Chapter 36 – Don’t Believe Either (2)

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]

Chapter 36 – Don’t Believe Either (2)

I played the game with familiar hand gestures.

It’s the ‘Classic Game’ that I used to enjoy.

There’s not even content for max levels.

And there’s a hidden identity to this game, which is called the ‘Backworld Network.’

I hadn’t even logged in after knowing it unless there was something urgent to find out or do.

I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.

Catherine stared intensely at the old monitor in front of me.

I inputted the jump key to show my character, ‘ImARealWizard,’ jumping.

“Really?”

“…Yeah.”

Catherine nodded while tilting her head.

Well, it’s understandable behavior.

I remember meeting Julia at the restaurant for the first time, hearing the same explanation, and getting a similar response from Catherine now.

“…Julia.”

Catherine’s golden eyes turned towards Julia.

While keeping her gaze on Julia,

She spoke to me.

“I did mention helping, so there shouldn’t be any problems, right?”

Then she looked back at me.

“Are you okay?”

It was a question with various meanings.

But before I could make any excuses, Julia spoke first.

“Um, I… I won’t do anything that might cause trouble for Siwoon…”

Her grip tightened on the white rabbit doll in her hand. The fingers that seemed cybernetic were squeezing the doll’s neck.

…I appreciated that she said that.

“I’m not sure why she’s squeezing the doll’s neck while speaking.”.

Julia continued speaking.

“…I’ve been a fan of Siwoon from the start.”

“A fan?”

Catherine responded to the statement.

Her expression contained an incredulous emotion.

Honestly, I was also incredulous.

I didn’t even know I had fans.

Julia kept her head bowed, only moving her eyes. Her gaze shifted toward me.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

“I, um… I also… am a mage, so…”

“Ah.”

Both Catherine and I reacted simultaneously.

Not only did the voices become quieter,

but Catherine’s incredulous gaze from earlier changed to something more akin to wonder.

Honestly, in this cyberpunk world,

Where I’ve lived for almost ten years, not seeing a ‘Real Mage’ was surprising.

It was a natural attitude.

I didn’t become a mage by creating a video channel as my teacher.

By the way, I’ve seen plenty of fake mages shooting flames from mechanical prosthetic arms (cyberware).

“Well, then, it’s understandable to be a fan.”

“…Yes.”

The atmosphere, which felt like walking on a knife’s edge, lightened considerably.

It seemed like the situation was more or less resolved for now.

“So.”

“Yeah?”

I asked.

“Why were you both hanging around in front of my house?”

Now it was time to address my curiosity.

Catherine was the first to respond.

“Well, with this person standing in front of your house, there’s a chance, you know, that some weirdo might come looking for you.”

She continued with an excuse-like tone.

“And there’s the issue with Smile John. Even though things are okay now, you’ve had a bounty on your head before, so I was being cautious.”

I naturally nodded.

In fact, I already knew why Catherine was holding Julia.

Thanks to the drone, Lone Spider, controlled by Eve, I overheard their conversation.

Now, I asked Julia.

“So, what about you being in front of my house?”

“I… um.”

She hesitated to speak.

“…I received information about Smile John.”

“Oh, the one you posted on the bounty board?”

“Yes, you know about it.”

“I had no way of not knowing because I personally checked it the last time.”.

The author of the bounty post was ‘White Rabbit.’

It was probably the same as using Julia’s real name for those who knew her.

“Well, thanks for the information, but it’s fine to send it through messages, you know.”

“…Well, that’s… um, since we’re on the same floor.”

Julia bowed her head deeply, abandoning any long explanations.

I was in a position where I needed help right now, so it wasn’t worth arguing any further.

“Information is always welcome, so what is it?” I inquired.

In response to my question, Julia retrieved an arch-shaped device from her pocket, resembling a card.

On the thin device’s surface, a graph indicating sound waves was displayed.

“…This is… I made it by measuring Smile John’s voice data.”

In an instant, a sound escaped my lips.

“Oh!”

I blurted out, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

Julia continued, “Even if the voice is altered, it can differentiate pronunciation, minor habits, and the pitch of the voice.”

She pressed a button on the card’s surface.

《Possibility of matching target… 0%”》

“…Like this. …The accuracy is still low, but I brought it just in case.”

“Ah, no, I’m really grateful.”

It was much better than heading off blindly.

It was genuinely useful.

When I attended the corporate executive party on the upper floor, the biggest concern was ‘how to find Smile John.’

To put it simply, even if I just conversed with everyone at the party, there was a chance of obtaining some results with this item.

As if reading my mind, Eve added.

[If I analyze this data, I can increase the probability. I’m confident.]

That’s what she said.

If Eve could improve her performance, there was a real chance of finding Smile John.

“It’s good timing.”

“Huh?”

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]

I briefly explained the information I had obtained to them.

The executive party is on the upper floor.

Smile John’s attendance.

And the fact that, with the help of my connections (the chairman), I was also able to attend that party.

That was the gist of the explanation.

Catherine snorted lightly.

“…Hm.”

“What’s the matter?”

She seemed to have some dissatisfaction in her expression.

What’s up with our golden girl?

“…Then I won’t be able to go, will I?”

“Probably? Since I’m going too.”

Leaving Catherine looking disappointed behind me,

I thanked Julia.

“Anyway, thanks to this, things should go a bit easier.”

“Heh, no problem.”

Her voice didn’t sound sinister, like that of a heinous criminal.

At that moment, Catherine asked me a question.

“But if you didn’t have something like this, how were you planning to find Smile John or anything?”

“Oh.”

That’s right.

“That guy really dislikes informal speech and seems to be sensitive about it.”

“So?”

“I just thought, if I wandered around and used informal speech, maybe I’d catch him.”

“Huh?”

Of course, it was a joke.

There wasn’t really a plan.

I was just thinking about what kind of reaction I might get from Smile John’s side if my presence was seen at the party.

“Anyway.”

Catherine, with a puzzled expression on her face, asked another question this time.

“So, is that weird game you’re playing any good?”

“What?”

“The one connected to the Backworld Network that you mentioned you were playing.”

I nodded slowly.

And stated firmly.

“No, it’s a trash game.”

“Then why are you playing it?”

I pondered slowly.

I couldn’t explain it as nostalgia for my hometown, Korea.

What other example would be most fitting?

So…

“It’s like pineapple pizza.”

“…What?”

Oops, maybe that wasn’t it.

“Anyway, I’ll probably quit soon. Well, I’ve practically quit already.”

“Why’s that?”

I sighed briefly before responding.

“I reached max level, but there’s no max-level content, and there’s nothing else interesting. Right now, I only log in to get information about the backworld.”

“…I was thinking of starting, but that’s a shame.”

…..

Then it’s a different story.

“Are the classes good?”

“Huh?”

“The classes.”

It was a natural recommendation as the guild master of the Warrior Craftsman Union.

I spoke slowly.

“There are classes like warrior, mage, archer, and such. They’re all pretty meh, but I like Warrior class the best.”

For some reason, Julia was giving me a strange look, but…

“…?”

I didn’t pay it much mind.

“I’m going to play as a mage.”

“Hmm.”

Is she the protagonist of the original game after all?

My trap didn’t seem to work on her.

“Mage… not great class. Let’s go with Warrior class.”

“Why’s that, especially since you said you’d quit the game already?”

“…Well, yeah, I did quit.”

That’s true.

But the warrior spirit in my heart was screaming.

Something felt lacking.

As I pondered that for a while, Eve’s voice softly chimed in.

[Wait until tomorrow, I will inform.]

“Huh?”

Unknowingly, I responded to Eve’s words.

To others, it might have seemed like I was answering myself.

“Siwoon?”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, never mind.”

I didn’t ask why she said to wait until tomorrow, nor did I inquire about Eve’s intentions.

“What could possibly happen tomorrow?”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t guess.

* * *

Really, it sounds crazy, but…

The update log for the classic game I played has been posted.

Max-level content; it’s raid content.

I can’t believe it.

I immediately logged into the game.

“Whoa, what’s this all about?”

It’s just astounding.

A game that didn’t even need updates…

To actually continue with updates.

I wondered if my prayers were answered from above.

Just then, at the edge of my old monitor screen, a character that looked like a newbie came running.

I looked at the person’s ID.

[Eve (Mage)]

Hmm.

Just to be sure, I asked.

“Hey, Eve?”

Then Eve, as if stung by something, hurriedly continued.

[Hacking this game is ‘not completely impossible,’ as I said before.]

“….”

[I also assure you that there have been discussions without coercion with the game developers.]

“….Uh, is that okay?”

[Affirmative. I also confirm that the Backworld Network functionality remains intact alongside the game’s update.]

…I didn’t ask about that.

It’s a backworld network that pays a lot of attention to security.

If it’s known that it’s been hacked, won’t everyone just run away?

I asked with that intention.

Are they hiding the fact that they’ve been hacked?

…

I don’t know.

Well, whatever.

The game got updated, after all.

With that in mind, I made one request to Eve.

“Then buff up the warrior class a bit.”

[……]

Why no response?

Anyway, as I was getting ready for the party on the upper floor, I decided to take a break and play some games to relax. It was my way of unwinding before the big event.

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]