Ch 95

  As Matt cautiously advanced into the frozen tunnel ahead, he could feel the temperature plummeting even further. This heightened his concern about the risks of remaining in such an inhospitable environment for a prolonged period. Just as he contemplated breaking through the dome of ice that seemed to be funneling them forward, the ice thickened, further constricting the already limited space to which they had become accustomed, quashing any such thoughts of retreat. Determined to project confidence for the sake of the others, Matt took another step forward. It was only ten seconds later, the last of their group stepped through, and the door behind them slammed shut with a resounding thud. In the ensuing silence, they were suddenly greeted by a system message

  Notice: You have entered an unnamed instance dungeon within the Darkened Expanse dungeon. Clear it to survive and claim rewards for your efforts as you weaken the Darkened Expanse dungeon, bringing it one step closer to being cleared completely.

  Warning: No escape tools will work within this instance dungeon and no experience will be gained until the instance dungeon is cleared.

  "Well, this is cold," snorted Greg with a shiver. "It won't even let us level up to meet the challenge that this place is offering."

  "I have a whole bunch of questions beyond the fact that we can't level up until we beat this dungeon," commented Emily, her brow furrowed in thought. "Like, why even give us that message in the first place? I'm sure most people who would enter places like this would already know the rules."

  "Perhaps not," suggested Matt, his tone contemplative. "Who knows what the criteria are for finding a place like this and how many such dungeons exist. What worries me the most is that clearing it will affect the dungeon we were just in, and I'm concerned about what that will mean."

  "Who cares," retorted Apricity with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Unless we're going to just die, we have no choice but to move forward now. So, before we freeze our butts off, we should get moving and get this over with."

  Matt could tell Apricity was upset and was blaming him for choosing to open the door, but he just shook his head as he responded calmly.

  "No, we need to take this slow. Greg, how long can you hold a fireball before firing it?"

  "It doesn't work like that," Greg replied, "but I can cast it continuously for a few hours without much issue now."

  "Alright, we need some warmth, and I'm thinking we should make some water bags to put on our backs that you can heat up by pelting them with fire."

  "Matt, that's going to be more work than it's worth," stated Emily, her voice pragmatic. "I get what you're saying, but for now, we're likely best served by pushing forward. Though, perhaps some crude foot covers to go over what's left of our shoes might be a good idea."

  "Yeah," agreed Zara, nodding in agreement. "Hopefully, this place will reward us with new gear like the tomb did because all of our stuff is looking rather ragged."

  "At least you all have proper gear," Apricity retorted, her voice tinged with resentment.

  "Let's just move forward and see what this place has in store for us other than freezing us to death," stated Matt with determination. "Apricity, is your mapping skill still working?"

  "Yes," she replied curtly.

  "Good, work with Emily to figure out if a change in plan is needed as we explore," Matt instructed, glancing at the icy corridor ahead.

  As Matt finished speaking, he stepped forward, and the others fell into their usual positions, except for Apricity, who was standing closer to Emily than usual. They hadn't traveled far when they were confronted by the first monsters, which materialized from the ice on the walls and surrounded them. There were nine figures in total, each one a perfect replica of a member of their party as they charged toward their counterparts. This left both the front and rear guards fully occupied as they struggled to maintain the line. The most challenging was Greg's duplicate, which hurled ice balls at him while he countered with molten magma spheres. After the initial clash had subsided, Emily called out to the group with urgency.

  "They are perfect copies, stats and all," she warned.

  "I don’t see any flesh on them," Zara retorted skeptically. "So, they’re definitely not perfect."

  "You’re right," Emily shot back, her voice edged with frustration. "Their whole body might as well be armor. I suspect they are also better at fighting than their counterparts."

  Matt found himself nodding in agreement with Emily as she struggled against his ice duplicate, quickly noticing that the ice was magically reinforced. Without this magical enhancement, he was certain its blades would have shattered during the first few blocks. This observation sparked an idea in Matt's mind. Abandoning his knives, he swiftly ducked under the next barrage of attacks and seized his ice duplicate's arm, hurling it as far away as possible. Before the ice double could regain its composure, Matt stealthily moved behind Rose's duplicate, wrapping his arms firmly around its torso, effectively immobilizing it and giving Rose the perfect opportunity to launch her attack without hindrance.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Although she had only managed to land a few solid hits before Matt's copy targeted him, with a deft twist and pivot, he maneuvered so that his copy's attack struck Rose's copy instead. Despite being knocked down and sent flying, Matt couldn't help but smile as he slid across the floor, releasing his grip on Rose's copy. Feeling confident as he rose to his feet, he noticed that his copy was ignoring everyone else, focusing solely on him, just as Rose's copy did for her. He called out to the room, his voice echoing with urgency.

  “They are solely focused on the one they are copying; work as a team,” he urged.

  “Coming your way,” Bob replied in Matt's head as the others coordinated with each other, their voices becoming a chaotic chorus.

  A moment later, Matt snagged Bob’s copy by one of its hind legs as it attempted to leap over his head to follow Bob. Without wasting any time, Matt hurled it toward his own copy. The cold indifference with which his copy batted away Bob’s, shattering it against the wall, ignited a simmering anger within Matt. Despite the fact that these were merely moving ice sculptures, their resemblance to him and Bob was unsettling. Nonetheless, Matt suppressed his rage and sent Bob a mental command to listen to Emily. He called out with urgency, “Emily, Bob is now free to assist. Direct him while I keep mine occupied.”

  With that, Matt charged forward, engaging in a fierce exchange of blows with his duplicate while carefully avoiding taking or dealing any severe damage himself. He was acutely aware that if his copy possessed all the same skills and abilities as he did, the last thing he wanted was to deal massive damage from a single strike, knowing all too well how disastrous that would be. Furthermore, he had to exercise caution, knowing he was limited in the number of uses of his counter skills each day. Although he had already decided to reserve them until absolutely necessary, his copy was free to wield them at will. The only question was whether he could do the same, but Matt didn't think discovering the answer was a wise move.

  With Bob adhering to Emily’s orders to concentrate initially on Greg’s duplicate, it resulted in the clone taking a searing ball of magma directly to the face shortly afterward. This tactical decision swiftly turned the tide of the battle in Matt’s party’s favor. Nevertheless, by the time only Matt’s clone remained, they were still uncertain about their next move as they observed the ongoing skirmish. Apart from Emily diligently healing Matt, none of them dared to intervene, respecting Matt's directive to stay out of the fight as he persistently exchanged minor blows with his counterpart. Ultimately, all they could do was engage in conversation to calm their jittery nerves, casting anxious glances at the confrontation unfolding before them.

  "He is still winning, albeit slightly," stated Emily, glancing at her screen intently. "My analysis shows Matt losing ten health points each minute, while his clone is losing eleven."

  "Yeah, but that's after accounting for your healing. How much longer can you maintain that?" Apricity inquired, concern etched on her face.

  "I can apply the healing once a minute at this stage, and that's how I've calculated everything," Emily replied, her face betraying a hint of worry. "Both Matt and his copy are avoiding more than minor blows because any significant attack would trigger one of Matt's counters."

  "I have to say, Matt has the potential to be practically unbeatable in one-on-one combat if he can get his health points higher than anyone else's," Greg commented, with a thoughtful expression. "Add a skill that ensures he always survives with a single point left when attacked with more than one HP, and boom—he can devastate opponents without fear."

  "It's more complex than that," Emily retorted. "I'm certain skill negation is a factor, and who knows what capabilities others might possess. Don't forget, we're all stumbling around blindly here. I'm sure there are books upon books about the best strategies and their counters out there, all at the same time."

  "That's why we are all such wild cards," countered Greg with a knowing smile. "If everyone always follows what others declare as the best, then they won’t know how to react when someone who doesn’t follow the same path reaches their level."

  "You both rely too much on the stories and games you loved before you became characters in them," remarked Rose, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement. "That's what truly sets Matt apart; he never seemed to focus on any of that."

  "Not true," stated Apricity, shaking her head slightly. "Even he would read survival stories from time to time."

  "Yeah, but only to take notes on how to do the same," retorted Rose, raising an eyebrow. "He focuses on what's practical, at least for the way he wants to live. I would have thought you’d know that better than any of us."

  "I do," Apricity replied thoughtfully, "but having hobbies we enjoy is part of living. Otherwise, what's the point of living?"

  "Let’s not have this argument," Greg interjected, waving a hand dismissively. "Especially since simply asking him about it would answer your questions."

  "Emily, how long until Matt defeats his ice sculpture?" asked Rose, glancing over to where Emily was watching intently.

  "It will probably be about 15 minutes, if not a bit longer," Emily replied, sighing as she kept one eye on her screen with the stats of the situation. "Honestly, if they were dealing equal damage, the fight would likely be over in a third of that time, but Matt seems determined to deal only minimal damage with each hit."

  "He is at a real disadvantage," stated Greg with a concerned look. "If you weren't healing him, he wouldn't be able to fight like he is at all."

  "What disadvantage?" asked Zara, furrowing her brows. "And why doesn't he have one of us rush in and hold his copy still, like he did for Rose at the start?"

  "He has to plan for bigger fights later," replied Greg, nodding knowingly. "As for not wanting us to help, well, if he thought he was going to lose, he would likely ask us to do just that. But there are two reasons he is taking his time. First, fighting yourself is always great for personal growth, and second, it gives all of us time to recover from the previous fight."

  "That does sound like him," commented Yumiko, a hint of admiration in her voice. "Still, sometimes I wish he could be a bit more open to us sharing his burdens, instead of always just taking on ours."

  "Then I say we return the favor," declared Zara, as she unsheathed her sword with determination.

  "Just stop," ordered Eleanor sternly. "If you wanted to intervene in his fight, you should have done it right away. Right now, all you would be doing is denying him a chance to improve."

  “You mean the same way he denied us that opportunity?” Zara pressed, her voice tinged with frustration.

  “Don’t twist things,” Emily retorted sharply. “I did that; he just made it possible. Plus, without my healing, none of us could do what he is doing, and so only one of us could have this opportunity. So, unless you’re saying that it should have been one of us to get it, just drop it. We all know what you, and the rest of us, would want if we charged in.”

  “Oh, and what is that?” Zara challenged, raising an eyebrow.

  “For him to thank us for helping out,” Emily stated confidently. “Unless you think there would be anything more to gain?”

  Zara just frowned, her expression a mix of annoyance and contemplation, as Emily cast another healing spell towards Matt. The conversation shifted to thoughts on what they should expect from the dungeon as a whole. Finally, after over 20 minutes of intense fighting, Matt defeated his ice copy and sat down, exhausted, to recover. Greg quickly used a mixture of wind and fire magic to send a warm breeze his way, helping to dry off the sweat he had accumulated before it could freeze in the cold dungeon air.