Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 297

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 297

By the seventh day on the Train, every participant in the city was ending on a high note.
Seo Jun had achieved his objective. The professionals had cooperated with remarkable precision.
They had continued to assist in creating data collection opportunities for him, even as they lost points themselves.
The professionals had also finished day seven in high spirits.
Despite sacrificing a day when they could have left the Train and pursued special quests instead, and despite losing points to Seo Jun.
Their skills had improved.
But more than anything, they had fallen for the charm of this man named Seo Jun, regardless of whether their skills had actually advanced or not.
He had been willing to sacrifice himself to unite the professionals.
He had even tried to elevate their prestige alongside it.
How could they possibly dislike him?
Learning the true nature of the streamer from Korea, their hearts warmed and their spirits lifted.
Of course, Rachel, Yon, and Bernard—those who had spent more time with Seo Jun—believed nothing of it.
They suspected there was some ulterior motive at play.
“It’s just point copying, that’s all. Besides, the image making is clearly calculated in my opinion. A setup, I’m telling you.”
“Yon. If Seo Jun, who’s fighting over there, heard that, he just might.”
“Hmm……. I was being incredibly quiet about it—do you think he heard?”
Yon’s voice grew progressively quieter until it was barely audible.
“Yeah.”
“You’re amazing as always!”
Yon shouted loudly, and Rachel, who had been mid-conversation, shook her head in exasperation.
Bernard, standing quietly to the side, spoke up.
“It’s wrapping up soon.”
“Day seven?”
Rachel checked the time.
“Yeah.”
“We’ll see him again in an hour anyway.”
And the next day, Seo Jun would discover the true nature of the shop.
“What are we doing in an hour? At the start, should we keep an eye on that Seo Jun?”
“I’m not sure. But there’s one thing I know for certain, Bernard.”
“What’s that, Yon?”
“On day eight, I’ll also have to……”
Yon’s voice suddenly dropped to a whisper.
“……follow that damn guy around.”
“Yeah, sure. You’re doing well keeping your voice down, but why are you using formal speech?”
“Because he might hear.”
“Yon. It’s virtual reality, so everyone’s hearing is the same.”
“Shut up. That guy can hear if he wants to.”
“Is that the Listening Technique?”
“Yeah.”
“I’d like to learn it too.”
“Honestly, me too.”
“Hahahaha!”
Rachel looked at the two large men as though they were idiots, then turned her gaze toward the center of the Basement.
The match had just ended.
“Thank you for your efforts!”
“You fought well!”
“See you in the real world!”
“Thank you for your efforts!”
Praise from all manner of professionals poured in.
At this point, it qualified as genuine acclaim.
Seo Jun, unsure of what had happened, tried not to ruin his newly acquired good-guy image and responded to their greetings with a friendly smile.
Once the greetings were done, Seo Jun approached them.
“You truly are remarkable! Using image making to get everyone to listen to your leadership!”
“……?”
“Anyway, we’re logging out in a minute.”
“Right.”
“What do you do during the hour break, if I may ask?”
“I just stay in my room.”
“Doesn’t that get tedious?”
Rachel asked curiously.
“It does, doesn’t it? Seo Jun, don’t you ever go outside?”
“No.”
“Haven’t you ever left your room in the last three days? Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen you around.”
“I haven’t.”
“Oh.”
“Wow.”
“That’s impressive. You truly are remarkable.”
Why was that?
“So you three go out, then……?”
That was the moment.
Someone came down the stairs into the Basement shouting loudly.
“Kael! Come out! Get out here, damn it! You’re a real bastard! I swear.”
“Why is he……?”
“That voice—I’ve heard it before……? Who is it?”
Faced with this sudden situation, everyone’s attention turned toward Seo Jun.
“It’s Geomsin.”
Seo Jun muttered quietly to himself.
It was almost time to log out anyway.
3.
2.
1.

* * *

6 PM.
Seo Jun woke from the Capsule at dinner time, first lifting his sluggish body before stretching thoroughly.
Once his entire body had loosened up, Seo Jun reached for the phone to order room service as usual, then paused.
“Come to think of it, it seemed like everyone was going outside?”
Seo Jun decided to go out since he was already thinking about it.
First, he called his manager using the phone in his room.
“I’d like to go out.”

[Just a moment. Understood.]

A short while later.
Knock, knock, knock.
A staff member knocked, and when Seo Jun opened the door, they reviewed several points with him once more.
They then attached several small devices to his body—a measure to prevent information sharing in places beyond their sight.
“Thank you.”
“Yes. The Restaurant is on the 31st floor.”
The staff member withdrew, and Seo Jun stepped outside his room for the first time.
“A Restaurant? Ah. So quite a few participants come out to eat.”
Seo Jun had nowhere else in particular to go, so he decided to head straight to the Restaurant.
In the hallway and elevator, there stood a security guard–like figure at each location, motionless like a mannequin—apparently also for surveillance purposes.
Seo Jun let out a quiet laugh.
As the elevator ascended, a few other participants Seo Jun knew got in, but they all remained quiet without saying a word.
Upon arriving at the Restaurant, one participant was assigned to each table, and Seo Jun glanced around to understand the positions and how they were arranged.
‘They’ve arranged it so people from nearby regions meet up here.’
He could also see that the seating changed every day.
The menu was buffet-style.
By allowing people to freely gather food, they could miss unconventional information exchanges in chaotic situations.
So here, they had people stand in an orderly single line, maintaining distance as they gathered their meals.
It was good that they were being this thorough.
‘About thirty people are coming out.’
Yon, Rachel, and Bernard were visible.
“Sir!”
A burly Western man waves his hand.
He should shave.
Seo Jun gathered his food in line and sat down.
Talking wasn’t restricted, but since the seating was far apart, everyone seemed to be eating quietly.
More people arrive.
Among them was Geomsin.
Seo Jun greeted him with a hand gesture.
A middle finger came back.
Seo Jun asked the staff member standing nearby.
“Isn’t that against the rules?”
The staff member shakes their head with a regretful expression.
It was a shame.
“Is there a camera here?”
If there were, he could leak Geomsin’s cursing and target him.
Understanding Seo Jun’s intention, the staff member spoke.
“If it escalates, we’ll stop it.”
They weren’t going to cooperate.
Similarly disappointed, Seo Jun ate the food he’d brought.
Geomsin was loading food onto his plate.
As Seo Jun watched, he organized his thoughts about day seven. He hadn’t had time to sort it out immediately.
‘What was that earlier?’
Why had Geomsin returned to the Train? And why was he looking for him?
Geomsin was a participant who left near the end of day five. He returned near the end of day seven, so the time he’d had was eight hours.
What was the probability he’d discovered something in that time?
‘Would the world have to bend over backwards to help for him to even find something?’
Was Geomsin the one who stood at the polar opposite of him, whom the world begrudged?
While entertaining these futile thoughts, Geomsin finished gathering his food.
Rather than heading to his own seat, he sat down in front of Seo Jun.
“Isn’t that against the rules?”
Seo Jun asked with a smile.
The staff member politely asked if he could move to another table, and when Geomsin said he’d just sit here, the staff member returned to their post without further comment.
So they weren’t going to be overly strict. After all, it would be over the moment they openly discussed the Historical Record.
In that sense, conversation was permitted.
Geomsin continued to stare at Seo Jun, grinning mischievously.
His voice had sounded angry earlier, but now his laugh was spiteful.
“You enjoying yourself?”
Seo Jun spoke in Korean.
Geomsin grasped the meaning and grinned, nodding his head.
“Yeah, if you’re happy, that’s what matters.”
“Hahaha!”
This time he even laughed loudly.
“Hahahaha!”
Something good must have happened to him after leaving the Train.
As people at nearby tables began to focus on where they were sitting, Seo Jun switched to English.
“Yes. You’ve found something to live for. I’m truly glad.”
Did he understand?
Geomsin suddenly turned serious.
“Stay strong. I’m getting more food.”
And the moment Seo Jun stood up from his seat, Geomsin wore an expression of conviction.
As though Seo Jun were about to die.
“Try laughing so leisurely a little while from now, why don’t you, friend.”
Chinese echoed through the space.
It wasn’t Seo Jun’s concern.
“This is a warning.”
Finally, a warning from the staff member came through as well.
Similarly, it wasn’t Seo Jun’s concern.

* * *

“That bastard is the Hidden Mastermind.”
The moment Seo Jun re-entered the Historical Record, the voice he heard made him doubt his own ears.
“That bastard Kael is the Hidden Mastermind, I’m telling you! Hahahaha!”
So that was why he’d been grinning mischievously this whole time.
How had he found out?
Could he have been incredibly lucky? As though heaven itself was embracing him?
Ha.
‘So the world really does begrudge me, after all.’
Seo Jun spoke to Geomsin with an unhurried tone, without showing any sadness.
“What’s your evidence that I’m the Hidden Mastermind?”
“Huh? Hehehehe. Look at you being so calm even after getting caught. Yeah, you really are something. You truly are.”
“So why are you suddenly doing this?”
“Stop playing dumb, Kael. I found clues in the Desert, discovered ruins in the Mountain Range, and through the Divine Statue there, received the Hidden Mastermind’s image in a vision.”
“And I was in that image?”
“Yeah! Everyone! Don’t believe what this bastard says! He’s been fooling all of you from the start! That’s right, after performing like that in the Trial, you’re telling me the Management Team wouldn’t assign the Hidden Mastermind to him?”
At his sudden outburst, gasps erupted from those around him who were watching the situation with intrigue.
What Geomsin had just said sounded quite plausible.
“Indeed. That could be true.”
Seo Jun nodded along.
“Why are you acting so calm? The reason Yon and Tae-san were attacked was because you were the Attacker, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
Seo Jun nodded and slowly surveyed the reactions around him.
Most of them were watching with interest.
Still, none of those listening to Geomsin suspected Seo Jun yet.
‘But the seeds of doubt have been planted.’
Not that it mattered much anyway.
First things first, though.
Seo Jun touched his Interface window.
“But Geomsin, when you were being attacked.”
A Mask materializes over his face.
“Do you remember? At that time, I wasn’t in the Otherworld—I was outside stealing from your storage.”
Oh.
Gasps came from those around again.
Seo Jun’s words had been a proper rebuttal.
The professionals seemed to be enjoying the spectacle of this situation.
Seo Jun felt the same way. Honestly, it was entertaining.
Looking at it, there seemed to be no real evidence.
“Huh, uh. Uh?”
“Isn’t that right?”
“You all, what do you all think? He’s the Hidden Mastermind, I’m telling you?”
Would they believe him?
The relationship between Geomsin and Seo Jun was well known.
Without evidence, it was reasonable to suspect they were ganging up on him.
“What do you think?”
Gert answered.
“Well, this guy is trustworthy, wouldn’t you say?”
“Right? Huh? What? Him?”
“Yes. The probability of him being the Hidden Mastermind is very low. Everyone will agree.”
“I’ll grant that.”
“Me too.”
“If he were the Hidden Mastermind, he wouldn’t have acted like that just now.”
“What is this…….”
Geomsin looked back and forth between Gert and Seo Jun with eyes of disbelief.
“Geomsin, I understand your frustration, but unfounded accusations won’t get you anywhere.”
“What are you saying, damn it! If I’m right, something will pop out!”
Geomsin swung his sword again, and Seo Jun dodged with ease.
Those around them were giggling like they were watching a sitcom.
“We couldn’t even land a hit, so how would he?”
“And to think he’s singling out Kael, who we were thinking of cooperating with. Believe that?”
“Geomsin’s to be pitied. He absolutely can’t win.”
That last comment was from Yon.
“No, he really is the Hidden Mastermind! Help me out a little!”
“Even if we helped, it wouldn’t work. We tried three-on-one.”
Someone said.
“What are you all talking about—ugh. No, really, I’m telling you, he’s the one. I could even take him to the ruins. I was even thinking of cooperating with him. Ugh.”
Geomsin stopped attacking and began to tear up slightly. He appeared that frustrated.
Why had he been so confident just moments ago?
Hadn’t he anticipated this?
Seo Jun turned his body. He would just leave Geomsin be.
“Well then, let’s go see the shop.”
And then, at that moment.
Geomsin, having realized something, shouted.
“Ah! Wait! Look at this! That bastard isn’t killing me! Because he’s the Hidden Mastermind! If it were his personality, he’d just kill me out of annoyance by now, but because he’s the Hidden Mastermind, he’s holding back! A motion might pop out!”
Oh.
Gasps sounded from those around him again.
These crazy professionals, honestly.
“Yeah, I’m just going. Anyone curious can follow.”
But since it was actually valid reasoning, Seo Jun quickly extricated himself from the area.
“Damn it!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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