Once I said what I had to say, I sat down and studied everyone's shocked faces.
Alright, if even these guys react like that, ordinary adventurers will lose their minds at this information.
«In just two months...»
«Single-digit numbered items...»
«...Two of them?»
Well, one of them was from the Garphas Necklace, and the other was a stroke of luck in killing a Guardian, but...
He hadn't lied.
Furthermore, he would never have been able to obtain those items if it weren't for the ridiculous amount of mana stones in Basement One Plant or the fact that the Rift Guardians can appear there.
¡Shaaaa!
When the jewel turned green, there was silence at the table. Their reactions, previously identical, began to vary. Just a moment earlier, everyone had been surprised by the announcement itself.
«How did you...? Even in a place like that...?».
«There are less than 120 people in Basement One Plant right now...»
«Heh... Really... In there?»
But now some of them were beginning to wonder once again who I was.
«Pshehe. What nonsense. There is no place in the world that León's eyes cannot reach. Weren't you paying attention before? He even knew what happened on the eighth floor with the Rift. That... That was a secret that not even fifty people knew».
«That's true... Also, the first information we got about the basement came from a member of the Hektz Clan. We can't rule out the possibility that someone down there is your informant».
The others accepted the fact that he knew without asking too many questions. And as for the rest...
«If that's the case, this informant must be someone close to Bjorn Yandel», our resident member of the Palace Deer said with a twinkle in his eyes, looking like a bloodhound that had caught a trail.
I mean, even if they are, what are you going to do about it?
I glanced at the next seat to gauge the Fox-Versyl reaction as well. Since he was wearing a mask, it was a little difficult to read, but I couldn't see any suspicion in his eyes either. In any case, the emotions seen in his eyes were exactly the opposite.
Confusion and panic. He's probably worried that one of our clan members is a mole.
Well, he would learn more about his thought process by seeing what he did after the Ghostbusters closed today. She had immediately informed me about the traitor's situation with Missha, at least.
In any case, it seemed like I didn't have to worry about Versyl, so I turned my attention to Goblin.
Tsk, this guy is the one I'm most worried about.
Goblin had not let himself be carried away by all the commotion and had remained silent all this time, as if lost in thought.
Yes, he's sitting there... but I still have a bad feeling.
He had given the Round Table all kinds of information that, to the outside observer, would directly contradict the idea that Leon was Bjorn Yandel, but there were some people in this world who possessed incredible visceral instincts.
For some reason, Goblin seemed to be one of those people.
«Deer». I turned to the person who had started today's meeting before Duende could have more time to think. «How long are you going to sit there?».
I received a confused look in return.
«It's your turn again».
Anyway, let's go for another walk. I have much more to tell you.
***
A ronda.
«All the different types of monsters and Rift Guardians can appear in Basement One Plant Log Files.»
From the rounds.
«The Log Files have all new monsters, including mutant monsters.»
«One… by mutants…?»
A question I wouldn't have even acknowledged before, I instead responded kindly. «A monster that possesses the abilities of several different monsters. For example, a single monster that has both the passive of an Ogre and the active of a Troll».
«That's amazing!»
«Q-But wouldn't that mean that completely new combinations of essences are possible?».
Some members shouted in obvious disbelief, but I did not need to provide evidence to convince them. In the end, the jewel would confirm it to me.
¡Shaaaa!
When the gem turned bright green again, the others became louder and louder.
Glow!
However, beyond his radiance, eyes of an even more greedy green shone around the table. It was natural. What self-respecting player would be able to sit idly by after hearing about such an incredible hunting ground?
«Pshehe... This is getting interesting».
«Actually, I don't see why Noark would be particularly interested in this. It's not like I'll be able to do much more than move my thumbs anyway.»
A psychological battle ensued between Noark's Clown and the Palace Deer. Of course, at this point this was so common that I didn't even shudder.
Well, it's still fun to watch these two argue.
And it seemed that everyone else thought the same, since no one intervened to stop them, but rather they watched them with interest.
«Like the Rafdonian adventurers, who have not even been able to touch the eighth and ninth floors, or their essences, for more than a year. Pshehe».
«Haven't you heard León? Based on what he said, there won't even be a need for us to go up to the eighth or ninth floors anymore.»
«Oh yes I heard him. But so what?»
«...Do you really not understand? If this news spreads to the outside world, the palace will immediately revoke its embargo and even actively support any adventurers who want to travel there. From there, it will only be a matter of time before Noark falls permanently».
«Hoh, is that right? "I'm shaking with fear", Clown said.
His reaction only intensified Deer's ridicule. «Well, come to think of it, a clown like you might not be capable of the critical thinking needed to see how screwed you are. After all, you're the same one who just bragged to his enemies about how his last quest failed. This is probably all a funny joke to you...»
«Really? Although the reason I said it was interesting news was completely different from yours?». Clown cut Deer off with his signature laugh. «Tell me, why do you suppose this news will benefit the palace?».
«What... do you mean?»
«Do you really not understand?». Clown shrugged exaggeratedly, waving his hand in the direction of my seat. His eyes met mine in a one-sided look of camaraderie before turning to Deer. «Why do you think Mr. León brought up information about Basement One Plant here at the Round Table? You have a brain somewhere, right? Please consider using it today».
Deer chose to remain silent. Someone else responded instead.
«To disturb the palace». It was Reina, who had been silent since this discussion began. «It's the only explanation I can think of».
The other members seemed to agree with his logic.
«So I'm not the only one who thinks like that.»
«...It is impossible for Mr. León not to be aware of what will happen if this news spreads.»
«He has never acted so openly before.»
He was sharing this information right after the palace gave the order that no one go down to the basement. Not only that, but it was information juicy enough to tempt people to enter even under the threat of punishment. It seemed like all the other members had managed to figure out what my intentions were based on that alone.
Well, it didn't matter if they realized it or not.
«Pshe, you were acting all tall and powerful when you didn't even realize something as simple as that. Doesn't that make you a joke too?»
«...You are interpreting things in the way that best suits your narrative. He could have also said it to help the palace. The palace didn't know that Basement One Floor was such an incredible place.»
«Hmm... Really? Well, let's see who among us is misunderstanding things in our favor».
All the members of the Round Table turned to me. Although they didn't say anything out loud, I could tell what they were thinking from the expectant looks in their eyes. They expected me to tell them which of the two was right.
However, as my silence dragged on, one of them became impatient enough to speak.
«So...» In the end, the first to break the silence was none other than Black. «Which is?»
It was a little unexpected. I figured someone would become her spokesperson, but I never expected it to be her. He tended to keep his mouth shut outside of his shifts.
«Leon, are you on the palace side or the Noark side?». Black asked boldly, his face illegible under his pure black mask.
«Conceited of you», I growled a little in response.
I didn't imbue any killing intent into my words, but Black immediately broke eye contact and lowered his gaze. Although it seems like he recovered a second later, because he raised his head again and looked me in the eyes.
He looks like he has guts.
I filed that information and added it to the little I knew about her. Then, to reward her for her guts, I declared: «But I will answer you».
I kept my gaze fixed on Black as I placed my hand on the gem.
Someone swallowed. Everyone was looking at me. Clown seemed to expect me to be on Noark's side, and Deer quite the opposite. The others seemed to care less about the sides and more about the truth itself.
«The palace and Noark...»
So I decided to make my position clear.
«I'm not on either side».
They weren't just empty words.
Noark was my enemy. The first time I lost a partner, it had been at the hands of the Orcules Dragon Slayer, and they also put me through all kinds of shit on the first floor. In the process, Erwen's older sister Daria had died.
I don't even have to enter the palace.
The cold rage that had flooded me all those months continued to fester in my heart. And I intended to get revenge for it one day.
¡Shaaaa!
The jewel of the Round Table shone green with the light of truth. It even seemed a little brighter than usual for some reason.
«Then why...» I heard someone ask weakly at the sight, almost as if possessed. I turned in the direction of the voice to discover that the speaker was Deer. «Leon», he pleaded. «Why did you tell us this?»
As someone in the palace, as someone accustomed to the struggles for political power and the machinations of the royal court, it was natural for Ciervo to wonder what my point of view was. León, this powerful and mysterious masked man, had declared that he was not on anyone's side. So why did he do something that many would argue disobeyed the will of the royal family?
León's answer to that question was simple.
As usual.
Tap, tap.
I tapped my fingers against the armrest twice before opening my mouth to speak.
«Because...»
As usual...
«...he seemed amused.»
That should be more than enough.
***
After that, the Round Table ended without further incident, but he had no complaints.
He had managed to convey how good the Basement One Plant hunting ground was, and it seemed that the others were also running out of information to share.
It doesn't seem like a bad idea to end with that note.
And so, I coldly excused myself and left.
Yes, if I try to do another round, it will get annoying.
Once back in Hansu Lee's room, I lay down on the bed and lazed around for a few minutes before returning to the computer to scroll a little further. It was a little ironic, but the bulletin board on my screen was my only window to the outside world.
«Hehehe... Pfft, this guy, really...»
Ugh, this was hurting my pride a little. Why were these assholes so funny?
As I flipped through the messages, laughing to myself, I noticed a new message appear at the top of the pin section when the page refreshed.
[Complete collection of all information about Basement One Plant, Records Archive].
I clicked immediately, and the content was exactly what you would expect.
It began with a step-by-step explanation of how to enter the Archives, continued with the revelation that monsters from all plants - including the Rift Guardians - could appear there, and went a step further by revealing the existence of mutant monsters. More importantly, he mentioned that Bjorn Yandel had obtained two single-digit Numbered Items there.
In short, the post contained a concise summary of everything he had just said at the Round Table.
And the author of this post was someone I had never seen before: BFKILLER.
He is definitely a member of the Round Table...
But who? There were ten members, including me, so it was impossible to pinpoint who it could be.
I shared these pieces of information specifically so they could spread them, so...
But I didn't expect anyone to make it so public.
This was completely different from what I had anticipated, which was that those with good information networks would hear the news first, and then it would leak to the rest of the masses the following month.
Well, although we meet every month, we all have our own loyalties and individual agendas.
It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that someone in our group of ten would have wanted this information to spread as quickly as possible for some reason. In any case, that wasn't what mattered.
I quickly scrolled to the comments section. Most of the comments above, those left before the post exploded, questioned its credibility.
YPPL: Wow. At this rate I become an author.
goooooooooodd2: Someone is desperate to go viral.
q1q2q3: And where is the evidence? Who is going to believe you if you are not willing to put them on? These claims are unfounded.
Users considered it misleading advertising and mocked the author accordingly.
However, over time, those reactions disappeared.
Amer91: I'll have to stop by Temple of Sculpture next month. I have a feeling the fools who fall into the trap will have a picnic there.
└AI_DIDIGO: Fact 1: That the Unmentionable Fragments are the key to opening Basement One Floor is something that the palace and many older clans already know.
└ScottBANE: wow, ¿en serio, señor DIDIGO?
└Adi: Wait, if they're right about how to get in, then isn't there a chance that everything else this guy said is also true?
└Amer91: No, that's unlikely... I think they're just trying to get compromise by sharing real data to cover up the rest.
└Adi: No, think about it. If they only wanted compromise, why would they reveal so much extra information that no one else knew? They could have just told us how to open the portal and that would have been more than enough to go viral.
└ScottBANE: Also, the more I think about it, the more plausible this post seems to me. At least one of the people in the basement right now has to be a gamer, and it makes sense for them to share information about what's going on down there through GB.
From there, users who already knew the method to open the portal began to make their own comments, and public perception began to slowly change, going from being a simple troll post to something credible.
Alright, at this rate, the news should reach the city in-huh?
As I continued leafing through, satisfied with myself, a thread caught my attention and stopped me in my tracks.
Pnec: Idiots. Someone tries to give you information and you can't even accept it.
└bigD: what do you mean?
└Bling0_0: This guy is always trolling. Don't pay attention to him.
└Pnec: Yeah, I was waiting for you to show up, asshole. You do not know what you are talking about.
Ah, these guys were fighting in the comments again. By now, my nicknames were already familiar to me, so I decided to scroll through the rest of the conversation.
└Bling0_0: Hm? I don't know what I'm talking about, huh? Well, I know you're the 1 inch one with a 1KB brain, so.
└Pnec: More proof that you're talking to your ass. Tsk tsk. Whether you trust this post or not, it's the truth.
└Bling0_0: ...and how are you so sure?
└Pnec: Because I heard this same information from someone credible not long ago. And if you dare to try to insult that person too, I will go find you and kill you.
¿Eh?
Not long ago?
Is this guy also a member of the Round Table?
Just as the theory crossed my mind, something strange happened.
└bigD: What do you mean?
└(Message deleted.)
└Pnec: Yeah, I was waiting for you to show up, asshole. You do not know what you are talking about.
└(Message deleted.)
└Pnec: More proof that you talk with your ass. Tsk tsk. Whether you trust this post or not, it's the truth.
└(Message deleted.)
└Pnec: Because this same information was told to me by someone credible not long ago. And if you dare to try to insult that person too, I will go find you and kill you.
For some reason, the user named Bling0_0 had deleted all his messages and disappeared.