Chapter 521: One-to-One (4)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 521: One-to-One (4)

Once Goblin's turn was over, the round swiftly continued.

"Despite Noark's provocation, the palace is seeing strategic success at being able to traverse the Dragon Mountains. Yet Noark's main forces are still nowhere to be seen."

Deer, who was second in line, looked at our resident Orcules member Clown as he said his piece, apparently trying to goad him into spilling the beans.

"Blood Spirit, who followed Bjorn Yandel into the new hidden area, is still alive."

Crescent was third, and what he said made everyone scratch their heads.

"Given what was said before, there is a high chance that she is alive... but how were you able to confirm it?"

"The pureblood energy in Blood Spirit's body hasn't returned to the clan yet."

"Ah—!"

Right, so there was a way for them to confirm whether she was alive.

"So, the elves have been aware of her survival from the beginning and are currently forming an elite rescue team."

"Pshehe, but that's odd. If we're talking about Blood Spirit, isn't she a traitor to her race? She was given the position of pureblood, but the second she fell for a man, she gave up everything for him."

"...I have nothing to say to you."

"Pshehe, tough crowd."

"I'll say this again, but I'm going to hunt you down one of these days, so you better not die before I get to you. The only reason I come here every month is to confirm that you are still alive."

Crescent and Clown snapped at each other for the first time in a while, but that was just a brief aside to break up the monotony. As the round continued, the two went back to ignoring each other.

"Fox, it's your turn now."

It was already the fourth person's turn.

I rested my chin on my hand as I tuned back in. I was curious as to what Versyl would say behind that fox mask of hers. I mean, I did give her that quest a while back.

"I will do my best to look into it, but can you also try and find out more as well?"

It was the quest I gave her after learning about Missha's apparent betrayal so that she'd make an effort to actively gather information for me at the Round Table.

So, what was Versyl going to do?

"Missha Karlstein isn't a traitor to Bjorn Yandel."

The information she chose directly contradicted what Butterfly said last time.

As soon as I heard the words leave her mouth, I thought, What is she doing? She could say whatever she wanted, but it was obvious the gem would turn red—

Ah, that's what she's aiming for.

With that, the gem on the Round Table began to glow.

Shaaaaaa.

As expected, it shone a bright red.

"Heh... this is interesting," Butterfly murmured, an interested gleam in her eyes as she glanced up at Fox.

Okay, looked like she managed to draw aggro.

This is also probably why she sat directly opposite Butterfly.

Of course, I still didn't know if the bait would hook anyone or not, but from where I was sitting, the attempt was good in and of itself.

"Pshehe, what is this?"

As all the other members looked her way for an explanation, Versyl calmly reacted. "It seems I might be less certain than I thought I was. I gathered quite a lot of evidence too... Anyway, since things have turned out like this, I'll share something else."

After that, she gave out a different piece of information and received a green light, and the round moved to the next person—one of the three new members of the Round Table, Butterfly.

All right, was she going to take the bait or not?

I soon got my answer.

"It seems you don't believe what I said last meeting, Ms. Fox. Or is there maybe a reason you don't want to believe me? You're a really funny lady."

Nice, she took it.

"The reason Missha Karlstein rejoined Bjorn Yandel's party was because someone ordered her to."

...What?

I swallowed back an involuntary sound.

Missha returned because someone told her to...?

Even as my heart began to pound in my chest, I checked the gem.

Shaaaaaa.

A green light glimmered, confirming the statement was true.

At the sight, Clown laughed excitedly. "Pshehe, I pity that barbarian moron. He was always going on about comrades or whatever, but it looks like he's going to be betrayed by one soon."

I wanted to slam his ugly mug into the ground right then and there, but I clenched both my fists under the table and held fast.

Now wasn't the time to get swept away by emotion. I needed to use my brain.

...Someone's orders.

Who was this "someone" Butterfly was talking about?

There was no need to think too hard about it, as one person came to mind right away.

Baekho Lee.

That bastard was the only person who would do something like this. As soon as I saw him next month, I was going to—

No, wait...

As my eyes began to narrow with rage toward Baekho Lee, they ended up making contact with Butterfly's. Of course, as soon as our eyes met, her gaze fluttered away.

...Who is this lady?

That thought suddenly popped into my mind.

Was it a coincidence that she brought Missha Karlstein up? Did she really not have any ulterior motives?

Now that I think about it... the timing really is uncanny.

My hot head registered the strange discrepancy and quickly cooled down.

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

The fact that Butterfly had shared that information at the Round Table meant that it didn't matter to her if it spread far and wide.

Or it meant that she wanted the information to spread.

If it's the latter...

She probably expected it to eventually reach Bjorn Yandel's ears.

I calmed down as much as I could manage and then asked myself, When Bjorn Yandel realizes that Missha Karlstein is a traitor... what action would Butterfly be expecting him to take?

The answer immediately came to mind.

Either he kicks Missha out...

Or, if not that...

As all the other members looked her way for an explanation, Versyl calmly reacted. "It seems I might be less certain than I thought I was. I gathered quite a lot of evidence too... Anyway, since things have turned out like this, I'll share something else."

After that, she gave out a different piece of information and received a green light, and the round moved to the next person—one of the three new members of the Round Table, Butterfly.

All right, was she going to take the bait or not?

I soon got my answer.

"It seems you don't believe what I said last meeting, Ms. Fox. Or is there maybe a reason you don't want to believe me? You're a really funny lady."

Nice, she took it.

"The reason Missha Karlstein rejoined Bjorn Yandel's party was because someone ordered her to."

...What?

I swallowed back an involuntary sound.

Missha returned because someone told her to...?

Even as my heart began to pound in my chest, I checked the gem.

Shaaaaaa.

A green light glimmered, confirming the statement was true.

At the sight, Clown laughed excitedly. "Pshehe, I pity that barbarian moron. He was always going on about comrades or whatever, but it looks like he's going to be betrayed by one soon."

I wanted to slam his ugly mug into the ground right then and there, but I clenched both my fists under the table and held fast.

Now wasn't the time to get swept away by emotion. I needed to use my brain.

...Someone's orders.

Who was this "someone" Butterfly was talking about?

There was no need to think too hard about it, as one person came to mind right away.

Baekho Lee.

That bastard was the only person who would do something like this. As soon as I saw him next month, I was going to—

No, wait...

As my eyes began to narrow with rage toward Baekho Lee, they ended up making contact with Butterfly's. Of course, as soon as our eyes met, her gaze fluttered away.

...Who is this lady?

That thought suddenly popped into my mind.

Was it a coincidence that she brought Missha Karlstein up? Did she really not have any ulterior motives?

Now that I think about it... the timing really is uncanny.

My hot head registered the strange discrepancy and quickly cooled down.

The fact that Butterfly had shared that information at the Round Table meant that it didn't matter to her if it spread far and wide.

Or it meant that she wanted the information to spread.

If it's the latter...

She probably expected it to eventually reach Bjorn Yandel's ears.

I calmed down as much as I could manage and then asked myself, When Bjorn Yandel realizes that Missha Karlstein is a traitor... what action would Butterfly be expecting him to take?

The answer immediately came to mind.

Either he kicks Missha out...

Or, if not that...

Or he breaks off his relationship with Baekho Lee.

Was that what Butterfly was going for? I had no way of knowing for sure right now.

Well, I could also just be overthinking. There was a chance Butterfly simply wanted to get through her turn with a low-effort piece of information and said the first thing that came to mind. But...

My head's finally clear.

Now that I was aware that there could be some sort of scheme at play here, my guard was higher than ever.

If someone really is trying to piss me off...

All I had to do was do nothing. Then they'd be the ones who lost their cool.

Tap.

Before you fired a gun, you had to make sure to aim it properly.

***

[You have entered the Archives on Basement Floor One.]

***

After Butterfly's turn was over...

"Under the tombstone discovered on the first floor, there is a passage written in the ancient language that reads..."

Queen revealed the main information you needed to get down to Basement Floor One, and then Black, Clown, and Wolf took their turns. Soon enough, it was my turn.

Maybe it was because something huge had happened this month, but all the members seemed even more interested than usual in the information I was about to share. However, I betrayed their expectations and passed my turn by sharing in-game information, and the first round came to an end.

There was nothing major shared in the second round either.

Since I was stuck in the labyrinth and cut off from the outside world, I made sure to pay close attention to the information about what was going on out there, but no one said anything that would be of use to me in my current situation.

Butterfly didn't mention anything about Missha during the second round either.

And so, the meeting came to an end.

After returning to Hansu Lee's room, I scrolled around the forums for a bit longer before logging out early since I hadn't connected from the city. I needed to take a long rest and conserve my strength for the adventuring I would have to do tomorrow...

[00:00]

As our thirty-sixth day in the labyrinth began, I opened my eyes under the blanket and scanned my surroundings without moving a muscle.

Crackle.

A burning campfire illuminated the inside of the cave. Well, actually, I should say the inside of the tree. I was currently in the same campsite we set up before I entered Ghost Busters.

...Even though I left about four hours early, I'm still pretty tired.

I closed my eyes again, and after a beat, I heard some rustling nearby. Amelia, who was on watch, sent out her doppelganger to check out where the sound was coming from.

"Do you want water?"

"...Oh, yes. Thank you."

Ah, so it was you, Versyl.

Considering there was a few seconds difference between us, she probably stayed in the community right up until it closed...

"Mr. Yandel... is he asleep?"

Or he breaks off his relationship with Baekho Lee.

Was that what Butterfly was going for? I had no way of knowing for sure right now.

Well, I could also just be overthinking. There was a chance Butterfly simply wanted to get through her turn with a low-effort piece of information and said the first thing that came to mind. But...

My head's finally clear.

Now that I was aware that there could be some sort of scheme at play here, my guard was higher than ever.

If someone really is trying to piss me off...

All I had to do was do nothing. Then they'd be the ones who lost their cool.

Tap.

Before you fired a gun, you had to make sure to aim it properly.

***

[You have entered the Archives on Basement Floor One.]

***

After Butterfly's turn was over...

"Under the tombstone discovered on the first floor, there is a passage written in the ancient language that reads..."

Queen revealed the main information you needed to get down to Basement Floor One, and then Black, Clown, and Wolf took their turns. Soon enough, it was my turn.

Maybe it was because something huge had happened this month, but all the members seemed even more interested than usual in the information I was about to share. However, I betrayed their expectations and passed my turn by sharing in-game information, and the first round came to an end.

There was nothing major shared in the second round either.

Since I was stuck in the labyrinth and cut off from the outside world, I made sure to pay close attention to the information about what was going on out there, but no one said anything that would be of use to me in my current situation.

Butterfly didn't mention anything about Missha during the second round either.

And so, the meeting came to an end.

After returning to Hansu Lee's room, I scrolled around the forums for a bit longer before logging out early since I hadn't connected from the city. I needed to take a long rest and conserve my strength for the adventuring I would have to do tomorrow...

[00:00]

As our thirty-sixth day in the labyrinth began, I opened my eyes under the blanket and scanned my surroundings without moving a muscle.

Crackle.

A burning campfire illuminated the inside of the cave. Well, actually, I should say the inside of the tree. I was currently in the same campsite we set up before I entered Ghost Busters.

...Even though I left about four hours early, I'm still pretty tired.

I closed my eyes again, and after a beat, I heard some rustling nearby. Amelia, who was on watch, sent out her doppelganger to check out where the sound was coming from.

"Do you want water?"

"...Oh, yes. Thank you."

Ah, so it was you, Versyl.

Considering there was a few seconds difference between us, she probably stayed in the community right up until it closed...

"Mr. Yandel... is he asleep?"

"He is."

It would be weird for me to get up and join their conversation at this point, so I decided to just keep my eyes closed.

When dawn broke the next morning, everyone woke up and got ready to continue our adventure while Versyl stumbled over to me like a zombie, visibly exhausted.

"Mr. Yandel, could we talk one-on-one before we leave?"

"Talk? Sure," I answered, pretending that I had no clue what she wanted to talk about. Nevertheless, it was obvious what Versyl was going to say, and things played out as expected.

"It's about Missha Karlstein. I have a suspicion that she came back to our team under someone else's orders."

I, of course, had to ask the obvious question. "Why are you telling me this only now?"

"...Since this is a sensitive subject, I wanted to be more confident before I mentioned anything to you."

Okay, so that was how you were planning to cover your tracks.

If I hadn't known anything, I would've been very suspicious right about now, but since I knew exactly why she was being so vague, I let it slide.

"Ahem! Anyway, that's not what's important... There's one more thing I wanted to mention..."

"What is it?"

"There's a chance that time is passing in the outside world right now."

Huh, I didn't expect her to report that to me immediately. Did she come to the conclusion that this was something she needed to relay right away even if it made me suspicious of her? If that was the case, I found her honesty admirable.

"What makes you think that?"

"...It's the chief. There are a lot of odd things about him if you think about it. He was alive thousands of years ago, and from the sounds of it, hasn't he been here for a long time too? But that only makes sense if time flows the same both inside and outside the labyrinth."

I was honestly surprised by the evidence that Versyl put forward.

Whoa... If I didn't already know everything, I think I might have accepted that as the truth off the bat.

I did notice that she was tossing and turning a lot last night. So she'd been using the time to prepare her cover story?

Well, I had also stayed up a little later than usual trying to sort out my thoughts.

"So has it already been a month outside?" I asked with an air of cluelessness.

Versyl shook her head. "No, that's not it. In fact, I think that's not the case at all... I think the end of 'rainy season' is probably the beginning of the month—the moment the labyrinth closes."

"Any proof of that?"

"...I don't have any."

What do you mean you don't have any?

The fact that fifteen days had passed in the outside world was probably the biggest piece of evidence she had.

So, she hadn't been able to cook up an excuse for how she knew that, was that it?

In any case, Versyl's estimates about the time dilation between this place and the city aligned with mine.

On the twenty-first day, the rainy season had ended. And on the thirty-fifth day, on the fifteenth of the month in the outside world, the Round Table had opened at midnight. This meant that if we measured the days by matching up the end of the rainy season with the amount of time that had passed outside, they would line up one-to-one...

"By my estimate, there is a high probability that the labyrinth will open again on the fiftieth day."

"And?"

"And on the fifty-seventh day, the first floor will close again and no one will be able to enter this floor. Then, on the sixty-fourth day, there will be another rainy season."

That aligned with the cycle the village chief had mentioned rainy season seemed to follow.

After Versyl shared her shocking(?) revelation with me, we held a clan meeting for the first time in a long while.

"Time is passing in the city...?"

Everyone was shocked by this theory, but most of them didn't doubt the authenticity of it. I had already told everyone besides Versyl that I'd ended up in Ghost Busters this month.

Well, everyone except for Ainar and Auyen, who didn't know I was an evil spirit either.

"Oh! That's pretty interesting!"

"That's... Isn't that a big deal? It is, right? If we're trapped in this place forever like the chief..."

I ignored their starkly different reactions.

In any case, that information dump only took up the start of the meeting. The main topic on the agenda was something else.

"We need to decide what we're going to do from now on."

"What do you mean by that, Captain?"

"To put it simply, we need to make a choice. Either we focus on our own quest while ignoring any other adventurers that might come down here, or..."

"Or?"

"We join forces with them and find a way to get out of here."

Since all of us were adventurers who were quick to weigh gains and losses, I didn't need to say much else.

As we began our vote, however, it quickly became apparent that we were split on the issue.

"I'm for it. No matter our gains in the short term, finding a way out of this place takes higher priority."

"I-I agree. Escaping isn't the only issue... If we don't help them, most of them will die..."

Amelia and Auyen were in favor of teaming up with newcomers.

"I'm opposed. We don't even know if they'll be helpful to us..."

"I vote no too! Shouldn't any adventurers who manage to come all the way here be able to take care of themselves? More than anything, it's going to be annoying to deal with them!"

Erwen and Ainar were against it.

"I...still think it'd be best for us to meet up with them, even if we need to put our expedition on pause to do it. We would be able to verify whether our information is accurate, and we would also get to hear news from the outside world. Whether we help them or not can be decided after that."

"I...don't really see the need to actively seek them out right now. But if we end up running into them later, then we can decide on a per-person basis..."

Versyl and Missha each cast their vote for something in between.

Why was I always the deciding vote?

Whatever the reason, I just went with the option I thought was the right one.

"I think we should at least go back to look around that stone island."

Between the library, rainy season, and even this huge tree island, this floor was packed with endgame content, and endgame content was famously difficult. Which meant that we'd have more options and routes available to us if we had a bigger group.

More importantly, with enough people, we should be able to kill that giant bastard.

With that settled, we continued exploring the island we were on for about ten more days before leaving for Stone Island so we'd get there on time.

When we arrived, it was the fifty-third day. We set up camp at our starting point and waited, and time flew by from there.

Day Fifty-Four, Day Fifty-Five, Day Fifty-Six...

On the fifty-seventh day, just as we were beginning to wonder if anyone was really going to show up...

Vwoong!

"B-Bjorn! A portal! It's a portal!"

Dozens of portals opened in the air as newbies entered the floor.

"He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is."

It would be weird for me to get up and join their conversation at this point, so I decided to just keep my eyes closed.

When dawn broke the next morning, everyone woke up and got ready to continue our adventure while Versyl stumbled over to me like a zombie, visibly exhausted.

"Mr. Yandel, could we talk one-on-one before we leave?"

"Talk? Sure," I answered, pretending that I had no clue what she wanted to talk about. Nevertheless, it was obvious what Versyl was going to say, and things played out as expected.

"It's about Missha Karlstein. I have a suspicion that she came back to our team under someone else's orders."

I, of course, had to ask the obvious question. "Why are you telling me this only now?"

"...Since this is a sensitive subject, I wanted to be more confident before I mentioned anything to you."

Okay, so that was how you were planning to cover your tracks.

If I hadn't known anything, I would've been very suspicious right about now, but since I knew exactly why she was being so vague, I let it slide.

"Ahem! Anyway, that's not what's important... There's one more thing I wanted to mention..."

"What is it?"

"There's a chance that time is passing in the outside world right now."

Huh, I didn't expect her to report that to me immediately. Did she come to the conclusion that this was something she needed to relay right away even if it made me suspicious of her? If that was the case, I found her honesty admirable.

"What makes you think that?"

"...It's the chief. There are a lot of odd things about him if you think about it. He was alive thousands of years ago, and from the sounds of it, hasn't he been here for a long time too? But that only makes sense if time flows the same both inside and outside the labyrinth."

I was honestly surprised by the evidence that Versyl put forward.

Whoa... If I didn't already know everything, I think I might have accepted that as the truth off the bat.

I did notice that she was tossing and turning a lot last night. So she'd been using the time to prepare her cover story?

Well, I had also stayed up a little later than usual trying to sort out my thoughts.

"So has it already been a month outside?" I asked with an air of cluelessness.

Versyl shook her head. "No, that's not it. In fact, I think that's not the case at all... I think the end of 'rainy season' is probably the beginning of the month—the moment the labyrinth closes."

"Any proof of that?"

"...I don't have any."

What do you mean you don't have any?

The fact that fifteen days had passed in the outside world was probably the biggest piece of evidence she had.

So, she hadn't been able to cook up an excuse for how she knew that, was that it?

In any case, Versyl's estimates about the time dilation between this place and the city aligned with mine.

On the twenty-first day, the rainy season had ended. And on the thirty-fifth day, on the fifteenth of the month in the outside world, the Round Table had opened at midnight. This meant that if we measured the days by matching up the end of the rainy season with the amount of time that had passed outside, they would line up one-to-one...

"By my estimate, there is a high probability that the labyrinth will open again on the fiftieth day."

"And?"

"And on the fifty-seventh day, the first floor will close again and no one will be able to enter this floor. Then, on the sixty-fourth day, there will be another rainy season."

That aligned with the cycle the village chief had mentioned rainy season seemed to follow.

After Versyl shared her shocking(?) revelation with me, we held a clan meeting for the first time in a long while.

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

"Time is passing in the city...?"

Everyone was shocked by this theory, but most of them didn't doubt the authenticity of it. I had already told everyone besides Versyl that I'd ended up in Ghost Busters this month.

Well, everyone except for Ainar and Auyen, who didn't know I was an evil spirit either.

"Oh! That's pretty interesting!"

"That's... Isn't that a big deal? It is, right? If we're trapped in this place forever like the chief..."

I ignored their starkly different reactions.

In any case, that information dump only took up the start of the meeting. The main topic on the agenda was something else.

"We need to decide what we're going to do from now on."

"What do you mean by that, Captain?"

"To put it simply, we need to make a choice. Either we focus on our own quest while ignoring any other adventurers that might come down here, or..."

"Or?"

"We join forces with them and find a way to get out of here."

Since all of us were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠adventurers who were quick to weigh gains and losses, I didn't need to say much else.

As we began our vote, however, it quickly became apparent that we were split on the issue.

"I'm for it. No matter our gains in the short term, finding a way out of this place takes higher priority."

"I-I agree. Escaping isn't the only issue... If we don't help them, most of them will die..."

Amelia and Auyen were in favor of teaming up with newcomers.

"I'm opposed. We don't even know if they'll be helpful to us..."

"I vote no too! Shouldn't any adventurers who manage to come all the way here be able to take care of themselves? More than anything, it's going to be annoying to deal with them!"

Erwen and Ainar were against it.

"I...still think it'd be best for us to meet up with them, even if we need to put our expedition on pause to do it. We would be able to verify whether our information is accurate, and we would also get to hear news from the outside world. Whether we help them or not can be decided after that."

"I...don't really see the need to actively seek them out right now. But if we end up running into them later, then we can decide on a per-person basis..."

Versyl and Missha each cast their vote for something in between.

Why was I always the deciding vote?

Whatever the reason, I just went with the option I thought was the right one.

"I think we should at least go back to look around that stone island."

Between the library, rainy season, and even this huge tree island, this floor was packed with endgame content, and endgame content was famously difficult. Which meant that we'd have more options and routes available to us if we had a bigger group.

More importantly, with enough people, we should be able to kill that giant bastard.

With that settled, we continued exploring the island we were on for about ten more days before leaving for Stone Island so we'd get there on time.

When we arrived, it was the fifty-third day. We set up camp at our starting point and waited, and time flew by from there.

Day Fifty-Four, Day Fifty-Five, Day Fifty-Six...

On the fifty-seventh day, just as we were beginning to wonder if anyone was really going to show up...

Vwoong!

"B-Bjorn! A portal! It's a portal!"

Dozens of portals opened in the air as newbies entered the floor.