Percival and Simon stumbled upon something man-made within the forest south of Trist Port Town. When they laid eyes on it, they recognized it immediately as a dungeon—a surprising find for Percival, who had never encountered one that wasn't a natural formation or an ancient ruin.

“Simon, you've ventured into dungeons before, right?” Percival inquired.

“Yeah, twice during our travels,” Simon replied. Percival remembered that Simon's guardian, an old hero, had conquered numerous dungeons in the past.

The boy was not lying “Good to know. Let's check it out,” Percival said.

“I'll lead the way. I can see in the dark and scout ahead,” Simon offered, stepping forward. With weapons drawn, they prepared for whatever lay ahead.

The man-made tunnel of stairs was already covered in dungeon moss, a common growth found in such environments. It provided some illumination, pockets of darkness remained.

As they reached the end of the stairs, they found themselves in what resembled the first floor of a dungeon, reminiscent of a prison cell. “Enemies,” Simon warned as they entered the corridor, and monsters emerged from the walls. It was unmistakably a dungeon—but one crafted by human hands?

What emerged were four children, all bearing identical faces, though their bodies were shrouded in darkness. Simon recognized the ominous sensation they emanated. “We have to defeat them quickly, or they'll replicate you!” he urged, launching an attack with his fin blade. The quartet of children charged toward them in response.

“They're fighting barehanded!?” Percival exclaimed, bewildered by the sudden change from their previous encounter in the town’s siege. What could be causing this shift?

The two swiftly engaged in combat.

In mere moments, the four vanished, leaving behind a small dungeon stone. Simon picked it up, noticing its stark difference from the ones he knew—it was much dimmer in color.

“Let's press on,” Simon declared. Percival could discern that despite his youth, Simon possessed a clear understanding of the situation, and he followed his lead.

…

The dungeon's layout was relatively simple; each floor mirrored the first, but as they delved deeper, it expanded considerably. Along the edges, natural cave formations began to emerge. However, one constant remained: the stairs leading to the next floor were always positioned opposite to their descent.

The real challenge lay in the dungeon's forced modifications, with their paths frequently obstructed by cave-ins or collapsed walls. They had to navigate around these obstacles, searching for alternative routes.

Yet, the atmosphere was reminiscent of a horror story. Bones littered the ground—both animal and human, the majority belonging to non-humans. Occasionally, they were ambushed by shadowy monsters bearing the faces of the same child. While Simon remained unfazed, Percival grew increasingly uneasy at dispatching these eerie creatures.

Despite the unsettling surroundings, they remained resolute, prepared to descend for days if necessary. Surprisingly, before the day's end, they had already reached the dungeon's deepest floor. However, Simon found the eight-floor depth disappointingly shallow by his standards.

In the depths, they stumbled upon a boy in ragged clothes standing near an operating table, surrounded by numerous skeletons.

“That's probably the guardian of the core,” Percival suggested.

No... that's the core itself... that boy is infused with it,” Simon corrected, drawing from his experience with such adversaries.

“Are you here to save me?” the boy asked, his gaze fixed ahead into the darkness, still seemingly aware of his surroundings. Simon noticed that his lower body was fused with shadows and flesh, all lumped and melded into the ground. The room began to brighten, as the dim lights etched in the ground shone, signaling impending danger.

Shadows began to emerge from the ground—four of them. “Who's going to target the core?” Simon asked.

“I will... just buy me some time,” Percival replied.

The two sprang into battle. While Simon cleared a path for Percival, the northerner made a beeline for the boy in the middle of the room. At one point, Percival cast a spell, summoning an earth barrier.

Earlier, he had noticed that the shadows avoided a certain area in a circle around the core. The dim lights etched into the ground seemed to offer a clue about this too—the core couldn't summon the annoying shadows near it.

“Earth magic... amazing,” Simon muttered as he witnessed the earth barrier being erected. It was the first time he had seen Percival use earth magic. Initially, it seemed like the battle might conclude swiftly, but a sudden foreboding sensation sent shivers down Simon's spine. Trusting his instincts, he quickened his movements, swiftly dispatching the emerging shadows with his water blade.

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…

Percival was wrong and, at the same time, right with his observations. A single shadow emerged directly from behind the boy.

Percival could tell... the single shadow that emerged inside the barrier was different and powerful, but somehow familiar... so damn familiar that his instincts were telling him to run. “Who the hell is that now…?” This time, the shadow that emerged didn’t have the face of the child.

It didn’t matter now; Percival could control his emotions. He initiated an attack. A sword appeared in the shadow's hand, and it started fighting against Percival. “Kill him!!! Don’t play with him!!” the child in the middle commanded the shadow that was fighting against Percival.

“Percival!! Are you okay!?” Simon screamed from outside the barrier.

“I’m okay!!! Are you finished?” Percival answered with a question.

“No!!! They still keep on coming!!!” Simon answered back.

It was a bit embarrassing for someone not even half his age to be worried for him, but he did appreciate it. Still, the shadow was fighting evenly against him while he swung mightily at it... after a quick weapons lock, he pushed the shadow off and readied his stance... but the shadow didn’t attack back.

“Who the hell are you…” Percival muttered.

“Simon…” for some of the strangest reasons the world has ever had… the shadow spoke. Percival had heard stories before; this was no ordinary shadow. It was a doppelganger. It was starting to make sense; if only he could figure out who the doppelganger was.

Percival gritted his teeth and engaged again. For some reason, the doppelganger would only receive his attacks and never initiate. It was ever graceful in dodging Percival’s deadly attacks, but then it performed a flash step in and out of Percival’s swing range. “Aargh!!!” and the doppelganger kicked him in the stomach. Percival slid a bit... it almost broke something inside of him.

“Did he kick you in the stomach?!!” Simon suddenly asked. He knew how one would sound getting hit.

“Do you know who this doppelganger is?” Percival responded with another question.

“We have to trade!!!” Simon requested. Something about Simon's voice suggested that he knew who the doppelganger was. Percival opened up the barrier, and Simon instantly entered. ‘How did he know where I would open the barrier?’ Percival thought as he moved into the opening.

“Tell me about it later,” Percival said, and they tagged out.

Percival, as soon as he emerged from the barrier, closed it. The shadows that kept appearing were slowly regenerating. It seemed that Simon had figured out that only four shadows would emerge from the ground. Since the shadows would regenerate themselves if not completely slain, they would remain stunned for the duration of their regeneration. The four were neatly lined up in front of Percival; he just had to maintain the damage.

“That’s genius,” Percival said as he grasped the idea.

…

Simon smiled... a doppelganger... probably the same doppelganger that he fought before... the old man fought before... the doppelganger instantly recognized him... it started releasing that familiar fierce bloodlust, like how the old man did when they were still together.

Simon was happy... a match against the old man now. It's time to measure his growth now. For the first time, the doppelganger went into a stance. Simon did too, adopting the stance he had self-taught.

A step forward... sword tip pointing in the direction of the target. Lining it up diagonally, resting his arms on his body.

“Simon...” the doppelganger spoke. Simon was sure that it was mimicking the old man from before.

The doppelganger started the attack, doing what the old man did: flash steps, feints, and swings. Simon, relying on instinct and the back of his neck, began parrying the attacks.

“Fast!!!” Simon muttered, but he was smiling; he was starting to get small cuts, nothing serious.

The doppelganger stops for a while... it checks its hand... it seems that it was cleanly lopped off.

“I landed a hit, old man... I landed a hit!!!” Simon said, smiling. For some reason, the doppelganger couldn’t control it. It was smiling back too; Simon was sure that it was.

The two continued the bout. The doppelganger could tell that his opponent was getting used to his speed. Simon was dodging while landing a cut four out of ten slashes the doppelganger was launching; the boy didn’t even move from his spot.

“Release!!” the doppelganger muttered, and though it was made up of shadows, it started emitting a glowing light that bathed the whole place. Some of it even escaped from the earthen barrier Percival made.

“Oh... getting serious, of course,” Simon smiled excitedly.

The two resumed their stances again.

Simon finally left his spot as he dodged the doppelganger's attack. Simon landed on the ground near the boy in the middle, and the boy instantly cowered.

“Get away from me!!!” the boy immediately screamed, but he had no more magic in him. That was how much the doppelganger he was using cost.

“I will deal with you later on... we will save you,” Simon answered nonchalantly. The boy with the shard widened his eyes.

“You will save me?” he asked again. Simon looked over his shoulder and nodded. For some reason, the boy with the shard smiled brightly.

“Please!! Hurry up!! My body hurts,” the boy complained.

Simon didn’t understand how the doppelganger worked. The background of the boy with the shard? Nor how the doppelganger was using light magic even though it was made up of shadow and darkness.

What he understood was... “If it uses its magic on its release mode... I will die.” That was Simon's only concern right now.

But once he knew who he was fighting, he already had a plan in the back of his mind. It was time to switch to plan B.

Simon placed his sword on his chest, waved it down, and bowed his head. The doppelganger, upon seeing this, stopped its release, put its shadow sword on its chest, and waved it down. The two looked at each other for a while.

“Aw... I’m still the challenger?!” Simon said in complaint. The doppelganger taunted him by swinging its finger and beckoning him to come over.

<--->

Percival was starting to get bored... was it already over? After that light? What the hell was happening inside his barrier? Although Percival was a proficient user of earth magic, he mainly used it only to create small advantages on the battlefield for himself. He then chopped off a part of the regenerating shadows in front of him.

After staring at the darkness for a while, he finally remembered the visage of the old man that the doppelganger was mimicking. “No way...” he said.