20demayo Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Episode 9
3.
[The dungeon you are currently in,
[The name of the dungeon has been changed from
[If the boss of the Abyss Dungeon is not defeated, all areas within a 5 km radius will be contaminated with the Abyss; the current time remaining is 2 hours and 7 minutes].
“I have plenty of time.”
Roughly two hours, enough time to make a good congee.
I nodded slightly as I read the message window that popped up in front of me, then slowly looked around.
The grayish passageways were deserted.
The torches scattered along the walls provide more of an eerie atmosphere than illumination.
The underground structure looks like something out of the Middle Ages.
It reminded me of the catacombs of a certain cathedral that I experienced in Eden.
“Wow.”
The Magi definitely got stronger as I entered the dungeon.
It wasn’t all at once, but it seemed like the entire dungeon was filled with Magi, not just a specific target.
I think it was related to the word “Abyssalization” in the message window, but more importantly, I could detect the magic of some of the players through the miasma.
Perhaps there were still players resisting the Magi.
I let out a short breath and walked forward in silence.
Winding passageways.
I walked for a long time, past walls carved with unrecognizable markings before my eyes finally caught the first glimpse of something.
Two adult men in blue breastplates lay on the floor.
From a distance, I thought they were dead, but when I got closer, I realized that their bodies were still intact.
But then I noticed something eerily bizarre.
“Faceless.”
Literally, they had no face.
Their eyes, which humans are supposed to have, were not where they should be.
Instead, there was a grotesque black smoke.
It wasn’t until I checked the condition of the two men that I was certain of the identity of the monsters I’d smashed earlier in the dungeon.
“Mimic.”
A strange demonic beast that uses magic to stun its opponents and then disguises itself as the target it stunned.
The reason they stun their opponents instead of killing them is quite simple.
Their disguise is a mirror of sorts. If there’s nothing to reflect, they can’t disguise themselves.
Their disguises are so perfect that they are indistinguishable from the outside, but they have a distinct disadvantage.
Mimics can’t speak.
They don’t have vocal organs in the first place.
At this point, I’m starting to realize that the boss, the one who created this whole damned situation, is also a Mimic.
[The system detects changes in your body].
[In response to the aura that occupies the current environment, the skills you have accumulated in
A mimic is a demon that can never exist alone.
There must be a higher entity that commands them, and they are only minions of that higher entity.
“Pride’s scouts, the Doppelgangers.”
[You have identified the keyword
[The boss of the Abyss dungeon is revealed to be a
Doppelganger.
A higher entity that can perfectly replicate another just by looking at them, unlike Mimics who can’t speak.
He’s probably the one responsible for this.
Doppelgangers have little combat power of their own, but they can mimic some of the powers of the person they’re cloning, which makes them a difficult foe to deal with in some situations.
Of course, that only applies to other people, not me.
Anyway, he’s dead if you blow its head off. And if it’s lucky enough to survive a beheading, I can crush its entire body.
As soon as I assessed the situation, I hurried forward.
Doppelgangers and Mimics are hard enough to deal with even when you know about them, but being attacked while you don’t is a real living hell.
Not being able to trust your allies.
There’s nothing worse than that on the battlefield.
Aaaaahhhhhhh!
It was then.
“Don’t you think we should try a different edit point? Yeah, right there. Perfect.”
Player K, whom we’ve already seen a few times in the video.
Gu Min-soo was chatting with the staff.
He was engrossed in his work for a long time, and at one point, he looked at me and asked.
“I haven’t seen you before...... what brings you here?”
I don’t know how many times this question has been asked today.
I smile at his question and answer.
“I was introduced to you by In Wook; I’m Kim Shi Yu, his older brother.”
“Oh, Mr. Shi Yu, I heard so much about you from In Wook yesterday; I was waiting for you to come anyway. You’re even cooler than In Wook told me.”
Gu Min-soo was the epitome of the so-called ‘insider’.
He was even more handsome than he looked in the video, and his deep, low voice was just right.
He had a confident smile on his face, and soon, he was pulling up a folding chair next to me.
“I know you’ve had a hard time getting here, so why don’t you have a seat here? I’ll give you the edits I told you about. Boys, would you mind stepping outside for a minute so I can talk to our guest?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks. See you later.”
He ushered what appeared to be his subordinates outside, then looked at me and said
“This content is so important to me that I’m bringing all my friends who are editors and can be there.”
“Oh, so they’re players too?”
“Yes. I have a lot of friends who are awakened but not good enough to play as hunters. They’re not all players, but I make sure they’re paid well. Haha...... look at my spirit. You’ve come a long way, and the only thing I can offer you is mixed coffee, is that okay?”
“I like mixed coffee.”
“That’s good!”
After hearing my answer, Gu Min-Soo skillfully poured coffee into a paper cup that was sitting next to him.
He handed it to me and continued to speak.
“Is In Wook outside because he’s not a player?”
“In Wook isn’t feeling well today, so I just came by myself.”
“Tsk tsk. I’ll have to send him some medicine again. Was he unwell often when he was younger? Because he used to get sick a lot when he was editing my videos.”
The most effective way to break the ice is to talk about something you both have in common.
This is one of the things that gives you an impression of closeness.
Was he always like this, or did it change during the broadcast?
I took a sip of the mixed coffee he poured for me, then nodded and answered.
“You’re a funny guy.”
“What?”
“Ah, In Wook, he’s been a wimp since he was a kid.”
“Haha! I thought so. Well, you have such a good personality. Seeing that you’ve entered the dungeon, you’re also a player, so without further ado, let’s talk about your work.......”
“Before we do that, can I ask you something?”
It was a fairly abrupt question, but Min-Soo still smiled and nodded.
“Sure.”
“I’m a bit of a worrier, so I was wondering...... is the filming process safe?”
In response to my question, Min-Soo nodded his head in understanding, then walked over to a shield in the corner of the room.
“I’m sure it’s your first time in a dungeon. Here, let’s take a look.”
With that, he pulled back the shade, revealing a light blue, translucent membrane.
Behind it, ‘It’ was trapped, bound by golden ropes.
Min-Soo pointed his finger at ‘it’ and continued.
“As you can see, I always prioritize safety, and although there are many dangerous-looking scenes in my YouTube videos, all of them are actually filmed with me and the other combatants safely secured like this.”
“My brother told me that one of you pulled out because he was sick.”
“Oh, it was an exacerbation of a pre-existing condition...... If you’re worried about your safety, you can take your time watching the filming and make your own decision. You’ve only just returned home, so I can understand that.”
“That’s good.”
“There’s no reason to force you.”
With that, he left, and I got up from my seat, finishing the rest of the mixed coffee in my paper cup.
Then I walked over to Gu Min-Soo, held out my hand to him, and said.
“Okay, how about we shake hands?”
“Sure.”
Gu Min-Soo graciously complied with my handshake request and shook hands with me.
The moment his pure white hand finally touched mine.
Hwahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The white flames from my arm instantly engulfed him, and a horrifying scream came out of his mouth.
“Extinguish!”
[Information from the passive skill
“It’s not really fun if you guys are the only ones fooling us. A play should have some twists. Don’t you think?”
“Kaaaaaah!”
I whispered quietly as I brought my mouth to the ear of the suffering Gu Min-Soo, or rather, his doppelganger.
“How was my acting?”