The Doppelganger Trap
Before PSG split into groups of two and four to face us, the me who had transformed into an identical copy of Lee Chang-hyun spoke to Kim Do-jun.
"I'll leave that side to you. Honestly, I don't expect you to win—just grab their ankles and hold on as long as you can."
"Grab ankles? You didn't see my performance in this match?"
Yeah, he'd chewed me out earlier in the game, but honestly, I thought I'd done amazingly. I'd thrown the enemy into total chaos and landed some serious hits. Plus, that wildcard wasn't over yet—the two of us splitting up to fight would benefit both sides, so maybe I'd snag MVP this match.
Man, it's been forever since my last MVP...
Imagining myself strutting through a confident post-game interview already had my chest swelling with pride. After dropping an impact like that mid-match, Chang-hyun hyung would never bench me again. That thought crossed my mind too.
"Trust me on this. I'll slaughter the rest of those PSG punks for you."
"...Fine, go for it. But if it looks bad, focus on running or stalling. No matter who they are, they won't be pushovers."
With those final words, PER split into groups of two and four, charging toward the enemy.
It wasn't long before we found our foes in the corridors of the Palace of Illusions.
"Ah... damn, small fry after all."
It wasn't the side with PSG's ace, the infamous Han Ji-hu. Beating that guy would've all but locked in MVP. Disappointing, but what could I do?
Guess this body's gonna have to yield the spotlight.
With that thought, I charged at the PSG players. Me and Yi Gil-han up front. Yi Yeon-ju hiding for support. And Han Ji-su handling rear guard and backup.
Shwick! Swish!
The PSG guys, of course, were still wary of that sonic boom from before—they just dodged, refusing to block.
Even with earplugs, they're dodging instead of blocking. Smart choice. Fun.
Whoever this PSG dude was, he seemed to know earplugs alone couldn't fully block the amplified sound. But so what? That didn't change the fact they couldn't block my sword, Kim Do-jun's blade!
"I'll herd 'em with my sword, so hold off on skills, Yeon-ju—just cover. The rest of you, pick off the ones I push."
Sure enough, the effect was just as I'd pictured. My sword parted them like Moses' staff splitting the Red Sea—nothing could stand in its way. No one could block a quicksword user's blade. Was there anything more thrilling?
Push them hard enough, and a fatal opening always comes. Right on cue, the PSG guy I'd been herding tripped into Yi Gil-han's and Han Ji-su's coverage, ripe for the slash.
"Ah... ack! Do-jun!"
"...?"
One more cut and he'd be down. Why the panic? The motion was unstoppable anyway, so I swung.
But that instant—
Barrier?
Yi Gil-han, who'd rushed in to restrain the enemy. Me, about to finish him. Even the PSG player himself— all trapped in a barrier.
Incomprehensible. But time marched on mockingly, and I slashed anyway.
Yet...
He's smiling?
We'd barely done anything, and he was grinning as he died...? That was the last sight of that match.
The PSG player's mana bomber, clutched tight even in death, detonated with a deafening roar.
BOOM!
KABOOM! RUMBLE-RUMBLE-BOOM!
"Hey! Kim Do-jun! Yi Gil-han!! You fuck—"
Han Ji-su's voice? Sound faded into the distance.
[Caster]: Ahh... PER!! Lee Chang-hyun's side holds the advantage, but the main squad's taken a massive hit!
[Commentator]: This puts the match in jeopardy... Even if Han Ji-hu is PSG's captain and ace, they've got plenty of other heavy hitters with real substance.
Lee Gyu-jin, who just trapped and exploded Kim Do-jun and Yi Gil-han with that barrier play. Oh Si-hwan, famous for his flashy personal skills. And the rest, renowned for their sharp cover plays...
The broadcast team, watching from afar, unleashed a barrage of grim predictions for PER. It was only natural.
PER's main squad—Kim Do-jun and Yi Gil-han blasted at once. Han Ji-su caught in Lee Gyu-jin's clever play. Yi Yeon-ju barely escaped. Now it was 3 vs. 4. And with Yi Yeon-ju's only option being hide-and-run, her capture was inevitable—effectively 2 vs. 5.
In this textbook endgame, as the observer captured the 2-vs-5 showdown brewing, it spotlighted something unexpected.
[Caster]: Whew... With Yi Yeon-ju down too, PER's left with Yoon Han-gyeol and Lee Chang-hyun. Those two against PSG's five... If they'd taken out Oh Si-hwan quickly after Han Ji-hu via pincer, maybe they'd have a shot. Things look hopeless for PER now, right? ...Wait, what's the observer zooming in on? Doppelgangers...?
On screen, the one or two doppelgangers had multiplied steadily to around seven now—PER and PSG had dodged them in combat, but the map kept spawning more.
[Commentator]: Yes, exactly. The gimmick that took out Ryu Jae-jun earlier as a wildcard for PER. The long match let them build up like this.
[Caster]: Oh... so the observer highlighting it means PER's got a reversal play with these doppelgangers?
[Commentator]: This map has a special gimmick at seven doppelgangers... You'll see it soon enough. Won't make PER favored, though. It'll just reveal another reason so many hunters died in this Palace of Illusions back in the day.
The commentator gave a wry smile. One thing was clear: PER was overwhelmingly disadvantaged, but the dragged-out match was shifting phases again.
"Can't... hold out... much... longer..."
Over the earpiece, Yi Yeon-ju gasped out the words, her breath too ragged for more.
Still, surviving alone this long is impressive.
We'd learned PER's main squad was wiped thanks to her, so she'd done her job.
Her comms cut right after.
"Yeon-ju's out too?"
Yoon Han-gyeol asked darkly.
"Yeah."
"Ugh... If I'd focused more and grabbed that guy's ankle, we could've made it 2-vs-3..."
Yoon Han-gyeol was beating himself up over letting Oh Si-hwan slip earlier.
But without Han Ji-su or Yi Yeon-ju, catching an enemy with [Swiftness] ain't easy.
"No need to blame yourself. Wasn't your fault."
"...Right. Not the time. See any way out?"
Hmm... A turnaround for this match. PSG's Han Ji-hu was a powerhouse, but the rest were no slouches either—like how Kim Do-jun's side got smoked without a fight. Straight-up 2-vs-4? No chance. That's why Yoon Han-gyeol kept asking.
"A way? Nothin' fancy. Dodge everything, hit everything—win."
"Ooh? For real? Got some new tech prepped?"
Yoon Han-gyeol's eyes sparkled. I'd thought before—he idolizes me way too much. New stuff already used up this match, and now a miracle tech for 2-vs-4? Only Bloom opening up, really. That'd bump me to top First Division league stats. But no plans for that. Instead...
"Not new tech, but one last hope."
"What's that?"
"Hunters League has a few maps without time limits."
"And?"
"This Palace of Illusions is one. Know why no time limit?"
No need to think. Obvious.
"Cuz turtling forever's impossible anyway."
Now, the long PER vs. PSG slog reaches its finale.
"Huff... huff..."
"What, Oh Si-hwan? All that big talk, and now you're running after getting plucked?"
"Hah... You guys had easy marks—that's why you won. And hey? Loss is on Han Ji-hu, not me."
"Love seein' you eat shit. Been a while. Looks good on ya~."
"Enough chit-chat. This match is dragging—end it quick. 2-vs-4? Crush 'em head-on."
Yeah. This marathon match was finally closing.
After this, a word to Han Ji-hu. His stuck-up attitude grated.
"Fleein' 9 o'clock direction. Chase, finish, hit drinks. Second Division undefeated streak, right?"
"Do what you want."
With their support still alive, PSG closed in fast—PER players in sight.
"Game's over anyway, so why run? So pathetically. At least charge and die heroic."
Couldn't help saying it to the PER guys.
"Tirin' us out on purpose? Or some 'win with spirit' old-school crap?"
"......"
No reply. Whatever. Wasn't expecting one.
"Kids, let's wrap it."
"Yes, sunbae!"
Oh Si-hwan lunged. I focused, barrier and air beats ready to support. Quick and clean.
But that moment—
That guy. Lee Chang-hyun transformed his sword into a cannon-like barrel, aiming... not at us.
Above...?
Kick up dust, buy escape time? Sneaky. I chuckled.
But soon, it wasn't that.
From the crumbled wall behind them. And behind our team—doppelgangers emerged.
How many...?
Trajectories seemed off—they'd lured a tail of aggro.
Still didn't explain it. Doppelgangers'd just chaos everything, hurting the outnumbered side more.
As I geared for combat—
"Uh..."
My body felt... wrong.