Episode 34: Two Tigers Cannot Live on the Same MountainThe battle had ended.
Seol-hwa shook her greatsword, scattering the blood clinging to it across the ground.
"Wow, as expected of someone recognized by the Daughter of the Sword Empress. That swordsmanship was incredible."
Clap, clap, clap.
The Male Hunter applauded, appearing genuinely impressed.
The Party Leader kept her mouth shut. Surprisingly, she had a good eye.
"If... if you could fight like that, you should've acted sooner. You just made us suffer for no reason..."
No one responded to the Orc Healer's remark.
When they openly ignored her, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ah... Looks like the sun's already set. Let's camp here for the night, bothersome as it is."
She gestured around as if to prove her point.
The sun had completely set, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
"Seol-hwa-ssi, there's camping gear in the bag I brought. Please take it out."
Seol-hwa set the backpack down on the ground.
The heavy backpack contained tents and other camping equipment.
"Seol-hwa-ssi should set up the tent. That's a Porter's job, right?"
The Orc Healer spoke. That fucking bitch. Whether out of pride or something else, she kept spouting bullshit despite being utterly insignificant.
Seol-hwa took out cooking utensils and handed them over.
Then she silently began setting up the tent.
The man took charge of cooking.
By the time Seol-hwa finished setting up the tent, the food was ready.
"Seol-hwa-ssi. The food's ready, come eat."
Seol-hwa roughly wiped her hands and sat down.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Let's eat."
The rude ones had already started eating.
It seemed delicious.
The meal continued in silence.
"Ah... Why am I suddenly so sleepy?"
Halfway through the meal, the Orc Healer who had eaten first began swaying.
As if struck by sudden drowsiness, her head kept nodding before she abruptly collapsed.
At first glance, she seemed dead, but closer inspection revealed she was merely asleep.
"Me too..."
"Something's... wrong."
Thud.
The Party Leader collapsed next.
Followed by the Swordsman. Then the Magician fell.
"Ah..."
Finally, even Seol-hwa collapsed.
"Huu. Finally done babysitting."
The ever-smiling man's face lost all traces of amusement.
"It's over. Come out now."
Bushes rustled.
Shadows emerged from where no one should have been hiding.
The first to appear was the Guard Post Manager.
Along with the Gym Infiltrator, making five people in total.
"Who was the bastard complaining about getting noticed by Sword Queen?"
"That would be me. I was working at the guard post when Sword Queen suddenly appeared. When she narrowed her eyes at me, I thought I was dead."
"Well... fine. Choose one to devour. We'll turn the rest into comrades. You brought the Yuche, right?"
The Gym Infiltrator lifted a collection container.
Monsters resembling leeches filled the container to the brim.
"After the transfer, insert the Yuche into the remaining ones."
The Gym Infiltrator nodded.
"Who should I devour?"
The Guard Post Manager examined the collapsed party members like produce on display.
"Alright. This one."
He picked up the Magician.
The manager collapsed.
A leech-like monster crawled out from his ear.
'That's...'
I once heard an urban legend online.
About worms that enter through ears and eat brains.
Doppelgangers.
Every human here was a Doppelganger.
* * * *
The Doppelganger named Kim Jeong-su couldn't suppress his laughter.
The three-month-long plan was finally bearing fruit.
Humans become more cautious after experiencing major incidents.
So he waited three months for her guard to drop.
For the first week, he acted as the party's caretaker while waiting for the prey to reveal her power.
But the prey never showed any strength, almost mocking him.
Despite being capable of slaughtering the entire party, she stubbornly endured their hysterics.
He thought he'd miscalculated. Someone who could solo a Minotaur wouldn't suffer insults while doing Porter work.
Just as he was about to abandon her as Yuche fodder-
She appeared with Isia.
Isia.
Daughter of the Sword Empress.
Daughter of one of Earth's strongest warriors.
If he devoured Seol-hwa and gained her face and talent-
He might someday devour Isia too-
And given enough time, perhaps even reach Sword Queen herself.
Of course, failure was more likely.
Human society already suspected Doppelgangers' existence.
But being drawn to stronger hosts was a Doppelganger's instinct.
Even knowing the danger, even facing death-they must possess stronger bodies.
That was a Doppelganger's purpose.
The man touched Seol-hwa's body.
He gauged her talent and abilities.
A Doppelganger racial trait.
Physical contact allowed peeking at a human's Status Window.
[Name: Yoo Seol-hwa]
[LV1]
[Class: None]
[Strength:26][+77]
[Stamina:25][+77]
[Agility:28][+76]
[Mana:20]
[Skills: Steel Willpower, Agility Enhancement, Strength Enhancement, Stamina Enhancement]
[Steel Willpower(LV1+3): Strength, Agility, Stamina +10(+30). Max stat limit +100(+300).]
[Agility Enhancement(LV3+3): Max limit +10. Agility +6]
[Strength Enhancement(LV4+3): Max limit +70. Strength +7]
[Stamina Enhancement(LV4+3): Max limit +70. Stamina +7]
[Perfect Attendance Award(max): Strength, Agility, Stamina max limits +300. Strength, Agility, Stamina +30.]
But the text before him left him stunned.
Unexpected. She had no proper skills or abilities.
Only common training-acquired skills.
While stronger than lower-rank Hunters-
This Status Window didn't match someone who soloed a Minotaur.
Snap.
"What?"
The sleeping woman's arm moved.
Grabbing his arm with monstrous strength.
He couldn't break free.
Brutal force yanked him forward.
"Gyaaaaah!"
He screamed.
His arm tore off, blood gushing from the severed stump.
Blood congealed, forming a long arrow.
Thud.
The arrow flew, piercing the worm trying to enter the Magician's ear.
The blood arrow penetrated its body. His kin died without even screaming.
"Well. Didn't expect another monster here?"
The prey stood up. A crimson lifeform crawled from her clothes.
It felt like confronting an abyssal horror.
The Doppelgangers instinctively understood.
This creature spoke to them.
In the manner of high-ranking monsters.
Facing this unknown horror, the Doppelgangers paled.
The monster closely examined the torn-off arm.
"Hmm... The arm's human. Your true bodies are the worms that crawled from brains?"
"...Let's make a deal. We'll give everything we have if you lend us your power. Join our plan."
Kim Jeong-su realized.
The human female Seol-hwa's power came from this monster.
A creature with abilities similar to theirs.
While they devoured brains and stole hosts, this monster empowered its host.
If they found common ground, their faction would grow exponentially.
His comrade's death wasn't a major issue.
"No. I prefer humans over monsters. And two tigers can't live on the same mountain. When the time comes, you'd discard me."
He refused with a blunt answer.
Negotiations broke down.
"Fireball."
A black flame sphere struck the monster.
Boom.
Dark flames roared skyward.
"You...!"
She acted without orders. He tried to scold Hwaran.
"We lack intel on this monster. Our strongest fighter lost an arm. A surprise attack was best."
He conceded. Her logic was sound.
The biggest issue was losing one arm.
He couldn't guarantee victory against Hwaran now.
"Still... A direct magic hit should've caused at least serious..."
"Hmm. So this is an Advanced Hunter's magic? Manageable."
The monster burst from the smoke.
Fast. Too fast to follow with eyes.
"Ghk."
The monster targeted their comrade who infiltrated Isia's gym.
The greatsword split his head in half.
"Ah... Tastes bad. Guess I prefer human flavor."
The monster opened the collection container, eating one Yuche.
After complaining about the taste, it threw the container into the bushes.
"What?"
He was shocked.
He expected at least serious injuries from the magic blast, but the monster appeared unharmed.
Only scorch marks remained on its black blood shield-no tears or wounds.
"It has magic resistance. Magic attacks won't work. We need physical attacks."
Hwaran analyzed after observing the monster.
"I'll animate corpses. Protect me."
Hwaran touched the ground.
Black mana spread from her hand across the earth.
The piled Orc corpses rose.
Hwaran was a Necromancer.
"A Necromancer, huh."
The monster stopped playing around upon seeing the rising corpses.
It swallowed a pill from its pocket.
Its aura shifted. Blood seemed to converge toward it.
* * *
'Fuck... There's too many.'
I internally cursed, sensing disaster.
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