Chapter 544: Ghost (2)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 544: Ghost (2)

In the city, the fifteenth of every month marked the meeting of the evil spirits. My routine was pretty much the same every time.

Vwing!

First, I'd start up my computer and log in before checking how many people were in the chatroom "Long Live Korea's Independence."

No one's here yet.

After that, I'd head to the bulletin board and skim through some of the posts to get up to date on current events. From there, I'd enter the chat room to hang out with Baekho for about an hour. Once he left, I would spend the remaining time chatting with Hyeonbyeol before excusing myself when it was time for the Round Table to open.

Clack, clack.

There was nothing particularly different about my routine today. As always, my monitor displayed the bulletin board. I began reading through the titles of the posts that had already begun to pop up like someone else might read the morning newspaper with a coffee in hand.

No stress, just casually—

"...Huh?"

I doubled back to look at the first post of the day, and when I read the title, the sound tumbled out of my mouth unbidden.

[Rafdonia's Palace: Basement Floor One Soon to Close.]

What was this?

Click, click.

Despite expecting it to be a simple troll post, I clicked the link repeatedly. This was news I couldn't afford to ignore.

As expected, there was nothing in the main body of the post. These types of posts were usually ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just made to claim the honor of being the first poster of the night and were then fleshed out with further information after the fact with the edit function.

What was important was the comments, and just reading them was enough to let me fact-check a few things.

arolf5205: Man, I wanted to be first this time.

NIKAMOTO: Looks like this post is going to go viral.

AI_DIDIGO: Fact 1: A review of the first posts on the forum every month shows that 56% of them have more than 100 comments and go viral.

└Ki11Humans77: Wow, it's didigo. Please let me get a rank 3 essence during my next adventure.

└MarkG: but what's so good about having a viral post?

└Pawel: the admins give you a bit of GP. but I don't think that's the main reason people do it.

The users weren't calling the post out for being bait and were instead talking about other topics. Their reaction told me one thing.

Damn it, it's real.

The palace had declared Basement Floor One would soon be closed. The information was not only true but common knowledge to the people of the city at this point.

I quickly refreshed the post and scrolled down. The actual productive comments usually came later since they took a bit more time to write out.

Darkrealm93: but honestly i dont get the palace's play here. why are they stopping other people from exploring the place next month?

└Akaistos: Didn't you hear? They say it's too dangerous.

└Darkrealm93: did you think i was asking because i didnt know that? im saying there must be a different reason

└WhyDoYouSniffShit: It's obvious. They're in the middle of a war but everyone is talking about going to the basement instead so they got pissy.

└funkinthetrunk: But most of us still don't even know how to get to Basement Floor One. Why even bother giving an order to not go when we can't anyway?

└WhyDoYouSniffShit: Because they want everyone to stop wasting time looking for it and go back to being moving targets for arrows.

In essence, the issue was that it had only been two months since the existence of Basement Floor One was made known to the outside world, and in the last cycle, two additional clans had managed to enter it as well.

And a lot of people from those two clans hadn't been able to enter either.

There were quite a few adventurers who had personally watched their allies go through the portal before returning to the city. They would've spread even more news about Basement Floor One to the world. People with good information networks might have even already figured out how to get in. Not even "might"—they almost certainly did know by now.

So everyone must've been getting ready to enter again, and that's why the palace stepped in to stop them.

That, and if the information was something a large clan could get their hands on, the palace would definitely know how to open the portal by now as well.

"Hmm..."

This was getting pretty interesting.

Afterward, I continued to scroll through the comments and other posts flooding the bulletin board before finally letting go of my mouse.

Tap, tap.

Thoughts swirled through my mind. If the palace forbade it, then people wouldn't be able to enter this floor for some time. Tsk, then was I going to have to change my plan and wait?

I ran through various scenarios in my head.

"Ah, right, they're waiting for me."

After a while, I noticed I'd spent quite a bit of time lost in thought, so I rushed to join the chat room.

"Hansu, you're here?"

"Oh, bro! Late again, huh?"

Hyeonbyeol and Baekho greeted me as I entered.

"Sorry. I'm pretty late today."

"It's fine. I wasn't worried."

"...What?"

As I tilted my head, Baekho grinned.

"The main character always arrives last, or something like that, right? Not that that's a bad thing. No, actually, it's pretty cool..."

What was this guy going on about? I shouldn't have given him any sort of reaction. I smirked as I sat down on the sofa. "So, how have the two of you been?"

"I've been fine, Hansu."

"What about you, Baekho? You doing all right?"

It was a simple question that bypassed the need for a detailed answer. Even as I asked it, though, I couldn't help but glance at Hyeonbyeol, wary of her presence in the room. It seemed Baekho noticed as well.

"It's fine. Hyeonbyeol here already knows who I am anyway."

"...Huh?"

"Hey, Big Bro! I'd say I'm a pretty smart guy, so how would I not know that? You can mention that I'm outside the walls right now in front of her. It's fine."

"...Heh." When Baekho Lee declared what he was up to like it wasn't anything special, excitement flashed through Hyeonbyeol's eyes.

"...Baekho, are you really okay with this?" I asked.

└funkinthetrunk: But most of us still don't even know how to get to Basement Floor One. Why even bother giving an order to not go when we can't anyway?

└WhyDoYouSniffShit: Because they want everyone to stop wasting time looking for it and go back to being moving targets for arrows.

In essence, the issue was that it had only been two months since the existence of Basement Floor One was made known to the outside world, and in the last cycle, two additional clans had managed to enter it as well.

And a lot of people from those two clans hadn't been able to enter either.

There were quite a few adventurers who had personally watched their allies go through the portal before returning to the city. They would've spread even more news about Basement Floor One to the world. People with good information networks might have even already figured out how to get in. Not even "might"—they almost certainly did know by now.

So everyone must've been getting ready to enter again, and that's why the palace stepped in to stop them.

That, and if the information was something a large clan could get their hands on, the palace would definitely know how to open the portal by now as well.

"Hmm..."

This was getting pretty interesting.

Afterward, I continued to scroll through the comments and other posts flooding the bulletin board before finally letting go of my mouse.

Tap, tap.

Thoughts swirled through my mind. If the palace forbade it, then people wouldn't be able to enter this floor for some time. Tsk, then was I going to have to change my plan and wait?

I ran through various scenarios in my head.

"Ah, right, they're waiting for me."

After a while, I noticed I'd spent quite a bit of time lost in thought, so I rushed to join the chat room.

"Hansu, you're here?"

"Oh, bro! Late again, huh?"

Hyeonbyeol and Baekho greeted me as I entered.

"Sorry. I'm pretty late today."

"It's fine. I wasn't worried."

"...What?"

As I tilted my head, Baekho grinned.

"The main character always arrives last, or something like that, right? Not that that's a bad thing. No, actually, it's pretty cool..."

What was this guy going on about? I shouldn't have given him any sort of reaction. I smirked as I sat down on the sofa. "So, how have the two of you been?"

"I've been fine, Hansu."

"What about you, Baekho? You doing all right?"

It was a simple question that bypassed the need for a detailed answer. Even as I asked it, though, I couldn't help but glance at Hyeonbyeol, wary of her presence in the room. It seemed Baekho noticed as well.

"It's fine. Hyeonbyeol here already knows who I am anyway."

"...Huh?"

"Hey, Big Bro! I'd say I'm a pretty smart guy, so how would I not know that? You can mention that I'm outside the walls right now in front of her. It's fine."

"...Heh." When Baekho Lee declared what he was up to like it wasn't anything special, excitement flashed through Hyeonbyeol's eyes.

"...Baekho, are you really okay with this?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? All three of us here share common roots. It doesn't matter to me. Honestly, I didn't really like how we were keeping Sis in the dark. And it's more fun to shoot the breeze with three people instead of two."

That still left the question of whether he was really okay with it unanswered, but since he was claiming it was fine, it wasn't my place to argue with him. I also kind of agreed with parts of his argument.

Yeah... when all three of us talk together, it's almost like a spiritual experience...

To be more precise, it felt like being back in Korea. Talking about the army, politics, and our urge to eat kimchi was something we could only do here. Although I was genuinely satisfied with my life in this new world, there were some moments when I definitely missed getting to talk about the one I came from with people who got it.

"Well, then how is it out there? Did you find the Noarkians?"

"Yeah, it's been about a week now, and for now I'm just wandering around and seeing what I can find. As for Auril Gavis, though—haven't found the guy yet."

"Auril Gavis...?"

"Ah, Hyeonbyeol probably doesn't know. The reason I left the city was to find that bastard."

"Oh... R-Really?"

Hyeonbyeol usually had an air of confidence and self-assurance about her, but she looked flustered as we brought up something this significant so casually right in front of her.

It's been a while since I've seen her like this.

This, too, made me feel nostalgic, and Hyeonbyeol turned to glare at me like she could sense what I was thinking in my gaze.

"I wasn't laughing."

"I didn't say you were."

I made the wise decision to shut my mouth.

In any case, I asked Baekho the questions I had about life outside the castle walls, and he kindly filled me in on everything he discovered. Every single little detail was interesting to me since, even in the game, the area was inaccessible, but if I were to pick out the most interesting tidbit, it would definitely be this:

"You can actually plant things and farm out here."

Unlike Rafdonia, the world outside could function without mana stones. However, that raised even more questions.

"Then why do those people keep dungeon crawling?"

Why was Noark still waging war? Why did they refuse to leave the labyrinth alone, to the point of even making their own portal out there?

Unfortunately, Baekho wasn't able to give me a straight answer. "I don't know. But there's definitely a reason for it. And I think Auril Gavis is deeply involved."

"That seems to be the case. All right, tell me more when you figure out more later."

"Sure, Big Bro."

By the time that conversation ended, we only had about ten minutes before Baekho Lee logged out, and so we spent the last few minutes talking about nothing in particular.

"Hah, I think I was the one who talked the most today. Next time, please tell me what you've been up to, bro. I'm pretty curious too. You know what I mean, right?"

"I do. I'll tell you about it next time."

"Then I'll see you later!"

With that, Baekho left when his time ran out, and nothing of note happened once I was alone with Hyeonbyeol either.

"Why wouldn't I be? All three of us here share common roots. It doesn't matter to me. Honestly, I didn't really like how we were keeping Sis in the dark. And it's more fun to shoot the breeze with three people instead of two."

That still left the question of whether he was really okay with it unanswered, but since he was claiming it was fine, it wasn't my place to argue with him. I also kind of agreed with parts of his argument.

Yeah... when all three of us talk together, it's almost like a spiritual experience...

To be more precise, it felt like being back in Korea. Talking about the army, politics, and our urge to eat kimchi was something we could only do here. Although I was genuinely satisfied with my life in this new world, there were some moments when I definitely missed getting to talk about the one I came from with people who got it.

"Well, then how is it out there? Did you find the Noarkians?"

"Yeah, it's been about a week now, and for now I'm just wandering around and seeing what I can find. As for Auril Gavis, though—haven't found the guy yet."

"Auril Gavis...?"

"Ah, Hyeonbyeol probably doesn't know. The reason I left the city was to find that bastard."

"Oh... R-Really?"

Hyeonbyeol usually had an air of confidence and self-assurance about her, but she looked flustered as we brought up something this significant so casually right in front of her.

It's been a while since I've seen her like this.

This, too, made me feel nostalgic, and Hyeonbyeol turned to glare at me like she could sense what I was thinking in my gaze.

"I wasn't laughing."

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

"I didn't say you were."

I made the wise decision to shut my mouth.

In any case, I asked Baekho the questions I had about life outside the castle walls, and he kindly filled me in on everything he discovered. Every single little detail was interesting to me since, even in the game, the area was inaccessible, but if I were to pick out the most interesting tidbit, it would definitely be this:

"You can actually plant things and farm out here."

Unlike Rafdonia, the world outside could function without mana stones. However, that raised even more questions.

"Then why do those people keep dungeon crawling?"

Why was Noark still waging war? Why did they refuse to leave the labyrinth alone, to the point of even making their own portal out there?

Unfortunately, Baekho wasn't able to give me a straight answer. "I don't know. But there's definitely a reason for it. And I think Auril Gavis is deeply involved."

"That seems to be the case. All right, tell me more when you figure out more later."

"Sure, Big Bro."

By the time that conversation ended, we only had about ten minutes before Baekho Lee logged out, and so we spent the last few minutes talking about nothing in particular.

"Hah, I think I was the one who talked the most today. Next time, please tell me what you've been up to, bro. I'm pretty curious too. You know what I mean, right?"

"I do. I'll tell you about it next time."

"Then I'll see you later!"

With that, Baekho left when his time ran out, and nothing of note happened once I was alone with Hyeonbyeol either.

"Considering how curious he seemed, looks like you've been up to something interesting?"

"Ahaha... Nothing like that..."

"You're avoiding the question. But whatever, I'm going to read now—do you want a book?"

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

I casually took the book Hyeonbyeol handed me. I'd had to stop at a pretty interesting point last time, so I kind of wanted to see where it was going to go next.

Why is this so good?

I found myself occasionally snickering to myself while reading, and shedding tears at the more emotional parts.

With how immersed I was in the story, it startled me when Hyeonbyeol, sprawled out on the other end of the sofa, kicked my knee.

"Huh, what?"

"Isn't it about time?"

"Oh, right." With a bit of regret in my heart, I closed the book and got up.

"If it's that good, come back later. I'll let you borrow the book again..."

"No, there's no need. I have GP so I'll just buy it and read it myself."

She didn't respond.

"I'll see you later."

With that, I left the chat room and stretched my arms over my head. To be honest, I probably didn't need to stretch in this place, but it was a sort of habit of mine whenever I got done reading. It also just felt refreshing, like it woke up the mind.

"All right, let's go."

I had a lot to do at the Round Table today.

***

As I put on the outfit I always wore—a lion mask that completely covered my face and a sleek, navy suit underneath it—and stood in front of the mirror, I felt a mysterious sense of confidence well up within me.

It was like I had become someone who could do anything. However, setting that feeling aside, I took a moment to engage in some honest self-evaluation.

This is hard work.

I sighed. Having to keep up with so many different characters was tiring. Was I going to get eaten up by my own personas?

Not that I had any intentions of stopping.

Step, step.

After checking my clothes in the mirror, I walked through the hallway to the room that held the Round Table. As always, everyone else was here before me.

"Pshehe, you're here."

"Heh... Welcome, Mr. Lion!"

"You're last today as well."

As I ignored their greetings and headed straight for my seat, I was suddenly reminded of something Baekho said earlier.

"The main character always arrives last, or something like that, right?"

Honestly, in the context of the Round Table, at least, he was right. I did make a point of coming here last on purpose. However, to be fair, it wasn't that I enjoyed the attention I got for being last, but that it couldn't be helped.

It'd be even weirder if I came early.

The people who got here earlier passed the time talking to each other. There'd be no point in me joining them. It wasn't like I was going to joke around and exchange small talk, and things would just get awkward if I sat next to them without saying anything.

"Considering how curious he seemed, looks like you've been up to something interesting?"

"Ahaha... Nothing like that..."

"You're avoiding the question. But whatever, I'm going to read now—do you want a book?"

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

I casually took the book Hyeonbyeol handed me. I'd had to stop at a pretty interesting point last time, so I kind of wanted to see where it was going to go next.

Why is this so good?

I found myself occasionally snickering to myself while reading, and shedding tears at the more emotional parts.

With how immersed I was in the story, it startled me when Hyeonbyeol, sprawled out on the other end of the sofa, kicked my knee.

"Huh, what?"

"Isn't it about time?"

"Oh, right." With a bit of regret in my heart, I closed the book and got up.

"If it's that good, come back later. I'll let you borrow the book again..."

"No, there's no need. I have GP so I'll just buy it and read it myself."

She didn't respond.

"I'll see you later."

With that, I left the chat room and stretched my arms over my head. To be honest, I probably didn't need to stretch in this place, but it was a sort of habit of mine whenever I got done reading. It also just felt refreshing, like it woke up the mind.

"All right, let's go."

I had a lot to do at the Round Table today.

***

As I put on the outfit I always wore—a lion mask that completely covered my face and a sleek, navy suit underneath it—and stood in front of the mirror, I felt a mysterious sense of confidence well up within me.

It was like I had become someone who could do anything. However, setting that feeling aside, I took a moment to engage in some honest self-evaluation.

This is hard work.

I sighed. Having to keep up with so many different characters was tiring. Was I going to get eaten up by my own personas?

Not that I had any intentions of stopping.

Step, step.

After checking my clothes in the mirror, I walked through the hallway to the room that held the Round Table. As always, everyone else was here before me.

"Pshehe, you're here."

"Heh... Welcome, Mr. Lion!"

"You're last today as well."

As I ignored their greetings and headed straight for my seat, I was suddenly reminded of something Baekho said earlier.

"The main character always arrives last, or something like that, right?"

Honestly, in the context of the Round Table, at least, he was right. I did make a point of coming here last on purpose. However, to be fair, it wasn't that I enjoyed the attention I got for being last, but that it couldn't be helped.

It'd be even weirder if I came early.

The people who got here earlier passed the time talking to each other. There'd be no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠point in me joining them. It wasn't like I was going to joke around and exchange small talk, and things would just get awkward if I sat next to them without saying anything.

So I did this instead.

"Then... since everyone is here... let's begin the meeting..."

All I had done was sit down, lost in my own thoughts and ignoring everyone else, but Wolf carefully turned to me.

"Is that...a...a problem...?"

"Not particularly."

"Then... let's begin. We're all busy people."

For some reason, Wolf was the one leading the meeting today. Well, it didn't really matter to me who did—

Yikes, why do I start thinking like this whenever I wear the mask?

While I did think it was a good thing to keep my guard up and be wary of others, I decided to revisit this thought later and focus on the proceedings for now.

Deer was the first to go.

"It has officially been confirmed that the palace is barring entry to Basement Floor One. Anyone who tries to go down and ignore this decree will be executed without mercy."

"An awfully severe punishment."

"Ah, of course, this severe punishment only applies to clans larger than a set size. We suspect that the punishments won't be nearly as severe for individual adventurers or parties."

Well, that was understandable, then. Just by stopping clans from going in, they'd be able to keep their front lines from collapsing.

Damn, these palace guys. They've never done anything helpful for anybody.

In any case, once Deer's turn was done, the other members quickly went down the line, and a total of two had something memorable to say.

"If you use distortion magic on the Unnamed Sculptures on the third floor, you can obtain fragments with one of three different markings on them. They are the key to entering Basement Floor One."

Queen shared the method for entering Basement Floor One, the Records Archives.

"Pshehe, in a sense, this may be good news for you. Unfortunately, the squadron we had clearing the eighth floor failed and took a big hit."

Then came Clown.

His statement was something that I normally would've just skimmed past without a second thought, but this time it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

Their eighth-floor operation failed...?

Although I didn't have any concrete reason to think so, it didn't seem like a mere coincidence.

Without thinking, I unconsciously spoke aloud.

"Kalheum."

Kalheum, the City of Light, was one of the Rifts on the eighth floor—the very same one whose Guardian was Milayel.

"Pshe... he...?" Clown's empty laughter stuttered to a stop. "Mr. Lion... How did you...?"

What the...? It really was that specific Rift? Did that mean there was some sort of a connection between their failure and Milayel appearing in the basement?

As my mind began to whir, Clown suddenly shrunk back. "Ah—Ahem! T-That was a foolish question. Mr. Lion no doubt has ears on the ground in Noark as well."

I hadn't even had to say anything, and he came up with excuses for me all on his own. Was this one of the perks of having influence?

In any case, everyone's eyes were on me now as Clown made a clown of himself in the background.

It's already my turn. What should I share?

Today, I didn't even need to ask myself that. Usually, even when interesting pieces of information cropped up, I pretended to be indifferent and got through my turn with random information that supposedly matched their quality.

But I'm not here to get information today.

Well, in truth, that had been my original intention, but that was before an unexpected hurdle was shoved into my path. The palace had thrown all my plans into disarray. At this rate, additional forces would stop coming down to the basement entirely.

That was why I had no choice but to be proactive.

Since Queen already told them how to open the door, I can't use that...

And even though the palace had announced the death penalty, I wasn't all that worried. After all, I knew a thing or two about adventurers, and this one was a well-known fact.

"In Basement Floor One, the Records Archives..."

Adventurers didn't care about their lives.

"Bjorn Yandel has obtained two single-digit Numbered Items in the last two months."

Not when there was money to be made.

So I did this instead.

"Then... since everyone is here... let's begin the meeting..."

All I had done was sit down, lost in my own thoughts and ignoring everyone else, but Wolf carefully turned to me.

"Is that...a...a problem...?"

"Not particularly."

"Then... let's begin. We're all busy people."

For some reason, Wolf was the one leading the meeting today. Well, it didn't really matter to me who did—

Yikes, why do I start thinking like this whenever I wear the mask?

While I did think it was a good thing to keep my guard up and be wary of others, I decided to revisit this thought later and focus on the proceedings for now.

Deer was the first to go.

"It has officially been confirmed that the palace is barring entry to Basement Floor One. Anyone who tries to go down and ignore this decree will be executed without mercy."

"An awfully severe punishment."

"Ah, of course, this severe punishment only applies to clans larger than a set size. We suspect that the punishments won't be nearly as severe for individual adventurers or parties."

Well, that was understandable, then. Just by stopping clans from going in, they'd be able to keep their front lines from collapsing.

Damn, these palace guys. They've never done anything helpful for anybody.

In any case, once Deer's turn was done, the other members quickly went down the line, and a total of two had something memorable to say.

"If you use distortion magic on the Unnamed Sculptures on the third floor, you can obtain fragments with one of three different markings on them. They are the key to entering Basement Floor One."

Queen shared the method for entering Basement Floor One, the Records Archives.

"Pshehe, in a sense, this may be good news for you. Unfortunately, the squadron we had clearing the eighth floor failed and took a big hit."

Then came Clown.

His statement was something that I normally would've just skimmed past without a second thought, but this time it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

Their eighth-floor operation failed...?

Although I didn't have any concrete reason to think so, it didn't seem like a mere coincidence.

Without thinking, I unconsciously spoke aloud.

"Kalheum."

Kalheum, the City of Light, was one of the Rifts on the eighth floor—the very same one whose Guardian was Milayel.

"Pshe... he...?" Clown's empty laughter stuttered to a stop. "Mr. Lion... How did you...?"

What the...? It really was that specific Rift? Did that mean there was some sort of a connection between their failure and Milayel appearing in the basement?

As my mind began to whir, Clown suddenly shrunk back. "Ah—Ahem! T-That was a foolish question. Mr. Lion no doubt has ears on the ground in Noark as well."

I hadn't even had to say anything, and he came up with excuses for me all on his own. Was this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one of the perks of having influence?

In any case, everyone's eyes were on me now as Clown made a clown of himself in the background.

It's already my turn. What should I share?

Today, I didn't even need to ask myself that. Usually, even when interesting pieces of information cropped up, I pretended to be indifferent and got through my turn with random information that supposedly matched their quality.

But I'm not here to get information today.

Well, in truth, that had been my original intention, but that was before an unexpected hurdle was shoved into my path. The palace had thrown all my plans into disarray. At this rate, additional forces would stop coming down to the basement entirely.

That was why I had no choice but to be proactive.

Since Queen already told them how to open the door, I can't use that...

And even though the palace had announced the death penalty, I wasn't all that worried. After all, I knew a thing or two about adventurers, and this one was a well-known fact.

"In Basement Floor One, the Records Archives..."

Adventurers didn't care about their lives.

"Bjorn Yandel has obtained two single-digit Numbered Items in the last two months."

Not when there was money to be made.