READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 318: Deep in the Night (4)
“Is this the identical twin I’ve only heard about?”
Anyone lacking knowledge of magic studies would only come up with such a thought. But over here, we have an alien who collects artifact information whenever there’s a chance. The appearance of a Mimicker in the guise of Brooklyn was not a surprise at all.
———————=
☆ pixywiki
New Item Information☜
[2]
Item Name: Jealousy of the Doppelgänger
Acquisition Location: Doppelgänger (A)
Classification: Equipment
Description: It activates when attached near the posterior chest muscle and can transform for an extended period, limited to others meeting specific conditions. Research on methods to stop effects other than equipment removal is necessary.
Note: Based on international law as of XX.08.06 / Personal possession prohibited item.
And thus, magic is called magic.
Miracles that are hard to achieve in ordinary ways can often be accomplished in the realm of magic studies without much technical effort, just by channeling properly.
“Come to think of it, adjusting height by 5 cm before Dungeon Shock on Earth was considered major surgery, right?”
Considering the original size of that sorcerer, the current transformation is truly astonishing.
Quick magical completion speed.
And lightning magic used to suppress prey, among other things.
I compiled the attributes shown by my opponent, along with other internal magical characteristics, to determine the identity of the Fake Beast in my mind all alone.
– Not responding, huh?
At that moment, the beast in front, stealing the visage of the dead, revealed aggression.
“Oh no!”
Zzzzt—!
How impatient can one be not to even give a moment to respond?
Despite appearing as Brooklyn, the awakening ability is far from spatial manipulation, so eventually, it unleashed its primary attribute skill again.
The lightning it created swept across my abdomen like an arrow shot.
When the chilling sound of electric current, like that felt when power lines cut off, lingered where the skill passed by.
– Do you not recognize me?
As my body was about to lose consciousness from the electric shock, I grasped as much as I could with the magical control I had over it.
“Wait….”
Due to the series of processes in revealing my face, I had temporarily lost focus. But reflecting on it, there was no doubt that the situation was perilous.
Thus, before turning into electric-roasted chicken, I quickly moved my mouth.
“Just a moment! I’ll explain. I… I’ve met you before.”
Just to clarify, I tend to lie and come up with half-baked excuses especially against primitive sorcerers.
However, that fake had decidedly targeted and pursued me like a stalker amid the chaos.
“I know Brooklyn Morgan and have seen your face. Damn it. I’m not even sure if this is being translated properly…”
Perhaps the opponent was somewhat aware of what took place between me and that dual personality?
With this judgment, feeling the threat to my life, I revealed the truth immediately.
– Don’t worry. It’s going well. It’s so bad that translators, those high-earners, have been shedding tears because of Pixy’s development.
But at this point, a big question arises.
When I faced the real Beast, there were definitely no third parties around.
Brooklyn Morgan had definitely been killed instantly.
The dungeon reset had also gone through safely.
Most importantly, until now, it had quietly been buried, but now unexpectedly surfaced.
‘How on earth did they know I met the real one? Could it be Jeong Ha-seong’s betrayal? No way. How could that be true!’
The events in [Mimic City] are utterly baffling without any additional information supplied.
For now, this is my stance.
– Then, since the translation is going well, shall we get to the main point before the business partners start grumbling?
The fake in front of me, like most predators, was focused solely on its own objective at this moment.
– ….
No, to be precise, it attempted to do so.
– ….
But after a brief moment, the opponent suddenly shifted their interest to something else without accomplishing the initial purpose – conversation.
Now, a human entity without the bone mask stands in the spot, tilting their head.
Touching around their arms, they presented the 12 o’clock part of a wristwatch hidden underneath that thick clothes.
‘Could this be an analyzer?’
If it were a tool to conceal valuable resources in a dungeon, indeed such a clock-shaped appliance would exist on Earth.
But usually, pointing the detection area of an analyzer toward a person does not yield significant information.
It’s completely different from placing a stationary sewing kit on a scale versus measuring the weight of a struggling young beast.
Between the inanimate and the living, there’s a vast gap.
Moreover, given that they are naturally birthed mountain creatures, simply breathing generates various variables, forcing hunters to constantly measure their breathing, draw blood, and create a fuss to gauge their magic power.
But what’s this lightning sorcerer doing with a machine from a distance?
“What’s going on right now-.”
The Earthling with the face of the dead opened their mouth.
– What’s happening here?
They seemed just as flustered by the current predicament as I was.
– I picked you thinking you looked the strongest among Koreans.
There was a bizarre interjection in the middle, but that’s not the main point, so we’ll skip it.
– I figured a being whose abilities haven’t been revealed would be much more dangerous among the suspects I could meet here.
At least if we’re of the same kind.
The awakened person with skin color irrelevant to looks universally deemed attractive grabbed their blonde hair.
– Hmm?
As this individual raised their arm to tousle their hair, the excellent vision of the captured cadaver read numbers from the panel on the wrist.
What the opponent just tried to measure had results that lingered without being erased.
Upon seeing that number displayed down to two decimal places, I could slowly infer the unit of measure invisibly scribbled alongside.
‘Isn’t this too identical to the number I saw during the recent experiment?’
Why did the fake, who had confidently charged at a single target from the start, suddenly fall into confusion?
– Strange.
This was something that could only be understood by linking the number indicated on the opponent’s wristwatch with a continual specific topic.
– You…
Atmospherically, the other seemed to be searching for the ringleader of Brooklyn Morgan’s disappearance.
[33.41 Aw]
Just like that.
The energy within the prey the other had bitten seemed to have just been revealed at an astonishing value.
– Didn’t you answer as if you knew Brooklyn Morgan’s true identity earlier?
Oh no, this is yet another unexpected crisis.
– No, more importantly, how is it possible that with this awakening score, you broke the wall and came here without being crushed?
As I had speculated, the machine in the shape of a wristwatch used by the fake Beast turned out to be a Non-Contact Awakening Level Measurement Device.
According to the number displayed there, I would be categorized as an E-Class superhuman based on international law standards.
No matter how sturdy my body may be.
Even if I am dressed in black and exuding suspicious vibes.
Additionally, the most fundamental reason why Earth dwellers can easily be deceived all leads back to the [Unavoidable Malice] raid that started this all, along with countless achievements accumulated as a hunter.
‘Ah~ if only there were such good technology, I wish they could have shared it before I wasted money on chemical analysis samples.’
This is bad.
The resurrected specter before my eyes measured the magic contained in my true dermis layer using some machine.
Instead of allowing the magic to leak outside my skin and obscuring my presence.
Believing that the Fourth S-Class Hunter of Korea was essentially a pitiful little rabbit among the weak, this individual appeared at the worst possible time.
*
So then, while an international con artist is at risk of exposure, what were the hunters who came with them doing?
Fwoosh!
Somewhere, the sound of flames flooding erupted.
It was no different from a tsunami; from afar, it seemed quiet, but when the wave of fire hit, it engulfed surrounding objects with a fierce roar.
Crackle, crackle.
The wood that just moments ago had form turned to ash in an instant, causing adversaries to shrink back involuntarily.
Even a large plant over 5m long crumbled to dust in one beat.
Will that blue flame truly not burn human bones?
– Yikes.
– Ouch!
There’s a reason why the concept of cremation exists on Earth.
The two superhumans who couldn’t remove their bone masks hurriedly pulled back from the fierce onslaught emitted by the enemy.
The two awakened criminals briefly locked eyes with each other.
The reason they occupied Korea’s dungeon was not due to any subjective purpose but simply because they were ordered by the employer above.
Thus, most of what happens in this dungeon had been meticulously planned right from the mission acquisition stage.
– Haah.
‘Just this.’
It was unexpected to struggle this much against the same S-Class.
Let’s set aside the boundless actions of Seo Esther, who quickly recognized the power difference on one eye being crushed and immediately fled.
But how can this awakened individual of blue flames showcase such abilities?
The No.1 in South Korea, Jeong Ha-seong, who has remained unchanged for years since the first ranking.
He’s the one leading the charge against the intruders within the dungeon.
Because of this awakened individual, the fake Beast group couldn’t even properly approach the Koreans and were running around in chaos.
Despite taking into account that Seo Esther’s skill was steadily draining their condition, this was an incredibly perplexing phenomena for the fake Beasts.
– ‘As I heard beforehand, looks like I’m going to break a sweat. If this is the case, instead of letting the bait go, I should’ve kept the first one who entered here.’
Well, still.
– ‘After all, killing isn’t a necessity. I could just turn them into minced meat and quietly wait for the consciousness period to pass.’
Though we’re receiving someone’s help, the probability of losing is generally low…
Those two criminals hiding behind the skin of the already dead Beast targeted the entrants once more.
Thus, the Korean hunters made sure to counterattack as much as possible, so they wouldn’t fall into a disadvantageous situation.
A few exchanges of blows flowed soon.
However, in fact, Jeong Ha-seong by this point was equally caught in the sentiments no different from the criminals before him.
‘The Beasts are harder to catch than I thought.’
To put it bluntly, it was annoying.
‘That one over there suffered quite a big injury, yet is still lively. Ugh, if this goes on, even if I escape with Hunter Esther, we’ll just be blocked by a monster and face disaster…’
Ha-seong clearly felt that his powers surpassed that of an ordinary S-Class hunter.
Because he had developed abilities by means unimaginable to the beasts before him, originating from the teachings of an alien.
Bang!
However, someone who has trained their skills to that extent could not effectively resolve such a 2:2 balanced situation?
‘What’s going on? I was pretty sure I hit just now…?’
Despite pouring various skills, the Beasts still moved diligently and showed no sign of tiring.
Ha-seong placed one hand on the bracelet-type item that enhanced his skill power while organizing the situation in his mind.
First off.
‘Still, as time passes, other hunters will enter from outside. In the process, the number of monsters should naturally decrease.’
For some reason, Seonwoo-yeon had remained outside while mounted, so there was still considerable hope.
In fact, the [Seocher] skill not only lets one know the location of a desired target but also provides the instinctive shortest route to reach that place.
Especially in dungeons where the paths resemble a complex network of capillaries, the specialty of [Seocher] dramatically shines.
Therefore.
‘Anyhow, as long as I manage to stop the break, the urgent fire would be extinguished. Let’s hope for that employee named Seonwoo-yeon.’
Ha-seong focused his mind and ignited the blue flames once more.
The individuals wearing bone masks rushed to move their bodies back from the explosion’s range, making one wonder how they secure visibility while wearing such hefty masks.
However, what’s important now is not that.
Hah.
For now, I managed to maintain the standoff.
In fact, among them, the enhanced-type awakeners felt much easier to deal with compared to Kang Chang-ho.
‘Seriously. How did I gain so much experience in personal combat?’
It could be said that the phrase “the Third S-Class of Korea is a superhuman” completely fits the level showcased in artistic distance control.
Still, amidst this ongoing flow of time, the other side couldn’t muster the courage to approach the flame attribute user.
– Ugh, ugh!
‘Could it be that the one next to me is also some close-combat type?’
The Earth’s fire mage adjusted the power inconsistently and kept unleashing their skill.
Moreover, next to them was the only S-Class curse user of this world casting debuffs in reality. As the battle stretched on, the damage to the enemy was bound to accumulate.
Yet, even when the fight is going well, why does an endless sense of unease creep in?
‘The Beasts.’
Since they also know they’re fakes, right?
‘Why exactly.’
Or was it because one of his comrades had vanished beyond the cave with one of the fakes?
The S-Class hunters of Korea charged with fearsome momentum, snatching Kim Gi-ryeo and moving on the mid-sized Beasts with ease.
– This is… going to hit…
– …What the… why…
Yet amidst it all, Esther, who was fluent in foreign languages and keeping an eye on the overall situation, accidentally overheard the conversation among the Beasts.
– When is the damn leader going to show up?
– At this rate, we’re going to burn to death waiting here. Damn it.
It seemed the mid-sized Beast among them was the leader.
‘And that criminal attacked Gi-ryeo right as the fight began?’
The things just said could be speculated without needing a detailed explanation in language.
This happened because the awakened one colliding with the blonde man was indeed exceptional, radiating a significant aura even within this crowded dungeon of S-Class.
That’s why Jeong Ha-seong and Esther both unconsciously acknowledged that the Beast in the middle was a leader-type existence and rated it as such that a strong one would target the strongest first.
‘Strong ones recognize strong ones, after all…’
‘After all, it’s a simple tactic to hit the strongest first…’