/
“No, this is impossible…” Seo Jun-Ho shook his head in an effort to deny the reality in front of him. His Imperturbable Mind disappeared like a mirage, and he became out of breath.
“Ahehe!” The woman cackled. She seemed excited as she pulled out two more dolls that looked like Skaya and Kim Woo-Joong out of her pocket.
“All… all…dolls!”
“...Everyone was defeated?” Seo Jun-Ho’s head started to ache. He found it difficult to form a coherent thought.
‘What is going on…?’ Seo Jun-Ho presumed that the woman in front of him was the main body. ‘She must have fought the rest of the party outside the well while I was fighting the doll here, which ended up being just a clone.’
However, what he couldn’t understand was how the woman managed to defeat the four elite Players with ease by herself. Seo Jun-Ho glanced behind him and confirmed that the woman who took the brunt of Moon Eye was dead.
‘That doll…’
The deceased woman was holding an incomplete doll. The black-haired doll was smiling slightly, and there was an eerie air around it.
It was a doll of Seo Jun-Ho…
“You were trying to turn me into a doll as well…”
“Yehe, all… all… strong humans, doll…”
The woman threw the dolls in her hand into the air as if she were a magician letting go of her doves.
The dolls transformed into familiar figures in front of Seo Jun-Ho.
“...Damn it, I’m ashamed of myself.”
“Jun-Ho, you need to run!”
“Specter-nim!”
“My body is moving on its own. I’m not doing this…”
‘Their familiar faces and voices…’ Seo Jun-Ho’s hands trembled while facing them.
Clench.
Seo Jun-Ho clenched his fists as hard as he could, but he couldn’t stop himself from trembling.
“...What am I supposed to do?” Seo Jun-Ho felt weak and fatigued.
“I got stronger, didn’t I?”
‘I trained hard, I survived countless life-and-death crises, I had to go through a lot of pain, and I even lost a friend. I went through absolutely everything imaginable, but how is it that I’m struggling against that’s not even the Floor Master of the 7th Floor?’
‘Where did all my effort go?’
“And what was all of it for? What am I supposed to do?” Seo Jun-Ho screamed, but his question was destined to receive not a single answer. He wanted to cry, and he felt like all his effort so far had been in vain. Above all, he no longer had the confidence to go through the remaining Floors that were bound to contain stronger enemies.
- Specter, there is nothing wrong with the system’s description. The Floors were created in a way that Players would need hundreds of years to clear them.
Seo Jun-Ho inadvertently recalled Deus’ words.
The Floors were designed in a way that Players would need hundreds of years to clear them.
‘Perhaps I’m the one who’s mistaken here? Did I try to go against providence when I wasn’t even qualified in the first place?’
However, Seo Jun-Ho felt such an idea was even more unfair.
“...Then what did the people die for?”
‘Why did they even fight so desperately? Was it to protect? To protect what?’
The fury in the deepest recesses of Seo Jun-Ho’s started to burn so hot that he couldn’t help but wonder if he had always been this furious.
“F-fight…” said the woman.
At the order, Seo Jun-Ho’s friends immediately jumped toward him.
Seo Jun-Ho saw their unfocused eyes, and he muttered unknowingly, “I should just die....”
He had uttered such words without realizing it. Seo Jun-Ho thought it would be better for him to die if this conundrum continued, even if he somehow managed to clear this Floor.
‘If that’s the case, It’ll be better if I end everything here, and—’ Seo Jun-Ho’s train of thought was cut short.
Rahmadat interrupted him. “Let us rest in peace, then.”
“...?” Seo Jun-Ho came to a halt as a sense of incongruity filled his heart.
Seo Jun-Ho melted and became darkness itself as he moved away from the dolls.
“...” Seo Jun-Ho wordlessly scanned the dolls. The dolls bore the likeness of his friends, and they wore expressions of grief and sadness. At the sight, Seo Jun-Ho became filled with doubts.
“Did Rahmadat just say that? He’d be the last person to say something like that.”
Rahmadat would have scolded Seo Jun-Ho, telling him to come to his senses.
‘There’s no way he’ll suggest that we rest in peace...’
At Seo Jun-Ho’s growing doubts, Rahmadat shook his head and explained, “I’m sorry if I made you upset. I said it unknowingly when I heard that you should just die…”
“How are you shaking your head? Didn’t you say that you can’t control your body?”
“...”
Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes turned cold.
‘I’m a fucking idiot.’
Seo Jun-Ho was ashamed. He was embarrassed for claiming that he had gone through everything. Above all, he was mortified and in disbelief by the fact that he had almost given up his life in the face of such a sloppy trick.
“Damn it all…” Seo Jun-Ho was furious at his own inadequacy.
However, Seo Jun-Ho was relieved after discovering the truth.
“Recall Spirit. Summon spirit.”
The Frost Queen abruptly appeared in front of Seo Jun-Ho.
She looked around briefly in shock. When she saw Seo Jun-Ho, she frowned and shouted furiously, “Your timing is the worst! I was busy fighting with the others!”
“Who were you fighting?”
“Who could it be other than Contractor’s doll—huh?” The Frost Queen’s face turned beyond pallid upon realizing it. “A-are you a ghost…?!”
“You think I am?”
Thwack!
Seo Jun-Ho flicked the Frost Queen’s forehead.
“Ouch!” the Frost Queen exclaimed, “It hurts! What was that for?!”
She rubbed her forehead with her hand.
“Calm down and look.”
“Look?” The Frost Queen turned and saw her friends’ dolls.
“What is going on…? They were just fighting with me outside…” the Frost Queen muttered, seemingly confused.
“I knew it…” Seo Jun-Ho said, looking more relieved than ever.
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‘She showed my friends my doll, and she showed me their dolls…’
Seo Jun-Ho finally realized that the woman’s sloppy trick involved taking advantage of the fact that the well was completely cut off from the outside world.
“I think I finally know your ability...”
‘I think her ability is to make dolls out of people she had seen.’
“Unfortunately, you need more practice.”
Now that he thought about it, the dolls’ manner of speech was awkward, and the dolls of the Players had never used any skills that belonged to the Player of their likeness.
“And that’s because you’re controlling the dolls.”
“...Ah, hehe!” the woman cackled with a ferocious look.
Boom!
Seo Jun-Ho abruptly unleashed his magic.
“Thanks…”
‘...for making me realize that I still have a long way to go.’
Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes shone brilliantly in gold as he activated Dignity of an Emperor (S).
“I don’t know if this is good enough for a reward, but…”
The four blades of the Freedom Blade moved at the speed of light.
Swish! Slash! Swish!
Slice!
The first blade pierced the woman’s heart, the second blade slashed the woman’s waist sideways, and the third blade severed the woman’s limbs. Finally, the fourth and final blade split the woman into two vertical slices.
The four blades of the Freedom Blade had moved so fast and so accurately that the woman seemed like she hadn’t realized that she was already dead. In addition, the cuts were so neat that they seemed like they had been measured with a protractor.
The flurry of attacks instantly killed the woman.
“Your death should be painless.” Seo Jun-Ho concluded.
There was a dull thud, and the dolls stopped moving at once. The life-sized dolls distorted before quickly returning to their original sizes.
“Contractor! What happened to the Players? Where are they?”
“They’re probably…”
Seo Jun-Ho and the Frost Queen found a path that led beyond the workshop. They followed the path and eventually arrived in front of a door. Upon opening the door, they saw the gagged and restrained Players on the floor.
“Oof! Oooff!”
“I’ll be right there.”
***
“...”
“...”
Skaya, Rahmadat, Gong Ju-Ha, and Kim Woo-Joong were rendered speechless from the shock of seeing their opponent becoming a cute doll.
“What…” Kim Woo-Joong seemed sad as he stared at the doll that had a striking resemblance to Seo Jun-Ho.
“Jun-Ho is now a doll,” said Rahmadat.
“Are you stupid? That’s impossible,” Skaya said bluntly.
“What?”
“Are you taking the piss? You can’t be serious. Are you still not aware that it was all a trick?”
“Wait, a trick? Which part of it was the trick?” asked Rahmadat.
Skaya was shocked. “Goodness. You guys really didn’t notice it? How could that doll be Jun-Ho when it couldn’t even use any of his skills?”
“Well, his skills could have also been sealed after becoming a doll!” Gong Ju-Ha retorted.
“Its manner of speech didn’t resemble Jun-Ho at all. Otherwise, I could have fallen for it as well,” said Skaya.
“Well, his manner of speech could have changed after becoming a doll!” Gong Ju-Ha retorted once again.
“Okay, I’ll just stop talking.”
‘Am I the only one who isn’t an idiot here?’ thought Skaya.
She sighed and acted like an unfortunate genius.
Boom!
There was a loud noise as the well was destroyed.
Seo Jun-Ho carved a path and emerged from the debris.
The rescued Players soon followed him one by one.
“...”
Seo Jun-Ho looked around.
He then approached Rahmadat and Skaya without saying a word.
“Hey, so you didn’t turn into a doll,” said Rahmadat.
“Jun-Ho. These guys are idiots. They actually believed that—” Skaya started.
Squeeze!
However, Skaya was forced to shut her mouth when Seo Jun-Ho hugged her tightly along with Rahmadat.
Rahmadat stiffened. He awkwardly looked straight ahead as he asked Skaya, “Hey, nerd. Jun-Ho is acting out of character. Is he a doll?”
“I-I’m not sure. I’m trying to figure that out right now.”
“...Thank goodness,” Seo Jun-Ho muttered.
‘I thought I lost them, but I’m glad it wasn’t real.’
Skaya and Rahmadat’s eyes frantically darted around.
Eventually, Seo Jun-Ho let go of them with a smile.
“...”
Gong Ju-Ha and Kim Woo-Joong seemed jealous of the sight.
“A-anyway! Did you get rid of the enemy for good?”
“Of course I did,” Seo Jun-Ho said with a nod.
Soon, the Players approached them with the woman’s corpse.
“Um, thank you so much for saving us.”
“I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened if it weren’t for you guys.”
“We could have become a real doll.”
The members of Silver Constellation also approached them, seemingly embarrassed.
Christin Lewis stared at Seo Jun-Ho for a while.
Eventually, he bowed and said, “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For ignoring your advice and moving on our own,” replied Christin.
However, Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t really blame him.
The result was bad, but Christin Lewis’ words at the time were reasonable.
“Let’s set that aside. We have a bigger problem to face…”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that, Specter-nim?”
Seo Jun-Ho nodded.
‘Right. They still don’t know that the Gate has disappeared.’
Seo Jun-Ho turned toward them and was about to explain, but his eyes drifted toward the sky.
“...”
“Why are you looking at the sky?”
The sky directly above the village was still covered with pitch-black murky energy, even though the puppeteer—the woman—had already died. This could only mean one thing.
‘That energy doesn’t belong to the woman in the well; there’s at least one more enemy here…’
Seo Jun-Ho turned to look at the Players.
He was about to warn them of the hidden danger, but an unfamiliar voice echoed from the entrance of the village.
“Ah, humans from another world certainly are strong. Wait, did I say it right?” The voice belonged to a man wearing a clean uniform. He was twisting his bobbed wavy hair with his finger. “I was sure that Sherid was enough to deal with you all, but I guess she wasn’t good enough.”
“...”
The bobbed-haired man emitted not a single magic signature or presence, making him seem as though he wasn’t a living being. However, Keen Intuition’s warnings made it clear to Seo Jun-Ho that the man was alive and was a force to be reckoned with.
“...Jun-Ho. Listen carefully,” Skaya muttered, “I’m pretty sure he possesses the power to distort.”
“To distort what? What does that mean?”
“Remember when I told you that I couldn’t use Teleport when we were on our way here?”
“To distort space?” Seo Jun-Ho muttered. He could still remember Skaya’s words about how they could potentially lose their limbs or die outright if they were to Teleport while the space at their destination was distorted.
“Anyway, we only have one enemy left,” said Rahmadat. He clenched his fists before continuing. “Can’t we just kill him?”
“Already. Knew it. Prepared…” muttered the bobbed-haired man.
“...?” the Players stared at him in confusion.
“I guess English has a different word order compared to Korean. Your languages are quite interesting.” The bobbed-haired man laughed boisterously, seemingly excited about the idea of obtaining new knowledge.
“Well, it was nice meeting you all, but unfortunately, this is the end. My father, the emperor, desperately wants you all.”
“...Father?”
‘His father is the emperor? Does that mean that he’s a prince? I thought new lives can’t be born in this world?’
Many questions popped up in Seo Jun-Ho’s mind, but he ended up asking only a single question.
“...Does he want to have a conversation with us?” asked Seo Jun-Ho.
The bobbed-haired man thought about it for a while.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but no...” replied the bobbed-haired man with a smile.
“Then, I refuse to meet him.”
“Hmm… that is not how it works.”
Snap!
The man snapped his fingers.
“He even gave me reinforcements just to secure you guys.”
“...!”
The murky curtain above the village was peeled off as many pillars of light descended from the sky. The pillars of light disappeared as soon as they landed on the ground, revealing the humans that they had been carrying.
‘...There are more than a hundred of them…’
To make matters worse, each one of them was unbelievably strong.
In other words, there was no way that the Players here could handle them.
“Skaya! Send everyone away!” Seo Jun-Ho shouted urgently.
Skaya didn’t even reply as hundreds of magic circles manifested beneath their feet.
“No, you don’t…”
The bobbed-haired man snorted and snapped his fingers again.
The magic circles distorted under his influence.
“Damn it! The magic circles are malfunctioning!” Skaya exclaimed.
“...Hey, Jun-Ho.” Rahmadat stood in front of Seo Jun-Ho with a determined look.
Seo Jun-Ho felt a sense of foreboding; he hurriedly reached out with his hand.
However, his hand only brushed against the hem of Rahmadat’s clothes.
“I’ll leave the rest to you,” said Rahmadat. He looked like he was leaving his last words before transforming into a beam of light that flew toward the bobbed-haired man.
Rahmadat disrupted the bobbed-haired man’s influence over space, and the malfunctioning magic circles finally shone brightly.
Seo Jun-Ho’s surroundings rapidly peeled away.
“...Ugh. Bleeeeck!”
Seo Jun-Ho vomited upon being overwhelmed by vertigo. The teleport was so unstable that it was a bit unbelievable to say that it was cast by a powerful and skilled mage like Skaya.
“Haaa, haaa…!”
‘Rahmadat, Rahmadat, Rahmadat…! Where are you…’
Seo Jun-Ho hurriedly looked around.
“...”
However, there was absolutely no one around him.