Dungeon Hunter

Chapter 190: Fight with Oneself (2) 

As the number of attempts increased, the fights started to vary.

Little by little, I started to understand the existence of ‘I.’

‘As the fight goes on, he starts to resemble me more. On the contrary, I am...’

At first, it was different. As the fights were repeated, it started becoming more equal.

No, I was moving further away. That guy was now chasing after me.

"I am becoming like him.’

I clicked my tongue.

Then I received a little enlightenment. I realized that it didn’t just apply to the clone.

And finally, it was the 100th try.

I went back to the beginning.

Who was whose clone?

Now I couldn’t differentiate myself from him.

I was become more complete, while he was becoming incomplete.

And...I was becoming increasingly apathetic. Or was I becoming dried out?

I had cold eyes. I showed off neat movements.

It was like a machine.

That guy was no longer my opponent. He was becoming increasingly weaker while I was getting stronger.

However, there was an emptiness inside me.

In this situation, even my blood was cold as I fought. 

I suddenly had the thought that ‘this isn’t the type of completion that I want.’

I was getting stronger, but I didn’t want to be complete if I wasn’t myself.

"I am going to laugh loudly when I become the devil.’

That was my wish. My dream. It was my wish to sit there and laugh loudly, not just sit down.

That laugh would mock everyone who tried to take it away from me. But...if I was apathetic then I wouldn’t be able to feel anything when I became the devil.

‘It can’t be.’

In order to be complete, did I have to discard the incomplete parts?

If so, I wouldn’t become complete. I had gone through many trials and errors even when incomplete. However...this sudden change was like laughing at my efforts.

It was like I was denying my dream.

I was very satisfied with my arrogance and high self-esteem. Yet it was dismissed as a weakness.

I’ll accept it.

It wasn’t funny.

‘I don’t like this.’

A small change.

I would turn it backwards.

It was literally a fight with myself.

It took a great deal of mental effort to recover my original mindset. 

My stats dropped. After replenishing the missing parts, my stats returned to their original state. But I didn’t mind. This type of completion wasn’t the direction that I wanted.

It might be slow but I would succeed in my own way...

Then the eyes of the clone changed.

“Stupid person. You can’t throw it away. Did you come all this way to completion only to kick it away?”

His words were rough but his eyes were different.

Surprise. He was surprised by me.

His eyes were asking how this was possible.

I already understood him because I was being a.s.similated with him.

“Throwing this away?”

I laughed. The things I gained from reaching completion. I was abandoning them now.

Then the clone grinded his teeth together.

"Choosing imperfection! Foolish and stupid!"

“Don"t make me laugh. Aren’t you the one who wants this foolishness?”

I laughed as I stared at him.

He was different every time we fought and changed little by little. And those changes were sometimes familiar. I couldn’t help noticing because they were elements taken from me.

At first it was nothing, however that changed once dozens of things were taken.

I could see it just by looking at his various expressions.

"Don’t you want completion? Completeness begins with discarding the imperfections! Don’t you want to become stronger?”

He asked with a distressed expression.

"I want to become stronger. However, I don’t think of myself as incomplete.”

The things he took from me. I didn’t think of them as my weaknesses. My clone had other thoughts... so I was different from him.

Then he started running wild.

"Incomplete! You won’t win over me!”

"I don’t think of myself as incomplete.”

Right now I was a little bit relaxed. Once I saw how wild he was, it seemed like I was going in the right direction.

"Incompleteness, what if you aren’t incomplete? You won’t be able to become the devil!”

"It is a stalemate. Our standards are different.”

I raised Wrath and the Emperor’s Sword.

That person yelled out.

“Never! You can never beat me unless you are complete!”

"You are my weakness.”

Unlike my clone, I was confident.

I took a deep breath.

And I put down Wrath and the Emperor’s Sword.

"What are you doing?”

"I won’t sell my soul to become stronger. And...”

There was a mocking smile on my face.

“I won’t tolerate anything of mine existing somewhere else. Come back.”

He and I were different. We would never be the same. However, there were similarities. I finally realized the reason. He was a part of me that had been split off.

Deep into the mind, the part that I thought was ‘weak’ had become independent. I didn’t understand myself so it showed my narrow-mindedness.

The eyes of that guy with the same face shook violently.

“Drop it. This is the fastest route to completion. Don’t you know it yourself? Haven’t you realized the truth after facing the G.o.ds and going back in time? You clearly knew. There was such detail in the truth they told you. Then why...?"

"Why am I doing this?”

“Yes. Why? You heart is being cleansed. Yet you are still hesitating?”

My hidden side. That’s what I called my clone. I shook my head.

“The G.o.ds didn’t ask me to become complete. After all, they admitted that they were incomplete. Of course, even without such complicated content, there is no way that I will follow the path someone else took.”

I would carve out my own path.

The memories of my past life were only the foundation and I would walk a new path. It wasn’t always right but I would somehow run towards the end.

Perhaps I might have hesitated if my path was wrong.

But now it was different.

“You will surely regret this. I was barely able to separate from you...once you acknowledge it, this can no longer be reversed.

"Even if you are a part of me that I didn’t care for, I will become more complete by acknowledging you.”

"Sophistry! Just sophistry.”

"Someone told me this. I was too young, my pride would tighten around my neck. However, the person who said it died by my hands.”

I fought Okullos who had broken the taboo.

The winner would be right and Okullos was defeated. They were nothing more than words.

“...Okay. Wait and see. Your heart will be frustrated.”

My clone walked slowly forward like he had given up.

I laughed and spread open my arms.

And he entered me.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a little fairy.

“You have woken up, Master?”

"Yihi.”

I got up from my position. It was a small wooden building that seemed to be in the dark elf village.

"You haven’t woken up in three days. Yihi was really, really worried.”

Yihi wiped away her tears with her fingers.

“Three days...has anything happened in the meantime?”

"Chrisley left. The Trees of Life and Death have grown safely and seven candidates for the king were nominated. Yihi asked and two of them are humans that Master know.”

"Chrisley told me that dozens of days ago.”

Yihi blinked.

“Huh? That is strange. Yihi was only told a few days ago...”

The conversation didn’t fit. I sensed something and asked.

“Yihi. What is today’s date?”

“The 12th of September. It is a little bit colder now. Yihi doesn’t like the cold.”

“12th of September?”

“What’s wrong, Master?”

"Nothing."

I slightly frowned.

The first time I went to the Tree of Origin and fought my clone was on September the 9th. It had only been three days since then.

Even the conversation with Chrisley...

"Was it a vision?’

I recalled Martin’s eyes but I didn’t remember directly implanting them. Yet it seemed like I obtained a little bit of his power.

I wasn’t sure what was happening.

‘Or is this also the impact of Power of Domination?’

Perhaps Power of Domination was triggered when Martin was dying. I saw a lot of messages during the ma.s.sacre of creatures so I didn’t pay attention to everything.

"At any rate...if time hasn’t pa.s.sed then my stats wouldn’t have changed.’

My stats had risen as I struggled with the clone. Although some had been decreased, a considerable number had still risen. I would be upset if it was all in vain.

‘Status window.’

I opened my status window for confirmation.

Name: Randalph Brigsiel

Demon Grand Duke (Dungeon Master)

t.i.tle

* Dungeon Hunter (Residual stats +1 when occupying dungeons and hunting demons)

* Indomitable Warrior (Ex U, All stats +2)

* First to Receive a Fairy’s Blessing (U, Magic Power +6)

* Origin Master (Epic, all stats +3)

* Undead (Ex U, Intelligence and Stamina +5)

* Ruler of the Underground World (Legend, all stats +5, the rating of all skills below epic grade +0.5)

Stats

 96(+15)

 100(+16)

Potential: (460+93/570)

Remaining Stat Points: 14

Electric Power: 21GW

Uniqueness: The master of the Underground World. The Heart of the h.e.l.l Monarch has completely awakened. 

Skill: Combine Everything (Ex U), Mind"s Eye (Epic), Dark Sword (Epic), Divine Sword Unity (Epic, Pa.s.sive), Lightning Elemental (Epic), Pride (Epic), Corruption (Ex Epic), Power of Domination (Ex Epic, Pa.s.sive), Spirit Communication (Epic, Pa.s.sive)

Skill and Item Effects: Wrath (Strength +7), Sloth (Agility +7), Pride (Stamina + 7), Divine Sword Unity (Strength and  Agility +3)

[Before and After Comparison]

Strength 105 Intelligence 107 Agility 100 Stamina 107 Magic 113 Potential (434+93/555)

Strength 109 Intelligence 111 Agility 105 Stamina 112 Magic 116 Potential (460+93/570)

I stiffened after checking the status window.

‘My pure stats...’

They had soared. My stats had climbed by more than 20.

Laughter emerged.

‘I wasn’t expecting it.’

I was honestly glad to see it. I had fought in a dream so it was natural to think everything would be reset.

But the results were completely different.

‘Even the potential threshold went up.’

I hadn’t done anything specific.

I just didn’t recognize ‘myself.’

Enlightenment was enlightenment, but I hadn’t expected it. Before checking the system, I thought that my stats were at my original level.

‘I’m not frustrated but full of hope.

A corner of my mouth went up.

The clone said I would be frustrated, but I didn’t feel any frustration.

“Master?”

Yihi c.o.c.ked her head and asked.

"Release the spirits. It is time to contract with the humans.”

“Yes Master. By the way...Master.”

"Did something happen?”

"Your face looks very good, Master. Yihihi.”

"I don’t have an answer.”

"Hiing, really good.”

Yihi swelled up and moved to begin the mission.