Chapter 10

010. Growth (3)

As soon as the special effect of the 'Assassin's Cloak' activated, I entered the third floor trial.

With all preparations complete, I was in the best condition and had no hesitation.

I had to challenge it now, to survive and to return to Earth.

"Entering the Tower of Trials, 3rd floor."

"Difficulty - Hard"

"The theme of this trial is 'Duel'."

"I hope the challenger will achieve a satisfactory result after enduring the hardship."

After passing through the portal to the 3rd floor trial, a damp cave appeared.

"......"

A seemingly ordinary cave with moisture pooled in various spots.

A small hole in the ceiling allowed light to shine directly in the center.

"Starting the 3rd floor trial."

"Condition to pass the trial - Kill the Guardian of Darkness"

"Condition to fail the trial - Challenger's death"

"Reward for passing the trial - Steel Elixir (C)"

"Penalty for failing the trial - Death"

After reading the floating message, I glanced around.

I had no idea what the Guardian of Darkness looked like.

It was natural, as there was no monster called the Guardian of Darkness in the bestiary issued by the Hunter Association.

And then.

'There's no monster that should be called a guardian...'

That means...

'It might be lurking somewhere.'

I gripped my shield tightly and moved to the center of the cave.

I had to be on high alert, not knowing where the enemy would appear or who it was.

Then.

"10 seconds until the Guardian of Darkness appears."

"......?"

I blinked at the sudden message.

'Seen somewhere before...'

Only then did I realize where I had seen this phrase.

'Tutorial trial.'

The same phrase I saw during the tutorial trial, which now feels like a distant memory.

That means the enemy hasn't spawned yet.

However, this fact only added to my mental burden.

After all...

If it were just lurking, it would be one thing, but I don't know where it will spawn.

'This is more challenging.'

Of course, there was nothing I could do about it...

I waited for the 10 seconds to pass, keeping a watchful eye on all sides.

After those short 10 seconds passed.

"The Guardian of Darkness appears."

As the message appeared, a chilling sound brushed past my ear.

Whoosh!

A sound of air being torn came from the left.

I immediately twisted my body and raised my shield.

Boom!

Despite blocking it with my shield, the shock made my arm tingle.

"Ugh."

It was a powerful blow, enough to make me groan.

I was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained my composure and slid back.

Then.

"Defeat the Guardian of Darkness, the Doppleganger."

The 'Guardian of Darkness' the system mentioned was revealed before me.

A shadow-like monster squirmed under the light shining from the ceiling.

Squish.

It looked like a poorly imitated human, dark and distorted.

Even the dark shield and blade in its hands.

'Is it imitating me...?'

The monster marked as a Doppleganger was mimicking me.

Despite its featureless, dark appearance, it was still unsettling.

A monster with no information, unlike any I had seen before.

'This must be a monster that even hunters haven't encountered.'

Just that fact alone made my spine shiver.

The lack of usable knowledge was a significant penalty.

I tightened my guard, watching the Doppleganger's movements.

Rushing in recklessly would be disadvantageous.

However.

"......?"

The Doppleganger just stood still.

It didn't move a step, as if it weren't even alive.

Could it be an intelligent monster?

'That would be dangerous.'

Most monsters' actions are 90% instinct.

However, among C-rank and higher monsters, there are occasionally intelligent individuals.

A monster with an unknown name and high intelligence...

'There was even a mage on the 2nd floor...'

The difficulty of this trial was becoming apparent.

The closer I got to death, the stronger the feeling became.

It felt like walking on the edge of a blade.

While maintaining this standoff, I heard a low growl.

"Grumble, grumble."

The Doppleganger's dark face split open, revealing its mouth.

And then.

With its irregular, sharp teeth exposed, the Doppleganger's low growl spread.

Whoosh!

The Doppleganger's right arm stretched out and lunged at my face.

A threatening blow that closed the distance without moving a step.

I quickly leaned back to avoid the trajectory of its arm.

Crack!

The extended right arm scraped the cave wall, creating a loud noise.

The strength was unbelievable.

"......"

For a moment, my mind went blank.

'A duel, I have to kill this monster...'

There was no limit to its range, and its physical abilities were superior.

This was completely different from the 2nd floor trial.

I couldn't use the same strategy of setting the forest on fire to exclude the strong and fight.

One-on-one.

A pure contest of strength, requiring nothing else.

Realizing this was the only way to pass the 3rd floor trial, a sense of despair washed over me.

But.

Whoosh!

Before I could despair, the Doppleganger's arm shot out again.

Blocking it with my shield would be too impactful.

I had to avoid the next attack with minimal movement.

I couldn't afford to hesitate or doubt.

I turned my head and narrowly avoided the Doppleganger's attack.

Whoosh!

As the Doppleganger's dagger grazed my cheek, a burning sensation and hot blood trickled down.

I wiped the blood with the back of my hand and charged at the Doppleganger.

'I need to close the distance to have a chance...'

The closer I got, the less threatening the Doppleganger's body deformation would be.

Defending from this distance would be endless.

I had to get close to restrict its ability to freely adjust its reach.

However.

The Doppleganger seemed to want this.

Now that I had given up my distance advantage, it was an opportunity.

I quickly closed the gap and thrust my dagger at the Doppleganger's chest.

But the Doppleganger wasn't easy.

Clang!

"Grumble, grumble."

It blocked my dagger with its left arm's shield.

It handled the close combat skillfully, as if it wasn't a mistake to allow it.

But since it was mimicking me, this was within my expectations.

I followed up with another thrust.

Swoosh!

I swung my black iron dagger, pressing the Doppleganger.

A diagonal slash from bottom to top.

Clang!

The attack was blocked by the shield, just like before, but it didn't matter.

I wasn't trying to land a critical hit with the dagger.

Crack!

I kicked the Doppleganger's leg while its shield was focused on my upper body.

Normally, this would make it lose balance or stagger...

The Doppleganger's leg wobbled, absorbing the impact, and then returned to its original shape.

'What kind of ridiculous ability is this...'

Even though I kicked it at the joint, there was no damage.

I knew it wouldn't be easy, given that it was mimicking others.

But I didn't expect it to be completely immune to physical attacks.

'I thought it would at least stagger...'

The ability to absorb and nullify attacks was unexpected.

Clang!

After a single exchange.

I took a short step back and glared at the Doppleganger.

"......"

Not only did it have ridiculous abilities, but it was now mimicking me accurately.

'It's perfectly replicating my stance.'

It seemed the name 'Doppleganger' wasn't given lightly.

It was applying the techniques and stances it saw to its own body.

It truly deserved the name 'Doppleganger.'

The longer the exchange, the stronger the Doppleganger became.

'An already disadvantageous opponent that can grow...'

The ability to deform its body and partially harden, combined with the intelligence to mimic techniques.

There might be more abilities, but this was enough to judge.

'If this drags on, I will definitely lose.'

A quick and decisive battle.

I had to use everything at my disposal to end it.

I reinforced this in my mind and swung my dagger again.

Clang!

As expected, the Doppleganger defended perfectly.

It seemed to have learned how to use the shield from me.

But...

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

I didn't stop and rained down slashes on the Doppleganger.

There must be a limit to its ability to absorb impacts.

If I could deliver a large impact at once or overwhelm it with rapid attacks...

'There must be a gap somewhere.'

And that prediction soon became reality.

Crash!

After dozens of slashes, the shield was pushed back.

I took the opportunity to thrust my dagger into the Doppleganger's chest and pulled it out.

A clean, precise strike.

Splat!

A hole appeared in the dark body, and a black liquid oozed out.

But the Doppleganger stumbled for a moment and then regained its composure.

It seemed slightly surprised, but not in mortal danger.

"......"

The wound on the Doppleganger's body had already healed and disappeared.

But it didn't seem completely immune.

It flinched and adjusted its stance when stabbed, indicating it felt the danger and tried to prepare.

This meant that physical attacks could still hurt it.

And...

'Physical attacks aren't completely ineffective.'

If I could deliver a strong enough impact, I could deal damage.

Similarly, if I could inflict more significant damage with my dagger, I might be able to kill it.

At least, stabbing it in the neck or head would be difficult to survive.

When I stabbed its chest, it was only surprised...

The neck or head would be different.

'Among monsters, few can survive losing their head or neck.'

The Doppleganger wouldn't be an exception.

If so, it was worth trying.

'I need to create an opportunity for a fatal wound.'

I had to find a chance to kill it, even for a moment.

I would have to use everything I had.

I focused my mind, observing my body, and drew out the energy coiled in my abdomen.

Simultaneously, mana flowed through my veins.

Thanks to the training in the waiting room, I could easily control my mana.

In the past, this process alone would have exhausted me, making it impossible to use mana properly.

My mana was the lowest of all my stats.

However.

"Special effect of Assassin's Cloak (D) activated."

"Movement speed +15%"

"Remaining duration - 00:00:59"

With my increased mana stat, it wasn't as tiring now.

I just felt a sensation of something leaving my body.

'It's a bit tiring, but I can endure it.'

This was enough to gain the upper hand in this fight.

I pushed mana into the Assassin's Cloak and moved.

Thud.

With a light push off the ground, the scenery changed instantly.

With over 30 agility and a 15% increase in movement speed, it was clearly overpowered.

I barely maintained my balance, feeling like I might trip and fall.

This was possible thanks to the training.

'Just like in the waiting room...'

I focused all my attention on my toes and led with my shield, not my dagger.

I didn't plan to aim for the Doppleganger's neck arrogantly.

If I were used to this speed, I might have cut its neck with my dagger.

But I wasn't used to this speed, and the Doppleganger had a shield.

It wouldn't easily expose its neck to my dagger.

Especially since it had learned the basics of shield use from me.

So...

This was the best action I could take in this situation.

Boom!

The shock from the impact traveled through my shield, hitting my entire body.

Buzz...

A mysterious ringing echoed in my ears, shaking my brain.

But I didn't have time to cry out in pain.

Crash!

My body was violently shaken, and my vision spun and turned black repeatedly.

The recoil from the body slam was stronger than expected.

"Ugh, ugh..."

I couldn't see clearly, and my head was spinning.

So, naturally, I couldn't control my body.

"Skill 'Pain Resistance' activated."

"All types of pain inflicted on the user are reduced by 15%."

Thanks to the Pain Resistance skill, I could maintain my consciousness.

'Damn, I must have really messed up...'

But soon, a faint sensation returned to my limbs.

I slowly got up, feeling the cold stone floor.

My hands and feet trembled, and blood dripped to the ground.

I must have hit something wrong, as blood was flowing.

But I was too dizzy to tell where I was injured.

The pain was all the same.

But it didn't matter much.

"Skill 'High-Speed Regeneration' activated."

The dizziness gradually subsided as the skill effect kicked in.

Of course, it felt slow, but...

I couldn't afford to whine and rest in pain.

'The Doppleganger's body deforms easily and can't withstand strong impacts.'

I knew this from directly attacking it.

So, the body slam must have given it a significant shock.

At least, it was unlikely to maintain its balance as well as I did.

I wobbled to my feet and looked around.

Then.

"What a crazy monster..."

I saw the Doppleganger, trembling in a corner of the cave.

Its limbs were deformed from the impact, but they were slowly restoring.

Fortunately, it couldn't control its body properly.

The Doppleganger seemed to have lost control of its body for a moment.

So, I couldn't afford to hesitate.

I quickly gripped my dagger and shield and charged at the recovering monster.

Although it was restoring its body quickly...

I was confident I could cut its neck faster.

Of course.

"Remaining duration - 00:00:27"

The movement speed increase buff was still active.

I could cut the Doppleganger's neck while it was vulnerable.

"Effect of Dead Tree Shield (D-) activated."

"Temporary +2 Strength"

"Temporary slight increase in attack speed"

Just in time, a minor buff from the shield flowed into me.

'Nice timing...'

The investment in the shield paid off.

A bit of vitality flowed through my body, and strength surged into my grip.

Meanwhile, the Doppleganger was still trying to regain control of its body.

I wasn't going to miss this opportunity I had earned with everything I had.

Crack!

The moment I plunged the black dagger into the Doppleganger's neck.

"Congratulations, you have cleared the 3rd floor of the Tower of Trials."

The message I had been hoping for finally appeared.