episode_0087

87. Mirror.

Yohan opened his eyes, which had been closed. The scenery that met his eyes was very familiar.

“······It’s gotten wider again.”

Well, I expected it. But it wasn’t as much wider as when I went from the 2nd floor to the 3rd floor. As the size increased, the rate of increase was also decreasing. It’s only natural.

A blue window appeared in front of him. He wasn’t surprised because he expected it.

[Calculating rewards.]

[Acquire 1291 Karma.]

[Acquire 350,000 Gold.]

[Item: Trait Enhancement Ticket is provided.]

[Item: Magic Index Toe is provided.]

[Item: Magic Middle Toe is provided.]

[Unlocking a trait.]

“Oh······.”

The reward was generous. Yohan unknowingly let out a faint exclamation. He even gave him three items and unlocked one trait.

Then again, when you think about it, it was a trial with thousands of people participating, but the reward seemed stingy. If he’s at this level, what kind of rewards would the other humans have received?

While Yohan was thinking about that, an unexpected phrase popped up in front of him.

[We will inform you of information about the next floor.]

[The trial on the 4th floor is ‘Colosseum’.]

[If you win, you move on to the 5th floor, and if you fail, the 4th floor starts again.]

Yohan was slightly embarrassed. He had never started explaining the next floor in the reward room before? The blue letters continued.

[We wish you the best of luck.]

And that was the end.

Faaaaat-

The white room made of rectangular parallelepipeds begins to shine at the same time. Yohan tried to open his eyes by force. But they close. An irresistible force pressed down on his eyelids.

By the time the light that seemed like it would blind him stopped, Yohan realized that his eyes were filled with blue waves. It was a familiar shape.

‘This is······.’

Thud-!

“Keuheok! Glugluglug······.”

That was the first death on the 4th floor.

***

“Heoeok!”

Yohan opened his eyes, gasping for breath. He knelt down and kept exhaling towards the pure white floor.

“Kehek, keheeeeek!”

His physical functions were momentarily paralyzed by a wave of heavy mass, and he suffocated from the influx of water into his respiratory system. Perhaps it was because Yohan had only ended his life with blades, he had no resistance to this kind of death.

At that time, an inorganic phrase appeared in front of Yohan.

[We will inform you of information about the next floor.]

[The trial on the 4th floor is ‘Colosseum’.]

[If you win, you move on to the 5th floor, and if you fail, the 4th floor starts again.]

“So, that’s what this meant······.”

If you fail, it starts again. He wondered why such generous conditions were attached. This trial was definitely not easy. No, maybe it was the most difficult trial he had endured so far. At least for Yohan.

Soon, a familiar ray of light enveloped Yohan.

[We wish you the best of luck.]

The enemy you meet in the Colosseum is not an alien monster or another player. Rather, it was an opponent more familiar to Yohan than anyone else.

Faaaaat-

The opponent in the Colosseum is immediately─

Fwaaaaaaaaa!

Himself, that very entity.

Thud-!

***

“Heueup!”

The moment his vision changed, Yohan immediately activated the Dig spell and went underground. In his blurry vision, he saw a familiar face. White and well-defined features. It was his own face that he had seen for 19 years.

‘Feels awful.’

That was a brief impression. Yohan continued to dig and go down. He felt a chilling sensation from behind.

Kugugugugugu-

[Angry Wave] was chasing him. Yohan was dumbfounded.

‘He knew I was going to be summoned. The situation is too unfavorable.’

Perhaps the ‘Clone’ had entered the Colosseum first and was preparing to cast the spell. Because the [Angry Wave] spell is not an instant spell.

But the situation wasn’t completely hopeless.

‘He didn’t have much time, it seems. Or he didn’t know I was going to be summoned.’

If Yohan was the clone, he would have made more elaborate plans than this. Yohan was a human who was quite good at self-reflection, and he began to infer the clone’s actions in his own way.

‘If it were me, by now······.’

At that moment, a hole formed near Yohan’s temple. An oval blue orb flew through it. Yohan deployed a micro shield to block it and then flicked his finger.

Explosion.

At the same time, create a shield to minimize damage and use Dig.

Kwaaaaaang!

Yohan’s figure soared towards the ground like a flame. The firepower was so strong that Yohan was already floating in the sky of the Colosseum. He looked down at his feet.

“······.”

“······.”

There, an existence that looked exactly like him was staring at Yohan. Yohan kept eye contact with him as he descended to the ground.

Taat, Yohan, who landed softly, opened his mouth.

“When were you summoned?”

Something taking the form of Yohan answered. The pitch, intonation, facial expressions······ etc. Everything was exactly the same as Yohan. At least, that’s how Yohan felt.

“I was summoned about 5 seconds faster than you.”

“It’s neither too long nor too short. But it’s true that you’re not prepared enough. Are you really me?”

“I couldn’t act carelessly because I didn’t know who the opponent would be. You’re the one who lacks thought.”

“······.”

“······.”

Huh, Yohan let out a hollow laugh. Judging by the way he’s talking, this guy is really me.

“Okay. I get it. But why aren’t you attacking? Aren’t doppelgangers supposed to feel intense hostility when they meet their original?”

“That’s not wrong. Even at this moment, I have a burning desire to kill you.”

“I’ll ask the question again. Why are you holding back? Is there a reason to?”

“I am you, and I have inherited all of your abilities and memories.”

“So you have perfect memory too.”

“That’s right.”

Yohan finally understood. Why the clone wasn’t trying to kill him.

The clone opened his mouth.

“When I was first summoned here, the memories in my head slowly began to decompose. It was an unpleasant experience. After the memories from modern times and the memories from the tower were dismantled, what filled that place was a terrible hostility towards the living.”

“Perfect memory activated at that time, it seems.”

“You’re right. The dismantled memories were forcibly pieced together with the power of the trait. However, that didn’t mean the newly created hostility disappeared. The emotion is still there. Reason derived from preserved memories is just holding back the action.”

The clone raised his right index finger and pointed at Yohan. He said in an inorganic voice.

“As you said, I am a clone. You are the original. And if you are really the original, it is a natural course for me to die, right? Tsk, I thought a monster would just pop out.”

He looked at Yohan as if he was in a bad mood.

“Even if I kill you, I don’t think I’ll become the original. That’s the only thing I’m sure of.”

“So, what do you want?”

Immediately afterwards, the clone walked towards Yohan.

Yohan raised his magic power. He said in a wary voice.

“Stop, don’t come any closer.”

“Okay.”

The clone stopped obediently.

“Original. You haven’t used the rewards you got from the reward room yet, have you?”

“That’s right.”

“Me too. I couldn’t use it within 5 seconds of being summoned.”

The clone created a water droplet that was just right to sit on. He sat down on it and said.

“The tower seems to want me to kill you, but I have no intention of doing that. It seems like it starts again even if you die.”

As expected, he was quick-witted because he was his own clone.

The clone continued.

“Let’s study spells and magic power together here. And conquer this damn tower. It’s the best gift that I, a clone, can give to you, the original.”

“What?”

“Anyway, our magical talent is excellent. It’s better to think together than to think alone. And it couldn’t be better if it’s myself.”

The clone flicked his finger. His pupils were focused on one place. Yohan inferred that he had opened the status window.

“Open the status window too. Let’s eat the magic toes first and then think about it.”

The clone said that and really took out the magic toes. And he chewed them up.

Yohan also created a water droplet chair and sat down. Yohan was slightly embarrassed right now.

‘I thought I was going to have a bloody battle with my clone, but I didn’t expect this at all.’

A variable derived from the clone’s [Perfect Memory], and the values and disposition that Yohan originally had, were combined. Thanks to this, the tower and Yohan achieved results that they had not expected.

Yohan opened the status window. A new trait was taking its place there.

[Trait]

[Perfect Memory]

[Thought Acceleration]

[Magic Balance]

Yohan’s finger pointed to the third trait. Soon, its explanation popped up.

[Magic Balance]

[Temporarily consumes stats other than magic power. The magic power level increases in proportion to that.]