Chapter 250: The Real and The Fake (4)

"What is this?"

[Special Main Quest! Protect Sigma!!]

suddenly sent a quest arrive. No, if it's a main quest, it must have been sent by Seong Hyunjae  or from a newcomer?

"Rather than protecting, we should run away."

Unless there's some kind of favor, what's the point of a C-rank protecting an SS-rank? Still, I wanted to check the quest details, but S-class guards from Sollemnis approached. It seemed like they were the ones who shouted that a monster appeared.

"Report."

Sigma spoke, and the S-class guard was about to speak, but stopped. Both Sigma and I were waiting for his response. We were completely off guard. Really. The S-class guard got even closer to Sigma.

Crack!

With an annoying sound in my ears, the wind blew. I felt a hand pushing me towards the wall of the corridor. Blood splattered, and Sigma forcefully kicked away the S-class guard who attacked him. Being pushed all the way to the end of the corridor, the S-class guard shouted.

"You monster! What did you do to Sigma!"

...What? Sigma frowned. I could see blood flowing from his chest. The wound was quite deep.

"I'll treat it--!"

"It's dangerous."

Clang! Chains extended and blocked the attack from the S-class guard. Wait, has this guy gone crazy? Why does he care?

"Since it seems like the monster is the culprit, let's get out for now!"

Suddenly going crazy and shouting at Sigma asking what I did do to him, there was a high possibility that a monster with mental skills had appeared. I quickly took out a potion to give  treatment to Sigma's wound and tried to run along the corridor. However, Sigma chose a different path.

"It's this way."

"What?"

He grabbed my waist and swung the chains towards the wall. With a loud noise, the wall collapsed, creating a large hole. It might be faster this way, but still. He's treating someone else's building so recklessly. Sigma lifted me up and jumped out without hesitation.

- Kik, kiiii.

A sharp scream echoed in the air. Covering the sky was a giant bird with gray feathers. The chains plunged into the ground before the owner, pulling tightly. Sigma descended from above.

"Hyung!"

I heard Yoojin's voice. Blue willow leaves covered the sky and spread in all directions. It seemed like he was using his skill generously, probably because the mana hole was nearby. The willow leaves disrupted the vision of the monster and scattered its focus.

"Can you let go now?"

"Why? It's mine."

"What is he talking about, hyung?"

Yoohyun, who was approaching us while stepping on willow leaves, sharply asked. He confidently revealed that he had left me alone and received a penalty for breaking the contract. Hahaha, I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. It's something that Yoo Hyunjae can handle.

"Oh, that's what it is. I violated the contract conditions..."

"It's okay, I'll just kill him."

Yoo Hyun said cheerfully. Come on, be patient, little brother.

"Just give me the item, ugh!"

Bang! Sigma and I narrowly avoided the bullet that grazed past us and hit the ground, digging up dirt and debris. Yoohyun swiftly deflected the consecutive bullets with the tip of his sword, his face filled with displeasure.

"Weren't you part of the S-class, Sollemnis?"

"Suddenly, they attacked me, calling me a monster. They must have been affected by some mental or illusion skill. Can't you let go of me? Don't run away, you can't run away now!"

Or at least give me a proper hug. You keep shaking me, it's making me dizzy. Yoohyun, who had been blocking the gunfire in place of me being held by Sigma, ignited flames. Then, without hesitation, he shot a blue flame towards where the Sollemnis S-class was. With a loud noise, a part of the building was destroyed and engulfed in flames.

At this rate, the remaining buildings in the defense headquarters will all collapse.

"Hand him over."

Yoo Hyun said coldly.

"No."

Sigma retorted coldly.

"What are you guys doing?"

Moon Hyuns suddenly appeared and asked while taking on the role of a spectator. Above her head, a monster growled. We should probably deal with the monster first. It's an SS-class. Hey, you guys.

"Let go of this, huh?"

Sigma. You can't help me now anyway

"He's my brother. Take your hands off him right now."

"The C-class is mine. You should be the one to give up."

"Waa yoojin's so popular~ Fight, fight!"

...Instead of trying to stop them, are you instigating them? Don't bring out alcohol. Where did the side dishes come from again?

"Both of you calm down and let's deal with the monster first, okay?"

"If you he go of my brother first."

"This is  Akates  it's his job to do."

"Hey, if you two fight, I'll take care of that."

Ah, damn it. I hope the quest "Protect Sigma from my brother" doesn't mean I have to protect Sigma from my brother. If it's a subquest, I'll just refuse the reward and be done with it, but it's a main quest. I opened the quest details that I hadn't checked yet.

[Special Main Quest! Please protect Sigma!!

For you, Sigma is real. It is the duty of an adult to take responsibility and protect Sigma, who has been rejected by the fakes after being recognized by the only real person in this world! At least give your life for it~^▽^

Reward: Key for dungeon conquest]

...I couldn't immediately understand the quest details and looked at them again. Real... what? If Sigma is the only real one, is it me? I'm the only one who entered this world with my original body. So, does that mean I recognized Sigma and made him real? Does that make sense? For you, as it says, even though it doesn't seem like a perfect real one.

"The fakes reject him?"

Yes, that's correct. The Sollemnis S-class guard perceived Sigma as a monster and attacked him. And as a reward, you can receive an item for dungeon strategy. It seems like you can't avoid doing the quest.

"...Why aren't there any specific conditions

From what I know, I only have to continue protecting Sigma until I complete the quest. However, the difficulty is said to be low, so as long as I take care of his life, it should be manageable. But it seems difficult to intentionally kill the SS-class guard."

"Yoohyun! Don't kill Sigma!"

"Why not?"

"It's because Sigma needs to stay alive for the dungeon strategy."

"Just staying alive is enough?"

"Yes, he needs to be in the best possible condition."

"Alright. I'll just cut off his arm for now."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a thin wire swung like a whip. Sigma's chains blocked the trajectory of the blades that were swinging unpredictably, reflecting the sunlight. No, I think it's far from being unharmed if his arm is cut off.

"Yoohyun, calm down! Hyuna, please help!"

"Don't just stand there and watch, please intervene!  I'll help too!"

Yoohyun, who was trying to remove me, looked coldly at Sigma again. Sigma also met his gaze without flinching.

"Are there any items in the point shop that can make enemies become friends? Like something that allows us to drink together?"

"Hey, it's him!"

At that moment, the Sollemnis guards rushed towards us. They all aimed their weapons at Sigma. There were other guards around, but the hostility from the Sollemnis side was particularly strong. They must think that Sigma, or rather the monster they see, has harmed him.

"The monster is dead."

Sigma muttered softly. There was a faint sense of confusion on his face. It seemed that even for him, it was a surprising situation for his subordinates to suddenly attack him.

"For now, let's avoid them. Hyuna, I'm sorry, but can you block them?"

I didn't feel inclined to harm the Sollemnis guards either. Moon Hyuna nodded and took out her sword, swinging it grandly. A gust of wind swept up, bringing in dirt and debris, blocking the path of the Sollemnis guards.

"Yoohyun, I'll explain, so please follow me."

My younger brother nodded with a dissatisfied expression. Before the dust settled, Sigma quickly moved. Yoohyun followed closely behind him, sticking to his back as they entered the building again.

"Sir Alpha! Um, the guy in front!"

The Akates guard, who was protecting the people, shouted in surprise. Sigma didn't appear ordinary to the people of the city either. Although they didn't rush in like the Sollemnis side, they approached with a wary look.

"I'll take care of him, so evacuate the building. Issue an evacuation order for the city."

"Ah, yes sir!"

"Yoo Hyun's words made the Akates guard nod and turn away. After that, every person we encountered looked at Sigma as if they had come face to face with a monster, startled and surprised. It felt like they had seen something ominous.

'He better explain properly.'

Could it be possible for things to turn out like this just because I accepted Sigma as real? I couldn't quite understand. Even if the fake became real, what's with these reactions?

Sigma quickly climbed up the building and arrived at his own room. Perhaps the Sollemnis people judged that they wouldn't come here. Sigma finally let me down as we entered. Ouch, my back.

"Start using the items."

Yoo Hyun, who followed me, said as he closed the door.

"We can't use them right now."

Yoohyun looked displeased, but he quickly caught on and didn't ask any further. If Sigma finds out about the information regarding the points, he might try to interfere.

My younger brother, who was approaching me, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His red eyes widened.

"...What is that?"

Yoo Hyun's voice trembled slightly. What did he see... Ah. My doppelganger doll was sitting quietly on a chair next to the window in the spacious living room. Please get rid of that, please.

"It's Han Yoojin. I'll give it to you."

Sigma said.

"...Hyung, I still think it's better to kill him."

Yoohyun grumbled. Haha, I received the reward that I didn't accept and left behind, the Medsang's 21st Anniversary Champagne. The golden champagne bottle was in my hands.

"For now, both of you sit down. Listen to the explanation and then you continue fighting or whatever."

Sigma sat on the sofa, but Yoohyun frowned slightly as he looked at the doll, slowly approaching it. His hesitant fingertips seemed like they were about to touch the doll, but then he withdrew.

"It's a doppelganger doll. We have them in our world too."

"...I've heard of it. Can I touch it?"

Why are you asking me that? It was originally mine, though. I nodded and Yoohyun poked the doll, making a face. Then he cautiously touched it again. Is it fascinating?

I poured champagne into a glass as I spoke. It smells good.

"Well... it seems that there's a problem because I genuinely accepted Sigma. It appears that the people in this world feel some kind of aversion towards him. The Sollemnis guards seem to think that you have harmed yourself."

The eyes that shimmered like champagne blinked slowly.

"So I've become an S-rank, a being in your world."

"I'm not exactly sure. But it seems to be because of my influence, so I apologize."

"Why are you apologizing, Hyung? After all, this world inside the dungeon is temporary. It will disappear or reset once we leave."

Yoo Hyun said coldly.

"Well, that may be true, but for now, they are living beings who are functioning, thinking, and feeling. Hyuna said she treats you as a real person. But more importantly- what are you doing, Yoohyun?"

"I was curious about how similar we are."

Hmm, I see. I turned my gaze back to Sigma.

"So for now, it would be best to send the Sollemnis guards away. If it's okay with you, can we announce that the monster who killed Sigma has been dealt with by Alpha?"

"...Do as you wish."

Sigma replied calmly. His expression was calm, but I'm sure he's not completely at ease. What should I do, really? Even if this world is going to reset or disappear, it still feels uncomfortable. While I'm here, I should take responsibility.

"Then, Sigma. ...If you leave Sollemnis, should I still call you Sigma? Can I ask what your real name is?"

"I don't remember. But..."

He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.

"Little Moon... I think that's what I was called."

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