Fighting Yourself

Bane and the mimic exchanged a few blows. The mimic was undoubtedly strong, but Bane had a slight edge. He was able to block each attack gracefully without expending unnecessary effort and counter with precision.

He'd improved his technique quickly. He was by no means a master swordsman—barely a novice, if that—but his progress was impressive, and Bane was happy with how far he had come.

Clash.

The mimic's hardened spike met Bane's sword. It wasn't pretty, but the mimic's tactic of flailing its hardened arms around was quite effective—just not enough.

After a few more exchanges, the damage had already been done, and Bane had gained a strong lead in the fight.

"Ah!" he shouted, swinging his sword down and across the mimic's body. It attempted to block but was too slow. Its body didn't bleed; it simply fell to the ground and quickly dissipated into ash. An instant later, he was inundated with text boxes:

[Title Acquired!]

[Mimic Murderer]

Bane nodded and closed out of the expected text box. Almost every enemy he killed had earned him an upgradable title from the system. The next text box, however, was unexpected:

[Achievements Unlocked!]

'Achievements?' he thought. In his vision, another blue box appeared at the top, next to the system and quest boxes. It had a small blue medal on it. Opening it, he saw a layout similar to the quest menu. A few achievements read:

[Mimicker: Slay a Mimic]

[I'm Rich: Acquire 100,000 Shill]

[First Fifty: Reach Level Fifty]

All of which offered various rewards. Since he had slain a mimic, he claimed the achievement and was rewarded with one skill point. 'So, achievements are like personal milestones that also give rewards, separate from quests,' Bane thought, trying to make sense of it.

He scrolled down to review the rest of the achievements, but most were simply titled with question marks and would be unlocked when Bane met their completion conditions.

'Amazing,' Bane thought. 'Just another avenue for strength.' He closed out of the achievements menu and opened his status, applying the skill point to agility:

[Bane of the Slums]: LV 30 (3,850/6,200)

[Titles]: Slimy Slayer LV 1 (72/100), Goblin Dispatcher LV 2 (56/1000), Arachnid Assassin LV 2 (155/1000), Angel Assassin LV 1 (5/100), Mimic Murderer LV 1 (1/100)

[Strength]: LV 12

[Dexterity]: LV 3

[Mind]: LV 2

[Agility]: LV 12

[Fortitude]: LV 5

[Magic]: LV 1

[Skills]: Appraisal LV 1, Threat Analysis LV 1, Danger Sense LV 2, Passive Healing LV 1, Magnetize LV 1, Night Vision, Feared Hunt, Proficient Reader LV 1

Closing out of his status, he grabbed the energy crystal the mimic left behind and stuffed it into his void sack. He continued his way through the dungeon, slaying mimics that hid themselves as swords, armor, and mostly chests.

His Danger Sense came in very handy here. The mimics were indistinguishable from other items, but Danger Sense practically pointed out their locations. With that, he was able to move quickly and safely through Level Five. Soon enough, he found a chest that wasn't a mimic.

He used Threat Analysis just to make sure, but nothing came up. It was a genuine chest. It was no secret to adventurers that chests appeared at certain points in the dungeon, often containing great rewards. However, some were trapped, designed to trigger a trap or transport the opener elsewhere.

Bane slowly approached and heaved the lid of the chest open, staring down inside. 'Really…' he thought, looking at the meager one thousand Shill coin he found inside. At first, he thought it was empty, but in the corner sat the coin.

He sighed, having gotten his hopes up for nothing, and deposited the coin into his bank.

A few unsuspecting mimics later, Bane came across the boss's room for Floor Five. He contemplated turning back but shrugged and walked inside, fully confident he could defeat a large mimic or some similar creature.

However, as he entered the dungeon room, a blue forcefield enclosed the area. Bane took a deep breath and looked around the drab stone expanse.

His eyes widened, and he swallowed, his fingers trembling slightly at what he saw staring back at him. The boss.

It stood at Bane's height, had his long black hair, wore the same armor, and carried the same weapon on its back. The boss was Bane.

Snapping out of his confusion, he used Threat Analysis, and it all started to make sense:

Doppelganger: The boss of Floor Five. The Doppelganger is a mimic with greater copying abilities. Not only can it take the appearance of inanimate objects, but it can also copy animals and humans. Remember, whatever face it takes, it is still just a mimic.

Bane slowly nodded as he read, looking across the boss's arena at himself. Everything matched—it even had the void sack and his new armor. Bane was too far away to see finer details, but he had a feeling they were perfect.

Bane took a step, and the Doppelganger mirrored him, moving one step closer. 'So eerie,' Bane thought, watching the mimic copy his movements.

Bane retrieved his sword by reaching over his shoulder, and so did the Doppelganger. Bane moved his sword in a circle and waved his free hand, testing the Doppelganger's capabilities. It was perfect, mirroring all of Bane's movements.

Noting the monster's ability, Bane took this time to charge. The monster did the same, kneeling before lunging forward to meet its opponent. The two stood a few feet apart, and Bane raised his sword, readying an attack. The monster did the same.

Clash!

The two swords met, sparks flying. They stood interlocked for a moment, and Bane noticed its copying ability. 'It's perfect,' he thought. It was like looking into a mirror back in Limpar. The realization made his skin crawl, causing him to push harder.

"Hm!" Bane grunted, putting all his force into the swing, causing the illusion to break for the first time. The Doppelganger jumped back and readied itself, mirroring Bane once again.

"I see," Bane muttered, charging once more, his sword at the ready.

"You can copy my appearance," Bane said as the two stood apart, readying his attack. "But you can't copy my strength!" he shouted as his sword swung and met the Doppelganger's. Another thing it didn't mirror was his voice.

Bane's strength overwhelmed the Doppelganger, and it fell back onto the ground. Bane wasted no time, pinning it down and restricting its movement. It struggled under his weight, and as he was about to finish it off, it changed its form.

Its face melted and swirled until a new face was visible—one with white hair and the whitest skin he'd ever seen. Her blue eyes stared up at him in horror, her bottom lip trembling with fear.

'Winter,' Bane thought. 'This must be what the system meant when it said, "Whatever face they take, it's just a mimic."' He knew that, but it was effective. Bane hesitated, his hands trembling.

He swallowed and muttered, "It's not real," a few times before closing his eyes and sliding his blade into the creature's chest. Blood—human blood—poured out of the wound as the life left Winter's eyes.

Drip.

A tear fell from Bane's eye as he looked at the red blood pooling on the ground.

'Why isn't it disappearing?' Bane thought nervously. 'It's just a Doppelganger.' But the thought wasn't enough. It was too realistic, seeing Winter bleed out on the floor at his own hands.

His mouth quivered as he watched the Doppelganger squirm. His grip tightened around his blade as he swung mercilessly, reducing Winter to thin strips.

The display left his breathing uneven and more tears falling. But after all of that, the monster finally dissipated into ash, and Bane simply collapsed to the floor in sadness.

"It wasn't real," Bane continued to repeat to himself. Slowly but surely, his breathing regulated, and his hands stopped shaking. He sat with his head down, calming himself.

He looked over to the scene that had just taken place. All that remained was a single energy crystal; everything else had faded away. Only the trauma in his mind now remembered the incident.

'The dungeon can be so cruel…' Bane thought, not wanting to move. He was exhausted—he probably could have slept right there. However, he slowly stood and retrieved the energy crystal.

Many text boxes waited to be addressed, but he just wanted to get out of this place. He made sure he could fast-travel to this spot and quickly left the fifth floor of the dungeon.

In the blink of an eye, he was back near the entrance of the first floor. As he prepared to leave, his eyes met an unsavory woman. Bane intended to completely ignore her, she seemed to do the same, initially shying away.

Though she soon furrowed her brow and looked at Bane confused. 

"Bane?" Was all she said, Bane simply ignored the young cat lady and continued forward. 

Annoyed that she had been ignored, she called out louder and pulled on his shoulder from behind. 

"Stop!" Bane shouted, flinging the girls hand away. "Never touch me filth." Luna backed away, regretting her decision to talk to him. Thankfully, Bane walked away not letting his emotions show any further to Luna.

'He looked so sad and unhappy.' Luna observed, she had a few guesses, but thought he may of came back from a rough trip to the dungeon.