Chapter 318. In the Dead of Night (4)
'Is this what they call identical twins?'
If soone lacked knowledge in magical studies, that might've been the only idea they ca up with. But as an alien who gathered artifact information whenever possible, I had no real objections to the appearance of a mimic wearing Brooklyn's face.
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# playwild
New Item Information=
[2]
Item Na: Doppelgänger's Jealousy
Acquisition Location: Doppelgänger (A)
Category: Equipnt
Description: Must be attached near the posterior cervical muscle to activate. Confird to enable long-term transformation into a specific individual, limited to those who et certain conditions. Further research required to determine thod of effect cancellation other than unequipping.
Note: As of XX.08.06, possession of this item is prohibited under international law.
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This is why magic is called magic. In the realm of sorcery, miracles that would be nearly impossible to achieve through ordinary ans are often brought to life with little technical effort—sotis simply by making the right wish.
'Co to think of it, back on Earth before the Dungeon Shock, even adjusting your height by 5 cm required major surgery.'
Considering the original build of that sorcerer, the current transformation is truly astonishing.
The rapid spellcasting speed, and the lightning magic used to subdue the prey, and so on.
I quietly compiled the fake Beast's identity in my mind, based on the awakening attribute they had shown and other internal magic characteristics.
You're not answering?
But at that mont, the beast in front of —wearing the face of the dead—suddenly revealed its hostility.
'This is it!'
Bzzzzzt—!
How impatient could soone possibly be to not even give ti to answer? Even though they were Brooklyn's face, their awakened ability had nothing to do with spatial manipulation—so in the end, they once again activated their primary elental skill.
The lightning it unleashed swept across my abdon like a loosed arrow. And by the the chilling hum of electricity—like the sound you'd hear from a severed high-voltage power line—lingered in the path the skill had traced...
Do you not know ?
I grasped my body, which was about to be paralyzed by the electric shock, with all my magical control.
"Wa..."
I had been montarily distracted by the whole process of her revealing her face, but on second thought, this situation was an undeniable crisis. So, before I ended up like an electric-roasted chicken, I moved my mouth as quickly as I could.
"Wait a second! I'll talk. Y-yes, we have. We've t face to face before!"
Just to be clear, I usually tend to make up excuses or lie, especially when dealing with primitive sorcerers. But that fake was relentlessly chasing after a single person like prey in the middle of a chaotic battle.
"I know you—Brooklyn Morgan—and I've seen that face before. Damn it. I don't even know if this is translating properly..."
Perhaps the opponent already has at least a rough idea of what happened between and that split-personality psycho. With that judgnt, feeling my life was in danger, I confessed the truth without hesitation.
Don't worry. It's working just fine. Pixy Corp's advancents were so impressive that even high-earning interpreters were brought to tears.
But at this point, a major question arises. Back when the incident with the real Beast occurred, there were definitely no third parties around. Brooklyn Morgan had clearly died on the spot. The dungeon reset was completed without a hitch. Above all, the whole thing had been buried quietly—until now. And yet, this long-silenced event has suddenly resurfaced in the most unexpected way.
'How the hell did they find out I t the real one? Could it be Jung Haseong's betrayal? No, damn it. There's no way!'
I couldn't figure out how the events that happened in [Mimic City] had leaked to soone else. Unless additional information was provided, this was where I stood for now.
Then, since the interpretation is going well, let's get to the main point before the business partners start grumbling.
The imposter before , like most predators, remained focused solely on their objective even at this very mont.
"--"
No—more precisely, they had tried to.
"--"
But after a short while, the opponent—who had driven all the way into this remote cave supposedly to talk—suddenly shifted their focus to sothing else entirely. Now without the bone mask, they looked more like a human than Earth, and stood there tilting their head in curiosity. They fiddled around their arm for a mont, then suddenly held out the 12 o'clock mark of a wristwatch, previously hidden under thick clothing, toward .
'Could it be an analyzer?'
If it were a tool ant to identify useful resources in a dungeon, then yes—there were definitely Earth-made products that ca in the form of a wristwatch like that. However, pointing the sensor of an analyzer at a person typically wouldn't yield any aningful data. It's like weighing a sewing kit that sits still versus trying to asure the weight of a squirming young animal—completely different situations.
There's a vast gap between the inanimate and the living. Most importantly, a naturally born, living being creates countless variables just by breathing. That's why hunters always had to go through all kinds of trouble—asuring breaths, drawing blood, and more—just to properly assess soone's mana.
But what exactly is that lightning mage doing, fiddling with a machine from a distance?
"What are you--."
The earthling of unknown age, with the face of a dead person, opened their mouth.
What is this?
He, much like , seed visibly flustered by the current situation.
I chose you because you seed like the strongest among the Koreans.
There was a strange sound cut in for a mont, but that's not the main point right now, so let's move on.
I figured you'd be more dangerous—out of all the suspects who could've seen 'this face' in [Mimic City]—since your abilities still haven't been revealed...
At the very least, as long as we were the sa species—the Awakener, whose appearance would be universally considered attractive regardless of skin color, grabbed his golden hair.
Hmm?
As the figure raised their arm to ruffle their hair, the keen eyesight of the possessed corpse read the numbers on the wrist device's panel. The results of whatever the opponent had just attempted to asure were still clearly displayed. Moreover, seeing the numbers recorded down to two decimal places, the tiny, barely visible unit indicators beside them gradually beca decipherable.
'Why does that number look exactly like the one I saw during a recent experint?'
Why did the fake, who had confidently charged in after locking onto a single target from the very beginning, suddenly fall into confusion?
Strange.
This was sothing that could only be understood by linking the numbers displayed on the opponent's wristwatch to a recurring specific topic.
You...
Judging by the atmosphere, it seed like the opponent was searching for the culprit behind the Brooklyn Morgan disappearance case.
[23. 41 Aw]
Just like that. The prey they had dragged in with their fangs had just revealed an astonishing internal energy level.
Didn't you just answer like you knew who Brooklyn Morgan really was?
Oh no. This is another unexpected crisis.
No, more importantly, with an awakening level like this, how did you not get crushed when you ca crashing through the wall just now?
Just as I had suspected, the wristwatch-shaped device used by the fake Beast turned out to be a non-contact awakening level asuring instrunt. According to the number it displayed, I would be classified as roughly an E-rank super human by international standards.
No matter how strong my body is. No matter how suspicious I am while wearing black clothes. In addition, the most fundantal reason why people on Earth are easily fooled. Starting with the [Inevitable Malice] strategy battle, including all of my achievents as a hunter.
'Ah—if such a good technology existed, they should've shared it quickly before I wasted money on chemical analysis samples.'
This is a big problem. The resurrected ghost before my eyes asured the magical power inside my true dermal layer with so kind of machine. It didn't erase my presence by preventing the magical power from leaking out of my skin.
The fact that Korea's fourth S-rank hunter was, in reality, a weakling like a pitiful little rabbit—confird by objective numbers—was revealed precisely now, at this mont.
***
Then, while one international con artist was on the verge of being exposed—what were the accompanying hunters, who had entered together, doing all this ti?
Whoooosh!
Sohow, the sound of fire surging began to echo. Like a tsunami, it was quiet in the distance—only when the wave of flas finally crashed in did it devour everything in its path with a thunderous roar.
Crackle, crackle.
Just monts ago, those trees had ford—yet now, reduced to ash in the blink of an eye, even the enemies couldn't help but flinch. Even massive plants over five ters tall crumbled to dust in a single beat. Could that eerie blue fla truly fail to burn even human bones?
Ack!So hot, hot!
There was a reason the concept of cremation existed on Earth. The two superpowered individuals, still wearing their bone masks, were forced to retreat in haste from the wave onslaught unleashed by their enemy. For a brief mont, the two awakened criminals locked eyes with each other.
The reason they had occupied a Korean dungeon was not due to any personal motive of their own—but simply because they had been hired by soone above them. Thus, most of what was about to unfold in this dungeon had, in fact, been ticulously planned out from the very beginning, during the mission procurent stage.
Haa.Just that.
It's unexpected to struggle so much against an S-class opponent. Let's set aside the case of Seo Esther, who was quick-witted and agile, recognizing the power difference imdiately even with one eye crushed, and escaping. But howists had been unable to properly approach any Koreans, forced to scatter and flee in disarray.
Even taking into account that Seo Esther's skill had been steadily wearing down their condition, this was still a phenonon the fake Beasts simply couldn't comprehend.
Just as I heard beforehand, they're really going to sweat it out. If that's the case, I should've caught at least one of them right when they first ca in instead of releasing them as bait.
Well, still.
It's not like killing them is mandatory anyway. I could've just turned their lower body into minced at and quietly gotten through the ritual period.
Although the odds of losing were low thanks to soone's help on their side... the two criminals, now clad in the skin of a fallen Beast, once again targeted the dungeon entrants. In response, the Korean Hunters launched counterattacks as best they could, making sure the enemies couldn't close the distance too much—so as not to fall into a disadvantageous position.
After just a few more back-and-forth exchanges—by this point, even Jung Haseong himself had started to fall into the sa line of thought as the criminals before him.
"The beasts aren't as easy to catch as I thought."
To put it bluntly, it was annoying.
'That one took such a big hit but is still going. Damn, if this keeps up, even if Hunter Esther and I try to make a run for it, we'll just get blocked by monsters and end up screwed...'
Haseong clearly felt that his own power exceeded the typical range of an S-rank hunter. It was only natural, given that he had developed his abilities through the alien's training—thods unimaginable to the beasts before him.
Bam!
But soone who had trained their skills so thoroughly...was unable to resolve even this seemingly balanced 2-on-2 situation?
What the... I'm sure that hit just now... so why...?
He had already unleashed a considerable number of skills, but the Beasts were still moving energetically, showing no signs of fatigue. Jung Haseong brought a hand to the bracelet-type item that influenced his skill power, organizing the situation in his head.
First.
'Still, once so ti passes, other hunters from outside will start coming in. In the process, the number of monsters should naturally decrease.'
For so reason, Seonwoo Yeon had exited from the boarding state and stayed outside, so there was still quite a bit of hope. In fact, the [Searcher] skill not only reveals the location of the desired target but also instinctively obtains the shortest route to reach that place. Especially in a dungeon like this, where the paths branch out as intricately as capillaries, the [Searcher] skill's characteristic plays a dramatic role.
Therefore,
Anyway, as long as we stop the Break, the worst can be avoided. Let's put our hopes on that employee, Seonwoo Yeon.
Haseong focused his mind and once again ignited the blue inferno. The figures in bone masks scrambled to move out of the blast radius, and it was almost baffling how they could even see properly while wearing such oversized masks. But right now, that wasn't the part that mattered.
'Ha.'
For now, the standoff was being maintained—sohow. Surprisingly, the enhancent-type Awakened among them actually felt much easier to deal with compared to Kang Cangho.
'Seriously... How did I end up getting so much experience in fighting people?'
South Korea's third-ranked S-class Hunter had once demonstrated such artistic control of distance that the word "superior" was they had been hired by soone above them in this world, constantly applying real-world debuffs. Naturally, the longer the fire-wielder.
Ack!
'Could that one next to him be a close-combat type too?'
The Earth's fire mage relentlessly unleashed skills, adjusting their power in unpredictable bursts. What's more, right before they had been hired by soone above them in this world, constantly applying real-world debuffs. Naturally, the longer the battle dragged on, the more damage would inevitably pile up on the enemy.
But even though the fight was going well like this, why did he keep feeling a constant sense of unease?
'Beast.'
'Why on earth...'
Or was it because one of their own had disappeared beyond the cave with one of the fakes? Naturally, Korea's S-rank Hunters were focused on the mid-sized beast that had snatched up their comrade and charged off with terrifying speed.
Oh... I'm gonna get hit......What the... why is...
But in the midst of all this, Esther—fluent in foreign languages and keeping a sharp eye on the overall battle situation—happened to overhear a conversation between the Beasts.
Damn it, when the hell is that boss b*stard planning to show up already?We're all going to die waiting for this. Damn it.
So that dium-sized Beast was actually the leader among them. Is that it?
'And that criminal started attacking Geryeo-ssi without even taking a breath as soon as the fight began?'
The information just revealed was sothing that could've been even without putting it into words. After all, 1 he awakened one who clashed with the blind man stood out even in this dungeon overflowing with S-ranks. There was sothing undeniably exceptional about his presence—his aura alone marked him as soone far from ordinary.
So both Jung Haseong and Esther tacitly acknowledged that the beast in the center was a leader-class entity, and they assessed the fact that such a monster singled out Geryeo for that in this way.
'As expected, the strong recognize the strong...'
Well, hitting the strongest one first is the most convenient strategy...'
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