Chapter 86

At the first rays of the local sun, everyone got up, had a quick snack and, having packed their things, went to the middle layer of the Forbidden Zone.

About two months ago, when this couple first came to this world, they found themselves in the outer layer of the Forbidden Zone. After waiting out the night in the forest, in the morning they chose a random direction, which, by luck or bad luck, led them straight to the middle layer.

On their way, they surmounted the boundary of the middle layer unnoticed and soon encountered their doppelgangers. At that moment, they were on the verge of death, but were saved by Nemo.

Now they were back in the middle layer of this place, but this time they had a clear goal, unlike in the past. Their path led straight to the central layer.

"In the middle layer, unlike the outer layer, there are more powerful and ferocious monsters. And, of course, this Forbidden Zone, like its name, is famous for its doppelgangers," Eulalia said, sharing information with Arabel and Idan along the way.

"Last time, we spent most of our time in the middle layer, training and exploring the local monsters. Then the master personally advised us to see the Forbidden Zone with our own eyes and experience it for ourselves," Eulalia talked about her previous experience before they met.

If it wasn't for that, they would never have met. Idan and Arabel shuddered at the memory. Even before they met, their System made a mistake and they found themselves in a difficult position.

Even if they had somehow managed to survive the collision with the doppelgangers, they still did not know what would happen if they did not manage to reach the city before the "Reset". After all, they only found out about "Reset" after meeting Nemo's group.

"The concentration of madness energy in the middle layer is much higher than in the outer layer, which makes the local monsters more ferocious and dangerous," Eulalia recalled.

Soon, they are more likely to encounter monsters than in the outer layer.

Apart from the monsters, the four people who were most worried about the concentration of madness energy. They were afraid that this might negatively affect Idan, who, because of his bloodline, had become sensitive to various types of energies.

"What about the doppelgangers?" asked Arabel, remembering the most terrifying inhabitants of this Forbidden Zone.

"Yes, starting from the middle layer, we will meet doppelgangers," Eulalia confirmed.

"The master told me that there are several types of doppelgangers," Nemo joined the conversation when it came to them.

"There are usually two types of doppelgangers in the middle zone. You have already encountered one of them personally. This species is called "Mute Doppelgangers," Nemo added.

The couple was amazed to hear his words. They didn't expect that there were other types of doppelgangers.

"Like their name suggests, these doppelgangers can't speak. They are only able to copy the appearance and behavior of their victims, including some of their abilities. These doppelgangers can only imitate one person and completely focus on their victim, ignoring the others. Their main goal is to get rid of their chosen victim, and only after that they switch to others."

Nemo took on the role of narrator of the doppelgangers with full responsibility, continuing to share information as they moved towards the middle layer.

"They are the easiest opponents in battle. They have many disadvantages, and they are easy to deal with," Nemo summed up.

"Yes, they are indeed the weakest. Nemo is able to handle them even without my help," Izzy said with a smile in her voice, cutting into the conversation.

For Arabel and Idan, these doppelgangers seemed like difficult rivals last time. They didn't immediately agree with Nemo and Izzy's opinion.

Although they had seen Nemo effortlessly deal with their doppelgangers, they still weren't completely sure of his words.

This time, they were eager to meet with them again and find out what progress they had achieved over the past two months. Moreover, they hoped to test their new skills and abilities against them.

"The second type is 'Talking Doppelgangers,'" Nemo's doppelganger switched to the second type after talking about the first type.

"As the name suggests, they are different from the Mute Ones. These creatures are able to pronounce simple words and consciously answer questions using the same language.

Another feature of them is that they can copy two victims at once, not limited to one target. They are able to switch between multiple targets, making them more flexible and smarter than their predecessors.

Unlike the former, they copy their victims more accurately, creating believable images, which allows them to be more effective in their actions."

The realization of the existence of such a dangerous opponent filled the couple's hearts with anxiety. And since Nemo hadn't finished his story yet, they began to fear that, besides these two species, there were other, even more terrifying creatures.

"The Talkers are very difficult to deal with, — Nemo continued. — Last time we ran into one of them, and he copied me and Radik. Since this was our first encounter with the "Talker," it took us a lot of time and effort to figure out how to deal with him. Another difficulty was that usually a "Talker" travels in the company of several "Mutes."

"Radik had almost no chance against him then, and Nemo took the brunt of the fight. Ella and I focused on the Mutes. It was the most difficult encounter we had to face at that moment," Eulalia added, recalling the details of that meeting.

"I also contributed that day. Nemo couldn't have done it without me. It was thanks to me that we won," Izzy almost exclaimed, offended that she was not mentioned and appreciated.

"Yes, it was only thanks to our invisible protector that we were able to survive that day," Eulalia said with sincere joy, addressing the spirit. There was deep respect and even reverence for this creature in her voice.

In the eyes of the couple, the Forbidden Zone, which they considered safer than the rest, began to take on an increasingly sinister appearance.

If such creatures live in the middle layer, then what kind of creatures live in the central layer? After all, it is known that the central layers of all Forbidden Zones were considered the deadliest and most dangerous places.

"According to the Master, there are only these two types of doppelgangers in the middle layer," Nemo's words calmed the couple down a bit.

"Master also said that the central layer is home to the most dangerous and deadly type of doppelganger, known in the Adventurer's Guild as the 'Perfect Doppelganger'!" said Nemo.

The mere name of this type of doppelganger sent goosebumps through the couple.

"It is the presence of this type of doppelgangers that makes the central layer of this Forbidden Zone the most dangerous place!" said Nemo with complete seriousness.