Chapter 95

“Huff… huff… huff…”

Han Shin sat slumped against a boulder, gasping for breath.

After the battle with Ataraxia—

He had managed to escape only after exhausting all his [Innate Mana].

‘…I’m going to die.’

It wasn’t just an expression of fatigue.

He was literally dying.

He could feel it.

Death was drawing near.

Soon, his skin would harden like stone, his muscles tear strand by strand, and his heart would stop.

“Damn it…”

Crunch!

Han Shin ground his teeth.

The root of all this—

…That damn magician.

He had landed a final blow, but the price was death.

A sudden wave of fury surged through him.

Never in his life had he been this furious.

And no wonder.

Han Shin had always gotten everything he wanted.

He had never failed—not even once.

Anyone who got in his way was crushed.

He stomped them so thoroughly, they’d never rise again.

But ever since the Abyss opened—

Han Shin had suffered failure after failure.

He had been unable to crush those who opposed him.

Worse yet, he now faced the brink of death.

“Magician bastards…!”

Urgh!

Han Shin coughed up blood.

Black blood spilled from his lips.

But more than the hemoptysis, what enraged him was his hatred for magicians.

Everyone who had stopped him had been a magician.

Wasn’t it absurd?

At present, magicians were considered the most useless class.

They weren’t suited to solo expeditions in the Abyss, contributed little to team battles, and their spells lacked real punch.

But the magicians he faced were different.

The one who caught Adora’s attention—and the one who drove him to death.

Both of them were in a different league from ordinary magicians.

They wielded magic in special, unique ways.

‘Magic is the greatest power for creating variables.’

He had to admit it.

Both magicians had manipulated and solved situations in ways beyond his understanding or control.

If that was a form of talent, then they were prodigies like himself.

It was hard to believe—but now he had no choice but to accept it.

Han Shin looked up at the sky.

‘Ahheta.’

The red sky.

The full moon above—the Eye of Ahheta.

But Ahheta’s gaze wasn’t fixed on him.

As if losing interest, the moon now looked elsewhere.

Was it because he had been too disappointing?

He had accomplished nothing in the Dungeon Abyss, the Tower of Arrogance, and even the Second Night.

Though he’d made a few notable appearances, that was by human standards.

The Moon Lord Ahheta likely had far greater expectations.

He had made a pact with Han Shin—a [Divine Incarnation Contract]—to witness overwhelming power beyond comprehension.

‘You fool… you’ve made a mistake.’

Grrr!

Han Shin clenched his jaw.

Ahheta could be disappointed. He could be angry.

But Han Shin’s talent was no lie.

It was that very talent Ahheta had recognized when forming their pact.

To abandon him here in the Second Night—how cruel.

His talent hadn’t even bloomed yet.

And Ahheta had no intention of saving him.

He let Han Shin die, powerless, after his [Innate Mana] was depleted.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no surviving without Ahheta’s help.

‘I won’t die here.’

But he couldn’t die like this.

He couldn’t let it end in such a hollow way.

He hadn’t even truly begun yet.

This was only the beginning…!

‘I absolutely will not die.’

Han Shin denied it.

He desperately ignored the death creeping closer.

Grinding his teeth, he glared up at Ahheta’s eye.

…And in that moment—

Swish.

Ahheta’s pupil moved.

Slowly, as if watching something, it turned toward Han Shin’s direction.

Sensing a presence, Han Shin turned his head.

“What the? That you, Han Shin?”

A man appeared with a Doppelganger by his side.

Han Shin didn’t know who it was, but the man clearly recognized him.

‘What’s Han Shin doing collapsed here?’

It was none other than Kim Byung-han.

The man who always bounced back no matter how many times he fell, constantly looking for his next chance.

Still humiliated by what happened at the Tower of Arrogance, Kim Byung-han had been doing everything he could to redeem himself.

He had focused on developing a special Doppelganger with the intent of conquering the Second Night.

He prioritized his Doppelganger’s growth over his own.

And the results were remarkable.

The Doppelganger’s growth rate was absurd.

At this rate, creating the ‘Doppelganger Lord’ was well within reach.

Then, the Doppelganger suddenly led him here.

As if it already knew Han Shin was waiting.

‘…This is it. A perfect opportunity.’

A glint lit up in Kim Byung-han’s eyes.

Han Shin was clearly in bad shape.

Pale face, cracked lips, heavy dark circles.

And visible bloodstains nearby suggested he had coughed up blood.

He barely had the strength to stand.

But in Korea, Han Shin was known as one of the strongest.

His skills were the real deal.

His movements, his ability to manipulate the battlefield—everything related to combat was exceptional.

Even the great Seoul Union kept tabs on him.

He was a high-alert individual.

So why was someone that strong collapsed here?

And Han Shin wasn’t a complete stranger to Kim Byung-han.

Under normal circumstances, he might’ve tried to build rapport.

‘If I copy him, I’ll be one step closer to becoming the Doppelganger Lord.’

…This kind of chance wouldn’t come again.

Kim Byung-han’s mind spun rapidly.

Should he win Han Shin over and form a bond, or just copy him now to strengthen his Doppelganger?

‘Helping Han Shin… earning his gratitude might not be bad either.’

He didn’t necessarily have to copy him.

If he could build a connection with someone like Han Shin, that alone would be a major asset.

In the Abyss, where survival alone was tough, such an alliance would be invaluable.

It wouldn’t be so bad to dream of reaching the top alongside Han Shin one day.

The Abyss wasn’t a place to survive alone.

As they say—strong ones should band together.

“We’re both ranked players, after all. Might as well introduce ourselves. But really, who did this to someone as strong as you?”

“Who are you?”

“…”

Kim Byung-han’s brow furrowed.

…Who?

Sure, they hadn’t properly introduced themselves, but he’d seen Han Shin’s face up close a few times.

At the Tower of Arrogance.

They had locked eyes as fellow elites. Surely Han Shin would remember that.

Rankers who played the game seriously naturally recognized each other.

But Han Shin looked at him as if they were complete strangers.

‘…This bastard.’

Was he pretending not to know?

That mocking tone—it grated on his nerves.

It felt like he was being dismissed for trying to act familiar without justification.

Han Shin waved his hand.

“Don’t act like you know me. If you’ve got nothing else, get lost.”

“…Copy him.”

Shhh—!

In that moment—

The Doppelganger transformed into Han Shin.

Han Shin’s expression stiffened.

‘I’ve been copied?’

It had never happened before.

No Doppelganger had ever been able to copy him.

‘Not a regular Doppelganger.’

It was a special one.

Rare as they were, this one seemed especially elite.

And the timing was too perfect.

Right when he was dying.

When he couldn’t even fight back—this guy had shown up like he’d been waiting.

‘No…’

…Hold on.

This couldn’t be coincidence.

It made no sense.

Han Shin quickly looked up at the sky.

And he realized.

‘Ahheta… you bastard…’

Ahheta’s gaze was locked on him.

Looking down, almost laughing.

He understood now what the moon bastard was trying to do.

He intended to replicate Han Shin’s talent through the Doppelganger—and create a [Doppelganger Lord].

He’d have it consume all the other challengers in the Second Night and turn into a true monster.

“…Don’t do something you’ll regret. That Doppelganger doesn’t obey you.”

Han Shin said sincerely.

It bore Kim Byung-han’s mark and appeared to follow his orders, but the real master was the Master of the Moon Ahheta.

It had led him straight to Han Shin.

Who else could have given the command?

“What are you talking about? This thing only listens to me.”

Tap, tap.

Kim Byung-han knocked his knuckles against the Doppelganger’s chest.

But it didn’t move.

Not a twitch.

Meaning it was completely under control.

Phew.

Han Shin sighed internally.

To think such a fool existed in this world—it was almost tragic.

A normal Doppelganger might obey.

But once it becomes a [Lord], it will no longer listen.

Worse—it would kill this idiot and do whatever it wanted.

“This is a chance from the heavens. I can’t let it go.”

Kim Byung-han smiled.

…It was indeed a heavenly opportunity.

Ahheta’s intention, from above.

‘Pathetic fool.’

He was delighted—without realizing he was tightening the noose around his own neck.

Han Shin clenched his teeth.

Was he really going to die to someone so stupid?

He, Han Shin—blessed with the talent of the Martial God?

…Or maybe.

The most pathetic one here was Han Shin himself.

He couldn’t even resolve a situation like this.

He had been too arrogant.

Too full of himself, relying on Ahheta’s support.

Even knowing the bastard was a demon of the Abyss.

After all, theirs was a relationship forged from mutual convenience.

‘You don’t know me, Ahheta.’

But just as Han Shin didn’t truly know Ahheta—Ahheta didn’t truly know him either.

He had no idea what kind of life Han Shin had lived.

What he was capable of.

How far he could go!

‘What’s emptied—can always be filled.’

Han Shin’s hollow eyes turned to the Doppelganger.

It was a copy of him.

Identical from head to toe.

If its insides were the same too—

…Then it could be the vessel to fill the void within him.

‘If necessary, I’ll devour it to refill myself.’

Han Shin’s eyes sank into pitch-black darkness.

(T/N: Now I wonder, if Ahheta truly betrayed Han Shin, will Han Shin be an ally now to Chan-woo? Also, it got me thinking. In the past life, maybe it was a Doppleganger Lord Han Shin and not Han Shin himself became the enemy of humankind.)