291 – The Returner’s Fight (10)

A small cafe that I paid to rent. There was only me and the cat Suin in there. (Choi Jiwon gave up her seat. By the way, the cat Suin was male.)

“Ah… Is this right…”

The cat Suin still looked hesitant even after coming this far. He looked like a traitor about to reveal information that he shouldn’t reveal.

“It’s okay.”

I gave him a soft smile and tried to ease his tension.

“Haven’t you noticed that Mr. Guntar’s condition has been bad lately? What’s with his appearance? He just keeps killing humans indiscriminately. Isn’t that right?”

As you can see from the fact that the other Suin like me, there is a slightly antipathetic atmosphere between different races… but his behavior of blatantly hating me and killing people indiscriminately was by no means normal. I can hate him, but killing him is a bit much.

“Ugh… ”

As you can see from the fact that he agreed to talk to me, this beastman was not an extreme racist, but a perfectly sane person with common sense. It meant that he agreed that Guntar’s current condition was not normal.

“More than that, Guntar?”

“Oh, isn’t the arena’s registered name Guntar? That wolf beastman.”

“Guntar. Guntar. Oh. That’s right. That’s what he used as an alias.”

“Do you know his real name?”

“… I know, but I can’t tell you. Only his family can call him by his real name.”

“Oh, yes.”

If that’s the case, why did you bring it up? I wanted to ask, but I held it back. Should I just pick on the person who came to help him?

“When we leave our home planet, we are given new names. We believe that names have power, so we should hide our real names.”

The cat beastman spoke with a trembling voice.

“However, new names are determined based on each individual’s characteristics… so there are some who like their new names better. Guntar… was one of them.”

“You meant Guntar is a prankster?”

“That’s right. He was really mischievous since he was little… Why does someone with such a bright mind have so many pranks… If I tell you a story about his childhood, on our planet…”

The cat Suin’s trembling voice gradually subsides. Perhaps he has relaxed a bit, as he begins a story that wasn’t even asked.

“He really liked new things… New knowledge, new information, new pranks… New friends. He always had a mischievous smile on his face, and he would come up with some kind of bizarre story…”

“Oh, yes.”

“There was something like that. Don’t you think that the expression that you would risk your life for a friend is a metaphor? But Guntar did… Most smart guys are afraid to risk their lives, but Guntar was different…”

“Hmm…”

“Are you bored with my story?”

“No, no. I’m not the type to react well…”

“Ah… That’s fortunate… But if I were to finish the story I was telling… Guntar may not have been the strongest, but he was definitely the bravest and wisest. He was a bookworm who delved into knowledge, but he was the best at taking care of his friends…”

Oh no. The tension in the cat-man had eased excessively. I had to listen to the cat-man’s past stories for another three hours. Most of them were about Guntar’s intelligence and bravery.

“Isn’t it amazing? Even though we haven’t seen each other in a long time, his mischievous smile was always in my heart… I heard that Guntar was active in the arena about 1000 days ago… He had already left… I could only see him once a year…”

“…”

“But not long ago… I met Guntar again after a long time…”

“…”

“It was a short meeting…”

“… No, wait a minute. You met?”

“Oh, yes.”

I straightened my confused mind. Finally. Finally, the main point.

“It was a short meeting, but it was quite shocking.”

The cat Suin returned to his extremely cautious tone.

“I greeted you warmly as usual. We’re… big friends.”

“No way.”

“Yes.”

A brief silence. Then came the shocking declaration.

“Guntar… didn’t recognize me at all.”

“I, I’m not doubting you, but are you the Guntar I was close with when I was young?”

“Yes, that’s right. And yet, you ask ‘Who are you?’ as if you were a complete stranger…”

The cat Suin buried his head down.

“Guntar… didn’t hate humans. He’s not a speciesist. His current appearance… is clearly strange. He seems like a different person… Guntar isn’t a murderer…”

“Hmm…”

“I’ve already heard that some crazy person killed his own kind indiscriminately… But Guntar isn’t the kind of fool who would blame an entire species for a single mistake… Why did that smart guy…?”

“Cheer up.”

While patting the back of the tearful cat Suin, I lost myself in thought.

‘He lost his memory.’

What is it that makes me me? If you ask philosophers, they’ll all give different answers, but I can’t leave out ‘memory’. Memory is a parchment that records everything about my existence.

But if he lost his memory, then it’s safe to say that he’s already a different person. In Guntar’s case… I think it’s right to say that he lost his memory and went crazy at the same time. If you just listen to the cat Suin, he seems like a great person, but it’s a little disappointing.

Of course, it’s disappointing, and I have to analyze it. Why did Guntar end up like this?

Something feels off. It’s strange. There’s something I’m missing.

“Guntar won’t even meet me now… I’m not even given a chance to talk… What should I do…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll try to figure it out.”

“… Thank you for your words…”

After sending the cat Suin away, Jiwon sat down.

“… What is this fur?”

Choi Jiwon brushing the fur off her clothes. I explained to her the story I had with the cat Suin. The murderer’s true identity was Suin, who suffered from amnesia.

“So, amnesia?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“With this information… Is there no way to approach this guy? I’d like to talk to him.”

“That’s what I think.”

Choi Jiwon slowly opened her mouth.

“Do people change that much just because they lose their memories?”

“Hmm.”

“I don’t think I’d become a serial killer who kills just anyone just because I lose my memories. Isn’t that how it usually is?”

This is exactly what I was feeling. Can someone suddenly become a psychopath just because they lose their memories? Can they become a speciesist?

“Is it the Emperor’s ability? Or is it Guntar’s own ability?”

Simply losing his memory is not enough to explain it. There is something additional… missing.

“That aside. I know the method.”

“What method?”

“A method to get a chance to meet Guntar.”

“Really?”

Choi Ji-won’s eyes widen.

“But… you said he ignores even the advances of his close friends… you said he just locks himself in his room… how can he do that when he refuses to communicate?”

“It can’t be a complete refusal, right?”

Guntar isn’t refusing ‘all communication.’

“That guy only targets ‘humans.’ Isn’t that right?”

You can’t tell a human apart just by looking at their registered names. In addition, Guntar is targeting the humans in the upper ranks.

“The upper ranks can only be seen on the screens hanging in the hallway.”

“Oh, that’s right!”

“And how many humans are inactive these days? They’ve all moved on to the next floor.”

Guntar’s targeting is only for the upper ranks, but he has never been out in the hallway, yet somehow he has a wealth of information about the upper ranks. Also, I’ve never heard of anyone pointing out a player who has already disappeared. At least I chose a ‘human who exists’. Rejection is another story.

“Then what you’re saying, Jun-ho…”

“That means this arena is cooperating with Guntar.”

The arena is on friendly terms with Guntar. The thing that’s preventing us from meeting Guntar… could also be the arena.

“So what I’m saying is that we won’t be able to meet Guntar just by being stubborn.”

“While putting pressure on the arena… there has to be a way to meet Guntar?”

“But.”

I took ‘that’ out of my bosom.

“Since I’m a regressor… I have a cheat key.”

**

The phrase ‘the largest arena in the universe’ carries considerable weight. That means it’s popular, that a lot of money is involved, and that a lot of people are paying attention. There’s a lot to talk about.

“Ugh…!”

So, in one of the dozens of buildings, among the countless beings, the sight of a single cat, a mermaid, crying very, very sadly… wasn’t even a big deal.

“Everyone!!! For Guntar’s sake! We must deliver this medicine!!!”

If only the mermaid enthusiast with the ‘Curiosity’ and ‘Strange Presence’ traits hadn’t been yelling at the top of his lungs.

“This medicine!!! It’s called the ‘Elixir’, a drug that is especially effective in curing the mind!!! If we just have this medicine!!! Guntar can return to how he was!!!”

“Who’s Guntar?”

“Why, that human murderer.”

“What? Guntar definitely

used to be…” “He’s changed a lot.”

Some ignored him. Some ridiculed him. Some were interested.

But because the entire pie was so big, even just that ‘part’ was really, really big.

“Isn’t that a scam?”

“No! If he had this, Guntar would be better!”

“Ugh…”

“He’s that waterman enthusiast. He only looks for watermen. This can’t be a scam.”

“Is the target this time a murderer?”

“Isn’t that fun?”

“Can’t we film a video of this?”

No matter the size… the ‘arena’ is a place that revolves around interest. Just having many people interested… should be enough pressure.

Guntar, were you originally a good guy?

What if we fed him an elixir ?