Chapter 236: Chapter 236 Stiletto (1)

Stiletto (1)

Stiletto (1)

A dimly lit room.

Wooden blinds letting in white light.

A $200 single mattress and a work desk with a laptop on it. A one-person tea table with a single chair against the wall.

A woman was standing in that small room.

Her face was filled with confusion.

“This is…”

It wasn’t an unfamiliar place.

It was the rental apartment she first signed a contract for when she moved to New York for work, the place she was summoned to every 15th at midnight.

“Why am I here…?”

The woman recalled her memories, feeling a headache.

They slowly came back to her.

[It’s a dark mage!!]

[Buy some time. I’ll take care of it soon.]

Day 1 in the labyrinth, where the war began.

The safe zone they arrived at through Mass Teleport.

The ruthless decision she had to make after a long meeting with the leaders.

[Those royal bastards are trying to abandon us and escape!! Stop them!!]

Herself and her clan members running towards the Dimensional Gate while the knights were dealing with the explorers.

And…

Swaaaaaaaaa!

…a magic circle emitting a brilliant light from the ground.

Kwaaang!

A giant pillar of fire engulfing the sky.

“Do, don’t tell me…”

Now she understood.

Why she was here when she had just returned to the city through Dimensional Gate.

“Has it been… 15 days?”

The woman hurriedly turned on her laptop.

And she checked the forum to see what had happened.

It didn’t take long for her to find the information she wanted, as she was used to doing this.

Only 103 survivors among the explorers who escaped through Dimensional Gate.

They were all unconscious, and even the High Priest of the Tovera Church, known as the ‘Proxy’, had given up, saying there was no way to heal them.

“Oh, no…”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Versil Gowland, the vice-leader of the Lalel Clan.

Her face turned pale as she realized the reality.

___________________

As soon as the computer turned on, I checked the chat room list.

[Long Live Korean Independence] - 0 members online.

As expected, Lee Baekho didn’t return.

Well, even he wouldn’t be able to do anything after being banned by Ghost Master.

Phew, it was definitely better when he was here.

‘So I have no choice but to get high-level information from Watchers of the Round Table…’

I dismiss my regret and move the mouse.

The Round Table opens three hours after the community opens. I was planning to just lurk and observe the atmosphere until then.

‘As expected, a lot of players died.’

Normally, the exchange, the free board, and other sections would be flooded with posts as soon as the community opened, as players who were waiting for this time would start posting.

But what about this time?

‘It’s about one-third.’

It was the same for the chat rooms.

Even the large chat rooms that always had over 50 people online only had a little over ten people.

“Ha…”

I sigh every time I see these changes.

It’s like a ‘great flood’ has swept over the world.

Everything is swept away, and there’s nowhere that’s normal.

‘Will this place also be filled with new newbies as time passes…?’

Hmm, it probably will.

Even Korea, which had nothing left after the war, eventually reached its current state.

And by then, I’ll be a high-ranking player, not a newbie.

Ah, am I considered high-ranking now?

Right, no matter how I think about it, there can’t be many people who received a noble title.

Click, click.

I browse through various forums, thinking about these things.

Most of the posts were about the recent incident, and I even saw my story mentioned… no, it was mentioned quite often.

[Bjorn Yandel, what the hell is he?]

-I thought he would be in his thirties since he’s a 5th-grade explorer, but he’s only been an adult for a year?

-What have I been doing for the past 5 years?

Although I was mentioned a few times during the 3rd-floor Floor Master incident, it was incomparable to now.

The number of posts about me was incredible, and each one had dozens of comments.

[these99: He’s not even 5th grade. How is that guy 5th grade? If it weren’t for the guild achievement points, he would have already reached 4th grade.]

[└OP: Wow, he’s that strong? After just one year? I feel even worse now.]

[└NExtlevEL: 4th grade is an exaggeration. OP, you don’t have to feel bad. It’s normal to reach 5th grade within a year if you just get good essences.]

[└NExtlevEL: Ah, and it seems like he doesn’t even have that many essences? I think he’s barely 5th grade.]

[└these99: 5th grade is normal within a year? Are you playing the game alone? And what’s with that bullshit about him barely being 5th grade? He already proved it by crushing the Corpse Collector.]

[└NExtlevEL: Are you American? It’s obvious they’re trying to make him a hero, and you’re believing it. And even if he really won, do you think he did it alone? It’s all team power.]

[└Pnec: He’s right. How can you say he crushed the Corpse Collector when he fought him with hundreds of people? Are you an idiot?]

The players were expressing various opinions, just like how people argue about celebrities on the internet.

There were also several comments that made my heart skip a beat.

[fliccolo: I think he’s a player.]

[└OP: Ah, that’s possible. Why didn’t I think of that?]

It’s a natural question to ask when someone gains fame in a short amount of time.

But the path I’ve walked has helped me.

[└arolf5205: Player, my ass. You guys wouldn’t be saying that if you had actually seen him. LOL.]

[└stevencastle: Those who are saying that are probably the ones who didn’t enter the labyrinth. If you saw him biting the Corpse Collector’s ear while blind, you wouldn’t be saying he’s a player.]

[└cherylvander: A true man.]

[└Ykbell: Even I felt his passion when he was screaming while stepping on goblin traps. 1st year or whatever, it was an emotion that a modern person could never express. Everyone who was there will agree.]

[COOOOL75: Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!]

I felt a strange sensation, reading the posts criticizing or praising me.

I’ve grown enough to be a hot topic.

Although the attention was burdensome, I thought it was a path I had to go through to reach the top.

After all, floor level and fame are proportional.

‘It’s about time.’

Three hours had passed since I entered the community.

[03:01]

I used to enter as late as possible to attract attention, but this time, I entered as soon as it was time.

I was also curious about the small talk before the main meeting.

‘Don’t tell me everyone except for the Clown is dead?’

I dismissed my slight anxiety and quickly double-clicked.

Flash!

A light flashed before my eyes, and when I came to my senses, I was in the familiar customization room. I quickly put on the suit I always wore and the Lion mask and then moved to the main room with the round table.

Creak.

Three people were already there.

Goblin, Fox, and Antler.

‘The Clown bastard isn’t here yet.’

The three of them glanced at me as I entered and let out strange gasps.

“Ah…”

“Fortunately, you came again today.”

They always do this when I arrive.

I sat down in my usual seat, resting my chin on my hand, pretending to be indifferent, as if possessed by the Lion mask.

They would entertain themselves if I just stayed like this.

I could just close my eyes and listen.

“So there are already four survivors.”

Goblin muttered, as if the quiet atmosphere was uncomfortable.

“Interesting. I thought you would be in danger. How did you survive?”

It was something I was also curious about.

Most of the religious figures, except for a few priests, escaped through Dimensional Gate.

In other words, most of them died.

Then what about Goblin?

“Well, it’s related to my personal information. I’ll just say I was lucky.”

“Tsk, as if it’s something special.”

Antler clicked his tongue as Goblin brushed it off. And the two of them chatted for a bit.

Strangely, Fox didn’t participate in the conversation.

But did they notice it too?

“Fox, you’re acting strange today.”

“Yes. You’ve been spacing out since earlier…”

Antler and Goblin looked at Fox with suspicion, and Fox flinched belatedly and tilted her head.

“…Yes? What did you say?”

“See, I told you she’s acting strange.”

“If there’s something wrong, tell us. I can help you, Miss Fox…”

Goblin took the opportunity and tried to get close to her.

Fox sighed deeply and shook her head.

“Thank you for your concern, but it’s nothing. So please mind your own business.”

“Ah, okay. If that’s what you want…”

Goblin awkwardly changed the subject at her unusually sharp tone.

“By the way, the others aren’t coming?”

Only 5 minutes left until the entry deadline.

There were two members who hadn’t arrived yet.

The Clown bastard, whom I was eagerly waiting for, and Crescent Moon, who desperately wanted the Stone of Resurrection.

“Don’t tell me they both died?”

“Hmm, I don’t know about Crescent Moon, but I don’t think that Clown bastard died.”

“…Th, that’s right? Probably?”

Goblin said in a slightly disappointed voice.

That’s when…

Creak.

…the door to the customization room in the hallway opened, and we heard footsteps.

‘Is it the Clown?’

I tried to act indifferent and turned my head to check.

And…

“Huh?”

…I froze, just like Goblin and Antler.

Because it wasn’t the mask I was expecting.

‘Queen?’

A mask adorned with a harmonious arrangement of colorful jewels.

The area around her eyes was decorated with gold ornaments, and her forehead was shaped like a crown.

And the outfit she chose was a fancy red dress.

‘Is she a returning member?’

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I realized it wasn’t the case when the Queen Mask greeted us elegantly.

“Oh my, hello. I’m new here, so I don’t know much, but I look forward to working with you.”

She was a new member.

__________________

It was the first new member since I arrived.

Naturally, everyone’s attention was focused on her.

And the most enthusiastic one was Fox.

“New? How did you even get in here? Don’t tell me you met the Master?”

Fox couldn’t hide her excitement and bombarded her with questions, unlike a moment ago when she was spacing out.

“Yes, well… I guess so?”

Fox’s excitement intensified as the Queen Mask half-heartedly agreed.

“Him! Where is he? No, can I meet him? I have a favor to ask…”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can grant you that favor.”

The Queen drew a firm line.

And she smiled and led the conversation with an air of confidence, unlike a newbie.

“Anyway, shall we introduce ourselves?”

The Queen spoke as if it were her own home from the very first meeting.

Antler responded with disapproval.

“It’s against the rules to use names.”

“I see! Then this is Goblin, that’s Fox, and this is Lion. Hmm, then what should I call you?”

“Antler.”

“Not just Deer?”

“Your mask should have a name on it too.”

“Ah! Right. Then I guess I’m Queen? Huhu.”

While the Queen was receiving everyone’s attention and chatting, I continued to observe her.

After all, a mask doesn’t hide everything.

Goblin’s skin was tanned, so I guessed he was from Southeast Asia or South America.

Then what about this woman?

‘She’s definitely Caucasian.’

Blue eyes and flowing blonde hair.

Her skin was very white, like a Caucasian’s.

Of course, that was all I could tell from her appearance, and it wasn’t helpful in deducing her identity in this world.

But I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

‘I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…’

An inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

Why did I feel this way?

“Anyway, Miss Fox, it’s so nice to meet you. As you know, there aren’t many female players. Ah, and Mr. Goblin, you have a very nice voice. Mr. Antler also seems very kind.”

Fox quickly intervened and warned the Queen, who was looking at me with her energy-draining tension.

“Mr. Lion is…”

“Um.”

“Yes?”

“I know what kind of style you have, but I think it’s better not to act too friendly towards him.”

“Yes? Why?”

Fox looked at me awkwardly as the Queen tilted her head. Did she think I would establish dominance like I did with Goblin?

Well, I might have done it normally.

It would be a win-win if I could be freed from that demonic tension with a single blast of killing intent.

But…

“Hmm, Mr. Lion is very quiet. Let’s talk more when we get to know each other!”

“…….”

…I just ignored her, not doing anything.

The reason was simple.

I had to conserve my energy.

‘He’s finally here.’

About 1 minute left until the entry deadline.

Creak, another door in the hallway opened.

“Oh, it seems like there’s another member.”

The members’ gazes shifted towards the sound as the Queen’s attention was diverted.

“Wow! Many of you survived!”

The Clown, speaking in his unique annoying tone from afar.

“Honestly, I thought Mr. Goblin would just die… Huh?”

The Clown tilted his head, looking at the Queen.

“Hello. Can I call you Mr. Clown from now on? I’m so excited because you seem like a fun person!”

“…Who is this frivolous woman?”

“She’s a new member. It seems like she was invited by the Master.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

The Clown, who was observing the Queen, sat down in his seat. And he turned his attention away from her and spoke to me.

“Pfft, how have you been, Mr. Lion?”

It was his usual repertoire.

This bastard always acted friendly towards me.

As if I was the only one here on his level.

“Look forward to it. I brought a lot of interesting stories this time.”

What is he talking about, this idiot?

“…….”

I slowly raised my killing intent.

Normally, I would have had to control my mind and think about killing him, but there was no need this time.

‘If it weren’t for this bastard…’

Daria wouldn’t have died.

And many other explorers would have been able to return alive and embrace their families.

But what about this bastard now?

“Pfft, it seems like Crescent Moon is dead since he’s not here.”

He’s smiling brightly as usual.

Right, so…

“But Mr. Lion, why have you been so quiet?”

…I open my eyes, my mind filled with a single thought.

It’s full-on killing intent.

“Are you… ugh!”

The Clown clutched his throat with both hands as soon as our eyes met. And he struggled as if he was in a vacuum, then collapsed to the floor and writhed.

“……!”

The members were confused, not knowing what was going on.

I slowly got up and walked towards the Clown.

And I looked down at him.

“St, st, stop…”

It was a bit funny.

He always acted like he was something special, talking down to people in his stupid tone.

“You look like a bug.”

You’re banned from acting friendly from now on, you bastard.