The Ministry of Security of the Rafdonian Royal Family.

"What?" Did he come back covered in blood?

Hearing the report of his subordinate, the man burst out laughing. He didn't know what to start getting angry about first.

"Tell me this, why did he contact him?" My order was simply to keep an eye on him.

— ... I believe that this was a decision made in the field.

"Do you think?" Are you kidding me? Speak plainly.

"Being a barbarian for only 3 months, my companion decided that he could easily discover his true identity.

The man took a deep breath. It was not impossible to understand. Most evil spirits under the age of one year were naïve. More than half of them readily revealed their identity to anyone who came close and pretended to be in the same situation, while the other half revealed their identity through facial expressions.

"So you said that there was no such reaction?"

"Yes, sir. The man frowned as soon as he heard this, then got angry and told him to speak directly instead of using "difficult words." It would be faster to see for yourself.

The subordinate took a button from his pocket, a specially designed video recorder. As he held it up to the crystal ball on the table, the events of the incident began to replay. The man watched the tape over and over again, observing in detail the changes in the barbarian's facial expression, eyes, and facial muscles.

"America? Taiwan? Europe? Where are you from?

Perhaps the colleague who made the mistake approached too carelessly, but, nevertheless, such a reaction was, of course, special.

"What are you talking about?" Do not say difficult words and speak directly.

The answer came without a pause. Usually, evil spirits were frightened and racked their brains, trying to identify the enemy. But this barbarian?

"Wow, you almost fooled me. You're really good at playing. Aren't you in the 3rd month?

"Playing?" I asked you not to use difficult words, didn't I?

His vocabulary and tone of voice, his train of thought and questions, and the management of the situation were all different from the existing evil spirits.

"Then I'll ask you directly." Are you an evil spirit?

"What am I going to hide now?" I do. That is why-...

"That's enough. You don't need to say anything else.

"What are you doing to them-...

"The chief said that the evil spirits should be killed on the spot.

Rather, they coincided with a characteristic reaction that could only come from those who were not evil spirits.

Even those who do not want to reveal their identity usually prefer to avoid in such a situation. But what about this person? As soon as he made his decision, he, like a barbarian, rushed to attack without hesitation.

After thinking about it for a while, the man made a final decision.

"He definitely doesn't look like an evil spirit.

Bjorn Yandel. Since this name had once attracted their attention, the evil spirits must have taken an interest in it as well. But fame came to him only a few days ago.

The meeting had not yet taken place, so he did not have time to learn about our method...

All the circumstances pointed to the fact that he was not an evil spirit. Even if he had learned of the existence of a secret Ministry of Security, it is doubtful that such a reaction would have been possible at all. Most impressive was the incident that took place in the Guild. After being framed and on the verge of death, he escaped from prison and wreaked havoc. An evil spirit who likes to pretend to be noble is not capable of this. However, a barbarian who has nothing to lose?

- Bjorn Yandel from the opravdan.

The man put a blue seal on the report, put it in a folder and put it in the closet. At the same time, the subordinate who was watching what was happening let out a sigh of relief.

— ... I'm glad, sir.

— Yes, it is very successful. If our man had been beaten to blood by an evil spirit, I would have killed him myself.

"Then what are you going to do with the punishment?"

"He took it upon himself to make contact with the target contrary to the task. After three months of suspension, he will receive a reduced salary for 12 months, and the evaluation of his promotion will be postponed until next year.

"I'll pass on this information.

After that, the subordinate left the office, and the man sat alone with his thoughts for some time.

So he got his nickname in 3 months without being an evil spirit, right?

Regardless of this incident, it was worth keeping a close eye on this barbarian in the future.

Maybe he is really destined to become a hero? Perhaps the Count will like him.

There has always been a shortage of talented people in this city.

***

[Your reputation has been increased by +1.]

[Your reputation has been increased by +1.]

***

It's already morning...?

I stayed up all night because of a letter I found.

Was the content of this letter real or not?

I sighed, thinking about it over and over until the sun rose.

Well, it seems to be true, but...

It was just intuition, and I couldn't be sure. So as soon as the sun rose, I washed my face and went outside. To begin with, I planned to learn more about this pill. Of course, there was a good chance that this was a trick used by evil spirit hunters, but...

In fact, that's another reason why I have to show them that I'm trying to figure out what it is.

Well, imagine it from the point of view of a local. Did someone break into my room and leave a letter with unreadable text along with a pill? It would be quite normal to ask what it is. It would be damn scary for them.

"I thought you forgot about our meeting since you hadn't come in the last few days, but I guess you didn't?"

For this reason, I visited the magic tower, thinking that a magician who was an intellectual in this world might know something. And in fact, she knew much more than expected.

"Oh, since this pill has come to you, it means that this time you really deserve fame.

That was Raven's reaction to the letter and the pill.

"Fame?"

— Yes. You don't have to worry too much. I've heard that everyone who earns a little fame will get one of these pills.

After that, Raven looked at the letter and licked her lips.

"But that's too bad. I would like you to come to me right away.

Now the letter was empty. Perhaps something magical was added to it, because the ink wore off less than 10 minutes after I read it.

"Aren't you curious, Mr. Yandel?" What did the evil spirits write in the letter?

"Evil spirits?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you. This letter is from an evil spirit.

"I didn't even know it was a letter. You're really amazing.

Raven made her characteristic snorting sound when I used flattery.

She then went into Know-It-All Mode as usual.

"Well, that's true. Most people don't know about it. Can you give me this pill?

"Here.

"Do you know what this pill is?"

"I don't know.

"It was made by a very talented magician, a person with immense knowledge of psychic magic, dimensional magic, and alchemy.

"So what is it?"

She explained for a long time how many sorcerers had worked hard to interpret the formula, but when I asked her a short question, she finally got down to business.

"If you take this pill, you will be able to enter a certain spirit world.

"The spirit world?"

"Oh, that was a little hard to understand?" This is a kind of parallel dimension. The body is asleep, but the mind moves to another place.

After that, Raven's explanation continued. In short, it looked like this.

1. If you took this pill, then at midnight on the 15th of each month, you entered the spirit world.

2. Evil spirits there probably exchanged information with each other.

3. Therefore, many people took this pill to get into their world. However, the next morning they were found dead, coughing up blood.

At that moment, I shuddered.

"Were they found dead?"

— Yes. So, Mr. Yandel, don't take it, even if you're interested.

"Wait. Isn't it just poison?

"Hey, what do you think of us mages?" I swear, there are no poisonous ingredients or formulas in this pill.

"Then what happened to those who died?"

— Well, there are many hypotheses, but... The most likely explanation is that these people have a way of distinguishing between those who are and are not evil spirits. When the soul and the body are separated, the body dies.

—... This is a dangerous pill.

These words were sincere. This meant that the moment I took this pill, my life would be in their hands. Of course, I could now believe to some extent that the person who sent it was a player, but I had no information about who the player was.

"In any case, it's definitely not poison. Although this is not an official record, there is a story of a captured evil spirit making a statement about this meeting. This means that it is not fatal for everyone.

- I see.

"Oh, and the other thing is that in that world, everyone appears in the form of their souls, so no one can tell who they are in this one.

That was good news, and it cleared some of my doubts. Maybe that's why networking was so important? If it weren't for my connection with the mage, I wouldn't have heard such information anywhere else. However, I asked one last question.

"You mean there's no way to know who's taking this pill?"

"There is no way. If it were possible, all the evil spirits would be caught.

I understood why the sender was confident that anonymity in society was carefully guaranteed.

She asked:

"So, on that note, can I examine this pill?"

"I don't care as long as it's considered today's research.

"How low, and that's when I've answered all your questions. Well, it doesn't matter. I still don't think anything else will come out of my research.

She returned it to me.

"Now, if we're done talking, sit down here."

At her direction, I sat down on a chair. I did not ask if this chair was an instrument of execution used to dissect human skulls.

"Then let's begin.

— ... Please finish quickly.

Later, I learned that this chair was a magical tool created to collect blood.

*Zzzzzz!*

***

At about 4 p.m., the day's research was over, which meant that I wouldn't have to waste time commuting here until next week.

"Oh, that's the famous guy these days, isn't he?"

"I heard that it was Lord Ernesion who gave him the nickname 'Little Balkan.'

"Did this miserly man speak so highly of the barbarian?" How strange.

As I walked out of Raven's personal laboratory, I saw the mages gathered in the hall staring at me. Is this the power of glory?

Last time, they looked at me as if I was the stuff of an experiment...

I realized again how famous my name was.

"They say he has the essence of the Orc Hero?"

"Aru said that he even has the essence of a Guardian Vampire.

"This... definitely valuable.

That gaze that seemed to be directed at a very, very valuable ingredient for the experiment. After all, the reputation of an explorer was beyond the interests of these bastards.

"Hey!" Can you come up for a second? One of them called me.

"I'm busy.

"Just for a second...

"I'm hungry, so no.

Passing through the stares, several times more awkward than usual, I climbed out of the magic tower.

I had no time left to go to the library, so I preferred to return to the inn and rest.

Organizing my thoughts along the way, it took me about an hour to return to the inn, where I successfully collapsed on the bed. Then I took out a pill and examined it carefully. My thoughts grew deeper and deeper, as if my mind was withdrawing into itself.

A community where anonymity is guaranteed...

The biggest reason I didn't want to be in contact with other players was the risk. If at least one person knew, it would no longer be a secret. But judging by Raven's words, it seemed like a virtual web space. I used to think that contact with players would not be useful, but... Now I have changed my mind.

Of course, people there know much more than I do.

I didn't think about the hidden pieces of information in the game. There was nothing that anyone else knew that I didn't know, but it was a different world, not a game made of binary code. While the risk of identity disclosure was reduced, the benefits were more obvious than before.

Best Game Consoles

 

I'll have to check everything myself to be sure, but it's not a bad thing to know one step ahead.

For example, what tactics were used by evil spirit hunters. Did the Explorers Guild come up with a new law and apply it or not? By joining the community, it will be easier to stay up to date with such news. In other words, it would be a secret source of information.

I don't really expect it, but they might even know how to come back.

After looking at the pill for a long time, I made a decision.

Still, it is better to accept it.

I came to a conclusion after carefully weighing the risks I would have to take and the returns I could get. However, I didn't plan to take it right now. Not only did it take time to make sure there were no other risks, but...

Even if anonymity is guaranteed, someone sent me an invitation.

Think about it. If three invitations were sent, what would happen if all three joined the community? The sender of the invitation will be able to identify all three.

If I take it, it will be safer in at least 3 months or six months.

Of course, all of these assumptions were pointless if the community didn't work the way I imagined.

Now I am not desperately in need of information.

I would wait patiently, as always. It's better to be safe than sorry.

***

In the laboratory on the upper floors of the tower, at the moment when the minute hand of the clock passed midnight, the man lying on the chair opened his eyes. Then, he immediately stood up and spoke to someone through the crystal ball.

"Queen of Souls, how is the newcomer from this time?"

He tried to hide it, but the excitement was clearly in his voice.

Soon, a spark of deep disappointment appeared on the man's face.

"Nothing.

"Hmm, then I think he's really not a player.

"Quite likely. So, what are you going to do with the unsent emails from this wave?

The man thought for a moment. Initially, a total of seven letters were to be sent before this meeting. However, this time he only sent one because he wanted to confirm one thing.

"I must not delay any longer of my own free will. Will you send emails that couldn't be sent this time before the next meeting?

"Yes, I'll pass them on."

At this point, the short conversation ended. After that, silence reigned in the laboratory.

"I was hoping so, because he also chose the shield at the coming-of-age ceremony..."

The man sighed and muttered.

"And this time it wasn't him.

At this point, he even started to think that the rumors being spread among the players might be true. All this time, he, as a fan, consistently denied it, but...

In fact, there is no point in collecting such a huge amount of data alone.

Did it really exist? As many have already guessed, was he just a person from a gaming company?

It had been 20 years since he had woken up in this unfamiliar world. Cracks were gradually forming in his faith.