Chapter 519: One-to-One (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 519: One-to-One (2)
There was a saying that time healed all wounds. That no matter how much you were suffering now, all would be well if you just gave it time.
So, following that logic...
One, two, three...
After counting to three, I opened my eyes again.
The pause helped me settle down a bit, but unfortunately, it didn't do anything to change the scene in front of me.
One twin-sized bed. A computer atop a desk. A living room and kitchen visible through a wide-open door.
This was without a doubt Hansu Lee's bedroom—the same place I always returned to on the fifteenth of every month at midnight ever since eating that pill. The place where I could access the community forum for players—Ghost Busters.
I could just be dreaming right now... But probably not.
I considered that possibility but promptly shook my head. I didn't know why this had happened, but it had. What I needed to do now wasn't live in denial but figure out what had happened and come up with a solution.
"Why am I here?" I pulled up a loose sheet of paper to take notes and began working through my thoughts aloud.
First of all, the flow of time between the labyrinth and the city was different.
It didn't matter how many days you spent inside the labyrinth—only thirty-six hours would've passed in the city. That was why even when I spent over two months in the labyrinth with my expedition team, I was never summoned to Ghost Busters.
And yet...
"I'm still here."
I abandoned the question of whether or not this was actually possible, instead choosing to think along another path, which soon led me to an answer. No matter how unrealistic that answer might seem.
How did it make sense that the forums had opened while I was in the labyrinth? An unbelievable event necessitated an unbelievable cause.
"It's time... Time has to be flowing in the outside world."
If that was the case, that would explain how I was able to enter the forum even while inside the labyrinth.
"Damn it."
Still, as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place, my overwhelming anxiety about the unknown disappeared. In its place, more specific and practical problems rose to the surface of my mind.
Did this mean I was stuck in the labyrinth forever? If the labyrinth did in fact close as usual, word must have once again spread that I died.
How was I supposed to fix this?
I sighed. It was driving me nuts, but this wasn't a problem I could solve just by sitting here spiraling. I sat in front of the computer and took hold of the mouse.
[Long Live Korea's Independence - 2 people are online.]
It looked like Baekho and Hyeonbyeol were already inside the chat room. I was late since I took some time to gather my thoughts, but I still checked the bulletin board before entering the room. I didn't even need to search for posts about me, as there were plenty of threads right off the bat.
Click.
I clicked on the post with the most comments and found a slew of replies below it.
[Did the Giant really die?]
Isn't he probably just scheming with the palace and playing dead again?
BurtusMaximus: I think he's really dead this time. There are witnesses who saw him go into the portal on the 1st floor and enter the new hidden area.
└OP: Really? How do you know that?
└BurtusMaximus: when Yandel opened the portal, there were other people there who went in after him, but the portal closed so some of them got left behind.
└OP: Thanks for the info. But is it really okay to post that here?
└BrutusMaximus: I mean, everyone who needs to know all already knows anyway.
└Nyacreeps: looks like only one of them made it back alive, and he might just be the luckiest bastard in the world. not only did he not go in after Yandel, but he even managed to survive Berzak crawling around the first floor.
Right... I had kind of expected people would think I was dead, but it seemed it really was true. The forums were the only place I could learn about what was going on in the outside world, so I continued to read through the posts. The reactions of the other players were incredibly varied.
[Must Read: Three pieces of evidence that Bjorn Yandel is still alive]
Futuralis: Why is this post blank?
└NExtlevEL: Are you braindead? That means there's nothing.
└Futuralis: What do you mean there's nothing?
└NExtlevEL: Well there's nothing in your brain, apparently.
A few of them were lightening things up with jokes, while others were spreading false rumors and making stuff up.
Also...
[Friends, here's the method for opening the portal.]
Everyone knows that the Crystal Cave's dark zone has a new portal stone, right? Bjorn Yandel opened it a few weeks ago and met his end.
All right, so the question here is what the condition for opening the portal is...
To put it simply, there's a high probability that whatever it is is on the third floor. There were a lot of adventurers who saw Yandel on the third floor this month.
Okay, so that was already common knowledge too.
these99: It's possible what you're saying is true. Maybe he went all the way up to the third floor before coming back down to the first floor to open the portal.
ionboii: Tsk tsk. Look at this bait. Saying you'd share information and then only giving us theories.
└EdwardBless77: this isn't the kind of info you'd get from some random rumor. there's lots of other people who saw him on the second floor too.
└AI_DIDIGO: Fact 1: Bjorn Yandel went back down to the first floor within seven days and immediately opened the new Crystal Cave portal.
Actually, it wasn't just the fact that we went up to the third floor—it was safe to say that everyone knew the route we took during our quest this month...
└EdwardBless77: Mr. DIDIGO, do you have a Fact 2 today too?
└AI_DIDIGO: Fact 2: The portal immediately closed after sixty people entered. Estimated maximum occupancy limit for the new hidden area: sixty people.
Even people who hadn't been there seemed to know all the little details.
I think I've seen everything I need to see...
With that, I stopped actively browsing and debated whether to enter the chat room with Baekho and Hyeonbyeol now. Out of habit, however, I clicked to the next page and a post caught my eye.
└OP: Really? How do you know that?
└BurtusMaximus: when Yandel opened the portal, there were other people there who went in after him, but the portal closed so some of them got left behind.
└OP: Thanks for the info. But is it really okay to post that here?
└BrutusMaximus: I mean, everyone who needs to know all already knows anyway.
└Nyacreeps: looks like only one of them made it back alive, and he might just be the luckiest bastard in the world. not only did he not go in after Yandel, but he even managed to survive Berzak crawling around the first floor.
Right... I had kind of expected people would think I was dead, but it seemed it really was true. The forums were the only place I could learn about what was going on in the outside world, so I continued to read through the posts. The reactions of the other players were incredibly varied.
[Must Read: Three pieces of evidence that Bjorn Yandel is still alive]
Futuralis: Why is this post blank?
└NExtlevEL: Are you braindead? That means there's nothing.
└Futuralis: What do you mean there's nothing?
└NExtlevEL: Well there's nothing in your brain, apparently.
A few of them were lightening things up with jokes, while others were spreading false rumors and making stuff up.
Also...
[Friends, here's the method for opening the portal.]
Everyone knows that the Crystal Cave's dark zone has a new portal stone, right? Bjorn Yandel opened it a few weeks ago and met his end.
All right, so the question here is what the condition for opening the portal is...
To put it simply, there's a high probability that whatever it is is on the third floor. There were a lot of adventurers who saw Yandel on the third floor this month.
Okay, so that was already common knowledge too.
these99: It's possible what you're saying is true. Maybe he went all the way up to the third floor before coming back down to the first floor to open the portal.
ionboii: Tsk tsk. Look at this bait. Saying you'd share information and then only giving us theories.
└EdwardBless77: this isn't the kind of info you'd get from some random rumor. there's lots of other people who saw him on the second floor too.
└AI_DIDIGO: Fact 1: Bjorn Yandel went back down to the first floor within seven days and immediately opened the new Crystal Cave portal.
Actually, it wasn't just the fact that we went up to the third floor—it was safe to say that everyone knew the route we took during our quest this month...
└EdwardBless77: Mr. DIDIGO, do you have a Fact 2 today too?
└AI_DIDIGO: Fact 2: The portal immediately closed after sixty people entered. Estimated maximum occupancy limit for the new hidden area: sixty people.
Even people who hadn't been there seemed to know all the little details.
I think I've seen everything I need to see...
With that, I stopped actively browsing and debated whether to enter the chat room with Baekho and Hyeonbyeol now. Out of habit, however, I clicked to the next page and a post caught my eye.
[i'm an adventurer who snuck into the hidden area after bjorn yandel.]
...Who was this?
i'm one of the sixty people you're talking about.
i cannot reveal who i am, but everything i'll say from here on out is the truth, so please trust me.
currently, we are on the first basement floor, in a place called the archives.
this floor is a very peculiar one...
Who was the author of this post? The first person that came to mind was Versyl. However, after thinking it over, I concluded that there was no way it was her. She was just the one person I knew for sure was a player.
It wouldn't be ridiculous to imagine there could have been one more player in the group of sixty who came down with us.
On top of that, the more I read, the more I could narrow down the list of suspects. To establish credibility, the author kept sprinkling in more and more distinct details.
after we split off from bjorn yandel, we began adventuring on our own...
In other words, they weren't a part of the Silver Lion Clan or any of the smaller parties moving with them. This meant that the only suspects left were the group we ran into while leaving Library Island.
that said, i don't know where bjorn yandel is right now. monsters suddenly started falling from the sky, so our expedition was put on hold and we ended up getting split up.
I learned one more thing thanks to this post: rainy season wasn't restricted to just that one island, but was an event that happened all over the floor.
I had no idea how this guy had survived, in that case. Could the monsters not enter the library or something?
currently, we are stuck on an island. although the island is still filled with monsters, the real problem is that our boat was destroyed and we are now stranded here. the only thing we can do now is hold out until the labyrinth hopefully closes...
but since i woke up here today, i'm guessing that's wishful thinking. that's the reason i am publicly sharing precious information about our quest.
those who wish to enter this area or have a plan to adventure here in the future, please listen to me. if you come down here, please come to our island and rescue us. we will give up all the information we've gathered and anything else you might want from us.
the island we're currently on is at a nineteen degree angle from the stone island you start on...
With that, the author revealed their position relative to the stone island. Although I didn't know much about sailing, considering how complicated the path was to get there and how long it took us, they didn't seem to be on the island with the library anymore.
also, if he escapes first and you meet him in the city, or if he is still stuck in here and you run into him here, please tell baron yandel this.
that we are waiting here for him...
That was the end of the post. As I went through the list of potential suspects as to who the author might be, I remembered how uneasy the Hektz Clan's leader had seemed that day.
"As I thought... you haven't found a way out of here yet either."
Human intuition really was a scary thing. I never expected to get stuck in a situation like this, but he clearly had a sixth sense I didn't. Although I felt a bit uneasy, I continued to read the comments on the post.
[i'm an adventurer who snuck into the hidden area after bjorn yandel.]
...Who was this?
i'm one of the sixty people you're talking about.
i cannot reveal who i am, but everything i'll say from here on out is the truth, so please trust me.
currently, we are on the first basement floor, in a place called the archives.
this floor is a very peculiar one...
Who was the author of this post? The first person that came to mind was Versyl. However, after thinking it over, I concluded that there was no way it was her. She was just the one person I knew for sure was a player.
It wouldn't be ridiculous to imagine there could have been one more player in the group of sixty who came down with us.
On top of that, the more I read, the more I could narrow down the list of suspects. To establish credibility, the author kept sprinkling in more and more distinct details.
after we split off from bjorn yandel, we began adventuring on our own...
In other words, they weren't a part of the Silver Lion Clan or any of the smaller parties moving with them. This meant that the only suspects left were the group we ran into while leaving Library Island.
that said, i don't know where bjorn yandel is right now. monsters suddenly started falling from the sky, so our expedition was put on hold and we ended up getting split up.
I learned one more thing thanks to this post: rainy season wasn't restricted to just that one island, but was an event that happened all over the floor.
I had no idea how this guy had survived, in that case. Could the monsters not enter the library or something?
currently, we are stuck on an island. although the island is still filled with monsters, the real problem is that our boat was destroyed and we are now stranded here. the only thing we can do now is hold out until the labyrinth hopefully closes...
but since i woke up here today, i'm guessing that's wishful thinking. that's the reason i am publicly sharing precious information about our quest.
those who wish to enter this area or have a plan to adventure here in the future, please listen to me. if you come down here, please come to our island and rescue us. we will give up all the information we've gathered and anything else you might want from us.
the island we're currently on is at a nineteen degree angle from the stone island you start on...
With that, the author revealed their position relative to the stone island. Although I didn't know much about sailing, considering how complicated the path was to get there and how long it took us, they didn't seem to be on the island with the library anymore.
also, if he escapes first and you meet him in the city, or if he is still stuck in here and you run into him here, please tell baron yandel this.
that we are waiting here for him...
That was the end of the post. As I went through the list of potential suspects as to who the author might be, I remembered how uneasy the Hektz Clan's leader had seemed that day.
"As I thought... you haven't found a way out of here yet either."
Human intuition really was a scary thing. I never expected to get stuck in a situation like this, but he clearly had a sixth sense I didn't. Although I felt a bit uneasy, I continued to read the comments on the post.
Darulus: What? Is this real?
rafal: I just scrolled all the way down the moment I saw "sixty people." Try again, buddy.
MarkG: no one's naive enough to believe this right?
Pawel: You should've spent your time and energy on something more productive than writing this crap...
Most people assumed the post was a troll, but not everyone.
TheRobson75: but it's too detailed to be fake... maybe time really flows inside the labyrinth even while it's closed?
A few people seemed to be on the fence, and there were even some who fully believed the post.
Bling0_0: I think this person is telling the truth. Honestly, I can't even imagine that guy dying. I'd rather accept OP's story...
└AI_DIDIGO: Fact 1: There is nothing in this post to indicate the poster is lying.
└EdwardBless77: So what's your conclusion?
└AI_DIDIGO: Conclusion: The probability that this post is true is 72.8811%.
└Pnec: Nah. That barbarian bastard's dead for sure.
└Bling0_0: Huh? This prick again?
└Pnec: And who are you again? Do I know you?
└Bling0_0: Do I? Was having 1 inch down there not enough? Looks like your memory is 1kb too.
└Pnec: Ah, now I remember. You're that moron lol
└Bling0_0: What's the point of remembering when you're going to forget in 1 second anyway?
Why were these two going at it here?
Do they have nothing better to do?
I went through the rest of the comments, but the author didn't reply to any of them. Maybe they assumed it would make the post seem less credible if they started getting defensive. I couldn't know for sure, but since it had already been thirty minutes since the forums opened, I closed the thread and went to the chat room.
[Long Live Korea's Independence - 2 people are online.]
Thankfully, those two were still there.
Click, clack.
Figuring that I'd kept them waiting for long enough, I quickly entered the room to find Hyeonbyeol and Baekho Lee just a few steps away from each other, facing off with scowls on their faces. The two seemed to be arguing.
"Oh, Big Bro! You're here!"
"...Huh?"
As soon as the two of them sensed my presence, they whirled toward me.
"...H-Hansu?"
"Sorry for being late. But what were you two getting so heated about?"
"Th-that's..." Hyeonbyeol hesitated at my question. Seeing an opening, Baekho quickly interjected.
"It's just that she keeps asking if you're Bjorn Yandel or not."
"What?"
"Even though I kept saying I didn't know, she kept asking me, so I told her you weren't, but she won't back off. I mean seriously, if you weren't going to believe me anyway, why did you even ask in the first place, right?"
"Hyeonbyeol, is this true?"
"...Hansu, you really believe this guy?"
Okay, so it was true. Why else would she respond like that when she could've just said no?
I felt a chill go down my spine.
If she was being this stubborn about it, that means she's gotten pretty close to figuring out my identity...
This was a little sudden, but a potential crisis could be turned into an opportunity if you played your cards right. "Why did you think I was Bjorn Yandel, anyway?" Since word was going around that Bjorn Yandel had died, Hyeonbyeol was probably starting to think she'd been mistaken, so there was a high chance she would tell me the truth here.
"...Do you really believe what he said?"
"I won't get mad, so just tell me."
Clearly picking up on the fact that I wasn't going to let this go, Hyeonbyeol stopped trying to buy time. With a voice as quiet as an ant, she said, "I... wasn't really sure."
"But?"
"...But I know exactly when you ended up in this world."
"Go on."
"Of all the adventurers who came of age around that time, Bjorn Yandel's the one who became the biggest name. If I had to compare him to someone, I'd say he's on the level of Blood Spirit... but she's a woman, so you can't be her."
Ah, so she'd suspected me of being Bjorn Yandel all along.
"...You also talked about the game a lot around me. Talking about how the Shield Barbarian was the best or whatever."
"You remember that...?"
"Of course. You said it to me," Hyeonbyeol replied like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Clearly noticing my inability to respond to that, Baekho let out a whistle from his spot on the sidelines. "Wow... you're incredible, Hyeonbyeol. Bro, you gotta reconsider this. If I were you, I would never let someone like her—"
"Shut up. Please."
Hyeonbyeol and I were on the same page here. Was this guy incapable of keeping his mouth shut for more than two seconds or something? When I glared at him, Baekho just shrugged and zipped his lips.
Now that Baekho had successfully spoiled the mood, Hyeonbyeol avoided eye contact as she continued. "Anyway, that was why... I thought you were Bjorn Yandel... but h-he died..."
I didn't respond, letting her speak.
"And... I waited here, but you didn't come... so I got worried and asked him since I know this guy knows who you are..."
Ah...
"So why were you so late today? I was so worried!" Hyeonbyeol shouted, raising her voice a bit exaggeratedly as if in an attempt to lift the mood.
I ended up apologizing without thinking. "Sorry."
"I didn't ask for an apology, I asked why you were late."
"I wanted to come in immediately, but there were some pretty interesting forum posts. I was late because I was reading them."
"Oh yeah? Interesting posts? What did you see?"
That clearly caught Baekho's attention, so I decided to tell him the truth. I mean, he could just read through them himself later if he wanted. "Something about how time in the labyrinth and the city might be flowing at the same rate?"
"Oh, really? That is interesting."
"Wait! Then doesn't that mean Bjorn Yandel could still be alive?"
"Hm, I guess so."
As I tried to brush that off, Hyeonbyeol's eyes bored into mine. Although she didn't say anything out loud, I could practically hear what she was thinking.
'Why are you talking like this is someone else's problem? That means you could still be Bjorn Yandel!'
Something like that, probably?
As I met Hyeonbyeol's eyes with a brazen smile, Baekho let out a bark of laughter. "Wow, so you need to be at least as mysterious as you to get a girlfriend like her, huh? You have my respect, bro!"
What was he talking about? The guy had way more secrets than me.
I couldn't wrap my head around him calling me the mysterious one, but I didn't get a chance to say anything before he continued. "But still, this is kind of depressing. I wish I had been as smart as you back when I had a chance..."
Hey... Seriously, stop killing the mood.
Darulus: What? Is this real?
rafal: I just scrolled all the way down the moment I saw "sixty people." Try again, buddy.
MarkG: no one's naive enough to believe this right?
Pawel: You should've spent your time and energy on something more productive than writing this crap...
Most people assumed the post was a troll, but not everyone.
TheRobson75: but it's too detailed to be fake... maybe time really flows inside the labyrinth even while it's closed?
A few people seemed to be on the fence, and there were even some who fully believed the post.
Bling0_0: I think this person is telling the truth. Honestly, I can't even imagine that guy dying. I'd rather accept OP's story...
└AI_DIDIGO: Fact 1: There is nothing in this post to indicate the poster is lying.
└EdwardBless77: So what's your conclusion?
└AI_DIDIGO: Conclusion: The probability that this post is true is 72.8811%.
└Pnec: Nah. That barbarian bastard's dead for sure.
└Bling0_0: Huh? This prick again?
└Pnec: And who are you again? Do I know you?
└Bling0_0: Do I? Was having 1 inch down there not enough? Looks like your memory is 1kb too.
└Pnec: Ah, now I remember. You're that moron lol
└Bling0_0: What's the point of remembering when you're going to forget in 1 second anyway?
Why were these two going at it here?
Do they have nothing better to do?
I went through the rest of the comments, but the author didn't reply to any of them. Maybe they assumed it would make the post seem less credible if they started getting defensive. I couldn't know for sure, but since it had already been thirty minutes since the forums opened, I closed the thread and went to the chat room.
[Long Live Korea's Independence - 2 people are online.]
Thankfully, those two were still there.
Click, clack.
Figuring that I'd kept them waiting for long enough, I quickly entered the room to find Hyeonbyeol and Baekho Lee just a few steps away from each other, facing off with scowls on their faces. The two seemed to be arguing.
"Oh, Big Bro! You're here!"
"...Huh?"
As soon as the two of them sensed my presence, they whirled toward me.
"...H-Hansu?"
"Sorry for being late. But what were you two getting so heated about?"
"Th-that's..." Hyeonbyeol hesitated at my question. Seeing an opening, Baekho quickly interjected.
"It's just that she keeps asking if you're Bjorn Yandel or not."
"What?"
"Even though I kept saying I didn't know, she kept asking me, so I told her you weren't, but she won't back off. I mean seriously, if you weren't going to believe me anyway, why did you even ask in the first place, right?"
"Hyeonbyeol, is this true?"
"...Hansu, you really believe this guy?"
Okay, so it was true. Why else would she respond like that when she could've just said no?
I felt a chill go down my spine.
If she was being this stubborn about it, that means she's gotten pretty close to figuring out my identity...
This was a little sudden, but a potential crisis could be turned into an opportunity if you played your cards right. "Why did you think I was Bjorn Yandel, anyway?" Since word was going around that Bjorn Yandel had died, Hyeonbyeol was probably starting to think she'd been mistaken, so there was a high chance she would tell me the truth here.
"...Do you really believe what he said?"
"I won't get mad, so just tell me."
Clearly picking up on the fact that I wasn't going to let this go, Hyeonbyeol stopped trying to buy time. With a voice as quiet as an ant, she said, "I... wasn't really sure."
"But?"
"...But I know exactly when you ended up in this world."
"Go on."
"Of all the adventurers who came of age around that time, Bjorn Yandel's the one who became the biggest name. If I had to compare him to someone, I'd say he's on the level of Blood Spirit... but she's a woman, so you can't be her."
Ah, so she'd suspected me of being Bjorn Yandel all along.
"...You also talked about the game a lot around me. Talking about how the Shield Barbarian was the best or whatever."
"You remember that...?"
"Of course. You said it to me," Hyeonbyeol replied like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Clearly noticing my inability to respond to that, Baekho let out a whistle from his spot on the sidelines. "Wow... you're incredible, Hyeonbyeol. Bro, you gotta reconsider this. If I were you, I would never let someone like her—"
"Shut up. Please."
Hyeonbyeol and I were on the same page here. Was this guy incapable of keeping his mouth shut for more than two seconds or something? When I glared at him, Baekho just shrugged and zipped his lips.
Now that Baekho had successfully spoiled the mood, Hyeonbyeol avoided eye contact as she continued. "Anyway, that was why... I thought you were Bjorn Yandel... but h-he died..."
I didn't respond, letting her speak.
"And... I waited here, but you didn't come... so I got worried and asked him since I know this guy knows who you are..."
Ah...
"So why were you so late today? I was so worried!" Hyeonbyeol shouted, raising her voice a bit exaggeratedly as if in an attempt to lift the mood.
I ended up apologizing without thinking. "Sorry."
"I didn't ask for an apology, I asked why you were late."
"I wanted to come in immediately, but there were some pretty interesting forum posts. I was late because I was reading them."
"Oh yeah? Interesting posts? What did you see?"
That clearly caught Baekho's attention, so I decided to tell him the truth. I mean, he could just read through them himself later if he wanted. "Something about how time in the labyrinth and the city might be flowing at the same rate?"
"Oh, really? That is interesting."
"Wait! Then doesn't that mean Bjorn Yandel could still be alive?"
"Hm, I guess so."
As I tried to brush that off, Hyeonbyeol's eyes bored into mine. Although she didn't say anything out loud, I could practically hear what she was thinking.
'Why are you talking like this is someone else's problem? That means you could still be Bjorn Yandel!'
Something like that, probably?
As I met Hyeonbyeol's eyes with a brazen smile, Baekho let out a bark of laughter. "Wow, so you need to be at least as mysterious as you to get a girlfriend like her, huh? You have my respect, bro!"
What was he talking about? The guy had way more secrets than me.
I couldn't wrap my head around him calling me the mysterious one, but I didn't get a chance to say anything before he continued. "But still, this is kind of depressing. I wish I had been as smart as you back when I had a chance..."
Hey... Seriously, stop killing the mood.