"That's why, isn't it? Why you're so desperate to go back? Tsk, you childish prick." I said that last part softly so that Baekho couldn't hear, but it seemed he was listening in like a peeping Tom.

Baekho's expression crumpled oddly, though it didn't stay that way for long. "Haha, hahaha! Kh—puhahaha!"

Baekho burst into laughter as if I'd just told a genuinely hilarious joke. It was a common coping mechanism. You're totally ridiculous, which is why I'm laughing like this—something like that.

I stood there staring at him, utterly silent, and Baekho's laughter slowly tapered off. "My friend."

"What."

"Do you really like that Kitty that much? Enough to attack me like this all of a sudden?"

"I don't care about all that."

"Of course you do. That seems to be your biggest reason for not going back." I once again stayed silent. "Wow, you can't admit it even now. You're surprisingly shy." I judged that no matter what I said here, I'd only get sucked into his antics. "Oh, wait! I just came up with a good idea."

The declaration sounded oddly ominous.

"About Kitty..." My instincts proved spot-on. "Why don't I just kill her?"

Fuck.

"Honestly, you only want to stay in this world because you're so satisfied with the status quo, right?" The more he talked, the more my heart tightened. "So it wouldn't be a bad idea to just kill her. If this place becomes unbearable to you, you'll naturally want to go back home. Like a baby rabbit seeking refuge when winter comes."

This was the fundamental reason I hadn't revealed my identity to Baekho.

"Hmm, I think that's a really good idea."

This guy would do anything to achieve his goal.

"Broken things can be repaired. Right?" He grinned at me. His smile was bright and didn't match the tone of our conversation at all. I felt chills go down my spine, fear instinctively creeping up on me.

"Baekho." But there was another, more powerful emotion than fear.

"What."

It was murderous intent, the deep desire to kill someone. "If you keep saying that crap..." I didn't even need to meditate and get myself in the mood like at the Round Table. I just had to release what I'd been suppressing, something that had already been building up for a while. "I'll have to kill you." My murderous intent was more intense than ever before.

Baekho flinched upon sensing my unrefined bloodlust. Of course, his hesitation was very brief. Before long, he began to speak again. What came out of his mouth showed just how different he was from the people I'd met in the past. It was not an apology or words of resentment or even a plea to stop.

Confronted with murderous intent that would have left Corpse Collector choking and squirming on the ground, he said, "Wow..." It was a sincere exclamation. "You're unreal... other guys would piss their pants." He threw out words of praise that weren't really praise and slowly walked up to me, rolling his shoulders to relieve the tension there. "But Hansu." One step. "Don't you remember?" Two steps. "I taught you that." Three steps. "Murderous intent."

We came within arm's reach, and I could suddenly feel with my whole body the murderous intent he held toward me.

Murderous intent was an unofficial technique used by pros to scare newbies. Although I had benefited from the use of murderous intent at the Round Table, I was never on the receiving end of it. To be more precise, I only found myself targeted by it exactly once, when Fox gave it a shot the day I became a member of the Round Table. It was a strange feeling—that had been my impression the first time I experienced it. It made my skin crawl and my heart kept pounding, but that was all.

"Now, then..." On the other hand, Baekho's murderous intent was different, from its intensity to its ferocity. "Say that again." I thought I could understand now why the Corpse Collector had been shaking so much that day.

Thumpthumpthumpthump!

My heart pounded so hard that I felt like it might explode at this rate. Cold sweat pooled and trickled down my face. In theory, this wasn't a place where breathing was necessary, but my breath caught like someone had my neck in a vise-like grip. It was like every brain cell I had was on fire.

"What was it, again? You'll have to kill me?"

It wasn't to the point where I would collapse like Corpse Collector or Fox. Of course, it was tough and every part of me wanted to run away. I could end this all just by clicking out of the chatroom. But even so...

"Buddy, you don't really think that's possible, do you?"

I endured it anyway because I knew. I'd learned something while living as Bjorn Yandel. When you ran from your fears, an even more terrifying situation would be waiting for you on the other side.

"...Eh?"

I forced my muddled mind back to awareness and took a step forward.

Step.

Now slightly closer, I leaned down toward Baekho and whispered in his ear, "I don't think it's totally impossible." This wasn't just a bluff to win our battle of wills.

"Come on, didn't you say you beat the game at Times Ten?"

I really was confident.

"In ten years, you'll be like me."

Though I may lack power compared to him now if I just had more time...

"Realistically, I have no more areas to improve, so..."

"Baekho." But there was another, more powerful emotion than fear.

"What."

It was murderous intent, the deep desire to kill someone. "If you keep saying that crap..." I didn't even need to meditate and get myself in the mood like at the Round Table. I just had to release what I'd been suppressing, something that had already been building up for a while. "I'll have to kill you." My murderous intent was more intense than ever before.

Baekho flinched upon sensing my unrefined bloodlust. Of course, his hesitation was very brief. Before long, he began to speak again. What came out of his mouth showed just how different he was from the people I'd met in the past. It was not an apology or words of resentment or even a plea to stop.

Confronted with murderous intent that would have left Corpse Collector choking and squirming on the ground, he said, "Wow..." It was a sincere exclamation. "You're unreal... other guys would piss their pants." He threw out words of praise that weren't really praise and slowly walked up to me, rolling his shoulders to relieve the tension there. "But Hansu." One step. "Don't you remember?" Two steps. "I taught you that." Three steps. "Murderous intent."

We came within arm's reach, and I could suddenly feel with my whole body the murderous intent he held toward me.

Murderous intent was an unofficial technique used by pros to scare newbies. Although I had benefited from the use of murderous intent at the Round Table, I was never on the receiving end of it. To be more precise, I only found myself targeted by it exactly once, when Fox gave it a shot the day I became a member of the Round Table. It was a strange feeling—that had been my impression the first time I experienced it. It made my skin crawl and my heart kept pounding, but that was all.

"Now, then..." On the other hand, Baekho's murderous intent was different, from its intensity to its ferocity. "Say that again." I thought I could understand now why the Corpse Collector had been shaking so much that day.

Thumpthumpthumpthump!

My heart pounded so hard that I felt like it might explode at this rate. Cold sweat pooled and trickled down my face. In theory, this wasn't a place where breathing was necessary, but my breath caught like someone had my neck in a vise-like grip. It was like every brain cell I had was on fire.

"What was it, again? You'll have to kill me?"

It wasn't to the point where I would collapse like Corpse Collector or Fox. Of course, it was tough and every part of me wanted to run away. I could end this all just by clicking out of the chatroom. But even so...

"Buddy, you don't really think that's possible, do you?"

I endured it anyway because I knew. I'd learned something while living as Bjorn Yandel. When you ran from your fears, an even more terrifying situation would be waiting for you on the other side.

"...Eh?"

I forced my muddled mind back to awareness and took a step forward.

Step.

Now slightly closer, I leaned down toward Baekho and whispered in his ear, "I don't think it's totally impossible." This wasn't just a bluff to win our battle of wills.

"Come on, didn't you say you beat the game at Times Ten?"

I really was confident.

"In ten years, you'll be like me."

Though I may lack power compared to him now if I just had more time...

"Realistically, I have no more areas to improve, so..."

A measly Times Ten.

...I could beat Baekho.

But maybe my confidence came across. Baekho regained his composure, which had disappeared while I was speaking, and smirked. "Interesting."

Yeah, right.

"You're getting on my nerves." I clicked my tongue and threw his own words back in his face. "Why are you lying all of a sudden?" Baekho tilted his head like he had no clue what I was talking about, and I added, "You don't find this interesting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at all."

If you did, why do you keep shuffling back?

"...Hey, hey! Stop, stop!" Baekho took three steps back with exaggerated hand gestures. "Ah! Hansu, honestly! I can't even joke around with you!" Suddenly, his expression and personality did a total one-eighty. Baekho plowed on without giving me time to adjust. "There's no way I'd really kill Kitty. I was just saying that. Just saying! Do you know how much I like you, Hansu? I've been so good to you since the moment we met!"

Yeah, right. No, well, I'm sure he does like me. Since he finds something about me useful.

"Is that why you threatened to kill Missha?"

"Relax, relax! Threatened? I told you. It was a joke!" Baekho's tone was flippant, but facts were facts. That had been a threat. "Why would I kill Kitty? I have nothing to gain from doing that."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Well, that logic was actually believable. He would be losing an ice double swordmaster and also making an enemy of me. Any way you looked at it, killing her was far from a rational thing to do. But...

"If your threat worked, you would've used that to control me in the future." I was already lightheaded from almost losing our battle of wills earlier. If he'd managed to dominate me, the conversation we'd be having right now would be completely different.

"Honestly! Why would you think that, buddy?! I'm not that evil!"

He wouldn't be laughing like he was now. He wouldn't have called me "buddy" and started acting all friendly again.

"I'm glad you're not evil. Then give Missha back."

"I will. If you do me a favor."

He would never have offered me a deal like this.

This scenario is the bastard's Plan B?

As I stared at him with that thought in mind, Baekho sheepishly continued. "I won't ask you to go back with me again. I know how serious you are now."

"Your point."

"We can still work together, right?" Baekho paused for a moment to give me a pleading look.

Of course, I didn't intend to play along. "...Finish your sentence first."

"You know the situation you're in better than I do."

Yes, better than his, at least. It was not good, full of troublesome things. No, actually, it was worse. Every day felt like skating on razor-thin ice. "So?"

"I'll help you get through these tough times. Give you full support to turn things from bad to good. In return, help me beat the tenth floor later."

Baekho's offer wasn't bad. Unlike me, he had nothing holding him back. To put it bluntly, if he assassinated the marquess, it would be of great help to me.

"Baekho."

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't you do something before asking me for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠help?" I kept this short. I still didn't know why he wanted me so bad. "Bring me Missha first. Then we'll talk. Your answer?"

Baekho went silent again. He seemed lost in thought. The moment he sent Missha my way, he'd lose his leverage.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Hansu, since we're both worked up today, let's end this conversation here." He chose to hold off.

"What?"

"Can't you see? My head's too scrambled right now. So let's talk again next time. In the meantime, I'll carefully consider what to do with Kitty. Okay?"

"Okay—"

—my ass.

Before I could finish my sentence, however, he interrupted. "Ah, buddy, you said okay!"

"...What?"

"Then see you!"

"Hey, wait! Wait—" I hurriedly reached out, but there was nothing I could do physically in this spiritual world.

Tap.

As soon as my fingertips touched Baekho, his body disappeared in a halo of light.

Pop!

A measly Times Ten.

...I could beat Baekho.

But maybe my confidence came across. Baekho regained his composure, which had disappeared while I was speaking, and smirked. "Interesting."

Yeah, right.

"You're getting on my nerves." I clicked my tongue and threw his own words back in his face. "Why are you lying all of a sudden?" Baekho tilted his head like he had no clue what I was talking about, and I added, "You don't find this interesting at all."

If you did, why do you keep shuffling back?

"...Hey, hey! Stop, stop!" Baekho took three steps back with exaggerated hand gestures. "Ah! Hansu, honestly! I can't even joke around with you!" Suddenly, his expression and personality did a total one-eighty. Baekho plowed on without giving me time to adjust. "There's no way I'd really kill Kitty. I was just saying that. Just saying! Do you know how much I like you, Hansu? I've been so good to you since the moment we met!"

Yeah, right. No, well, I'm sure he does like me. Since he finds something about me useful.

"Is that why you threatened to kill Missha?"

"Relax, relax! Threatened? I told you. It was a joke!" Baekho's tone was flippant, but facts were facts. That had been a threat. "Why would I kill Kitty? I have nothing to gain from doing that."

Well, that logic was actually believable. He would be losing an ice double swordmaster and also making an enemy of me. Any way you looked at it, killing her was far from a rational thing to do. But...

"If your threat worked, you would've used that to control me in the future." I was already lightheaded from almost losing our battle of wills earlier. If he'd managed to dominate me, the conversation we'd be having right now would be completely different.

"Honestly! Why would you think that, buddy?! I'm not that evil!"

He wouldn't be laughing like he was now. He wouldn't have called me "buddy" and started acting all friendly again.

"I'm glad you're not evil. Then give Missha back."

"I will. If you do me a favor."

He would never have offered me a deal like this.

This scenario is the bastard's Plan B?

As I stared at him with that thought in mind, Baekho sheepishly continued. "I won't ask you to go back with me again. I know how serious you are now."

"Your point."

"We can still work together, right?" Baekho paused for a moment to give me a pleading look.

Of course, I didn't intend to play along. "...Finish your sentence first."

"You know the situation you're in better than I do."

Yes, better than his, at least. It was not good, full of troublesome things. No, actually, it was worse. Every day felt like skating on razor-thin ice. "So?"

"I'll help you get through these tough times. Give you full support to turn things from bad to good. In return, help me beat the tenth floor later."

Baekho's offer wasn't bad. Unlike me, he had nothing holding him back. To put it bluntly, if he assassinated the marquess, it would be of great help to me.

"Baekho."

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't you do something before asking me for help?" I kept this short. I still didn't know why he wanted me so bad. "Bring me Missha first. Then we'll talk. Your answer?"

Baekho went silent again. He seemed lost in thought. The moment he sent Missha my way, he'd lose his leverage.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Hansu, since we're both worked up today, let's end this conversation here." He chose to hold off.

"What?"

"Can't you see? My head's too scrambled right now. So let's talk again next time. In the meantime, I'll carefully consider what to do with Kitty. Okay?"

"Okay—"

—my ass.

Before I could finish my sentence, however, he interrupted. "Ah, buddy, you said okay!"

"...What?"

"Then see you!"

"Hey, wait! Wait—" I hurriedly reached out, but there was nothing I could do physically in this spiritual world.

Tap.

As soon as my fingertips touched Baekho, his body disappeared in a halo of light.

Pop!