The Seventh Floor Trial (6)
"Those bastards are the Paeyeong?"
"How did he..."
"No, seeing the Paeyeong is one thing, but to tell them apart in an instant and stick scales on their foreheads?"
The players gathering toward Lee Jin-hyuk and Kaelion looked around in disbelief.
"It's not me!"
"This is a trick!"
The players with scales stuck to their foreheads shouted excuses, clinging even closer to the others.
"Hmm..."
"Even if he's been right so far..."
In truth, the players hesitating to follow Jin-hyuk's words were torn.
No matter how skilled Lee Jin-hyuk was, surely this level of discernment was impossible.
And there was no way the players and residents they had been laughing and chatting with all this time could be Paeyeong.
"This won't do," Kaelion said, raising her swords as she watched the people hesitate.
In her right hand was Wind's Guidance, a Rare-grade sword she had obtained upon leaving Elvenheim, the cradle of the elves.
In her left hand was Pitch-Black Fang, the dagger Jin-hyuk had given her.
Recently, she had been getting used to the flashy dual-wielding swordsmanship that Jin-hyuk had seen before his regression.
Indeed, since she only used the swordsmanship she acquired on the 6th floor, it was incredibly helpful for raising her pure martial skill.
"Yeah."
Crack!
Even amidst this, Jin-hyuk nodded, piercing the skull of a Paeyeong with a dialed-down strike of his Star Destruction Sword Technique.
"They're hesitating more than I thought. In times like this, it's best to prove it through slightly radical means."
"Then I'll head over—"
Crack!
Just as Kaelion was about to move.
Whoosh!
A cold wind blew from out of nowhere, instantly freezing the bodies of the Paeyeong with scales on their foreheads.
"Huh?"
"W-what is this?"
The blizzard didn't particularly distinguish between friend and foe, but there was a clear difference in its effect.
The players only felt their movements slow down or experienced a simple chill.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the Paeyeong froze solid, as if trapped inside a glacier.
Cold air blasted from the palm of a player who appeared to be a mage, wearing a robe.
Shatter!
With the sound of breaking glass, the frozen Paeyeong began to shatter into pieces.
It was an overwhelming display of power that killed countless Paeyeong in an instant.
"My god..."
"It's real!"
More importantly, the Paeyeong shattered by the mage all dissolved into handfuls of darkness and vanished.
"Hey! It's proven!"
"Just beat them down!"
—...%%%
Did they decide there was no longer any point in hiding their identity?
The Paeyeong revealed their true forms completely and began wielding the weapons at their waists.
"Are these bastards insane?"
"You sons of bitches."
"Ugh... when I think about all the sleep I lost because of these motherfuckers..."
Perhaps because they had pent-up resentment, the players vented their fury like madmen, beating the Paeyeong to death.
Since the Paeyeong of the Haomu Clan and the Assassination Pavilion weren't that strong once their identities were exposed, they were being cleaned up in no time.
"It's those guys!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Kill them! Kill them! You deceivers!"
Thwip!
Even without Jin-hyuk, Kaelion threw leaves to leave marks on the targets.
She was also a first-rate expert. If she gave up dual-wielding and swung her sword with one hand, this much was easily within her capabilities.
By the way, is that an ice mage? Jin-hyuk muttered to himself as he watched the robed mage freezing the Paeyeong.
Intriguing.
Freezing the enemy with a blizzard and then shattering them with a palm strike was impressive.
But what was truly unusual was the next move.
A normal mage would attack from a distance, but this guy was different.
Though small and slight of build, he used it to his advantage, beating down his opponents with his fists.
He even wrapped his hands in thick frost to make his punches even stronger.
Crunch! Crack!
If the Paeyeong had been living creatures, their muscles would have ruptured and their blood flow would have frozen solid.
They say the Tower is vast. To think I'd see a mage who uses his fists.
He was likely mixing the power of the Northern Sea Ice Palace into his blizzard.
Seeing his fairly skilled fist techniques naturally drew Jin-hyuk's gaze.
"Uh-oh?"
Did he catch Jin-hyuk's eye?
The mage approached Jin-hyuk with an exaggerated reaction.
"It's an honor, Teacher!"
"I don't recall ever having a disciple like you."
"Hahaha..."
The way he approached and laughed with such shameless ease actually looked quite cute.
"My name is Seol Yeon. Seol Yeon! Hahahahaha."
"..."
"I've been a fan for a long time! Wow... you were picking off the Goblin Chiefs one by one since the tutorial! Teacher!"
It felt like looking at an energetic high school boy meeting his favorite pro gamer.
Jin-hyuk felt his energy draining rapidly even though he hadn't done anything yet.
I need to run away.
Just as he thought that, Kaelion joined them.
The moment Seol Yeon saw her, he began making a fuss, waving his fists.
"Oh my! You are so beautiful!"
"...Excuse me?"
"The strongest player, Lee Jin-hyuk! Naturally, only a woman of this caliber suits someone like Teacher Jin-hyuk. Beautiful, skilled, and kind!"
Seeing Kaelion instantly blush, Jin-hyuk let out a sigh.
He had noticed this even before his regression, but despite being an elf, she was exceptionally weak to compliments about her beauty.
"You two make such a perfect match. Hehehehe."
"Fufu... this gentleman certainly knows what he's talking about."
"Gentleman? Please, just call me Yeon, Big Sister!"
"Hohoho. Alright, Yeon."
"..."
Whoosh—!
Still, they were experienced players, so the three of them chatted while continuously vaporizing countless Paeyeong.
"Is it finally wrapping up?"
Rustle.
Confirming that even the last Paeyeong had vanished, Jin-hyuk lowered his sword.
At this moment, just a few words were enough.
"We won."
Waaaaah!
A thunderous cheer erupted.
And for good reason. Normally, the Paeyeong of the Haomu Clan and the Assassination Pavilion on the 7th floor were not meant to be caught like this.
Usually, players had to constantly guard their surroundings, unable to even sleep properly just to survive.
Yet here they were, advancing while slaughtering everything in their path.
Just being in an environment where they could sleep and eat in peace made the players ecstatic.
After all, two of humanity's three basic desires had been fulfilled.
"Good."
Jin-hyuk curled the corners of his mouth.
"Let's move out again."
From then on, Jin-hyuk's group advanced like an unstoppable force.
Of course, there was one strict rule.
Hunt only the Paeyeong, and never touch the civilians.
To achieve this, the civilians were gathered and managed in one place.
They had to divide their roles.
Currently, there were only two people who could distinguish the Paeyeong from others and mark them on a large scale.
Jin-hyuk and Kaelion.
In the end, the two took turns resting while protecting the civilians, or hunting the Paeyeong.
Qin Shi Huang sponsored points every time they beat the Paeyeong to death.
It seemed he had once suffered quite a headache because of those creatures.
When the remaining time was down to about a week.
Just as Kaelion formed a 'special task force' with Seol Yeon and others to hunt down the Paeyeong.
And at the same time, just as Jin-hyuk was about to take a rest for the first time in a long while.
"..."
Someone knocked on the door of the chamber where he was staying.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Are you inside?"
Truth-Seeking Eye
He activated Truth-Seeking Eye just in case, but it didn't seem to be a Paeyeong.
"Come in."
Having nothing else to do, Jin-hyuk welcomed the guest.
Creak...
The one who entered was a pretty errand girl who looked to be about fifteen years old.
"What brings you here?"
"..."
The girl stared at Jin-hyuk in silence for a moment, then pulled something out from her robes.
"Is this...?"
It was a white flag.
"We surrender."
Sigh.
"We doppelgangers have lost. We declare our surrender, so please spare us... please..."
The ones in the final trial of the 7th floor were doppelgangers?
Until now, Jin-hyuk had assumed the creatures on the 7th floor were just Paeyeong with special powers.
This is unexpected. I thought they were just shadows with unique abilities.
Doppelgangers.
High-grade monsters made of dark, slime-like mucus.
Essentially, they were monsters that devoured their targets to inherit their abilities and memories.
Of course, there was a significant variance depending on the individual, their innate power, and their age.
However, the trait of stealing and using an opponent's abilities, and growing stronger by devouring even more powerful foes, was an incredibly formidable power regardless of time, place, or the floor of the Tower.
"Why are doppelgangers here?"
"...Because of those bastards."
As if she had done some basic research on Jin-hyuk, the doppelganger in the form of a young girl let out a sigh.
Despite her appearance, her speech was blunt, but Jin-hyuk merely watched her quietly.
"We were just living peacefully, but they locked us all up on the 7th floor just because we were deemed dangerous."
"Are you sure you were living peacefully? Your kind is structured to grow only by devouring others."
"Growth. Growth, you say... We don't really need to do that sort of thing."
The doppelganger grumbled as she sipped her tea, her polite posture contrasting sharply with her tone.
"We're going to die. We're seriously going to die."
Was there some kind of backstory?
Did he read Jin-hyuk's mind?
Or did he suddenly want to explain the history?
Qin Shi Huang began explaining the background without being asked.
"Then why is there a difference between the Green Forest, the Yangtze River Water Faction, the Haomu Clan, and the Assassination Pavilion?"
Although a barrage of complaints from other Constellations followed, Qin Shi Huang continued speaking without paying them any mind.
Thanks to him, Jin-hyuk earned points and obtained information he didn't know, so it wasn't a bad deal for him.
"Son of a... It seems another Constellation who detests us doppelgangers has leaked information again..."
"Do you know such a Constellation?"
"No... there's more than just one or two... From their perspective, it probably looks like we're getting a free ride."
Having finished her tea, the girl let out a sigh toward Jin-hyuk.
"Anyway, please spare us."
"..."
"At this rate, our doppelganger race will go extinct. Yes?"
Indeed.
Jin-hyuk and Kaelion had raided the very place where the 'core' of the doppelgangers was gathered.
From their perspective, if any more powerful doppelgangers died, it would be a disaster big enough to collapse their society.
Is it better to be bound and used in the 7th floor trial than to go extinct?
Although they were special monsters that didn't yield experience points or coins, Jin-hyuk thought to himself:
Doppelgangers would definitely be incredibly useful.
"You."
"...Yes?"
"What are you? The representative of the doppelgangers?"
That was why he felt curious.
What exactly was this entity that even Truth-Seeking Eye couldn't distinguish?
"For now, yes... I was pointlessly born with the power of a Lord, so I'm stuck with this shitty responsibility..."
"A Lord. You're a Lord, then?"
He knew she wouldn't be ordinary, but a Lord?
She was far more useful than he had anticipated.
"If you submit to me, I'll spare you. What do you say?"