Chapter 237: Chapter 237 Stiletto (2)

Stiletto (2)

Killing intent.

The will to kill someone.

Usually, it just sends shivers down your spine, but in this mental world, the effect is amplified dozens of times.

It’s not transmitted through the body, so in severe cases, it can cause extreme shock to the spirit and even permanent aftereffects in reality.

‘Mental contamination.’

That’s what players call this phenomenon.

If you reach this state, you’ll suffer from speech impediments like stuttering, and in severe cases, your mind can even collapse and fragment.

Therefore…

“You look like a bug.”

…I stare at the Clown bastard with even stronger intent.

He asks, drooling,

“Wh, why…”

The reason is simple.

Clown is a Necromancer.

It will take a long time for him to recover the summons he lost in this battle, and he can’t come out to the city and harm me until Noark’s barrier is lifted.

But…

‘Orculus.’

The group that the Dragonslayer, who killed Dwarkey, belongs to.

In the end, he’s also an enemy I have to eliminate someday.

It’s only rational to take care of him now if I can.

“……Ugh, huh!”

I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head as I continue releasing killing intent. It’s an unavoidable side effect since it’s a skill that uses Mental Strength as a cost.

I’ll probably have to spend the entire day tomorrow sleeping.

Hmm, maybe even two days straight.

But I increase the pressure.

This bastard would definitely be thinking of ‘Bjorn Yandel’ as an enemy and plotting revenge.

‘It’s best to take care of him here.’

He’s more dangerous than the Dragonslayer.

Unlike that guy who lost his memory, he has a clear hostility towards ‘Bjorn Yandel’.

If I can’t eliminate him this time, he’ll hurt me someday.

He’ll hurt my companions.

“……!”

My killing intent, thick enough for everyone here to feel it, not just the Clown bastard.

‘Damn it.’

My head suddenly feels heavy as I continue.

It’s something I’ve experienced before.

I’ve depleted all my Mental Strength, which is used to activate killing intent.

“Pl, please… stop…”

I feel regretful, as if I could have done it if I had just a little more time.

But I squeeze out the last of my killing intent.

After enduring for a few more seconds…

“…Gasp!”

…the Clown takes a deep breath as if he’s just come out of water.

And he coughs and vomits.

“Keuk, keheuk, ugh…!”

Although he’s in a pathetic state, I’m not doing much better.

It feels like I could pass out if I just close my eyes.

“Why… why…”

The Clown bastard, as if his mind has returned, struggles to sit up and looks at me.

His breathing is a bit ragged, but it doesn’t seem like his speech is impaired.

Right, so I couldn’t even get close to Mental Contamination.

‘Phew, as expected…’

It was a somewhat expected result.

Even when I unleashed my killing intent on Fox, my Mental Strength was depleted before I could reach that point.

The Clown, who has killed countless people, would naturally have a thicker mental barrier than Fox.

‘Tsk, it feels like my killing intent is much stronger than before, but it still doesn’t work.’

I carefully observe his eyes, feeling bitter.

He seems more confused than resentful. Fear stemming from not knowing the reason behind my actions.

“…….”

I continue staring at the Clown bastard, who’s trembling.

Now, what should I do?

Do you think I need a convincing reason after that unprovoked attack failed?

It’s a pointless thought.

Because I’m not Bjorn Yandel, but Lion.

“Is this all?”

It’s not that my killing intent mode ended because of mental exhaustion.

I ended it out of pity.

I hypnotize myself like that and turn my back on him nonchalantly.

And…

“Tsk.”

…I click my tongue in annoyance.

“I thought you would be somewhat useful, considering the rumors.”

As if I just tested him.

_____________________

My plan to mentally contaminate the Clown bastard with killing intent failed.

But I wasn’t particularly disappointed.

Even this had its advantages.

There’s a saying, ‘keep your enemies closer’, right?

‘I guess I’ll just have to milk him for all he’s worth.’

Clown is an executive of the criminal organization Orculus.

Since their headquarters is in Noark, if I use him well, he’ll continuously provide me with useful information.

“Um… are you okay?”

The Queen, who had been watching the situation silently, cautiously approached the Clown and offered her hand.

But did that hurt his pride?

Thwack.

The Clown swatted her hand away as if venting his anger and then sat down in his chair, grabbing it for support.

And he looked at me.

As if he didn’t care that he had shown such a pathetic side of himself in front of the other members.

He fixed his gaze solely on me…

…and said something I couldn’t understand.

“…Lion, are you ‘him’?”

Huh?

What’s ‘him’?

It’s not like he can’t call me by my name.

“…….”

I just kept my mouth shut since I had no idea.

As always, this would at least get me to the middle ground.

Indeed, after a short wait, the Clown bastard muttered as if organizing his thoughts,

“…No, that’s impossible. You’re not him.”

Antler also said something, as if he knew something.

“Right, ‘he’ can’t participate in the gathering because of restrictions.”

Even the Queen, who was watching with interest, couldn’t hold back and spoke.

“…It seems like the level here is quite high? Yes, he can’t possibly be here. This chat room only opens at 3:00.”

He can’t be here because it opens at 3:00…?

Wait a minute, it sounds like he’s talking about someone I know.

‘…Don’t tell me, he’s talking about Lee Baekho?’

That hypothesis suddenly came to mind, but there was no way to confirm it.

It’s one of Lion’s few weaknesses.

He can’t ask questions first, even if he’s curious.

Especially if it’s common knowledge.

Geez, Lion has his pride.

‘Anyway, I’ll look into it later.’

It was time for me to intervene.

There’s no need to stay silent when everyone already knows the answer is no.

I chuckled and said casually,

“Right, I’m not ‘that guy’.”

As if to reward them for their efforts.

Not ‘that guy’, but ‘that guy’.

I chose a word that subtly put him and me on the same level, even though I didn’t know who he was.

But did this strategy work?

“Who the hell are you…?”

The Clown bastard looked at me with shock, even though he was in that state after being attacked.

There wasn’t a shred of resentment in his eyes.

He probably couldn’t even think of being hostile towards me.

“Are you curious about my identity?”

The Clown gulped and nodded at my question. But he flinched immediately, as if he did it unconsciously.

Ah, but he didn’t correct his answer.

It seemed like he was genuinely curious about my identity after being beaten up.

I shrugged slightly.

Everyone except for the Queen, who was a new member, would understand the gesture.

“…What does that mean?”

“It means he’ll tell you if you bring him interesting information.”

“Ah, come to think of it, that’s the concept of this secret chat room, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. So, who is this ‘he’ you guys were talking about?”

Goblin asked subtly, but the Queen ignored him as if she didn’t hear.

That’s when…

“Are you serious about revealing your identity…?”

…the Clown asked blankly, and I didn’t bother answering.

I just stared at him.

As if to say that I wouldn’t mind telling him, even if it was related to my personal information, as long as he ‘entertained’ me.

As if I would even enjoy it.

“I’ve been watching you for months, but I can’t understand you at all.”

Antler said, looking at me as if he was disgusted.

“I don’t know how long you’ve been in this world, but you’re seriously broken. You won’t be able to live a proper life even if you go back.”

He’s a surprisingly sweet guy, worrying about someone else’s life in this situation.

But that’s one thing, and this is another.

Antler clenched his mouth shut in frustration as I ignored him and didn’t even look at him.

That’s when the Queen stepped in.

“By the way, this is a bit interesting. Can I also hear about your identity if I bring information? I’m a bit curious now.”

“If you entertain me.”

The Queen smiled at my answer.

“Look forward to it. I know quite a few interesting stories, you know. Huhu.”

Hmm, I’m actually a bit excited now that she said that.

This woman was also an enigma.

‘She must have been invited by the Master since she joined in this situation…’

At first, I didn’t pay much attention to her because I was busy disciplining the Clown bastard, but it seemed like I should observe her closely from now on.

“Um, shouldn’t we start now…?”

Goblin spoke first, breaking the silence that naturally fell as no one spoke, and the chaotic situation was somewhat resolved.

“Well, the door is already closed, so we can’t just stay like this forever. So Crescent Moon didn’t come after all.”

“The fact that he didn’t come at this time means he probably didn’t survive.”

As expected, it seemed like everyone thought Crescent Moon didn’t survive this incident.

He was the most enthusiastic one here.

“So who’s going first this time?”

Normally, Fox would have taken the role of a moderator and led the meeting, but Goblin took the lead since she was acting strange.

“I’ll go later. I need some time to adjust since it’s my first time.”

“Alright. Then who’s going?”

“I’ll go first if no one else wants to.”

Antler was the first.

“Since we were talking about ‘him’ earlier, I’ll go with this. He was released five days ago.”

“Yes? ‘He’ was…?”

The Clown seemed surprised, as if he didn’t know.

“Um… to be fair, shouldn’t you tell us who ‘he’ is first…?”

Goblin seemed clueless, and Fox didn’t react at all.

No, was she even listening properly?

Whoosh.

Anyway, the jewel on the Round Table emitted a green light.

It meant that the information was true, and more than half of the people here didn’t know about it.

“But I don’t understand. Is it okay to share such valuable information like this?”

Antler answered nonchalantly at the Clown’s question,

“Everyone who should know will know within a week anyway. I have to use it somehow.”

“Then can I go next?”

The Queen raised her hand slightly.

Although it was customary to go clockwise from the first person…

…everyone agreed.

Because they were curious.

What kind of information would this woman share?

“Huhu, I’m a bit nervous since it’s my first time in a setting like this.”

Her voice didn’t sound nervous at all, despite her words.

The Queen slowly opened her mouth after making eye contact with each person, as if enjoying the attention.

“He’s at the Magic Tower.”

His current location.

‘Phew, this again?’

I didn’t feel anything, as I didn’t even know who ‘he’ was.

But could it be that these two were different?

The Clown and Antler’s eyes turned towards the center of the round table as soon as the Queen shared the information.

Where the jewel that would determine the truth was.

“It’s true…”

“To go to the Magic Tower as soon as he came out, I’m suddenly interested.”

I thought I should definitely find out who ‘he’ was if I had the chance. He must be someone truly amazing for them to react like this.

‘…If it’s really Lee Baekho, what the hell is he doing?’

That’s when, as I was lost in thought…

…I felt a gaze on me.

It was from where the Queen was sitting.

She was staring at me.

“Mr. Lion, you’re not surprised at all? As if you already knew.”

Uh, is that so?

I just didn’t care where he was since I didn’t even know who he was.

“Do you have someone at the Magic Tower?”

“Well, maybe.”

I casually brushed off the Queen’s subtle probing.

“I’ll… go next.”

Fox was next.

She had been silent throughout the meeting and had received three consecutive rejections.

The first two were recent news, but everyone already knew about it, and the third was judged to be useless information.

“It’s a bit interesting that the master of the Elkapad Clan was a player. But this seems too useless, don’t you think? I’m pretty sure he died as soon as he came out through the Dimensional Gate.”

“…Value is relative. For example, Goblin and I don’t even know who ‘he’ is. It was useless information for us.”

Although Fox’s logic was valid, this was the Round Table, where the majority ruled.

“But at least we learned that there’s someone like that in the world. Pfft.”

“…Do you all agree?”

Everyone remained silent at her question, and that silence was the best answer.

In the end, Fox had to try for the fourth time.

“The master of the Tavern Clan has Number Nine.”

It was information about a Single Numbered Item.

“The clan master of Tavern…”

“It’s like putting pearls before swine. Pfft.”

The jewel on the Round Table emitted a green light, and no one objected this time.

A Single Numbered Item was worth that much.

Honestly, it even felt like she was only sharing it now because she was saving it.

“I’ll go next.”

Goblin was next.

As expected of a former paladin, he shared information related to religion again.

“In the end, all the churches decided to withdraw their support for the royal family. They’ll probably return to their neutral stance in a few days.”

It was information that only someone in the core of the religious world would know, so he naturally passed.

“Pfft, then it’s my turn.”

The Clown made a shocking declaration as soon as it was his turn.

“I live in Noark.”

What the hell is this bastard doing?

Did he get brain damage after being hit by my killing intent?

____________________

It was information that revealed his identity.

Everyone, including me, froze at his incomprehensible action.

“……!”

Ah, to be precise, everyone except for the Queen.

“Noark? Mr. Clown, you’re also an interesting person!”

The Queen spoke to the Clown in an innocent voice.

But the Clown’s gaze was fixed on me, showing no signs of moving.

I suddenly thought of the Evil Spirit Hunter.

That bastard also observed my expression like that after throwing bait.

‘Don’t tell me, he’s trying to gauge my information network?’

That thought briefly crossed my mind.

So I also carefully observed his eyes.

He seemed relieved.

“You seem surprised, so I guess you didn’t know who I was? Pfft.”

What is he talking about, this crazy bastard?

“Crescent Moon said Mr. Lion seemed to know all our identities. I guess that’s not the case.”

It was a kind of probing.

He knew Lion was a formidable person, but just how formidable was he?

Was it just his individual strength?

Or was he an absolute being who also possessed a vast network of connections and information?

“How is it? Did you find it interesting?”

It was a rather efficient move, as he could even gain ‘interesting’ points on top of testing me.

But…

“Indeed.”

…I chuckled and answered.

“It was an interesting trick.”

The jewel, which had emitted a green light, lost its glow, indicating that the turn was over.

Now it was my turn.

I already had the information I was going to share.

“Clown is the Corpse Collector.”

What are you trying to pull, you bastard?