Chapter 179: Chapter 179 Doppelganger (4)

Doppelganger (4)

Doppelganger (4)

A rift.

An instant dungeon that exists on each floor, like the Crimson Fortress and the Glacier Cave.

The two biggest characteristics of a rift are:

The essence drop rate increases exponentially.

And a special monster called a guardian drops special rewards that can’t be obtained in normal fields.

“Avman, where’s the rift?”

The bear-like man closes his eyes for a moment, as if focusing on his senses, and then opens them.

“That way. It doesn’t seem far.”

Right, so that’s how it is.

I grin.

The probability of us successfully entering has increased.

After all, we’ve already reached stage 27 thanks to five Stairs of Wisdom appearing on the first day.

[23:45]

Day 7 hasn’t even ended yet.

It’s safe to say that there aren’t many competitors.

The rifts on the 4th floor only appear from stage 25 onwards.

And it just happened to appear nearby?

“Mr. Yandel, you’re going to check it out, right?”

“Of course.”

Rifts are the flower of the labyrinth.

It’s an opportunity that no explorer should miss.

We quickly pack up our campsite and head towards the door in the direction Avman pointed.

Whoosh!

After waiting for a few minutes, the symbol engraved on the stone door lights up. It means the 4-hour waiting time is over, and we can now open the door.

“Ugh, I don’t like this…”

“Please, anything but illusions.”

Misha and the bear-like man, who have experience with this trial, groan in unison. On the other hand, Raven and Ainar seem confused.

“I actually prefer illusions. I heard they don’t have much effect on people with strong mental strength.”

“Hahaha! Then I’ll be fine!!”

Come to think of it, this is their first time.

I’m also a bit curious.

The mage armed with logic and rationality, and the fearless barbarian warrior.

How will they react?

If I know that, I might be able to figure out whether my case is unique or not.

「Chose the Stairs of Patience.」

A long corridor, about 100 meters long.

As soon as we step inside, the figures of my companions disappear, and a new background appears.

The pediatric ward where I spent most of my childhood.

The sky beyond the window is clear, and the face of the child lying in bed is also bright.

‘It’s an illusion type.’

The surroundings change as I take a step towards the child.

The sun is setting beyond the window.

A young college student is sitting in a chair in front of the bed.

He was someone I used to trust and follow more than my parents.

‘Ha, it’s starting with this again?’

I chuckle and take another step forward.

Then the conversation between the child and the college student begins.

The child, who was playing games with him, asks if he can stay a little longer, and the college student refuses.

It might have ended there.

But the child was young.

He kept whining, and the college student’s expression hardened. And he suddenly exploded, getting up and shouting insults.

Words that hurt more than any hospital treatment back then.

Thud.

I take another step forward, ignoring it.

I’m an adult now.

I don’t get hurt by those words anymore.

I don’t even blame myself, thinking that something bad must have happened to him that day.

It was something that could happen.

It could be someone’s fault, but it could also be no one’s fault.

That’s all it is.

Thud.

Inside a car right before an accident.

A burning apartment building.

An empty amusement park.

My studio apartment after becoming an office worker.

Thud.

The surroundings change with every step I take, and the people who appear also change.

Thud.

My mother, father, uncle, and ex-girlfriend.

A new person appears in each place and throws words at me that left deep scars.

But so what?

‘It’s still easy.’

These are scenes I can vividly imagine even without illusions.

It’s not even new anymore.

I have pain resistance, after all.

‘What’s this?’

As I’m walking for a while…

…people I haven’t seen before appear.

[Ah! Bjorn, you’re back!]

[Haha, why are you so late!]

Misha and Dwarkey are smiling happily, their arms crossed. But as I take a step closer, their expressions distort grotesquely.

[Everyone would have been happy… if it weren’t for you.]

[Does it feel good… to have survived instead of me?]

It’s a pattern I’ve seen often in cartoons and movies.

Geez, don’t they have anything more creative?

‘It’s not my fault. Complain to God.’

I continue walking, not avoiding their gazes.

[Bjorn, son of Yandel, the great warrior!]

[Give me back my friend’s body!!]

After Ainar, who appeared next…

…the people I’ve met as Bjorn Yandel appear one after another and say strange things to me.

They’re all things I don’t remember.

But they’re not unfamiliar.

Because they’re thoughts I’ve had at least once.

‘Well, it doesn’t work.’

I continue forward without stopping.

I don’t cover my ears or close my eyes.

「Trial completed.」

The illusion soon ends.

I, who was standing in front of the door, have reached the end of the corridor and am now standing in front of a staircase.

It’s the same for the other companions.

“Bjo, Bjorn…!”

“If you cry again, I’m really leaving you behind.”

“Hmph.”

I turn my gaze away from Misha, who’s sniffling, and check on the others.

The bear-like man has an indifferent expression.

He’s frowning, but that’s all.

Ainar is also unexpectedly fine.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, uh… it was just a bit of an unpleasant experience.”

Well, come to think of it, barbarians all have strong mental fortitude.

They’re a race that learns how to fight and overcome rather than how to run away.

Then what about the mage?

“…….”

Raven, who I checked last, is staring blankly into space. I can even feel her trembling from afar.

What the hell did she see?

Although I’m curious, I don’t ask.

It doesn’t seem like she’ll answer anyway.

“It’s over now.”

“Ah… yes. That’s right…”

Raven comes to her senses as I approach her and pat her on the shoulder.

Cold sweat is beading on her forehead.

“We’ll rest for a bit upstairs, so hang in there.”

“Okay…”

I gather my companions and climb the stairs.

And we rest for about 10 minutes.

Actually, even in the game, I didn’t choose the Stairs of Patience for this reason.

Because it significantly drains your stamina.

Although I didn’t know it would be for this reason.

“Avman, where should we go from here?”

“That way.”

We resume exploration after the break.

The rift is our top priority for now.

We chose the Stairs of Wisdom next and cleared the maze in 2 hours.

And the next stage that appears…

“It’s the portal!!”

…is a stone chamber with an open rift.

For reference, the color of the violently shimmering portal is green.

‘Doppelganger Forest…’

It’s the name of the third rift I’ll be exploring, after the Crimson Fortress and the Glacier Cave.

______________________

「Character has entered the 4th Floor Rift.」

______________________

There are two types of rifts on the 4th floor.

The Golden Ruins, where money pours out, and the Doppelganger Forest.

‘…It’s not the Golden Ruins.’

I suppress my disappointment and call for the mage.

“Raven.”

“Liate.”

As soon as the light orb floats in the air, our new surroundings come into view.

We’re trapped inside a giant cage.

The outside, beyond the bars, is shrouded in the darkness of the labyrinth and invisible.

“Bjorn! What’s going on?!”

Hmm, should I explain?

As I’m contemplating, Raven speaks,

“Don’t worry. It will open when the time comes.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Explain in more detail!”

“It’s because the maximum number of entrants hasn’t been reached yet. Up to three teams can enter this place.”

It’s a difference from the 1st-floor rifts.

Up to 15 people can enter the Doppelganger Forest through a total of three portals. If it was cooperation between individuals before, this is cooperation between teams.

“Was this also in that book?”

“Yes. We’re lucky. I don’t know much about the Golden Ruins.”

Hmm, since she read the Compendium of Rifts, I can just tell her to take care of the hidden pieces.

No, should I just leave the entire strategy to her?

My contemplation is short-lived.

“That’s good. Then you give the orders this time. I’ll follow them.”

“You’re telling me to be the leader?”

“There’s a saying, ‘follow the mage’s words in a place like this’, isn’t there?”

“Huhu, okay. Leave it to me this time.”

Raven puffs out her chest and declares that she’ll take care of everything as I subtly flatter her.

She’s so easy to handle.

‘I’ll step in if there’s a problem later.’

I need to be careful and hide my extraordinary abilities, following Rotmiller’s advice.

If I act like I did before, Raven and the bear-like man will definitely sense that something is strange.

“Then I’ll tell you what to be careful of. First of all, most of the monsters we’ll encounter here are Doppelgangers…”

Raven’s briefing follows.

Everyone except for Ainar listens attentively.

Although I know everything, I listen carefully in case there are any corrections or things I don’t know about.

After some time…

“…That should be enough.”

“Yes? But I haven’t even talked about the herbs that appear here…”

“We can do that while we’re exploring. Resting comes first.”

I cut off Raven’s endless explanation and have everyone rest.

We went through the Trial of Patience, and we couldn’t sleep properly because of the rift opening.

We need to conserve our stamina for the main game.

Snore!

Ainar starts snoring as if she’s been waiting, and Misha and the bear-like man sit down, leaning against the bars.

And Raven…

“It’s strange. To get a mirror on our first expedition, and a rift on our second…”

…is next to me, chattering.

It seems like she can’t calm down after entering the rift.

“Looking at this, I think I’m quite lucky. I even entered the Crimson Fortress before, right?”

Uh, is that how it works?

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“…You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“No way.”

“Put your lips down when you say that.”

She’s unnecessarily perceptive.

“Enough, I’m going to rest, so you should too.”

I end the conversation here and close my eyes.

And so, time passes, and it’s the morning of Day 8.

[07:11]

In other words, it’s been about 5 hours since we entered the rift.

Clank!

The tightly closed bars rise.

It means the maximum number of entrants has been reached.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The real exploration begins as I step out of the cage first.

“Liate.”

Raven increases the number of light orbs to three for better visibility. And the shape of the cave, which was hidden in the darkness, is revealed.

Ainar tilts her head.

“Huh? Didn’t you say it was a forest?”

“I think I explained it earlier.”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t hear anything.”

It’s an overly honest answer.

Raven can’t even get angry.

“…The forest appears after we leave this cave. In other words, after all the teams that entered gather in one place.”

“I see!”

“…….”

Raven just clenches her fists and trembles.

I can’t help but empathize with her…

But I’m currently in Normal Barbarian Mode, just following orders.

Right, there should be days like this too.

“Mr. Yandel, what kind of life have you been living?”

“…Let’s just go.”

“Ah, right. Let’s go. We don’t have time.”

We follow Raven’s instructions and move along the path at a somewhat fast pace.

The reason for hurrying is simple.

The first chapter of the Doppelganger Forest is the Shadow Cave.

It’s a format where you start at different locations and meet up with the other teams in the center.

“We have to reach the center as quickly as possible. That way, we can get the rewards from the other routes. If we’re late, it will be the opposite.”

Although we’ll end up fighting the final boss together, it’s practically a competition until then.

Who can get more loot?

It’s up to us.

“There’s something ahead!”

The bear-like man senses a presence and stops the party as we’re running down a straight passage.

We wait for a moment, and a figure emerges from the darkness.

Thud.

Messy brown hair.

A scruffy beard.

A muscular body over 2 meters tall, wearing a Laetium breastplate.

And a giant shield and mace.

“It’s Bjorn!!!”

Ainar looks back and forth between the two of me and then becomes confused.

Raven can’t help but shout at the sight,

“I told you it’s a Doppelganger!!!”

“Do, Doppelganger?!”

“Ah, seriously! Whatever, battle stations!!”

I think this is the first time she’s shouted like this.

As expected, there’s no one who can defeat a barbarian with words.

Just as I’m chuckling with that thought…

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

…the Doppelganger dares to shout the name of the ancestor god.

And its body inflates like a balloon.

I need to be a bit careful.

「Doppelganger has cast [Gigantification].」

「Doppelganger has cast [Wild Release].」

I’m quite strong, you know?