Chapter 189: Chapter 189 Item Power (4)

Item Power (4)

Item Power (4)

Doppelganger clones are different from the main body.

They can only use the mimicked target’s abilities, and the ones that are newly summoned in the boss room have low intelligence.

No, should I say proficiency?

Unlike the real Hans G, who summoned all his summons simultaneously at the beginning of the battle…

…the clones stutter and summon them one by one.

“One down.”

The bear-like man’s crossbow pierces one of their foreheads before they can even do anything.

The rest follow a similar fate.

“We defeated them all!”

We hear the victory cry in less than 30 seconds.

I was worried that something crazy might happen since there are four Hanses, but it was easily resolved for now.

Therefore…

“Now’s our chance!”

…we have to pour all our damage into the main body before he summons more clones.

Well, it won’t be easy…

“Kyaaaaaaaaak!!”

The main body starts rampaging as our attacks are focused on him.

[Leap], [Swing], [Gigantification]…

And…

「The nameless marauder has cast [Flesh Explosion].」

…even that skill he hasn’t been using since losing his regeneration.

The bastard, with my physical abilities and the average stats of a 5th-grade monster added on top, boasts the power of a true boss monster.

“Everyone, fall back!”

In the end, Raven pulls the melee damage dealers back.

It’s not a bad judgment.

We already have enough damage with two mages and one archer.

There’s no need to risk having the melee damage dealers on the front lines. And besides, the efficiency of physical damage is low while the Doppelganger is mimicking me.

“The three of you, protect us!”

Misha, Ainar, and the mace warrior.

As the three melee damage dealers change their positions to escort the damage dealers, the backline starts bombarding the enemy from afar.

‘Geez, where do you think you’re going?’

The main body tries to ignore me and charge towards the backline as the high-powered ranged attacks continue, but I draw aggro and keep his attention with [Wild Release].

After some time…

Crackle!

…a ‘Lightning Spear’ pierces the head of the bastard, whose body is battered from spamming [Flesh Explosion], and the Doppelganger turns into a black slime.

‘I guess we overcame the first hurdle.’

Of course, the first phase is far from over.

The first phase only ends after everyone in the boss room has been transformed in order.

But…

“Oh! It’s me this time!!”

…it won’t be as difficult as me, no matter who it is.

Indeed, the battle with Ainar, who’s next in line, ends before we even encounter the clone summoning pattern twice.

It’s because the melee damage dealers don’t have to stay in the back anymore.

“Kyaaaaaaaaak!”

That’s when, as we defeat the Doppelganger who transformed into Ainar…

Rumble!

…the magic circle on the ground starts glowing, and the entire cave trembles.

Ah, it’s not an ultimate move or anything.

It means the unsealing rate has increased by 10%.

「Unsealing rate 20%.」

It hasn’t even been a few minutes since the boss battle started…

…but there’s nothing I can do about this.

The unsealing speed increases significantly once the battle begins.

‘It was about 5% for every 10 summoned clones.’

It’s the most frustrating part of this strategy.

There’s no way to prevent the summoning pattern, so the increase in the unsealing rate is inevitable.

Well, if we had a second team outside activating the Sealing Stones, it would be less burdensome, but that’s not our case.

‘We have to finish it before then, somehow.’

It’s game over if the unsealing rate reaches 100%.

Because from then on, each clone becomes as strong as the main body.

And the clones can even use [Self-Replication] to multiply.

"It's my turn."

Raven is next.

Unexpectedly, there's a slightly dangerous moment.

I was planning to finish it quickly since magic has a casting time…

But the summoned clones were the problem.

Two out of four were me.

“Behel—laaaaa!”

“Behel—laaaaa!”

I don't know what kind of magic the Doppelgangers were trying to cast.

But Raven shouted that we would all die if this continued, so it would have been a disaster if the spell had been completed.

Well, I smashed their heads before that happened.

Kwagic!

After that, the Doppelganger transformed into Misha, the mace warrior, Parteian, and the bear-like man in order, and we defeated them as quickly as possible.

It means the first phase is finally over.

Rumble!

I click my tongue, looking at the magic circle on the ground, which is glowing again.

‘40% unsealing rate in the first phase…’

It’s the number I expected.

Tsk, I wanted to reduce it as much as possible.

“Everyone, get into the formation we discussed!”

I dismiss my regret and give the order.

The Doppelganger, having finished the first phase, is in the center of the cave, expanding and contracting as it transforms.

“If, if it’s something… no one, knows…”

The Doppelganger’s voice echoes throughout the cave.

It means the next phase is about to begin.

“What’s the difference… between that… and the truth?”

The Doppelganger finishes transforming.

「The nameless marauder has cast [Swap].」

It’s time to start the second phase.

_____________________

One of the Doppelganger’s abilities, [Swap].

Its effect is very intuitive.

It switches the location of the main body with a clone created with [Self-Replication].

But…

…that’s only when you obtain the skill through an essence.

“…Why me from the start?”

“…Why me from the start?”

There are two Ravens now.

Their faces are identical, and I can’t feel any difference in their tone or expression.

For reference, it’s impossible to tell them apart by location.

‘I lost a mage I raised diligently because of this.’

I think it was the first mage I successfully recruited in [Dungeon and Stone].

I was very shocked back then.

Swoosh.

I move my gaze and look at the Stones of Truth scattered on the ground like toys.

Originally, the standard strategy is to use this to distinguish between the real one and the fake.

Well, the unsealing rate increases as a result.

But we can’t use this since we don’t have any outside support.

Then how do we tell them apart?

Smirk.

I smile and look at the two Ravens.

Their lines were identical at first, but now their words and actions diverge.

“Do, don’t shoot!”

“What are you guys doing! She’s the fake!”

One is speaking defensively, and the other is defending herself with a somewhat aggressive attitude.

I mutter briefly,

“What are you waiting for? Shoot.”

I hear the bear-like man pulling the trigger of his crossbow behind me.

And…

Boom!

…a giant arrow, like a siege weapon, is shot and smashes Raven’s small head.

Thud.

A small body collapses limply.

“Uh, don’t tell me… she was the real Aruru…?”

“Murderer!!! You killed Aruru!!!”

Everyone, including Misha, freezes.

But…

“There’s no way. Everyone, calm down.”

…Raven’s body, which collapsed to the ground, soon turns into a black slime and floats in the air.

It means we got the right answer.

Ah, for reference, the aggressive Raven was the real one.

“Now, go to your spot.”

I send Raven, whose position has been switched with the Doppelganger, towards the wall and then approach the transforming slime.

“You’re next.”

I raise my mace and wait for a moment, and the Doppelganger finishes transforming.

“Hiik! Pu, put that down, you barbarian!”

What is he talking about?

Thwack!

I smash his head with my mace without hesitation.

And as expected, it’s the right answer again.

It’s only natural.

Doppelgangers can’t copy Numbered Items.

“Uh, but shouldn’t you at least hesitate a bit since it’s me…?”

Misha is the owner of No. 5991 Viper’s Fang.

“Miss Kaltstein, what are you expecting from a barbarian?”

Raven received ‘Misplaced Trust’ from Parteian and has been holding it in one hand throughout the boss battle.

“It’s finally my turn. I’ll take care of this.”

The bear-like man is wearing ‘Deceiver of the Necromancer’.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

And Ainar is wearing a ring called ‘Foxfire Knot’ that she obtained from the fairy archer.

Although it doesn’t have any useful options, so we’ll sell it later.

Kwagic!

The Doppelganger’s second phase is a cakewalk if you have good items.

And did he finally realize it?

「The nameless marauder has cast [Swap].」

The Doppelganger, transformed into the mace warrior, immediately ambushes us without a word of complaint.

He’s aiming for the mage, who has the lowest defense.

If we were in a tight formation like before, it would have been difficult to avoid that attack…

“I’ll block it!!”

…but we spread out and stuck to the walls as soon as we entered the second phase.

In other words, we have enough time to prepare for a surprise attack.

Kwaaang!

Ainar’s greatsword clashes with the Doppelganger’s mace, and an explosion occurs.

Misha stabs him from behind in that gap.

And then it’s finished off by the bear-like man and Raven’s interception.

“Everyone, go back to your positions!”

After one turn, I have the team members who were transformed by the Doppelganger gather in one place and form a tight formation.

“What are you doing? Go!”

The mace warrior hurriedly moves as if coming to his senses at my words.

A faint light is emanating from his shoes.

It’s a cheap 9000-series Numbered Item called ‘Path of Abundance’.

It has a decent option for warriors.

It’s not something we looted and lent him, he originally owned it.

Did he diligently save money and buy it?

「The nameless marauder has cast [Swap].」

Anyway, Parteian, the middle-aged mage, is next.

Although he lent ‘Misplaced Trust’ to Raven, it’s not a problem. Because the magic staff he’s carrying is a Numbered Item.

Kwagic!

It doesn’t take long to defeat the bastard after he finishes transforming since the mimicked target is a mage.

Now only I’m left.

“Mr. Parteian.”

“That? I’ll prepare right away.”

The mages, who suffered greatly from the Doppelganger who transformed into me, are already preparing their strongest spells.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

As soon as the Doppelganger finishes transforming, I push him back with my shield.

“The one in the back is the fake!”

The mages, who instantly made their judgment, unleash their prepared spells simultaneously.

Of course, he doesn’t die in one shot, as expected of a tank…

…but there’s no interruption to the magic this time since there are no summons in the second phase.

Crackle! Kwaang! Whoosh!

High-powered attack magic is literally poured onto him.

He eventually collapses, unable to endure.

I feel a strange sense of bitterness as I watch him.

‘I need to work on my magic resistance setup too.’

I still have a long way to go as a tank.

____________________

The Doppelganger’s third phase.

In other words, we’ve finally reached the last phase.

“Everyone, come here!”

Raven quickly gathers everyone and forms a new formation without me even having to give an order.

And at that moment…

Rumble!

…the cave shakes violently as if there’s an earthquake.

Dust falls from the ceiling.

“Kihihi, hihi, kik, kihihihi!”

The Doppelganger, which has returned to a slime-like form, lets out a grotesque laugh.

Honestly, I’m not even creeped out anymore.

I just have this question.

Where the hell is he talking from when he doesn’t even have a mouth?

“Be careful! If Mr. Yandel is defeated—”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

I briefly dismiss Raven’s anxiety.

It’s not that I’m completely confident in victory.

It would be a lie to say I’m not nervous.

It’s a long-standing habit of mine to always assume the worst and be wary of potential variables.

But sometimes, a leader has to show confidence and lead the team.

Clench.

I put strength into my hand, holding the mace, maintaining just enough tension to get my blood pumping.

The last phase is a kind of ‘berserk mode’.

Every second is precious from now on.

Because he summons an incomparable number of clones compared to the first phase.

Boom!

The black slime, which had expanded to a size that would make anyone think it was about to burst, explodes.

Black particles scatter throughout the cave.

The two mages, as if they’ve been waiting, unleash flames to eliminate them…

…but they can’t even erase half of them.

And explosions continue to occur in the meantime.

「The nameless marauder has cast [Self-Replication].」

「The nameless marauder has cast [Self-Replication].」

「The nameless marauder has cast [Self-Replication].」

The particles gather and take shape, mimicking our appearances.

There are dozens of them, just by looking.

Hans G, the fairy archer, the dwarf… they all appear, as if to remind us that we’ll never see them again after today.

The once spacious cave is now completely filled.

“Don’t be too scared. The clones that appear here aren’t as strong as before!”

As Raven said, these guys are much weaker than the ones we saw before. They’ll probably explode into smoke after just one or two hits.

However, there’s another reason why ‘berserk mode’ is scary.

「Unsealing rate 50%」

「Unsealing rate 60%」

The magic circle on the ground flashes repeatedly, indicating that the unsealing rate is increasing.

At this rate, the seal will be broken in a few minutes, and the Doppelganger will regain his full power.

Therefore, it’s time to take it out.

「Character has used [Outlaw of the Wasteland].」

「Melee physical damage temporarily increases in proportion to the number of humanoid monsters.」

It’s the item that gave me the confidence to defeat the Doppelganger bastard…

「Current increase rate 112%.」

「Current increase rate 157%.」

「Current increase rate 278%.」

「Current increase rate 342%.」

「Current increase rate 4…….」

…and the one that allowed me to estimate a 90% chance of winning.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

Items are also a skill.