Chapter 179: Doppelganger (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179: Doppelganger (4)
Rifts were instance dungeons on each floor, such as the Bloody Citadel and Glacier Cave. A rift had two main characteristics: the drop rate of essences increased exponentially, and a special monster called a guardian gave players special rewards that could not be obtained in normal areas.
"Abman, where is the rift located?"
Mr. Bear closed his eyes to focus his senses before opening them again. "Over there. It doesn't seem far."
In that case...
I smirked. The odds of being able to successfully enter had just increased. It was only thanks to the five Stairways of Wisdom appearing on the first day that we were able to reach floor twenty-seven. It was fifteen minutes to midnight; the seventh day hadn't ended. It was safe to say we had barely any competition since rifts on the fourth floor only formed above the twenty-fifth floor of the Tower. And the portal also happened to be nearby.
"Mr. Yandel, we're going to look for it, right?"
"Of course."
Rifts were the crown jewel of the labyrinth, an opportunity no adventurer would pass up on. Roused from our sleep, we unanimously cleared our campsite and stood in front of the door leading in the direction Abman had pointed to.
Voom!
After waiting a few minutes, the engraving on the stone gate began to glow. That meant that the four-hour wait time was over, and the door was now ready to be opened.
"Ugh, I don't like this..."
"I really hope there won't be hallucinations."
Missha and Mr. Bear, who had previous experience under their belts, groaned as we walked through the door. On the other hand, Raven and Ainar couldn't seem to understand what they were so distressed about.
"I would rather deal with hallucinations. I heard they're not very effective against people with strong willpower."
"Hahaha! Then I will have no problem!"
Come to think of it, this would be the first time these two would ever be dealing with this particular stairway. I was also a little curious. A wizard armed with logic and a fearless barbarian warrior—how would these two react? If I saw how they handled things, I might be able to tell if I was a unique case or not.
[You have chosen the Stairway of Patience.]
A straight corridor about a hundred yards long stretched out ahead of us. As soon as I set foot inside the place, my teammates disappeared, and a new background appeared: the pediatric ward where I spent most of my childhood. The sky beyond the window was clear, and the face of the child lying on the bed was also bright.
It's a visual hallucination.
As I took a step toward the child, my surroundings changed. Beyond the window, the sun had begun to set. In front of the bed, a young college student had pulled up a chair. This was someone I had once trusted more than my parents.
Ha, starting with this again?
I chuckled and took another step forward. Then the conversation between the child andthe student began. As they played games together, the child asked if the student could stay and play a little longer, but the student refused. It could have ended there, but the child was young. As he continued to push, the student's face hardened. Like an explosion, he jumped up from his seat and unleashed a flood of abuse, words that hurt more than any hospital treatment back then ever had.
Step.
I took a step further, letting it flow in one ear and out the other. I was an adult now. The same words didn't hurt me anymore. I didn't point the arrow at myself, either, telling myself that he must have had a bad day that day. It was something that could happen to anyone. It could have been someone's fault, but then again, it could not have been. That was all.
Step.
Inside the car right before the accident; an apartment that was burning red; sitting there left alone at an amusement park; my very first apartment after being hired at my office job... Each time I took a step, my surroundings changed and the cast of characters changed accordingly.
Step.
My mom, dad, uncle, and ex-girlfriend—at each location, a new person appeared and spoke words that left deep scars on me. But, so what?
It's still easy.
I didn't need a hallucination to see these things—they were scenes I could vividly picture in my head. This was nothing new now. Pain came with tolerance.
What is this?
However, when I kept walking, new characters appeared.
"Oh! Ah, you're here too, Bjorrrn?"
"Haha, why are you so late?"
Missha and Dwalkie were smiling at me happily, arm in arm. But despite the warm welcome, their faces contorted grotesquely when I took another step.
"If it weren't for you, everrryone could have been happy."
"Are you happy that you survived instead of me?"
This was a plotline I had often seen in cartoons and movies. Geez, didn't they have anything original?
Yup, it's not my fault. Go complain to god.
Without looking away from them, I continued walking in silence.
"Bjorn, great warrior and son of Yandel!"
"Give me back my friend's body!"
In addition to Ainar, who appeared next, the connections I had formed as Bjorn Yandel appeared one after another and said strange things to me. None of these interactions were based on real memories, but they didn't feel unfamiliar, either. These were all things I'd thought to myself at least once.
Yup, still not working.
I pushed forward without stopping. I didn't cover my ears, or close my eyes.
[You have completed the Ordeal of Patience.]
Soon, the hallucinations were over. I had been in front of the door, but before I knew it, I had reached the end of the hallway, and the stairs were in front of me. The rest of the team was there too.
"B-Bjorrrn...!"
"If you cry again, I'm really going to leave you behind."
"Hnng..."
Turning away from the teary-eyed Missha, I checked on the rest. Mr. Bear had a calm expression on his face. He had an offended look in his eyes, but that was all. Ainar was unexpectedly fine too.
"Are you all right?" I asked her.
"Huh, oh... it just felt kind of unpleasant."
Well, come to think of it, barbarians were all mentally strong since they were a race taught to fight their problems instead of running away from them. So what about a wizard?
Raven was staring out into space with a blank expression on her face. Even from a distance, I could tell that she was trembling like a leaf. What did she see? I was curious but didn't bother to ask. I didn't think she'd answer, anyway.
"It's all over now."
"Oh... yeah. Right..." Raven came to her senses once I approached and patted her on the shoulder. Cold sweat had formed on her forehead.
Step.
Inside the car right before the accident; an apartment that was burning red; sitting there left alone at an amusement park; my very first apartment after being hired at my office job... Each time I took a step, my surroundings changed and the cast of characters changed accordingly.
Step.
My mom, dad, uncle, and ex-girlfriend—at each location, a new person appeared and spoke words that left deep scars on me. But, so what?
It's still easy.
I didn't need a hallucination to see these things—they were scenes I could vividly picture in my head. This was nothing new now. Pain came with tolerance.
What is this?
However, when I kept walking, new characters appeared.
"Oh! Ah, you're here too, Bjorrrn?"
"Haha, why are you so late?"
Missha and Dwalkie were smiling at me happily, arm in arm. But despite the warm welcome, their faces contorted grotesquely when I took another step.
"If it weren't for you, everrryone could have been happy."
"Are you happy that you survived instead of me?"
This was a plotline I had often seen in cartoons and movies. Geez, didn't they have anything original?
Yup, it's not my fault. Go complain to god.
Without looking away from them, I continued walking in silence.
"Bjorn, great warrior and son of Yandel!"
"Give me back my friend's body!"
In addition to Ainar, who appeared next, the connections I had formed as Bjorn Yandel appeared one after another and said strange things to me. None of these interactions were based on real memories, but they didn't feel unfamiliar, either. These were all things I'd thought to myself at least once.
Yup, still not working.
I pushed forward without stopping. I didn't cover my ears, or close my eyes.
[You have completed the Ordeal of Patience.]
Soon, the hallucinations were over. I had been in front of the door, but before I knew it, I had reached the end of the hallway, and the stairs were in front of me. The rest of the team was there too.
"B-Bjorrrn...!"
"If you cry again, I'm really going to leave you behind."
"Hnng..."
Turning away from the teary-eyed Missha, I checked on the rest. Mr. Bear had a calm expression on his face. He had an offended look in his eyes, but that was all. Ainar was unexpectedly fine too.
"Are you all right?" I asked her.
"Huh, oh... it just felt kind of unpleasant."
Well, come to think of it, barbarians were all mentally strong since they were a race taught to fight their problems instead of running away from them. So what about a wizard?
Raven was staring out into space with a blank expression on her face. Even from a distance, I could tell that she was trembling like a leaf. What did she see? I was curious but didn't bother to ask. I didn't think she'd answer, anyway.
"It's all over now."
"Oh... yeah. Right..." Raven came to her senses once I approached and patted her on the shoulder. Cold sweat had formed on her forehead.
"We'll take a break upstairs, so hold on a little longer."
"Okay..."
I consoled my teammates and climbed the stairs. Then we took a ten-minute break. In truth, I avoided choosing the Stairway of Patience for this very reason, even in the game. It drastically cut down on a team's stamina. I hadn't suspected this was the reason, though.
"Abman, where should we go from here?"
"That way."
After the break, the expedition resumed. I had decided that the rift was our top priority right now. We selected the Stairway of Wisdom next and cleared the maze in about two hours. Then came the next stage.
"It's the portal!"
A rift was open in the empty stone chamber. The color of the violently shimmering portal was green.
Doppelganger Forest, huh?
Bloody Citadel, Glacier Cave, and now this—the third rift I would ever explore.
***
[You have entered the fourth-floor rift.]
There were two types of rifts on the fourth floor—the Golden Ruin, where money practically fell into your lap, and Doppelganger Forest.
So it's not Golden Ruin.
Dismissing my disappointment, I called forth our wizard. "Raven."
"Leait."
When the light sphere floated into the air, I could see the new environment that surrounded us. We were locked inside a massive iron cage. Nothing beyond the bars could be seen due to the darkness of the labyrinth.
"Bjorn! What is going on!?"
Um, should I explain?
As I was wondering this, Raven opened her mouth. "Don't be startled. It'll open on its own in time."
"Huh? What do you mean?! Explain!"
"It's because the number of participants hasn't been met yet. Up to three parties can enter this place."
This was how this rift differed from the one on the first floor. Doppelganger Forest could be entered by up to fifteen people through three different portals. If the former was a collaboration between individuals, this was a collaboration between parties.
"Is this place written about in that book too?"
"Yes. We're lucky. I don't know much about the Golden Ruin."
Hmm, since she's read The Complete Book of Rifts, she can take care of the hidden feature... Wait, should I leave everything, including the strategy, to her?
I made a snap judgment. "That's good. Then you can give the orders this time. I will follow them all."
"You mean I should take on the role of leader?"
"Isn't there a proverb about following the wizard in places like this?"
"Heehee, sure. Just leave it to me." With a little flattery, Raven squared her shoulders and declared that she would take on all the troublesome tasks. She was definitely easy to handle, this one.
If there comes a problem, I can step forward then.
As per Rotmiller's advice to hide my uniqueness from my new team as much as possible, I felt a need to be careful. Running wild like I used to in the past was bound to make Raven and Mr. Bear pick up on the fact that something was wrong.
"We'll take a break upstairs, so hold on a little longer."
"Okay..."
I consoled my teammates and climbed the stairs. Then we took a ten-minute break. In truth, I avoided choosing the Stairway of Patience for this very reason, even in the game. It drastically cut down on a team's stamina. I hadn't suspected this was the reason, though.
"Abman, where should we go from here?"
"That way."
After the break, the expedition resumed. I had decided that the rift was our top priority right now. We selected the Stairway of Wisdom next and cleared the maze in about two hours. Then came the next stage.
"It's the portal!"
A rift was open in the empty stone chamber. The color of the violently shimmering portal was green.
Doppelganger Forest, huh?
Bloody Citadel, Glacier Cave, and now this—the third rift I would ever explore.
***
[You have entered the fourth-floor rift.]
There were two types of rifts on the fourth floor—the Golden Ruin, where money practically fell into your lap, and Doppelganger Forest.
So it's not Golden Ruin.
Dismissing my disappointment, I called forth our wizard. "Raven."
"Leait."
When the light sphere floated into the air, I could see the new environment that surrounded us. We were locked inside a massive iron cage. Nothing beyond the bars could be seen due to the darkness of the labyrinth.
"Bjorn! What is going on!?"
Um, should I explain?
As I was wondering this, Raven opened her mouth. "Don't be startled. It'll open on its own in time."
"Huh? What do you mean?! Explain!"
"It's because the number of participants hasn't been met yet. Up to three parties can enter this place."
This was how this rift differed from the one on the first floor. Doppelganger Forest could be entered by up to fifteen people through three different portals. If the former was a collaboration between individuals, this was a collaboration between parties.
"Is this place written about in that book too?"
"Yes. We're lucky. I don't know much about the Golden Ruin."
Hmm, since she's read The Complete Book of Rifts, she can take care of the hidden feature... Wait, should I leave everything, including the strategy, to her?
I made a snap judgment. "That's good. Then you can give the orders this time. I will follow them all."
"You mean I should take on the role of leader?"
"Isn't there a proverb about following the wizard in places like this?"
"Heehee, sure. Just leave it to me." With a little flattery, Raven squared her shoulders and declared that she would take on all the troublesome tasks. She was definitely easy to handle, this one.
If there comes a problem, I can step forward then.
As per Rotmiller's advice to hide my uniqueness from my new team as much as possible, I felt a need to be careful. Running wild like I used to in the past was bound to make Raven and Mr. Bear pick up on the fact that something was wrong.
"Then here are the things you need to be careful of. First, all the monsters we meet here will be doppelgangers..."
After that, Raven's briefing continued. Except for Ainar, everyone listened intently. I already knew all this, but I listened with the thought that there might be parts I didn't know or parts I needed to correct.
After who knows how long of that, I cut her off. "That sounds like enough."
"Pardon? I haven't even told you about the herbs that grow here..."
"You can tell us as we go. Rest comes first."
I stopped Raven's endless infodump in its tracks and we took a break. After the Ordeal of Patience, we had found the rift so soon that we hadn't gotten any sleep. We had to conserve our stamina for the main event.
Honnnk!
Ainar started snoring right away. Missha and Mr. Bear also sat against the iron bars.
And Raven... For some reason, she was chattering next to me. "It's kind of strange. Obtaining the mirror on the first expedition and then reaching a rift on the second..." It seemed that her excitement about entering a rift had not yet faded. "I feel very lucky. I got to go to the Bloody Citadel too."
Ah, so that's how it is?
"Yes, you are completely right."
"...Are you making fun of me?"
"No way."
"Wipe that smile off your face before you say that."
She was too quick for her own good. "Anyway, I'm going to rest, so you should too." I ended the conversation there and closed my eyes.
Time passed before I knew it, and it became the morning of the eighth day. It was just after 7 a.m.; in other words, about five hours since we'd entered the rift.
Clunk!
The tightly sealed iron bars slid up. This meant we were at full capacity.
"Okay then, let's go." When I stepped out of the cage, the quest officially began.
"Leait." Raven increased the number of light spheres to three to ensure she could see. Then, the shape of the cave beyond the darkness became visible.
Ainar cocked her head. "Huh? Didn't you say forest?"
"I thought I explained this earlier."
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't listening at all."
It was such an overly honest answer that Raven couldn't even get angry. "...The forest appears just after this cave. After all the parties that have entered join together in one place."
"I see!"
Raven just clenched her fists and vibrated with annoyance. I felt empathetic for some reason, but right then I was in Normal Barbarian mode, where all I had to do was follow orders. Yes, there needed to be days like this once in a while.
"Mr. Yandel, what kind of life have you been leading?"
"...Let's go."
"Ah, yes. Let's go. We don't have time."
Following Raven's instructions, we moved along the path at a slightly faster pace. The reason for our haste was simple. The first stage of Doppelganger Forest was the Shadow Cave. The layout was such that each team started from a different location and met with the others in the center.
"We have to get to the center as quickly as possible. That way, we can take the rewards from the other routes too. If we're late, it'll be the other way 'round."
Although we'd be fighting the final boss together in the end due to the structure of the rift, until then, this was no different from a competition. Who would get the most? That was up to us.
As we were running through the straight passageway, Mr. Bear suddenly sensed a presence and stopped us. "There's something up ahead!"
After a brief pause, a person emerged from the darkness.
Step.
He had messy brown hair, a bushy beard, a breastplate made of lithinum that covered a muscular body over six and a half feet tall, and even a giant shield and mace.
"It's Bjorn!" Ainar looked between the two of us with obvious confusion.
Raven noticed and snapped, "I already told you it's a doppelganger!"
"D-Doppelganger?!"
"Ugh, honestly! It doesn't matter anymore. Prepare for battle!"
I think this was the first time she'd ever shouted like this. Was there truly no one in the world who could defeat a barbarian with words alone? I was laughing to myself at the thought when the doppelganger dared to call out the name of our ancestral god.
"Behelahhh!"
At the same time, his body inflated like a balloon. We would have to be careful
[The Doppelganger has cast Giantization.]
[The Doppelganger has cast Wild Outburst.]
I was pretty strong.
"Then here are the things you need to be careful of. First, all the monsters we meet here will be doppelgangers..."
After that, Raven's briefing continued. Except for Ainar, everyone listened intently. I already knew all this, but I listened with the thought that there might be parts I didn't know or parts I needed to correct.
After who knows how long of that, I cut her off. "That sounds like enough."
"Pardon? I haven't even told you about the herbs that grow here..."
"You can tell us as we go. Rest comes first."
I stopped Raven's endless infodump in its tracks and we took a break. After the Ordeal of Patience, we had found the rift so soon that we hadn't gotten any sleep. We had to conserve our stamina for the main event.
Honnnk!
Ainar started snoring right away. Missha and Mr. Bear also sat against the iron bars.
And Raven... For some reason, she was chattering next to me. "It's kind of strange. Obtaining the mirror on the first expedition and then reaching a rift on the second..." It seemed that her excitement about entering a rift had not yet faded. "I feel very lucky. I got to go to the Bloody Citadel too."
Ah, so that's how it is?
"Yes, you are completely right."
"...Are you making fun of me?"
"No way."
"Wipe that smile off your face before you say that."
She was too quick for her own good. "Anyway, I'm going to rest, so you should too." I ended the conversation there and closed my eyes.
Time passed before I knew it, and it became the morning of the eighth day. It was just after 7 a.m.; in other words, about five hours since we'd entered the rift.
Clunk!
The tightly sealed iron bars slid up. This meant we were at full capacity.
"Okay then, let's go." When I stepped out of the cage, the quest officially began.
"Leait." Raven increased the number of light spheres to three to ensure she could see. Then, the shape of the cave beyond the darkness became visible.
Ainar cocked her head. "Huh? Didn't you say forest?"
"I thought I explained this earlier."
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't listening at all."
It was such an overly honest answer that Raven couldn't even get angry. "...The forest appears just after this cave. After all the parties that have entered join together in one place."
"I see!"
Raven just clenched her fists and vibrated with annoyance. I felt empathetic for some reason, but right then I was in Normal Barbarian mode, where all I had to do was follow orders. Yes, there needed to be days like this once in a while.
"Mr. Yandel, what kind of life have you been leading?"
"...Let's go."
"Ah, yes. Let's go. We don't have time."
Following Raven's instructions, we moved along the path at a slightly faster pace. The reason for our haste was simple. The first stage of Doppelganger Forest was the Shadow Cave. The layout was such that each team started from a different location and met with the others in the center.
"We have to get to the center as quickly as possible. That way, we can take the rewards from the other routes too. If we're late, it'll be the other way 'round."
Although we'd be fighting the final boss together in the end due to the structure of the rift, until then, this was no different from a competition. Who would get the most? That was up to us.
As we were running through the straight passageway, Mr. Bear suddenly sensed a presence and stopped us. "There's something up ahead!"
After a brief pause, a person emerged from the darkness.
Step.
He had messy brown hair, a bushy beard, a breastplate made of lithinum that covered a muscular body over six and a half feet tall, and even a giant shield and mace.
"It's Bjorn!" Ainar looked between the two of us with obvious confusion.
Raven noticed and snapped, "I already told you it's a doppelganger!"
"D-Doppelganger?!"
"Ugh, honestly! It doesn't matter anymore. Prepare for battle!"
I think this was the first time she'd ever shouted like this. Was there truly no one in the world who could defeat a barbarian with words alone? I was laughing to myself at the thought when the doppelganger dared to call out the name of our ancestral god.
"Behelahhh!"
At the same time, his body inflated like a balloon. We would have to be careful
[The Doppelganger has cast Giantization.]
[The Doppelganger has cast Wild Outburst.]
I was pretty strong.