Item Buff (2)
The Shadow Altar.
In this chapter, the doppelganger acts solely for two purposes.
To make the expedition waste the Stone of Truth.
If that doesn’t work, to keep causing discord so that the number of expedition members decreases.
In that sense, there was one strong suspect.
[Where are you from?]
Kyleman Parteian.
The mage of HansG’s team who split the expedition in half with just one word.
At first, I thought he had just stepped on a landmine by chance.
Because the mage team, including HansG, didn’t seem to know that the dwarf group was from Noark.
But…….
[Dwarf, are you perhaps a doppelganger?]
I relentlessly attacked the dwarf group.
Where they got the equipment in their backpacks.
What exactly the public official said when they received their identification tags, etc. I threw countless questions that he couldn’t answer, making him look suspicious.
However. At that time, I failed to consider one thing.
How would the dwarf, who was struggling with those easy questions, look to the doppelganger?
‘He would have looked strange. Then he would have wondered why.’
A smart mage’s body that he had entered after a long time.
The doppelganger would have reached the truth of Noark through the questions that the dwarf couldn’t answer.
He probably got greedy too.
It just so happened that there were suitable items in the body he had taken as a host, and…….
If used well, it would be easier to hide his identity.
[H, he’s dead.]
The doppelganger bastard knows how to play dead.
I’ve been tricked several times in the game.
Unless you kill him instantly, this damn bastard would enter a dormant state to maintain his life and toy with the player.
Just like this.
“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK—!!”
The doppelganger convulsed as soon as the potion was poured on him.
If I hadn’t known this, I would have had no choice but to use the Stone of Truth on Raven even after beating all the remaining candidates to death.
“It’s a doppelganger!!!”
Raven, finally cleared of suspicion, shouted more happily than ever. The doppelganger, while screaming, tried to deny it first.
“N, no! Hey! I, am! KIEEEEEK!!”
How much does he look down on people?
It’s absurd, but it’s also ridiculous to argue with a monster.
I just grabbed his neck and walked him to the altar.
The closer we got to the altar, the more he struggled.
“H, how……!!”
Finally giving up on excuses, he expressed his doubts.
I chuckled.
In fact, there was another decisive reason.
‘He should have at least acted properly.’
The biggest weakness of a mage is close combat.
But he avoided the dwarf’s axe, which was about to split his head, and took it on his shoulder.
That’s impossible unless he predicted the surprise attack.
It’s also ridiculous that he died instantly after getting hit by that.
I could understand if he died from excessive bleeding, but he stopped breathing before the Indian woman even gave him a potion?
[You have successfully discovered the usurper inhabiting the body of an expedition member.]
As soon as I slammed the doppelganger’s head into the altar, a pure white light began to flow out.
At the same time, the forest vibrated as if an earthquake had occurred.
“KIEEEEEEEEEK-!!”
Something in the form of a shadow, pulled out from the top of his head, shrieked horribly and darted through the trees.
And…….
“Oh! It’s running away!!”
It disappeared in one direction.
There was no need to panic.
Because that meant the third chapter was over.
[One Stone of Truth has been used.]
[Seal release rate 10%.]
[Hurry and chase down the usurper before it regains its sealed power.]
Now it was time to go to the final boss battle.
“Bjorn, let’s follow him quickly!!”
“Stop. There’s something to do before that.”
First, I calmed Ainar and checked Parteian’s condition.
Ah, of course, not me, but Raven.
“How is he?”
“His injuries have mostly healed, so he should regain consciousness soon, right?”
“I see.”
Raven, who had rushed over to check on Parteian as soon as I called, finally slumped.
It seemed like her runaway mentality had returned, and she had lost her strength.
“Haa…….”
The melee sisters and the bear uncle approached with awkward faces and each muttered a word.
“Wow, so this person was really the doppelganger…….”
“I told you, it wasn’t me!”
“Ahem, still, a mage is a mage? To think of the possibility that someone might still be alive in that situation.”
“Ha, what would you have done if it wasn’t me…….”
“Aruru! You know? I believed in you!”
“Believe what…… No, more than that, where did Aruru even come from?”
“Huh?! Could it be that you don’t like Aruru?”
Ainar looked dejected as if he was hurt.
Of course, Raven wasn’t someone who would fall for that.
“Then would I like that? Arua Raven! Please call me by my name or surname properly. I hate this kind of thing—”
“I, I wanted to call you by your name, but it was hard to pronounce…….”
As Ainar lowered his head, Raven, who had been acting nervous, shut her mouth.
And she asked carefully.
“You want to call me by my name, what does that mean?”
“You are a human and a mage, but you are a precious comrade.”
Ainar, like a barbarian, said embarrassing things without changing his expression.
“Ha, really, that pronunciation…….”
Raven sighed as if she couldn’t believe it, then turned her head away.
“Okay. Call me whatever you want.”
“Is that really true!!”
“Yes. It’s similar to how I’m called in school anyway, so it’s weird to get angry for no reason, right?”
“Thank you! Aruru!”
A heartwarming scene of camaraderie growing stronger after overcoming one adversity.
Watching this, I thought.
She seems like she’s not, but she’s weak in this kind of thing.
‘I should use it later when I do something wrong.’
After making a note in my head, I ended the short conversation and took time to reorganize.
There was a mountain of things to do before the boss battle.
“Both of you, stop doing that and come here.”
First, I called the Indian woman and the blunt weapon warrior who had regained consciousness.
“You heard about the situation, right?”
“……Yes.”
His eyes were blank, probably shocked that HansG and the elf archer were evil spirits.
“Get a grip. It’s not too late to do the rest after we get out of here.”
“What should we do?”
“Tell me what you can do first.”
I checked the blunt weapon warrior’s combat power first.
What essence he had consumed, what kind of combat he was capable of, etc.
This was personal information that he would never have told an outsider under normal circumstances, but given the situation, the blunt weapon warrior cooperated with me in a very humble manner.
“I see, then what about you?”
“I, I won’t be of any help in combat except for finding the way. I’m sorry.”
One 6th-grade warrior and one unranked guide.
“Still, Mr. Parteian will be of great help to you. He is a 5th-grade mage.”
“What? 5th grade?”
“Yes. He specializes in other areas rather than attack magic. He was the one who played the most roles in the team. It would be better to hear the details directly when he wakes up.”
I was genuinely surprised.
Because Raven is still a 6th-grade mage.
How did that Hans bastard manage to coax such a high-level talent?
‘So, we have to catch the guardian with a total of seven people, including the 5th-grade mage…….’
The picture is not clear yet.
There aren’t enough paints to draw what I want.
Therefore, while Parteian was regaining consciousness, I thoroughly searched the spoils left by the dwarf remnants.
“Check everything without missing a single thing. If you see anything noticeable, have Raven check it. We have to use everything we can.”
HansG, the elf archer, the beastman swordsman, the dwarf, the sorcerer, and the priest of Karui.
The archer who was sacrificed to the altar had turned into a soul state, so I’ll pass on that until after clearing the rift.
“Arurung! How about this?”
“I can feel the magic power. But I can’t read the spell, so it’s not a magic tool…… It’s likely a Numbers item [a unique, powerful item with a specific number designation].”
“Oh! These shoes! They fit me perfectly!”
“They’re boots made of half-troll leather. They also have the ‘acceleration’ magic enchantment. They’re expensive, so be careful when you wear them. We have to include them when we settle accounts later.”
Each one was worthy of mid-level explorers, and every time they opened a bag, useful things came out.
It felt like opening a treasure trove.
“Raven, can you check this too? I know it’s made of Lightinium, but why did they make a necklace out of it?”
“It’s because of the magic conductivity. Even if you apply the same magic, the efficiency is different. So, let’s see, this necklace is…….”
Raven was identifying the value of various items at a terrifying speed, as if she had found her aptitude.
But even so, it took longer than expected, and before we knew it, Parteian had also woken up.
“Uh, uh…….”
The middle-aged mage was confused as he looked at the corpses of his companions and the forest full of various equipment.
I sent the blunt weapon warrior to explain instead.
“A doppelganger was inside my body?”
“Noark…… Yes, it was suspicious that my bag was full of unused equipment. If they are from there, it makes sense.”
“Mr. Chrisen and Ms. Maylin are evil spirits……?”
The mage’s face turned pale as the explanation continued. But perhaps it was the mage’s nature, even in that situation, he approached me and thanked me.
“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, something truly terrible would have happened.”
“If you’re grateful, go help Raven. It’s not the time to be leisurely.”
“I will.”
After Parteian joined, the speed increased significantly.
It was because he was surprisingly an expert in this kind of thing.
“……Appraisal magic? Are you from the Narman School?”
“Now that I think about it, we haven’t introduced ourselves. That’s right.”
“I am Arua Raven from the Artemion School.”
“Haha, I know. There’s only one place that puts such a cool pattern on their robes.”
“My master is a bit of a show-off…….”
A mage from the Narman School who is capable of special appraisals.
With Parteian joining, it became possible to classify not only the Numbers items but also the items that we couldn’t identify clearly.
How much time had passed?
“It seems like we’ve got everything useful, so let’s stop and gather everyone.”
After finishing the classification work, we gathered in one place and started a temporary settlement.
“I’ll say it in advance, everything you take now will be written down and settled properly later. If you want to keep using it, you have to pay for it then. Understand?”
“Understood!”
“Then Ainar, come here.”
Looking at the organized list, I handed over the acquired items to each person.
The only criterion was.
Who would get the best efficiency when using it?
“Take off your shoes and give them to Misha.”
“Th, that can’t be! They won’t fit my feet anyway!!”
“Don’t worry. I checked that they have a size adjustment magic enchantment.”
There were some grumbles about the decision, which could be seen as somewhat unilateral, but the leader’s authority is there to be used at times like this.
“Ainar.”
“Okay. Just give it to me…….”
Starting with Ainar, the rest of the companions also took useful equipment.
From one to as many as four or five.
How much would it be if I sold all of that?
After fighting an explorer, I always feel it deep in my heart.
Why everyone is so into looting.
“Then that’s settled.”
The remaining spoils were divided and stored in my and Raven’s subspace.
It wasn’t just for safety reasons.
There was just too much of it.
Hehe.
Looking at my newly added equipment, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Is this the law of Hans’s reaction?
[The character has equipped the No. 2988 Guardian Corps Insignia.]
[The overall item level increases by +1,485.]
[The character has equipped the No. 8667 Wilderness Outlaw.]
[The overall item level increases by +315.]
[The character has equipped the Iridium Greaves.]
[The overall item level increases by +400.]
That doppelganger bastard, he’s really dead.
***
[Bjorn Yandel]
Level: 5
Physical: 555(New +5) / Mental: 198(New +15) / Ability: 191
Item Level: 3,068(New +2,200)
Overall Combat Index: 1,731 (New +570)
Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Orc Hero – Rank 5 / Ogre – Rank 3 / Manticore – Rank 5(New)