Doppelganger.

Originally, it was a German urban legend about "meeting someone who looks exactly like you leads to death," but in fantasy games, it's interpreted slightly differently.

It exists in a shapeless form, like a slime, until it encounters a target, at which point it copies their appearance and attacks.

Most fantasy games designed Doppelgangers in this way, and Lace was no exception.

However, simply copying a target doesn't mean it can unleash 100% of that target's power. If a Doppelganger copied a dragon and displayed the same power as the real thing, the game balance would be completely ruined.

For that reason, there had to be limits on the Doppelganger's abilities for the sake of game balance.

A level 100 Doppelganger copying a level 500 dragon wouldn't become a level 500 dragon. It would only become a level 100 dragon, unable to surpass its own limits.

Furthermore, there were also targets that couldn't be copied, adding even more vague restrictions to the Doppelganger's abilities.

But...

Mirage, one of the Mad King's seven masterpieces, was different.

Based on the Doppelganger King, Mirage was fully capable of exceeding its own limits, provided the conditions were right.

"Hoo."

Mirage, transformed into the Mad King, clenched his fist a few times, then clicked his tongue with regret.

"Tsk. Only about 30% of my peak? It can't be helped."

If his mana were intact, he could have extracted much higher output, but that couldn't be helped.

He had been pouring mana into the World Tree every day to help the fruit grow.

Considering that he had been injecting mana into the World Tree every single day for nearly 800 years, even 30% output was an astonishing figure.

"Well, it's fine. 30% is more than enough, wouldn't you say? Right?"

[YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU BASTAAAARD!!!]

"What, it can talk? It only made chirping sounds 800 years ago."

As the fragment of the Frost Emperor screamed, the air trembled all the way to where Karfe was.

Hatred. Fear.

The cries, mixed with all sorts of emotions, were fired off, intertwined with murderous intent.

"A scared dog barks louder. Or, in this case, is it a worm?"

The Mad King only scoffed with a smile.

Karfe's eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised by Dretshu's tone.

"His personality is completely different from when he's Alteir... Is that Mirage's real personality?"

"No, Lord. The actual Mirage is a very docile child. That snide tone... It's just Lord Dretshu's personality."

"Ah."

Normal Doppelgangers simply copied the target's abilities, but Mirage was different.

Not only could he copy abilities, but he could also replicate the target's memories, personality, and habits almost identically.

[Die!]

The fragment of the Frost Emperor rapidly swung its two forelegs.

Swish!

Two giant ice sickles cut through the air, flying towards Dretshu's neck from both sides.

An incredible speed that even Karfe couldn't guarantee he could evade.

Perhaps seven out of ten would have been struck by the sharp attack.

But...

"Hmph!"

Kwaak!

Surprisingly, Dretshu didn't move an inch and caught the ice sickles.

No, he didn't just catch them, he seized them. With his bare hands!

A perfect blade-catching, something you'd only see in movies or animation.

"Hoo. Seems weaker than before? Is the scar you suffered 800 years ago throbbing?"

[Y-you!]

The floor cracked from the impact of the strength-filled attack, but Dretshu's body was unharmed.

He had perfectly deflected the force.

"Such an ignorant body. I can't believe he's a pure human."

Mirage praised the Mad King's body.

To perfectly replicate the target's memories and habits.

In other words, it could perfectly replicate the copy target's combat skills.

The Mad King Dretshu had already seized the title of strongest human 800 years ago.

He could naturally deflect this level of impact without even thinking about it.

[K, Kugh!]

Unable to pull out the legs that were being held, no matter how much strength he put in, the fragment of the Frost Emperor activated magic.

Kieeeing.

A blue magic circle was created in the air, and a blizzard poured out from it.

It was an 8-star skill, 'Blizzard Nova'.

"Tch."

Judging that he couldn't withstand this attack, Dretshu stepped back.

The blizzard, which poured down with only a narrow gap, instantly froze the ground.

[Die!]

"You die!"

And as the two monsters beyond the norm collided again, countless magic spells were scattered.

[Blizzard Nova!]

"Calamity Inferno!"

Kwaang! Kwang!

The ground was overturned, and the trees burned.

With each skill used by the two monsters, the natural landscape around the World Tree was being destroyed in real-time.

"Wait, she was the Elven Queen until just now, is this okay? The village will be destroyed!"

"Mirage is a very kind child... But because he is so pure, he tends to become easily engrossed in the personality of the target he transforms into."

And the Mad King Dretshu wasn't meticulous enough to consider the surrounding environment during battle.

So much so that there was even a rumor that "not a single blade of grass remains where he has passed."

"........ You must have had a hard time."

"Thank you for understanding, Lord."

"That's that, but there's no chance to jump in here."

The level of the two's combat was so high that he couldn't even dare to intervene.

He could only feel a sense of grandeur watching the battle between the strongest in the world.

The Mad King was firing intense flash magic with his hands, feet, and even his forehead, making it hard to tell if he was the Last Savior or a D***on Ball character.

Tting.

[You have witnessed someone who has honed the same class as the Player to the extreme.]

[As a reward, your stats will increase.]

[Strength +2, Stamina +3, Dexterity +3, Magic +2.]

"........ Huh?"

• Wow. Are you some kind of martial arts novel protagonist? Gaining enlightenment by watching masters fight?

But even Chun Ma, who said that, exclaimed in admiration.

• ........ I can't believe it. What kind of human is that Mad King? I've been counting, and he's used over 30 skills.

That's just active skills.

If you include passive skills and skills that can't be used due to various restrictions, he would have even more.

Of course, it wasn't like there wasn't anyone who knew that many skills.

Even Chun Ma himself had learned more skills in the 3rd playthrough.

What amazed Chun Ma about the Mad King was something else.

• The problem is that all those skills are master level. No, where did he get all the skill points?

"........ How can you tell they're master level just by looking?"

• If you've been around as long as I have, you can roughly estimate it just by looking. Also, special effects occur when you master a skill, so it's definitely master level.

That's why it's so amazing.

If he mastered all those skills, what level is he……………

"The Mad King was born with the Celestial Martial Body, which is why it's possible."

It was Tina who answered Chun Ma's question, who was quietly watching the battle.

• Celestial Martial Body? Never heard of it........ Is it a skill?

"Yes. It is a 9-star skill that he has possessed since birth."

Its effect was simple, but very powerful.

"The skill points acquired upon leveling up are doubled."

"Wow. Insane, does such an overpowered skill exist?"

• You're getting three times as much, you cheating bastard.

"Celestial Martial Body... I want it."

• Sigh.

While they were talking, the battle between the two monsters temporarily subsided.

"Hoo. No different than a bug, disgusting."

[I'll tear you to pieces!]

Dretshu, who could only output 30%.

The fragment of the Frost Emperor, who couldn't exert his full strength due to a fatal wound in the past.

The balance of power was so exquisitely matched that the battle only grew longer.

[The fruit will be fully ripe in 5 minutes.]

But the one defending was overwhelmingly more advantageous.

The fragment of the Frost Emperor realized that there was not much time left, and his attacks became even more ferocious.

"Huh?"

It was then.

Karfe, who had been trying to find a way to get involved, discovered something.

There was a long scar on the right armpit of the Frost Emperor fragment (it was questionable whether the expression "armpit" was appropriate for a mantis).

"What's that scar?"

"Ah. It's the area where the Mad King inflicted a fatal wound 800 years ago. The scar seems to have reopened due to the Mad King's magic response."

"Oho."

But the fragment was also thoroughly guarding his weakness.

The Mad King had attacked that side several times, but was repeatedly blocked by the ice shield.

Karfe's eyes lit up.

That's it.

If there was a route to catch him, it would be there!

……………… I know what you are thinking, but why do
n't you just follow the scenario and clear it? Do you really
have to catch it?

Like the Priest boss that he met when he obtained the first relic, that fragment of the Frost Emperor was not a boss designed to be caught.

A generally uncatchable "invincible pattern" boss.

The battle unfolding before his eyes was simply an "event" that inevitably appeared in the class scenario, and the player was only tasked with defending the fruit for a certain amount of time.

Nowhere in the quest did it say to defeat the fragment.

But…

"If I catch that, it'll be at least legendary, right? Two of them?"

• That's true. Damn. I feel like crying at how used to it I've become in these situations.

“Don’t worry too much. This time, I’m really going to
cheat, so just one ambush……………… no, two and if it doesn’t work,
I'll quit. I'm serious this time!"

-You……………… you have zero credibility………………

Just then, a new quest message appeared in front of Karfe's eyes.

[The Fruit of Rudram is Fully Ripe!]

[When the Fruit of the World Tree Rudram is fully ripe, it must be ingested within 10 minutes to exhibit the perfect medicinal effect.]

[Protect the fruit from the Frost Emperor's fragment for the final 10 minutes.]

The quest entered the final phase.

"Let's go!"

The one who moved first was the Mad King.

He had been waiting for this timing when the fruit was completed.

He concentrated his remaining mana on his legs and burst out like an explosion.

[What?!]

The Frost Emperor's fragment, flustered, swung his scythe, but the Mad King was faster.

He invaded the fragment's grasp with a surprise attack, extended his hand, and unleashed a move he had been saving.

"Ultimate Stone Curse!"

An 8-star petrification magic.

It ignored the target's magic resistance with a 90% chance and completely petrified them for a certain period of time, making it one of the best crowd control skills.

However, this skill was designed to bind the target and had no damage.

Also, in the petrified state, it was immune to all damage.

In fact, it was a skill that was very ambiguous to use for an 8-star, but……………… it was the perfect skill in the current situation.

[Kugh! You! How dare you!]

“Hoo. It's over. How does it feel to slowly harden?"

The fragment of the Frost Emperor was slowly turning gray from the end of its legs.

In fact, the decision had been made.

But.

[Kh, Kekeke. Petrification, huh. How amusing.]

The fragment of the Frost Emperor laughed. As if he had expected this situation.

[Foolish human. You are not the only one with a hidden card.]

"What?"

[Kiaaaaaaak!]

At that point when the petrification had reached the knee joints.

Suddenly, the fragment's body was brightly colored.

Paak!

The back of the Frost Emperor cracked, and something small popped out of it.

An even smaller blue mantis came out from the blue back.

That's right. Surprisingly, the fragment of the Frost Emperor had shed its skin.

"Kh, damn it?!"

The Mad King, who had squeezed out his last bit of mana, couldn't react properly to that pattern.

The blue mantis used the reaction force from the spring out, attached itself to the World Tree's trunk.

And ran towards the top at a fast pace.

'My victory.'

The fragment of the Frost Emperor, who had successfully molted, thought so as it climbed up the World Tree at a fast pace.

The time of enduring that had lasted for 800 years was finally coming to fruition.

Victory? Revenge?

He never even thought about such things.

His goal was only one from the beginning to the end.

The fruit of the World Tree.

Finding an apple-sized fruit on a tree as large as the World Tree could be thought of as looking for a needle in a haystack.

[I can feel it.]

However…

The enormous energy of life was calling out to himself from that high place!

His body.

His soul!

Were being drawn to that nascent life.

Originally, the fragments of the Four Calamities possessed no rationality.

They were merely creations, designed to act upon 'commands' implanted in their minds.

But 800 years ago, that creation sustained a mortal wound, and as a defense mechanism, the reason that lay dormant within its depths awakened.

The blue mantis thought.

Who am I?

Why must I endure such excruciating pain?

Why must I be trapped in this emptiness?

Instinctively, it felt that something was missing from itself. It didn't know what it was, but it was certain that something was lacking.

The Fruit of the World Tree. The very essence of nature's condensation.

That was it.

If it could obtain that fruit, it would reach the answer.

The moment it chewed on that fruit, the overflowing vitality would reconstruct its body.

And... whatever was lacking would be filled, and it would surely reach the ultimate!

It glanced down, but the human had seemed to let go of everything, simply staring blankly at it.

[Kahahahaha!]

It rejoiced. A perfect victory.

It spat out the emotion of joy for the first time in its life.

Just a few seconds until it arrived.

Finally! Its wish would be fulfilled.

"Wow, he's really fast."

Karfe clicked his tongue. Shedding its skin, huh? Who knew he had a trick hidden like that.

"What are you staring blankly at! If that guy takes the fruit, it's all over..."

"Ah, it's okay. Did you think I'd just keep watching from here without thinking?"

Karfe was, at his core, a fun-seeker.

And it was true that he was obsessed with getting the final hit on bosses.

But would he leave the most important key item of the quest unattended, without any protection?

That wouldn't make him a fun-seeker; it would just make him brainless.

"I've arranged a reliable guardian."

[Ah, no?!]

The fragment of the Frost Emperor, upon arriving in front of the fruit, couldn't believe the situation.

There was already a guest in front of the fruit.

"Kyu?"

A small creature was sitting right on top of the Fruit of Rudram.

Mukhyang.

Karfe's last resort, secretly sent, moved the moment the fragment of the Frost Emperor appeared.

"Kyu!"

It picked the Fruit of the World Tree!

"Kyuk!"

And popped it straight into its mouth.

[Nooooo!]