Everyone in the third dungeon had seen me confidently walk in and lead Belsus out.
They probably gossiped about it in a state of sheer confusion. Face-to-face, no less.
Perhaps that was why the chat room was rather quiet that evening. They'd likely talked themselves out already.
[Thief]: Since there are nine characters, it makes sense that there are nine transmigrators...
[Thief]: Why didn't we suspect this sooner?
[Puppeteer]: Because the chat room says there are 8 members.
[Puppeteer]: ...Shouldn't we invite him to the chat room?
[Fighter]: Lollllll how are we supposed to do that?
However, the Wizard, who hadn't attended this dungeon, was deeply shocked. His messages busily flooded the chat window.
[Wizard]: This is not a trivial matter.
[Wizard]: There might be more things the System isn't telling us.
[Wizard]: It means we can no longer trust the System.
[Wizard]: Of course, we can't trust that person either.
[Wizard]: He hid his existence from us until now, and from what I hear, he just ignored everyone in the 3rd dungeon and walked out.
The once peaceful atmosphere of the chat room instantly froze over.
For a moment, no one sent a message. It felt as though the small bomb the Wizard dropped had blown the air right out of the room.
[Bard]: Being able to act while hidden from others' eyes... It is certainly a great advantage.
[Bard]: Although it is also a shortcut.
The Bard was the first to break the silence. I stared unblinkingly at the chat window.
[Bard]: Then may I ask you a question, Wizard?
[Bard]: If you had been in the 9th transmigrator's position, would you have done whatever it took to make your presence known to the others?
[Bard]: For the sake of "fair play"?
What appeared before my eyes was an aggressive jab, something I couldn't believe came from the usually polite and neutral Bard.
'...What the. Why is he taking my side?'
It couldn't be out of loyalty... If I were him, I definitely wouldn't show any loyalty to a guy like me.
[Paladin]: The Bard makes a valid point.
[Paladin]: Even if it were me, I would have stayed hidden from the others if I were in the 9th transmigrator's shoes.
[Archer]: Because it's a competition, after all.
The Archer, the Bard, and the Paladin. The three people who knew of my existence.
With the Bard questioning, the Paladin agreeing, and the Archer quietly chiming in, the mood in the chat room shifted once again.
This was entirely unexpected. I froze, my thought process temporarily short-circuiting.
What's more, all three of them knew that while I lacked a chat keypad, I was actually reading everything. yet none of them exposed me here.
Then again, the moment they revealed any information about me, it would expose the fact that they'd been secretly colluding with me behind the others' backs.
[Alchemist]: Those three who just spoke.
Just then, the Alchemist, who always participated with a half-hearted tone, surprisingly began sending a long string of messages.
[Alchemist]: Archer, Bard, Paladin.
[Alchemist]: They are all in Demihaad right now.
The Archer's original starting point was the Demihaad Kingdom. The Bard's troupe hadn't finished their tour in Demihaad yet. And the Paladin had crossed the border for some unknown reason.
[Alchemist]: Belsus is also in Demihaad.
[Alchemist]: So the 9th transmigrator is in Demihaad too.
It turned out the Alchemist knew a lot more than I thought, despite being over in the Holy State of Venaro with his partner, the Doctor.
[Alchemist]: It looks like these three
[Alchemist]: Want to team up with
[Alchemist]: The 9th transmigrator.
He even knew how to play politics.
[Fighter]: Huh? Really?
[Fighter]: Are any of you secretly friends with the 9th transmigrator?
Following the Fighter's remarkably innocent-sounding messages, silence fell over the chat once more.
[Wizard]: Given how much time has passed in this competitive system
[Wizard]: It's only natural for some people to form alliances and take sides.
[Wizard]: I understand what you're saying, Bard, Paladin, and Archer.
At a glance, the Wizard's words seemed to defuse the heated situation, but they were laced with thorns aimed at the three of them.
I could already picture it: the Archer, terrified by the aggressive atmosphere directed at him, was probably too scared to type anything else.
As for the Paladin, I still hadn't fully figured out his exact personality... but he seemed too dignified to engage in a petty argument here, so he likely just kept his mouth shut.
And the Bard...
[Bard]: Thank you for listening, Wizard.
I chuckled without realizing it. I could just imagine that sly old snake smiling with his eyes.
Realizing that his sly smile wasn't aimed at me made this surprisingly satisfying.
The chat ended there. I finished my daily routine and went to sleep, and since the next day was grocery day, I headed out to the city early in the morning.
As I walked through the alleys, my thoughts drifted to the Alchemist.
'Why didn't the Alchemist enter any of the three scheduled dungeons? Only the Doctor went in.'
Since they also had the Doctor's 'Subspace' skill, they could have easily used the exact same strategy we did in the third dungeon.
One of them tanks all the curses. If things go south and the cursed person is in danger, they just shove that person into the subspace for safekeeping.
'...Subspace.'
Come to think of it, if you partner with a Hunter who has a subspace ability, the two of you become co-owners of that space.
This meant that even if only the Doctor was physically in the dungeon, the Alchemist could control everything from inside the subspace.
I stepped into the market alley.
"Hello."
I greeted the merchants I had become familiar with and bought ingredients I couldn't produce on my farm. A slab of pork, a few links of sausage, freshly squeezed morning milk, and a basket of eggs. I also picked up two fresh crawfish caught from the nearby river and a large bass.
Just then, something poked my arm from the side.
I turned around to see an errand boy who roamed the city doing odd jobs. He was a kid I recognized. When I first came to this market alley a week ago, I had asked him various questions to gather information.
"Someone in the next alley asked me to deliver this to you."
The boy handed me a piece of paper folded in half twice.
It was completely unexpected. Before unfolding the note, I grabbed the boy and questioned him.
"Who was it? I don't recall expecting a letter. What did they say?"
"I-Is that so? But they seemed to know you really well, mister. They rattled it off just like this: 'Uh... A guy wearing a black hood like an adventurer, with brown hair, exactly this tall... looks about twenty years old. He comes to this market every few days... and he never buys vegetables or mushrooms, only meat, milk, and eggs.'"
The boy counted off the traits on his fingers one by one.
The earlier characteristics weren't particularly unique, but my expression hardened when he mentioned I only bought meat and dairy instead of vegetables.
"What did the person look like? Did you see their face?"
"No. Their face was covered with a mask. And they were wearing a hood just like you, mister."
Based on this, it was someone who had been watching me quite closely.
However, to recognize me when I just looked like 'Villager A' outside my farm. They'd have to be a transmigrator. Specifically, a transmigrator who had participated in the last dungeon. That was where people had seen my appearance.
And if it were someone I already knew, like the Archer, Bard, or Paladin, they wouldn't have used a roundabout method like this; they would have just approached me directly.
Conclusion: It was a transmigrator or a character I had absolutely no prior connection with.
'Could it be the Puppeteer? That's plausible. By now, the Puppeteer might have crafted a puppet capable of traveling all the way here from the Royal Palace. And if it was wearing a mask like the kid said, it wouldn't even be obvious that it was a puppet.'
Finishing my brief deduction, I unfolded the letter and read it.
The boy, who had been carefully observing my expression, gasped in surprise.
"A-Are you okay, mister?"
The boy asked me. But the person who should be asking if they were okay wasn't him...
"Hey, did anything happen to you with that person?"
"Huh? Uh... No. But I have to go back to them now. They gave me half the errand fee in coins and said they'd give me the other half after I delivered the letter."
My lips pressed into an even fiercer line. I pulled some coins from my pocket and pressed them into the boy's hand.
"I'll give you the money, so don't ever go back to meet that person. Go somewhere crowded right now, anywhere."
"Y-Yes. Okay."
Intimidated by my stern face, the boy obediently bowed his head. Clutching the coins tightly, he disappeared into the bustling crowd.
I tore the letter to pieces and threw it away. Then, I sprinted straight back to my farm.
---
Wanna compete?
To see whose subspace is superior, yours or mine.
I'll come greet you in 2 hours. From my operating room.
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