Chapter 247: Dark Illusion (Part 1)


    “D-Did anyone else hear that sound just now?”


    “Ugh, this is giving me chills.”


    “Ughhh…”


    The wailing of the Dark Illusion was anything but ordinary. It was a sound that triggered primal fear, inflicting the status effect ‘Fear’ ording to the system. That’s why some yers were visibly trembling.


    ‘Although it doesn’t trigger with 100% certainty.’


    Thanks to the Blessing of the Saintess cast by Christine before the start, many yers were able to resist the fear.


    Ryu Min, of course, was an exception and did not sumb at all.


    ‘With the blessing, the chance of falling into fear is 2.45%. Even if I do, it onlysts 0.07 seconds.’


    Given his already high resistance,bined with the blessing that halved the probability of status ailments, there was virtually no chance of him being affected.


    ‘The wail of the Dark Illusion doesn’t faze me at all.’


    But its true threat wasn’t in its status effects.


    “W-Where is it?”


    “I heard the sound, but I don’t see anything.”


    For the Dark Illusion, darkness was like water to a fish. It was fast, barely visible, and a truly troublesome monster to deal with.


    ‘It doesn’t register on presence detection and is hard to spot with the naked eye.’


    Of course, there was a simple countermeasure. Emitting light would force it out of the darkness, making it easier to kill. But that method wouldn’t work here, as the environment was tailored to favor the Dark Illusion.


    As expected.


    “Huh? The light isn’ting through.”


    “Guys, something feels wrong!”


    “Someone use a skill to light this ce up!”


    “It’s not working! At all!”


    Attempts to light the area were extinguished as easily as a candle in the wind. In the pitch-ck darkness, yers grew tense, scanning their surroundings.


    “Ahhhh! M-My arm!”


    A scream rang out from somewhere. Turning toward the sound, a yer was faintly visible, trembling with their arm severed. Soon, a de burst through their chest, and they fell lifelessly to the ground. The first casualty had urred. Yet, no one could pinpoint where the monster was.


    Only terrifying sounds echoed.


    “Argh!”


    “Here! The monster is here!”


    As soon as the second scream was heard, chaos ensued.


    “Guh!”


    “Ah!”


    Screams erupted all around. Looking up, figures d in ragged clothing flitted through the darkness. These were the Dark Illusions.


    “Where did so manye from all of a sudden?”


    “Everyone, be careful!”


    “Damn it, that thing cut my arm!”


    “Kill it! Fight back!”


    “Didn’t you see the message? It’s invincible!”


    “We have no choice but to run!”


    There were more than 100 Dark Illusions moving through the darkness like fish in water. Even though yers now recognized the threat, evading them was nearly impossible due to their sheer numbers and speed.


    “Agh!”


    “It hurts! It hurts!”


    “Guhhh!”


    As the monsters passed by, they shed with their long ws, sending jolts of pain through their targets.


    “Are we really supposed to escape from all these creatures?”


    “But aren’t these things monsters? Why aren’t they detected?”


    “Shut up and just run!”


    In the chaos, the only ones maintaining anyposure were those using invisibility or the members of the Death Church who had been briefed on a strategy. And, of course, Ryu Min, who nned to turn the tide of battle.


    ‘Everyone’s panicking.’


    People were running for their lives as if a beehive had been disturbed, but there was no real need for it.


    ‘They’re all fakes. Except for one.’


    Despite what appeared to be over 100 Dark Illusions, all but one were decoys. These clones only induced false pain and didn’t cause actual damage.


    ‘They’re just being tricked by a single monster’s illusions.’


    With this in mind, Ryu Min calmly stepped through the darkness, searching for the real Dark Illusion. The first task would be easily cleared if he found the true body.


    ‘Where are you? Show yourself.’


    He moved skillfully, dodging the attacks of the decoys that struggled to keep up with him.


    ‘Even if they’re fakes, there’s no reason to get hit.’


    Identifying the real one was straightforward. He cast the Death Mark on every Dark Illusion he came across.


    ‘If the real one is marked, its health bar will appear. The decoys won’t show it.’


    This method allowed him to distinguish real from fake quickly. What once seemed like a trivial skill now proved invaluable.


    Soon enough.


    ‘There it is.’


    He spotted a Dark Illusion with a visible health bar, lurking among its clones and hunting for prey.


    Uuuuuuuuuu—


    The creature emitted its wail, signaling that it had chosen a target. While others were paralyzed with fear, it darted toward a defenseless female yer.


    ‘It’s invincible, so I can’t kill or push it…’


    But Ryu Min, with his overwhelming speed, intercepted the creature before it could strike.


    ‘…but I can disrupt its hunt.’