Surviving The Game as a Barbarian (Novel) Chapter 256, 257, 258

   

C256, 257, 258

Chapter 256: Open World (5)

The Ruin Scholar's signature fire magic was as vicious as his notoriety.

Even with countless people gathered from all over the city, it was all they could do to prevent the flames from spreading further.

In the end, the fire was only extinguished after seven school masters joined forces and cast a spell.

Swaaaaaaaaa!

Rain poured down as if the sky had opened up.

“Waaaaaaaaaa!”

Some cheered as they saw the flames dying down, some sighed in relief, and some just collapsed to the ground as if they didn't even have the energy to shout.

For reference, I was the last case.

“…Damn it.”

It’s finally over.

My heated body cooled down quickly, and my tension also dissipated.

I collapsed to the ground and lay down.

And I immediately regretted it.

“Ha.”

The lukewarm ground.

The ashes that had been flying all night were mixed with rainwater, making it sticky.

It was an environment that would make anyone feel uncomfortable.

But I was too tired to get up again.

After some time…

“Oh my god! I thought you were hurt!”

…I opened my eyes, and Raven was looking down at me.

“…But you’re not really hurt, right?”

“I’m just resting because I’m tired, so leave me alone.”

“If you’re going to rest, you should go back and wash up proper—”

“Later.”

“Okay. You worked hard…”

I got up after lying down for a few more minutes.

Because the water had reached my ears.

The drainage here wasn’t very good.

“…You also look like a mess.”

“You’re one to talk.”

We walked towards the undamaged part of the city, covered in black soot.

We saw people everywhere.

Some were desperately searching for someone they had lost, and some were rummaging through the debris, hoping to find survivors.

They all looked like us.

“By the way, what time is it?”

“It’s almost noon.”

Noon on June 2nd…

It was a bit funny.

Until now, only explorers would be in this state at this time.

“The rain has stopped.”

The dark clouds that had filled the sky dispersed, and warm sunlight started to shine through, as if the mages had deactivated their magic.

And at the same time…

“Bjorn!!”

…I saw Misha in the distance.

Ainar and Erwen were also next to her.

So they had also come after hearing the news last night.

Judging by their appearance, which was no different from ours, they must have also struggled to put out the fire all night.

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

Although I was worried she might nag me, Misha didn’t say anything.

It was because of the people around us.

“Mr, Mr. Viscount Yandel…!”

The few survivors I had rescued last night.

Well, she couldn’t ask me why I did that in front of them.

“Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

The survivors hesitated and expressed their gratitude as I spoke as if I didn’t understand.

And then they left.

What, they waited all this time just to say that?

‘Then they shouldn’t have been so afraid of me just because I’m a noble.’

I chuckled and continued walking.

The undamaged eastern district soon appeared.

We first found a place to stay nearby.

We couldn’t take a carriage home in this state.

And in the first place, it would take several hours to get home, and I wanted to rest now.

‘I wonder how much it costs per night in Karnon…’

It was expected to be much more expensive than the commercial district, Commelby, since it was the Imperial City, but I couldn’t find out the price today.

Because it was free.

“The manager ordered us not to charge anyone today.”

All the accommodations nearby were offering rooms for free to the citizens and explorers who had come to help put out the fire.

“Please fill out this form before you go up… Viscount Bjorn Yandel?!”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you. They said you worked the hardest today… On behalf of the city, thank you.”

I don’t know if it was because of my noble title or my fame.

But the employee at the counter gave me the largest room they had left.

The others were sharing a room with fourteen people?

It had a living room, three bedrooms, and even two bathrooms, so it was more than enough for the five of us.

“You use one of the bathrooms, Bjorn. We’ll take turns using the other one.”

“Thank you.”

I entered the bathroom and washed up, not refusing my companions’ consideration. It took about an hour, even though I tried to wash up quickly.

‘I’ll wash the borrowed equipment and return it later…’

I just put the equipment I took off in a corner of the room and lay down on the bed, closing my eyes.

It was a soft bed, as expected of a room in Karnon, the Imperial City.

Fatigue washed over me.

‘By the way, I wonder what happened in the labyrinth? Did the army win? I’m curious…’

Well, I could find out tomorrow.

That was my last thought before sleepiness took over, and when I opened my eyes the next morning…

“…It’s the army!!”

…the royal army that went underground had returned.

My heart sank.

‘What the hell happened down there?’

I couldn’t find any traces of battle on them as they headed towards the royal palace on the road.
_____________________

A dark underground passage, devoid of light.

Tens of thousands of people were walking in a line, relying on torches.

They were all from Noark…

“This way.”

…and an unknown old man was leading the way at the forefront. The Lord of the city was following right behind him.

“Lord, we don’t even know his identity. We should head somewhere else…”

“Watch your words. He’s the only one we can trust now.”

“But he knows these hidden paths that even we don’t know. It’s too suspicious. Maybe the royal family is trying to trick—”

“Stop.”

The Lord firmly cut off his subordinate’s words.

He understood why they were suspicious of the old man.

And why they were so anxious.

But the royal family trying to trick them?

That was too much of a stretch.

They would have already been wiped out along with the city of Noark if it weren’t for that old man.

“We have no choice. Trust him.”

The Lord muttered helplessly, recalling what had happened earlier.

[Lord, the royal army has invaded!]

The army had arrived right after midnight.

It was the time when all the city’s forces were in the labyrinth.

The royal army started their advance, shattering the barrier that had been protecting the city.

[We’ll take all the citizens to the shelter.]

Although he was momentarily stunned, the Lord led everyone who remained in the city to the shelter beneath the fortress.

It was a shelter that could accommodate thousands of people, built by the royal family in the distant past.

After all, the fortress city of Noark had once been a royal palace.

Around the time when the Witch’s curse destroyed the world.

Humanity, gathered from all over the continent, built a city underground and lived there for a long time, expanding the protective barrier until they could finally go to the surface.

That’s why the labyrinth portals existed.

[Yes, they’re stationed at the plaza and aren’t moving. It seems like they’re waiting for the portal to open.]

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the royal family didn’t seem interested in them, who were hiding in the shelter.

The reason was simple.

The explorers would come out when the portal opened.

The royal family’s priority was to eliminate the explorers.

They could just destroy the shelter later.

[Contact the surface.]

The Lord eventually requested support from the surface, and the Ruin Scholar drew their attention by burning down the Imperial City.

But…

[Those bastards.]

…the army didn’t return to the city.

And even the Ruin Scholar, their last hope, had suddenly stopped responding.

Time passed…

[11:41]

…and only 20 minutes were left until the portal opened and the explorers who had been spending their time in the labyrinth returned.

[Listen to me.]

The Lord gave orders to the remaining forces, feeling desperate.

It was the best he could do at the time.

He chose the only path he judged to have even a slight chance of survival, even though he didn’t know how many would die.

[Open the gate!!]

Right before the hour hand reached noon, the Lord led the remaining forces out of the shelter. And they desperately tried to break through the army that was waiting for them and head towards the plaza.

The sight was even more despairing when he saw it with his own eyes.

[…….]

There were thousands of knights, and even more soldiers.

Mages and priests were also stationed everywhere.

But it was too late to turn back.

[The portal is opening!!]

[Get ready!!]

A blue light gathered in the center of the plaza, and the portal opened, spewing out explorers.

[What, what?!]

[It’s the royal family! The royal army!]

[Damn it! No wonder there was no one inside!]

The explorers were flustered to see the army waiting for them as soon as they returned to the city, but they quickly understood, as they had already sensed something was off in the labyrinth.

[What are you doing! Are we just going to die here?]

[Draw your swords, you bastards!]

The explorers immediately took out their weapons and got ready to fight, and the Lord also led his forces and tried to draw their attention from the outskirts.

And he only gave one order.

[Run away! To the surface!]

The best plan he could choose.

Every man for himself.

To somehow survive and fight another day.

But did that catch his eye?

[So this is the face of the leader of the rebels. I’m surprised you look so normal.]

A knight soon arrived in front of him.

The dazzling Aura emanating from his sword told him who he was.

[The Knight of Light…!]

Jerome Saintred, the captain of the 1st Royal Knight Order.

A powerful figure who held great significance in this kingdom, even having the title of ‘Protector of the Royal Family’.

[Don’t worry. You won’t die here. I’ll just cut off your limbs and take you alive, just in case.]

The Knight of Light swung his sword.

The Lord, who had only explored up to the 5th floor for a few years in his twenties, couldn’t even see it.

Whoosh!

A flash of light blinded him, following the trajectory of the sword.

But…

Flash!

…when the fleeting flash faded and he opened his eyes…

“…?”

…he was fine.

His arms moved, and his legs were still attached to his body.

What the hell happened?

That’s when, as he was wondering…

[You still have a role to fulfill.]

…the old man appeared, dozens of meters above ground.

The battle around them had stopped.

It wasn’t voluntary.

Just like how the Knight of Light was trembling, his sword pointed at the Lord’s neck, no one here could move to harm another.

As if it were a rule of this space.

[Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s go.]

A giant magic circle started glowing on the city floor as the old man gestured.

It was an overwhelming magical energy he had never felt before.

[Fortunately, this is still working.]

His vision blurred at the old man’s mutter.

And…

Flash!

…when he came to his senses, the Lord was in a dark underground passage.

And it wasn’t just him.

Everyone from Noark was there…

[Wh, what did you do?!]

[Mass Teleportation? No, there’s no way you can transport this many people…]

…and there were even a few knights who were dragged along.

[There seems to be a slight error since I transported so many people at once. Ah, I didn’t bring them on purpose, so just kill them.]

The Lord, as if possessed, followed the old man’s instructions and had his men kill the knights. And he followed the old man, who started walking with a meaningful smile, as he asked where they were.

After some time…

“Have you figured out who he is?”

…the Lord snapped out of his thoughts at a man’s voice.

Surprisingly, the captain of Orculus was speaking to the old man with respect.

“Well, there’s no answer if there’s no question.”

“So you’re saying to figure it out myself. Okay.”

The captain, who had been at odds with the Lord in many aspects, dividing Noark’s power, obediently bowed and stepped back.

Although it was a strange sight…

…the Lord’s curiosity about the old man grew even further.

‘Just who is he?’

He thought about asking the captain.

After all, he was the one who told his members to stay put and not act rashly as soon as they were teleported.

He must have known something.

But…

‘He wouldn’t tell me.’

Instead of asking the captain, the Lord approached the old man. And he actively tried to have a conversation that he couldn’t before because of a strange sense of unease.

Unexpectedly, the old man was very friendly.

“Ah, you’re talking about the teleportation? I just borrowed the power of the ancient magic circle in the city, so don’t think too much of it. It’s the same for being able to temporarily stop the battle. Noark is a well-designed city.”

“I didn’t even know something like that existed…”

“Kekeke, it’s strange that you would know. Don’t be discouraged. So is that all you’re curious about?”

The Lord asked the old man various questions, and the old man answered most of them, except for the question about their destination.

After some time…

“Well, we’re here.”

The narrow passage widened, and a sloped path appeared.

And…

“What is this place…?”

…they came out to the surface after climbing the hill.

The Lord could confidently say that it was a sight he had never seen before.

Sunlight, a forest, a flowing stream, chirping birds, and a worm wriggling on the damp ground.

And most importantly…

“There are no walls…?”

No matter where he looked, there were no walls.

In other words, it meant that they weren’t in Lafdonia, the last bastion.

“Wh, where is this…?”

The Lord muttered blankly and turned towards the old man. He could see the old man smiling beneath his hood.

“Congratulations. You’ll be recorded as the first people to leave the city in thousands of years.”

June 2nd, 154th year of the Change Era.

The era of being trapped behind walls had finally come to an end, and a new world had opened up.

------------------------------------

Chapter 257: Clan (1)

After the royal army returned, people learned that the army did exist and the reason they weren't visible at the Dimensional Plaza was because they had gone underground to raid an empty house.

However…

‘What happened?’

…no one knew the outcome.

Therefore, all sorts of speculation began to run rampant.

From whether they won or lost, to groundless conspiracy theories that the royal family was only pretending to fight the underground city.

New hypotheses arose among gossipmongers every morning, and eventually, a few days later, the royal family officially posted notices throughout the city.

To briefly summarize the content:

We, the awesome royal family, won, and even conquered Noark. So stop worrying.

I couldn't know how much of it was true.

But assuming that the notice was based on some truth, let's supplement a few missing points.

‘There was definitely no battle.’

I couldn’t find any traces of battle on the knights who were returning to the royal palace.

‘They probably ran away.’

Then where did they escape to?

It was a world surrounded by walls.

It didn't make sense for them to hide on the surface.

After all, there would inevitably be traces if that many people came above ground.

‘Then they’re still down here…’

“Bjorn! Stop slacking off and come carry this!”

Right, I should just move luggage.

Would I find an answer by worrying all day?

It was wise to wait for the Round Table with Clown to open.

Therefore, I ended my thoughts and moved my body.

“Ah, can you put the bed over here?”

I was currently at an orphanage run by the Leathlas Church, acting like a moving company employee and taking out luggage from a building that was scheduled for demolition.

It was time to start accumulating achievement points.

Whenever there were requests from the church, those of us with free time would go and complete them.

“Ainar! Did you think you wouldn’t get caught slacking off?!”

“I, I wasn’t slacking off, I was playing with the kids!”

“Waaaaaaaaah! This lady broke my doll!! She’s a doll murderer!”

“That’s… I was trying to teach her about vital points, and it couldn’t be helped…!”

Although there were various incidents today…

…we finished moving all the luggage after an hour or two.

Therefore, today’s request also ended here.

We then had a simple meal at a restaurant near the church, and I heard something interesting from Misha.

“You know? That orphanage we went to today, it’s that place.”

“That place?”

“You know, the old building that was scheduled for demolition, the one Dwarkey said he lived in for a while when he was young. That was it.”

“…I see.”

“Anyway, just saying! I’m going now! Ah, and I’ll be late today, so take care of dinner yourselves.”

We disbanded after the meal.

Misha left, saying she had an appointment with a former companion, and Ainar headed towards the sanctuary.

And…

“Huhu, it’s just the two of us now?”

“I have somewhere to go, so go home first.”

“…Huh?”

I sent Erwen home since she didn’t have anything scheduled and headed towards the guild alone. I didn’t have the escort knights who used to follow me everywhere.

Because they had all left last month.

They said they received orders to return.

‘I just accepted it back then, but they probably called them back because of the Noark operation.’

I wondered if they would send knights again if those Noark bastards had all escaped safely and were hiding somewhere underground…

But I didn’t get my hopes up.

One of the knights even told me before leaving, as if he felt a sense of camaraderie after spending a month with us.

[Please be careful. If assassins come again, the higher-ups judge that it’s more likely to be the work of a large clan than Noark.]

It seemed like ‘Antler’, who assigned me bodyguards, thought that the ‘assassination’ Clown mentioned referred to a large clan.

Well, it had already been almost a month since he said the assassin would come ‘soon’.

[But then shouldn’t you protect me even more? The large clans’ target is the royal family.]

[…You don’t have to worry about that.]

And judging by his tone, it seemed like the royal family was fully prepared to block the large clans’ attempts to influence public opinion.

So they didn’t need to protect me anymore.

‘Well, it’s more convenient for me too without them.’

I reached the Explorer’s Guild while organizing my thoughts. But I didn’t have to draw a number and wait like before.

There weren’t many explorers in the first place…

“Viscount Bjorn Yandel, your identity has been confirmed. I’ll escort you to the branch manager’s office.”

…and I had to enjoy the benefits of my hard-earned noble title.

“Not the branch manager’s office, but the regional manager’s office.”

The employee asked if I had an appointment, but I just used my noble authority to crush that trivial matter.

“Are you rebelling?”

It was the Barbarian Noble Mode, a combination of a barbarian who didn’t understand words and a noble who didn’t intend to listen.

“…I’ll escort you right away.”

We went up to the 4th floor, and the employee knocked on the door and announced my arrival. I heard a deep sigh from inside, and then the door opened.

I immediately entered and sat down on the sofa.

And I put my feet on the table and said arrogantly,

“Greet me.”

“…….”

“Aren’t you going to?”

The regional manager, who was working at his desk, got up and bowed as soon as I finished speaking.

“Vis… count Yandel… welcome…”

Geez, isn’t he used to it yet?

“Right, sit down.”

The regional manager sat down across from me after I allowed him to. It had already happened several times, but it was still thrilling.

Is this the true taste of power?

“…What brings you here today?”

Nile Urbans, the regional manager of the 7th district of the Explorer’s Guild.

He, who had a history with me, spoke to me politely, unlike in the past.

Of course, it wasn’t like this from the beginning.

He originally tried to talk to me as equals, but he started using this tone after I exploded in anger, asking if he was insulting a noble.

“I’m here to check if there are any explorers who applied for the recruitment notice.”

“You can do that at the branch manager’s office…”

What the hell is this guy talking about?

The reason I came all the way to the 7th district headquarters was because of him.

“Talking back… to a noble?”

“…I’ll check right away.”

“Just in case there’s a mistake like before, do it yourself. Don’t send someone else.”

“Yes…”

The regional manager then went downstairs to do what I told him, and I waited, munching on the snacks on his desk.

After some time…

“Here it is.”

…he came back up with a few documents.

I snatched them from him without even thanking him for his hard work and read them, and there wasn’t much difference from two days ago.

“There’s only one more applicant, and even he’s not very good.”

“I apologize.”

“It’s not your fault.”

I showed my generosity as a superior and then read the documents again. There were exactly 31 explorers who applied for the companion recruitment notice I posted a few days ago.

There weren’t many applicants, contrary to my expectations.

It was because there weren’t many explorers who wanted to enter the labyrinth in the current situation.

‘But I thought there would be more applicants since the clans were all destroyed.’

I dismissed my disappointment and put the documents down.

There weren’t any explorers who were worth interviewing, at least on paper.

I still couldn’t find the ‘special class’ I was looking for.

So I had no choice but to wait.

“Um, but…”

“Just say it.”

“Is there a specific class you’re looking for?”

“Not really, I just need someone competent. But why?”

“Because there’s a famous name among the applicants.”

The regional manager then started talking about how competent, trustworthy, and promising that explorer was.

It seemed like he wanted to find me a companion quickly and not have me visit him anymore.

But…

“Stop!!”

I threw the documents on the ground and stormed out of the regional manager’s office.

No matter how good his specs were…

“Just do what I tell you!”

…was he crazy to suggest adding Hans to the team?
____________________

Almost two weeks had passed since the fire. I could summarize the things I had done during that time into a few categories.

Grinding achievement points at the temple.

Sparring with the chieftain at the sanctuary.

Checking prices in Commelby, the commercial city.

And relieving stress by bullying the regional manager at the guild every three days.

Although I had a productive schedule, there weren’t any significant results yet.

The value of currency would continue to rise for a while, so I decided to hold onto it for now.

‘It seems like it will take at least two or three months for the priest to reach the minimum achievement points…’

And it was the same for recruiting companions.

There was no sign of the special class I needed for the 6th floor, and I couldn’t find suitable candidates for the two remaining spots to fill the 10-person limit.

‘So we have no choice but to go up with just six people if the labyrinth opens before then.’

It was a bit disappointing.

Usually, when you split into two or more teams, you would meet up on the 5th floor.

It’s because you would lose a lot of time if you had more than five people and had to go through the 4th floor.

It was a painful loss for explorers, whose time was gold.

‘…But we’re still not ready to split into two teams of three. It’s better to meet on the 2nd floor and go up safely.’

Of course, it was a bit of a premature worry.

If the labyrinth’s opening was postponed for a few more months, it would all be meaningless. The important thing was when the situation would stabilize.

‘Maybe I’ll know today.’

The 15th, the day Ghostbusters opened.

I prepared to enter the community from the morning and headed towards the sanctuary.

Because I couldn’t just enter this time.

‘GM.’

The GM suspected me of being an evil spirit.

He would probably target today.

If I were him, I would have done the same.

12 hours in the community.

In other words, 12 seconds in reality.

This short period of time was a huge weakness for community users.

Because they were cut off from reality for 12 seconds.

Since they couldn’t even get up if their neck was stabbed with a knife, it was possible to distinguish between players and non-players if you used this time well.

But…

‘It’s still a bad move to not enter.’

I decided to enter the community.

I judged that there would be a lot of information since there was a major incident between the royal family and Noark.

And besides, the GM’s right-hand man, ‘SoulQueens’, had joined the Round Table as a new member last time.

If ‘Lion’ didn’t participate, she might even be able to connect me with Lion later.

‘…Is that a bit of a stretch?’

Anyway, the point was this.

Life is all about preparing for the unexpected.

I didn’t know if the GM would try to confirm my identity during those 12 seconds, but there was no reason not to prepare.

“Bjorn, you called for me?”

“Ah, I have a favor to ask.”

“Favor?”

“Can you try wearing this on your face?”

I arrived at the sanctuary and summoned Karon, then handed him the ‘Golden Mask’, a hidden item I obtained from the Crimson Fortress.

“What’s this? I like it because it’s shiny…”

“It’s a magic tool that changes your face for 30 days.”

“Huh? But why are you giving it to me?”

“Because you have the most similar build to me.”

I then asked Karon to drink in the city while wearing my face until tomorrow morning.

“It’s not a difficult request, but why are you doing something so troublesome?”

“I have somewhere to go secretly tonight, without my companions knowing.”

“…It seems like that beastman isn’t very understanding.”

Huh? Why is ‘beastman’ suddenly being mentioned?

I didn’t understand what he meant…

…but I immediately understood after his next words.

“It’s a warrior’s instinct to have children. Is that why you came to the sanctuary today?”

I hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

I judged that this excuse would be better for keeping secrets than the one I had prepared.

“Anyway, don’t worry about this! I’ll make sure that beastman woman doesn’t suspect anything!”

No, she’ll definitely find out if she comes.

That’s why I told him to just drink outside all night.

“I’ll trust you. You’re the second wisest warrior after me.”

“Re, really?! You think of me like that?! I’m happy!”

After explaining the precautions and the route, I sent Karon, who was now disguised as me, to the city, wearing my equipment.

And…

「Character has used ‘Golden Mask’.」

「Character’s appearance changes for 30 days.」

…I put on the mask and then took it off, changing my face to Karon’s.

I had to hide my face in the sanctuary.

If there were sightings in two places, everything I had done today would be meaningless.

‘I should also go back to the city.’

I quickly put on Karon’s equipment and left the forest, heading towards the city, in case someone who knew Karon recognized me.

And I got a room at a random inn and stayed there.

After some time…

「The character’s soul resonates and is drawn to a specific world.」

…Phew, I hope he didn’t cause any trouble with my face.

-----------------------------------------------

Chapter 258: Clan (2)

Lee Hansu’s room.

It felt like I was returning home every time I came here now.

It was a familiar and comfortable space, yet it also felt unfamiliar.

This room, which was once my home…

Click.

I first turned on the computer.

And I waited for posts to appear.

There was nothing else to do until 3:00, when the Round Table opened.

[Long Live Korean Independence] - 0 members online.

Lee Baekho wasn’t here again.

Phew, judging by how he threatened the GM to unban him, it seemed like he was trying to find a way to return, but he wasn’t here yet.

‘His ultimate goal was to return…’

I thought about the GM as I recalled Lee Baekho’s ambition.

What was the GM’s goal?

Was it also to return?

‘…But then why did he ban Lee Baekho?’

Hmm… I don’t know.

Something was constantly happening that I didn’t know about.

‘Anyway, I hope it wasn’t a wasted effort.’

I hoped that the plan of using Karon as a stand-in would work and clear his suspicion as I organized what I knew about the GM.

It wasn’t much.

First, he was a mage.

And he was a fan of ‘Elfnunna’, judging by how he used the nickname ‘Elfnunalove’ in the community.

Wait a minute.

‘…What would he do if he found out I was that person? Would he help me?’

I briefly had the thought that I might be able to gain a strong patron by using this.

But my hopes were dashed in the end.

‘No way.’

It was similar to why I didn’t reveal my identity to Lee Baekho.

I didn’t know the GM’s intentions.

And besides, the GM had already sent ‘Bjorn Yandel’ a community entry pill once.

In short, it meant he didn’t approach me to invite me to the community because I was a player.

Therefore, I had to hide my identity.

Even if I found out that his intentions were good.

After all, you never know how human relationships will turn out.

Revealing to someone that I was an evil spirit was practically the same as handing them my leash.

And I had seen a bad example firsthand.

[Fine, if that’s what you want, I’ll make sure you have nowhere to go. Hans Krisen is an evil spirit!]

What choice would I make if I was in the same situation as Hans G?

Could I refuse a forced choice?

Click, click.

I dismissed my thoughts and moved the mouse.

Quite a bit of time had passed, and various posts were appearing on the forums.

I spent time browsing the web.

That’s when, about 30 minutes after the community opened…

[I’m from Noark, and I have something to tell you.]

…that post appeared.
_______________________

The content of the post began like this:

-I hesitated for a long time, wondering if you would ban me for being from Noark, but I’m leaving this post because I think everyone should know, regardless of whether they’re from the surface or the underground.

-We’re outside now.

-I’m talking about the real outside world, not inside the walls.

It was shocking content that denied the foundation of the world setting.

-You’re probably wondering if this even makes sense, right? But it’s true. We left for the outside world to escape the royal family, and we’re still alive.

-Honestly, I still don’t know if the Witch’s curse has disappeared over time, or if it never existed in the first place.

-But one thing is clear.

-The outside is perfectly fine. Plants are growing, and I can see bugs eating leaves if I get close. And wild animals too.

The writer then wrote a long description of what the outside world was like, and then he wrote about what had happened in the form of a journal.

I slowly read through the long post.

And my first impression was this:

‘No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like he’s just trying to get attention…’

It didn’t seem like a simple prank.

Well, in the first place, it wouldn’t make sense for a post that risked getting banned to be a prank.

But even so, the comment section was in chaos.

[Brutalizer X: Here’s some attention.]

[arolf5205: I came here thinking it was something, but I just scrolled down after looking at the top comment. There’s no idiot here who actually believes this, right?]

Starting with the top comments that dismissed it as a lie made up by an attention seeker…

[ryanzeus31: But if this is true, isn’t the royal family screwed? If there’s really a world outside where we can live without magic stones, there’s no way this shitty city can be maintained.]

[└furryking1955: Maybe that’s why they hid it? There’s no way they didn’t know about this.]

…to those who somewhat believed the content and were worried about the future.

And…

[Gareth: Wow, so that old man appeared and took everyone somewhere, and it was the outside world?]

…those who left comments as if they knew something.

[└NIKAMOTO: Old man? What’s that? Please share the information politely.]

[└Gareth: I was waiting in front of the portal to kill those Noark bastards when they came out, and an old man suddenly appeared and teleported them all away.]

[└Kni8htofroom: If you’re going to lie, at least put some effort into it. How can you teleport that many people with Mass Teleport?]

[└Gareth: I don’t know, and I don’t even want to explain. Anyway, what am I supposed to do now? Ha, I chose the knight path because I thought the royal family would be better off. Is the royal family collapsing now?]

For reference, public opinion started to shift towards believing the post after this comment.

Because the royal forces who participated in the subjugation started appearing and testifying.

[└amulet: It’s hard to believe, but it’s true that they escaped through teleportation. I can say this for sure because I was there.]

[└kongkong2: This person has only been posting about the knights for years, right? Then this is all real?]

Testimonials from the royal family poured out as the post became a hot topic, and then people from Noark also started appearing.

[EXBlunt: Ah, the outside air is nice. So we’re the winners after all, having gone down there?]

[xxfblz: Yeah, we’re living well without magic stones. You guys can suffer while paying taxes.]

I also started to get confused.

I thought it was possible for the outside world to be fine. After all, I had also felt a sense of dissonance while watching the guards on the walls.

But there was one thing I couldn’t understand.

‘Why are they telling us this?’

It wasn’t strange for there to be people from Noark in the community.

But why were they sharing their situation?

Because they thought it was their duty to help their fellow players?

‘No, there’s no way.’

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have had to suffer and clear the path while trapped on the 1st floor.

They were completely silent back then.

They didn’t even mention their ambush plan, even jokingly, and as a result, most of the explorers on the surface were wiped out.

And of course, many players were among them.

‘…Then it’s safe to assume that Noark ordered them to do this.’

They had a motive.

If they lied and said they had escaped to the outside world, it would help them avoid the royal family’s pursuit—

‘But if the outside world isn’t fine, wouldn’t the royal family find out anyway?’

I let out a deep sigh as I quickly encountered a contradiction.

“Ha, what the hell is going on?”

I couldn’t hold back and left a comment.

[Elfnunna: I have one question for the people from Noark. If the outside world is really fine, and if you’re really there, why are you telling us this now? You’ve been quiet until now.]

A notification soon popped up, indicating that a reply had been posted.

However…

[└FIREWORK: Wow, is that really Elfnunna? I’m raising a Fire Archer, can you give me some advice?]

[└bigfisher: He’s not Elfnunna, he’s Elfnuna.]

[└Bling0_0: But he might actually be the real one. I heard the original nickname can’t be used anymore because someone took it and died.]

…there weren’t any useful comments.

Geez, why are they only posting these kinds of things when I asked the Noark people?

‘Tsk.’

I clicked my tongue and checked the time.

Surprisingly, only 10 minutes were left until the Round Table opened.

I had completely lost track of time while reading the comments that were being updated in real time.

‘Right, I’ll definitely get some useful information here.’

I stopped reading the comments and lay down on the bed to rest.

And I entered the Round Table as soon as it was time.

‘Don’t tell me he’s not coming?’

I was worried that the Clown, who had been beaten up throughout the last gathering, might not attend…

…but fortunately, he was a persistent one.

“Mr. Lion, you’re here too, pfft.”

He’s acting friendly again.

I casually acknowledged his greeting and sat down in my usual seat. The current participants were Goblin, Antler, Clown, and SoulQueens. For some reason, Fox wasn’t there.

“That’s strange. She’s usually the first to arrive.”

Goblin looked at me, expressing his doubt.

Well, I was the one who left with Fox and had a private conversation last time.

He must have thought something was going on.

“…….”

But I also didn’t know why Fox wasn’t here yet, so I just kept my mouth shut.

After some time…

…it was almost time for the meeting to begin, and Fox still hadn’t appeared.

But instead…

“Hoo?”

“So Crescent Moon wasn’t dead?”

…Crescent Moon, who had caused much speculation by not attending the last gathering, appeared.

Thanks to that, the attention that was focused on Fox shifted to him.

“You’re new. Nice to meet you. I came for the first time last time, so I still have a lot to learn.”

SoulQueens, as expected of a natural social butterfly, approached him first and greeted him.

But Crescent Moon’s condition was strange.

“…….”

He should be interested in SoulQueens, who was new…

…but he just sat down without saying anything.

Was he always like this?

“Pfft, stop acting all serious. Just tell us what happened. Can’t you see everyone is curious?”

The Clown then asked, and the other members didn’t say anything about his rude behavior.

They were also curious.

What had happened to Crescent Moon.

“…I wasn’t in the mood back then.”

Crescent Moon briefly explained, as if the attention was uncomfortable. Although he didn’t give any details, it wasn’t difficult to understand what he meant.

After all, considering the situation…

And his subdued voice.

“It seems like you lost someone.”

Antler clicked his tongue and muttered, and Crescent Moon didn’t refute him.

Goblin then looked back and forth between the Clown and Crescent Moon, looking restless.

The reason was simple.

“Then it’s a good thing you came. Maybe your enemy is here.”

“What do you mean…?”

Crescent Moon didn’t know since he wasn’t at the last gathering.

What the Clown’s identity was.

“Clown is the Corpse Collector.”

Crescent Moon flinched as Antler revealed the information that was revealed back then, not hiding his hostility.

A brief silence followed.

“I see. Clown… so it was you…”

Crescent Moon then stared at the Clown.

But did he really lose someone because of Noark?

I could feel a chilling killing intent from his gaze.

However, the Clown just laughed as usual, having experienced worse.

“Pfft, so who are you going to kill?”

Crescent Moon stared at the Clown for a moment and then unclenched his fist.

His killing intent had also disappeared.

He knew.

That there was nothing he could do here, even though his enemy was right in front of him.

“I’ll come find you someday.”

His voice was calm and controlled.

The Clown scoffed after a brief pause.

“…Pfft, I’ll be waiting.”

Anyway, their personal conversation ended there.

“Well, the door is closed, so shouldn’t we start now? I’ve been looking forward to this for a month!”

SoulQueens then forcefully raised the tension and led the meeting.

And so, the time to decide on the order began.

“Well, then I’ll go first.”

The Clown volunteered to go first.

Although they didn’t say it out loud, I could feel that they were all looking forward to what he would say more than ever.

“This might be… exciting?”

The Clown said so, looking at us, and then fixed his gaze on Crescent Moon.

“You said you would come find me, but how are you planning to do that?”

“…….”

“Everyone saw the forum, right? About how the outside world is fine, and how everyone from Noark went there.”

The Clown then placed his hand on the jewel.

And he muttered briefly,

“That’s all true.”

The jewel on the round table emitted a green light as if to prove his words.

Trial

I like Korean novels (Murim, Dukes, Reincarnation, etc, etc, etc)

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