At first, I was totally stunned, but as I followed Baekho's escape, I slowly realized it.
«Hah...»
He was really gone. Shit until the end.
Did he really say «pop» out loud?
Still, I felt much better now. Before I hadn't even realized how tired I was, since I was so elated. I felt like all my energy had been taken away. My head was beating worse than the time I stayed up for three days drinking coffee in college.
Wait, is that why that bastard said his brain was scrambled? Ugh, it doesn't matter. What difference does it make.
I collapsed.
I collapsed on the couch. I desperately needed a break.
No. Rest comes later.
I spoke out loud to help process events despite my messy brain. «...I need to review all this before it's too late».
From our initial meeting to the moment he fled at the end, I reviewed my conversations with Baekho in detail. This was a habit of mine whenever something important happened, but this time, my head hurt to the point that it burned. I couldn't clearly remember Baekho's look or facial expressions during our conversation.
«Ugh, my head...»
The recall process was similar to stepping on the accelerator of a car that had run out of gas. Although I wanted to move forward, my engine was stopped. That's why I focused only on reviewing the most important parts.
«Are you Bjorn Yandel?»
The bait he threw at me.
«It's you and me, right? In that case, it's worth it. Of course it's worth it.»
How he was willing to give up Missha as soon as he found out I was Bjorn Yandel.
«There is a button. And if you press that button, you can immediately return to the world you came from».
The clear expectations he had of me.
«You're lying to my face.»
His disappointment was as great as these expectations.
There was a lot...
My thoughts became cloudy as I slowly reviewed our conversation. But maybe he was even a little satisfied. Although he hadn't won anything, he hadn't lost anything either, at least today.
Anyway, I was thinking of telling him it was Bjorn Yandel.
At first, I had thought about testing the waters and asking him to return Missha to me out of friendship. If that didn't work, then he planned to threaten him. If I told him that I was the one who had banned him in the first place, that would mean he could get him banned again. However, I didn't get a chance to bring it up.
«Lift the ban, now. If you don't, you're going to die here».
Since this guy had wreaked all kinds of havoc on the city just to come back here, I thought he was a pretty credible threat.
But why did Baekho go so far to get the ban lifted?
The idea suddenly came to mind, but I didn't allow myself to go too deep into that rabbit hole. Who knew what was going through that guy's head? Maybe he missed hanging out with other Koreans.
I closed my eyes and let the thoughts come and go.
What did you expect in the first place?
I really didn't understand it.
«Instead, help me beat the tenth floor later».
Help him on the tenth floor? It was nice that he thought so highly of me, but was Bjorn Yandel really that strong? I figured it wasn't strange that I had such high expectations considering how quickly I had been rising through the ranks, but there was something bothering me about it. In the Gnome Tree he discovered that I was an evil spirit.
«By the way, we're strangers the next time we meet. Understood?»
At the time, he had been distant about it. He drew a line between us without even trying to build a friendship.
That's definitely strange...
If it was simply that he concluded that Bjorn Yandel was not worth much at the time, what had changed? My growth had been even more ridiculous back then. It was also when I first became famous, had been hailed as a hero, and had even earned a noble title.
«I've been so good to you since the moment we met!»
Suddenly, something Baekho said crossed my mind.
From the moment we met...?
Yes, now that I thought about it, he had been good to me from the beginning. But why?
«It's because I'm Hansu Lee, not Bjorn Yandel.»
No, that's not right.
«I believe you. Anything else and you wouldn't be Korean.»
Because I'm Korean? Hmm, that still doesn't feel right.
That was probably part of it, of course. I had been waiting for a Korean on this empty channel for over three years, a Korean who might never come.
But would you waste so much time just because you feel alone?
I don't think so. Hyeonbyeol was also Korean, but he was harder on her than on me. So what was it? Why the hell had Baekho had no choice but to be nice to me from the beginning?
«Damn bitch». My eyes snapped open and I jumped out of my seat. It was after looking at myself in the mirror on the wall that I realized it. «My nickname».
Yes, it was my nickname, the one I had created by adding another letter to my original nickname, without knowing that I had become famous in the community.
[Elfnunna]
There was no other explanation. It only took me so long to realize it because Baekho had never mentioned it until that moment.
No, the fact that he never said a word about it is even stranger.
All the proof I needed was the rookie room I entered the first month using this nickname.
«Elfnuna?!»
«Holy... the guy who did the statistics summary?»
«Hey... Wasn't it someone from the gaming company?».
«So you were Korean! I knew.
Everyone made a big fuss when they saw me.
«It seems like you're a fan of them too». The GM, for his part, did not make a fuss, but he took care to comment on it and approve it.
«Anyway, your nickname-making game is...» Even Hyeonbyeol, who didn't know anything about my Elfnuna alias on the forum, had frowned at my unusual nickname.
But Baekho, that playful guy who probably liked things like fart and dinosaur jokes more than anything in the world, hadn't commented on it even once.
He didn't say anything about my nickname.
She wasn't sure, but maybe, maybe, she had been lurking from the day we met until now, hiding her true motives behind a smile.
«Um...» The moment my train of thoughts arrived at that station, I heard a sound coming from somewhere near my shoulder. «What are you doing looking in that mirror?» It was Hyeonbyeol.
The thing with Baekho... I'll finish thinking about it when my brain gets back to normal. I didn't finish resting much. Should it bounce too?
«...You just had a bad thought.»
«No, I didn't have it.» Yes, it doesn't matter. I couldn't cause trouble just because I was a little tired.
«Hmm, your expression definitely implied...»
«I said no. Anyway, you were so hard on Baekho before, but why are you kind of casual on me?»
«What are you talking about? Are you really asking that among us, of all people?» Hyeonbyeol gave me a look that she said she felt sorry for and sat next to me on the sofa, a space away in the three-seater.
«Why do you sit there among all the seats?».
«Ah, there's a line between you and me. I can't go any further».
...It seems he was offended by my request to change seats that time. Wow, then say you don't want to.
There was silence and no one wanted to break it. To be honest, my relationship with Hyeonbyeol was almost always like this. Even when we were together, things were never noisy. That silence had seemed more comfortable to me than being alone. Of course, that had been when we were dating.
...This is seriously uncomfortable.
In the end, I couldn't take it anymore and spoke first. «Hyeonbyeol.»
«Yeah.»
«Why don't you say anything?»
When I looked at her, I could see that her eyes were fixed on the fireplace, not on me. Hyeonbyeol responded without even looking at me. «Because you look tired».
«...Eh?»
«It's written all over your face. You look like you were scolded all day at work. Well, actually, now you look even rougher than before», he added, before looking at me too. «That? Do you want me to keep talking in your ear?»
«No.
«Really? Then I will hold back».
«Hold what?»
«Well, to be honest, I have a lot of things I want to ask you, but I can barely contain them. Because I don't want to overwhelm you».
Uh... Really? That's right...
«Thank you...?»
«...Whatever.» Hyeonbyeol coldly turned around despite my gratitude.
...She is embarrassed. Jeez, it's not like I said anything. You're embarrassing me too.
«...Then I'm going to rest a little.»
«Yeah.»
To be honest, I felt like I was going to faint so I decided to accept Hyeonbyeol's kindness. Actually, to be more precise, it felt like death. Overuse of killing intent was one thing, but it was also the first time I had exposed myself to such terrible energy from another person.
There was a peaceful silence. For a moment, I felt like I was back on Earth. The only thing different was that instead of the sound of Hyeonbyeol reading a book, he could hear the crackling of the fireplace.
Crackle crackle crackle.
After a long while, I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of that crackling sound.
«Are you awake?»
«Ah yes...» I was a little surprised. Apparently, you could fall asleep in the spirit world. Honestly I felt a little less tired. «How long has it been?»
«About an hour and a half».
Ugh, so there's still time until the Round Table opens.
«Now you look better».
«Thanks to you.»
«Then I'll start.»
«Hey?»
Start? Start what?
My unasked question was answered immediately.
«Why the hell was he here?» He began his interrogation as if it were a sign.
«Who?»
«Baekho Lee. It was him, right?»
It's not that I didn't hear it the first time. I was just a little surprised. «Yeah.» So Hyeonbyeol also knew about Baekho.
When I confirmed it, Hyeonbyeol also nodded as if I had answered his question. «No wonder he had that strange look».
«But wait, Hyeonbyeol. Did you do all that even though you knew who he was?».
«Yes? Is there any problem? No matter how strong it may be in the outside world, none of that matters here, right?»
«Uh, theoretically, yes...» She definitely felt her rookie status now. I should have warned her before she ran away and made a mistake. «But not necessarily. There is one ability that can only be used here...» I explained the killing intent to Hyeonbyeol.
«Your souls are united. That is why intangible energy can be amplified and transmitted to your opponent. I get to that part, but...» Always learning quickly, Hyeonbyeol seemed to understand the concept but didn't understand how it really worked in real life. «Honestly, I don't know. Scared enough to feel like you're dying? Can that really cause problems in real life?»
It was a valid question. Fox, a member of the Round Table, had a killing intent that only applied light pressure on the opponent, but did not cause any permanent damage.
«I can't really explain it in words».
«Aren't you short of words?»
Do you know how many novels I have read? Although it is impossible for there to be as many as her.
«Oh, it will be easier to explain if you experience it for yourself».
This was a suggestion I would never have made if she wasn't Hyeonbyeol. I had only recovered a drop of my mental reserves that had hit rock bottom. If I could, my instinct was to leave this for later and rest for now.
But... it's Hyeonbyeol.
I could do this for her.
«So here I go.»
«Wait! Let me think about it...»
Think about what? This is faster and more accurate.
I immediately released the killing intent, hoping it would help Hyeonbyeol avoid making a mistake outside.
«...Ugh!» The change was immediate. «D-Stop...» Hyeonbyeol's face curled in pain like everyone else except Baekho's.
That guy was fine. But yeah, no, my killing intent isn't broken-.
«I... said... stop...!»
Ah... I was just going to give it a try... I'm screwed.
Was it so shocking to experience killing intent for the first time? I didn't even release that much, but Hyeonbyeol complained of extreme fatigue even after trying it a little.
«Still... I understand what you mean... I understand why it could leave side effects even in reality.»
«Oh, so I'm glad...»
«But next time, I'm going to be very angry if you do something like that without asking my permission first».
«Understood.»
«...Are you mad at me for something?»
«Hey? No? Because?»
Sigh...
Why was she being so weird now? Hyeonbyeol muttered to herself for a while, then just asked a few quick questions before leaving because her head hurt too much.
The first was this: «You know about Bjorn Yandel, right?»
The hair on the back of my neck stood up as soon as the name left his lips. What was that? Was he probing me like Baekho? Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case.
«...I know him, yes».
«Really? So you know him too? Whether or not it is really an evil spirit?»
«Hey... I don't know. I have never met him in person...»
«Hmm, really?»
Hyeonbyeol sounded disappointed. «Why do you want to know about Bjorn Yandel?» I asked carefully.
«Ah, for work. I have to know for sure if it is an evil spirit or not before making plans for the future.»
Plans for the future? That was disturbing. Based on what he told me, Hyeonbyeol seemed to be an office worker rather than an adventurer.
«My next goal after securing my financial freedom was to gain power».
At the time, I thought that using power to find a way to get home was a very 'her' strategy.
«And recently, I have established a connection with a powerful person».
I was wondering who the powerful person he mentioned was. If that person turned out to be the marquis...
«Hyeonbyeol.»
«Yes?»
«Who do you work for now?»
Hyeonbyeol frowned at my question, which contained no joke. «I thought we agreed not to cross that line.»
«Things are different now.»
«...Sorry?»
«Because I could kill you by mistake if I don't know. So tell me. Who is?»
When I asked him again quietly, Hyeonbyeol stared at me. Then, he finally sighed and relented. «Countess Peprok».
I didn't expect to hear that name. Although I should have been glad she didn't say Marchioness Tercerion or the Duke, I didn't expect that woman to come here. «...Countess Peprok?»
«Yeah. They linked us by chance and now I work under them».
Full name: Ragna Litaniel Peprok, the librarian whom I previously visited almost every day and who was also a magician. I was a member of the friendly meeting I regularly attended during my rookie days, when rank seven Shavin Emoor's information was still very valuable to me.
«Are you satisfied now?»
«Yeah.
There were a lot of things I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to dig in, so I just nodded. At least she had confirmed that she was not affiliated with the marquis. For now, Hyeonbyeol and I were not on opposite sides. I was satisfied with that.
«But, Hansu.» Just then, Hyeonbyeol put his hand on the middle section of the couch and said, «It was you...»
«...Eh?»
«Who crossed the line first again». Before he could respond, Hyeonbyeol stood up. «See you next month, then. I'm too tired to continue talking today».
Hyeonbyeol left the talk after that, and I went back to my room because I didn't need to be there anymore. I lay down on the bed to rest for a while and, shortly after, it was time.
Ugh...
To be honest, I wanted to log out and go to sleep, but...
Flash!
Yes, I can't miss it, no matter how tired I am.