Chapter 179 - The Reward of the Doppelganger
'Black Scythe...?'
Shi Zhikang carefully observed the individual who called himself Black Scythe.
'He's holding a scythe as his nickname, and he's also a Korean player.'
However, seeing him directly for the first time, he couldn't help but have doubts.
"Are you Black Scythe?"
"Yes, you came all the way here looking for me, didn't you? Didn't you?"
"How...?"
Before Shi Zhikang could ask further, he sharply turned his head.
"Shi Zhikang, get away!"
It was a desperate situation with his subordinates dying right behind him.
"Hey, kid, get out of there!"
"Instead of just talking, why don't you face me? Why do you stand still? Are you scared?"
Although the opponent spoke mockingly, Shi Zhikang couldn't confront him without reservation.
'What if he's really Black Scythe...?'
Could he face off in one-on-one combat?
Against a level 90 Black Scythe?
That assumption prevented him from rushing in recklessly.
Dull thud...
After the sound of a head turn, the surroundings fell silent.
When Shi Zhikang turned around, he realized his subordinates had died, and the dark figure was smiling like a human.
"Darn it. Just because I was slow, I got caught...!"
That guy.
Shi Zhikang's gaze shifted to the man standing in his way.
There are no more options.
There's no retreat.
With enemies in front and behind, there's only pushing through on one side.
There's no choice but to gamble.
"If I have to choose a side, I'll aim for the guy calling himself Black Scythe."
Because maybe that guy isn't really Black Scythe.
He might surprisingly be weak.
Shi Zhikang's eyes, having chosen a target, gleamed.
As he reached out, the giant's blood-stained hand grabbed a black scythe.
"Alright! It's over!"
He thought he could dodge, but he was caught.
"Now, if he takes me, my head will..."
Shi Zhikang, who had planned to strike immediately if he was taken.
He couldn't continue his thought because the blood-stained hand was still, holding the opponent.
'What's this? Why is he calm...?'
Looking closer, he wasn't still at all.
The hand writhed and made a supreme effort to bring the opponent towards him.
The explanation of the ability to attract the opponent seemed useless.
'What's going on? Why isn't the ability working... Ah!'
Now that he thought about it, there had been cases where he couldn't attract the opponent.
Opponents with high strength stats often broke free using their strength while being pulled.
"Is it possible this guy is resisting my ability with strength?"
Looking at Black Scythe not budging an inch while caught in the giant's hand, Shi Zhikang was surprised.
"How strong is his strength...?"
As time ran out and the hand naturally disappeared, Black Scythe let out an ironic laugh.
"Don't be frightened by this. My body hasn't even received a blessing."
"Blessing, what do you mean?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Black Scythe, mocking, stowed the scythe into his inventory.
"What are you doing?"
"Giving you some hope."
"What?"
"Whether it's weapons or skills, I won't use anything. So come at me with all you've got."
'That guy...'
He wasn't just stopping him from escaping, he was also mocking him.
If his self-esteem isn't hurt in this situation, then he's not a man.
"Come on, kill me however you want."
The scythe was stained crimson.
Level 40 Berserker skill, Blood Aura.
This aura, which becomes more intense and powerful as blood spreads around, possesses cutting force capable of slicing through steel like butter.
It's a potent buff skill for berserkers, as it ignores the enemy's defense.
However.
Hwoong! Hwoong!
It was a useful skill only when he could hit the enemy.
"Damn it, why isn't it connecting? Why the hell not!"
He swung the sword wildly, but Black Scythe dodged every attack.
His movements were as fluid as water, as if he could foresee the enemy's movements.
"Blood Aura is good. Although it's a lesser version of the aura the Dark Knight has, it still has its uses. But what good is it if you can't hit?"
"Don't talk so much and face this, you bastard."
"Rather, you should face it."
With that said, Black Scythe only made one attack.
Pung!
It was a simple strike.
But it was so fast that it was inevitable to be hit, a strike that surpassed human level.
"Ugh!"
The corn he had in his mouth sprayed out with blood as Shi Zhikang rolled on the ground pitifully.
His mind became blurry as if he had lost consciousness after being repeatedly struck.
'What kind of blow...?'
It was an incredible force to reach this point with just one blow.
"Hehehe, you, damn..."
"Even if all your teeth fall out, will you still have the strength to curse me?"
"I'll break you..."
Though he realized the difference in strength, he didn't yield in his pride.
He was a high executive of the secret society and had an image to uphold.
Bending his pride would be as shameful as dishonoring the secret society.
"It's not the time to boast of your pride."
"Hm?"
[Thanks for this meal. Hehehe.]
The moment Shi Zhikang turned to look, the Doppelganger infiltrated his body.
Though he noticed, it was already too late.
"Cough, cough!"
Despite his wishes, Shi Zhikang, whose neck was strangled by himself, died in less than ten seconds.
<Secondary Mission - Feed the Doppelganger>
└Condition ▶ Watch as the Doppelganger kills another prey.
└Current preys killed by the Doppelganger (10/10)
[You have completed the secondary mission!]
[Points +10,000]
Ryu Min, confirming the reward had been completed, raised the corner of his lips.
He had received a considerable amount of points.
It was much more than when he personally killed the Chinese.
'Probably Joo Sung-taek has also received a reward.'
Now all that was left was to defeat the Doppelganger.
[Hehehe, it's delicious! Human memories are so delicious!]
Just as the dark figure of the Doppelganger appeared, it looked at Ryu Min.
[Are you talking about me? Did you throw the prey at me on purpose?]
"...."
[Why the hell did you do that? Were you expecting me to forgive you because I was in a good mood?]
"It seems you're misunderstanding something."
Zapzap-
Ryu Min smiled as he gathered electricity at his fingertips.
"It's not you who should be begging for forgiveness."
[Humph, still clinging to that attitude...?]
"Let's go."
Zapzap-
The electric current shot out and struck the Doppelganger.
[Kyaaaaah!]
Pushed by unbearable pain, the Doppelganger was thrown to the ground like a piece of toilet paper.
"Although I thought you didn't know, isn't it obvious that spiritual monsters like you are weak against magical damage?"
[Keieeeek...!]
"Or did you think I don't have magic? Well, anyway, it doesn't matter. Soon you'll be dead."
[Keieeeek...!]
'This doesn't look good. It seems like he's going to die any moment.'
Though he tried not to kill him on purpose, the situation was as such.
'I thought, at least, without Min Juri's buff, the damage would be low.'
Anyway, he couldn't let the guy die by his hands, especially if it's Joo Sung-taek.
"Begin."
"Yes, my master."
Following Ryu Min's order, Joo Sung-taek used the corpse explosion.
Though you need a corpse to use the skill, that wasn't an issue here.
There were a dozen bodies nearby due to the Doppelgangers' push.
-----------------------
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!
The sudden roar startled Ma Gyeong-rok and An Sang-cheol.
"What's that sound?"
"It sounds like something is exploding..."
Given the magnitude of the explosion, it seemed to have the power to set the whole forest on fire.
"With this level, we should see fire, shouldn't we?"
"That's right. It's strange that it's just dark and nothing else is visible."
In hindsight, the forest was really odd.
It couldn't be tracked or explored, and walking seemed to lead to the same place over and over again.
Like a Mobius strip.
"An Sang-cheol. Where do you think this sound is coming from?"
"It sounded like it was right next to us."
"Really? I heard it that way too."
But why was nothing else visible except for trees?
"Well. We have no choice but to keep walking. Follow me so we don't get lost."
"Yes, boss."
They both sighed and continued walking aimlessly through the maze.
--------------
The effect of the corpse explosion was impressive.
Thanks to simultaneously exploding the twelve corpses, the Doppelgangers disappeared without a trace.
Normally, at this point, a reward message should appear...
'It's a pity it wasn't me who caught him.'
As Joo Sung-taek was the one who received the final blow from the Doppelganger, Ryu Min didn't receive any message.
He only got 12,000 points as a reward for revealing the identity and feeding the beast.
'Joo Sung-taek probably got 20,000 points as a reward for killing the Doppelganger.'
Though the situation was strange, it was fine.
'The important thing now is the Doppelganger's items.'
Moreover, he knew more ways to earn points and was sure to take the first place.
The fact that Joo Sung-taek was ahead was just a temporary advantage.
'Anyway, there are still 23 hours left. There's plenty of time.'
Round 11 wasn't a 100-meter dash but rather a marathon.
'Though there'll be a twist in the final stage.'
Watching Joo Sung-taek, he seemed absorbed in the air.
Apparently, he was checking messages.
Reading his mind for a moment, Ryu Min realized the item he wanted had already come out.
'Fortunately, the ring appeared as planned.'
Though Joo Sung-taek took the boss's experience and points, it was fine.
This guy's growth was as important as his own.
'It's like raising a supporting character.'
Since it's crucial to bring as many companions as possible in Round 20, it's not bad to grow together.
"I eliminated the Chinese who were following me... Should I take a look at the rest now?"
Ryu Min, using his clairvoyance, turned his gaze to Ma Gyeong-rok's group.
His expression showed surprise at the sudden explosive sound.
"It seems like the sound of the corpses' explosion was heard all the way there."
Though the locations were different, the maze forests were interconnected, as if there was a wall between them.
With that level of explosion, it wouldn't be strange for it to be heard on the other side of the wall.
"After checking on some targets, we should go meet them."
Though they planned to keep them in the maze, if they let them go like this, they might escape after a few hours.
"And they'll probably try to accumulate points by killing people as planned."
They must be feeling the urgency after wasting time in the maze.
Killing players from other countries was something obvious in Round 11, as Ma Gyeong-rok always did.
So they had to stop him.
Only those who know the future can avoid it.
"We don't need to kill them, we just need to keep them inactive for a while."
As he smiled like a demon, Joo Sung-taek approached.
"Master, here are the items we obtained from the Doppelgangers."
Without saying a word, Joo Sung-taek took out the items and presented them.
[Doppelganger Ring]
-Category: Ring
-Rank: Legendary
-Effect: Nickname change (only available in the Other World)
-Durability: 6,000/6,000
-Usage restriction: Expert grade or higher
-Description: An item that allows changing the nickname at will in the Other World. Releasing the ring returns the nickname to its original state.
"What I wanted has arrived."
It was an item that changed the nickname, as explained.
With this, he no longer had to worry about being tracked by others.
"Not only do I have to act as Black Scythe, I can act as anyone else."
This was a situation where he gained the right to freely change his nickname.
"Not just the face, but the nickname can now be changed too."
Now a perfect transformation was possible.
"Not only that. Additionally, we also obtained God-grade materials."
Ryu Min, satisfied with obtaining the materials, smiled.
It was really a good decision to keep Joo Sung-taek alive.
Thanks to the [Drop Rune] he possessed, he could get the item he desired.
But that wasn't all.
Ryu Min quickly wiped his smile and turned to Joo Sung-taek with a perplexed expression.
Wasn't Joo Sung-taek pulling out another item from his inventory?
"What is this now?"
"This is also an item obtained from the Doppelgangers."
Apart from the ring and the God-grade materials, was there something else?
Ryu Min, receiving the item, soon showed surprise in his eyes.
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