The newcomer was wearing a goblin mask. Technically, I'm a newbie, and he's a returning user, but...

Since a lot of time has passed, he should be told what has changed, right? Or at least he should listen carefully to the notes about the patches from the elders.

"Oh-stop...

When the Goblin struggled to speak, I immediately extinguished my murderous energy. However, if it had ended like this, I would have simply been branded as a temperamental bastard.

"Is that all?"

I remembered my last words before leaving and decided on the remark of the day. The main thing in acting out a play is consistency.

"I've heard there's a newcomer, but—"

I muttered with disappointment, as if I had some expectations, but things didn't turn out as predicted. As if to say that this is not just mockery, but I am trying to find out the level of the other.

"How boring.

As if that was my only goal, I took my eyes off the Goblin and looked at the Fox, Crescent Moon, and Deer at a time, as if to say that I would be very disappointed if today's meeting didn't entertain me like last time.

"Keke, don't worry, Leo, I have something that will definitely interest you.

I didn't even answer, just sat with my chin on my arm.

And I thought to myself:

If Clown says so, then this is really important information.

So why did people press on their subordinates so much? I did my best to pretend to be indifferent.

*Rumble*

When the time came, the door to the Round Table closed. This meant that there were no more members. However, there was still some work to be done before the meeting began.

"Goblin, come to your senses.

"This guy is just ridiculous, and he always acted like a cool guy before.

"Keke, unlike last time, Lev was gentle!" Ha! You even make me embarrassed.

At the Clown's words, the Fox and the Deer laughed in agreement.

"That's for sure... Not like then.

— Yes. This time I was also able to endure.

It was the maximum power...

I felt a little uncomfortable looking at the two men who seemed to be hinting at gratitude for their indulgence.

The reason was simple.

This was the maximum amount of killing energy that I could freely turn on and off.

I've trained countless times, remembering how the head of the Karlštejn family used it in real life, but when I used it seriously, I couldn't turn it off at will. It's good that they took it as my kindness. That is why the first impression is important.

"And-I'm sorry. Now I'm fine.

Eventually, the Goblin came to his senses.

Although, as soon as our eyes met, he turned away as if the previous incident had left him with an injury.

It is definitely inferior to the other four.

Just look at the Fox - she took my full killing energy for much longer, and was not afraid, but just wary of me.

"So, who do we start with?" The Fox asked and looked at the Clown.

The clown just shrugged his shoulders.

"We're saving the fun for last, aren't we?" How about starting with the Goblin?

"Ahem, okay.

Soon, the Goblin cleared his throat and shared his information, as if to smooth over his awkwardness.

"You all know by now that Ludwig, the High Priest of the Stars, is missing.

"And?"

"The culprit was Orcules. They kidnapped him and used him as a slave.

Is this guy a priest? Is that how he found out? This thought came to my mind, but the light emitted by the jewel on the Round Table was red.

"Keke, I think more than half of us already know.

There was a bitter taste in my mouth. Less than two weeks later, I brought them the letter. Everyone who knew about the situation, including Lee Baek Ho, should have already known about me...

"You'd better get used to it. If you want to satisfy these two, ordinary information won't help," Lisa said.

And?

"I didn't know about it. Perhaps thanks to this event, the temple will support the palace.

From what Fox and Crescent are saying, it seems that they don't know this information.

So the red light came on because Clown, Deer, and I knew about this fact?

I involuntarily clicked my tongue. Have they been probing me all this time?

Clown stood up and attacked the other three.

"Hey, are there no more unspoken rules?" I thought we decided not to openly disclose whether we knew the information or not.

"I'm sorry. I just felt sorry for the Goblin.

"We turned a blind eye to it when it was just us. But there's a newcomer, right? Let's all be careful. Ok?

"S-Okay.

Oh, that was the rule. If this continues, then a person who knows information that someone else does not know will inevitably be exposed. That part bothered me, but thanks to Clown, it was all settled.

But for some reason, it seems to me that he did not speak out because of me...

Something similar happened at the last meeting.

"Crescent moon, don't be too discouraged. Most people won't know the information you just said."

Clown has shown this behavior before.

Did he think that the latest information could be used to infer his identity?

I wasn't sure, but it seemed possible.

However, if this assumption is correct, then the Clown is either a priest or a member of the underground city. It should be one of two things.

The latter seemed more likely. I couldn't imagine the Clown working in the temple. Well, maybe he's pretending, as I am.

But it doesn't matter now.

Soon, I returned my attention to the meeting and listened to the information that the Goblin continued to reveal. Perhaps he was shocked that the previous information glowed red.

"The Goddess of the Stars gave me an oracle.

At the next message, the green light immediately turned on. Didn't even the Clown know about it?

"I want to buy information about who was given the oracle," said the Clown.

"I don't know about it...

"Keke, information that even a paladin doesn't know?" Probably, the temple really hides this?

"Didn't we just agree not to talk about it?!"

"Oh, I'm guilty. But everyone already knows this. Why are you so sensitive?

At that, the Goblin looked at me, and the Clown laughed as if it were funny.

"Do you think he cares about you?"

The goblin grunted in displeasure, but did not refute. I made a mental note indifferently.

[Goblin = Paladin].

Be that as it may, the meeting continued.

After the Goblin, the Fox sat next to him.

"Next month, an item with a double number will appear in the Heavenly Auction House.

Double room. In other words, a numbered item with a number from 11 to 99 will be put up for auction.

But was the Clown's warning about the need to follow the rules effective? After that, no one spoke, but the air became heavy, as if everyone was looking at their competitors.

I need to gain access to the Heavenly Auction House.

The Heavenly Auction House was located in Carnon, the royal capital. To get into Carnon, I needed to gain more fame, increase my rank as an explorer, and accumulate achievements. This will take at least a year.

I don't even have the money to buy an item with a double number. We will have to abandon this idea.

I carefully dismissed the thought. Not only did I not know what the item was, but even if I had the money, it would have been better to spend it on the Garfas Necklace that I had received at the Count's banquet.

"The royal family is devising a plan to attack Noark.

Following the Fox, the Deer reported the information, and a green light appeared. It seems that Lee Baek Ho was right about the punitive expedition. As he advised, I planned not to get involved in this.

Crescent Moon spoke next.

- Equipment has appeared on the black market, presumably belonging to the Dragon Slayer, a member of Orcules. Although it wasn't his Dragon Sword, it was clear that something had happened to him.

The green light came on again. I barely managed to maintain my composure in the pose of the resting chin.

His equipment on the black market? And I managed to snatch only a sword.

At first, I was taken aback, but quickly figured out the situation in my mind.

It seems that what Lee Baek Ho said is true.

The Dragon Slayer lost his memory, probably under the influence of the drug. And it is likely that the drug was fed to him by the one who, subsequently, collected the remaining equipment and sold it on the black market.

Since everyone was walking clockwise, starting with the Goblin, it was now the Clown's turn.

Everyone had high hopes for him, judging by the way he had set the tone earlier.

"Hmm, Lev, don't you want to be the first?"

"You must be very confident.

— Of course. If we only say boring things that we all know here, Leo may not come next time.

I grinned and shook my head. That meant I didn't intend to play his games, so we had to go in order.

"Well, that leaves me no choice. Leo's information can be more interesting!

The clown shrugged lightly. Then, twisting his body in a bizarre way, he stretched and said:

- Within three years, [Binding] magic will be created, capable of binding up to 6 people.

After these words, spoken in a playful voice, silence fell. Everyone turned their eyes to the center of the round table.

"It's a green light...

This meant that Clown's words were true, or at least he believed it.

"It's crazy, I didn't know that such a thing was possible.

"The guild, the royal family, the clans... Everything will change.

Despite the unspoken rule that Clown was talking about, everyone gasped in amazement. This was to be expected. This not only expanded the radius of the explorer's activity and the main team composition, but also increased the chances of completing the game several times.

Can 6 people enter the top floor?

5 and 6 are completely different things. Whether it was 10x mode or 100x, this meant that combos and synergies not possible in the original game were now possible.

At this time, Clown was watching only me, as if he didn't care about the reaction of the others.

"Well, what do you say?"

The eyes, hidden behind small holes in the mask, met mine. The emotions embedded in them were very clear.

Like a child asking to be praised.

I grinned and opened my mouth, only so as not to harm my image.

— It's quite interesting.

You received one sticker with praise.

***

There is an expression that says: "Praise makes even whales dance." Well, whipping a few hundred times can also make them dance, but in terms of effectiveness, there was a huge gap. What really fascinated people was the future. This is the reward they desperately anticipated.

"Hm. Now it's your turn, Leo.

The clown, having received a sticker with praise, awkwardly averted his gaze.

As if that was all they were waiting for, all eyes turned to me. Thanks to the bomb that Clown had just dropped, everyone's eyes were excited.

... How problematic.

Truth be told, I've already prepared some information in advance to reveal it here, but...

The quality of information has grown too much.

Perhaps because of the words I left last time, it felt like everyone had high expectations. Especially the Clown, who came with a clear intention.

[Binding] magic information for 6 people?

This result would not have happened if it were not for my mysterious image.

This, of course, is good, but...

This created even more pressure. What should I tell them? Of course, it's not that I didn't have the information to live up to their sky-high expectations...

But if others find out about it, it will affect me as well.

The problem was that I chose information that was useless even if they knew it, like about the Half-Demon. Besides, starting a conversation about the labyrinth when everyone else is talking about the outside world would be somehow strange from the point of view of flow.

Well, it would be better that way.

Soon, after carefully calculating the consequences that this information would lead to, I made a decision, and...

"You were interested in the oracle," I said, looking at the Clown, as if to reward him for entertaining me.

"I don't want to reveal the reason, but-...

The clown had misinterpreted my intentions, so I cut him short and said:

"This oracle was given along with a sacred relic.

"Excuse me?"

"A new sacred relic has appeared in the world thanks to an oracle received from the Goddess of the Stars.

The clown, who was sitting in a daze, as if he had heard something unheard-of, came to his senses. Looking at the green light of the gemstone, he asked cautiously.

— ... Can I find out what kind of sacred relic it is?

In contrast to his usual playful tone, his voice was cold and muffled.

This means that the sacred relic is important to you, and not the one who received the oracle.

I laughed and answered:

"If you tell me something else interesting."

"Keke, well, I'm glad to hear that you're coming back."

The clown, as always, laughed lightly. But I felt it. Next time I come, I will be able to hear even more interesting information, although I could not imagine what it could be.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

And when that time comes, I will most likely say: "Not interesting."