The situation wasn’t looking good, so I called in a person—no, a monster.
When it comes to toying with human hearts, she’s top-tier.
Even a doppelganger would fall for her, right?
“That student, put the weapon down.”
“You little punk. Get out here.”
College student Hyunmin had already forgotten I even existed.
He was openly radiating hostility only toward the guy who looked like a celebrity but had a mole on his cheek.
His eyes were rolling back like he was about to charge, so I ended up holding him back instead.
“I can’t come out. There’s someone behind me trying to hurt—”
“Get out here!”
At Hyunmin’s shout, Hyebin finally snapped.
“What the hell are you doing? Hey, Sung Hyunmin! You think this is funny? Who do you think you are? What gives you the right? You’re really pushing it just because I let you hang around.”
“What? No—”
“Hey, does a little skinship mean we’re dating? Don’t get the wrong idea. Have you seriously never had a girlfriend before? Your thinking is messed up.”
“Hye—Hyebin? What’s wrong… That Hyunmin guy? We’re not like that…”
“Frankly, whether I sleep with this guy or not, what business is it of yours?”
Ah, I should probably knock them out with the stone quick, but this is too entertaining.
As long as nobody gets seriously hurt, a love triangle fight is honestly pretty fun.
“Arghhh! Damn it all!”
Hey, why are you throwing the fire extinguisher?
It bounces off and doesn’t explode or anything—just rolls nicely into my arms.
This is building property…
By fire code, it has to stay in the hallway, you idiot.
“Wow, look at that violence. Guess dating you means I’d get hit. Get lost.”
“What? What did you just say?”
Things are about to blow up, so I should probably wrap this up.
“I’m here. Oh my?”
“Here, a gift. Put it in the back.”
The Nightmare Queen’s lips pout the moment she takes the fire extinguisher.
“Why do I have to do manual labor every day…”
“It’s not like that. I called you because it’s too good to enjoy alone.”
“Huh?”
“It’s more fun than a drama. Anyway, since you’re here, I’d love some extra help. Can you seduce those two over there?”
“Everyone except the woman is possible. I’ll give it a try. Excuse me.”
“What the—damn it! Huh?”
The Nightmare Queen gently places her hand on Hyunmin’s shoulder.
Hyunmin, who’d been raging like he was about to hit me, freezes the instant he sees her.
“Could you calm down just a little?”
“Yes? Ah?”
“There, there, just calm down. Your heart hurts because love didn’t work out? Does it hurt here?”
The Nightmare Queen strokes the area around Hyunmin’s solar plexus…
…
Heart shapes actually appear in his eyes, like something out of a cartoon.
Is that some kind of magical effect?
“Yeah, it hurts. It hurts so much.”
“Then rest easy. Dream with me.”
“Yesss.”
With a snap of her fingers, Hyunmin collapses into sleep.
“What is this? Who are you? A hypnotist?”
“Ah, the resident from upstairs? Haha.”
“That kid… Mom?”
Maybe because she has an exotic vibe, the woman from 103 guesses it right away—but no, that’s not it.
She’s not actually the great-great-great-grandmother of the Fairy Princess or anything.
Ignoring the “mom” question, the Nightmare Queen extends her fingertips.
“Excuse me, the gentleman hiding back there. Could we talk for a moment?”
“Yes? Oh, uh, you’re really beautiful.”
The doppelganger, who’d been clinging only to her pajama pants behind 103, lets go and stands up on his own.
“That lady? I’ll borrow him for a bit.”
“No, who are you? Hey, oppa? Didn’t you say that guy’s dangerous? Huh? Oppa?”
“Grrk, arghhh!”
The celebrity-look doppelganger, already charmed, grabs his head and starts screaming like a madman after receiving the Nightmare Queen’s wink.
His body distorts.
It seems charm from the same demonic side works like a special antidote on doppelgangers.
Soon after, the doppelganger…
“Huh?!”
Transforms into the appearance of 103.
“W-what is this? What’s going on? Oppa? Huh, oppa? Where did oppa go? Who is this person?”
“You don’t understand, do you?”
“Yes, what is it? Huh? Why, why is this—”
“You don’t need to understand.”
“Urk?!”
I knock out 103 with the stone.
I telepathically ordered it to erase all memories related to the doppelganger.
Then, since Hyunmin had fallen asleep with an obvious bulge, I kindly knocked the back of his head too.
That’ll go down on its own.
Once everything was cleaned up, the doppelganger—who’d turned into Min Hyebin from 103—spoke.
“That’s cowardly. Bringing the Nightmare Queen, of all people.”
“Your colleague fell for it pretty hard. Anyway, die.”
As I aimed my fist, the doppelganger in the form of the 103 woman turned into vapor.
“?!???”
<Doppelganger escapes through the dungeon’s weak link>
It flees straight upstairs—to my room, 203.
Using the exact gaps from the old water leak.
“Damn it. Let’s go up.”
“Mmm…”
The Nightmare Queen was smacking her lips, so I grabbed her wrist.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t do that to any other guy unless I order it.”
“Ah… Hee, yesss! I won’t.”
Did I say something weird?
I gave the order because I was worried she’d mess with random men, but she’s grinning way too happily.
She even turns her head away sharply.
Now it was time to hunt the monster.
I hurried… No, wait, I have Spatial Movement.
Perfect timing—the woman from 103 seemed knocked out anyway.
While using Spatial Movement, one thought crossed my mind.
Is this really necessary?
Running up would’ve taken a few seconds anyway.
“Kyaoooong.”
Regardless, abusing magic to cover a distance that’s just one floor of stairs and a few beeps on the keypad…
As I arrived that way, CatMan was already attacking the vapor rising from the floor.
[This is it. The one I told you about!]
RiceCookerMan explains the situation from yesterday dawn and the night before.
“Hey, come here! You’re dead—!?”
The moment I threaten it, the vapor darts toward the Sultan Boys bromide and slips out through the hole in it.
“That bastard?!”
The crazy thing is fast and good at escaping.
That means it fled to 202.
For some reason, it can’t pierce other walls, but the wall between my place and 202—and the ceiling with the old leak—it passes through just fine.
It seems to move through construction defects.
“Of all places, 202.”
202…
I’m a little worried about 202.
Storming in and making a mess to catch the monster isn’t a problem, but when I think about someone who wouldn’t even flinch from a RARE stone to the head, whose skull would stay perfectly fine…
Only 202 comes to mind.
Would the stone even stay intact?
Even after drinking intelligence sikhye, her strength just surges.
She might actually be a tiger in human form.
Her Strength stat is oddly similar to mine after I took down the mutant king.
Spatial Movement…
Still has three minutes cooldown.
[Kyaaaaaah?! What is this?! A vengeful spirit?!]
A scream echoes from 202 as well.
I need to go catch it.
I have the master key.
And even if I break the front door, it’s my door now.
202, I’ll pay for your hotel stay, so go enjoy a little vacation.
“Is something going on in there? Can I go in?”
Oh, right—she knows the password?
She enters the code instead of using the master key.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
Thud!
It sounded like a watermelon exploding.
The moment the door opens…
“Kyaaaaah!”
Something screaming flies out and crashes into me.
It’s 202.
“Hey, 202? Wait, no—this bastard, what’s wrong with your condition?”
Blood streams from her head; this can’t be the 202 I know.
She’s the one whose crown never showed a dent even after smashing through solid drywall.
Should I finish her off?
Then, slumped in the entrance with her head planted toward the door, there’s another 202 who looks real.
She looks real because that one is fully clothed.
This one… not so much.
And on the crown of the real-looking 202 in the entrance, something appears.
<Memorial Trait – The Woman Whose Skull Shatters All>
When attacking with the head, all reason and intelligence are converted into strength.
Headbutt attacks never suffer reflective damage.
Ignores target’s defense effects.
Nullifies target’s magical defense effects.
(Second attack is always effective unless the magic barrier is recast)
She had a Memorial?
And it’s completely broken?
‘Uwaaaaa!’
After losing her child, the woman who was hunted by those who caused her child’s death eventually chose suicide.
She slammed her head into the temple wall.
Seeing her sincerely driven skull shatter the solid stone wall and collapse the temple pillars, she thought as she died buried under the falling structure rather than from her own cracked head:
‘Ah, I should’ve just headbutted those bastards with this.’
Even as it collapsed, the stone wall that touched her head disintegrated upon impact and dealt no damage to her.
‘Is she even human?’
That was the lingering thought of a <LV44 Wraith> scouting early after the gate opened.
Human stories tied to Memorials always carry that heavy feeling, but why is this former mother’s backstory like this?
I unleashed a flame punch that burns the soul with unquenchable fire.
At the same time, the doppelganger disguised as 202 begins to dissipate.
Then.
[Kuhahahaha. So you were hiding a powerful giant.]
[Still, my mission is complete. The scouts have left good information. You won’t survive the next one.]
Sending me creepy telepathy through 202’s face, it dissolves away.
[Hyebin… I loved you.]
“…?”
Is this guy insane?
<Polymorph LV10 Dragon Skill / Dragon Affinity>
Copies the target’s size, mind, body, skills, level, etc. If the target’s level and stats are lower, this level adjusts to an appropriate midpoint.
<Duplicate LV1>
Creates a duplicate identical to myself. Activity time for this level’s duplicate is short.
Two skills went up, and one item dropped.
<Thread of Connection> RARE. Composite item.
Infuse mana to control or connect to a target.
The thread lengthens with distance, shortens when close, and can transmit communication through mana.
Can also be used as a mana-infused weapon or chain linking weapons and materials.
Just from the description, it feels like infinite thread or a thread telephone.
“Hmm.”
This is probably treated as a magic doll too.
Beings controlled by reaching mana don’t grant levels when hunted.
This seems to be the same.
No surprise anymore—ever since that salamander sent the Octopus King, it’s been nothing but this pattern.
Fortunately, there’s no situation where 202 gains levels from catching it.
But 202’s strength has risen again.
“It’s been exorcised… right?”
“Ah, yeah. Something like that.”
The 202 with her head planted in the entrance speaks without lifting it.
“It must have been a vengeful spirit. A few days ago, strange panties flew into my room, and it…”
“Was wearing them.”
I’m speechless.
So those weren’t 202’s.
“G-get up already. How long are you going to stay like that?”
“You’re awful.”
“Huh? What did I do?”
Lately she’s been sulking—won’t talk even when we’re both in the bathroom, and when I bring sikhye she just says “leave it there.”
I wondered if I upset her.
Of course, she still drank all the sikhye.
I thought maybe it was because she kept asking for expensive king crab when she has no money.
“With a kid and everything…”
“Huh? A kid?”
Who’s spreading these rumors?
“Trying to flirt with a young woman while you have one. Did you think I wouldn’t know you’re a married man with a child living alone in a studio after coming from out of town? That I’m some studio wife?”
I don’t even want to ask if she’s sane anymore.
If she knows about the kid, that means she’s definitely eavesdropping or peeping and has noticed the Fairy Princess.
If she saw the Nightmare Queen, she might mistake her for a wife.
But saying “out of town” means the Nightmare Queen is blocking sound somehow.
She just blocks it selfishly in one direction.
“You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t! There was a little girl with light green dyed hair out in the hallway, and she said she’s going to marry Daddy.”
I’m grateful she didn’t report me and still calls me Daddy.
With 202’s personality, I thought she’d take the Fairy Princess shouting “I’m going to marry Daddy!” at face value, freak out, and headbutt me.
“Do we look alike?”
“Not at all… Maybe your foreign wife couldn’t handle the tiny room in 203 and ran away.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Huh? What?”
202 lifts her head.
“I said niece.”
“Then what—she doesn’t look like your kid at all. There has to be some resemblance.”
“Right. Huh? Wait, wait—so she’s not your kid? You’re not married?”
“No.”
“Then divorced? Single again? Wait, no—that’s still kinda… I’ve never been married, you know.”
“I told you it’s not my kid, so why are you jumping to divorced…”
Does she have no intention of updating her assumptions once she’s made one?
“Besides, miss.”
“Y-yes? What?”
“You really weren’t peeping?”
“No, I wasn’t…!!
“My wall has a hole, and someone poked my bromide with chopsticks or something.”
At those words, 202—who’d been glaring at me with eyes full of resentment—immediately slams her forehead into the floor.
Cough?! S-sorry, sorry, sorry! Please, please don’t report me. I was wrong.
Don’t headbutt the floor.
You’ll damage the entrance tiles.
“A few apologies won’t cut it.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. If a few aren’t enough, I’ll say it a hundred times. I’m really sorry. I… I won’t do anything anymore.”
“You want forgiveness?”
“A thousand times if I have to. I really saw everything. Please forgive me. I’ll do anything.”
She’s crying snot and tears, head still down, begging—so I gently approach, brush her hair back, and stroke it.
Then I quietly close the front door.
I already looted the items.
“How about I stop you from misunderstanding I’m married—and make you my studio wife instead?”
“Huhhh? Ah, uh. Uh… T-that…”
“You know what I mean, right?”
202 lifts her face—cheeks and ears bright red—and slams her head into the door again.
After a long silence, she answers in a crawling voice.
“…I’m prepared.”
“Good. Starting today, there’s something you have to do.”
“W-what is it? Ah.”
I whisper into 202’s ear.
“Separate the recycling.”
“Sepa… Huh?”