Ch. 72 The Spiral Labyrinth
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 72 – The Spiral Labyrinth
“If you see anything suspicious, wake us up. Don’t fight alone. Don’t leave your post. Don’t fall asleep. And if you spot a monster, don’t provoke it”
Isolin muttered the instructions Supreme had drilled into her.
The way she kept repeating them reminded her of a schoolteacher scolding her though, of course, they were the same height.
“Ugh~”
She stretched her short limbs, trying to relieve the tension in her body. The cool wind tousled her pink hair as she kept watch.
The shortest mage in the party (134 cm) was on high alert.
But nothing happened.
The forest, shrouded in darkness, was silent.
The only sounds were the soft breathing of her sleeping party members and the crackling of the campfire.
No doppelgängers appeared. No other players wandered by.
Just oppressive silence.
Every time the fire flickered, casting long, swaying shadows, Isolin’s stress spiked.
The shadows looked like they were reaching for her.
“Hnngh…”
She wanted to wake Supreme. To lean against her dependable friend and share the watch.
But she couldn’t.
They needed to be in peak condition to clear the labyrinth’s boss.
Then—a glint of light.
Golden. Like a coin catching moonlight.
Isolin didn’t lower her guard. She stood slowly, staff raised toward the light.
Blue mana swirled around her—preparation for a spell. She licked her lips, ready to chant at any moment.
Step.
Drag.
Step.
Drag.
Her movements were less like walking and more like shuffling. She inched forward, lantern in one hand, staff in the other.
Even after what felt like forever, she hadn’t gone far. Her short legs made progress agonizingly slow.
The darkness clung to her, cold and heavy, as if seeping into her bones.
Finally, she crouched down—and there it was.
A single gold coin.
“Phew…”
Not unusual. Hunters often dropped loot they missed.
She reached for it.
Then—
Rustle.
“Find something?”
“Eek!”
A familiar voice. Right behind her.
Isolin whirled around—Supreme stood there, smiling.
“Did I scare you?”
“W-when did you wake up?!”
“Just now.”
“You scared me…”
Isolin frowned.
Something was off.
She hadn’t let her guard down. She’d been listening for everything.
So how had she missed Supreme getting up?
She gripped her staff tighter.
“Hey, Supreme?”
“Yeah?”
But no matter how she looked, this was Supreme.
Short limbs, soft cheeks, starry eyes—even her scent was the same.
Isolin took a step back anyway.
Supreme tilted her head.
“Hey, Isolin. I need to use the bathroom. Come with me?”
“Bathroom…?”
“Yeah.”
Another step back.
Supreme stepped forward.
Then it hit her.
Players in this world didn’t need bathrooms.
No bodily functions. No sweat. Food just… vanished.
So why would Supreme ask that?
Her heart pounded.
One last test.
“Hey, Supreme. Did you finish the yanggwa earlier?”
“Yanggwa…? Yeah, I ate it all.”
That confirmed it.
The real Supreme would’ve dodged the question. She hated talking about things from the real world.
But this thing?
It didn’t know.
“Strike down!”
A spell didn’t need a full incantation. Just the right image in the caster’s mind.
[Lightning Bolt]
CRACK!
The bolt of lightning engulfed the small priestess.
When the light faded, Supreme was gone.
In her place—a black, writhing doppelgänger.
The thunderclap woke everyone.
Supreme, Gladie, Rain—all scrambled up, weapons ready.
Supreme’s holy energy flared, buffing the party instantly.
“S-Supreme…!”
Isolin lunged at her, trembling.
“What happened?”
“Y-you’re really you, right…?”
Had she fought a doppelgänger?
Supreme patted her back as Isolin pointed to a spot just beyond camp.
“That’s…”
“A doppelgänger” Rain confirmed.
“It came as you?”
Isolin explained—the glinting light, the coin, the “Supreme” who’d asked to go to the bathroom, the yanggwa test.
“Ahem.”
Supreme looked away awkwardly.
“A trap?”
If doppelgängers could pass passphrase tests, setting traps wasn’t far-fetched.
Rain frowned.
“You’re sure it looked like Supreme?”
“Obviously! Short limbs, squishy cheeks, sparkly eyes—even her smell was the same!”
“Weird… Doppelgängers need to get close to mimic someone…”
This wasn’t normal.
The doppelgängers had evolved.
They could bypass passphrases.
They set traps.
They learned.
If this kept up, they might start forming packs.
Supreme started packing immediately.
“Supreme?”
“Gear up. We’re not sleeping here.”
She explained her fears. The party’s expressions darkened.
One last question:
“Rain. You’re sure we can clear the final boss safely?”
“Yes!”
No turning back, then.
Dungeons in this world spawned escape portals after beating the boss. Facing a horde of smart doppelgängers was worse than fighting one predictable enemy.
“Guide us to the fastest route!”
“Got it!”
They ran.
Fatigue from lack of sleep?
Buff it away.
Their short legs?
No helping that.
Vrslop_translator
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