As the number of attempts increased, the fights started to vary.
Little by little, I started to understand the existence of âI.â
âAs the fight goes on, he starts to resemble me more. On the contrary, I amâŠâ
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.
âI am becoming like him.â
I clicked my tongue.
Then I received a little enlightenment. I realized that it didnât just apply to the clone.
And finally, it was the 100th try.
I went back to the beginning.
Who was whose clone?
Now I couldnât differentiate myself from him.
I was become more complete, while he was becoming incomplete.
AndâŠI 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 âthis isnât the type of completion that I want.â
I was getting stronger, but I didnât want to be complete if I wasnât myself.
âI am going to laugh loudly when I become the devil.â
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. ButâŠif I was apathetic then I wouldnât be able to feel anything when I became the devil.
âIt canât be.â
In order to be complete, did I have to discard the incomplete parts?
If so, I wouldnât become complete. I had gone through many trials and errors even when incomplete. HoweverâŠthis 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.
Iâll accept it.
It wasnât funny.
âI donât like this.â
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.
-Agility has dropped by one
My stats dropped. After replenishing the missing parts, my stats returned to their original state. But I didnât mind. This type of completion wasnât the direction that I wanted.
It might be slow but I would succeed in my own wayâŠ
Then the eyes of the clone changed.
âStupid person. You canât throw it away. Did you come all this way to completion only to kick it away?â
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 assimilated with him.
âThrowing this away?â
I laughed. The things I gained from reaching completion. I was abandoning them now.
Then the clone grinded his teeth together.
âChoosing imperfection! Foolish and stupid!â
âDonât make me laugh. Arenât you the one who wants this foolishness?â
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 couldnât 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.
âDonât you want completion? Completeness begins with discarding the imperfections! Donât you want to become stronger?â
He asked with a distressed expression.
âI want to become stronger. However, I donât think of myself as incomplete.â
The things he took from me. I didnât think of them as my weaknesses. My clone had other thoughts⊠so I was different from him.
Then he started running wild.
âIncomplete! You wonât win over me!â
âI donât think of myself as incomplete.â
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.
âIncompleteness, what if you arenât incomplete? You wonât be able to become the devil!â
âIt is a stalemate. Our standards are different.â
I raised Wrath and the Emperorâs Sword.
That person yelled out.
âNever! You can never beat me unless you are complete!â
âYou are my weakness.â
Unlike my clone, I was confident.
I took a deep breath.
And I put down Wrath and the Emperorâs Sword.
âWhat are you doing?â
âI wonât sell my soul to become stronger. AndâŠâ
There was a mocking smile on my face.
âI wonât tolerate anything of mine existing somewhere else. Come back.â
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 âweakâ had become independent. I didnât understand myself so it showed my narrow-mindedness.
The eyes of that guy with the same face shook violently.
âDrop it. This is the fastest route to completion. Donât you know it yourself? Havenât you realized the truth after facing the gods and going back in time? You clearly knew. There was such detail in the truth they told you. Then whyâŠ?â
âWhy am I doing this?â
âYes. Why? You heart is being cleansed. Yet you are still hesitating?â
My hidden side. Thatâs what I called my clone. I shook my head.
âThe gods didnât 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.â
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 wasnât 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.
âYou will surely regret this. I was barely able to separate from youâŠonce you acknowledge it, this can no longer be reversed.
âEven if you are a part of me that I didnât care for, I will become more complete by acknowledging you.â
âSophistry! Just sophistry.â
âSomeone told me this. I was too young, my pride would tighten around my neck. However, the person who said it died by my hands.â
I fought Okullos who had broken the taboo.
The winner would be right and Okullos was defeated. They were nothing more than words.
ââŠOkay. Wait and see. Your heart will be frustrated.â
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.
âYou have woken up, Master?â
âYihi.â
I got up from my position. It was a small wooden building that seemed to be in the dark elf village.
âYou havenât woken up in three days. Yihi was really, really worried.â
Yihi wiped away her tears with her fingers.
âThree daysâŠhas anything happened in the meantime?â
âChrisley 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.â
âChrisley told me that dozens of days ago.â
Yihi blinked.
âHuh? That is strange. Yihi was only told a few days agoâŠâ
The conversation didnât fit. I sensed something and asked.
âYihi. What is todayâs date?â
âThe 12th of September. It is a little bit colder now. Yihi doesnât like the cold.â
â12th of September?â
âWhatâs wrong, Master?â
âNothing.â
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 ChrisleyâŠ
âWas it a vision?â
I recalled Martinâs eyes but I didnât remember directly implanting them. Yet it seemed like I obtained a little bit of his power.
I wasnât sure what was happening.
âOr is this also the impact of Power of Domination?â
Perhaps Power of Domination was triggered when Martin was dying. I saw a lot of messages during the massacre of creatures so I didnât pay attention to everything.
âAt any rateâŠif time hasnât passed then my stats wouldnât have changed.â
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.
âStatus window.â
I opened my status window for confirmation.
Name: Randalph Brigsiel
Occupation
Demon Grand Duke (Dungeon Master)
Title
* Dungeon Hunter (Residual stats +1 when occupying dungeons and hunting demons)
* Indomitable Warrior (Ex U, All stats +2)
* First to Receive a Fairyâs 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
Strength
89 (+20)
Intelligence
96(+15)
Agility
85 (+20)
Stamina
90(+22)
Magic Power
100(+16)
Potential: (460+93/570)
Remaining Stat Points: 14
Electric Power: 21GW
Uniqueness: The master of the Underground World. The Heart of the Hell Monarch has completely awakened.
Skill: Combine Everything (Ex U), Mindâs Eye (Epic), Dark Sword (Epic), Divine Sword Unity (Epic, Passive), Lightning Elemental (Epic), Pride (Epic), Corruption (Ex Epic), Power of Domination (Ex Epic, Passive), Spirit Communication (Epic, Passive)
Skill and Item Effects: Wrath (Strength +7), Sloth (Agility +7), Pride (Stamina + 7), Divine Sword Unity (Strength and Agility +3)