STGB Episode 544
Ghost 2
Ghostbusters—a gathering of evil spirits held on the 15th of every month, city-standard time.
My routine for this event was always more or less the same.
Vrrrrrr—!
First, I’d turn on the computer and log into the community. Then I’d check how many people had joined the Korean chatroom.
“No one’s here yet.”
Next, I’d browse the bulletin board for the latest updates while waiting, then return to the chatroom to chat with Baek-ho for about an hour.
After Baek-ho left, I’d spend the remaining time chatting with Hyeon-byeol, before naturally parting ways when it was time for the roundtable to begin
Click, click.
Today was no different.
As usual, I opened the bulleting board on my monitor, casually skimming the titles of the posts already rolling in.
Like reading a morning paper while sipping coffee.
No rush, just taking it slow.
“…Huh?”
I flipped back to the first page and checked the title of today’s very first post.
I couldn’t help it.
[Royal Family of Raphdonia to Seal Off Basement Floor 1]
What the ..
Click, click.
At first, I wondered if it was just a troll post, but my fingers kept hitting the mouse button.
It was a title I couldn’t possibly ignore.
—ㅇㅇㅇㅇ.
As expected, the body of the post was empty.
These types usually rush to post first, then add the content later through edits.
What mattered were the comments.
Even those alone would provide enough for a basic fact-check.
Sure enough—
[arolf5205: Damn, I was about to post this first.]
[NIKAMOTO: This one’s gonna blow up for sure.]
[AI_DIDIGO: Fact 1 – 56% of first posts on open-community days receive 100+ comments and make the trending list.]
[└Ki11Humans77: Whoa, it’s Didigo! Let me get a Level 3 essence in the next exploration, please.]
[└MarkG: But what’s the big deal about trending posts anyway?]
[└Paweł: The admins give you some GP. But I doubt that’s the only reason people do this.]
People weren’t even talking about whether it was a troll post or not—they were just discussing other topics.
From their reactions, I could tell one thing:
‘Shit, it’s real.’
The Royal Family is really sealing Basement Floor 1.
I quickly refreshed the post and scrolled down.
Because meaningful discussions always came later.
They took time to write, after all.
[Darkrealm93: But I don’t really get the royal family’s reasoning. Why are they suddenly blocking access to Basement Floor 1?]
[└ Akaistos: You didn’t hear? It’s too dangerous.]
[└ Darkrealm93: Do you really think I wouldn’t know that? There’s gotta be another reason.]
[└ WhyDoYouSniffShit: It’s obvious. With the war going on, they’re pissed that people keep trying to desert by going to Basement Floor 1.]
[└ funkin the trunk: But we still don’t even know how to get down there. Is a ban even meaningful?]
[└ WhyDoYouSniffShit: That’s exactly why they’re telling people to stop wasting time and just focus on being arrow fodder like before.]
I roughly understood the situation.
It’s only been two months since the existence of Basement Floor 1 became public knowledge.
Last cycle, two more clans gained access.
And…
“Back then, a lot of explorers from those clans couldn’t get in.
A bunch of explorers had to turn back, watching their comrades head into B1.
They probably helped spread word of its existence even further.
And the clever ones might’ve already figured out how to get in.
No—they must have.
‘Which means a lot of people are already preparing to go down. That’s probably why the royal family is trying to block it.’
Besides, if the major clans have figured out the entry method, it’s safe to assume that the royal family knows as well…
“Hm…”
Things are getting interesting.
After skimming through more comments and the flood of posts that followed, I finally let go of my mouse.
Tap, tap.
Suddenly, my thoughts were racing.
If the royal family had issued a ban, most people wouldn’t dare to go down now. Tch, does this mean I’ll just have to adjust my plans and wait?
I ran various simulations in my head.
Before I knew it, a considerable amount of time had passed.
“Ah, they’re probably waiting.”
Realizing I’d been lost in thought for too long, I snapped out of it and entered the chatroom.
“Oppa, you’re here?”
“Oh, hyung! You’re late again.”
As soon as I entered, Hyeon-byeol and Baekho, who had arrived earlier, greeted me.
“Sorry. I was a little late today.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t worried anyway.”
“…What?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Lee Baek-ho grinned.
“You know, like how the protagonist always shows up late? I don’t mind. Actually, it’s kinda cool…”
What is this kid even saying?
And why did I actually listen to that?
I chuckled and sat on an empty sofa.
“So, anything happen to you two?”
“All good, oppa.”
“Baek‑ho? You okay?”
I asked vaguely, skimming over details, but kept glancing at Hyeon‑byeol.
Maybe he noticed.
“It’s fine. Hyunbyeol-noona knows where I am anyway.”
“…Huh?”
“Come on, Hyung! I’m not clueless. Noona already knows that I’m outside the walls.”
As Lee Baek-ho casually shared his recent whereabouts, Hyun-byeol listened quietly, her eyes shining with curiosity.
“…Baek-ho, are you really okay with this?”
“What’s there to not be okay with? The three of us are from the same place. Honestly, it felt weird that you two always kept secrets when chatting. It’s more fun with the three of us, anyway.”
It still felt a little off, but…
Well, if he says it’s fine, it’s not really my place to argue.
Besides, I kind of agreed with him.
‘Yeah… talking like this really makes it feel like we’re back home.’
More precisely, it felt like being back in Korea.
It was the only place where we could talk about the military, politics, or just how much we wanted to eat kimchi.
Life in this world was great, but I did miss those chats sometimes.
“So, how is it out there? Met any Noark people?”
“Yeah. Been about a week. Just gathering intel. Still haven’t found Auril Gavis.”
“Auril Gavis…?”
“Oh, noona wouldn’t know. I went outside to hunt that bastard.”
“I‑I see…”
Hyun-byeol, who usually carried herself with unshakable confidence, seemed flustered by the sheer scale of what was being discussed so casually.
I haven’t seen her like this in a long time.
For some reason, seeing her like that made me nostalgic, and as I kept watching, Hyun-byeol shot me a sharp glare.
“I wasn’t laughing.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“…….”
Anyway, afterward, I asked Lee Baek-ho about the things I was curious about outside the city walls, and he was kind enough to explain what he had discovered.
Since it was a completely unexplored area even in the game, every little detail was interesting, but if I had to pick one, it was this:
“Farming is possible out there.”
Unlike Raphdonia, life outside the city walls was possible without ‘magic stones.’
But that only made the question even bigger.
“Then why do they keep trying to force their way into the labyrinth?”
Why was Noark still continuing the war?
Why couldn’t they leave the labyrinth, even going so far as to create portals to the outside?
Unfortunately, Yi Baek-ho didn’t have a clear answer.
“I don’t know. But there must be a reason. And ‘Auril Gavith’ is likely deeply involved in it.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. Anyway, okay, let me know if you find out anything else.”
“Sure, bro.”
By the time that topic wrapped up, there were about ten minutes left before Lee Baek-ho logged out, so we spent the rest of the time chatting about nothing in particular.
“Phew, somehow I ended up talking a lot about myself today. Next time tell me more about what you’ve been up to, Hyung. You know what I mean, right?”
“Got it. I’ll fill you in then.”
“See you next time!”
Once Baekho logged out, I spent a bit more time with Hyunbyeol.
“He seemed really curious. You must be up to something fun?”
“Haha… nothing that exciting.”
“Uh-huh, sure. I’m gonna read a book now. Want one too?”
“Oh, thanks. That’d be great.”
She handed me a book. I had been curious about it since we paused at an interesting part last time.
‘Why is this so good?’
As I was fully immersed, Hyun-byeol, who was lying on the sofa, tapped my knee with her foot.
“Huh? What?”
“Isn’t it about time to go?”
“Ah, right.”
I reluctantly closed the book and stood up. Seeing that, Hyun-byeol tossed out a casual remark.
“If it’s so much fun, come back later. I’ll lend you another book then…”
“Nah. No need to go that far. I’ve got plenty of GP, so I’ll just buy it myself.”
“…….”
“See you next time.”
With that, I left the chat room and stretched. Strictly speaking, stretching wasn’t necessary in this space, but…
It was just a habit when reading.
Plus, it helped wake me up a bit.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I had a lot to do at the Round Table today.
***
A full-face lion mask.
A neatly tailored navy suit.
Wearing the outfit I always wore, I stared into the mirror and felt a strange surge of confidence.
Like I could do anything.
Still, I gave myself a reality check.
‘This is bad. I’m in deep.’
Sigh, maintaining a character for so long is exhausting.
It’s like I’m being consumed by the persona I created.
Not that I plan to stop now, of course.
Thud, thud.
After checking my outfit in the mirror, I made my way down the hallway toward the Round Table’s chamber.
Once again, everyone had already arrived.
“Pssit, you’re here.”
“Heh… Nice to see you, Mr. Lion!”
“You’re the last one here again.”
As I ignored their greetings and made my way to my usual seat, I suddenly remembered something Lee Baek-ho had said earlier.
[The protagonist always makes a late entrance, right?]
Honestly, when it came to the Round Table, he wasn’t wrong.
I always made sure to arrive as late as possible.
If I had to explain it, it wasn’t that I wanted the attention—it just couldn’t be helped.
Because if I arrived early…
‘It’d just be awkward.’
People who arrive early usually chat among themselves.
And what was I supposed to do in that situation?
It’s not like I’d join in with small talk, and just sitting there would make the atmosphere weird.
Like right now.
“Then… since everyone’s here… let’s begin…”
“…….”
“Is there… a problem…?”
I had been sitting quietly, lost in thought, ignoring the greetings, when Wolf cautiously spoke up, checking my reaction.
“Not really.”
“Then… let’s begin. We’re all busy people.”
For some reason, Wolf was leading the meeting today.
Not that I cared who did it, but—
‘Ugh, why does wearing this mask make me think like this?’
Maybe I should start being cautious, but I’d think about that later. For now, I focused.
First up was Deer Horns.
“The royal family has issued an order to close the Basement Floor 1. Anyone who disobeys the order and descends to Basement Floor 1 will be executed, regardless of status.”
“That’s an unusually harsh punishment.”
“Ah, of course, it only applies to clans over a certain size. We don’t expect such severe punishments for ordinary explorers.”
Well, it made sense.
Preventing clans from defecting would keep the battlefield from collapsing.
‘Damn royal family bastards. They never do anything helpful.’
Anyway, Deer Horns started things off, and the members quickly took turns. There were two noteworthy pieces of information.
“If you cast ‘Distortion’ magic on the nameless statues that appear on the 3rd Floor and defeat them, you can obtain three types of nameless fragments. These are the keys to Basement Floor 1.”
The Queen shared the method to access Basement Floor 1—the Records Archive.
And then…
“Pssit, this might be good news for you all. Unfortunately, our elite team failed their assault on the 8th floor and suffered heavy losses.”
The Clown.
It was something I could’ve brushed off, but the moment I heard it, it felt like lightning struck my brain.
‘They failed to conquer the 8th Floor…?’
I had no proof, but it didn’t feel like a coincidence.
Without thinking, I muttered aloud.
“Kalheim.”
Kalheim, the City of Light—one of the rifts on the 8th Floor.
The field where Milayel, the Guardian of the Rift who dropped the Heavenly Spear, appears.
The moment I mentioned it—
“……Pssit?”
Clow, who had been laughing weirdly, suddenly stopped.
“Mr. Lion… how do you know… that…?”
Wait, was it really that specific rift?
Then was there some connection between the failed rift conquest and that guy appearing down here?
While I was thinking that, the Clown quickly collected himself and continued.
“Ahem, hmm! My, my bad. Of course Mr. Lion would have ears even in Noark.”
All I did was say a name, and he filled in the blanks himself.
Is this why fame is important?
In any case, the others’ eyes turned to me.
‘Already my turn, huh.’
What should I share today?
Normally, I’d match the level of info others shared and keep up the persona…
But not today.
‘I didn’t come here today just to listen.’
Well, originally, that was the plan, but things had changed. The royal family had thrown my plans in disarray.
If this continued, new forces wouldn’t arrive.
So I had to respond proactively.
‘The Queen already shared the access method, so I can’t use that…’
The royal family had used the death penalty card, but I wasn’t too worried.
Because I knew explorers well.
“Basement Floor 1—the Records Archive.”
Explorers… don’t care about their lives.
“In this place, Bjorn Jandel acquired two single-numbered items in two months.”
As long as there was money to be made.
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