Comeback (1)

Read more chapters here

My room felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

‘It’s been so long…’

After quickly glancing around to see if anything had changed, I sat down, wiggled my toes and turned on my computer.

Ziiiiiing-!

Today’s goal on the community was simple: 

As always, gathering information was the top priority. 

The only difference was that this time, 2 years and 6 months’ worth of content had piled up.

‘Let’s start by checking the forums.’

The ‘Round Table’, the main event of my community activity, wouldn’t open for another three hours. In the meantime, I navigated through the various forums.

It was quite a tedious task.

To get a sense of the community’s vibe, I had to scroll through pages of posts.

• [Anyone been to Bjorn Jandel’s house?]
  • I went there with some people he helped on the first floor. Seeing all the flowers piled up gave me a strange feeling.
  • It really hit me that he’s gone.
  • His companions seemed to be in a complete mourning atmosphere.

Hmm, since my name is mentioned a lot here, I’ll start reading from this thread.

• [tetyys: What’s the fuss about an NPC dying?]
  • [Sogeking33: Well, if someone like you died, no one would care, right?]
  • [SoDamnToxic: Barbarian tribe leader candidate, first explorer to be awarded a noble title in 10 years, the royal family is even sending knights to honor his funeral procession. No wonder the losers are getting riled up.]
  • [Ki11Humans77: It’s a shame.  A shame, though. Their clan was just starting up, and I was curious how they’d grow]

After skimming through some comments on the first post, I clicked back and continued moving through the pages, slowly reviewing the posts.

One month, two months, three months…

As time passed, the forum discussions reflected the hottest topics of the moment. At first, many posts revolved around Bjorn Jandel’s death. But after just a month, mentions of him had drastically decreased.

However, by the next month, his name began to surface again.

Someone had added fuel to the fire.

[Is the rumor about Bjorn Jandel being an evil spirit real?]

• Everywhere I go, that’s all people are talking about. There’s got to be something to it, right?

Three reasons why Bjorn Jandel is an evil spirit.

• If you’re here, give it a like!

[Would it make sense for him to be an evil spirit?]

• Disagree, and you’ve never met Bjorn Jandel.

• Agree, and you’ll get a beastman girlfriend.

[arolf5205: This guy’s right. People saying Bjorn Jandel’s an evil spirit must all be newbies.]

[1spring: Bjorn Jandel is not an evil spirit. So, where’s my beastman girlfriend?]

[Bling0_0: Hmm, I still feel like he might really be an evil spirit…]

Two months after my death, the boards were flooded with debates about whether Bjorn Jandel was an evil spirit or not.

The majority of the community still considered it a rumor, but there was one comment that caught my attention.

• [teckmonkey: It might not just be a rumor. The first person to mention it was supposedly one of Bjorn’s closest companions.]

The commenter only mentioned “companion” and didn’t name anyone in particular, so I didn’t dwell on it. After all, I am used to trolls jumping on every hot topic.

Click, click.

By the third month after my death, interest in me had waned significantly.

But then, in the sixth month…

My name exploded across the forums.

The royal family had officially declared it.

Bjorn Jandel was an evil spirit.

• [Is the royal family’s announcement about Bjorn Jandel being an evil spirit real?]
  • He received a noble title and was a candidate for tribe leader. How could he be a an evil spirit? There’s got to be some mistake.
  • [Think about it. It was always strange how fast he grew in such a short time. Too suspicious to just chalk it up to talent.]

At first, people were confused. But gradually, more evidence supporting the claim began to surface, and the community began accepting it as truth.

Thinking about it, many mysteries about me suddenly started making sense.

[Looking back, it was suspicious.]

• How did he grow so much in such a short time? It’s too strange to be just talent.

[ㄴtunaboot: Counter-Argument 1: It doesn’t make sense for him to be an evil spirit either.]

[ㄴBrutalizerX: Counter-Argument 2: Bjorn Jandel was living with three women.]

[ㄴWingPizza: Counter-Argument 3: Bjorn Jandel is known to be 8 inches. Of course, I’m talking about his height.]

Still, My name did not remain a hot topic for long.

Despite the shocking nature of the story, there wasn’t enough substance to keep the conversation going.

“Bjorn Jandel was an evil spirit? That’s surprising. But so what? How long are we going to talk about a dead guy?”

That was the general sentiment.

Some people speculated that there must be a greater secret behind why the royal family suddenly confirmed the rumor, but… nothing significant came of it.

No groundbreaking secrets came to light.

Click, click.

I continued skimming through posts, but for months, no major events stirred the community. It was the usual mix of random posts and small talk.

But then…

A year after my death, a major incident reignited the forum.

• [Have you heard about the Nartel clan?]

The Nartel clan.

It was led by Melter Pend, an explorer with deep ties to Bjorn Jandel from the war with Noark. 90% of his clan members had died in the labyrinth.

The cause was well-known by then.

[godFLEXyou: Yeah, they barely made it back after getting ambushed by the Noark guys.]

Noark’s forces, who were rumored to have gone outside the wall, were found inside the labyrinth.

This sparked numerous speculations within the community.

Some thought there might be a portal outside the walls. Others believed they had found a way to create new portals. Some even suggested that Noark’s people had infiltrated the city, hiding their identities.

And then

One year and one month after my death, a mid-sized clan exploring the labyrinth was completely wiped out.

Since there were no survivors, the cause of death remained unknown.

At One year and three months, more clans started disappearing without a trace on the 7th floor, and there were multiple sightings of Noark members.

Most of the sightings were on the 7th floor.

By one year and four months, the royal family recognized the seriousness of the Noark threat and began distributing identification badges again.

Knights were sent into the labyrinth to patrol the lower floors.

But nothing changed.

Even though they inspected every explorer entering the labyrinth, no Noark members were found.

By one year and 6 months, the royal family took note of the fact that Noark forces only appeared on the 7th floor and organized an raid with some of the large clans.

The expedition returned with heavy losses.

Still, there was progress.

[Breaking News: Latest on Noark]

• We got reliable intel from an interrogation of a prisoner captured during the raid.
• The Noark guys opened a portal outside the wall, and it connects directly to the 7th floor.
• Of course, neither the prisoner nor the royal family knows how that’s even possible.

New information had been confirmed.

Time continued to pass. At one year and 6 months, the royal family banned regular explorers from entering the Dark Continent and organized a second raid. After investing a massive amount of resources, they finally achieved a victory, though it was a costly one.

And then…

[Now it’s really war.]

The real battle on the 7th floor began.

The royal family, realizing that allowing the Noark to consolidate power on the seventh floor would lead to future disaster, offered substantial rewards, attracting countless explorers to join the fight. Every day, new heroes gained fame through their exploits in the war.

Among them were the Seven Pillars.

Previously unknown, these seven young heroes made a name for themselves through their impressive performances in the war.

[Now that I think about it, Bjorn Jandel’s party had a ridiculously talented lineup. Two of the Seven Pillars came from the same party?]

Even though I skimmed through most of it, going through two and a half years’ worth of posts had taken me over two hours.

“Maybe I should take a break and gather my thoughts…”

I got up from my chair and lay down on my bed.

After browsing through the community, I had learned very little new information. Which made sense, of course.

I had spent over ten days at home, listening to all kinds of stories from Erwin. I already had a grasp of the major events based on the timeline.

That naturally included what was happening with the Noark.

‘Still, it was nice to get a feel for the atmosphere of the time…’

There were also a few small pieces of information that Erwin hadn’t mentioned.

For example, all of the explorers who had fallen into a coma after being struck by the fire pillars had now recovered.

“Anyway, I should probably check out the marketplace next.”

After a brief rest, I returned to my desk and began checking the backlog of posts one by one.

Time passed…

[03:09]

It was time to enter the Round Table.

***

Creak.

A man wearing a goblin mask opened the door and cheerfully waved hello.

“Oh, Miss Fox! Long time no see?”

“Yes, hello.”

“Looks like it’s just the two of us again, huh?”

The woman wearing the fox mask, Vercil Gowland, forced an awkward smile in response to the goblin’s question. She knew it wasn’t really meant as a question for confirmation but an attempt to make small talk.

She didn’t have much to say to the Goblin.

“…Haha, I see you’re deep in thought again today? I’ll stay quiet.”

“Thank you.”

After a little more time passed, two more members, Deer Antlers and Crescent Moon, arrived around the same time.

It was 3:05, with five minutes left until the gathering began.

“It seems those two haven’t arrived yet.”

“…They’ll probably show up soon.”

Deer Antlers posed the question, and she responded with a bitter smile. The missing members were the Clown and the Queen.

They would likely attend today.

Though, as usual, they’d probably take a glance around and then leave immediately.

Just as they had done over the past year.

“Still, since the four of us are here, we can at least proceed with the meeting.”

“…Last time, we couldn’t even start because you weren’t here, Deer Antlers. Why didn’t you show up?”

“Goblin, do I owe you an explanation?”

“Well… no. I was just curious.”

As they engaged in idle conversation, waiting for the meeting to begin, the door opened once more.

A woman entered.

“Oh my, long time no see, everyone?”

The Queen.

Though not as commanding as the Lion, she had proven her worth through her vast network of information, making her an invaluable member of the Round Table.

“Are you just going to check in and leave again?”

Crescent Moon asked politely, and the Queen smiled awkwardly. That alone was enough of an answer.

Everyone knew what she was thinking.

‘There’s no point in attending a meeting without that man.’

Even after the Lion Mask stopped coming, she continued attending, sharing various pieces of information.

But at some point, she, too, began to leave after merely checking in on the other members.

The same was true for the Clown.

“Pfft, so you’re all gathered again?”

“Clown…”

Just two minutes before the meeting was set to begin, the Clown arrived, drawing the attention of the others.

Most of the members’ gazes toward the clown weren’t friendly.

There had been too many clashes with Noark lately.

While their reactions were not as extreme as Crescent Moon’s, it was impossible for them to look favorably upon someone aligned with Noark.

“Does staring at me like that make you feel better?”

The Clown, unconcerned with their gazes, casually choose a seat and sat down, staring at the clock on the wall, clearly waiting for someone.

It was a scene they had all grown accustomed to.

“Hoo… It looks like he’s not coming today either.”

“…I’ve heard rumors that Noark has been trying to invade the 6th floor lately. Why is that?”

“Huh? Why should I tell you that before the meeting even starts?”

“Well… because you never stay for the meetings…”

“Deer Antlers, seriously… You should’ve brought something interesting a long time ago! Everything’s so boring these days that I leave without participating.”

“…Do you think that’ll make you look like the Lion Mask?”

“Pfft, I wasn’t trying to.”

The Clown smirked and stood up from his seat, and the Queen followed suit as if she had been waiting for this.

“Well then, since he’s not coming today, I’ll be leaving.”

“I suppose I’ll take my leave as well…”

The Fox sighed softly as she watched them leave. The absence of those two made her realize how crucial one person had become.

‘Sigh, where has the Lion Mask gone?’

At first, both the Clown and the Queen had offered various theories about his disappearance.

• He had lost interest and stopped coming.
• The GM had banned him from the community, and so on.

There were many other theories, but the one that stuck out most was Goblin’s.

He had suggested that the Lion Mask and Bjorn Jandel might be the same person.

The timing of the Lion Mask’s disappearance, coinciding with Bjorn’s death, made it seem plausible.

However…

[Pfft, Goblin, maybe you should quit being a paladin and become a writer instead?]

Goblin had been met with ridicule after making that suggestion.

No one had outright dismissed him, but none of the other members took the idea seriously.

After all, when the Lion Mask first appeared at the Round Table, Bjorn Jandel was just a beginner explorer.

There was no way someone like him, who was barely operating on the 3rd or 4th floor, could be the Lion Mask.

But…

‘Maybe that theory was true after all…’

The Fox thought there was a possibility that the theory might be correct.

Though there were many inconsistencies, if it were true, it would at least explain why the Lion Mask had not appeared for the last 2 years and 6 months—

Creak.

At that moment, her thoughts were interrupted by the slow creak of the door opening, making everyone tense up.

It was simple.

The Clown, who had been about to leave, hadn’t yet reached the door.

“…?”

No one else was supposed to come.

No one except…

Thud.

A man stepped through the open door.

And…

“…!”

“…!”

The man who froze everyone in place with his mere presence spoke.

As if he had dropped by just because he was in the neighborhood.

“Long time no see.”

The Lion Mask had returned.