Chapter 231

〈 Chapter 232 〉 Final Exam (2)

*

I just killed my party members.

The reason? Ridiculous.

They didn’t jump when entering.

Did they think they could just waltz into the dungeon without jumping?

At that moment, a sound close to a scream rang out.

And it was two of them.

“What the hell! You crazy idiot!!!”

[Are you out of your mind? What the hell are you doing!!!]

I tilted my head, looking at Professor Pilyong.

As if to say what the problem was.

“What’s the matter?”

“Why did you shoot your party members?!”

[Even if you’re a madman, you should know when to stop!!!]

Instead of answering, I pointed with my hand.

To the ones I shot with my gun.

More specifically, what had been their forms.

Just then, those beings began to lose their colors and slowly melt away.

They crumbled like gooey mud without bones, eventually vanishing completely into the shadows beneath my feet.

Professor Pilyong’s expression finally showed he understood.

“Professor, you weren’t really listening to the explanation earlier, were you?”

“Ahem!”

He was awkwardly clearing his throat, feeling guilty for some reason.

[I trusted you, you know.]

‘The piece’s conscience is severely lacking.’

[…F*ck. ]

The place we entered was the doppelganger’s dungeon.

Or rather, a place commonly known as the Shadow Dungeon.

Doppelganger.

A monster that can perfectly mimic its target.

Speech. Face. Body shape.

Everything appears exactly the same as the original.

Thanks to that trait, it’s basically intelligent, can express its will, making it quite dangerous.

If it’s picky, it’s exceedingly troublesome.

I wondered if it was appropriate to assign such a difficult dungeon for the final exam.

But considering our party’s power, it seemed only natural.

If anything, it felt like we were a bit underwhelming.

[So what now? What can a meat dildo like you do alone?]

‘Sh*t, I need to head for the bus soon.’

However, there was a small question nagging me: this place was ruins, not a forest.

Compared to ruins, the forest would give the doppelganger a significant advantage.

The trees block the sight, making the effect of the mimicked being appearing even stronger.

So it must be one of two things.

Either the doppelganger is stupid.

Or.

It’s strong enough to comfortably settle in the ruins.

[Isn’t the ‘Doppelganger’s Forest’ famous in Tales Weaver?]

‘Maxim, that f*cking bastard was annoying.’

As I organized my thoughts.

Suddenly, Professor Pilyong’s face twisted as he lunged at me.

“Hey! Why did you shoot me too!!!”

“Oh, that?”

I shot at the doppelganger in the form of the heroines without hesitation.

However, since Professor Pilyong was also in the line of fire, I thought I might as well take care of him too, but it didn’t go as well as I expected.

To be honest, it was a waste, but he was still a professor, no matter how much of an idiot he might be.

Given it’s final exam season, he could potentially impact my results.

I had no idea what kind of repercussions might come, so I couldn’t afford to make him more upset here.

Calming my feelings as much as I could, I spoke with a sincere apology.

“You idiot, you’re still alive.”

‘If you have any sense at all, you should know when to die, you f*cking idiot.’

[Changing quotes won’t make a difference!!!]

‘Ah, sh*t, I messed up.’

Just as Professor Pilyong turned red and was about to say something.

“Step back! That is the fake!”

“What? What’s going on!”

“……?”

Suddenly, Professor Pilyong’s doppelganger appeared right next to him.

No, it was more like the one over there was the real Professor, while the one in front of me could very well be the doppelganger.

Soon, without anyone saying a word, they started pointing at each other and shouting frantically.

“This bastard is fake! Shoot him!”

“No!!! I’m the real one, you f*cking bastard!!!”

“Shut up! You have a faint sideburn! It’s obvious you’re the fake!!!”

“No! That’s just a hair extension!!!”

The only difference between them was the faint sideburns.

Other than that, there was barely any difference, making it hard to tell them apart.

So I made my choice.

­ Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Uaaaaah!!!”

“F*ck!!!”

I shot both of them.

Unfortunately, the real Professor Pilyong had already made a move.

He must have experienced me shooting him in the future before my regression.

Meanwhile, the doppelganger, caught off guard by the sudden situation, began to dissolve.

“Wh-what! How did you know it was me?!”

“Of course, I can tell.”

I loaded my shotgun with shells and smiled.

“If I shoot both, one of them will be you, you bastard.”

“You madman…”

[That’s a clear answer! ]

‘Right?’

[It’s not a compliment, you dog! ]

Anyway, I took care of the doppelganger.

Then, the real Professor Pilyong got up from the ground, pointing his finger at me while he was panting.

“You, you are on warning! A warning!!!”

I turned away with a look of grievance on my face.

Not at the professor but at the drone beside him.

“Is there anything to be warned about? No one got hurt, did they?”

《No issues. Quick judgment.》

“That’s what they say?”

“Shut up! I almost got hurt!!!”

《If a professor is whining, we suggest you leave. You’re honestly useless.》

“Ughhhh!!!”

Since no one got hurt, the drone’s reply reassured that there was no problem.

Moreover, its verbal skills were now quite sharp.

Previously, it was equipped with American AI, but after switching to Korean AI recently, it had noticeably improved.

I could no longer deny it.

The drone in front of me was truly Korean.

Anyway, there was no reason to linger, so I decided to move immediately.

[Where are you planning to go?]

‘For now, let’s take a big detour.’

It was clearly a maze-like ruin.

In the current situation without a map, the best escape method would be the left-hand or right-hand rule.

The method is simple.

Just place your hand on the wall and keep moving along it.

Though this method takes a long time, it has the advantage of being certain.

Even through a complicated maze, it ultimately leads to one side.

So I’d traverse through the entire ruins, eventually meeting up with either my party or the boss mob.

While moving like this, Hyeji’s figure suddenly appeared.

“Hyeji?”

“Shinwoo! I was so scared!”

­ Bang!

Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger towards the doppelganger mimicking Hyeji.

There’s absolutely no way that could be real.

The half-melted doppelganger cried out resentfully.

“She, she wasn’t your female?!”

“Hyeji wouldn’t be scared of anything.”

“What kind of human…f*ck…”

With curses, the doppelganger disappeared, and I resumed moving.

How much time had passed?

Just as I turned a corner, this time, Elcia appeared.

“My husband! I missed you!”

“I missed you too.”

Elcia rushed towards me.

Stepping back a bit from her, I casually asked.

“Oh right. By the way, how long until your savings mature?”

“Not long—”

­ Bang!

The doppelganger still didn’t know my girlfriends well.

Initially, I was a bit nervous, but now I felt no tension at all.

After the doppelganger disappeared, Ayeon appeared next.

“My dear, are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness.”

Ayeon let out a sigh of relief.

In the gap of her relief, I shot a sharp question.

“But if you’re a great demon, this place shouldn’t be too scary for you.”

“I’ve told you before, I’m not a great demon, I’m a succubus.”

­ Bang!

Instantly, I pulled the trigger without even realizing it.

Thanks to that, once again, the doppelganger began to collapse.

“This time I’m telling the truth!!!”

“…Ah, no! You f*cking bitch!!! Definitely not!!!”

­ Bang!

I was flustered, but in an effort to deny it, I pulled the trigger once more.

At that point, the piece started yelling.

[That’s true!!! ]

‘Sh*t. I pulled it reflexively.’

Fortunately, the target of my shotgun wasn’t Ayeon but the doppelganger.

But even after taking out the doppelganger, I still felt uneasy.

It seemed like it was learning more about us.

I sensed the urgency to take it out quickly before true confusion hit us.

Thinking that I needed to be more cautious, just as I resolved myself.

“Shinwoo? I finally found you!”

“Caressy?”

Caressy appeared.

Looking cheerful as she rushed towards me.

But since I couldn’t be sure whether it’s real, I kept my distance and aimed my gun.

“Hands up. Move and I’ll shoot.”

“Got it!”

Caressy complied and raised her hands right where she stood.

­ Bang!

“No, what the hell! Why are you shooting?!”

“I said not to move.”

“You little f*cker!!!”

Caressy quickly rolled to dodge.

This time, she seemed genuinely like the real Caressy, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

Seemingly reading my thoughts, she shouted with her hands still up.

“I’m real!!! So put the gun down!!!”

“Then do as I say.”

“Of course!”

Caressy spoke confidently.

Not a hint of hesitation in her manner.

I calmly said to her.

“Repeat after me. ‘Kyaru is a traitor.'”

“…For real, don’t make me say this as a catgirl.”

“Hurry up. And what’s with a dog talking about humans?”

“……Kyaru is a traitor.”

Caressy gritted her teeth, barely getting the words out.

Immediately following that, she muttered gloomily, “I’m sorry, Kyaru.”

But the verification didn’t end there.

“This time say, ‘There can’t be a lord, that’s impossible!’”

“F*ck you.”

Caressy’s expression soured completely.

By this point, she was starting to seem pretty genuine, but it felt a bit premature to end things here.

With a smirk at the trembling Caressy, I urged her to respond.

“Say it quickly, you traitor.”

“…I can’t say it.”

“Huh? Why not? Hurry up and say it.”

“Lord…”

At that moment.

“Lord! Kill this f*cking bastard!”

“It wasn’t nonsense?!”

Caressy exploded.

Simultaneously, I realized one fatal mistake.

‘Ah, sh*t. I forgot the “no” in front of it.’

[Instead of that, value your life more.]

No sooner had Caressy finished speaking than several stones were flung from every direction, smashing my shotgun.

Immediately after, Caressy and the oncoming projectiles began to mercilessly beat me up.

The ‘lord’ appeared to be very angry, joining forces with Caressy.

At first, my Defensive Coat was blocking those attacks.

But due to the endless pummeling, the Defensive Coat lost its effectiveness in vain.

“You little sh*t! Why make the saint do that!!!”

“Sorry, it really hurts.”

“It’s supposed to hurt, you bastard!!!”

Especially, Caressy’s fists and kicks were extremely spicy.

[Still, you’re being nice.]

‘The “no” was missing, you dumb cat.’

Caressy and the ‘lord’s’ unending beating continued.

Until I promised to donate a part of the funds from the student council’s support before ending it.

*