After Butterfly’s turn, the Round Table eting continued.
“[Dungeon and Stone]’s cheat version wasn’t created by Auril Gabis.”
Wolf, once again, revealed information that would decrease the players’ animosity towards Auril Gabis.
“How about this? Pfft. Noark succeeded in slaying the 8th-floor Floor Lord during their last expedition.”
Clown shared information about Noark’s growing strength, smoothly ending his turn.
And then it was my turn.
“If you defeat the boss on Skull Island and reach the 10th floor, you’ll experience a special event.”
I revealed a piece of ga information, my voice devoid of emotion, as all eyes were on .
“…A special event? I’m looking forward to it. Ah, of course, the war has to end first. Pfft.”
It had been a while since I had last shared ga information, but the mbers didn’t seem to find it strange.
After all, if I had received a green light for ga information, it ant it was valuable, little-known information…
“Alright, let’s do our best this round!”
…and the mbers who had known for a long ti just assud that I was being this way because the previous round’s information had been boring.
“So… it’s my turn again?”
The next round began with Queen, and I listened attentively, morizing the information they shared.
There were a few shocking revelations and so useful tips.
But I couldn’t focus.
There was a simple reason.
Misha Carlstain was a traitor.
From my perspective.
That statent echoed in my mind.
Two rounds had passed, and the third round was nearing its end…
‘…What does it an?’
Misha, a traitor?
We had just had a heart-to-heart conversation and reconciled… Had Lee Baekho done sothing?
Was this his Plan B?
Countless possibilities swirled in my mind.
‘I need to hear more about this.’
Butterfly had been the one who revealed this information.
But she hadn’t ntioned Misha again in the second or third rounds.
Which ant I had to take the initiative…
“Pfft, why are you all so surprised? Is Lafdonia afraid of Noark’s growth?”
…but how?
If I suddenly asked why Misha was a traitor, it would arouse suspicion.
The Round Table had once been plagued by the rumor that ‘Lion = Bjorn Yandel’, so I had to be careful with my words and actions.
“…..”
“…..”
Ah, it was my turn.
All eyes were on .
‘…Let’s wait one more round.’
I decided to take action if Misha wasn’t ntioned in the next round.
“If you defeat the Sky Lord alone, you can choose the active effect.”
It was a piece of information that was difficult to obtain, but not very useful even if you knew it.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
The jewel glowed green, and a brief silence followed.
Of course, it didn’t last long.
“Um… you can slay a Floor Lord alone…?”
“Well, it might be possible in 100x mode…”
“Pfft, do you really think Lion would do that?”
There were no objections since it was related to Floor Lords. Honestly, they would probably believe even if I said the sky was green, as long as the jewel glowed green.
‘So it’s Queen’s turn again.’
I glanced at her…
“I think I’ve heard enough for this month. I’ll be leaving now.”
…and she declared her withdrawal.
The other mbers followed suit.
And it was mostly my fault.
“…Lion seems bored too.”
I had been lost in thought and hadn’t participated much in the discussion, just revealing a random piece of ga information to get my turn over with.
“That’s a sha… I was hoping to tell you about the Lord of Hope. Pfft…”
Clown seed disappointed that he hadn’t been able to pique my interest, despite his preparations.
“Well… it’s probably nothing to you, Lion…”
He promised to bring more interesting information next ti.
I couldn’t very well encourage them to continue in this atmosphere.
“…….”
The eting ended.
______________________
The day after the community eting,
I woke up in the afternoon, feeling refreshed after a long sleep. Bersil Gowland was waiting for .
“What brings you here?”
I pretended not to know, even though I had a hunch, and she said she had sothing to tell .
“Um… I don’t know how you’ll react to this, but… I’ve received information that Misha Carlstain might be a traitor.”
Right, that’s why she had co to see first thing in the morning.
“A traitor?”
“…I’m not sure. I an, I’m sure… but I don’t know the details.”
She suggested that I reconsider Misha’s mbership, but I refused.
“I can’t make a decision without knowing the details.”
“Right… I guess so…”
“But I won’t ignore your concerns. I’ll look into it. Can you investigate further?”
“…Alright. I’ll do that.”
“Thank you.”
Okay, so she would be actively gathering information at the Round Table from now on…
It reduced the risk of revealing my identity by asking too many questions.
“Then I’ll be going now. Call if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
After Bersil left, a letter arrived in the evening.
“Mister! There’s a strange letter for you! You should take a look!”
Erwen had brought a letter from the mailbox.
It had a white tiger drawn on the envelope, and the contents were written in an unfamiliar language.
[As you requested.]
Why had he written it in Korean?
What if soone else saw it?
I grumbled inwardly, but I started reading the instructions on how to escape the city.
‘…This is more complicated than I thought.’
It seed impossible to morize and then burn it, so I carefully folded it and stored it in my subspace pocket.
Having more options was always a good thing.
Having more variables was not.
I had to prepare for the worst, even if I didn’t want to believe it.
Therefore…
“Emily, can you investigate Misha for ?”
“What do you an?”
I explained what had happened at the Round Table and instructed her to investigate Misha.
“I’ll try, but it’s risky to follow her around all day. She’s quite perceptive.”
“Really? But you’re much better at that kind of thing than I am, judging by your essences.”
“If she’s deliberately approaching us with malicious intent, she might be hiding her true abilities.”
“…Then don’t get too close. Just observe her for now.”
“Alright.”
Okay, so Alia would investigate Misha discreetly…
I spent the rest of the day resting, and then the next day, I resud my busy schedule.
I visited the sanctuary for another land sale, the forr chieftain to hear about the previous Tribal Council etings, and Raven.
“The Record Stone…? Are you talking about the Fragnt of Records? Gavrilius’s legacy?”
“It doesn’t matter what it’s called. Just give any information you can find. And don’t attract too much attention. We don’t want to arouse suspicion.”
“Okay. I’ll do that. But… are you prepared for the next expedition…?”
“Everything’s going smoothly. Well, we’ll see what happens when we enter the labyrinth.”
“Right…? We don’t know anything yet. It’s a real exploration, isn’t it? What about Bersil Gowland? How is she?”
“What do you an?”
“What do I an?! Mages are the most important mbers of an expedition! She didn’t seem to know much about history…”
“She’ll be fine. She’s a good fighter, and she’s trustworthy. I can cover for her weaknesses.”
“I-I see…”
After eting with Raven, I gathered all the clan mbers three tis a week.
The official purpose was to help Misha integrate into the team.
“…I haven’t found anything unusual yet.”
Alia always reported to after the etings, but she hadn’t noticed anything strange about Misha.
Ti passed.
“…This will be our most fruitful expedition yet.”
lbeth had sent us supplies.
Combat and support scrolls, various potions, exploration-specific Numbered Items…
They had given us everything we needed to explore any environnt, and the quality was top-notch.
‘This must have cost a fortune…’
It showed how much they were expecting from the ‘hidden area’.
I felt a little pressured, but I was determined to deliver.
And as I was preparing for the expedition…
“Bjorn…”
“It’s Chieftain, 1st Elder.”
“Ah, right. I’ll be careful.”
As the sun began to set, I walked through the forest path in the sanctuary, and a clearing appeared, illuminated by torches. Dozens of young warriors were gathered there.
I smiled and shouted,
“Congratulations, young warriors! From this day forward, you will leave the sanctuary and beco true warriors!”
It seed like…
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”
…there were no newbies this ti.
______________________
The world was constantly evolving.
In human history, the most significant period of developnt was the modern era.
The 200 years since the Industrial Revolution had seen an unprecedented explosion of technological advancent.
Then what about the barbarians?
When had this tribe experienced its most rapid growth?
I could say with certainty.
‘Now.’
And the proof… was this clearing.
The tutorial lines had changed.
“Now, step forward and choose your weapons and armor!”
Countless weapons and armor were displayed on the racks.
And that was just the main course. The standard equipnt had also been significantly improved.
“Co here. You’re not supposed to wear greaves like that. It’s like this.”
“Ah, thank you… I’ve never worn armor before.”
We weren’t just giving them a breastplate and sending them into the labyrinth anymore. We were providing them with a full set of armor.
And their backpacks were filled with compasses, water bottles, potions, and other exploration essentials.
‘One million stones per person.’
The cost per warrior had more than tripled, but it didn’t matter.
Our sanctuary was a gold mine.
‘With this much support, they’ll be able to level up quickly and buy land.’
It was still in its early stages, but if things continued like this, I would be able to create a virtuous cycle.
“Ugh… this is so uncomfortable…!”
The young warriors seed to find the armor restrictive, but they didn’t complain.
Everyone had role models.
“Just endure it. You’ll get used to it.”
“But—”
“It’s not a choice! Warriors wear armor! Look at the Chieftain!”
“…….”
“If you want to be a great warrior, wear armor!”
There were no longer any warriors in our tribe who looked down on armor.
“…I’m going to save up and buy a Laithium breastplate!”
Laithium, my favorite material, had beco a symbol of a seasoned warrior.
“Now, go! Your destinies await!”
After the equipnt distribution, we went outside, and Bersil cast the Bonding spell on the warriors, grouping them into teams of three. Then we sent them into the labyrinth.
“…I hope they all return safely.”
“Don’t worry, Ainar. The Mage Tower has banned the use of barbarian hearts, so there will be fewer looters.”
“Really…?”
Barbarians had always survived, even when they were sent into the labyrinth without proper shoes.
They would be fine.
‘I hope they grow stronger quickly. Then I can raise the land prices even more.’
I dismissed my thoughts after confirming that all the warriors had entered the portal.
My duty as Chieftain was done.
“Mister…”
“I’m not your ‘Mister’ anymore.”
“…Huh?”
“Call Clan Master.”
It was ti for the expedition.
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