Chapter 225
Chapter 225
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Night Doppelganger Hunt
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The arena in Wigen, the research city where the Sacred Warrior Games trials were taking place.
Werner, a spy for Jaun who was also posing as a Wigen researcher, was on a call with someone.
“We almost had a disaster there.”
[Exactly. I never thought Daria would break that easily...]
A voice laced with anxiety came through the communication magic tool.
The owner of that voice was Natasha, a core member of Jaun, the worst terrorist organization.
Jaun had watched the Sacred Warrior Games trial, which was broadcast live worldwide, for the sake of an operation they had prepared long ago.
But just now.
Everything they had prepared up until that point had nearly gone down the drain.
Because of Daria’s defeat.
“The kid who fought Daria... Kim Sun-woo, right?”
[Yeah. Bert’s been interested in him for a while, and now I get why. His performance during the Disease Beast incident was something else too.]
At Natasha’s words, Werner fell deep into thought.
Kim Sun-woo.
The name of the student he had encountered in the hotel basement last night.
In truth, Werner hadn’t known much about Kim Sun-woo because he had been focused on his research at Wigen.
He had just thought of him as one of the talented young students participating in the Sacred Warrior Games.
But after witnessing his performance today firsthand, he realized he wasn’t just a talented student.
There was something hidden about him.
“...By the way, why did that Kim Sun-woo kid let Daria live?”
Werner recalled the battle between Kim Sun-woo and Daria.
Kim Sun-woo had demonstrated overwhelming combat ability and emerged victorious against Daria.
Of course, there was a year’s worth of experience difference between them, but even accounting for that, the gap was enormous.
That alone was astonishing, but for some reason, Kim Sun-woo hadn’t eliminated Daria.
Why on earth?
[I don’t know. Could be simple pity, or maybe some other special reason. Let’s think positively for now. Thanks to that, our mission didn’t end in failure, right?]
“That’s true, but... something feels off. I have a bad feeling this might mess up the plan.”
[Then you need to intervene properly from now on. You’re a special trial proctor for the Sacred Warrior Games, after all.]
Werner let out a smirk at those words.
“Yeah, I’ll secretly interfere in the trial and pick off the dangerous ones one by one.”
[Still, be careful. You know it’s being broadcast live in real time, right? The worst thing for us would be if the Games get canceled.]
“Don’t worry. I’m confident I can pull it off.”
Werner spoke in a voice full of confidence.
[Good. Oh, right. Don’t you have work to do now? I’ll let you go.]
“Yeah, say hi to the others for me.”
[Sure. Good luck.]
Click.
The call ended.
Werner stared blankly at the screen of the communication magic tool for a moment before shifting his gaze to the massive screen in the arena broadcasting the trial.
The surviving students who had completed the first trial were heading to the “Mansion of the Intermediate Zone” for a break.
Werner scanned the faces of the students he had marked in advance.
Daria, Lee Seo-jun, Luke, Lily Rose, Yang Ying, Yoo Ah-ra...
And Kim Sun-woo.
Werner tore his eyes from the screen and walked toward the facility of the “Demon of Observation.”
Upon arrival, Wigen’s security team leader, James, greeted him.
“Mr. Werner, you’re a bit late.”
“Sorry about that. I had an important call. Haha.”
James shook his head as Werner made an apologetic gesture.
“No problem. We still have time before the next trial.”
“Shall we go in then, Special Proctor James?”
James nodded.
“Yes, let’s.”
The two stepped into the portal installed in front of the Demon of Observation.
The first break time after the Sacred Warrior Games trial ended.
I lay on the bed inside Room [21], deeply pondering the events to come.
“...I wonder what the next trial will be like.”
According to the original plot, a “minor incident” would occur in the upcoming trial.
It was the incident where “Werner,” participating as a special trial proctor for the Sacred Warrior Games, secretly interferes in the trial.
The reason Werner does this is simple.
What Jaun wants is in the “Final Exam Hall,” a space created by a flaw in the Demon of Observation.
But Daria’s current strength wasn’t enough to reach the Final Exam Hall.
There were at least six participants in the Sacred Warrior Games who surpassed her.
Worried about that, Jaun devised a very covert plan to eliminate Daria’s rivals one by one.
And the first target Werner goes after is...
Yang Ying, the top student from the Chinese Magic Academy.
She would be the first to be eliminated due to Werner’s interference in the next trial.
In the following trial, Luke; then Lily Rose and Lee Seo-jun would be targeted.
This is all according to the original flow.
I couldn’t know what changes my intervention might have caused.
...It’s possible I could be Werner’s first target.
“If he comes after me first, that’ll be a hassle.”
My combat ability had improved a lot over the past year, but it still wasn’t enough to face an S-Rank wizard.
In times like this, using points is the right answer.
I activated the Outsider’s Benefit.
［Held Points: 94,500］
“Wow. I’ve saved up a lot of points.”
100,000 points were already within reach.
Well, I’ve been through countless incidents since buying ［Mana Storm］, so it makes sense.
Final exams and 5th overall grade, ruin team battle, Disease Beast subjugation... and many other things.
“If I save a bit more, I can buy an S-Rank trait.”
...But now’s not the time to buy traits.
I’ve reached an important branching point right now.
With the world changing infinitely, I don’t know what will happen next, so if I’m going to use points, I need a clear purpose.
The point shop doesn’t just sell traits, skills, and items.
There are also consumable ［Special］ abilities obtainable only through the Outsider’s Benefit.
For getting through crises right now, it might be wiser to actively use ［Special］ effects.
Buying an S-Rank trait wouldn’t guarantee victory over Werner anyway.
Just in case, let’s window-shop a bit.
I browsed the point shop.
［Special］ Advanced Mana Amplifier (Upper)??) Description: Upon consumption, all stats increase by 1.5 times.
* Duration: 30 minutes
Price: 30,000
A 1.5 times boost to all stats?
That’s pretty tempting.
With that level of boost, I wouldn’t be at a huge disadvantage even against an S-Rank wizard.
But it’s not permanent, just a 30-minute temporary boost, so 30,000 points feels too expensive.
I’ll save this for... later.
For really dire situations.
I checked the next ability.
［Special］ Returner’s Secret Scroll（으??）
Description: Designate current location. Use mana to teleport to the saved spot.
* Uses: 1
Price: 100,000
“Oh...”
This looks good too.
Not great for combat, but top-tier for escape.
A bit pricey, but if I think of it as the price of my life, it’s not that bad.
Still, I don’t want to buy it now just for escape. I still have some pride.
Let’s look around more.
...That’s when I’d been window-shopping for a while.
[The break time has ended.]
[Second trial begins in 30 minutes.]
[All students, please gather in the auditorium in the mansion basement for rule explanations.]
The voice announcing the end of the Sacred Warrior Games break time rang out.
“...Huh? What? Already over?”
I hadn’t even properly checked yet.
“Tch.”
It was disappointing, but opportunities would come again.
I got up from the bed.
Thinking that the trial full of schemes and plots was about to begin in earnest made me tense for no reason.
“Whew.”
But I exhaled deeply, shaking off all my worries.
I arrived at the auditorium in the mansion basement, the promised location.
A circular table and a podium at the front for lectures.
The auditorium was shaped like a school lecture hall.
With the number of students reduced to 35 after the first trial, there were empty seats scattered around.
As I sat at a desk, bored and waiting, Choi Seo-yoon, sitting next to me, yawned sleepily.
“Yawn... Ugh... I’m tired.”
Then our eyes met.
She gave an awkward smile, a bit embarrassed.
“Sunbae-nim, my eyes aren’t a little puffy, are they?”
“Uh... a bit?”
Choi Seo-yoon gave another embarrassed smile.
It looked like she had taken a nap during the break.
No need to be embarrassed about that.
A little puffiness doesn’t ruin that beauty.
“Don’t worry about it. Everyone took a nap and looks the same. Yoo Ah-ra over there too.”
At that, Yoo Ah-ra, with a tired face, whipped her head toward me.
“...Did you just call me?”
Yoo Ah-ra asked again, as if she hadn’t heard what I said.
I shook my head as if it was nothing.
“Nah, nothing.”
“...What? Now I’m curious.”
“Really, it’s nothing.”
“Hmm...”
Yoo Ah-ra nodded and leaned back in her chair.
Choi Seo-yoon watched her and smiled faintly.
“But sunbae-nim didn’t sleep?”
“Nah, couldn’t sleep.”
“Really? What were you doing all this time?”
“Hmm, well...”
Right then, the door next to the podium swung open, and three people entered.
All eyes turned to them at once. I scrutinized their faces carefully.
Two were faces I already knew.
One was Werner, the spy for Jaun who could be called the black幕 of the Sacred Warrior Games episode.
The other was James, the security team leader who had escorted us on the first day.
Finally, there was a white-haired woman in her thirties whose face I didn’t know.
I immediately figured out who she was.
The woman spoke to us from the podium.
“Nice to meet you all, Sacred Warrior Games participants. I am the ‘Apostle of Observation,’ chief supervisor for the upcoming trials. Feel free to call me Chief Supervisor or Apostle of Observation.”
“...Apostle of Observation?”
Everyone reacted with puzzlement at the unusual name.
The Apostle of Observation scanned us with emotionless eyes before speaking again.
“I see many of you are puzzled by my name. Simply put, think of me as the ‘Manifestation of Will’ created by the ‘Demon of Observation,’ which generates and maintains this world, borrowing the power of mystery.”
“...Manifestation of Will? What does that mean?”
“Whoa, so like artificial intelligence?”
Hearing someone’s mutter, the Apostle of Observation gave a small smile.
“Not pure AI since it borrows the power of mystery, but you can understand it that way.”
The Apostle of Observation turned her gaze to Werner and James behind her.
“These two are special proctors to monitor any cheating or irregularities during the Sacred Warrior Games.”
Some students who recognized Werner and James clapped as if greeting acquaintances.
Werner and James lightly greeted the students back in response to their welcome.
“Now, I will explain the rules of the second Sacred Warrior Games trial.”
Gulp.
Someone swallowed audibly.
“The second trial is ‘Night Doppelganger Hunt.’”
In pitch-black darkness where nothing was visible.
As soon as the trial rules explanation ended, the location changed in the blink of an eye.
I slowly looked around the changed scenery.
It was pitch-black darkness where nothing was visible, but thanks to the ‘Evolution and Adaptation’ trait, I could see clearly.
Massive rocks and trees.
A chilling wind blowing.
A small moon peeking through the clouds.
It was a forest.
It looked somewhat like a jungle at first glance.
As I was lost in appreciation of the natural scenery.
[The second Sacred Warrior Games trial, ‘Night Doppelganger Hunt,’ now begins.]
The will announcing the start of the trial rang out.
“Whew.”
I took a deep breath, inhaling the natural air. Even though it was a virtual world, the fresh air felt real enough to believe it.
I regulated my mana and sensed the surroundings.
‘Night Doppelganger Hunt’ is a trial to hunt monsters called ‘doppelgangers,’ as the name suggests.
Doppelgangers are monsters that copy a person’s appearance upon seeing them, but not just appearance—they can copy parts of their abilities and even some personality traits.
Of course, doppelgangers don’t exist in reality.
They’re ‘virtual monsters’ that exist only through spells in this virtual world.
“Hmm. Anyway, I have to survive here for 5 hours...
That’s the dilemma—how to stay alive.
Normally, I’d be thinking about how to earn points rather than just surviving, but Werner’s interference is bothering me.
I opened my smart student notebook and checked the trial rules.
Doppelganger kill: 100 points.
Enemy team member kill: 200 points.
Doppelganger disguised as teammate kill: 300 points.
These points reflect individual and team scores, so I need to earn at least the minimum.
As various worries swirled in my head.
Rustle rustle—along with the sound, noise came from nearby bushes.
I concealed my presence as much as possible and looked in that direction.
Soon, a familiar face emerged from there.
“Kim Sun-woo?”
It was Yoo Ah-ra.
“What a coincidence, meeting here.”
I looked at Yoo Ah-ra without answering. Then I used Character Insight.
“...Amazing. It even copies this.”
Nothing showed up on the Yoo Ah-ra in front of me.
On a high ground overlooking the massive rock where the second trial venue was clearly visible.
In a camera blind spot from the live broadcast, Werner looked down at the second Sacred Warrior Games trial site.
“...Let’s see.”
Lee Seo-jun is wandering alone over there...
Daria is fighting a doppelganger to the right.
Yang Ying is... fighting another team’s student.
“...Where’s that kid?”
Werner kept scanning the surroundings, searching for someone.
There were only 35 students, but with doppelgangers mixed in and the terrain so vast, it wasn’t easy to find them.
About 5 minutes passed like that.
Finally, Werner found the person he wanted.
It was Kim Sun-woo, locked in battle with Yoo Ah-ra’s doppelganger.
Werner quietly watched the fight.
Even though it was a doppelganger, it was Yoo Ah-ra’s, known as the second most talented after Lee Seo-jun.
That alone made it no easy opponent, but Kim Sun-woo displayed unbelievably outstanding skill, handling the doppelganger with ease.
“Oho. Impressive.”
In the end, the battle ended in Kim Sun-woo’s clean victory.
Watching him, Werner smiled.
“I want to kill him quick.”
That’s when it happened. Kim Sun-woo flinched and whipped his head around.
Soon, Kim Sun-woo’s gaze turned toward Werner.
And about 0.3 seconds later, Kim Sun-woo casually looked away elsewhere, as if by coincidence.
Cold sweat dripped down Werner’s back.
“...What was that? Did he sense killing intent just now?”
...Must be my imagination.
No animal could sense killing intent from this distance.
Thinking that, Werner destroyed the ［Doppelganger Heart］ he held in his hand.
Mana began to pour out from the destroyed heart.
Soon, the mana from the heart transformed Werner’s body.
After 30 seconds passed.
Werner looked at himself in the mirror.
In the mirror, Lee Seo-jun was smiling.