STGB Episode 520
One on One 3
Due to Lee Baek-ho’s muttering, the atmosphere grew tense, but it didn’t last long.
As if nothing had happened, Baek-ho quickly regained his usual cheer, and I let go of his mumbling without comment.
Still, a thought lingered in my mind:
“…I wonder how things would’ve turned out.”
I now knew parts of Lee Baek-ho’s past. Years before I even woke up in this world, one of his companions exposed his identity as an evil spirit and betrayed him. That’s how he became who he is now. Before his party was disbanded, he was clearing the labyrinth above ground like me, but now, he had to work alone in secret.
His deep-rooted distrust of people was just an added bonus.
‘Well, from the perspective of the locals, calling it betrayal might be a bit too much…’
But still, what if he hadn’t been betrayed back then?
What would Baek-ho Lee look like now?
“Huh? Hyung, why are you staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?”
“I was just looking. But did you do something wrong? Why are you feeling guilty?”0
“…Come on, hyung! As if I would do anything like that. Haha.”
“…….”
“By the way, Hyung, can we talk privately for a moment?”
When Lee Baek-ho gave a quick glance at Hyun-byeol, she let out a sigh.
“Are you guys dating each other or something?”
“Haha, are you jealous, noona?”
“…I’ll come back later.”
Just as she always did, Hyun-byeol left the room without much fuss.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised. She didn’t even react to being called “noona”. Has she accepted it?
“Hehe, now it’s just the two of us, hyung! Time to get cozy—”
“Shut it. Drop the act.”
“Got it.”
“So, what’s so urgent that you sent Hyun-byeol away?”
“Oh, that? It’s not urgent, but…”
“Then what?”
I sat on the couch, propping my chin on my hand. And Lee Baek-ho mirrored me from across the table.
“Hyung, are you really trapped in the labyrinth?”
“Yeah.”
“A floor that stays open even after the Labyrinth is closed That’s wild. Found a way out yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Hmm, isn’t that a problem? Want me to rescue you?”
“Rescue? Focus on your own tasks.”
“Hehe, knew you’d say that. Not like I can go anyway.”
“Are you outside the city walls right now?”
“Yeah, I thought I might find something big outside, but I haven’t even seen a single rat. If I had known it would be like this, I would have just searched for the hidden area with you.”
“I’m a bit curious about why you went outside this month.”
“I didn’t expect the hidden area to be found so quickly.”
So that’s why.
It felt a bit strange that someone so interested in the labyrinth had left the kingdom at this time.
“Hyung, how is it over there? Give me some info.”
“For free?”
“Come on… You must be curious about what’s outside the city walls too. Let’s share information, okay?”
“You said there isn’t even a single rat out there?”
“How long will that last? My intuition is telling me that there’s something huge hidden out there!”
Lee Baek-ho ‘s words sounded like he was playing up the value of his information, but deep down, I agreed with him.
There’s something hidden beyond those walls.
I still have no idea what it is, but…
“Alright, deal.”
“That’s what I’m talking about, hyung!”
After that, I shared various pieces of information about the basement floor one.
Mutant and new species of monsters.
A library full of information like an encyclopedia.
Floating debris in the sea, among other things.
However, What I did not mention was about the village chief. And I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt about it.
Even though it’s a deal, I haven’t received anything yet, and besides, he wouldn’t honestly share everything he’s found outside the walls either.
‘Well, if I discuss the village chief with him, I might learn something new…’
Ha, why is it so hard to trust this guy?
If I reveal everything and cooperate, I feel like I’ll get stabbed in the back someday.
But he’s too valuable to just discard.
“That’s it for now.”
“Huh? What about the tree island? I was just getting interested.”
“We’re still exploring it. Do you know how shocked I was when I got dragged here?”
“That’s a relief. Actually, when Hyun-byeol noona asked if you were really dead with a crying face, I was so confused.”
Since he was outside the walls, he must have heard about my situation from Hyun Byeol first.
He doesn’t seem to check the forum much either.
“Hyung, then I’ll take my leave.”
“Huh? There’s still plenty of time left.”
“Well, it seems better to leave it here for today.”
“What do you mean?”
I really couldn’t understand, so I asked, and Lee Baek-ho smiled wryly and looked at me.
“Spend some time with Hyun-byeol noona today. Even though she acted tough… Actually, wait, she didn’t even act tough. Anyway, she was really shaken up.”
“Ah….”
“Well then, I’ll be off now.”
“Baek-ho, wait a sec.”
As he was about to leave, I called him back.
Lee Baek-ho tilted his head in confusion.
After a moment of hesitation, I spoke.
Maybe it was unnecessary meddling, but…
“I’m not smart.”
“…Huh? I think I heard wrong?”
Seeing his confused look, I continued.
“Having a lot of secrets doesn’t mean you’re smart or anything.”
“…Then what?”
“It just means you’re scared.”
You.
And me too.
We always think of the worst-case scenario first.
***
After Lee Baek-ho left a bit early, Hyun-byeol returned shortly after
“Did you have a good talk?”
“Yeah.”
“But Baek-ho left early today?”
She casually threw out a question, and I gave a casual answer.
“He told me to stay with you.”
“…W-What? What nonsense is he talking about!”
“Why are you so flustered? It’s not like he doesn’t say ridiculous things all the time.”
“That’s right… It’s not like this is the first time… Yeah…”
Even as she said that, she fanned her face as if she felt hot.
It had been a while since I had seen that reaction.
I suddenly felt like teasing her.
“Were you really that worried?”
I asked, grinning mischievously.
“…Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“Huh? No? Why would I?”
“Seriously… Hanging out with that weirdo is making you weird too.”
“……”
I was just joking, but why did it turn into me being scolded?
I didn’t get it, but I quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, how about you? Is everything going well with your work?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty much the same for me. I’m working under Countess Peflok, gradually earning her trust.”
“What’s the Countess like?”
“…She’s a good person. Pure-hearted too. Though she’s been a bit annoying lately.”
“Annoying how?”
“Don’t you know? It’s about Bjorn Jandel.”
“Ah”
It was never my intention, but I had somehow ended up convincing everyone-including Ragna that I am really dead.
“Well, it’s not all bad. I also came after reading the forum posts, and it seems like a lot of people are buying into the normal flow of time within the Labryinth story. The views were incredibly high. At this rate, the news will spread throughout the city in a few days.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes. It’s a relief. If stories about his survival had been delayed any bit longer, all his assets would have been seized, and the establishment of the Jandel family would have come to a complete halt.”
Yeah, so that’s why it’s incredibly fortunate—.
“You know, I said it was a relief because your boss will stop annoying you with her whining right?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Hah… she’s not even hiding her suspicion anymore and is openly baiting me.
When we meet outside later, I’ll have to show her what a true barbarian is.
So she can never doubt me again.
“Brother, what were you just thinking?”
“Nothing?”
“No, you had a very ominous look in your eyes.”
“Are you going to complain about my eyes now?”
Before Hyun Byeol could catch on, I interrupted her, and we spent the rest of the time reading books and chatting.
“Oppa, it’s time for you to leave.”
“Oh. It’s already time.”
As the time for the Round Table meeting approached, we naturally wrapped things up.
After leaving the chat room and returning to Lee Han-soo’s room, I spent some time checking the forum again and managed to sneak in just as the roundtable was about to start.
I put on my usual blue suit with the lion mask.
At first, I looked ridiculous, like I was wearing a doll’s head, but now that I’m used to it, I think I look pretty good.
Okay, all dressed up so…
Thud, thud.
Walking down the hallway, I arrived at the Round Table, where all the members were already seated in their respective seats…
“Hey, does that even make sense? Of course, it’s obviously a lie.”
“Well, I’m not so sure myself, I just read the comments on this that, even Didigo said that the probability is quite high, right?”
“Hehe, I know that one! Ddiddigo is that player with the weird, high-concept roleplay, right?”
“That’s right, but even though they’re a bit weird, they’re not someone to be ignored.”
“Yeah, they are suspiciouly accurate when it comes to stuff like that… Ah!”
When I arrived, the members who had been chatting among themselves stopped and acknowledged me with their eyes.
Well, everyone except the Clown.
“Pssit, welcome again, Mr. Lion.”
The Clown stood up and bowed like a medieval noble. I glanced at him dismissively and took my seat.
‘Sven Parab is going first today.’
Out of curiosity, I checked the seat next to me and unexpectedly noticed goblin mask there.
That was unusual.
Does he want to be the first this time?
I was curious about the reason, but I figured I’d find out when we started.
“Let’s begin.”
Cutting off the unnecessary prelude, I kicked off the meeting.
“I assume everyone has read the post on the forum today”. Goblin began “The claims in it are highly likely to be true.”
“And?”
“This is my information for this round”
At the Goblin’s words, the members looked flabbergasted.
“You’re not even saying it’s 100 percent true, just ‘highly likely’? What’s the point?”
“Psit, then I’ll take the next turn. The Goblin’s brain capacity is ‘highly likely’ to be 3kb!”
“Hehe, Mr. Clown, you got that from that post, right? So funny. Didn’t that guy look like a total idiot?”
“P-Pssit…!”
The Clown laughed awkwardly at Butterfly’s reaction.
However, it seemed the goblin had already expected it.
“I’ll now explain the basis for my conclusion.”
The members tilted their heads at his statement, and the Goblin continued.
“…Basis?”
“Oh, so there is more?”
“Well… Even someone with no brains wouldn’t just throw that out as ‘information’…”
As the attention shifted to him, the goblin confidently began to explain his reasoning.
“I’ve always been good at navigating the internet. My hobbies include debating, and my specialty is doxxing people.”
“…And how is that relevant?”
“Before today’s meeting, I thoroughly analyzed all posts and comments made by the OP. I pieced together the clues they carelessly dropped, combining them using my own method.”
“…So?”
“I couldn’t identify them precisely, but I did determine one thing—the OP is a member of the Hex Clan.”
Honestly, I was beyond shocked.
While the other members reacted with skepticism, I knew for a fact that what he said was true.
‘…He actually figured it out?’
I had never realized the goblin had such a talent.
“I’m at a loss for words.”
“Same here.”
“The Hex Clan… They’re one of the explorer groups that followed Bjorn Jandel into the hidden area. But…”
“Queen, what do you think? As someone connected to the GM, you must know something.”
When Deer Antlers asked, the Queen nodded hesitantly.
“…It’s hard to believe, but Mr. Goblin’s theory aligns with ours.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. But… I don’t understand. We only reached that conclusion by recovering the deleted posts and comments…”
“Did the deleted posts gave away the OP’s identity?”
“There were quite a few, but they were all related to the Hex Clan. Someone was posting about how great their benefits were, only to delete the posts before the community closed every month.”
Hah… They were advertising their clan here?
It sounded absurd, but as the Queen spoke, the members’ skepticism toward the Goblin softened.
“Haha… I am glad that my investigation has been confirmed.”
…Goblin, what are you?
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