That Face Is the Problem - Chapter 38.1
For several days, Jae-gyeong had been safely making his way through the maze. At the appropriate times, he would sit and rest, consuming minimal water and food, and if a sudden attack came, his passive skill, Divine Shield, would activate, allowing him to respond immediately.
Although Jae-gyeong did not particularly enjoy talking to people, after spending so much time wandering the maze alone, he began to miss human interaction.
‘I want to meet someone and talk… I wonder how the others are doing.’
Since this enormous maze was connected as one, occasionally sounds of battle or someone cursing angrily—usually Ri-na’s voice—could be heard from far away. Although it made him worry, hearing those sounds strangely lifted Jae-gyeong’s spirits.
Then, in the distance, Jae-gyeong spotted Da-sol staggering and injured. The thought that it could be a monster flashed through his mind. He did not rush forward recklessly, but he could not help feeling concerned.
“Da-sol!”
Jae-gyeong called out. Even though he knew it no longer had much meaning, he pressed the tip of his tongue against the back of his front teeth. Da-sol, limping from a leg injury, stopped cautiously when he saw Jae-gyeong and brushed his hair back. That was Da-sol’s signal!
“Da-sol, is it really you?”
Jae-gyeong approached slowly while keeping his shield raised.
[Can’t you tell just by looking?]
Da-sol said irritably in a voice that revealed his exhaustion. Judging by his temper, it seemed like the real Da-sol…
“How did you get hurt? Where is Yoon Yi-hyeon Hunter?”
[Yi-hyeon and I got separated in the maze. We fought a monster and ended up taking different paths… ugh.]
“Can you self-heal?”
Jae-gyeong had heard that some healers could not heal themselves, similar to how the spellcaster Jeong Jeong-eon could not cast spells on himself. He did not know the details, only that some healers could not use self-healing.
But Da-sol was an A-rank healer, so he should be able to self-heal. Could this be a fake? Jae-gyeong did not lower his guard and stayed in place.
[My mana is almost gone. So, ugh…]
Da-sol paused mid-sentence, clutching one arm and sinking to the ground. He seemed injured not only in his leg but also his arm.
“Da-sol!”
Jae-gyeong instinctively lowered his shield and ran toward him. He had no time to consider that Da-sol might be a fake or that he was too low on mana to self-heal. Seeing Da-sol collapse, he went white in shock.
“Da-sol, are you okay? Here, take a potion―”
Only when he got almost right in front did Jae-gyeong realize that Da-sol was inside the mirror. The real Da-sol swung his shield, and miraculously, the mirror Da-sol’s shield came out and the pointed end scraped Jae-gyeong’s forearm.
“Was that a monster?”
Jae-gyeong asked in a low voice. His battle suit had not torn, but the skin underneath stung. Fortunately, Divine Shield had activated properly, preventing a deep wound.
[Ah… that passive skill, right. Too bad.]
The mirror Da-sol rose with a scowling expression. He looked exactly like Da-sol, almost unnervingly so.
“The real Da-sol didn’t get hurt like that, right? That’s just for show, isn’t it? To confuse me.”
Jae-gyeong asked, fearing that the mirror Da-sol might have copied the real Da-sol’s injuries.
The mirror Da-sol let out a mocking laugh.
[What’s this? Jae-gyeong, you like Seo Da-sol, huh?]
“W-what… Did you just say?”
Jae-gyeong’s face turned red at suddenly being suspected of a secret crush by a monster.
“W-what are you… what do you mean? That’s impossible…!”
[Pathetic… don’t ever let Seo Da-sol find out. The moment he does, you’re out of this team.]
This monster… Why is it speaking so harshly? Jae-gyeong furrowed his brows in frustration. Tears immediately gathered in his eyes.
“Stop talking nonsense…! You, what do you know…!”
[Ah, really.]
“…!!”
[I am the monster copying you to attack, do you think I don’t understand your psychology?]
The mocking mirror Da-sol was a perfect copy of the real Da-sol. Jae-gyeong bit his lip. Only then did he realize that this dungeon’s S-rank difficulty was not just because of skill replication and the complexity of the maze.
These monsters were gradually learning the originals. Beyond appearance, they copied speech patterns, expressions, and even personalities and psychology. They were slowly approaching perfect replication.
[You like Seo Da-sol… and Seo Da-sol thinks you’re pathetic.]
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