"But there is a way."
Bellatris tapped through her smartphone, and a projection lit up above the screen.
Two identical gates appeared side by side.
Both showed signs of a red-tinted dungeon break.
"…Why are you showing us this now?"
"You wanted to pick out the real Kyle, didn't you?"
"Yes…"
"Well, I found this dungeon. I think this is how we'll figure it out."
Twin Dungeons.
A rare case where two dungeons appeared at the exact sa ti, like mirror images of one another. Their internal structure, monster types—everything would likely be identical.
Grinning playfully, Bellatris added:
"They've got similar skill, flimsy evidence backing both sides. Then the only thing left is to prove what Kyle's actually best at."
"No way…"
"Both Kyles will clear a dungeon at the sa ti. We'll see which one's better."
She was proposing a head-to-head dungeon clear. A contest, plain and simple.
"And whoever clears it in the most Kyle-like way is the real Kyle. Don't you think?"
"…So, whoever finishes it faster?"
"That'll be one factor in the evaluation, sure."
Storm squinted skeptically and asked:
"…You're not doing this because clearing both of them yourself would be a pain, are you?"
"I am doing it because it's a pain."
"So you're using this argunt to dump the dungeons onto soone else?"
"What's the big deal? They're both strong, aren't they?"
Her shaless tone earned a sigh from Storm. But Bellatris just carried on, completely unfazed.
"These dungeons will go critical in 24 hours. Even if I am a genius, I can't handle both of them at once."
That's why she'd put the dungeon clear on hold and returned to Ark. She needed to recruit more people and clear both dungeons at the sa ti.
But in the anti, Ark had been attacked by Lizardn, a lockdown had been enacted, and now there was a full-on identity dispute about Kyle.
"Deal with the annoying dungeon and pick the more competent Kyle at the sa ti. Win-win, right?"
So Players were starting to nod along. Maybe they were a little intrigued.
After all, neither of the two Kyles were people they could easily asure. "Import Kyle" was a walking nace. "Dostic Kyle" had stood against him without being pushed back.
Who would win in a contest?
And honestly… for a lot of them, it was pure curiosity.
How does soone like Kyle clear a dungeon, anyway?
That mysterious "Rank 1" aura—what was it built on?
Excitent started to brew in people's heads.
But there were those who weren't pleased.
Most notably, Freddie, the staunch supporter of Import Kyle.
"How dare you turn Kyle into a subject of a wager? Kyle is the one and only!"
But Bellatris didn't even respond.
She simply tapped her phone again, and a new line of text appeared on the screen:
Team Match
No Rankers Allowed
"These are the conditions. Each Kyle clears a dungeon using a party composed primarily of non-rankers."
She added so extra clarification.
"The twin dungeons are technically D-rank, but they're undead dungeons. Not too difficult. If you bring low-level players along, you'll get bonus points."
Finally, she fixed her sharp gaze on both Jhin and the fake.
"Choose your teammates wisely."
"…So it's already been decided, then?"
"You want to ask their permission too?"
Bellatris scowled at Storm like she couldn't believe he was asking.
She turned to the two Kyles.
"…Or are you chickening out?"
That made the fake's eyebrow twitch ever so slightly. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I'll show you who the real Kyle is."
"Alright. Import Kyle's in. What about Dostic Kyle?"
Jhin shrugged, not bothered by the rapid pace Bellatris had set. With the board laid out so neatly, there wasn't much reason to refuse.
Even if the whole premise—dueling over the na Kyle—felt ridiculous in so ways.
But to say he wasn't at least curious? That would've been a lie.
A dungeon duel…
"I'll do it."
The party selection was done by Bellatris.
The candidate pool was clear from the start: low-level Players. Obvious rookies.
Each Kyle would take 10 mbers.
Soon enough, the two teams were assembled.
Import Kyle glared coldly at his teammates and spoke bluntly:
"Get in my way, and you die."
"…"
"Just follow . I'll show you what a real Kyle dungeon looks like."
It was a cold and arrogant tone—but strangely, no one objected. His outfit alone exuded dominance.
Glittering high-level gear and that ominous presence of the teor Blade of Calamity—his strength practically radiated from him.
anwhile, Jhin's team looked… concerned.
And understandably so.
The contrast in appearance was jarring.
His outfit was plain. He wore everyday clothes salvaged from a nearby shop—nothing remotely impressive. After BeyWorld, he hadn't had the chance to properly re-equip.
The team mbers bit their lips as they took in his gear.
"…K-Kyle?"
One of them cautiously stepped forward.
Ed.
Level 97—skilled enough not to die in a D-rank dungeon, but definitely not confident.
He spoke in a nervous voice:
"May I ask… your level, sir?"
There was no reason to hide it.
Jhin replied casually.
"Seventy-three."
The mont he said it, all their faces turned pale.
Ed, 22 years old. Level 97.
He was now a mber of the so-called "Dostic Kyle's" team—Jhin's team.
And right now, he stood before the two crimson-hued dungeon gates.
They were identical in form—an eerie phenonon known as Twin Dungeons.
Two dungeons, split as if mirrored. Everything about them, from their shapes to their interiors and the monsters within, was said to be the sa.
"So this is it…"
Ed shivered from the cold air drifting from the gate. Even without stepping inside, the chill in the air made his skin prickle.
Undead, they'd said.
And sure enough, even standing outside was enough to make him uneasy.
As he shivered, soone passed by—mbers of the other team, the ones following the so-called "Import Kyle": Hart's team.
They let out low chuckles, mocking.
"Oi, maybe you should just back out now. Don't stand there shaking like a leaf."
"…What?"
"I an, your Kyles lower level than you, right? Sounds like you'll have to carry him through the dungeon."
Most of Hart's team laughed openly.
And Jhin's team?
They didn't say a word in return.
Because it was true.
Ed frowned and looked toward the man leading them—Jhin.
His appearance wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring. He looked more like a tired office worker than a dungeon-clearing Player.
Still, Ed clicked his tongue and muttered sothing unexpected.
"…Honestly? I'm not so sure."
"…What do you an?"
"I an, about his level being 'low.'"
His teammates glanced at him, then nodded slowly.
Even though Hart's team gave them sneers that said "you guys are delusional," Ed's resolve remained firm.
Soone couldn't resist snarking.
"So what, you think he's secretly so OP boss hiding in a loser disguise?"
Ed shrugged.
"There are… so strange inconsistencies."
For one—according to rumors, Jhin was only level 73.
A level far too low to even enter a D-rank dungeon, and yet… he had gone head-to-head with Hart, who was said to be over level 170.
That alone ant his stats had to be off the charts.
"Oh please. Nazoral doesn't bother wasting his strength on small fry. You ever see soone use a butcher knife on a chicken?"
"…That's not the only thing."
It was said Jhin had taken down the Giant Horned Lizard—the very one Nazoralclaid even he couldn't kill.
And it wasn't so baseless rumor. Multiple witnesses had confird it.
A Nozoral team mber scowled.
"I heard it wasn't even the real Giant Horned Lizard."
"No way a level 73 guy could take that thing out."
Still—there was no denying it.
The deeper you dug into Jhin, the more mysterious he beca.
Even more telling?
He had the full support of Millie—a.k.a. Clark, the Gun Witch of Thousand Beyond Thousand.
Ed narrowed his eyes as he watched Jhin from a distance.
Honestly, among all the strange things about him… the strangest one was this:
"He's way too calm."
Even for Ed and the other teammates—average level 100—the mont before entering a D-rank dungeon always got their hearts pounding.
But Jhin?
He looked like he was out for a casual stroll.
His expression was relaxed. Unshaken.
It was enough to make Ed question whether he was the one overthinking it.
That's why he couldn't make a judgnt yet.
"I'm going to wait and see."
Hart's teammate looked at Ed with pity. His tone was still filled with ridicule.
"You're gonna die, man. But hey… I'll co eat stew at your funeral. What's the donation amount?"
"…"
"Eh, five bucks sounds fair."
Ed didn't respond. His silence took the fun out of it, and Hart's crew, muttering more jokes, turned and walked back to their side.
Once they were gone, Ed finished adjusting his gear, then approached Jhin.
And sure enough, the man who was supposedly their leader was… casually chatting with two creatures.
A squirrel and a… goblin?
"If you pick sothing up off the ground and eat it again, I'll kill you."
"You stay put too. If you start swinging that club like last ti, you know what'll happen."
Ed carefully stepped forward.
They had all agreed not to call him "Kyle," and to use his real na instead.
"…Jhin."
"…Yeah?"
"We've completed our preparations. Should we head out now?"
"Hm…"
Jhin looked past him, eyes calmly scanning the rest of the party—all standing in line with nervous, determined faces.
"Shall we depart imdiately?"
But Jhin didn't answer right away.
He tilted his head, then glanced up at the sky.
Checked the ti on his smartphone, then said:
"We leave in three hours."
"…Three hours?"
"We've got so prep to do."
No one knew what kind of prep would take three hours. It was a strange order—but Jhin was the leader.
There was no point in arguing.
If they were going to complain, they wouldn't have joined his team in the first place.
Ed told himself:
Yeah… this is sothing Bellatris signed off on.
Bellatris.
The one who laid the foundation for Ark in the ruins of New Capital.
The one who gathered the survivors into one place.
The genius who made the impossible possible.
She had countless achievents under her belt—and there were more than a few people in Ark who owed their lives to her.
Ed was one of them.
If she had authorized this?
There was no mistake.
Jhin could be trusted.
He had to be.
…But still, Ed couldn't help noticing that Hart's team was already departing—fully prepared and already heading into the dungeon.
A surge of anxiety hit him.
He turned to Jhin again, hesitant.
"Hart's team… they're already going in."
"Looks like it."
"…Isn't three hours a bit too long?"
This wasn't just a regular dungeon clear.
It was a contest.
Whichever Kyle executed the better strategy would be recognized as the real one.
Ti was a factor.
Not only that—the dungeon's internal ti matched the external world.
If it was night outside, it would be night inside too.
And the "three hours later" Jhin had ntioned?
That would put them well into nightfall.
Nightti bonus buffs. Dungeon bonuses… For undead… that's bad.
The undead would grow stronger, making the dungeon harder to clear.
But Jhin just gave it so thought, then spoke calmly.
"Don't worry. Bellatris's condition was to show her a Kyle-style dungeon clear, right?"
"But…"
Ed began to argue—then turned, watching Hart's team enter the dungeon with bluster and confidence.
He let out a quiet sigh.
What was the point of fretting now?
He had already made his choice.
He'd believe.
If Jhin was the real Kyle…
…then all these worries would turn out to be for nothing.
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