Chapter 301: 17th Week Strategy Battle (2)

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the ground floor.”

Go Hyeon-woo said this as he looked around.

After the midterm exams, most students had only been venturing into the underground floors. Even at F-rank, random boxes could drop, which explained why.

Unless the academy forced us to do otherwise, just like this week, everyone will just keep going deeper and deeper.

I looked at both Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in in turn, then spoke up.

“Let’s head in.”

“I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Let’s go.”

As soon as we stepped onto the teleportation magic circle, our surroundings instantly changed. A narrow passage stretched out before us.

Old bricks formed the walls, ceiling, and floor, and the torches hanging on the walls lit up the interior.

Further along the passage, I could see a fork branching off to the left and right.

As we walked in that direction, Go Hyeon-woo posed a question.

“Kim-hyung, are you planning to stop by this ‘control room’ too?”

“We might as well. There’s extra points in it.”

“I think that’s a good idea. In that case, how about we split up?”

Our main objective was to retrieve the chest from the Cheese Room, then escape.

On top of that, we intend to neutralize the control room as well.

With two targets, it would be more efficient in many ways to split into two groups, one for the cheese room and one for the control room, so that each could escape separately.

However, I shook my head.

“Let’s all go together. Chasing efficiency won’t earn us any extra rewards, and this is also a sort of preliminary field trip for the final exam.”

“Hmm, you have a point.”

Seo Cheong-yong repeatedly stressed that a similar dungeon would appear in the final exam.

It’s likely not just similar, but a higher-level version of this dungeon.

With that in mind, it was better to build experience, even if we lost some efficiency.

Having settled on that approach, we continued to make our way through the dungeon.

We noticed traps here and there, but for Seo Ye-in and me, they were no big deal.

I wondered how Go Hyeon-woo would handle them, but surprisingly, he avoided them quite well.

He gave an awkward laugh.

“I had a rough time with a certain young lady last week.”

“Must’ve stepped on a lot of traps.”

“To be honest, yes. But thanks to that, I’ve sharpened my eye a bit. You could call it a blessing in disguise.”

Last week’s duel battle involved a labyrinth, traps, and even a three-way battle. It was a total disaster.

Go Hyeon-woo and Han So-mi, who didn’t have much knowledge about traps or mechanical formations, probably had to brute-force their way through.

Could that be why she was upset?

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I chose not to dwell on it.

I’d find out eventually anyway.

Soon enough, Go Hyeon-woo who was leading the way slowed his steps and pointed at the floor.

Barely visible traps were lined up in a row.

“We’ll have to jump over them.”

“Let’s do it.”

We each took a turn leaping over the traps.

Just as Seo Ye-in landed, she tilted her head, and then glanced behind us.

“.......?”

I wondered what she was looking at and turned around to see a translucent humanoid figure sticking halfway out of a wall, as if it had tried to pass through but got stuck.

When our eyes met, the creature snickered at us.

– Hehehe!

“A Poltergeist.”

It was a ghost-type monster. Despite being incorporeal, it could physically interact with objects. That was its defining trait.

Seo Ye-in stared at the thing, then asked me,

“Strong?”

“Why don’t you give it a try?”

Without hesitation, Seo Ye-in fired a rapid series of magic bullets at it.

Tudududududu!

The Poltergeist tried weaving through the air to dodge, but before long, it was riddled with holes.

With a shriek and one final gasp, it vanished completely.

Seo Ye-in stared at the spot for a moment, then said,

“Weak.”

“That’s normal.”

They’re not known for having high fighting power.

Of course, it did go down rather easily, likely because this is a replica dungeon.

The monsters’ durability was presumably scaled down.

It also helped that Seo Ye-in’s magic bullets were now at B-rank.

Go Hyeon-woo who saw this spoke up.

“This is the first time I’ve seen something like that. I wonder what it actually does.”

“Let’s find out.”

Sure enough, as we went a bit farther, another Poltergeist popped out from the ceiling.

– Hehehe!

Curious about what it might do, both Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in refrained from attacking.

It responded by sliding its translucent hand into the wall. We heard a loud click sound of machines interlocking.

It had triggered a trap.

“This looks like the control room, doesn’t it?”

“Sure seems that way.”

At the very least, this dungeon didn’t play tricks with its rooms.

Maybe it figured the ones we encountered on the way were more than enough.

Next, I looked at Seo Ye-in and asked,

“Who am I?”

“Authorized personnel.”

“And who are you?”

“Authorized personnel.”

“Good.”

Without hesitation, I flung the door open and stepped inside.

The control room, much like the cheese room, was simple.

At the very center of the spacious room stood a lever designed to be raised or lowered.

All I had to do was pull it down, and the traps in the area would be neutralized.

No way it’s going to let me do that so easily.

Since this was the heart of the dungeon, a powerful guardian was bound to be stationed here.

As expected, dark energy swelled near the lever, twisting and taking the shape of a person.

A ghost-type monster much like the Poltergeists.

The difference? This one was far more powerful in combat.

Its sole purpose was to eliminate intruders.

At that moment, I felt its gaze lock onto me.

Why me of all people?

I clicked my tongue inwardly and watched as its shape suddenly changed.

Black hair.

Sharp eyes....no, they were downright sinister.

The Dragon Slayer Academy uniform.

It was a perfect copy of me.

“A Doppelganger.”

It was a monster that borrowed its opponent’s appearance and abilities to fight.

Go Hyeon-woo looked back and forth between me and the fake Kim Ho. His expression was filled with curiosity.

“Huh, it really is identical to you, Kim-hyung.”

“......?”

Seo Ye-in also alternated her gaze between the real Ho and the fake Ho, then repeated the motion once more.

She pointed at the fake Kim Ho and spoke.

“Doppelgang-Ho.”

“You’re surprisingly good at coming up with nicknames. First ‘Gray Kim Ho’ and now this.”

“.......”

At my compliment, Seo Ye-in raised her hand and formed a V-sign.

Meanwhile, Go Hyeon-woo who was maintaining a relatively serious demeanor asked a question.

“Should I assume I’m up against you, Kim-hyung?”

“It’ll be a little easier than facing me.”

A Doppelganger didn’t just copy the appearance of its designated target; it also replicated their skills and traits.

Of course, it wasn’t possible to copy everything from A to Z; there were several restrictions.

“For starters, it can’t take equipment.”

I was holding the sapling, wearing the Dark Cloud Bracelet and Cloudstepper shoes, while Doppelgang-Ho stood there empty-handed. It was wearing only the school uniform and shoes.

A spot-the-difference game was surprisingly possible.

“Its skills and traits will also be significantly weaker.”

Another key restriction was that the number and rank of skills and traits a Doppelganger could copy depended on its own level.

An F-rank doppelganger could copy one skill/trait up to F-rank,

And a C-rank doppelganger can copy four skills/traits up to C-rank.

Go Hyeon-woo asked,

“Then what level is this fake Kim-hyung?”

“E-rank.”

If we had encountered it in the original Cheese Trap, it would’ve been C-rank. But this was a replica dungeon.

It had likely copied two of my skills and two of my traits, but they would have been restricted to a maximum of E-rank.

“Still, don’t let your guard down.”

I was someone who walked around wrapped in cheat-like skills and traits.

Even with an E-rank limit, depending on what it had taken, there was still a chance it could catch us off guard.

If that happened, Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in would be taken out in a single hit.

Perhaps taking my advice to heart, the two of them adjusted their stances with a somewhat serious demeanor.

“.......”

“.......”

The standoff continued for a while.... until suddenly, Doppelgang-Ho clenched one fist.

Dark red flames flared up from its hand.

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Of all things, it had to take that one.”

Looks like I’ll have to keep this replay private.

The moment it thrust its fist forward, a storm of flames surged ahead.

Whoooooooooosh—!