Second Life Ranker

Atran disappeared back into the portal, clearly knowing what was going to happen next. Yeon-woo looked at his doppelgangers. 

“What is this?”

“I thought this might be the case. There are quite a lot of them.”

“This will be annoying.”

Some of the doppelgangers muttered, others stood silently to observe the situation, just as Yeon-woo normally did whenever he found himself in a dangerous situation. The thirty-fourth floor was about self-denial. ‘I have to figure out which one of us is the real me.’

Mirrors were the only things that created reflections, and there was a danger that a doppelganger would swallow up the real player. However, each doppelganger would be convinced that they were the real player and everyone else was fake.

The countless mirrors allowed the reflections to move freely, and so it was difficult to figure out who was real and who wasn’t. The doppelgangers could kill each other until only one was left. However, there was a danger that the real player might die, and the doppelgangers would disappear.

Players could discuss with the doppelgangers to figure out which one of them was the real player. Once they discovered this, the trial would be completed. His brother had chosen this route because he was so logical that he managed to convince the doppelgangers to surrender after a short discussion and cleared the stage quickly.

‘Vieira Dune dominated the fakes with her mental magic, and Valebich and Bayluk fought to the death until only one was left.’ Bayluk had fought thinking that the limits of his poison could be overcome faster if he released all of it at once. 

However, Yeon-woo’s doppelgangers didn’t attempt to fight to the death or persuade each other.

[Time Difference]

Each of them tried to understand the real situation as time slowed down, asking, ‘Am I fake?’ They all attempted to find out which of them was the real one by leaving a part of their Consciousness outside their bodies and turning the rest within themselves for introspection. However, there was an easy way to find the real Yeon-woo: through the Channels.

Each god was unique: Hermes, Athena, Agares, Ceto, Hundun, and even Persephone and Hades. The Channels from the heavenly world and Tartarus were like a complex web stretching out from Yeon-woo.

The doppelgangers would be the ones who had faint Channels. When they realized this, they instantly broke their Philosopher’s Stones and faded away as blood poured out of their mouths.

They didn’t have any hesitation or regrets when they killed themselves. Their decision was cold and quick—this was a mindset that Yeon-woo had ever since Africa. His life was little more than a tool to him. He wasn’t willing to slow down or take a break until he completed the Cast of the Black King and found his brother’s soul.

「He’s crazy.」

「Hm.」

Shanon and Hanryeong gulped as they watched Yeon-woo. They had cleared through the thirty-fourth floor in the past, too, but they had never seen a player’s doppelgangers commit mass suicide.

Players who climbed to the thirty-fourth floor were exceedingly confident in their skills and often couldn’t make sacrifices, even if reason called for it. But perhaps it wasn’t reason but inhumanity.

Who else would kill themselves so easily? Even though people made extreme decisions when they didn’t have anything to live for, most of the time, they struggled to stay alive. However, the doppelgangers didn’t even blink. In an instant, half of them disappeared. 

Then, they asked the next question: ‘Do I really own these Factors?’ Because the Draconic, Divine, and Demonic Factors were supernatural, each of them was unique. The stage used data, but it had limits. Those who lacked Draconic Factors fell first. Then, those who lacked Demonic Factors, and finally, those with weak Divine Factors coughed out blood. Once again, half of the doppelgangers fell. 

Yeon-woo continued to get rid of those who didn’t have everything he was supposed to have. After some time, only those who had the exact details as Yeon-woo were left. Each of them could pass as the real Yeon-woo no matter where they went. 

Next, Yeon-woo dug deeper into himself. ‘Internal investigation is next.’ His body and his mind were done, and it was time to examine the world of his unconsciousness. ‘Am I real?’

Ordinary humans couldn’t follow Yeon-woo’s thinking abilities since they didn't have Draconic qualities. They asked themselves whether they were thinking properly and if something was wrong with them. Those who weren’t sure about themselves quickly pulled their Magic Bayonets out and cut their throats. Blood poured out, and their bodies fell over. 

「Not suspecting yourself might leave room for arrogance to grow in the future.」

The real Yeon-woo could never be that arrogant. He was constantly suspicious and hard-working. After that was done, it was time to ask, ‘Do I suspect the one next to me?’

Those who were suspicious dug their Magic Bayonets into their hearts. Once more, another half disappeared.

「Because he couldn’t make a proper assessment…?」

Next up were those who were suspicious of themselves. Thwak!

Those who had other thoughts. Puak!

Those whose Time Difference were misaligned because their focus wavered. Yeon-woo suspected himself multiple times and looked for the answer confidently. Any version of him that hesitated before responding stabbed himself with the Magic Bayonets. The forest of mirrors was soon stained blood red. 

Shanon and Hanryeong were speechless as they watched the scene unfold. Rebecca looked away, and Nemesis covered Nike’s eyes with a complicated expression. 

『How long does he have to keep this up for?』 He thought Yeon-woo had been growing more human, but there were still sides to him that were completely inhuman. He was someone who would throw his life away just for a goal.  

In the end, there were only two Yeon-woos left. They opened their eyes at the same time, and a strange light appeared in their eyes. They were feeling something different now. ‘How annoying.’

They both considered themselves real. Asking questions at this point was useless. Both of them would come to the same conclusion anyway. There was only one method left. The two Yeon-woos dashed at each other. 

Boom!

* * *

Thwack! Yeon-woo’s head fell to the ground. Neither of the two Yeon-woos had spoken since the outcome had been obvious. The blood of the dead Yeon-woo scattered, and he disappeared with a flash of light. A portal opened above, and Atran appeared again with a petrified expression. 

There was so much blood that he was ankle-deep in it. How many doppelgangers had died here? Atran felt strange because he knew that they had killed themselves. He felt that Yeon-woo truly had monstrous moments. ‘Is he a monster who looks human? Or like a robot who acts like a human? Ugh.’

Yeon-woo ignored Atran’s reaction and checked the message that popped up in front of him. 

[All trials have been completed.]

[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished. Additional karma will be provided.]

……

[You have set a new record on this floor. Will you register your name in the Hall of Fame?]

[You have refused to register your name.]

[Your record has been deeply engraved in the Tower. You can register your name whenever you wish.]

As always, he ranked first. Except for the tenth floor, he always took the first place. There was a strange, black, glassy object where he had been standing. It was small and easy to overlook.

[Piece of Reflection][Category: Miscellaneous][Rank: D][Description: A token left behind by the destruction of the reflections of the thirty-fourth floor. They look like pieces of glass. They have some magic power, but there doesn’t seem to be anything special about them.] 

It was easy to think of it as a useless item. However, Yeon-woo said, “Rise.” The pieces of the reflections floated gently into his hand. They all had the same magic power as Yeon-woo did, so it was easy to find all of them. Swish!

The pieces spun around and combined into one. Clack, clack. A black bead formed in his palm. 

[Magic Sword Stone][Category: Miscellaneous, Material][Rank: S][Description: When thousands of pieces of reflections combine into one, they form this object. If it is made into an artifact and the user of the artifact matches the data inside the stone, it will become an outstandingly sensitive artifact.However, if the owner and the data don’t match, a random skill contained in the data will be assigned to the owner of the stone if they hack into it.]

The Magic Sword Stone was relatively well known, so it couldn’t be called a hidden piece. However, only players who passed the trial on their first try could gain it, and they had to gather all of the pieces. Also, because it had the data of its owner, selling it was tantamount to revealing one’s weaknesses, so it was usually only used to make new artifacts. Anyone would want a divine artifact made with one’s own data.

His brother had created Dragon Slayer with the Magic Sword Stone, and he had succeeded in boosting it from S-rank to EX-rank. Dragon Slayer was an outstanding weapon that players still talked about. 

Yeon-woo had thought about using the Magic Sword Stone to strengthen his Magic Bayonet. However, Vigrid was nearly as powerful as Dragon Slayer, and he needed the stone for Kynee. 

[You have successfully gathered the Magic Sword Stones (2/2).]

‘So only three Jamshid Liquors and the Adamantine Nova are left now.’

Since By the Table could get the Adamantine Nova, he only had to worry about the three Jamshid Liquors. However, there was a slight problem. ‘Jamshid is a being on the seventieth floor.’

He was a Lord who had ruled the seventieth floor for a long time before dying. His nickname was King of Thousands, and his greed and violence had been so profound that even a thousand years later, people still remembered it.

One of his hobbies had been brewing alcohol, and sometimes, a small amount of wine would appear on the market and sell at an expensive price. Yeon-woo had never drunk it before, but among connoisseurs, it was seen as an elixir. ‘I don’t know how it’ll be used to make Kynee though.’

The most important thing was that he needed to get it somehow. Of course, there was a chance he could get it on the seventieth floor, but no matter how quickly he cleared the floors, it would be impossible for him to get to the seventieth floor in time. ‘It’s not like there isn’t any other way at all.’

Yeon-woo knew someone who enjoyed collecting precious items and was as greedy as Jamshid. And luckily, he liked Yeon-woo. ‘The Gluttony Emperor.’

It seemed like it was time to visit Blood Land, the visit that he had been delaying since the twenty-third floor.  

* * *

“I’m not even surprised anymore.” From high in the sky, Creutz looked down at the mass suicides of Yeon-woo’s doppelgangers. His eyes under his helm were dark. He hadn’t gone ahead like Yeon-woo had assumed, but instead, he’d summoned his Flying Dragon to observe Yeon-woo from above and avoid having his own doppelgangers created.  

He wasn’t surprised at all by the explosion of the mirror and the blood that spilled on the ground. The image of the doppelgangers killing themselves lingered in his mind. He wondered if the Yeon-woo he’d met was still the same as before. ‘I can never confront him as an enemy.’

With the urgent business of Tartarus ongoing, he didn’t know how he could  lead Yeon-woo to the Regiment Leader.

* * *

The letter Yeon-woo received from Atran began with the following words: “Are you doing well, friend?”