I wanted to know more about the test, but obviously, those answers wouldn't be answered. If I knew beforehand why I would have to defeat myself three times, the challenge would be a lot easier.

“I wish to start the second challenge.”

“The second challenge is starting… defeat the person who you think you are.”

“What the heck…’

Before I could even understand the meaning of those words, another version of me appeared out of thin air and glared at me.

“A new kind of monster, huh. Die.” My copy said.

Just like that copy of myself appeared out of thin air, the vampire hunter’s crossbow suddenly appeared in his hands. He aimed without hesitation and pulled the trigger, but I teleported to behind him, and I opened my backpack, sending a fire arrow toward him. I didn’t make any sound, but he also teleported to escape that attack without even looking behind him.

“Such a troublesome monster…” My copy showed a calm expression.

I never recorded myself acting normally, but that was precisely how I imagined that I acted on a daily basis. Just like him, I was ready to strike down the opponent in front of me using everything that I have without losing my cool. But for some reason, I wanted to observe him more.

My copy teleported himself to above me and then used a fire arrow to attack, but I teleported again without counter-attacking. I just observed my copy. Although he was displeased that he was using his projectiles without hitting a target, he was quick to calm down and began to attack again.

‘It’s really an exact copy of me… but I can’t waste time observing him.’

That was what I thought, but then I noticed that my MP was still full. For some reason, in that space, I could use all my skills without worrying about their cost.

‘It seems someone or something really wants to see me fighting against myself. In that case, I should use this rare opportunity as well.’

Although that was a bit unnerving, it was also an excellent opportunity to study my own actions and attacks. Soon as I began to just teleport to one place to another, my copy also noted that he wasn’t spending MP. So, he began to attack without a care in the world.

I intend to observe my copy to learn a few things, but I didn’t see much problems in my actions and fighting style. But that was impossible; I only had two months of combat experience. I was pretty sure that I was supposed to look like a newbie struggling a lot.

‘I understand now… I won’t learn a thing here, because that copy is an idealized version of myself.’

Although I always wanted to improve, my main focus was to acquire real combat experience. I wanted to learn more about the enemies to defeat them in the most efficient way possible. I would adapt myself according to the enemy, so, observe the idealized version of myself was a waste of time. After all, that copy was who I was trying to be.

‘The problem is: how do I defeat the ideal version of myself?’

Against someone who had the same weapons, skill, and actions, I only had one option: surprise him. While my copy tried to explode me using fire arrows nonstop, I teleported around thinking about a thing which would surprise me a lot. But I had to be creative; he was an exact copy of myself. What words would grab the attention of the idealized version of myself in the middle of a battle? It wasn’t that hard to think of something which could do that, actually.

‘Oh, boy… I don’t believe that I’m about to say this to myself.’

I sighed while I was teleporting around. Although it was quite fun, I couldn’t enjoy it. I looked at my skills and also didn’t saw any progress, so I decided to end that already. I teleported to his side, and then I whispered in his ear.

“Your family abandoned you.”

For half a second my copy stopped and then I sent three fire arrows toward him, and those made him explode, but I didn’t saw blood nor flesh, I only saw black smoke on the place he had been. Even my idealized version of myself was weak in that aspect. After killing so many people, I decided to ignore my noisy conscience and my annoying feelings, but even in my imagination, I didn’t succeed in doing that.

“You defeated yourself one time… defeat the person who the others think you are.”

Now I would be able to learn a few things, but those words worried me a little. I still had to face another version of myself, and my instincts were telling me that I wouldn’t like any of those battles. Just like before another me appeared out of thin air, this one didn’t look calm like the other.

“Tsk, another fucking monster.” My copy said, showing a displeased face.

Contrary to my expectations, that copy didn’t attack soon after appeared. Instead, it studied me carefully while trying to keep a distance. The vampire hunter’s crossbow was already in his hands, but it looked like he wouldn’t use unless I try something.

‘That’s weird… he looks angry, but he doesn’t seem brave enough to do anything. Is this really how the others see me?’

I wouldn’t deny that my first action was to study the enemy and analyze their status and skills, but I didn’t think that I acted like that. I won’t deny that I would do anything to survive; I would use any cowardly tactics possible. But that was just me being practical and not coward. While I was thinking about such things, my copy activated the cape’s effect.

‘I guess I really act like a coward sometimes.’

I also activated my cape to disappear, but I didn’t move from that spot. Thinking objectively, even though I used the cape to increase my chances of survival, it was a means to surprise and escape from enemies. I used the cape dozens of times when I fought against Ann and her minions, and I also used that when I tried to kill her using the spiritual knives. All in all, it was something a coward would use.

After a few seconds, my copy appeared, and I saw three fire arrows flying toward me. Even though I was invisible, he somehow noticed that I didn’t move from that spot. But I didn’t have any reason to get nervous; I just teleported to a few meters backward to escape the explosions.

“Tsk, why I always have to face this kind of annoying monsters?” My copy showed an annoyed expression.

He had realized that I hadn’t been hit, so he disappeared again. I couldn’t hear his footsteps, nor could I hear his heart beating, probably because he wasn’t a living being. In any case, he made me realize that I was a bit passive when I was fighting against new monsters. I wondered why, using the magic arrows, I could kill most of the monsters very quickly. Was it because a new and more powerful monster could appear soon after? Or was it because I was a real coward?

Again, my copy appeared, and then he sent dozens of fire arrows toward all directions. He finally realized that he could use his skills freely, and that was very weird. I couldn’t feel his presence, but he and the previous copy attacks were noisy, and I could feel the flames heat. Using the teleport skill, I stayed away from the floor and from the attacks.

“You are pretty smart for a monster.” My copy smiled.

First, my copy was pissed and was trying to keep distance, and now he seemed that he was enjoying himself. Was I that weird? I was pretty sure that I didn’t have a split personality.

‘Something is off.’

Recently, I decided to enjoy the battles against monsters. After all, we wouldn’t destroy all the monsters on the planet any time soon, death battles against monsters would be part of our daily lives. So, I couldn’t complain if my copy was doing the same. But, my copy's previous behavior seemed like something I would do only at the time when the monsters appeared, and when I was feeling depressed. I was pretty sure that I didn’t act like that in a few weeks.

‘Maybe this copy has been created by using the memories of those around me. First impressions are important, and that would explain why this copy's behavior is so all over the place.’

That said, I couldn’t also deny the fact that something was wrong with me. It wouldn’t surprise me if my behavior suddenly changes, I wasn’t a normal and sane human, after all. I wasn’t hypocrite enough to say otherwise after all the things I had done.

The copy continued to attack me while keeping a distance; his pattern was quite obvious. He tries to distract me using the vampire hunter’s crossbow and then tries to kill me using the metal crossbow and magic arrows. If that fails, he disappears and decides to rest a little. And since I never used the spiritual knife in front of the others, who are still alive, my copy never used.

‘Well, then. To destroy this copy, I had to use the weakness the others think I have. And that would be…’

I sighed again, Claire, Harry, and the others had a big mouth. So, the thing which concerned me the most everyone already knew. In any case, I wondered why those copies didn’t try to taunt me as well. It was probably because I didn’t consider myself a smart person and because the others didn’t think that I was smart either. I got rid of those thoughts, and just like before I teleported to my copy’s side when he appeared to attack and then I whispered in his ears.

“Your family abandoned you because you are too pathetic.”

The result was even better than I had expected, my copy froze on the spot for several seconds. He was trembling, his face was pale, and he was sweating cold. I didn’t even have to use magic arrows to destroy him, the vampire hunter’s crossbow did the job.

“Wow, do they really think that I’m that weak mentally?”

That was somewhat unpleasant, although I didn’t care about the other survivors’ opinions, I didn’t want to be seen as a weak person either. But maybe I was just overthinking, in some people’s eyes, like Claire’s for example; I was just too attached to my family. Harry, Rose, and Sarah probably had the same opinion; they saw me trying to cross the city looking for my family while I was wounded, dirt, and covered in blood. Besides, I really changed when I discovered they didn’t have any intention of bringing me to their area. After a few days waiting for them, I decided not to care anymore. I decided to focus on killing the monsters and make the city more peaceful while obtaining more evolution coins. Although they abandoned me, I still wanted to make them feel proud of me. That was why I helped the other survivors when I wanted to be alone, and that was why I stayed with Claire and the kids even though they would make me remember of my family. And that also was why I obeyed Sandra’s and the others’ orders even though it pissed me off.

All in all, I helped all the others, because that was the only thing I could do to make them feel proud of me. Even though every single survivor made me remember the family which I had never belonged to. My actions were controversial, but that couldn’t be helped, I was a contradictory existence.

After my battle against Ann, for the first time, I decided to stay with the others because I wanted. I needed strength, and they would give me enough time to obtain that strength. Besides, something would happen at the end of those one hundred days. The tower only confirmed my suspicions. At the end of those one hundred days or after we complete the tower, I would obtain the strength that I needed, I was sure of it. I just had to be patient, and I would get the first thing that I wished for myself, freedom.

“You defeated yourself two times… defeat the person who you truly are.”

When the black smoke which created my copy disappeared, I heard that voice announcement. It seems these challenges really wanted to mess with my mind, but that didn’t matter. I knew myself pretty well, and my last copy wouldn’t be able to surprise me. In fact, I already even knew what I would say to make the copy drop its guard.

Then it appeared, a young man showing a depressed expression, his body was trembling, and I could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of the unknown, the fear of battles, the fear of betrayals… the fear of everything. My copy saw me staring at him, and then he lost the strength on his legs and fell on the floor on his butt. He tried to crawl away from me with tears in his eyes, and then he activated the cape’s effect. For several minutes I waited for my copy do something, but he didn’t. But I could hear his sobs… because of that, I fell on the floor laughing.

“It seems that I don’t know myself all that much.