Twenty-three-year-old Baekho Lee was a soldier fresh out of the army with the shaved head and facial features of a young peasant. This guy had called me his friend.
«I? Ten years have passed»...
Since it had been four years since he said that, he was a player who had survived in this city for at least fourteen years. At first, it seemed a little strange to me.
«You are already of this world».
It reminded me of what Hans A said when I met him at the Punishment Box. Suddenly, with them in mind, I finally realized what the poison and tenacity I had heard before in Baekho's voice meant.
«We don't say those things! I'm coming back, so we should count by our actual ages!»
Baekho was not a weirdo. He was just more desperate than anyone, so it was pretty easy to see through him.
«Lift the ban, now. If you don't, you will die here».
His tone of speech was frivolous.
«Hey, Denture. Who said you could set fire without permission?»
He believed he had omnipotent power and that's why he acted like a hooligan.
«Wow, so you really were a player?».
But although it might seem like he was acting solely in pursuit of his own selfish desires, ultimately he only wanted one thing.
«I don't make friends in this world».
I wanted to escape this damn world and go back to the original. No one was easier to deal with than someone with clear motivations. I had been wary of revealing my identity to Baekho all this time, but...
There is no need for that now.
This guy may not have known that Bjorn Yandel was Hansu Lee, but he already knew that Bjorn was an evil spirit.
«Shit...»
And more importantly, now that time had passed, I was confident that I could protect myself in the worst case scenario even against a monster like him.
«So... you really were Bjorn Yandel all this time. And since Riehen Schuitz is Bjorn Yandel, you are the one I met in Atlante at that time». After revealing my identity to him, Baekho let out several exclamations of surprise before exhaling with apparent relief. «I'm very glad to know at least now».
That bothered me a little. «Happy...? Because?»
«Oh... I think it's better that I don't tell you».
«I think I should listen to that and decide for myself».
When I was brief with him, Baekho's eyebrows furrowed slightly. «But, buddy, why are you being so aggressive towards me?». More than angry, he seemed really confused. But before he could say anything, he realized it himself. «Ah... the way I acted...»
It seemed like he remembered everything that had happened between him and Bjorn Yandel.
«I'm sorry, Hansu. I didn't know it was you then. You understand, right?» Before he could decide whether to accept the apology or not, Baekho sighed again. «Gosh... you should have told me then. If you had, things wouldn't have gotten so complicated».
Hahaha... This guy really knows how to piss off a guy.
«Are you saying it's my fault?»
«No, I didn't say that. Ultimately, it's my fault. Like you said, it's my fault that people know that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit».
His calm tone of voice was honestly making me angrier, but I swallowed my emotions and forced myself to focus on the conversation. «Now that we know each other's identity, let me ask you again: why did you do that?».
«I needed a front man for my plan. But then again, if I had known it was you, I would never have gone down that path».
I don't know, I can't really trust him when he says that. I know a little about how this guy operates now.
«Even if he was really dead?» Wouldn't he really have used me in that case?
My question was received with silence. Was he the kind of person who didn't like to lie? It was too early to tell. Maybe he didn't want to tell too obvious lies.
Baekho casually changed the subject. «But aren't you curious how I found out you were Bjorn Yandel? Honestly, I thought that would be the first thing you would ask».
The answer to that question was simple. I decided something else was more important right now. No matter the reason, the events of the past did not change. Even when you went back in time and tried to change them.
«Oh, well, I don't think I would have answered anyway», Baekho admitted.
What the hell is this bastard saying?
«But to be clear, I wasn't one hundred percent sure. That's why I wanted to take this opportunity to probe you a little». He didn't need to explain his method for doing it. Although I suspected I was Bjorn Yandel, I had acted normally until I brought up Missha or Bjorn first.
That's probably why he pretended to let Hyeonbyeol bully him. That way, I would let my guard down more.
«Oh, but Hyeonbyeol is really scary. How did you date someone like that? Wow, I don't know how long it's been since I lost in a battle of wills. It was so ridiculous that I had to laugh.
Hmm, so was it real? I couldn't be sure, but right now I didn't have time to think about things like that.
«Anyway, enough of that». I cut that topic of conversation there and decided to be blunt. «Why did you take Missha?»
«To clear the maze, of course».
So that was the reason. I imagined it, but hearing him say it gave me an inexplicable feeling of relief.
«Isn't that why you were growing it too? Why is it convenient to have an ice-type double sword master in the last half of the ninth floor?»
Of course, I still had some questions. «I'm sure you had other candidates. Why did it have to be Missha?»
«I liked his unwavering conviction. I thought that if I promised to resurrect you with the Renaissance Stone, she would never betray me».
«That's all?»
«Well, there are other reasons... but they are all trivial. To be honest, I thought about my decision. But I was fascinated by the fact that his feelings didn't change despite knowing the truth about your identity».
This didn't seem like a lie. In fact, he didn't seem very interested in Missha. He seemed to think of her more as a thing than a person.
«Oh, sure! If you want it back, I'll give it to you. I worked hard to cultivate it for a few years, and I feel strangely like I was betraying Hyeonbyeol for some reason, but...» The only person this guy was interested in right now was me. «It's you and me, right?» Baekho smiled at me. «In that case, it's worth it. Of course».
His kindness was exaggerated. With this, it became obvious to me. The reason this guy was good to me wasn't simply because I was Korean. There was something else. Otherwise, there was no way for someone whose goal was to return to surrender to Missha so easily.
It would be best to pretend you didn't know.
Despite the temptation to investigate, I didn't even try to probe him. Getting Missha back safe and sound was my priority.
«So, since Kitty's issue is resolved, let's talk about something else!».
«Other than?»
«I'm curious about your story. I wasn't as strong as you when I was in your stage. You even obtained the essence of a Sea Giant not long ago. According to my rough calculations, you have at least four rank three essences».
Baekho started asking me several questions. I politely answered the ones I could answer and omitted the rest. Take and give. Since I had been so okay with returning Missha, I figured I could at least be that honest with him.
«But what really happened? Where were you for two and a half years?»
I thought about it a lot. Was it a good idea to tell him that I traveled twenty years into the past? It didn't take me long to make a decision.
He already knows I'm Bjorn Yandel, so there's no reason to hide it. Maybe you will be able to give me useful information.
Auril Gavis was the common enemy of all players, so it was important to share information and discuss ways to deal with him. And so, I told Baekho the story of how I found myself drawn into the past on Farune Island.
»The stone fragment of the records»? I've heard of it before, but I guess it really exists».
I told him how I entered the community twenty years ago. This guy wouldn't be interested in knowing how I saved Amelia's sister, so I left that part out.
«...Did you know Auril Gavis?»
«Yes, it turns out he was the founder of the community».
«Oh, I already knew that. Old Ruingenes told me... huh? Wait... that old man mentioned that Auril Gavis brought a weird man with him before the community exploded. Was it you?»
«Probably.»
«Wow... It's like you're the protagonist or something. Tell me more. And after? What happened next?»
«Auril Gavis was very interested in the fact that I was a player of the future».
I told him about the conversation I had with Auril Gavis, leaving out the part where I beat the game in its original mode. Surprisingly, Baekho already knew most of this information. That was because one of his current teammates was the Fallen Scholar. Well, the reason I mentioned the past in the first place was to get your information.
«I know that the Witch of the Earth is alive. But I don't know where it is».
«The old man said that she is where everyone's hopes go. Do you know anything about that?»
«Hey? Did he really say that? That's easy. Could it be somewhere other than the end of the maze?»
«But there was no final boss in the game».
«That's because it was just a tutorial. After living here for so long, you must realize it too. This place is completely different from the game. The Earth Witch may appear as the final boss. Hmm, so how the hell do we prepare for that?».
Even leaving aside the topic of the Earth Witch, this conversation with Baekho was helpful. I was the one revealing information, but it also seemed like I was getting more.
«Ah, that Kagureas guy you mentioned is the barbarian who collected the three Genesis Treasures, right?».
Hey, there were two of them when I left... Wait, before that.
«Is he a barbarian?»
«Didn't you know? You two are deeply connected. Little Balkan... that was your nickname, right?»
As?
«It can't be...»
«Yeah. Kagureas is Balkan. Or it's supposed to be, given the circumstances. New World 134, April 2: Shortly after Balkan died at the age of fifty-five, all the missing Genesis Treasures returned to their tribes.»
It was surprising news. To think that my legendary predecessor and the original holder of my nickname was an evil spirit.
«Do you also know about the portal in the basement of the palace?»
«I've been researching that for a while, but I haven't learned much. Only the portal there is not the entrance, but the exit».
«The exit?»
«From that portal you can't go anywhere, quite the opposite. You have to enter a portal elsewhere to travel to the palace basement portal».
Hmm, I see... That's definitely suspicious.
Anyway, we talked like that for a while, standing on the same side for the first time in a long time. Finally, as we reach the final round of our Truth game, we touch on a new topic.
«Auril Gavis, do you feel the slightest remorse for the deaths of the countless evil spirits that were brought here as a result of your greed?».
Baekho burst into laughter as soon as he heard this. «Ha! Pffft, ahahaha! Really? Have you really asked the old man that?»
«Why are you laughing?»
«Because... Let's say it's a very 'your' question. Well, you're still innocent in your own way, after all...»
That? I'm innocent?
I was shocked by that statement, but Baekho seemed to truly believe it.
«AND? What did that old man say?»
I told him exactly what Auril told me word for word, how he looked me straight in the eyes as he said it.
«How could I be at peace? Of course I feel sorry for you. I also feel responsible. I'll probably live with this and atone for it for the rest of my life». Was that enough of an answer for you?».
I told him how the red light on the jewel came on.
«Hmm...» I was sure Baekho would curse him with me, calling him a crazy old man, but he had a strange expression on his face. «That's a bit ambiguous».
«¿Ambiguo?»
«He purposely gave a long and exaggerated response».
«¿Eh?»
«That is typically a strategy to hide a lie within a truth. Not to mention that you two could only answer yes or no in that situation...»
Baekho was suspicious of Auril Gavis' motives. The problem was that the more I thought about it, the more I believed I could be right.
«Hmm, I wonder why that old man did something like that», Baekho muttered. «Is it just a coincidence that he spoke like that, or was it on purpose? What do you think?»
«I don't know... how could we expect to know what's going on in that old man's head?».
«That's true... true». Our discussion of Auril Gavis' response ended there. Baekho seemed to have more questions than that. «Um...»
«What's happening? It makes me anxious when you doubt like that».
«This might be a little offensive».
«Just ask.»
«Sure?»
«Sí.»
With my permission, Baekho asked: «What is your goal?».
The question wasn't totally unexpected, but it caught me a little off guard. »Objective»?
«Do you want to return to Earth?»
So that's what you're wondering.
«You told me you didn't know when we met at the Gnome Tree.»
Yes, I said that. And when I did, he asked me if it was because of that woman from the Red Cat Tribe. When I responded with silence, he advised me not to expect too much from an NPC, because it seemed to him that he was seeing his past self in me. But he probably dismissed it from his mind after that because he didn't place much value on Bjorn Yandel.
«Are you still not sure?»
"Don't know⁇
«Think seriously, then. You have long since overcome the stage where your goal is only to survive».
It was obvious what Baekho meant, but I pretended to think about it seriously. But was it because I myself had been thinking about this a lot lately? «My goal, huh?» I was just going to pretend, but suddenly all kinds of thoughts came to mind. What was my goal?
«If you find it difficult, try to think about it that way. There is a button. And if you press that button, you can immediately return to the world you came from. Now what would you do?»
Baekho's advice was more helpful than I thought. Although I didn't know what decision my future self would make, at least I knew my instinct right now. If there really was a button like that, I would hesitate before it for a long time, with a blank mind.
If I came home, what awaited me? There were a handful of things I could think about right away. Burgers, cola, games. Fun programs and the convenience of countless modern devices. I wouldn't have to kill anything, bleed every day, or feel so much pain or exhaustion. I would have to worry about living, but not about surviving. The smooth life he longed for existed beyond that button.
But, although this game was surely doomed, my feelings remained unchanged.
That... doesn't change anything.
I wouldn't be able to press the button. No, I would choose not to press it. That wasn't the life I wanted now.
«Does it seem like you've already made a decision?»
«Yes.»
I came to a conclusion. My goal was to survive in this place. Even if it was full of all kinds of threats, even if every day was like walking on thin ice... Surviving, along with the many people I met here, was my sincere wish.
«Can you tell me what you would do?».
I looked him straight in the eyes and replied: «I would press that button».
At that moment I decided not to reveal my true intentions and give Baekho the answer he was looking for. It was obvious what he was waiting for me to tell him.
After hearing my answer, Baekho looked at me silently. There was a moment of silence that felt strangely heavy.
«Tsk». The sound of Baekho clicking his tongue broke the silence. «You're getting on my nerves. You treat me like an idiot because I can't use my skills here?». The same guy who always laughed lightly and joked with people looked at me now with eyes colder than ever. «You're lying to my face».