---

– Bang!

Once again, Jang Chae Yeon’s body folded in half and collapsed.

“…I feel sick.”

Jang Chae Yeon mumbled with a grimace, swatting her hand away.

“Hey—”

– Bang!

I, too, appeared, seemingly called by Song Ah Rin… right after I punched a hole in her forehead and turned my gaze away.

She was sitting there, clutching her arm and sweating cold, while Yu Da On stood protectively beside her, gripping a sharp object and surveying the surroundings.

I looked around.

After confirming that nothing else was visible, I quickly approached Song Ah Rin.

“Ugh…”

“Hang in there.”

I supported Song Ah Rin, who was grinding her teeth and tightly closing her eyes.

“…Over there.”

“Yes.”

Jang Chae Yeon said softly as she sat demurely next to me.

“I’ll do the first aid.”

“Understood.”

Jang Chae Yeon took hold of Song Ah Rin’s arm and quietly spoke to her.

“…Hey.”

“…Huh… I’m listening.”

“It’s going to hurt.”

“Okay…”

Jang Chae Yeon started to remove her jacket to stabilize Song Ah Rin’s arm.

As her arm was being secured, Song Ah Rin merely groaned with her eyes tightly shut.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“Endure.”

“Ugh…!”

“You’re not dying. Just hang in there.”

Jang Chae Yeon said calmly as she secured Song Ah Rin’s arm.

Song Ah Rin’s painful breaths began to stabilize, and with a grunt, she sat up.

“…You’re okay now.”

“Really, are you sure?”

“I’ve been through worse. I can handle it.”

She said, looking at me with a voice full of bravado.

“I can still use hypnosis, so don’t worry.”

“Does that work on them?”

“I tried walking earlier, and it worked.”

She mumbled, wiping the cold sweat off her sleeve.

“I’ll show you. I’m not losing to mere humans.”

*

– Thud!

A fake Yu Da On appeared in front of us, broke its neck with both hands, and fell with a horrifying sound.

“It’s strange. Why isn’t… so many of me…? regenerating?”

Yu Da On murmured curiously, kicking the corpse that resembled herself.

“Right? Is there a condition?”

“Besides, a monster appearing as Jae Heon isn’t showing up either.”

That was also true.

The monster that looked like Yu Da On had no regenerative ability at all, and I… didn’t even appear at all.

To put it simply, the frequency of appearances goes Jang Chae Yeon -> Song Ah Rin -> Yu Da On -> me. This order.

“Could it be that they can’t imitate?”

Song Ah Rin muttered, looking around.

“They can’t imitate?”

“Honestly, the white-haired one’s ability is easy.”

“Ah.”

I could understand what Song Ah Rin meant by that.

“…It means the ability is somewhat complex.”

“Exactly.”

I thought about each of our talents.

Telekinesis Jang Chae Yeon, hypnosis Song Ah Rin, immortality Yu Da On, and, well… sharp-eyed me.

There might be easy-to-follow abilities and hard-to-follow ones among them, right?

To put it simply, it’s like common, uncommon, rare, unique.

Especially immortality might be something the aesthetician finds hard to replicate.

If that were possible, wouldn’t the clone Yu Da On already have overwhelmed the city?

As for me…

I couldn’t say.

Of course, having good eyesight isn’t a bad ability, but is it that complex?

– Crack!

The fake Song Ah Rin broke her neck, and silence returned.

“I think that’s all.”

“Well, for now.”

Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin looked at me and spoke, and I also nodded and opened the manual.

– Swish!

With a cheerful sound, the pages of the manual opened up.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Hall of Nature – Section 2]

2. The Hall of Nature is, as the name suggests, a hall depicting beautiful nature.

3. You or a being resembling you have likely already encountered in this hall.

4. Always be cautious. They are always prepared to deceive you.

5. Additionally, the path in Section 2 is straight. Don’t give up, and keep moving forward to reach Section 3.

6. If you lose yourself here, you will be replaced. If replaced, the Management Agency will dispose of you, and in case of disposal, the insurance will return to your heirs.

7. Sometimes walls may seem to move alive, blocking your way. In such cases, calmly remember point 5 and keep moving forward.

“…Hmm.”

In other words, it means other versions of us could come out and deceive us.

“Everyone, let’s use the code word—”

I turned to look at the others, and—

“…Huh?”

I realized no one was behind me.

Where there should have been people was only a single wall, and hanging in front of it was only one art piece.

It was a painting of a man struggling while hanging from vines.

<The Last Supper>

This isn’t the Last Supper I know.

I opened my mouth to shout by hitting the wall.

“Everyone! Can you hear me! Everyone!”

There was no reply.

Someone tapped my shoulder.

“…”

Turning around, I saw someone in a tuxedo staring at me.

No, can I even call this thing a person?

Where there should have been a face was just a mask bizarrely floating, with gloved hands and shoes tightly concealing its bare skin, it placed its finger on where its mouth was suspected to be.

A translucent window appeared.

[Name: Guide]

[Age: X]

[Specialty: -]

[Talent: -]

[Background: No story needed for the guide.]

[Weakness: -]

“Shh.”

It murmured softly.

“…”

Before I could respond, it vanished as if blending into the darkness, and soon I found myself staring vacantly at the wall again.

If I make a sound even once more…

Compromising my rising worries with a quick click of my tongue, I moved my feet.

According to the manual, this was a one-way path. It probably wouldn’t lead to any major trouble.

– Step, step.

Under the bright lights of the art museum, only the sound of my footsteps echoed.

Where did everyone else go? Did we all fall apart, or was it just me?

I checked the manual.

Still, there were no new updates or points of caution, and fortunately, other replicates or doppelgängers didn’t appear.

Since I was separated alone, could it mean it’s meaningless anyway?

“Over there.”

In that case, let’s look at the paintings at least.

This art museum was aware of what I didn’t know, and it seemed to play tricks on me, or others, as if it were anxious to tease.

Conversely, if I stayed vigilant and gathered information, I might be able to solve a few questions I had here.

Calmly, I gazed at the surrounding paintings.

Could there be a painting of me?

If it’s an aestheticism, she would do just that.

Because that’s her perspective of aesthetics.

Making people tear apart with their past or wounds, leading them to depression and misery.

“Of course.”

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for me to find a painting depicting me.

Someone was looking down on me with a hole in my forehead.

“…”

It was a man holding a cross.

I read the title.

<Reasons for Failure.>

“…”

A man holding a cross.

Without needing to think, it quickly came to mind.

“Eileen and the man from the amusement park.”

Someone who survived a critical hit.

If my memory serves correctly, his background must have been something about ‘finding his path,’ which I recall as nonsense.

What connection does he and I have?

“…”

And why do other people never appear in the pictures where I die?

Even Yu Da On, Jang Chae Yeon, and Song Ah Rin were not visible in the painting.

“Ah, my head hurts.”

“Speaking of which.”

While murmuring tiredly, just as I was hurriedly reaching for my gun and turning around due to a familiar yet strange voice,

– Pow!

Something punched my face and slammed me down.

My nose tingles.

“Ugh…!”

In a hurry, I reached into my pocket to pull out my gun, but a rough hand stopped me.

I opened my eyes and looked at what was in front of me.

Black hair and tired eyes.

It was me.

A translucent window floated above its head.

[Name: Kim Jae Heon]

[Age: Just created]

[Specialty: X]

[Talent: X]

[Background: The aestheticism realized. She knows she cannot create him. Therefore, her pride was hurt.]

[Weakness: Just human. A vital spot hit, and he dies.]

What does it mean that she couldn’t make me?

Grappling, I fought with it; no, with myself.

The problem was its strength was the same as mine. Therefore, as we rolled around fighting, no clear winner was determined.

– Pow!

My blind punch hit its chin,

– Whack!

Its punch also hit my eyelid.

If I keep fighting like this, it’ll never end.

I should quickly draw my gun—

“Hey!”

Relief washed over me at the voice coming from afar.

Turning my head, I saw Song Ah Rin, Jang Chae Yeon, and Yu Da On rushing towards me.

“Everyone—”

“Everyone! This doppelgänger is harassing me!”

Before I even opened my mouth, the doppelgänger pinning me down spoke.

Its face went pale.

“Wait, everyone! No! I’m the real—”

“It’s not true, everyone! I’m the real me!”

I quickly shoved it away while asserting my opinion, but it too detached from me, raising its hands in a wronged manner.

“…Wow.”

Song Ah Rin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“It looks exactly the same.”

“This isn’t the time for that—”

“Right! Let’s take down that monster—”

Our words overlapped, and at the same time, Yu Da On took out a sharp object from her pocket.

Without saying a word, she rushed towards me.

“Right, Da On! That thing— Ack!”

The doppelgänger’s joyful shout was abruptly cut off as its neck was snapped in half, and Yu Da On, holding my wrist, drove the sharp object into its neck with a finishing blow.

– Shloop!

Blood gushed as it fell to its knees.

“How…? It clearly copied everything…”

It muttered with a dazed expression.

“Smell.”

Yu Da On lowered her gaze and answered.

“Feel.”

Jang Chae Yeon answered as if it was obvious,

“Eye contact.”

Song Ah Rin sighed and added, continuing her words.

“And.”

“…”

“It doesn’t speak to us with that friendly tone.”

“Exactly.”

“Yep.”

“…”

What is it?

As it glared at me with resentment while dying, it soon lost its breath.

An awkward silence lingered.

“Ah, I’m perfectly fine even if you, Jae Heon, speak to me without camaraderie!”

“Da On, you make me look terrible so please stop.”

Yu Da On’s reassuring ability was horrendous beyond belief.