-Let’s see your skills.
“Shall we?”
-I’m not so lonely that I’d accept just anyone as a friend!
From Takashi’s forceful voice, Kang-hoo paradoxically felt his loneliness.
Knowing Takashi’s character from the original work, it was a reaction he couldn’t ignore.
Takashi’s emotional response to people and his attraction is a bit twisted.
That’s both Takashi’s charm and his flaw. It makes it hard for people to approach him easily.
Whoosh!
Takashi’s doppelganger threw a wooden practice dagger that had been lying on the floor. Then he himself picked up a wooden longsword.
Takashi found it intriguing that Kang-hoo was bold and spoke his mind without feeling intimidated in front of him.From what he had gathered through research, Kang-hoo’s abilities seemed quite impressive. At least, he didn’t seem out of place at his current level.
If Kang-hoo turned out to be all talk and no substance, Takashi could just cut ties. They weren’t particularly close anyway.
So, there was no pressure.
If Kang-hoo passed the test, they’d become friends; if not, it would just be a one-time encounter.
Kang-hoo also saw it as a good opportunity.
He didn’t think he could pass Takashi’s test with just a few words.
‘Now is the perfect time.’
He was convinced.
If more time passed here, the Thirteen Stars would start getting closer to Takashi again.
In a few months, they’d begin tackling several difficult dungeons.
At that time, Takashi would play a crucial role in the strategy. The ‘Universal Pattern Theory’ that he babbled on about would come into play.
After that, the Thirteen Stars would often seek Takashi out according to their needs, increasing their interactions.
When that time came, no matter how much Kang-hoo tried, it would be unlikely to change Takashi’s mind.
-The counting will be taken care of by the large monitors in front and behind us, so don’t worry. Thirteen it is.
As soon as Takashi finished speaking, the number 10 appeared in red on the large display board.
Then the countdown began.
The numbers behind Takashi were so large that they were almost distracting.
At that moment.
Woooo. Woooo. Woooo.
The doppelgangers scattered around the training ground began to rise one by one.
Unlike the detailed doppelganger directly controlled by Takashi, these were crudely made to resemble him.
They had a necromantic feel, but they couldn’t be classified strictly as necromancy.
Especially, the relationship between Takashi and the doppelganger he directly controlled was akin to a fated community.
To put it simply, the directly controlled doppelganger was the main body, while the others were just conceptual extensions.
‘It wasn’t intentional, but I’ve got a good card in hand. I wondered when I’d use it.’
Kang-hoo mentally prepared a card for aggressive use from the start.
He had considered several strategies, but none seemed as good as this.
The number on the display had become 1 before he knew it.
Swish. Swish.
Takashi (the doppelganger, no different from himself) and Kang-hoo each took their stances.
They kept their eyes fixed on each other, glancing at the display board’s time.
And when it hit 0.
Boom! Boom!
They charged at each other.
There was no strategic retreat or watching; it was an aggressive start.
At that moment.
【Third, use 'Soul Wave' to sever the mental link with an enemy or summon.
It consumes 250 mana and causes mental strain, but can completely reset the enemy's state.】
Kang-hoo first played his hand. It was the Soul Wave.
This was the third constellation privilege he received from the Strategist of the Wasteland, and it was his first time using it.
“……Ugh!”
Pain hit with a time lag.
The severe headache was strong enough to ignore the substantial pain mitigation effects from his items.
Without the pain mitigation, the pain would have been unimaginable.
He was sure he would have collapsed, seeing stars. The headache was that intense.
Fsssst.
At the same time, Takashi’s ‘insignificant’ doppelgangers crumpled to the ground like straw in the wind.
Takashi’s first doppelganger was also affected by the Soul Wave.
As it was mentally connected to Takashi, it couldn’t escape the impact.
-……Wow!
A surprised exclamation filled with astonishment came through the microphone.
Takashi wasn’t surprised by the attack that severed the mental link.
It was obvious that such an attack would be a weakness for someone like him.
So, as soon as the link with the first doppelganger was severed, he immediately reconnected, and the gap was very short.
Kang-hoo, who had tried to get closer, stopped short at Takashi’s quick response.
However, Takashi was surprised that Kang-hoo, known as an assassin, used such a skill.
Cutting mental links was naturally a mental skill, typically used by hunters specialized in magic.
It wasn’t a skill expected from an assassin. There was no overlap.
-Not bad…….
As Takashi was about to continue his comment in admiration of Kang-hoo’s attempt.
Kang-hoo used Soul Wave once more. This time, he also connected it with a flash step.
Approaching closely was risky, but keeping a distance allowed one-sided pressure.
Then, through prior exploration, it was also clear that the Soul Wave, although brief, created a definite blackout.
“Ugh!”
Kang-hoo groaned.
He could use it twice somehow, but three times was impossible.
Mana was the second problem; the intensity of the pain was on another level.
Using the skill, he felt like he might experience a blackout from the pain himself.
It was a brief but dizzying experience that blurred his vision. It wasn’t a good sign.
While Takashi, caught in the second Soul Wave, staggered, a thrown dagger hit him.
Though he barely twisted his sword diagonally to block it, it was just a block.
He couldn’t prevent being caught up in the ‘Push Back’ that Kang-hoo had sent along with the dagger.
-Ugh!
Takashi’s body flew in a parabolic arc. The unprepared push-back’s destructive power was evident.
Without hesitation, Kang-hoo leapt and accelerated towards Takashi.
Such an opportunity wouldn’t come twice with a skilled opponent. Even one chance was a lot.
Thus, he thought this was the last opportunity, and the situation seemed quite favorable.
At that moment.
Screeching!
Even as his body was flying, Takashi tightly gripped his longsword and slashed it across the ground.
It was as if he was intentionally trying to spark flames.
Swoosh!
Soon, something mixed with crimson light from the created flames fiercely attacked Kang-hoo.
‘Damn.’
As expected, Takashi hadn’t built his level and skills idly.
Even after taking a proper hit, he immediately entered the counterattack phase.
His tendency to consider all possible outcomes in a fight was remarkably similar to Kang-hoo’s.
In an instant, he was engulfed by light.
Already committed to chasing Takashi, he couldn’t avoid it.
Thus, he took it head-on.
At that moment, Kang-hoo felt the skill was causing blindness. He couldn’t see ahead.
【Resonance Sight】
The response was immediate.
A skill that automatically consumes 0.5 mana per second only in a blind state.
Like the Soul Wave he had used earlier, he wondered when it would come in handy, and thanks to Takashi, it got its first use.
‘I can see clearly.’
Though the world was seen in black and white while the blindness lasted, not being affected by blindness at all made the skill highly valuable.
Kang-hoo felt grateful to Gloria, who contributed to acquiring the skill.
Pretending to be blind, Kang-hoo staggered.
Whoosh!
Then, Takashi, seizing the moment, sent a sword energy made from his longsword at Kang-hoo.
Though the practice wooden sword was not sharp, the energy was sufficient to deliver a blunt strike.
However, for Kang-hoo, who could clearly see the trajectory thanks to Resonance Sight, it was a meaningless attack.
Tap, tap.
Kang-hoo dodged the sword energy with light, nimble movements.
Takashi couldn’t believe his eyes.
Kang-hoo’s blindness hadn’t been lifted. The debuff was still in effect.
Yet, Kang-hoo evaded the attack as if he could see the path clearly.
It was too precise to be mere prediction, an effortless and clean evasion.
-Haha.
Takashi chuckled in frustration. In a short time, Kang-hoo had surprised him twice.
First, he was surprised by the skill that forcibly severed the link with his doppelganger.
Second, he was surprised that Kang-hoo had a countermeasure to easily overcome blindness.
Assassins, who focus on extreme attacks, are naturally weak to debuffs or disruptions affecting them.
This common ‘chronic disease’ of assassins didn’t apply to Kang-hoo.
And then.
-Starting to get angry?
Kang-hoo got the reaction he wanted from Takashi. It seemed he was getting riled up.
-Wait a second. Let me light up.
Then came the second expected reaction.
Though he used the term ‘light up,’ it wasn’t the usual cigarette.
Takashi burned something mysterious, a kind of secret weapon for intense focus.
In the original work, it was rumored to be drug-related, but nothing was confirmed.
Nonetheless, putting it in his mouth meant he was more serious about the situation than ever.
And the real battle began.
Although their practice weapons weren’t threatening, their attitudes towards each other were more threatening than ever.
It was a fierce skirmish.
As the fight continued, Kang-hoo realized more and more how tough an opponent Takashi was.
Facing a doppelganger instead of the main body meant the constellation scan didn’t work, which was frustrating.
Thus, it was difficult to pinpoint the areas Takashi specialized in or his objectives.
Even in the original work, the constellation settings weren’t explained in detail, leaving little to infer.
Of course, considering the considerable level difference, just holding his ground was enough to earn full marks.
The primary reason the battle was getting tougher was:
‘He’s analyzing my patterns.’
Kang-hoo felt that Takashi was gradually ‘learning’ and ‘studying’ his movements.
Reading an opponent’s patterns wasn’t unique to Kang-hoo; Takashi could do it too.
In fact, he was more persistent.
To add variables to the fight, Kang-hoo actively used Shadow Step in conjunction with doppelganger and illusion techniques.
But somehow, his main body’s position kept getting revealed, and his tricks weren’t working.
‘Do I have a habit?’
Kang-hoo questioned himself, but he wasn’t aware of any.
If he couldn’t recognize it himself, it must be a very subtle habit, barely noticeable.
But Takashi seemed to see it.
At that moment:
-Haah!
With Takashi’s shout, the wooden sword he swung with all his might slashed right in front of Kang-hoo’s approaching face from behind.
In a split second:
Swoosh…!
Kang-hoo’s front hair, caught in the maximum sword energy created by the wooden sword, was cleanly cut off.
If it were a real fight, and if his body had been slightly more forward, his face would have been gone.
“Damn.”
Once again, a frown formed on Kang-hoo’s hard-working forehead.
Indeed, Takashi was no ordinary person.