Chapter 178
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Doppelganger
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A boss called the Doppelganger lurked in the Labyrinth Forest.
Its attack power wasn't particularly strong, but it was a tricky bastard.
‘Of course, that's only for first-timers.’
Ryu Min, however, had faced and slain Doppelgangers countless times.
It was so weak he didn't even need to remember how many he'd killed.
‘A combo of Blood Moon plus Moonlight Slash could take it down easily.’
That said, he had no intention of killing the Doppelganger himself.
“You're the one who has to kill the Doppelganger.”
“M-Me, sir?”
He explained the strategy for dealing with it to Joo Seong-tak, who was following behind him.
It was a simple plan, so even he could nod along easily.
“Got it? Just do exactly as I say, and you'll take it down without a hitch.”
“Yes, sir. Don't worry. I won't let you down, Master.”
“I hope not.”
That was when the first monster appeared in front of Ryu Min.
Squish squish—
It was a Venomous Slime, one of the most common monsters in the Labyrinth Forest.
A sign that they were getting close to the Doppelganger's habitat, too.
“I'll let you have the boss, but I'm taking this one.”
Ryu Min stepped forward with his scythe drawn, not wanting to miss out on even a little experience.
Slash—!
He sliced it in half before it could spray its venom.
But—
Squish squish—
The slime split into two instead.
‘As expected, physical attacks don't work.’
The more you cut them, the more they multiplied—that was slimes for you.
Annoying, but he'd have to use magic.
Crackle crackle—
Scythe in one hand, electricity sparking in the other.
“Fire.”
Zzzzap—!
One slime vaporized instantly from the direct hit.
Immune to physical attacks but vulnerable to magic—that was the slime in a nutshell.
Killing just one brought no messages.
[Venomous Slime defeated!]
[Experience +0.09%]
[Gold +300]
[Points +30]
Only after taking out both did the rewards come in.
‘Splitting into two doesn't double the experience, then.’
If it did, he'd camp in one spot, keep splitting slimes, and farm rewards endlessly.
“Let's go. We're almost there.”
“Yes, Master.”
Even as he killed the slime, Ryu Min occasionally used Clairvoyance to monitor their pursuers.
First up: the Chinese gang.
‘Tracking and detection skills don't work here, so they're panicking.’
Once inside the labyrinth, all connections to the outside world were severed.
Paths twisted, tracking failed, signals lost.
‘Looks like they lost their Korean guide and have no clue where to go.’
If they weren't within five meters of each other, they'd scatter in the blink of an eye.
All paths connected like a cube, so they might meet eventually—but it'd take a while.
‘I need to memorize their position. I'll need the Chinese to help take down the Doppelganger.’
Grinning, Ryu Min switched views.
The Chinese weren't the only ones lost and confused.
Ma Kyung-rok's group was in the same boat.
Ahn Sang-chul looked panicked after entering to track the Black Scythe, only for the signal to cut out.
‘That's why you shouldn't blindly follow strangers into unknown places.’
Satisfied that things were going according to plan, Ryu Min smirked despite the scolding thought.
‘I wonder if Christine's okay?’
She was still waiting in the starting area for her party, unmoving.
Her two followers had grown to ten.
‘She figures more people means safer... Pointless. The cult will just gather equal numbers.’
Switching to Necromancer John Delgado's view confirmed it.
The guy had decided to kill Christine.
‘While she waits for her followers, he's rounding up his own fanatics for a mass ambush.’
That was Ryu Min's cue to step in.
Jumping out now, when it wasn't even dangerous, would just make him look like a lunatic with no justification.
‘Of course, I need to kill the Doppelganger and get out of here first.’
Slimes were appearing less frequently—they were almost there.
The Doppelganger's lair was close.
That's when it happened.
“Is anyone there? Help me, please!”
A frail, feminine voice echoed from beyond the trees.
Heading toward it, they found a woman leaning against a tree, panting.
“Huff... huff... Someone... help... Ah!”
Spotting Ryu Min and Joo Seong-tak, her face lit up.
“I-I'm saved! There are other people here!”
The player-geared woman tried to stand in excitement but groaned and collapsed.
“Ow... Um, excuse me, help me? I can't get up. My ankle...”
“What happened?”
“Slimes attacked me. My foot hurts too much to move.”
A glance showed her ankle swollen blue, like from venom.
“Hmm. Yeah, you can't walk on that.”
“It hurts so much... Sniff.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
Sensing Ryu Min's indifference, urgency flashed across her face.
“P-Please take me out of here. I beg you. I'll do anything. Anything, okay?”
“Anything?”
“Yes! Anything. Um, it's embarrassing to say, but if you need to... relieve some urges, I could...”
“Never mind. Will you hand over all your items?”
“My items? Of course!”
She opened her inventory and pulled out some unique materials and high-grade magic stones.
“Here, take these for now. The rest after you save me. Deal?”
“Fine.”
He said that, but Ryu Min ignored the items entirely.
He just approached her with his scythe.
“What are you—”
Before she could react, he severed her head.
Thud—!
Her shocked expression rolled across the ground.
It was sudden murder, enough to flinch anyone—but Joo Seong-tak stayed calm.
Ryu Min had warned him already.
—The Doppelganger steals the appearance and memories of those it's killed to deceive other humans in the labyrinth. It pretends to be hurt by slimes and asks for help, then possesses and kills them.
Forewarned, Joo Seong-tak had recognized it the moment he saw the woman.
She was the boss: the Doppelganger.
Whoosh—
Her body dissolved into powder and vanished.
The items on the ground disappeared too.
All fake.
Only the player's appearance and memories had been real.
Ooze—
Black smoke rose from where the corpse had been, forming a humanoid shape.
[How did you know? My acting was perfect.]
Ryu Min openly sneered at the monster chattering fluent Korean.
“A monster trying to talk to humans? Ridiculous.”
[Monster? Aren't you humans invading my turf the real monsters?]
“Shut up and come at me, you monster fuck.”
[Such a foul-mouthed human.]
Just then, a quest window popped up in front of Ryu Min.
[Sub Quest – Expose the Doppelganger]
└Condition ▶ Foil the Doppelganger's trap and face its true form
[Sub Quest completed!]
[Points +2,000]
[Sub Quest – Feed the Doppelganger]
└Condition ▶ Watch the Doppelganger kill other prey
└Current Doppelganger prey killed (0/10)
[Sub Quest – Kill the Doppelganger]
└Condition ▶ Kill the Doppelganger yourself
Joo Seong-tak had the quests too, staring into space.
“Joo Seong-tak.”
“Yes?”
“Run.”
With that, Ryu Min bolted.
Recalling the plan, Joo Seong-tak dashed after his master.
[Where do you think you're going, humans!]
The Doppelganger's shadowy form streaked through the air in pursuit.
It mocked them even as it chased their sudden retreat.
[Charging in first, then changing your mind? Where'd that bravado go, human!]
Ryu Min ignored it, focused on running through the labyrinth.
[Stop right there! You think you can escape my domain!]
‘Yeah.’
He wanted to say it but held back.
He'd provoked it enough—now to lure it.
‘Honestly, the Doppelganger's slow. Pathetically so.’
It floated along, but couldn't match a player's sprint.
Shaking it off would be trivial if he tried.
Instead, he tuned his speed to stay just within reach.
He needed to complete the feeding quest.
‘The labyrinth layout shifts soon. Lure it to that section.’
Checking positions, Ryu Min and Joo Seong-tak stopped in front of a tree.
[What's this? Ran like rats, now given up?]
The cackling Doppelganger closed to within five meters.
“Huh?”
“What the—?”
The labyrinth shifted.
And with it—
“Where'd these guys come from?”
New people appeared in the blink of an eye.
The Chinese gang.
Everyone panicked—except the Doppelganger, whose mouth stretched into a grin.
[Oh? What's this feast? Prey multiplying out of nowhere. Heh heh.]
Lured to the Chinese group's spot, the Doppelganger was delighted, as expected.
[Then, bon appétit!]
* * *
Shiz Kang was stunned.
Fine, two Asians popping up out of nowhere—whatever.
The problem was—
“Gah! Save me!”
Crunch—crunch—snap!
His men were dying.
To some unidentified black shadowy monster.
“Sh-Shiz Kang-nim!”
The shadow seeped into one subordinate like absorption, then twisted his body with bone-cracking sounds.
Snap—crack—
“Gaaah! Argh!”
The screams didn't last.
In five seconds, limbs grotesquely bent, the man died—and the shadow slipped out like a soul.
Then latched onto another, twisting limbs 360 degrees.
Crunch—
“Gurk! Ack!”
‘Fucking hell.’
Three men dead in seconds.
The black shadow was obviously the culprit.
‘What the hell is that thing?’
Some ghost that killed people, clearly.
He had to deal with this crisis first.
“What are you idiots standing around for! That's the black shadow—kill it!”
At Shiz Kang's order, his men snapped to and aimed swords at the possessed subordinate.
But—
“G-Guys! Why! It's me, me! Chen Fu!”
They hesitated at their comrade waving them off in familiar Chinese.
That brief pause decided life and death—unknown to them.
Stab—! Stab—!
“Gahk...”
“Guh...!”
Chen Fu, stabbing his allies without mercy, now grinned wickedly.
“Heh heh, you morons. Falling for such a simple act. Humans are all pathetic weaklings.”
“W-What the hell is that guy?”
“It was a monster?”
“Die, monster!”
Swords pierced the revealed Chen Fu, skewering him—but the Doppelganger didn't die, jumping to another body.
“Hee hee, kill me? Give it a shot.”
It kept body-hopping, slaughtering subordinates, turning Shiz Kang's face pale.
‘How do you kill something like that? No damage at all!’
Judging no chance of victory, as Shiz Kang turned to flee—
“Where do you think you're going?”
Ryu Min blocked him, scythe in hand.
“Who the hell are you! Get out of my way!”
“Weren't you looking for me?”
“Who are you, punk!”
“Can't you tell?”
Ryu Min shook the scythe slung over his shoulder and smiled.
“It's me. Black Scythe.”