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＜ 17. The difference between you and me (6) ＞
Kang !
“ Ugh !”
Marco, who was about to strike the hammer, received a heavy shock from his side. Marco falls sideways in the wind. The hammer failed to hit Andrea and only hit the hard floor .
Marco quickly fixed his hammer again and got himself up. When I looked up, Trisha was standing next to me. It seemed that the reason Marco fell was because of her .
As soon as Trisha saw that Andrea was in danger, she used ‘blink shot’ in this direction. If she hadn’t moved here and kicked Marco at once, the real Andrea would have been crushed .
Tricia yells at Marco in an excited voice .
“ What are you doing, Marco! The person Marco was trying to bring down is the real Andrea !”
“… what ?”
“ This sleeve !”
Tricia raised her torn sleeve .
“ Not those doppelgangers, but the real members of our party have their sleeves ripped like this! You have to tell them apart !”
It was a logical persuasion that made no sense at all. Marco was summoned after the party asked to tear off his sleeves to distinguish him from his doppelganger. Now, from Marco’s point of view, you can never tell who is fake and who is real by whether or not their sleeves are torn .
On the other hand, that doppelganger told Marco what happened outside the dungeon. This was a method Andrea had used before to tell the difference, so there was still a high probability that the other side was real .
However, humans have intuitions that cannot be explained logically. Marco could sense the sincerity in Trisha’s eyes .
He had nothing to say if he thought his doppelgänger could fake it, but since he was Trisha, Marco was shaken. He couldn’t hide his confused feelings as he alternated between his doppelganger and the real Andrea .
But there the doppelganger made a big mistake. As soon as he heard Trisha’s words, he let out a ‘chit’ sound as if he was embarrassed and tore his sleeves .
It was just a mistake, but even a doppelganger is not an idiot, so as soon as I tore it up, I wanted to oops, but it was already too late. Trisha pointed at Andrea’s doppelganger and said to Marco .
“ Look, me, that dog! You’re ripping your sleeves to confuse me! If it’s the real Andrea and not a doppelganger, then there’s no reason to do that !”
If you can’t tell the difference between real and fake, which one is better? Since doppelgangers share a mind, they can recognize each other, so it goes without saying that the doppelganger is advantageous .
Of course, Marco didn’t know that detailed information. However, it was clear that his actions were extremely suspicious. The doppelganger’s flustered and flustered attitude is also .
Marco aims his hammer at his doppelganger. The realization of what mistake he had almost made made his mind giddy .
“ Thank you, Trisha. I almost made a big mistake …”
“… no. To be honest… I thought it was a bit forced, but I’m glad the other side confessed on their own .”
Andrea’s doppelganger bit her lip. It was almost the end of it, but I couldn’t help but boil in my stomach when things turned out like this .
The doppelganger decided to give up the belated persuasion. Instead, while the effect of the shadow imprint remained, he decided to quickly crush the real Marco and summon the fake Marco to put an end to Andrea’s party .
“… Now that the situation has turned out like this, I’ll finish it in one go .”
A gauntlet of black flame stretched out toward Marco. Marco swung his hammer low and obliquely to keep the doppelganger in check. The doppelganger leaped lightly to avoid it, and delivered a heavy blow to Marco’s silver armor .
Kwa-ang !
Marco rolls out and falls. The chest of the silver armor was distorted like crumpled paper. There was a shock that made it hard to breathe for a moment, but I quickly got up from the floor and ran towards the doppelganger .
Meanwhile, Andrea was still unable to get up. The pain didn’t subside even after time passed, and he even started to vomit blood. Surprised, Trisha used ‘swift movements’ and brought Andrea behind the barrier to avoid the doppelganger’s arrow .
After that, the role of supporting fire so that Marco will not be pushed back in the fight. Andrea’s treatment was Emilia’s responsibility .
“ Advanced healing !”
It was very fortunate for Andrea. This turn, Emilia’s hand had “Advanced Healing” in it. A recovery card with powerful performance that can heal even if the internal organs are completely torn as long as life is attached .
As Emilia waved her staff in the air, a cloud of pure white light suddenly poured from the air. Particles of brilliant light circling around Andrea .
I was wrapped up in a strange feeling that my stomach was gurgling and the bones and contents that had been crushed were restored. Fortunately, the pain subsided, so I just endured it. Andrea finally regained her senses and looked at Emilia .
“ Phew… thank you. Priest .”
“ Are you okay? Do you have any uncomfortable places ?”
“ Yes, there is nothing uncomfortable about it, and I just had a thought while receiving healing .”
“… which one ?”
“ As long as there is a priest over there, there would be no point in inflicting a fatal wound on the doppelganger .”
Emilia’s face turned into tears. It’s a monster that’s not easy to beat by nature, but it felt like the difficulty was raised even more because of me .
“ I’m sorry. If it wasn’t for me …”
“… If it wasn’t for the priest, I would have already died. That’s not the point, it means that you should prioritize dealing with the priest’s doppelganger .”
Whether in a game or in real life, it is only natural that the battle becomes easier when the healer is eliminated first. Trisha knew that too and was looking for an opportunity to shoot Trisha’s doppelganger, but was unable to do anything because she hid behind a barrier and was unable to move .
However, Trisha noticed something in the fact that Andrea said something new .
“… you mean there’s a way to deal with it ?”
Andrea nodded confidently. He already had a certain card in his hand .
“ Of course. Originally, it was difficult, but now I think it’s possible because Marco-san draws attention. Not only that, but… I even came up with a way to win with certainty.”
Trisha tilted her head slightly. Instead of answering the question, Andrea immediately used the card. Then, the body sank into the shadows, and within a short time, Andrea was completely invisible .
In the meantime, Marco felt that confronting his doppelganger was getting more and more difficult. The effect of the shadow imprint has ended, but my body has become dull because I have been beaten so much in the meantime .
‘ To make a weapon bigger, it has to come at least a little at the end …’
The doppelganger’s onslaught didn’t even give Marco a chance to power his weapon. Also, even if you use ‘Gigantic Weapon’, it doesn’t seem like you can turn the situation around .
‘ Gigantic Weapon’ is a technique that focuses only on long range and devastating destructive power rather than meticulous exchange and defense. It was a skill that was not particularly useful against a doppelganger who persistently dug in to cover a short reach .
Even the doppelganger’s skill in using ‘counterattack’ was gradually becoming more sophisticated. Marco realizes that the more time he takes, the more he will be at a disadvantage, so he aims for the head and strikes a decisive blow. However, the doppelgänger parryed lightly and hit Marco with an uppercut .
burst !
Marco slumps down. Her eyes flashed bright red, and she lost consciousness. No matter how much he wore a helmet, he couldn’t withstand such a fatal blow .
The doppelganger squirted Marco’s face once more, then looked back triumphantly. Having sorted out the trickiest enemies, I was convinced that victory was just around the corner .
Time to organize the rest of the party. The doppelganger took a step towards the barrier where Trisha and Emilia were hiding .
“ Wait. Let me see first .”
However, a voice that sounds unreasonable. When I turned my head, Andrea was walking out of the barrier where the other doppelgangers were hiding .
The doppelganger was startled and tried to share his mind with the rest, but only a weak signal came back from Tricia’s doppelganger. It was clear that one had been killed and the other had been subdued .
Black flames were ejected from ‘Nara’s grip’ as if he used the shadow imprint when killing him. Andrea untied her hand and provoked her doppelganger .
“ You didn’t even know that the headquarters was being robbed, and you were proud that you only defeated one man ?”
Pudeuk, a tooth-grinding doppelganger. After confirming even a weak signal, it appeared that the attack was carried out by hiding with ‘Shadow Concealment’. If he had watched, he would have been able to see through the secret and share his mind with the grace of the shadow god, but he couldn’t because he was distracted by Marco .
But it didn’t matter. This is because there is still a trump card left. The doppelganger smiled and drew a card. Due to the order of the remaining cards, it was inevitable that this card would appear on this side as well .
Soon after, fake Marco appears above the green summoning circle. Even his facial expression was covered by the mask, so he looked no different from the real Marco. The doppelganger gave instructions in a calm voice .
“ Use the ‘Gigantic Weapon’ right away. I’m going to break the first blow so that he can’t do any more tricks .”
Fake Marco didn’t answer and immediately carried out the instructions. The moment the power was infused, the earth crusher’s hammer revealed its mighty majesty. It looks like it could easily break down a low mountain .
However, as the hammer fell toward her, Andrea just watched. A
knowing smile
The moment I saw that expression, the doppelganger’s confidence turned into anxiety .
Andrea doesn’t make that expression of disbelief. Now that he has become his alter ego, he could definitely intuit his doppelganger. Ironically, that conviction was the same as the previous doppelganger’s .
I’m pretty sure it’s not going to happen .
Yea- oh !
Kwagwagwang !
It was an unbelievable sight to see with my own eyes. Andrea stretched out her fist, causing a shockwave that shattered the hammer’s head .
Andrea, who pierced the giant bottle with one punch, quickly closed the distance and swung her fist at the fake Marco .
Whoa- oh !
The doppelganger could vividly feel the destructive power. It was far behind, and it was about that much, so there was no need to talk about what happened to the fake Marco who was hit directly. The silver armor was crushed like a trampled can, and blood spattered like a fountain .
A doppelganger looking at Andrea in contemplation. His eyes were filled with an indelible sense of bewilderment and doubt .
“ What, what is… Wealth, fortitude? No, I wouldn’t be able to use that much strength right now… What, what the hell did you do ?”
“… Do you know the difference between you and me ?”
Andrea faces her doppelganger with a fierce gaze. When there was no answer, he continued talking alone .
“It’s an ‘ experience’. Equipment and cards, even if you copy your memories, you can’t copy the experience you’ve built up. The conditions are the same, so there is no room for excuses .”
Andrea deliberately killed Tricia’s half-doppelganger, and put the ‘Eternal Training Ring’ on her hand .
Monsters cannot be equipped with Challenger’s equipment. However, doppelgangers are the only exception. In the first place, it was a monster that copied the challenger’s appearance and appeared with the same equipment. Even in the game, if you scatter equipment on the floor, there are cases where the doppelganger picks it up and mounts it .
This information does not help much in the capture of the doppelganger. In general, if the enemy equipping things made things worse, they made it worse, and there’s no way they’d help .
But Andrea went further than that. What if you forcibly equip the doppelganger with a cursed device that gives an advantage to the enemy? And then make it unconscious so that it cannot be disarmed ?
‘[ Epic] Ring of Eternal Training:
A ring containing the wish of a warrior who wanted to become stronger than anyone else. (Acquired EXP increased by 100%) ＜Curse: Enemies’ stats increased by 50% ＞’
The result was like this. Andrea, whose all stats increased by 50%, had a strength close to 350. In addition, considering the special effect triggered by the shadow imprint, the destructive power is close to that .
It was a level that was full of kicks to crush the enemy .
As I stretched out my fist at my doppelganger, the air distorted and all my power gathered into one point .
A rushing fist that draws a thick straight line, the essence of a shadow that draws a tail like a comet. The moment the condensed energy reached the doppelganger, a fierce explosion occurred at the point of impact, and sparks flew like a black flower in full bloom .
Whoa- oh !
aaang !
The doppelganger was slammed into the wall in the blink of an eye. In the aftermath, the wall sank as if it had been hit by a battering ram, and eventually the bricks with the seams crisscrossed collapsed .
Buried in a pile of dust and stones, the doppelganger lost its shape and slowly melted into something like dough. The fading spark of life .
As Andrea approached him, the doppelganger squeezed out his last strength .
“ This time too… will I die like this… ”
“…”
It was her own act, but it made Andrea feel strange that a being with the same appearance died. A doppelganger who briefly laughed as if he had noticed it .
“ Did you say the difference between you and me… ?”
“… that ‘s right .”
“ Kkeuk, even if you try to distinguish them like that… there are some things you can’t change…. Someday you too… will understand. Still you… are in the same condition as me …”
After saying that, the doppelganger completely dissolved and disappeared. Andrea tilted her head slightly and frowned. The last words of the doppelganger were not something he could understand .
‘… What ?’
＜ 17. The difference between you and me (6) ＞ End