Chapter 135: The 99th Floor (1)
[You have entered the 99th floor of the Tower of Trials.]
[A reward like no other awaits those who face the final trial.]
[Success in conquering the 99th floor will grant ????]
Ryu Min walked forward, paying little attention to the popping messages.
A fighting arena with a single level and a diameter of 150 meters came into view.
As he walked down the stairs towards the center, a message popped up.
[Scanning the information of the entrant to the 99th floor.]
[Player: Black Scythe (Lv89 Reaper)]
[Please wait. Scanning and copying player information.]
[Scan and copy complete. The final trial will begin in 10 seconds.]
Exactly 10 seconds later,
With a swish
In front of Ryu Min, a man clad in black armor appeared, wielding a scythe.
[Face the enemy before you.]
The enemy before him.
It was himself.
A battle against myself. Thats the last trial of the 99th floor.
Ryu Min, already aware, did not panic and raised his scythe.
His opponent, an exact replica holding a Death Scythe, approached.
The strongest players, ranked number one in previous zones, clashed at a single point.
Clang-! Clang!
The scythes collided in the air, making a clear metallic sound.
Scratch- Scratch-!
At times, the sound of scythes scraping against each other could be heard.
Screech-
When locked in a power struggle, a scream-like metallic sound could jolt one awake.
After exchanging dozens of attacks in a short period, both stepped back.
Its not just an illusion. Its a clone perfectly replicated to be exactly like me.
Strength, agility, speed, there wasnt a single aspect that wasnt identical to himself.
A perfect copy of himself.
So similar it would be fair to compare it to a mirror.
Ryu Mins eyes filled with tension.nove(l)bi(n.)com
Having the strongest player before him was naturally intimidating.
Then, the clone took a step back and positioned itself to swing the scythe.
Whiz-
Moonlight Slash?
Titles, runes, stats, equipped items, items in possession, combat senseeverything was the same.
Its like fighting a mirror.
Its natural for Ryu Min to struggle.
But I cant back down now.
With the reward for the 99th floor at stake, how could he give up?
Ryu Mins scythe moved towards where he guessed his opponent might be.
* * *
Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom!
Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom!
Explosions powerful enough to shake the ground erupted in succession.
Flashes of light illuminated the darkness here and there.
A combo of Deaths Night, Crimson Moon, and Moonlight Slash unfolded towards the opponent.
Just being grazed by one could mean death.
Ryu Min smirked at his opponent while deflecting Moonlight Slash with his own.
Five times. Used them all up, right?
Same here.
The clone, though a copy of himself, did not speak.
It showed no emotion, just a mechanical face, rushing forward with its scythe.
Clang-! Clang-!
Knowing each others movements seven seconds in advance made their exchanges seem synchronized.
With perfectly matched stats, overpowering each other was not an option.
An hour has passed, and neither has a scratch.
The mark of death revealed the opponents health bar, showing no fatigue or injury.
The same was true for Ryu Min.
Swoosh-
Swoosh-
As both used invisibility, silence returned.
While invisibility prevented location detection, this moment offered Ryu Min his only chance to rest.
It was also time to plan his strategy.
Phew, now how should I attack?
He had tried every attack pattern, but nothing worked.
Every movement was predicted by the Rune of Foresight, which was expected.
Attempts to create unpredictable situations like kicking up dust were easily evaded as if the clone had already planned for such tactics.
Hence, surprise attacks didnt work and often gave the clone a chance to counterattack.
Of course, Ryu Min didnt just passively accept attacks; he always had a next card to play.
But this leads to no progress.
I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!