Chapter 124 - Veteran (3)

First, we briefly introduced ourselves. Not as Bjorn Jandel, but as Lee Hansoo.

"I'm Lee Hansoo. Twenty-nine."

"You're a Lee too, huh? I'm Lee Baekho. I was twenty-three."

"What do you mean, you were twenty-three?"

"Well, actually... I've been here for over ten years."

"Oh. I see..."

I didn't know what to say. The luxurious chatroom skin had given me some idea, but he'd been in this world for over ten years? What a poor bastard.

"Wait, wouldn't that make you older than—"

"Bro! Don't give me that bullshit! I'm going back. So we have to use our real-world ages!"

"Uh... well, if you say so."

As a citizen of a Confucian nation where age was a rank in itself, I had no reason to stop him from volunteering to be my junior. Whew. That settled the pecking order.

"Anyway, bro, I'm sorry, but would you mind if I imposed on you for a moment?"

"Imposed?"

"It's... sort of a simple test. I'm pretty sure you're the real deal... but I think I should still check."

"Okay, but what is it?"

"I'll say something, and you just tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Oh, don't worry about it. No Korean could get these wrong."

After hearing him out, I realized it was a sort of Korean identity test. Apparently, though he felt awkward saying so himself, he was a pretty big deal around here. A few people had pretended to be Korean to mooch off him. Well, if that was all.

"Then I'll start...?"

"Go ahead."

When I nodded, he took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. I'd thought it was no big deal, but seeing him like that made me nervous for no reason. Of course, as he'd promised, the quiz itself was easy.

"Kimchi?"

"... Stew?"

"Ox head?"

"Rice soup."

"Saudi?"

"Arabia."

"Service Creed."

"... Our resolve. And I did alternative civilian service."

"Oh... Anyway, this is the last one."

Lee Baekho steadied his breathing and looked at me with newfound seriousness. Just as I began wondering whether everything so far had been a joke, he opened his mouth.

"Lee Wan-yong?"

"Son of a... Hey, you crazy bastard."

The moment the curse slipped out, an odd intensity made my body stiffen involuntarily. Lee Baekho was staring at me, his gaze suddenly cold, as though everything he'd shown me until now had been an act.

"I believe you. You are indeed Korean."

What the hell was this bastard talking about?

* * *

Lee Baekho. A Korean Player who'd been dragged here on the day of his discharge and lived in this world for over ten years. He seemed like a nice guy, but...

'Is there something wrong with his head too?'

My eyes narrowed before I knew it. Still, after hearing his explanation, I couldn't say I didn't understand.

"Oh, sorry for dropping the polite act. I'd prepared that line for when someone passed the test. I just never imagined it'd take over three years..."

Even I, who'd thought myself far removed from such feelings, had missed conversations like this. Besides, when he'd first arrived, there couldn't have been a community like Ghost Busters. It was just the sort of environment that could wreck someone's personality.

"So, bro, what's your name?"

"I already told you."

"Not that one. The name you use here. I need to know it to help you. What's a Korean without loyalty and affection? A corpse, that's what!"

"I appreciate the thought, but no thanks."

I shook my head with a chuckle. Lee Baekho looked at me in genuine incomprehension.

"Why won't you tell me? Just give me your name, and you'll never have to worry about taxes again."

His voice brimmed with confidence. He'd already achieved that much standing here, apparently. Still, my answer remained the same.

"If I made you the same offer, would you tell me your name?"

"Uh, even for you, that's a bit..."

"It's the same for me."

Had he finally realized I wasn't like the average newbie? He asked his next question with far more interest in his eyes.

"What multiplier did you beat it on?"

"What about you?"

"Ten times."

Ten times? I'd heard the founder of Ghost Busters had cleared it on fifteen times. When I gave him a surprised look, he scratched the back of his close-cropped head.

"Ten times isn't anything special. It's basically a fake clear anyway. Honestly, even after ten years, there's still a lot I don't know. Man, if I'd known this would happen, I'd have just played the original."

Maybe because he'd survived in this world for over ten years, his whole mindset was different from the people I'd met in the Newcomers' Room.

"So, what about you?"

After a moment's consideration, I answered, "I cleared the ten-times version too."

"Oh, really?"

I'd been a little worried, but he readily believed me.

"Yeah, that's what I expect from a Korean."

"What?"

"Koreans are the best at gaming, aren't we?"

His national pride seemed a little excessive... but I didn't bother picking at his words. The poor guy. At least I could find it in my heart to indulge him.

"Sure. You're absolutely right."

"Right? Man, it's such a shame. If there'd just been a Korean language patch, at least a few people would've beaten the original..."

Apparently, being surrounded by foreigners had sent his national pride into overdrive.

"Oh, bro... Should I give you some GP, then?"

"I'd appreciate it, but I won't be cashing it out anyway. Besides, there are plenty of ways to earn it."

"Tsk. I guess yours will just keep piling up like mine."

Aside from our personalities, Lee Baekho and I were alike in many ways. He was reluctant to reveal his identity rashly, and despite his frivolous manner, his actual behavior seemed cautious. Well, that was probably why he'd survived so long.

"Hmm... Then there's nothing I can do for you."

"It's fine. I didn't come here expecting anything. Let's just meet up and chat now and then."

"Sniff... Bro...!"

Had my words made him feel he'd met a true compatriot? He made weeping noises as he wiped away nonexistent tears. It didn't last long, of course.

"Bro, if there's anything you're curious about, please ask. I need to do at least that much to save face."

Why were his moods all over the place? I couldn't keep up with his energy at all. Still, since he'd offered, I went ahead and asked everything I wanted to know.

"Do you know who runs this place?"

"Oh, I don't know either. Actually, I found my pill while raiding the secret Public Security division's headquarters early on, and took it."

"Then they don't know who you are either?"

"They can probably guess, though. I've got some idea who it might be too..."

"There are three suspects. Want me to tell you all of them?"

He listed the names of his suspects one by one. They were all mages, and aside from one, they were famous enough that even I'd heard of them.

"I'm sure you can take care of yourself, bro, but never reveal your identity here. As far as I know, some of these bastards are in bed with the royal family."

Apparently he'd taken a liking to me, because he even offered unsolicited advice. Unlike the people in the Newcomers' Room who'd insisted this place was one hundred percent safe, he had a pessimistic outlook I found very appealing. On that note, one more question.

"Is there any way the people running this place could find out who I am?"

"No. That'd be difficult, I think. They didn't even create this space themselves. It's more like they modified it."

"Modified it?"

"There were evil spirits in this city over a hundred years ago. In Earth time, that's over twenty years ago. So who do you think they were?"

Uh... Honestly, I'd never considered that. Twenty years ago, never mind [Dungeon and Stone], even LCD monitors hadn't become widespread yet.

"No idea. Just tell me."

"The answer is people from other dimensions!"

"Other dimensions...?"

"Yeah. I've never met one myself, but from what I know, they were transported here by doing things like reading books about this world."

Apparently, evil spirits had been very few in number back then, and every one of them possessed unusual powers. One of them had created this sort of space, and the current administrator was believed to have inherited it by chance.

'That was one hell of a revelation out of nowhere.'

By now, I was getting curious about Lee Baekho's identity too. Who on earth was he, to know things like this so casually?

'Well, it's a huge win for me.'

Adjusting my outlook, I continued peppering him with all sorts of questions and clearing up my doubts. But even he didn't know everything.

"Oh... Well, I'm actually in hiding, so I'm a bit out of touch with the latest information."

"You're in hiding?"

"Yeah, I can't really go into details. If you want up-to-date information, I'll introduce you to a chatroom. It's called 'Observer of the Round Table'... Some kind of club a bunch of edgy role-playing bastards made."

The chatroom he told me about was apparently a secret community for veterans, accessible only with an invitation code...

"Your username and face are both hidden there, so don't worry... I've heard that if you go in knowing nothing, you'll get beaten up and thrown out, but since you've cleared the ten-times version, that shouldn't be a problem..."

He explained every last detail as though he were sending his little kid off on a field trip. It took quite a while, but everything was useful, so I listened quietly without interrupting.

"Well, bro, I'd better get going. See you later."

"You're leaving already?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I took an early-version pill, so I can only stay here for an hour."

... Was this what they called a generation gap? If he suddenly started grumbling about how things were 'back in my day,' I figured I'd just take it in stride. After all, he looked to have lived a much harder life than I had.

"Bro, you have to come again next time, okay?"

"Sure. See you next time."

"If anyone in the city gives you trouble, remember them and tell me."

"Sure..."

"Oh, and also—"

"That's enough. Get going. We can talk when we meet again, can't we?"

"Oh, right... Next time... Yeah, bro! See you next time!"

After looking at me anxiously, he finally broke into an innocent smile and left. I exited the chatroom too. Then, following his instructions, I entered the code in the chatroom search bar and joined 'Observer of the Round Table.'

[Entry is not available at this time.]

[OPEN 03:00 ~ 03:10]

Uh, Baekho hadn't mentioned this. With no other choice, I passed the time browsing the Trade market and other message boards. When the clock at the bottom left of the monitor struck three, I tried entering again.

[New membership verified.]

[Welcome to Observer of the Round Table.]

[This gathering guarantees complete anonymity...]

Messages containing the information Lee Baekho had told me flashed past. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a customization room.

* * *

The room was filled with all kinds of clothing and decorative accessories. I wondered whether I really needed to go this far to hide my identity while in Lee Hansoo's body... but those were the rules, so I might as well follow them.

After a quick look around, I picked out something reasonably unremarkable, as though dressing up for cosplay: a slim-fit navy suit.

'He said masks were mandatory, so I'll have to wear one.'

There were enough different masks to fill an entire wall, though many spaces were empty, perhaps to prevent people from choosing duplicates.

CREEEAK.

Anyway, when I put on a mask chosen more or less at random, the door opened by itself. A long red carpet stretched ahead as if guiding me. Walking slowly and inspecting my surroundings, I came upon an enormous round table. There were dozens of seats, but only four people sat there.

TAP.

They'd been talking as though they knew each other, but as soon as I arrived, they all shut their mouths and stared at me.

"..."

A heavy silence settled over us.

So this was a veterans' community. What vicious stares. Didn't they know newbies were meant to be cherished and nurtured?

"Oh, that's a mask I haven't seen before."

As the person in the yellow clown mask broke the silence, a woman in a fox mask asked sharply,

"How did you get in here? We haven't accepted new members in over a year."

Uh, I hadn't known that.

"Answer me. Who are you, and who recommended you?"

Still, I'd prepared for this question, so it wasn't a problem.

"You must answer with nothing but the truth. That's how this place works."

As she'd said, a special skin was applied to this space. If you lied, your mask would shatter and you'd immediately be expelled from the chatroom. But there was one exception: before the gathering officially began, you could bullshit as much as you wanted.

'If they're all keeping quiet and watching, they must be in on it together. Or maybe they're just curious what kind of person I am.'

Now I understood why he'd told me to come on strong at our first meeting, no matter what. That advice must have come from hard-earned experience. So, reluctant as I was, I decided to follow the lines and performance Lee Baekho had recommended.

"Oh, m-m-me?"

First, act like a little bitch.

"Yes, I'm talking to y—"

Then, while she was grinning smugly, hit her with the counterpunch.

"Your mom recommended me, actually."

Seriously. Sergeant Lee had already told me everything. Who did they think they were, trying to screw over a newbie?