A player with the nickname LyublyuElfnunu, who most often used the Ghost Master name in public and whose identity was spread only by rumors, slowly opened his eyes and checked the time.

—…

It had just passed midnight. Its location is a private laboratory located on the top floor of the Magic Tower. As always, he sat down in a chair to collect his thoughts.

How will he act now?

Today, as soon as he entered the community, he permanently banned one of the players.

It was Sgt. Lee, a Korean user who used this unique nickname.

I'm sure he's already running around looking for an opportunity to kill me.

He didn't want to make an enemy in Sergeant Lee. Not only was he the closest person to the key, but he was also the player with the most authority, at least among those who were from Earth.

… He himself did not listen.

He was a little worried that he could step on the tail of a sleeping tiger, but it had to be done. He also denied Sergeant Lee's last request before being banished. Of course, he understood his situation, so he had left him alone until now, but he couldn't be so understanding forever. Now he will have to make a choice.

… Still, I feel a little sorry for him.

As he continued to ponder, he naturally noticed a certain person, a Korean user with the nickname Elfnunna.

It seems that he is also a fan of his.

Over the years, he had to deal with many Korean users, and he knew how few there were. The number of Koreans among the players was less than 1%. It was not for nothing that Sergeant Lee, who was desperately looking for someone from his homeland, asked for a chance to say a few words to him before leaving.

He's a funny man, come to think of it. If he misses his homeland so much, he should have thought about working together to complete the game and return home.

The man smiled and stood up from his seat. His crystal ball vibrated, announcing an incoming call.

"I didn't think you'd call me first at this hour." Apparently something happened on your side, Queen of Souls.

[Yes. I was about to leave work, but I found a strange connection record].

"A strange connection record?"

The man straightened up.

This woman's understanding of that space was as deep as his, so it wouldn't be a trivial matter.

"[There is a record of the connection, but it does not indicate who it is. The connection time is fixed as 3:00].

"So someone entered the community in the middle.

"Yes. I thought it was very strange too...]

"Wait, give me a moment to think.

The man cast a spell on himself without stopping the conversation.

[Meditation] was his own combined spell, created by adding several spells to [Thought Acceleration].

One person immediately came to mind.

— "Observer of the Round Table".

"Oh! That suspicious person who was banned a year ago!]

It was a year ago that they learned about its existence. His nickname was 0720. None of the guides who helped newcomers enter the community remembered helping him. When the administrators entered his inner world, they saw that he was wearing clothes from this world, which seemed suspicious to them, and they banished him. This was due to the fact that people here usually wear modern clothes. They decided that it was a spy of the royal family who had secretly infiltrated this place after obtaining a pill from another place. Either that, or he wasn't a player from Earth.

… In addition, he looked like an old man.

Most of the players were young. This was quite expected. After all, these were people who liked this perverted game. It was hard to imagine an old man over 70 years old who had gone through this game.

"Perhaps this meeting of the Observers of the Round Table was created to avoid our eyes.

"[But didn't you think the other members were normal then?]

— Yes. Then I thought so. But just in case, could you please stop by and check them out for me?

— [… I suppose it's a private chat].

"Don't worry about the invitation code. It will take a few months, but it can be mined.

— [Well, in that case...]

The Queen of Souls agreed, and with that, the man ended the topic.

More detailed instructions could only be given after everything was confirmed the following month. Nothing could be done now.

Then he paused. For some reason, the man remembered that nickname and unconsciously asked:

"Queen of Souls, do you remember the player with the nickname Elfnunna?"

He joined a few months ago, but I remember him well because he was unusual.

"What was it?"

[I couldn't see the space of his inner world at all. In my entire career, I've never seen a person with such a thick mental barrier].

— ... Got it.

The man felt uncomfortable. The thick mental barrier could be understood in many ways, and the Soul Queen did not serve as a guide for long. However, it seemed to him that he was missing something. In the state of [Meditation], the Intuition indicators increased, so he did not dismiss the sensations as just a mood.

"I'm sorry, give me a minute."

The man decided to check the notes he had made in his head. To be precise, he was checking the details of the people to whom the letters had been sent around the time of Elfnunna's introduction, as the Queen of Souls had said.

All of them are newcomers.

Thinking that perhaps he took the pill later, he increased the range to three months, but the results were the same. None of the players went further than the 5th floor. How could his mental barrier be so thick?

Expanding the range even further, one name caught his attention:

— ... Bjorn Yandel?

A barbarian who chose a shield, which is rare.

That's why he sent the man a letter, hoping that he might be the right player, but he didn't join the community.

"Queen of Souls," the man gave new instructions. - Research the user under the nickname Elfnunna, what posts he left, how much GP he has, and what information he has purchased. Even if you have to restore everything that has been deleted.

This had to be checked.

***

The morning after the opening of the community, Amelia woke me up.

— ... What is going on? It's only morning.

"Morning?" It's already noon.

Lord, can't a barbarian wake up late?

I poured a glass of water into my parched throat and asked:

"So what's the matter?"

Usually Amelia appeared in the evening. At the same time, we agreed to see each other yesterday. So why did she come to me so early?

The answer that came from Amelia's lips was quite simple:

"I thought I should tell you before I left.

"So you're leaving?"

"Yes, so you can stop looking."

Judging by her tone, it doesn't look like she's leaving because of finding Auril Gevis. I tried to ask in passing.

"Looks like you have something to do?"

Amelia didn't answer, but that was enough for me. This woman went to the city every day and was busy with something.

"Right before Noark was closed, they sent some people to the surface. The goal is to kill one specific researcher! Shocking, isn't it?"

Perhaps the assassination operation that Clown was talking about would begin today. I wasn't going to get involved, and it's not like I could stop her. Instead, I put forward a perfectly reasonable proposal.

"Are you going to come back again and look for him later?" If necessary, I can leave a couple of instructions here," I suggested with the best of intentions.

This was due to the fact that she was sensitive to favors and insults.

I reasoned that 'this would help me get out of debt in the future.

"There is no need. Anyway, it will be difficult to find him in this way.

- I see.

After this refusal, I did not offer any more. The conversation ended there.

"See you then," I said goodbye briefly.

Amelia looked at me silently, and then asked:

— What do you mean by "see you"?

Oh, so that's what interested you.

Well, it was me who made a fuss about the fact that we should never cross paths again. I was sure that this sounded meaningful to her.

I answered honestly:

"For some reason, it seems to me that we will meet again.

How many times have we already met by chance? I don't even know how long it will be before I can go home. But I was sure that I would meet her again at least once.

— ... Oddball.

After that, Amelia disappeared from sight as usual. Now it was my turn to start my day.

*Jin-Jin-Jin!*

First, I shook the bell I made next to the bed.

"Did you call, boss?"

In less than a minute, my right hand, Whiner, appeared.

To begin with, I gave the order to stop the search, and then, after lunch, I went out with him into the street. It was my daily walk after eating. In Bifron I had nothing else to do.

"Let's go to the distribution center.

"Distributive... center?

— Any problems?

"No, Boss. I'll take you to the nearest one.

Today's destination was one of the 12 distribution centers in Bifron. When we arrived, there was a long queue — a queue to receive food rations, which the city gave out every morning. A few days ago, such a sight would have been hard to imagine. Initially, the distribution centers were occupied and monopolized by each faction.

"As you ordered, minors can take whatever they want.

"Okay, keep up the good work.

I watched the queue of children with a satisfied smile before turning around. Then I looked around the city, moving where my feet were leading me. And then I saw a boy I knew, the same one who had been my guide on the first day in Bifron and had brought me to that inn.

"Come here."

"Y-yes, sir!" As soon as our eyes met, the boy stepped back, but soon stood in front of me to his full height.

"Where are you going?"

"I-I'm going to the distribution center...

"You've gained a little weight since then.

"D-yes...

Maybe it's because I've become the number one figure in Bifron? Although I didn't do anything bad to him, either that day or after, the guy continued to tremble.

Tsok, I called him just because I was glad to see him. Is this really the loneliness that the absolute experiences?

"How are you doing these days?"

"W-In my spare time, I read books. In the library you've created...

I didn't create a library, rather, I revived it, which was gathering dust. Many books were used as firewood, so there were more empty bookshelves than filled ones, but since I had instructed to collect as many books as possible to fill the shelves, things had to get better over time.

"I—I've never done anything like that again!" If I need money, I sign up for a labor camp and earn it myself!

The guy started making excuses for things I hadn't even asked, worried that I kept looking at him.

— By the way, you said that you dream of becoming a scientist.

"D-yes!

I grinned and gave him advice.

"Keep up the good work. If you stab other people in the back for money, you will have problems with your head, and one day it will be gone.

— ... Wh-What?

"You can't be a scientist without a head.

—Wh-what?" Oh, yeah...

Although he looked as if he did not understand my words at all, I did not go into a long explanation.

I'm not going to turn into an abstruse barbarian.

"Let's go."

After that, I continued my walk with Whiner through distribution centers, libraries, living quarters, labor camps, and so on.

With nothing else to do but find Auril Gevis, I corrected some of the irrational details, and the city was much busier than when I first arrived.

The disintegration of each faction was the biggest factor.

However, everything will return to normal as soon as I leave.

On that note, I led Whiner into the sewers. He asked trembling in a strange voice:

"Boss, why are we...

He seemed to think I was going to kill him and bury him here.

"I'll be away from town for a while, do you need anything?"

— ... A what? The whiner, who rarely has to repeat the same thing twice, asked with a stunned face. "W-in-are you going to town...?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" There is a passage leading to the city.

"No, no, no... No way...

"Why do you stutter?" Is there something wrong with your head?

"No... boss.

The whiner, who had only thought that he would be released in a few days, lowered his head with an unhappy look.

But it seems that he belatedly decided that this was a bluff.

"In any case, since you don't need anything...

"No!" I need something!

"Really?" Tell.

The whiner asked for one thing from the city - a skewer from a store in the 9th arrondissement.

"By the time I get it, it'll be cold."

"It's okay!

I smiled and nodded my head. It was obvious what this guy was thinking. He was going to see if I really had a way to get to the city.

"Then go home."

"Yes, boss.

After that, I let go of Whiner and went into the sewers. Then I went to the secret passage that Amelia had told me about.

And then...

*Hum*

At that moment, the stone-message rang out, which I wore in my clothes, outside of subspace, just in case. It was the same item I got from Mr. Dragon. Previously, he had promised to contact me if a decision was made on whether to give me the Dragon Blessing in exchange for the Dragon Sword or not.

He said it would take a month or two, and two passed.

I wondered what the results were. When I pressed the button sticking out from below, I heard a voice.

"[Tear up the paper I gave you].

"I want to know your decision before then.

"[The elders will decide when they see you].

- I see.

I did as I was told and tore up the paper I had stored in subspace.

They'll decide when they see me, right?

It wasn't the "yes" I had hoped for, but I wasn't too worried.

To do this, even if it was impossible, was the spirit of the barbarian.