WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 134: Javert’s Iron and Justice (1)
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“It’s been a while.”
A long corridor stretched before us.
Only faint rays of light lit the way.
As I walked through that darkness, I was struck by a sense of nostalgia.
“It’s been nearly half a year since I last came to Floor 70.”
[Looking back, time truly has flown by.]
Her Highness sat on my shoulder.
The silver bat glanced around.
Perhaps memories had come to mind for her as well.
It had already been five months since we visited Purgatory Floor 70 and cut an undead dragon in half.
[Back then, I truly thought I was going to die. I opened the door, only to find some enormous figure waiting inside...]
“Ha ha, I did give you quite a fright.”
[Insolent vassal. You take pleasure in teasing your lord. It seems you developed a taste for it then.]
“Teasing you? Not at all. You know how much I respect you, Your Highness...”
[Hmph. You have only grown more skilled at flattery.]
“I’ve simply become better at expressing my sincerity.”
[Quiet.]
As if I were annoying her, Her Highness lightly tapped my cheek with the tip of her wing.
Of course, it was gentle enough that it didn’t hurt.
We spent a moment exchanging idle chatter.
[But... why did you not bring Lua? It seemed you put her to bed early today.]
“Who knows?”
[And you seem more bundled up than usual.]
“You noticed. I’m wearing the robe I obtained before.”
The Temple of Lumiera.
After clearing it, I had received this item as a quest reward.
Ding!
[Silence Robe]
-Category: Clothing
-Rank: B+
-Status: Clean
-Description: Outerwear stripped from the shadows. When worn, grants the user the [Partial Stealth] effect. Completely conceals the user’s appearance.
‘It was exactly what I needed.’
I hummed as I walked.
After another ten minutes, the end of the long corridor came into view.
A massive gate blocked the path.
“We’ve arrived.”
There was no reason to hesitate.
If my prediction was right, clearing Floor 80 should be easy too.
It might even feel a little anticlimactic.
“Let’s go.”
Rumble.
The moment I lightly placed a hand on it, the gate opened on its own.
Holding only a dagger, I stepped inside.
The next moment, my vision went white.
An empty space awaited us.
As I looked around, the gate locked itself shut.
Click.
‘It won’t open until I clear this place.’
Well, I had experienced the same pattern on Floor 70.
I calmly ran a finger along the tip of my dagger.
[Viktor.]
Her voice was filled with confusion.
Her Highness examined every corner of the empty space.
She seemed wary of this place’s master, but the only thing in sight was a small puddle.
[Hmm... Does this place have no master? I thought something terrifying would be waiting for us, like on Floor 70.]
“It’s fine. It’ll appear soon.”
Before I could even finish answering, the small puddle in the center of the room began to boil.
Bubble, bubble.
The clear liquid writhed silently.
Then droplets rose into the air.
They gathered together and took on the form of a human.
<...>
It looked eerily like me.
The mask covering its face, its build, height, stride, even the way it stood. Everything was identical.
Other than its body being transparent like glass, it would have been impossible to tell us apart by appearance alone.
I stared at it, half fascinated and half unsettled.
[Name: Mirror]
-Race: Not Applicable
-Category: Boss Monster
-Description: An entity that transforms into a detected target. It perfectly copies the target’s abilities, experience, habits, and techniques. It does not tire. It is the master that governs the end of Floor 80.
‘There it is.’
A boss ranked among the five most annoying in the story.
Like me, it watched me with only a dagger in hand.
Its transparent mask gleamed.
I took a pocket watch from my robe.
As if following my lead, Mirror took out a pocket watch as well.
“Your Highness, please don’t use your power.”
[Why not?]
“It gets more complicated the more people face it. I think it would be better to clear it alone.”
[Hmm... All right. If Viktor says so, then so be it.]
If Carmilla stepped in here, it would create a clone that looked exactly like Carmilla.
That would only make things needlessly complicated.
‘It imitates everything the intruder has.’
Every item I took out.
Every skill I used.
It recreated all of it exactly.
The same output, the same form, the same effect.
‘That’s why it’s such a nuisance.’
It was like playing rock-paper-scissors against a mirror.
The same moves repeated endlessly, and the contest remained at a stalemate.
If the intruder increased their power, it increased its power too. If allies joined in, it created identical allies.
‘And it doesn’t get tired.’
It had infinite stamina.
I didn’t know whether it was some authority of Purgatory or something else, but that was what made the fight unfair.
The battle remained deadlocked while the challenger gradually grew exhausted, yet the opponent showed no sign of tiring.
Rock-paper-scissors.
Once the challenger had been worn down to the point where they could no longer lift an arm, it would reach out its hand while chanting, [If you don’t throw, you lose.] The match was designed to inevitably tilt in Mirror’s favor.
‘It was a floor that couldn’t be overcome without a special item or authority.’
There was no conventional way to clear it.
Even if someone brought the captain of the Imperial Knights, an untiring captain of the Imperial Knights would simply appear as their enemy.
‘...But what about me?’
Shing.
I lightly raised my dagger.
Then I rushed toward Mirror, carving a silver arc through the air.
Perhaps it sensed the attack, because it rushed at me too.
Clang!
Sparks flew through the air.
The two daggers collided with the same force and along the same path.
Not even the slightest tremor came from the masked Mirror.
“Hup...!”
I continued the clash without hesitation.
The sound of iron striking iron rang out.
Krrrk, clang...!
It copied everything I had anyway.
The more powerful the move I used, and the more I tried to outthink it, the harder the fight became.
‘It’s possible.’
That was why I had no intention of using any elaborate techniques.
No powerful items, no flashy skills.
I would face it with nothing but a single dagger.
If I did that, it would have to rely on a dagger alone as well.
‘Of course... this isn’t the end.’
Whether it was a dagger or anything else, dragging things out like this would only lead to defeat.
Rock-paper-scissors against Mirror was always unfair.
‘I need to break it.’
Tap, tap.
I lightly stepped in place.
As I kept a steady rhythm, a faint haze gathered around my heels.
“Let’s see if you can copy this too.”
Crackle.
My vision flickered as if it had switched off and on.
The next moment, I was behind Mirror.
“Got you.”
<...!?>
Thud!
A heavy middle kick slammed into its spine.
Unable to react, Mirror flew away and rolled across the ground several times.
“Ha.”
Just as I thought.
It seemed it couldn’t imitate bugs.
If it could, it would have evaded my attack using the Step Bug just like I had.
‘A bug... No, the status window called it [Misunderstanding], didn’t it?’
It was still only a theory, but this power wasn’t some kind of game error.
It was the Evil God’s authority.
In other words, it was power left behind by a god.
If that was true, could some Purgatory monster possibly understand and imitate it?
‘Never.’
As far as I knew, I was the only one in this world who could use [Misunderstanding].
I had asked others to try it as well, but none of them had succeeded.
There had already been hundreds of attempts.
Even minor, simple bugs failed to produce any response in anyone else’s hands.
‘I wanted to confirm it.’
A power that even Purgatory’s Mirror could not copy.
If that premise held true, it would support my theory.
‘So I was right in the end.’
The bugs I used appeared to be remnants of the Evil God.
I gripped my dagger as a chill ran down my spine.
The Evil God, Delkirnos.
What was its goal?
Why had it given me this authority?
<...>
Mirror stood before me, forcing itself back up.
A few cracks had formed on its body, but it didn’t seem damaged enough to stop moving.
I let out a sigh, casting aside my distracting thoughts.
‘Focus.’
Knowing that changed nothing.
First, I needed to deal with what was right in front of me.
As for the Evil God, I had made preparations of my own.
“...Come.”
I beckoned with my dagger.
Then I began stepping again.
A haze gathered around me, and my vision flashed repeatedly.
After that, the empty space filled only with overlapping sounds of shattering glass.
Crackle.
Crackle.
Crackle.
I appeared all around it as though teleporting, thoroughly pummeling Mirror, a clumsy imitation of myself.
Before long, it was reduced to a miserable state and shattered.
Its remains soon turned to dust and scattered away.
Ding!
[You have cleared the Sub Quest!]
-Title: How to Greet the Self That Watches You
-Details: Conquer Purgatory Floor 80. Defeat the master of Purgatory Floor 80.
[You have completed the quest with minimal power!]
-A reward has been issued. Please check your inventory.
The status window flickered before my eyes.
I quietly took a deep breath.
The nausea was always severe after repeatedly using the Step Bug.
As I steadied my churning stomach, Her Highness spoke from inside my robe.
[It seems it is over.]
“Fortunately.”
[How should I put this... Didn’t that end too easily? It feels rather anticlimactic.]
She wasn’t wrong.
Floor 80 had been easier for me than even Floor 10.
Still, there was no reason to be disappointed.
“It’s fine.”
[Hmm?]
“Today’s Purgatory schedule begins now.”
[It begins now? You have already hunted the master of this floor, so what do you mean by...]
Rumble.
A heavy sound rang out behind me.
The floor had been cleared, and the closed gate opened again.
“...”
I silently turned toward it.
The gate slowly opened.
A woman stood beyond it.
Red hair flowed beautifully over her neat uniform.
“Stop right there.”
Her emotionless gaze fixed on me.
A badge identifying her as the Chief Investigator was pinned to her chest.
‘Javert.’
The woman clenched her fist.
With that motion, white light swept through the surroundings.
Whoosh!
The dark corridor brightened with Javert’s crimson presence.
Javert crossed the gate and approached me one step at a time.
“I have confirmed that Purgatory Floor 80 was cleared without authorization. At the same time, I judge there to be a high probability that the target before me is the same perpetrator responsible for the ‘Unauthorized Conquest of Purgatory Floor 70’ incident five months ago.”
The air warped.
Within the storm of light, crushing killing intent pressed down on the entire floor.
Rumble!
“Under the summary execution order issued by the headmaster, the perpetrator will be held accountable for disrupting order, regardless of reason.”
She was fucking terrifying.
Feeling cold sweat run down my back, I adjusted my grip on the dagger.
Even then, those green eyes remained fixed on me.
“I will carry out the execution.”
The declaration rang out calmly.
Keeping my robe tightly wrapped around me, I gave her a tense smile.
‘All right.’
Let’s do this.
Javert Droit.
It was time to shake that principled woman to her core.
Footnotes:
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