Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Self-Entrapment
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“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mother!”
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss!”
Wait, what?
Renia?
She just called a woman who suddenly appeared and claimed to be my mother “Mother” without a shred of doubt?
“Oh, hoho. Nice to meet you. And your name is…?”
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Renia, Tae-jin’s live-in partner!”
“Live-in partner?”
Hold on a second.
Renia, you can’t just drop the “live-in partner” bomb without any explanation.
You should at least explain why we’re living together…
“Yes! I take care of the household chores, the cooking, and I’m also Tae-jin’s personal bodyguard!”
…Never mind.
“Aha? You two must be quite close then?”
Renia puffed out her chest.
“Hoho! That’s right. Tae-jin and I are verrrry…”
Renia’s face flushed as she continued, but she was interrupted by Na-yeon, who suddenly stepped forward.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mother. I’m Park Na-yeon, a professor at the Seoul Academy and Tae-jin’s personal instructor. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I practically raised him.”
Na-yeon bowed politely, and I was taken aback.
It was the first time I had ever seen her bow to anyone.
…Seriously, everyone…
Doesn’t anyone have any sense of suspicion?
“Ah, Hunter Park Na-yeon. Though I’ve retired, I’ve often heard of your accomplishments. I remember you because we both retired at a young age.”
"Thank you. Um… no, I mean, Hunter."
Na-yeon bowed again.
…Was she always this polite?
“Hello. I'm Kim Hye-seo, a junior of Holder Han Chang-ho and the head of the Monster Management Bureau’s Villain Investigation Team.”
“A junior of his, you say? I apologize on his behalf for all the hardship you must have endured under such a lacking senior.”
“Not at all. He was an excellent senior.”
“Hoho, that’s surprising.”
Um, hello? We’re currently facing a mid-boss level villain, the Azure Witch, remember?
Did everyone forget?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Yoo Su-ah, a cadet at the same academy as Tae-jin.”
“Oh, you’re Tae-jin’s friend?”
Baek Mi-hwa looked at us with interest.
“An S-rank Hunter professor, the head of the Monster Management Bureau’s Villain Investigation Team, a bodyguard, and a cadet… What an interesting combination.”
Her gaze settled on me.
A warm smile.
A kind look in her eyes.
But I couldn't let my guard down.
Their motives and their connection to me were still unknown.
Of course, they didn’t seem hostile.
But caution never hurts.
Besides,
‘Han Tae-jin had a mother?’
No, wait.
It’s only natural to have a mother if you have a father.
Why had I never questioned her existence before?
‘And he had a younger sister, too?’
This cute girl with round glasses that suited her so well was my younger sister?
The slightly annoyed(?) look she gave me… Was it because she instinctively recognized me as her older brother, a being with similar DNA?
It seemed she really was my sister.
Anyway,
‘How should I react to this?’
Dozens of possible reactions flashed through my mind, but none seemed appropriate.
Should I be surprised?
Overjoyed?
Should I cry?
Or maybe get angry?
I didn’t know.
As someone who didn't know the full extent of the original Han Tae-jin’s memories, all I could do was stand there, dumbfounded.
Thankfully,
“Perhaps we should postpone the introductions and get moving?”
My mother(?) stepped in and brought the conversation to a close.
I could learn the truth and hear their stories later.
While rushing in blindly could be dangerous, excessive hesitation could be just as detrimental.
Now that we knew each other’s names, dealing with the situation at hand was the priority.
My mana hadn’t fully recovered yet, but thanks to Heaven’s Edge’s support effect, I could still use my skills.
That bow truly was a treasure.
It provided various effects at the right time, like attack enhancement, one-time skills, and mana support.
“Let’s go.”
The lighthearted atmosphere dissipated.
We formed a battle formation, with Na-yeon as our tank, and entered the cave.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“What the…?”
That was my first reaction upon entering the cave.
It was empty.
A vast, empty space.
In the center, a single object floated, encased in a mana barrier.
“Did she… run away?”
It wasn’t impossible.
There were seven of us.
Seven highly skilled individuals.
She might have decided that she was outmatched and fled.
But something felt off.
She hadn’t been seriously injured, and retreating so easily would be humiliating for someone as proud as her.
It was a stark contrast to her usual arrogance.
I couldn’t let my guard down.
Then,
《Hohohoho! Have you finally decided to enter? You primitive fools.》
Lexa’s sharp laughter echoed through the empty chamber.
We immediately assumed defensive positions, forming a circle with our backs to each other.
In a situation where an attack could come from anywhere, protecting each other’s backs was the best strategy.
《Hehehee. I trust you didn’t expect to leave my domain so easily. Now then, shall we begin?》
Then,
A blue ripple spread through the ordinary cave chamber.
It felt like being submerged in water.
It wasn’t overtly threatening, but a strange sense of dread crept into my nerves.
I focused on channeling my mana and heightened my senses.
《Hohoho. Your terrified faces, like beaten dogs, are quite amusing. Don’t be too afraid. A fun show is about to begin.》
“….”
Lexa’s mocking laughter echoed around us.
As the old saying goes, “Even in a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.”
Even if she was the strongest of Illusion’s high-ranking executives, she wouldn’t be able to easily defeat our combined might.
Armed with that confidence,
I waited for her attack.
“Eek! Y-you, what are you—!”
“What! What about you?!”
Suddenly, Renia’s voice filled the chamber.
Everyone moved away from her.
And,
“…Huh?”
We stared in disbelief at the two Renias standing before us.
Was this “fun show” supposed to be a doppelganger show?
…This was going to be a problem.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It was a tactic worthy of the Azure Witch.
She had filled the chamber with a disorienting blue ripple to disrupt our senses and created a doppelganger to sow discord and confusion within our ranks.
An efficient tactic for minimizing her own risk while facing multiple opponents.
It was a troublesome situation for us.
If we made the wrong choice in this forced dilemma, we could end up killing each other.
And if we hesitated, we would be picked off one by one.
It was a cunning tactic, befitting her moniker.
And knowing Lexa, she wouldn’t have just replicated Renia's appearance; she would have copied her memories as well.
This meant we couldn’t identify the doppelganger through simple questions.
“Stop copying me!”
“You stop copying me!”
“Hey! I’m the real one!”
“Don’t lie! I’m the real one!”
Watching the two Renias bickering gave me a headache.
She was probably planning to distract us like this and then eliminate us one by one when we let our guard down.
“Tae-jin! You can tell which one is me, right?! I’m the real one!”
“Don’t you dare call Tae-jin’s name! You bitch!”
“What? Who are you calling a bitch, you crazy bitch!”
“You have no shame, even in front of Mother! See? I told you she’s the fake one!”
They were indistinguishable.
Their gestures, expressions, and tone of voice were identical.
The way they looked at me was subtly different, but in this chaotic situation, relying on such a nuance was impossible.
But I nocked an arrow and aimed directly between the two Renias.
In this time-sensitive situation, I was the only one who could identify the real Renia.
And,
‘I’m prepared.’
There was a brief description of why Lexa was called the Azure Witch in the original story.
《Her alluring eyes, crimson lips with a small beauty mark, captivating smile, and enchanting figure suited the moniker “witch,” but the title “Azure Witch” wasn’t solely based on her appearance.》
《She excelled in cunning schemes and preferred to manipulate her opponents indirectly, leading them to their own downfall. One of her signature abilities was creating doppelgangers that impersonated her opponents’ allies.》
I hadn’t told anyone about this.
If I did, it would become part of their memories, and Lexa would know that I was aware of her ability.
So,
I had to do this myself.
“Renia.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Two identical responses to a single call.
The intonation, breathing, and words were all the same, but I didn’t care.
My method of identifying Renia wouldn’t be affected by such things.
Lexa wouldn’t know.
She wouldn’t know that I possessed a [Special Skill] that others in this world didn't have, and that within that Special Skill tab was the incredibly powerful ability [Telepathy].
“Lexa.”
Of course, there was no response.
“I’m afraid you’ve chosen the wrong opponent.”
I looked at the Renia on the left, the one looking at me with fear in her eyes, and activated [Telepathy].
It was an expression I had never seen on Renia's face before.
My confident declaration seemed to have unnerved her.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[Telepathy activated.]
[Reading the thoughts of the target you are currently making eye contact with.]
…
…
…
A moment later, words appeared above the head of the frightened Renia on the left.
《I haven’t done so many things with Tae-jin yet! I don’t want to die like this! I haven’t even had sex yet—!》
Lexa's doppelganger ability must have created a perfect copy, down to her thoughts.
Unlike instincts, thoughts based on memories could be controlled.
But that wasn't important.
“Heavenly Bow Arrow.”
I shifted my aim from between the two Renias to the one on the right and unleashed a powerful shot, pouring all my mana into it.
Whoosh—!!!
Thwack—!!!
“Kyaaa—!!”
[Telepathy] couldn’t read the thoughts of someone with a higher magic power level than mine.
The moment the scream echoed, the disorienting blue ripple vanished.
Self-entrapment.
It was the perfect idiom to describe Lexa’s predicament, hoist by her own petard.
“Kyaa—! Tae-jin! I knew you’d recognize me!”
Renia ran towards me, with a huge smile on her face, and threw her arms around me.
I patted her back gently.
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“Hehe, I trusted you!”
…Her thoughts had suggested otherwise.
Hadn't she been thinking about how she didn’t want to die?
Anyway, Renia…
So, that’s what you wanted to do before you died…?
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[T/N: That's why she's the GOAT. The GOAT!]