Chapter 578: Return (4)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 578: Return (4)

A proper ice to liquid ratio truly elevated a glass of soda to a whole new level of refreshing.

I swirled the cup a little to cool it down before chugging it all in one go. After all, the taste would end up watered down if I let the ice melt, right?

"Kah...!"

Yeah, that was the stuff. I'd missed this taste so much. Most things about this world were tolerable, but it didn't have any soft drinks. I could get a ghost of that bubbly sensation in its beer, but even that was entirely different from the modern carbonation I craved.

...Should I go back?

The taste was enough to reignite my desire to go home, which had all but faded away. Someone should let Baekho know. In the time he spent cooking up that scheme with the Stone of Revival or whatever, he could've just given me a few cups of soda and I would've seriously reconsidered returning to the real world.

"Sir, please pour me another one."

After downing one cup, I ordered myself a refill. However, I didn't chug it this time, instead savoring the flavor.

"You... look really happy for some reason."

Wow, way to sour the mood. I was the type of person to immediately get annoyed when people said stuff like that to me.

"All right, then do tell me," Auril Gavis said after giving me some more time to enjoy my drink. "How did you meet her?"

"Ah, the Witch?"

"Yes. I truly can't understand. No matter how I look at it, you were never in a position to have met with her..."

Hmm. "Why are you so sure about that, sir?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

He went quiet again, his own eyes darting away as he racked his brain for an excuse.

To be honest, it was disturbing. Had he really been watching my every move? This entire time? Just... how?

The old man opted to dodge my question. "Well, timeline-wise, I'm sure that you didn't meet her on Basement Floor One. And from what I can remember, you were very busy before then—between establishing your clan and the Magic Tower and whatnot. Didn't you also defeat two Lords of the Floor in that time?"

Well, it was true that I'd been busy back then. On top of everything else I needed to take care of, I'd also had to deal with Count Alminus's charges against me. But that didn't mean I bought his weak excuses.

"Oh, you've already drank it all. Give it here. I'll pour you another one." He quickly took my cup back to refill it again. Although it might sound strange, in a sense, this old man was pretty predictable in some ways. He was able to tell when he had the upper or lower hand in a given situation and always adjusted accordingly.

"Sir, even if you do that, I can't answer you for free. I want something out of this too."

As I set my terms, fury lit his expression, plain as day since he'd gotten rid of his mask as soon as we were alone. "Free?! What do you mean? Am I not giving you all of these drinks?"

"Yes, and I'm grateful for that."

"When someone is genuinely grateful—"

Hey, don't push it.

"If everything could be solved with soda, why would we have money and mana stones?" I asked mockingly. "In your world, wouldn't giving someone a drink solve everything?"

His expression hardened. "Every time we meet, I'm once again reminded that you have a talent for pissing people off."

The air in the room plummeted several degrees as the man who went around smiling like a friendly neighborhood grandpa did a sudden heel turn. But so what? This wasn't my first rodeo, and at this point, I felt like I had a good sense of what made this guy tick.

"Don't pretend you're mad. It won't work," I said, brushing his anger off like it was nothing.

His expression smoothed out, returning to normal like he'd never been glaring at me to begin with. "Haha, you're not an easy customer. So... what do you want from me?"

Since the stick wouldn't work, he could only use the carrot.

"There must be something you're after," he hedged. "Isn't that why you're doing all this?"

To be honest, there wasn't anything in particular. Or, rather, I had so many things I wanted to ask him that I was having a hard time narrowing down which one to choose. I needed to rank them by priority level.

I could ask him what he's up to, but that would be too broad.

In the end, I settled on a more focused question.

"Why are you trying to shut down Ghost Busters?" I asked, honing in on his motives for his latest move.

"Hmm, do I just answer you? There's no gem here to help you discern truth from lies anymore."

His tone implied he would immediately make another gem if I asked him to, but I declined. "It's fine, so just answer me. And it's not like I'd be able to trust you 100 percent anyway, even with the gem."

"So you'll be deciding yourself whether what I say is the truth."

"Yes, so please give me a proper answer. If you lie here and get caught, it'll be your loss."

"My loss?"

"Because I won't believe a thing you say in the future."

That might sound childish, but it would make a decent threat. If this old man wanted to pull my strings, he needed to maintain a friendly enough relationship with me to get close to them.

"Hmm..."

But why was this old man leering at me like that instead of saying anything?

"What is it?" I prompted. "Do you have something to say about that?"

"No."

"If not, then why haven't you started talking?"

As I shot him a look telling him to stop screwing around, Auril Gavis finally spoke. "It's just that it's quite admirable. Your outlook ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠toward trust, that is."

What the hell was he going on about now?

The old man continued, ignoring my obvious bafflement. "If someone betrays you, you make sure to punish them yourself. That is what trust means to you."

Wasn't everyone like that? What, were there people out there who got backstabbed and just laughed it off after?

Despite the questions running through my mind, I held my tongue and listened.

"Just like stricter laws reduce crime, your trust or lack thereof also acts as a deterrent which—"

Yeah, never mind, I couldn't sit here and listen to this guy prattle on. He was trying to make it seem like I was a control freak who couldn't trust anyone unless I had the upper hand over them at all times.

"Sir," I asked him directly, "are you perhaps not right in the head? How did you jump to a conclusion like that from the question I asked?"

"Hmm..."

"Remember, you were the one who turned on me first. How could I trust anything about you after that?"

"Then are your companions different?"

"Don't pretend you're mad. It won't work," I said, brushing his anger off like it was nothing.

His expression smoothed out, returning to normal like he'd never been glaring at me to begin with. "Haha, you're not an easy customer. So... what do you want from me?"

Since the stick wouldn't work, he could only use the carrot.

"There must be something you're after," he hedged. "Isn't that why you're doing all this?"

To be honest, there wasn't anything in particular. Or, rather, I had so many things I wanted to ask him that I was having a hard time narrowing down which one to choose. I needed to rank them by priority level.

I could ask him what he's up to, but that would be too broad.

In the end, I settled on a more focused question.

"Why are you trying to shut down Ghost Busters?" I asked, honing in on his motives for his latest move.

"Hmm, do I just answer you? There's no gem here to help you discern truth from lies anymore."

His tone implied he would immediately make another gem if I asked him to, but I declined. "It's fine, so just answer me. And it's not like I'd be able to trust you 100 percent anyway, even with the gem."

"So you'll be deciding yourself whether what I say is the truth."

"Yes, so please give me a proper answer. If you lie here and get caught, it'll be your loss."

"My loss?"

"Because I won't believe a thing you say in the future."

That might sound childish, but it would make a decent threat. If this old man wanted to pull my strings, he needed to maintain a friendly enough relationship with me to get close to them.

"Hmm..."

But why was this old man leering at me like that instead of saying anything?

"What is it?" I prompted. "Do you have something to say about that?"

"No."

"If not, then why haven't you started talking?"

As I shot him a look telling him to stop screwing around, Auril Gavis finally spoke. "It's just that it's quite admirable. Your outlook toward trust, that is."

What the hell was he going on about now?

The old man continued, ignoring my obvious bafflement. "If someone betrays you, you make sure to punish them yourself. That is what trust means to you."

Wasn't everyone like that? What, were there people out there who got backstabbed and just laughed it off after?

Despite the questions running through my mind, I held my tongue and listened.

"Just like stricter laws reduce crime, your trust or lack thereof also acts as a deterrent which—"

Yeah, never mind, I couldn't sit here and listen to this guy prattle on. He was trying to make it seem like I was a control freak who couldn't trust anyone unless I had the upper hand over them at all times.

"Sir," I asked him directly, "are you perhaps not right in the head? How did you jump to a conclusion like that from the question I asked?"

"Hmm..."

"Remember, you were the one who turned on me first. How could I trust anything about you after that?"

"Then are your companions different?"

Obviously.

...was the answer I tried to give, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to say it. The old man's words rang in my ears.

"If someone betrays you, you make sure to punish them yourself."

Punishment. Maybe that was what I was doing to Missha. Regardless, I changed the subject.

"Let's move on. Just answer the question I asked you. Why are you trying to close down the server?"

"If I answer you, will you answer me as well?"

"I'll think about it," I replied without missing a beat, "if the information you give me is worthwhile."

In other words, I was ready to ditch him at any moment. Auril Gavis would no doubt be able to read between the lines and realize my response was vague and promised nothing.

"Sure. Then decide after hearing what I have to say."

Despite that, he accepted my terms without argument.

"Wow, sir. You're being pretty easygoing today," I remarked.

"...Could you stop with the sudden tone shifts? It feels like you're treating me like a child."

"Oh, don't mind me." With a benevolent smile, I asked, "So, the answer?"

He let out a sigh. "The reason I'm shutting Ghost Busters down is simple. This place isn't having a positive effect on the players. It isn't doing what I intended it to do."

"A positive effect?"

"This place is no different than a safe haven for the players. They get to talk about the homes they left behind and share their loneliness with people in the same situation as them."

"And that's bad how?"

"It's a problem. People who are satisfied with the status quo are bound to settle for it."

"Ah..." I sort of got what he was trying to say. Honestly, just a glance at the community bulletin board backed up his claim. There were plenty of posts on there talking about rent, getting married, or even having children here.

"Our friends from earlier are the same. Just a few years ago, they never would have given up an opportunity like this."

So the old man was still sour about how bad his quiz show went. Well, fair enough.

"So you're getting rid of it? Because if the server stays up, they won't worry about going home?"

"Something like that."

That meant he was definitely holding back a lot more information.

"There, how about it? Was that enough?" he asked.

"No. I would've answered your question if you gave me some big secret, but I've concluded that the quality of your information is too low for me to exchange my information about the Witch."

Basically, I was going to dine and dash. However, unexpectedly, Auril Gavis took the news in stride, his expression serene. It was like the conversation could end right there and he'd have nothing to lose either way. Was he putting on an act to maintain his mask of control?

In the end, I was the first to break. I couldn't leave without getting anything out of this, not when I had been granted the rare opportunity to sit down with him. "So... can't you just leave the community be? I'll give you information about the Witch if you do."

In truth, I wasn't saying that out of a genuine interest in preserving Ghost Busters. I was just curious how he'd respond to—

"That's not possible, I'm afraid."

Obviously.

...was the answer I tried to give, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to say it. The old man's words rang in my ears.

"If someone betrays you, you make sure to punish them yourself."

Punishment. Maybe that was what I was doing to Missha. Regardless, I changed the subject.

"Let's move on. Just answer the question I asked you. Why are you trying to close down the server?"

"If I answer you, will you answer me as well?"

"I'll think about it," I replied without missing a beat, "if the information you give me is worthwhile."

In other words, I was ready to ditch him at any moment. Auril Gavis would no doubt be able to read between the lines and realize my response was vague and promised nothing.

"Sure. Then decide after hearing what I have to say."

Despite that, he accepted my terms without argument.

"Wow, sir. You're being pretty easygoing today," I remarked.

"...Could you stop with the sudden tone shifts? It feels like you're treating me like a child."

"Oh, don't mind me." With a benevolent smile, I asked, "So, the answer?"

He let out a sigh. "The reason I'm shutting Ghost Busters down is simple. This place isn't having a positive effect on the players. It isn't doing what I intended it to do."

"A positive effect?"

"This place is no different than a safe haven for the players. They get to talk about the homes they left behind and share their loneliness with people in the same situation as them."

"And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that's bad how?"

"It's a problem. People who are satisfied with the status quo are bound to settle for it."

"Ah..." I sort of got what he was trying to say. Honestly, just a glance at the community bulletin board backed up his claim. There were plenty of posts on there talking about rent, getting married, or even having children here.

"Our friends from earlier are the same. Just a few years ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago, they never would have given up an opportunity like this."

So the old man was still sour about how bad his quiz show went. Well, fair enough.

"So you're getting rid of it? Because if the server stays up, they won't worry about going home?"

"Something like that."

That meant he was definitely holding back a lot more information.

"There, how about it? Was that enough?" he asked.

"No. I would've answered your question if you gave me some big secret, but I've concluded that the quality of your information is too low for me to exchange my information about the Witch."

Basically, I was going to dine and dash. However, unexpectedly, Auril Gavis took the news in stride, his expression serene. It was like the conversation could end right there and he'd have nothing to lose either way. Was he putting on an act to maintain his mask of control?

In the end, I was the first to break. I couldn't leave without getting anything out of this, not when I had been granted the rare opportunity to sit down with him. "So... can't you just leave the community be? I'll give you information about the Witch if you do."

In truth, I wasn't saying that out of a genuine interest in preserving Ghost Busters. I was just curious how he'd respond to—

"That's not possible, I'm afraid."

Yeah, so he refused. Which meant that closing the community was of a higher priority to him than learning more about the Witch. But why? No matter how I looked at it, players getting complacent couldn't be the only reason.

He chose to wrap this up. "Then it seems our meeting today has reached its end."

"I guess so. It's not like you're going to give me more information even if I ask, right?"

"Haha, you need to trust in others more."

"I do. But only the ones who deserve it."

With those empty words, our conversation came to a natural stopping point.

"Then I'll be going now," he announced. "I have something else I need to do before the community closes its doors, but I will be seeing you later."

"Right. I don't know when that'll be, but I hope you'll be willing to tell me everything going on inside your head when the time comes," I offered.

"That's an odd way to look at it. I'd tell you everything right now if you were willing to trust what I say."

Every word was a lie.

I scoffed at his nonsense, and Auril Gavis let out a laugh. Apparently, he expected that reaction. "I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but I'll offer you one last piece of advice."

"Advice? I'll hear you out, so go ahead."

"Baekho Lee."

"Him...?"

"Don't get too close to that friend of yours." The advice genuinely blindsided me, but I didn't get the chance to ask what the hell he meant. "That is all. I'll be seeing you in the future."

With that, Auril Gavis left the Round Table.

I stared vacantly at the spot where he'd been standing, then quickly shook myself out of my daze. A sudden possibility had crossed my mind.

Baekho Lee...

Maybe...

I wasn't sure, but maybe...

Was he the reason that Auril Gavis had chosen to shut down Ghost Busters? In the same way someone might burn down a house to kill a spider, maybe he had destroyed the server to ensure Baekho Lee and I couldn't communicate anymore.

Well, that was only a theory.

"You old crook. You didn't say a single thing straight," I grumbled, then let out a sigh that echoed inside the empty room.

On its heels was a sudden silence.

Vacant chairs surrounded the Round Table, now deprived of its gem.

It really does feel like the end of an era.

Even knowing that I needed to leave and get back to business, I couldn't quite bring myself to move. Somehow, despite myself, I was still in disbelief.

Deer and Crescent had left after the first round, and with Auril Gavis's sudden arrival, the rest followed suit one after another.

Tap.

I picked up the Lion mask I had taken off to drink my soda and slid it on my face again. This was probably the last time I would ever wear it.

I had grown fond of it.

"This is really the end..."

The words were slow to leave my tongue, and even once they were out, they couldn't quite fill the empty room. I wasn't expecting a joyful and friendly goodbye like a high school graduation or anything, but I never thought it would end like this.

Maybe that was why?

"However, I cannot seem to feel any gratitude toward you."

"Do you think this is a game? Do you?"

For some reason, their words echoed through my mind.

I quickly shook my head to clear it.

Don't think about that. It's not like we came here to make friends.

I smiled ruefully and set the mask on the table before glancing around the empty room one last time.

"...No. Not fun at all."

And with that, the final meeting of the Round Table came to a close.

***

After witnessing the end of the Round Table, I returned to Hansu Lee's room. I lay on the bed and vegetated for a bit before steeling myself enough to get up and check my inbox.

I have a message...

Despite what I was hoping, though, it wasn't from the GM.

[From: HS123]

HS123—the message was from Hyeonbyeol.

I guess we weren't able to say a proper goodbye thanks to Baekho.

What was inside? As I opened it with a click, the text popped up on my screen.

[Before when I asked you about revealing our identities to each other, I know that you put your foot down, but I've decided I'm going to start doing whatever I please like you do. The admins might be able to look through our inboxes, so I can't tell you who I am in this message, but...]

The heart of her message lay in the last line.

[Find me outside.]

Outside...

Well, if I was going to do that, I'd need to get out of the labyrinth first.

Yeah, so he refused. Which meant that closing the community was of a higher priority to him than learning more about the Witch. But why? No matter how I looked at it, players getting complacent couldn't be the only reason.

He chose to wrap this up. "Then it seems our meeting today has reached its end."

"I guess so. It's not like you're going to give me more information even if I ask, right?"

"Haha, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you need to trust in others more."

"I do. But only the ones who deserve it."

With those empty words, our conversation came to a natural stopping point.

"Then I'll be going now," he announced. "I have something else I need to do before the community closes its doors, but I will be seeing you later."

"Right. I don't know when that'll be, but I hope you'll be willing to tell me everything going on inside your head when the time comes," I offered.

"That's an odd way to look at it. I'd tell you everything right now if you were willing to trust what I say."

Every word was a lie.

I scoffed at his nonsense, and Auril Gavis let out a laugh. Apparently, he expected that reaction. "I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but I'll offer you one last piece of advice."

"Advice? I'll hear you out, so go ahead."

"Baekho Lee."

"Him...?"

"Don't get too close to that friend of yours." The advice genuinely blindsided me, but I didn't get the chance to ask what the hell he meant. "That is all. I'll be seeing you in the future."

With that, Auril Gavis left the Round Table.

I stared vacantly at the spot where he'd been standing, then quickly shook myself out of my daze. A sudden possibility had crossed my mind.

Baekho Lee...

Maybe...

I wasn't sure, but maybe...

Was he the reason that Auril Gavis had chosen to shut down Ghost Busters? In the same way someone might burn down a house to kill a spider, maybe he had destroyed the server to ensure Baekho Lee and I couldn't communicate anymore.

Well, that was only a theory.

"You old crook. You didn't say a single thing straight," I grumbled, then let out a sigh that echoed inside the empty room.

On its heels was a sudden silence.

Vacant chairs surrounded the Round Table, now deprived of its gem.

It really does feel like the end of an era.

Even knowing that I needed to leave and get back to business, I couldn't quite bring myself to move. Somehow, despite myself, I was still in disbelief.

Deer and Crescent had left after the first round, and with Auril Gavis's sudden arrival, the rest followed suit one after another.

Tap.

I picked up the Lion mask I had taken off to drink my soda and slid it on my face again. This was probably the last time I would ever wear it.

I had grown fond of it.

"This is really the end..."

The words were slow to leave my tongue, and even once they were out, they couldn't quite fill the empty room. I wasn't expecting a joyful and friendly goodbye like a high school graduation or anything, but I never thought it would end like this.

Maybe that was why?

"However, I cannot seem to feel any gratitude toward you."

"Do you think this is a game? Do you?"

For some reason, their words echoed through my mind.

I quickly shook my head to clear it.

Don't think about that. It's not like we came here to make friends.

I smiled ruefully and set the mask on the table before glancing around the empty room one last time.

"...No. Not fun at all."

And with that, the final meeting of the Round Table came to a close.

***

After witnessing the end of the Round Table, I returned to Hansu Lee's room. I lay on the bed and vegetated for a bit before steeling myself enough to get up and check my inbox.

I have a message...

Despite what I was hoping, though, it wasn't from the GM.

[From: HS123]

HS123—the message was from Hyeonbyeol.

I guess we weren't able to say a proper goodbye thanks to Baekho.

What was inside? As I opened it with a click, the text popped up on my screen.

[Before when I asked you about revealing our identities to each other, I know that you put your foot down, but I've decided I'm going to start doing whatever I please like you do. The admins might be able to look through our inboxes, so I can't tell you who I am in this message, but...]

The heart of her message lay in the last line.

[Find me outside.]

Outside...

Well, if I was going to do that, I'd need to get out of the labyrinth first.