Chapter 61 - Elysion's Castle (3)

The time given to everyone who visited Elysion's Castle was a fair 24 hours.

It was certainly a very short time.

After all, I had to create a point of differentiation from the Doppelgänger in just one day to be able to guarantee victory.

For that reason, there were almost no challengers who faced two or more Doppelgängers.

In most cases, the target was just one.

Even if one was lucky enough to achieve a quick victory, there were hardly any cases of taking the risk to challenge a second one.

The common perception was that one should find meaning in just clearing Elysion's Castle, and in that sense, Min Ha-rin's and my goal was a very unusual case.

[2 hours remaining until the quest.]

The transmitted message announced the imminent start of the quest.

“We're doing a final check, so prepare for a duel.”

“Are you really sure about this?”

“About what?”

“Unit Leader Seo Ji-han, you have only been helping me one-sidedly. In contrast, there is still nothing I have done for you.”

I hadn't expected anything from Min Ha-rin in the first place.

I was just trying to repay my debt to Han Byeong-cheol on this occasion.

“I told you. I’ll take care of myself. And what kind of help can you provide at your level?”

When I chided her, Min Ha-rin just scratched her head sheepishly.

Well, she must have only been treated as a genius in the Muwon Sword Family, so she probably never had the chance to hear such things.

“My thoughts were short-sighted again.”

“If you're ready, just come at me. Think of me as a virtual Doppelgänger.”

“Unit Leader, your style is probably very different from my Doppelgänger’s, isn't it?”

“I can't make it exactly the same, but I can roughly imitate it. After all, I just have to copy your weaknesses.”

“I-Is that possible for you?”

“Stop with the chatter and come at me.”

In fact, imitating weaknesses is harder than imitating strengths.

Flaws and disharmony are things that don't suit me. My body would unconsciously try to correct them.

“Then, here I come!”

Min Ha-rin slowly started to step, pressing towards me.

Just seeing her encroach upon the slight opening I showed revealed her learning ability clearly.

Even if not a genius, talent is definitely talent.

Whoosh!

A moment later, a series of fast, concise, and precise thrusting attacks poured in.

Since I was currently playing the role of her Doppelgänger, our movements continued to overlap.

Cha-aeng!

Cha-aeng!

But it was I who was being pushed back in momentum.

Min Ha-rin steadily attacked the Doppelgänger's weaknesses.

“Haap!”

I wished she wouldn't make such shouts.

In any case, her performance in the early stages was praiseworthy enough.

She was executing exactly what I had taught and instructed.

As a result, it was gradually becoming strenuous for me to defend against her attacks.

“Haaap!”

Perhaps judging that she had seized some momentum, Min Ha-rin launched a major attack for the first time.

Not a bad choice. A sense of determination could be felt in her battle cry.

Shwaaaaa!

Her sword reached my neck.

I quickly swung the Reapersword and defended against the decisive blow she had unleashed.

Even if I were Min Ha-rin's Doppelgänger, I would have definitely been able to display this level of agility.

Chae-aeng!

As sword met sword, the repulsion pushed us each a step back.

But it was Min Ha-rin whose follow-up motion was slightly faster.

Like a bowstring shooting an arrow, she rushed fiercely towards me and thrust her sword.

‘Hoh.’

It was a considerably fast, decisive blow.

Since I had taken off Pallas's Ring beforehand, the shield did not activate.

Without the last resort, I was in a situation where I would be hit if I didn't block it myself.

Her sword was fast, and my movements, consciously acting out weaknesses, had too many openings.

Kwaak!

Helplessly, her sword pierced my chest.

At that moment, the sensation of death grazed my mind.

There was no fear at all.

Because I had experienced it once before.

However, the memory of the day I was reincarnated came to mind, and something flashed in my head.

A fleeting enlightenment.

An epiphany that could only be experienced on the boundary between life and death, one that the moment of death threw at me like a gift, shimmering before me, almost within reach but not quite.

The final step needed to go beyond the level of my previous life. That final puzzle piece appeared like a mirage and disappeared in an instant.

It was just a shame.

I felt like I could have figured something out.

“Hoo.”

As the wound regenerated, I let out a deep breath.

“I think I did it!”

Min Ha-rin's voice, full of joy, was the first to awaken my consciousness.

She bowed her head to me, showing her respects.

Receiving such a bow made me feel as if I had really died.

“You're not a complete idiot, I see.”

“Thank you.”

“We'll continue one more time.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

It wasn't for Min Ha-rin.

There was something I needed to check.

That unknown feeling I had almost grasped at the boundary of life and death.

I wanted to test if I could experience it again.

“Then I’m coming in again!”

Min Ha-rin charged in with motivation, and I became her Doppelgänger once more.

It didn't take long for my chest to be pierced again.

Kwaak!

She went for the decisive move faster than before, and it succeeded splendidly.

“Hoo.”

Crossing the rainbow bridge once was not a pleasant experience.

There was no horror or fear, but it was definitely an experience that caused aversion.

Above all, in this attempt, the purpose I wanted was much farther away.

I gained nothing.

The mirage I had seen had already fled far away.

I had expected it to some extent, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment.

“Thank you! Thanks to you, I feel like I've realized something again! Perhaps one more time…”

“That's enough. Just up to here.”

“…I-It’s over. Yes. I understand.”

“You're not going to wait for someone to spoon-feed you every time, are you?”

“That's right.”

“You remember, don't you? How many Doppelgängers we decided to catch.”

“I will definitely challenge up to five.”

As a result of the final check, Min Ha-rin's potential had increased significantly.

I should go back to cultivating my mana heart technique and ruminate on the fleeting enlightenment I felt just a moment ago.

I should go back to cultivating my mana heart technique and ruminate on the fleeting enlightenment I felt just a moment ago.

***

[The quest will now begin.]

I, who was in the waiting room, was teleported somewhere, and in a pure white space with nothing in it, I discovered another me.

This guy was my Doppelgänger.

Not to mention the face or body shape, everything was identical, from the way he stood, his expression, the aura he exuded, to the items he was wearing.

“Just as I heard, this is a truly mysterious place. Is it the harmony of magic?”

-Don't try to know too much. Surely you didn't ask thinking I would answer, right?

“Even the way you talk is identical.”

-Just pick up your sword and come at me.

The guy looked at me with an arrogant yet transcendent gaze.

Was my gaze originally like that?

It was a quest that made me reflect on my ego unintentionally.

[Defeat the Doppelgänger. After defeating it, you can choose whether to continue with a new challenge or to stop. The higher the number of challenges, the higher the level of reward.]

[Upon declaring surrender, you will be immediately expelled from Elysion's Castle and will be unable to enter the Abyss for one year.]

It was an anticipated match.

The Doppelgänger in front of me would surely possess a more genius-level talent than any swordsman I had ever faced.

It was a self-evident fact that he was an opponent I had never faced before and would never face again.

Thump.

I took a step towards the guy.

Although that guy's mana was shabby, there were no openings to be seen.

Just by standing, it felt like he filled the entire space.

A faint laugh escaped me.

‘So this is how the guys who fought me so far felt.’

Of course, to have felt that, they would have to be masters of a considerable level.

Thump.

I took another step forward, encroaching into his territory.

With an opponent like this, not even a single misstep is allowed.

-What's with all the caution? Are you perhaps scared of a fake?

“Not a chance.”

Though I had only trained for 24 hours more than that Doppelgänger guy, with just this trivial difference, there was no reason to lose.

Since it was impossible for either me or him to make a mistake, if I had even a slight advantage, the moment the balance broke would surely come.

It was just a matter of time.

Shwaaak!

Shwaaak!

And at some point, we thrust our swords at each other.

There was no reason to hold back at the critical moment.

Neither I nor him. Because we both had something we believed in.

[Pallas's Shield is activating.]

Pabababa!

Two formless shields unfolded in the air, neutralizing both Reaperswords.

Until the shield's durability reaches 0, we won't take any damage.

And this setup would become the Doppelgänger's losing move.

“With this, the match is over.”

One thing I was sure of.

Since Pallas's Shield is a growth-type item, mine would endure for a fleeting moment longer.

And for me, that fleeting moment is enough.

-What?

If he was like me, he would have noticed immediately.

So that he wouldn't have time to think, it was necessary to go into a slugfest from now on.

Shwaaaaa!

Shwaaaaa!

The two Reaperswords slashed wildly through the air, making the swords bloom like flowers.

[Shield durability is decreasing.]

[Shield durability is decreasing.]

.

.

.

Amidst the dazzling feast of swords, messages were transmitted without rest.

And at one moment, when a singularity arrived.

Swish!

The tip of the Reapersword passed through the shield.

Finally, I succeeded in making a small scratch on the Doppelgänger's body.

[The shield's durability has reached 0. Halting shield operation and entering self-repair mode.]

And then, my shield, which vanished right after.

But his sword did not reach me.

Shwaaaak!

The Doppelgänger's Reapersword only cut through the air by a narrow margin.

“It's over.”

-So it ended up like this?

The Doppelgänger let out a hollow laugh.

Even this small wound from a moment ago is quite significant between us.

Just as a tiny crack can bring down an entire dam, the result of this duel would proceed in the same way.

The Doppelgänger knew that fact all too well.

-Pallas's Shield was the problem. This item reduced the room for variables too much.

What the Doppelgänger was aiming for were variables.

Since he also knew that I was stronger by a hair's breadth, he tried to create variables.

But Pallas's Shield blocked not only his Reapersword but also the variables.

By the time the Doppelgänger realized that, we had already entered a slugfest, so it was too late to back out.

“Let me ask one thing.”

-What?

“You should have the same thought process as me, so why couldn't you prepare for this?”

-A Doppelgänger is also a being with free will. Just because we have the same thought process doesn't mean we always think the same thing.

It was an answer I liked.

“Then the second and third Doppelgängers will be defeated in the same way.”

-Now that your shield has also disappeared, do you think that's possible?

“It's possible. If my hypothesis is correct, the items will be reset.”

The guy smirked.

-You're not falling for it.

“Did you think I'd come here without doing any research?”

I repositioned my Reapersword and drew up my mana.

The place I aimed the tip of my sword at was the wound on his left shoulder.

“Shouldn't we start again?”

-Right. Even if I lose, I have to see it to the end.

The result of the match was obvious anyway.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

Just before I exchanged the final blow with the dragon, wasn't my form back then just like this Doppelgänger's now?