Black Star (5)

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Talking to Hyunbyeol was surprisingly easy.

Considering our relationship and the secrets between us,  I thought it would be much more awkward.

“Once she draws a line, she never crosses it first, so it’s quite comfortable.”

Economics, culture, politics, administration, and so on.

Even without knowing each other’s true identities, there were plenty of topics we could both relate to, and we freely shared those stories.

How much time had passed like that?

“A library, huh… Maybe we’ve passed by each other once or twice without realizing?

“Did you go there often too, oppa?”

“Just whenever I had some free time.”

“Well, there’s nothing better than books for getting information.”

When I checked the time, about two hours had passed since I met with Hyunbyul.

Wow, it’s been a while since I lost track of time like this.

What should we talk about next?

As I was pondering, Hyun-byeol cautiously spoke up.

“By the way, oppa.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“What kind of people are your friends?”

“…Suddenly?”

When I tilted my head in confusion, Hyun-byeol added nonchalantly.

“I was just curious. Actually, it was all your fault that you didn’t have any friends, right?”

“…What? Hitting me where it hurts out of nowhere?”

As I stared at her blankly, Hyun-byeol quickly elaborated.

“No, that’s not what I meant… I mean that whether you considered someone a friend or not was your own standard. Actually, there were probably quite a few people who thought of you as a friend, you know? Like those people who contact you every New Year or on your birthday.”

“Hey, how are they friends? They’re just acquaintances.”

“That’s exactly what’s wrong with your way of thinking.”

I had plenty to say, but I understood what she was getting at, so I didn’t argue.

“That’s why I was surprised. The friends you’ve met now… You consider them actual friends, right?”

“To be honest, I can’t understand what kind of magic they used to change someone like you. What kind of people are they?”

Is it really that strange for me to have friends?

Though I felt a bit bitter, I answered her anyway.

“They’re just trustworthy. Even if they had a knife behind my back, I wouldn’t worry.”

“Hmm, I guess fighting together and risking your lives built deep trust?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“But isn’t that just being comrades, not friends?”

Well…

She’s not wrong, but…

“Considering the setting of this world, socially, ‘comrades’ are used as a term for a relationship that’s more intimate and trustworthy than friends—”

“What, so they’re just comrades.”

I didn’t say anything.

Whether they’re friends or comrades, does it even matter?

The point is that we’re important to each other.

“…What’s with that look on your face?”

“Come to think of it, you didn’t have any friends either, did you?”

“There were tons of people who thought of me as a friend, okay?”

Yeah, I know.

But you’re similar to me, aren’t you?

What she thinks is more important than what others think.

“So, did you make any friends here?”

“…I don’t need them. I’m going back anyway.”

“Is that so? Well, can’t be helped then.”

I smirked as I spoke, and she looked up at me with somewhat resentful eyes.

But that moment was brief.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, she flinched.

“Just now, there was a ‘ding!’ sound in my ear.”

“Oh, must be a message.”

“A message…?”

“Did you perhaps put something up on the marketplace?”

“I didn’t put anything up, but I did send a proposal to a post buying information. I thought it would be convenient to earn some GP for now. Oppa, how do I check messages?”

“You can’t see them from here. You have to log out and check directly on the computer.”

“…Then I’ll have to check it later.”

“Don’t do that; go check it now. Considering you got a reply this late, it might mean messages went to other sellers too.”

When I proactively suggested it, her expression brightened.

She must have thought this was reasonable too.

“Then, sorry, but I’ll be right back.”

“Eh? You’re coming back?”

“…Are you planning to leave?”

“Don’t wait. If the reply took this long, it’s likely other sellers received the same message. You should check it now.”

“……”

When I proactively suggested it, her expression brightened.

She must have thought this was reasonable too.

“Then, sorry, but I’ll be right back.”

“Eh? You’re coming back?”

“…Are you planning to leave?”

“If I wait here, you’ll just rush to finish quickly.  No need for that. We can meet again next time.”

“……”

“Besides, you said it’s your first time in the community today, right? Instead of just hanging out with me here, you should check out other features too.”

“Well… that’s true.”

As expected, when I spoke logically, she nodded without further argument.

“Then, see you next month.”

“Yeah, take care until then.”

We briefly exchanged farewells.

Yes, that’s how it should have been.

But…

“……”

“……”

“Why aren’t you going?”

“……”

“Oh, you want me to go first? Then—”

As I was about to focus my consciousness to exit the chatroom.

“Wait!”

She hurriedly grabbed my sleeve.

And then…

“Um, oppa.”

She averted her gaze before continuing.

“How do I exit…?”

Huh, I wondered what she was doing alone in an empty chatroom.

She really has some clueless sides in strange places.

Were you waiting until someone came, not knowing how to exit?

***

“22 years ago… You’re sure?”

When the white man asked, biting his lip, the woman replied.

“Yes. That’s what he said. The green light on the gem on the Round Table lit up.”

“……”

“What on earth is going on? The community wasn’t even properly established back then.”

The man fell silent.

He had a hunch.

The masked man he met when he first inherited the authority in the spiritual world, who was presumed to be Auril Gavis.

[Whether you believe it or not is up to you. I came here only to give you a warning.]

At first, the man pretended to be someone else, but when he was found out, he gave a piece of advice that could be either a warning or a threat.

And then…

[Ah, so that’s your name.]

He forcibly learned his name.

“…Master, your hand is trembling.”

Unconsciously, the man looked down.

His fingertips were indeed trembling.

Despite it being over 20 years ago, it still haunted him.

“……”

Of course, he knows now.

The aura that oppressed his body back then was killing intent.

But…

He clenched his trembling hand into a fist, forcing himself to stop shaking.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

Sometimes, knowing makes it even more frightening.

He couldn’t even imagine how many people one would have to kill to exude such killing intent.

‘To think that the masked man could be him…’

It had happened so long ago that he hadn’t connected the dots immediately, but now everything made sense.

The fact that he knew the name “Urven Havelion,” and the unbelievable killing aura reported by the Soul Queens…

“You said it was three months, right…”

He felt both fear and relief at the same time.

If he had shown bravado and refused the threat back then, that man might have become his enemy.

However, as much as he was afraid, he needed to know about him.

If the unidentified man he met over 20 years ago was the Lion Mask, then what is his purpose?

That would be the key to the current situation.

“He reappeared in the community three years ago.”

His nickname was “ElfNunna.”

He thought it was unlikely that he was an evil spirit from another world, but even that wasn’t certain.

He was too secretive for any definitive conclusion.

‘The moment he joined the community, he made contact with Lee Baek-ho and was immediately seated at the round table.’

Why did he do that?

The clue was in the conversation they had 22 years ago.

“Auril Gavis…”

“Isn’t that the name of the game developer?”

He had warned him to be wary of Auril Gavis, the old man who handed him the authority.

That he was the one who brought us into this world and didn’t feel any guilt about it.

“…”

“Sorry, were you lost in thought?”

The threads were starting to unravel.

The Lion Mask was an enemy of Auril Gavis.

And after nearly 20 years of silence, the reason he showed up again in the community…

‘Was it because Auril Gavis had become the Master of the Round Table?’

Nickname 0720.

The creator of the Watchers of Round Table, whom they suspected to be an evil spirit.

‘No, there are still too many contradictions.’

“Soul Queens, you mentioned that the Master of the Round Table once visited, correct?”

“Yes. I wasn’t there, but that’s what I heard.”

“And the two seemed familiar with each other?”

“Yes, like close friends. The members were all shocked.”

“I see…”

Just when the threads seemed to be coming together, the man hit another wall.

The deeper he dug, the more he felt like he was sinking into a swamp.

Auril Gavis, Master, the Lion Maski, Lee baek-ho…

Their intentions were all beyond his comprehension.

No matter how he tried to fit the pieces together, the lack of clues left contradictions everywhere.

However…

Crunch.

One thing was certain.

Even at this very moment, giants were moving toward their goals, far beyond his understanding.

“…I guess I’ll have to admit it.”

“Admit what?”

He pressed his lips tightly.

Owner of the community? GM? The oldest player?

Even if many players revered him and called him that, the truth didn’t change.

“……”

In the end, he was just a small fry.

“Soul Queens, it seems that many things are happening beyond our knowledge.”

“Yes, I’ve been feeling that way more often lately.”

“We’ll have to try harder from now on.”

But instead of despairing, he chose to acknowledge his shortcomings and move forward.

“M-Master! The Lion Mask is in the Korean chatroom! There are two people—”

“Who is the other person?”

“HS123. I helped her enter earlier. She’s… Korean!”

“…So, a newbie.”

The man quickly issued an order.

“Send her a message. I need to meet her.”

This could be an opportunity that might not come again.

***

In a small room with a bed on one side and a computer desk on the other.

Kang Hyun-byeol thought it was somewhat amusing.

 

“This space is a realization of your own imagination.”

 

That’s what the guide said when she first entered the community.

Since her mental defenses were too strong, the guide couldn’t see it.

But this space is based on what her mind naturally gravitated toward—where she felt she needed to be or the place where she felt most at ease.

But…

‘How ironic. This place, of all places.’

Hyun-byeol smirked coldly.

She knew why it was this place.

But the most important person, the one who should be here, wasn’t.

“…Let’s just get on with it.”

After a brief glance around the room, she sat at the computer desk.

Then, she checked the message and frowned.

‘It wasn’t from a buyer after all.’

Though feeling mildly annoyed, Hyun-byeol carefully read through the message.

The sender’s nickname was the reason.

‘Soul Queens… That’s the guide I met when I first arrived.’

For unknown reasons, she had requested a meeting via the message.

Click, click.

Without much hesitation, Hyun-byeol entered the password from the message and joined the chatroom.

Inside were two people: a man and a woman.

The woman was someone she recognized.

The man, however…

[Elfnunalove.]

What the heck is that nickname?

From the start, Hyunbyeol felt a visceral discomfort but kept her feelings hidden.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Elfnunalove.”

“Hello. So, what’s this about?”

“I have something to discuss with HS123—”

“Please just call me ‘you’ instead. It feels weird to be called that to my face.”

“Ahaha, I understand. It does feel a bit strange.”

Despite her request, the man laughed amiably.

But to Hyun-byeol, it was just absurd.

‘You know it’s weird, yet you picked that nickname?’

She stared at him coldly while quickly forming her judgment.

‘Anyway, since he’s being so deferential, there must be a reason for it.’

Hyun-byeol had no intention of underestimating the man standing in front of her.

He might look foolish, but…

Judging by appearances was always a mistake.

The woman with the nickname Soul Queens was part of the admin team.

And the man whom such a woman was attending couldn’t be an ordinary person.

“Could he possibly be the GM, personally calling a newbie like me…”

There was no need to think deeply.

The timing of the message’s arrival, that creepy nickname, the strange deference, and so on.

Considering it all, there’s only one possibility.

“Must be related to Han-so oppa.”

In fact, her guess was correct.

“You’re Korean, right?”

“Excuse me, but can we get straight to the point? I don’t have much time.”

“Haha, I understand since it’s your first visit. Twelve hours isn’t enough when you’re checking out various things.”

“……”

She didn’t bother to respond.

As always, that method was very effective.

“So you’re a straightforward person. Then I’ll get straight to the point. What is your relationship with the user called ‘Elfnunna’?”

“Do I have a reason to answer?”

“I’ll give you GP.”

“We just met today for the first time. But why?”

“Hmm…”

The man with the strange nickname ‘Elfnunalove’ seemed to ponder whether her words were true, then began to explain why he had called her here.

“I want to buy information about ‘Elfnunna.’”

“Are you asking me to investigate that man? I just met him today.”

“Even trivial information is fine. Don’t Koreans have close ties with each other? If HS123… no, if you approach him, he might lower his guard a bit.”

“…What’s the compensation?”

When she cautiously asked, the man briefly replied.

“Anything you want.”

“…Do you even know what I want?”

“Whatever it is, we have the power to make it happen.”

“Is that… really true…?”

Then, putting aside her chilly attitude, she raised the corners of her mouth.

Of course it was.

She had no intention of leaving or holding onto any sense of loyalty.

That would be too stupid.

“Han-soo Oppa, you’re so careless… I don’t know what you’ve been up to, but you’ve got these kinds of people tailing you.”

Her eyes narrowed slyly.