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Black Star (3)

Lion Mask is Bjorn Jandel.

This claim first surfaced at the Round Table through Soul Queen’s words.

The basis was that Lion Mask disappeared right after Bjorn Jandel died.

So, in simple terms…

‘As long as I can resolve the alibi, that’s the end of it.’

Lion Mask is not Bjorn Jandel.

The moment this statement becomes the absolute premise, their suspicions lose a lot of weight.

[They say he seems to have consumed Ogre’s essence too?]

[It’s unlikely she’d use a double and call him by a nickname.]

[In that case, it makes sense that the Golden Mage omitted such a report.]

[There’s a possibility he faked his death.]

In the end, these suspicions stem from the possibility that Lion Mask is Bjorn Jandel.

The Clown’s reaction is the proof.

[Heh, what are you all talking about? Bjorn Jandel is dead.]

He firmly believed that Lion Mask couldn’t be Bjorn Jandel, so he was the only one who didn’t react to that suspicion.

‘Huh, this guy is really two-faced.’

When I meet him outside, I just want to crush his head, but surprisingly, there’s something a little endearing about him when we meet at the roundtable.

Ah, I shouldn’t be thinking about this right now.

Looks like they’re slowly coming back to their senses.

“……”

“……”

In the heavy silence that seemed to press down, the first to speak was the Fox.

“……22 years ago, you say?”

Her voice was imbued with a shock that couldn’t be explained in a few words.

Well, that’s understandable.

“Is… is this even possible? According to that, Mr. Lion has been around for over 20 years…”

As Goblin trailed off, Deer Horns naturally chimed in.

“It’s not impossible. It’s known that the GM was also brought in around that time.”

An estimated entry time that can be considered the same as the longest-serving player known as the GM.

“Pssit, maybe if I kill people for another ten years, I could become like Mr. Lion too?”

Yeah, clown, you’ve been around for about ten years now.

Looking at it, it seems like others are around that time too.

“But Queen, why are you silent? Pssit.”

The clown spoke to the Soul Queen, clearly mocking her for barking up the wrong tree.

“Shouldn’t you bow your head and apologize? Spreading such nonsensical rumors that Mr. Lion is Bjorn Jandel.”

The clown, enjoying his role as the “only one who got it right,” scanned the other members.

“You all are the same! Bjorn Jandel? Even if that guy were somehow alive, do you think such a small fry could even compare to Mr. Lion? Hmm?”

“Hahaha… We were just speculating; we didn’t really believe..”

The goblin trailed off with an awkward laugh.

On the other hand, Deer Horns didn’t avoid responsibility and reflected on his own words.

“Come to think of it… it’s quite a leap to think that Bjorn Jandel is alive.”

“…Actually, I can’t really believe that Bjorn Jandel is an Evil Spirit.  There’s something suspicious about the royal family’s proclamation. I’ve actually met him in person before.”

The fox met me in person?

Wasn’t she one of the higher-ups who escaped through the dimensional portal?

Or did she meet me by chance at some other time?

‘I’ll think about that later…’

Then the clown agreed with the fox’s words.

“Pssit, I agree. That stupid barbarian, an evil spirit? Does that even make sense?”

Even Deer Horns, who didn’t get along with the clown, somewhat agreed.

“It’s true… the way he acted during the knighthood ceremony didn’t seem like an act.”

“…The incident where he pushed Marquis Kudo in front of the Chancellor and countless nobles?”

“Pssit, I heard later that he was shouting at the top of his lungs, claiming the marquis used him to pull off a forward roll?”

…How embarrassing.

How can they praise me to my face like this?

‘Anyway, it looks like I’ve cleared the suspicions for now…’

As I scanned the room, I noticed Soul Queens still sitting quietly, detached from the conversation.

‘But what could she be thinking so deeply about?’

Curious about her thoughts, I kept watching the queen, but then the clown changed the subject.

“Queen, how long are you going to sit there like that? It’s your turn now. Don’t you see Mr. Lion is waiting?”

He must have interpreted my intent to watch Soul Queens as impatience.

This guy’s like a professional mediator, always trying to help me out.

“Ah, ah! Yes. I need to…”

Anyway, perhaps the Clown’s urging was effective?

Soul Queens seemed to regain her composure, took a breath, and slowly opened her mouth.

“…The Royal Family already knows the identity of the GM.”

It was quite an interesting story.

****

Magitech Engineer, Urven Havelion.

The head of a school and an idol to countless Magitech Engineers.

But that’s just the surface story.

His true identity is different.

He’s the leader of GhostBusters, a community of evil spirits, and the legendary figure known among players as GM.

That’s who he really is.

But…

Swoooosh—!

The green light projected onto the roundtable confirmed that the information Soul Queens shared was true and previously unknown to the majority.

“The royal family knows of his existence…”

The implication was clear.

The royal family not only knew of GM’s existence but also—

“In that case, it’s possible that they’re in a cooperative relationship. The GM and the Royal Family.”

It would also explain his behavior when I confronted him, as if he didn’t care about the threat from the royal family.

But why would the Soul Queens reveal this information at the roundtable?

The reason soon became clear.

“Pssit, so the GM was one of them the whole time. No wonder rumors didn’t spread in the city no matter what kind of fuss people kicked up.”

It was probably meant for me as advice or a warning that there’s no point in spreading rumors, so don’t waste your time.

“Wait a minute, but isn’t this strange? The GM clearly regarded the Royal Family as our enemy, right?”

As Goblin pointed out the contradiction, crescent moon let out a bitter smile and responded.

“There’s nothing more meaningless than putting faith in forever. Especially when that faith is in a person.”

Meaning that even if the GM was at our side at the beginning, no one can know if he’s still on our side

“If this gets out, the whole community could collapse.”

Deer Horns sighed and murmured.

“Yes. If news spreads that the GM sided with the Royal Family, all the players will be anxious. That includes me.”

As Fox stared at Soul Queens, the other members naturally turned their gazes at her.

“Queen, tell us. You’re on the administration’s side, aren’t you? What’s GM’s intention in cooperating with the royal family?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Then are you telling us to interpret it ourselves—”

“But there’s one thing I can confidently say.”

Interrupting fox, Soul Queens spoke again.

And then…

“Since the turn has ended, let’s start with me this time.”

Then she placed her hand on the jewel on the Round Table.

“The GM is someone who acts and lives for the players more than anyone else.”

“……”

“He would never sacrifice other players to the Royal Family. Besides, it’s functionally impossible for this community to do such a thing.”

As soon as she finished speaking and lifted her hand from the jewel, the green light glowed.

“Haha, hearing you say that makes me feel a bit relieved.”

The Goblin, uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere, laughed awkwardly, breaking the silence, and the interrogation-like atmosphere faded away.

“Technically impossible, huh? Well, that’s a relief.”

That seemed to be the deciding factor.

Even if the GM changes his mind later, knowing that the worst-case scenario was technically impossible eased their fears.

“Indeed, if the GM could find out our identities with his authority, this conversation wouldn’t even have taken place…”

“It seems more likely that the royal family and GM have a give-and-take relationship rather than GM working directly under them.”

“Now, it’s your turn.”

Clearly wanting to move away from the topic, Soul Queens quickly handed the turn to the Clown.

“Pssit,  since we’ve heard such interesting stories from the start…”

The clown trailed off as if choosing what information to share next.

But did he quickly think of something suitable?

“Aha, this should do!”

The Clown clapped his hands exaggeratedly and placed his hand on the jewel.

“…I also learned this recently, and it’s quite surprising.”

“Earlier, You said dragging things out is just pathetic.”

“Pssit, but Mr. Goblin and I are different, aren’t we?”

As the Clown shrugged his shoulders, Deer Horns nodded slightly.

“Why are you nodding your head…?”

The Goblin groaned as if hurt, but no one at the Round Table paid any attention to Goblin.

That’s because the clown had just opened his mouth.

“The Dark Continent exists in reality.”

In the excited atmosphere, the clown’s statement was hard to comprehend.

“…Well, it’s a green light at least.”

“More importantly, what does that mean? I don’t understand.”

“Heh! It means exactly what I said! After traveling outside the city and visiting various places, I realized. The terrain, the structure—though there might be slight differences, this land we stand on bears a striking resemblance to the 7th-floor Dark Continent!”

This information piqued the curiosity of the gamers.

“…If this is true, then that theory might be right.”

“The theory that the labyrinth isn’t a passage to another dimension but one purposefully created by someone?”

“Even the Crystal Cave and the Rocky Desert… These could all be modeled after real places.”

If that’s true, it’s ironic.

Someone created the labyrinth by modeling this world, and the labyrinth was then used to design a game.

‘I’m curious about the outside world too…’

I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to explore that world too.

***

The second round proceeded smoothly without any red lights, but unfortunately, that was all.

‘The Queen and Clown’s information was good, but the rest of the information was a little off.’

Regardless of the objective value of the information, they were not helpful to me.

Take fox, for example.

The fox received a green light for revealing that the Blood Spirit Queen had spent a fortune buying a mansion and used the mansion as collateral to borrow even more money.

And Crescent Moon?

She sighed and shared that the Blood Spirit Queen might have used that money to buy an essence.

And then…

“Buying a newlywed home and even purchasing essence to feed that guy… Heh, that woman sure is persistent! It’s not like Bjorn Jandel is going to come back to life with that.”

Some of the reactions were a little hurtful.

“…Rihen Schuiz. I don’t know who he is yet, but he doesn’t seem like a decent fellow.”

“But, but they say he’s really strong?  I don’t think you can become that strong just by consuming a few Essences…”

“When someone already has a lot, they always want more.Taking advantage of a woman’s wounds to fill his own pockets, he’s a disgrace to men.”

“Oh my, Deer Horns, I didn’t know you were such a romantic.!”

“Ahem…”

“It seems like the fairies should look into him as well. I only knew she bought the essence; I had no idea she gave it to a stranger…”

Sigh, once the roundtable ends, they’re all going to start investigating me from every angle.

‘I feel like I’d be more at ease if I could just get my hands on the Explorer Guild’s data…’

I’ll have to find a solution quickly.

“Haha, it’s already my turn!”

Anyway, the subsequent turns of Goblin and Deer Horns were not much different.

Though their information didn’t concern me, it wasn’t particularly crucial either.

‘Well, I can’t always get what I need.’

I pushed aside my disappointment and glanced around.

Could it be because my turn was coming up?

The atmosphere in the room was a bit different from before.

“……”

Gazes gathered in anticipation of what would be revealed this time.

The air was so quiet that even the sound of breathing seemed regulated.

And within that…

‘So, what should I do…’

I contemplated for one last moment.

But I didn’t change what I had already decided.

Then I opened my mouth.

“I have met Auril Gavis, the creator of [Dungeon & Stone].”

Yes, I need to make this clear.

“……!”

“……!”

So that they won’t even think that the Lion Mask is Bjorn Jandel.

***

“Phew, I’m tired…”

As soon as I returned to Lee Han-soo’s room, I threw myself onto the bed, closed my eyes, and reviewed what happened at the Round Table.

‘It’s been a while since we went three full rounds.’

Even after finishing two rounds, there was one more to go.

There was some useful information, but most of it wasn’t particularly relevant.

So..

[Even if Mr. Goblin drops out, it doesn’t make much difference. Shall we all continue?]

[Doesn’t seem like anything interesting will come out even if we do.]

Ignoring the Clown’s disappointed gaze, I stood up from my seat.

Well, if Goblin leaves, the majority ratio decreases, right?

As always, at this point, even if I don’t make the first move, one or two others will withdraw. So I decided it was better to take the initiative.

‘…It’s also true that it doesn’t seem like any high-quality information will come out.’

Okay, now that I’ve rested a bit, my mind’s working again.

I’ll just kill time browsing the web.

Click, click.

Rising from the bed, I started browsing the community, reading through the posts.

“Heh, these idiots…”

It’s just clickbait nonsense, but for some reason, it’s so funny.

What’s wrong with these people’s brains?

“Haha…”

I was surfing the web, chuckling with one leg propped up on the desk, when—

“Huh?”

I suddenly straightened up.

Even after rubbing my eyes and leaning closer, the text on the monitor didn’t change.

[“Long Live Korean Independence” – 1 user online.]

Online? Who could it be?

Could it be Lee Baek-ho?

No, the GM wouldn’t have lifted his ban already…

‘Even if he did, it’s impossible for him to log in right now.’

So maybe it’s just a random person who stumbled in out of boredom?

Or maybe… a real Korean?

‘…Perhaps one of the new recruits was Korean.’

Whatever the case, I’ll find out if I meet them.

With that thought, I double-clicked the mouse.

And then…

Click, click.

As my vision faded to white, the surrounding space transformed.

Unlike the default chat room skin of empty fields, it was a lavishly decorated noble’s mansion.

It was a space decorated by Lee Baek-ho himself.

‘What the…? It’s a woman?’

I could see the back and side profile of a woman sitting in front of the fireplace.

[HS123]

I couldn’t determine her nationality from the username, but judging by her hair and skin tone, she was definitely East Asian.

Hmm, could she really be Korean?

‘Well, I’ll find out if I talk to her.’

While I generally prefer interacting with men, it’s not like I’m unhappy to meet a woman.

If she’s from the same place, I’m willing to offer some help, just like Lee Baek-ho did for me.

With that in mind, I made my presence known.

“Ahem.”

“Kyah!”

The woman jumped, her shoulders trembling in surprise.

It seemed she hadn’t realized I’d entered the chat room…The strong scent of a newbie that couldn’t be faked.

“…Huh?”

She quickly turned around, and our eyes met.

And at that moment—

“Uh…?”

“Uh.”

Her eyes widened.

Honestly, mine probably did too.

“Huh?!”

What the… Is this a dream?

Why is she here?

“Uh…”

My brain stalled.

My mouth gaped open like a fish, unable to form proper words.

She seemed to be in the same state.

“Uh… uh.”

“Uh…”

“Wha—?”

But she recovered faster than I did.

“Hansu… Oppa…?”

With a face showing more surprise than joy, she asked.

“Hyun Byeol…?”

I responded blankly, lowering my gaze.

A knee-length pencil skirt and a crisp blouse.

And then…

“Ha… Seriously, you’re just the same as ever, oppa.”

…She was wearing black stockings.