NOVEL WEB Chapter 41
Reactions sprang up from all sides.
Some gasped, others had their eyes bulge unnaturally, and a few flinched in shock.
Even without checking levels, their disbelief was plastered all over their faces.
“Did I misread that?”
In contrast, Roxanne crossed her arms and scoffed.
She was the highest-ranking lord at the round table and a dragon lord, full of arrogance.
If one were to pick the most arrogant being in The Seven Lairs, without a doubt, it would be Roxanne.
A lord ranked five places below her is the strongest among them?
Before feeling humiliated, disbelief was the natural reaction.
“Even if it’s a single entity, it’s ranked 7th. I just can’t believe it.”
“Right! It doesn’t look that strong.”
“Lin thinks the same!”
The twin Renlin chirped like little birds.
As they said, it appeared to be an utterly common Death Knight. Not just in appearance but in essence as well.
Truth be told, though not spoken, everyone was dismissing this as utter nonsense beyond The Seven Lairs.
Roxanne’s eyes narrowed like a bird of prey as she looked at me.
She was trying to discern the truth, but there was already an absolute lie detector right beside her.
“Renlin. Use your insight on Blizz.”
“Whhhaaat-? Why me?”
“Why Lin?!”
“Doesn’t it concern you? Whether Blizz and Barugore colluded, and if that’s the truth?”
Just by looking, it was clear she was the one most concerned.
In this aspect, Roxanne was entirely true to herself.
Unable to withstand the pressure, the twins stared intently at Blizz.
In an instant, a spark crossed their eyes.
A sign of divine insight awakening.
“No. Not Blizz. Ask the 7th-ranked Barugore.”
…Why me?
If they’re going to check, it makes sense to ask Blizz.
The twins’ insight carried absolute discernment.
But before that, they couldn’t distinguish truth from lies.
That’s understandable since subjective confidence doesn’t necessarily correlate with probabilities.
If someone were to answer a question with 100% certainty that they could kill Blizz, that’s nothing but a delusion.
With just the will, if they didn’t know each other’s strength, discerning truth from lie would be impossible; the insight might not even activate.
On the other hand, it works for Blizz.
If truly possessed with insight and a 100% death probability shows up, then it can discern truth from lie.
But why did she want me to ask?
…Now I get it.
She wants to see if I have a capability that allows for ‘absolute instant death’ rather than just ‘subjective confidence.’
If not, the twins’ insight wouldn’t activate, but if I did have that ability, the insight would indeed activate.
“7th! Is the octopus right? Can you definitely kill if you set your mind to it?”
“Answer! Answer!”
Enhancement probability 0%. Instant kill probability 100%.
In reality, this fact applied only to Blizz, but no one knew that.
With the precedent of Balmunk before Blizz, it would be hard to even consider it.
I killed him without laying a finger on him, and everyone at the table knew that fact.
When an ant is placed before someone, the probability of killing it with mere intent is 100%.
When the difference in power was so stark that it couldn’t even be compared, wouldn’t truth from lies also not activate?
If my answer was the truth, most would probably fall into that deception.
“That’s right.”
I said it plainly, adhering to the concept.
The gazes of the seven lords pierced me. They seemed to interpret it as mere bluster.
Silence loomed, and attention that had strayed from me shifted to the twins.
A horde surrounded me.
Before I knew it, the laughter of Renlin melted away like snow. They stared at me with a blank expression.
The eyes of Ren, the overseer of truth, turned green.
A green light indicating my words were true.
“Wow… it’s real? So it’s not just a single entity…”
“Lin feels the chills….”
Suddenly, short breaths could be heard from various corners.
Just by slightly turning my head, I could see levels mixed with wariness and fear.
It was the lower-ranked Lords’ levels.
Since it wasn’t something to worry about too much, I continued to take in the levels of the other Seven Lairs one by one.
“Lin. Rank 7, isn’t this fun?”
“Me too! Lin wants to be friends!”
The twin Renlin were exchanging whispers loud enough for everyone to hear.
Their levels changed to a deep green.
“Huh. So that’s what a single entity is like….”
Even Daron’s level turned dark green.
Both were friendly types who didn’t heed strong foes.
“Well, isn’t it obvious? It’s the single entity of the Seven Lairs, after all. The only one among us.”
Roseha’s level also deepened in pink.
I unintentionally witnessed countless benefits from being mistaken for a single entity.
If it were just rank 7, anyone would have had questions, but just being a single entity made it easy to understand.
As for Calandas’ level color, it showed deep wariness and slight fear.
He silently glared, trying to act tough, but his emotions were crystal clear.
In one corner of my sight, Roxanne’s nose twitched.
Her red level had also darkened slightly. She showed no wariness toward me, only animosity.
“Then again, she’s an immortal, so…”
Roxanne wouldn’t be afraid of me at all. Instead, her hostility just grew, but that’s fine.
I gained more than I lost.
I wonder how she’d react when she learns my true worth.
Though I feigned calmness on the outside, I was honestly shitting myself.
I’ve already set it in motion, but how do I deal with this going forward?
“What am I supposed to do?”
I have to figure it out somehow.
To hide my true self, I need to become an artist of pretense.
So no one can doubt my true worth.
“Let’s wrap up the small talk for now.”
Blizz spoke as he looked around.
“Let’s start the meeting soon. I’ll be the one to lead it.”
*
The agenda for the roundtable meeting was the conflict between the Duke and the Lords, disputes between the lower dungeons, and other matters unrelated to me.
The atmosphere gradually heated as the Lords debated back and forth over who was wrong.
Naturally, my attention drifted away, and I felt a bit relieved.
In the meantime, I pretended to listen.
… Ignoring the uncomfortable stares.
“Please, stop staring at me.”
The attention did scatter.
The lower-ranked Lords pretended to look elsewhere or diverted their interest entirely.
The problem was the Seven Lairs.
They weren’t just glancing; they were openly staring at me.
They were practically broadcasting that they were conscious of me in every way.
It was already nerve-wracking enough with the waiting, and now this. Seriously, it’s not a freakin’ zoo!
“What am I gonna do after the meeting ends?”
No, my order of worry is wrong.
I should be worried about finishing it without a hitch.
Just then, as the meeting entered a lull, CLAP!
To lighten the mood, Blizz clapped his hands.
“Now, let’s move on to the main topic, the core agenda.”
It’s the main agenda.
I understood what the core meant at the 72 Dungeon meeting.
Maybe Calandas will rush in with fiery eyes.
“It’s a meeting with everyone present.”
As expected, Calandas’s voice echoed ominously.
“Comrades! This moment is the perfect opportunity to strategize. We’ve been drifting for too long, and it must end now. Stay alert. The entirety of the Seven Lairs has crumbled, even the dark connection of the ancient.”
I didn’t expect him to come out swinging right from the start.
The purpose of the 72 Dungeon meetings is a round table discussion, and up until now, there’s been just one core agenda item.
The destruction of humanity for the 72 Dungeons and the extra-dimensional realms.
In fact, at this point, the Empire can’t compete with the 72 Dungeons.
Just one of the Seven Lairs could pose an unprecedented threat to humanity.
Yet, even with the eighth meeting upon us, the Empire remained as sturdy as ever.
“The Empire has grown stronger over time. This time, with the assault on the Seven Lairs, it’s taken a leap forward. Are we just going to sit idly by and watch?”
If a dungeon is cleared, a new one is born in its place.
While this allows humanity to resist once more, on the flip side, it’s like handing infinite resources to the Empire.
The byproducts of dungeons have undoubtedly advanced humanity greatly and will continue to do so.
Calandas aimed to cut off that shameful cycle.
“The time has come to put an end to the Empire. If we form a 72 Dungeon coalition, humanity will—”
“Why should we?”
However, there was a reason for the previous indecisiveness.
Not everyone shared the same intentions as Calandas.
Roseha shot him a disdainful look.
“Why should we follow your words?”
“Are you saying we’ll just sit back and do nothing? The dark connection has been cleared. Next could be you, and right after that, me.”
Honestly, from a player’s perspective, it was questionable.
Just one of the Seven Lairs could bring about humanity’s end.
So why wait until they are taken down one by one?
Surprisingly, there wasn’t just game mechanics at play; there was a real reason.
“And so, whose coalition is this?”
“It’s a coalition for the 72 Dungeons. A coalition for the extra-dimensional realms.”
“Hah! You’re lost in your own thoughts.”
Everyone had been focused on defending their dungeons, not because they couldn’t, but because they simply didn’t trust each other. It was a universally acknowledged truth.
Distrust and betrayal. If these two were an issue, there was no way to unite.
“What about the Dungeon Cores when war breaks out? If we’re busy watching our backs amidst the chaos, can we achieve unity?”
Humanity’s obsession with the 72 Dungeons stemmed from the dungeon byproducts, with the Dungeon Cores being the central piece.
Similarly, dungeon bosses could absorb other Dungeon Cores.
If war were to break out, the Dungeon Cores must be secured in a safe place.
But there was no assurance that there wouldn’t be Lords hunting those Dungeon Cores from within.
“We’re shackled by hierarchy. We instinctively crave higher ranks. The numbers in our heads are not simply there for decoration.”
If the 20th ranked Lord absorbs the 15th’s Dungeon Core, the 20th has a good chance of rising to 15th.
Then the newly reborn 15th wouldn’t just be 15th.
It could drop to 16th or even lower, depending on circumstances.
Gradually, they could absorb Dungeon Cores and claw their way to higher ranks.
“Humans are an inevitable presence. Many extra-dimensional beings will face extinction without humanity. This isn’t just about sacrifices. Who ends up bearing the most loss in war? It’s the lower-ranked 72 Lords. They just die off for nothing.”
“The 72 Lords belong to the higher realms. They just die and get reborn, that’s all.”
“Even if you die, you’ll be reborn. It’s a valuable and infinite sacrifice.”
“So if you die, a new fifth place will be born, right? So go ahead and die fighting on the front lines. Can you do that?”
“…Ha.”
The fight already seems entertaining.
Anyway, Roseha’s words were truly reasonable.
Before any task, one’s life holds importance.
The pretext of a task has forced countless innocent sacrifices, which is why after eight meetings, we’re still not united.
“You know, too. You’re doing this knowing full well. Why? Because you see dungeons besides the Seven Lairs as mere consumables.”
“…”
“Above all, Calandas. Everyone knows your scheme. War with humanity can only yield losses. But there’s one Lord who can gain without any loss.”
“Stop.”
“Everyone knows, right? This skeleton is just trying to stir everyone up for his own good.”
Inside, I cheered for joy.
Roseha is saying what I wanted to say. She’s definitely not from the opposing faction.
The corpses of both sides sacrificed in the war are fully resurrected under Calandas’s command.
When Calandas devours humanity in the game, the next target will be the 72 dungeons.
Maybe Roseha foresaw such a future.
She’ll form an alliance to destroy humanity.
The justification sounds good, but everyone caught onto Calandas’s ulterior motive.
They just repressed it out of fear and stayed silent.
“That’s a bit over the top.”
“That’s true. How many times have you used the task as a pretext to push for an alliance? Aren’t you tired? Why not just try to cover the sky with your palm?”
Going to war with humanity is just stirring up trouble for Calandas’s sake.
I agreed with Roseha’s words yet nodded without saying it out loud.
I definitely didn’t want attention drawn onto myself.
“Let’s stop here.”
Unable to listen any longer, Roxanne stepped in to mediate.
I expected at least one high-ranking Lord to step forward with the atmosphere getting heated.
Being the strongest voice at the round table, it was Roxanne, who silenced both parties.
“Strengthening unity is good. Questioning it is also good, but the order is wrong.”
Roxanne looked around the room.
When her fleeting gaze brushed past me, an inexplicable sense of unease washed over me.
“Before discussing war, there’s something we must correct. Our top priority is, without exception, to root out any traitors among us. If there’s a crack, our unity will soon break.”
As Roxanne finished her statement, her gaze lingered on me.
Specifically, it was on the Holy Sword and Charlotte standing behind me.
“There can’t be any Lord here who doesn’t know what the Holy Sword signifies. It is the divine revelation of Solari for the sake of humanity. The chosen one of that Holy Sword is here. Moreover, you’ve taken a pureblood human as your subordinate.”
…That bastard.
Now she’s even openly pointing me out with her finger.
“Seventh-ranked Barugore. I raise suspicions whether you truly support humanity, hence by the authority of Second-ranked Lord of Ten Rings, I summon you for an inquiry.”
The previously heated air settled into an icy silence.
According to the convener’s notice, there was a right to demand an inquiry against the sacred, inviolable Seven Lairs.
Inquiries typically stir silent political strife and conflict.
Is she really trying to bury me under the guise of humanism?
No. She must have some ulterior motive.
Her level color had been red all along—an outright enemy.
‘What a narrow-minded lizard.’
It was purely from wounded pride.
I was just annoying her because I scratched at her pride.