Between an Ally and an Enemy (1)

Ding 

A cheerful notification greeted me as soon as I switched on my computer.

“A message…?”

I hurried to check my inbox and there was an unread message right at the top.

It was sent just seconds ago.

That means someone sent me a message as soon as the community opened…….

Click, click.

I opened the message to see what it was about.

[From: Ghost master.]

[I would like to have a word with you.]

A short one-liner.

Below it was the name and password of a secret chat room.

“Hmm…”

What should I do?

If I respond to that invitation right now, I’ll keep Lee Baek-ho waiting.

I was a bit hesitant, but it didn’t take long to decide.

‘…I can just finish quickly. I’m curious why this guy wants to talk to me, too.’

Maybe a conversation with the GM would give me a clue that would help me deal with Lee Baek-ho.

Yeah, what’s the harm in being a bit late? And it’s not like Lee Baek-ho will just leave if I’m not on time.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Lion.”

As soon as I entered the chat room, a white man with the nickname ‘Elfnunalove’ stood up to greet me.

I sat down on the sofa without responding to his greeting.

“So, what’s the matter this time?”

“As you requested, I have lifted the ban. Have you met Baek-ho?”

Tch, showing off.

“Did you call me just to talk about that?”

“No, of course not.”

Soon, the GM also sat down on the sofa and continued the conversation.

“At the last round table, I heard an interesting story. You said that ‘Elfnuna’ has already entered this world, right?”

So, this was the reason.

I was proud that my bait had worked, but I maintained a serious face.

“And?”

“I’ll ask you directly. Are you, by any chance, ‘Elfnuna’?”

Even for a barbarian who likes to get straight to the point,, the question is a bit startling.

I hadn’t expected him to ask so bluntly.

“Well, why should I answer that?”

As I spoke slyly, the GM responded immediately.

“Because I was the one who lifted Baek-ho’s ban. Do you really think I did that just to protect myself?”

I could still picture the sweat on his forehead that day, so it’s not like he wasn’t scared of me at all.

However, it was not entirely a lie.

“Mr. Lion needs something from me, and I also need something from Mr.Lion.”

Give and take.

The GM also had things he wanted from me, so he played the card of Baek-ho’s release.

As the saying goes, Keep your friends close but your enemies closer

He must’ve been reluctant to lose the information I provide at the Round Table. So he decided to comply for now and observe.

‘But to call me immediately after ‘Elfnuna’ was mentioned…’

That piqued my curiosity.

“If you want to keep this relationship, answer me. Is ‘Elfnuna’ you?”

Why is GM so obsessed with ‘Elfnuna’?

I mentioned that nickname at the round table because I wanted to clear up this exact doubt.

Therefore…

“Before I answer, let me ask you something.”

I asked back.

Of course, asking too directly would make me look uninformed, so I asked as diplomatically as possible.

“Do you believe what that old man said?”

It was a kind of test.

I once spoke to the GM in the past timeline when he was still a newbie.

[I’m not sure, but I think I might know who that person is]

[After thinking about it, I have a guess. He was someone very famous in the Stone Ivans community… Someone I greatly admired]

At that time, the GM mistook me for Auril Gavis and told me all that.

So I deduced that perhaps the GM’s obsession with Elfnuna stemmed from trusting Auril Gavi’s 

“The original player will save us all” narrative.

However…

“I have no reason not to believe it. The ‘Record Stone’ supports his claim, anyway.”

A very strange answer came back.

Record Stone.

That’s the first time I’m hearing about that.

What is the Record Stone?

‘Is it something like the fragment stones of records that sent me back to the past, or perhaps a legacy of the Great Sage?’

I wasn’t sure, but it felt like important information.

A key that might answer all my questions.

But I kept my poke face neutral and listened quietly.

“He is the only one who can do it. If it’s not him, who else can clear the original difficulty?”

The GM’s story was hard to follow, perhaps because I didn’t know about the Record Stone. But at least one thing was clear.

[If it’s not him, who else can clear the original difficulty?]

The GM’s belief was almost like that of a fanatic.

It reminded me of my aunt who was caught up in a cult.

“…”

As the person he was so fervently believing in, I felt an instinctive discomfort.

It was time to make a decision.

“Well, then, tell me. Mr. Lion, are you really ‘Elfnuna’?”

He had already repeated the question several time over.

It was quite a dilemma.

If that blind faith and goodwill weren’t an act, then at the very least, I could use it. Maybe I could even make the GM an ally.

“I am not that person.”

However, in the end, the decision I made was this.

But in the end, that’s the decision I make.

It’s not like I don’t want the info about the Record Stone or the fruits of the GM’s long-cultivated network…

‘Yes, but this is the right call.’

At least I should find out what the ‘Record Stone’ is before I answer him. Most irreparable mistakes are caused by ignorance.

[You must not open the door to the abyss.]

…I still can’t get the witch’s words out of my head.

“…I see.”

Fortunately, the GM accepted this easily.

I wondered if he had concrete evidence, but apparently he was just fishing.

The witch’s words kept bothering me.

“…I see.”

“In that case, please tell me about ‘Elfnuna.’ Where is he now?  What is his race—.”

As his questions poured out, I cut him off sharply.

“That’s rude.”

“…Yes?”

“I answered your first question honestly as a courtesy for keeping your promise.”

In simple terms, the reward for releasing Baek-ho’s ban was this far.

“…….”

Looking at the GM’s stunned expression, my conscience pricked me a bit, but there was no other choice.

Wouldn’t it be weird to dodge the question by saying I don’t know?

Yeah, in situations like this, it’s best to just use my Lion character to push through.

“If you want my goodwill, show me some in return.”

“…So you’re telling me to pay a price.”

The Lion mask’s rule, carried over from the round table.

“But… isn’t this too unfair?”

As expected, the GM’s dissatisfaction spilled out.

But what are you going to do about it?

“I took a risk to lift Lee Baekho’s ban. And now you’re ending it with just one question—.”

“I must have misjudged you.”

“…?”

“Do you really think that? That the few seconds it took to lift Lee Baekho’s ban is equal in value to information about ‘that person’?”

“That’s….”

The GM was left speechless, and with that, the conversation ended.

“If you understand, I’ll take my leave now.”

With those final words, I quickly left the chat room.

****

Back in Han-soo Lee’s room after ditching the conversation.

“Phew…”

I let out a sigh and then checked the chat room with my mouse.

[Long Live Korean Independence] – 2 people online.

Two people… one must be Lee Baekho, and the other Hyun-byeol.

Fortunately, it seems they haven’t left because I didn’t show up.

‘Let’s organize my thoughts before going in.’

I leaned back in my chair and replayed the conversation I just had with the GM.

[I have no reason not to believe it. The ‘Record Stone’ supports his claim, anyway]

Nothing is certain yet, but the reason Lee Baek-ho is so concerned about Elfnuna might also be related to that Record Stone.

‘…I’ll see if I can probe something out of Baek-ho this time.’

All right, good thing I went to the GM first.

After sorting out my thoughts, I clicked into the chat room.

“—I’m telling you, absolutely not! If Han-soo hyung finds out, I’m dead meat!”

“But if it’s just the two of us who know, how would Han-soo oppa ever—”

The two were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, having some suspicious conversation.. I watched them for a while, hoping to catch something, but unfortunately they noticed.

“Eek!”

Lee Baekho jumped up as if he’d seen a ghost.

“…….”

Hyun-byeol next to him also flinched and then gave me that look she makes when she’s done something wrong, cautiously checking my reaction.

“What are you two doing?”

At my question, Lee Baekho jumped up and rushed over, hurriedly making excuses.

“Hyung! I didn’t do anything wrong! Hyun-byeol noona was asking me to spill your secrets, and I said no!”

Yeah, I figured it was something like that.

I look over at Hyun-byeol as if to ask, Is that true? She avoided my eyes and shot a glare at Baek-ho.

“…I see you really are impossible to deal with, Mr. Lee Baek-ho.”

Her voice sounded like she was stating a fact without emotion.

“Haha, noona! It’s not like that—.”

“Why are you calling me noona?”

“Huh? You told me to call you that earlier—.”

“Do you think the situation now is the same as earlier?”

“…….”

Every time Lee Baek-ho tried to speak, Hyun-byeol cut him off sharply with a cold tone, making him laugh awkwardly and shoot me a look asking for help.

‘…Well, at least he kept the secret from Hyunbyeol.’

I was about to step in and sort things out when…

‘Wait, hold on.’

A sudden thought struck me.

Why should I defend this guy?

This is the guy who ditched me when we were in the kill-or-be-killed situation, then just disappeared with a poof.

‘Phew. Almost went soft for a second.’

Recalling the emptiness, anger, and humiliation I felt that day, I steeled myself.

“Hyun-byeol.”

My voice fell deep, in sync with my anger.

Hyun-byeol flinched and replied.

“……Yes?”

“Step out for a moment. I need to talk to this guy. We’ll deal with this later.”

“Alright….”

Perhaps feeling guilty, Hyun-byeol left the chat room without a word.

And then…

“…….”

“…….”

An awkward atmosphere lingered in the chat room now that only the two of us remained.

As I silently stared at him, Lee Baek-ho was the first to speak.

“Heh… Hyung… Are you still pissed off at me?”

His tone was lighthearted.

Pissed off? Is that really the right thing to say here?

“Enough. Just get to the point.”

“……?”

“Back then, you said your brain wasn’t working properly and that you’d give me an answer later.”

“Ahaha… About Nyang… I mean, Misha…….”

Lee Baek-ho scratched his neck with an awkward expression.

But showing such a face didn’t make him look foolish; rather, it made me even more wary.

Because I know.

How calculated and ruthless this guy can be.

This act he’s putting on is all intentional.

“Well, I’ve given it some thought…”

“…”

“Surprise! In the end, I, Lee Baekho, have decided to return her to you! Wow! Clap clap clap! What a joyous occasion, truly!”

Is this guy crazy?

“…”

Judging that it would be a mistake to get caught up in his energy, I kept a straight face, but Lee Baek-ho continued with his unique enthusiasm.

“How about it, Hyung? Do you understand my sincerity now? The last time was just a joke, you know? A joke, a joke! Just kidding!”

“…”

“Ah, come on! Are you still mad? Let it go already, okay? Think big picture! Big picture!”

“Sigh…….”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Ah! You sighed! Does that mean it’s settled? You’re not mad anymore, right? Right?”

“Why does sighing mean that?”

“Ah, don’t be like that.”

“…….”

Come to think of it, I’ve always been weak against this type.

If I could just punch him in the mouth, it’d be one thing, but I can’t exactly do that here.

“Enough with the nonsense. So, when are you going to return her?”

“Whenever you want. Should I send her over tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Send her right away. Don’t mention anything about what happened between you and me. Can you do that?”

“Yes. She’ll probably come looking as soon as she hear from you anyway.”

“You… can you change that tone?”

“Yes? Why?”

“Huh? Why?”

“…….”

“Hehe, alright. I won’t do it. Don’t get mad, hyung.”

“Sigh…….”

I tried my best not to get swept up in his energy, but it wasn’t easy.

If things had gone the worst way, it’d be different, but the fact is, Lee Baekho took a step back and made a concession.

‘It would’ve been a problem if he’d stubbornly refused to return her.’

“So, is the Misha situation settled? Can we move on to the next topic?”

“Next topic?”

“Yeah! Last time, you said if I sent Misha back, you’d hear me out, right?”

“I said I’d consider it.”

“It’s the same thing. What do you have to lose, hyung?”

“That’s for me to decide. So, go ahead. If I help you break through the 10th floor, what exactly can you do for me?”

“A lot. I’ve already done some things for you.”

“……?”

When I gave him a look telling him to stop dragging it out and just say it, Lee Baekho grinned and opened his mouth.

“Marquis Tercerion.”

“The Chancellor?”

“Yeah. That bastard can’t touch you anymore.”

……What is he talking about now?