Hitman with a Badass System

The adventurers watched in amazement as Michael successfully defeated the doppelganger. Murmurs and exclamations filled the hall as they processed what had just happened.

"Did you see that? He just took it down!" one adventurer said, his voice tinged with excitement and disbelief.

"Wait, who fired that bolt?" another asked, turning to see Gaya on the other side of the pond.

"Where did she come from?" someone else wondered aloud, surprised by her sudden appearance.

As they observed, they noticed the water level in the pond slightly decreased following the doppelganger's defeat. Speaking quietly, Michael noted, "We need to kill more doppelgangers to make the pond completely vapor away."

The group's demeanor shifted from fear to determination, bolstered by Michael's successful strategy. They began to discuss amongst themselves, their voices filled with newfound confidence.

"We can do this," one of them said, nodding towards Michael. "We just need to replicate what he did."

"Without weapons, the doppelgangers are just reflections. We can outsmart them," another added, understanding the tactic.

"Let's team up. We've seen it can be done," a third suggested, rallying the group.

The adventurers began organizing themselves and discussing strategies to take on the doppelgangers.

Jin observed from a distance as the adventurers began to group up, preparing to face the pond's challenge. "He made it look easy," Jin muttered to himself, "but these guys have no idea what they're up against."

Meanwhile, a prominent group from Aurumvale, identifiable by their golden armor, approached the pond. The leader, an elf with long silver hair, exuded confidence as he directed two of his companions. "Position yourselves so that the doppelganger's back is to you," he instructed. The elf was poised, his demeanor suggesting he was accustomed to command.

"I'll show you how it's done," the elf declared, echoing a similar sentiment of confidence. Emulating Michael's approach, he tossed his battle axe to the ground near him. His companions, armed with bows, took aim, their arrows glowing with runes, ready to be loosed.

The elf then stepped forward and lightly touched the water with his boot. A doppelganger began to form, mirroring the elf's stance. As the elf threw his fist towards the doppelganger, their fists collided with a thud, just as Michael's had.

"Now!" the elf shouted, signaling his companions.

The two elves released their arrows at the doppelganger. The projectiles, imbued with magic, exploded upon impact. Seizing the moment, the elf bent down to retrieve his battle axe. But to everyone's shock, as soon as the elf's hand touched the axe, an identical weapon materialized in the doppelganger's hand.

Before the elf could fully grasp his axe, the doppelganger swung its newly formed weapon with lethal precision, decapitating the elf in one swift motion.

"Lord Vilriyan!" one of his companions cried out in horror, their voice filled with disbelief and shock.

The hall erupted in reactions of shock and confusion. The group's confidence, bolstered by Michael's earlier success, was shattered.

"We thought... it was foolproof," one of the adventurers stammered, his voice reflecting the group's disbelief.

"How did it... How could it?" another murmured, struggling to comprehend the abrupt and brutal turn of events.

The group's attention turned to Michael as Vilriyan's minions, overcome with emotion from their lord's death, demanded answers.

"Why did our lord fall, and you succeeded?" one of them asked, his voice filled with a mixture of grief and anger.

"Explain yourself!" another demanded, seeking some form of justification or understanding.

Hearing their questions, Michael responded calmly, yet his words did little to soothe their emotions. "Your lord was too slow," he said plainly. The elves bristled at his comment, already raw with emotion. "How dare you speak of him like that!" one of them retorted, their voice rising with offense. Gaya, who watched the scene, couldn't stand back. Instead, she stepped in to stand beside Michael and responded to the elves.

"No one forced you assholes to copy us," she said, defending Michael's earlier strategy. She gripped the cross bow tighter and looked prepared to use it if the elves raised their weapons against Michael and her.

But before the situation could escalate further, another silver-haired elven lady intervened. "Calm down, everyone," she urged, trying to diffuse the tension. "She's right. We need to think this through," A dwarf said, attempting to bring reason back to the group.

After pondering for a moment, Michael sighed and decided to clarify the situation. "If we don't kill enough doppelgangers, the pond won't evaporate," he explained. "And if that doesn't happen, we can't leave this place."

"Also, he's too fast. You can't expect to copy us and expect to beat the doppelganger like we did," she said.

"And it seems like the pond, or whatever this thing is, can remember certain movements." She gestured towards the headless corpse of the dwarf. "The way it swung the battle axe to kill the elf looked exactly like the way the first dwarf who died swung his."

The group took a moment to process her words, glancing between the dwarf's body and the pond. Realization dawned on their faces.

"You mean it's learning from us and remembering some of our attacks?" one of the adventurers asked, a note of fear in his voice.

"She's right," one adventurer said, a note of understanding in his voice.

"That means we can't totally expect the doppelganger to mimic us completely," another added, piecing together the implications of Gaya's observation.

Michael knew that he potentially had the means to vaporize the pond with his dark flames, a solution that might have worked effectively. However, he refrained from doing so, recognizing an opportunity to farm both experience and badass points from the situation.

"I can help you take down the doppelgangers," Michael offered, seeing a way to aid the group while also benefiting himself.

From a corner of the room, Jin spoke up for the first time, addressing Michael directly. "Nothing in this world comes free," he said, his tone implying a transactional nature to any assistance.

The elven lady, taking charge of the situation, responded, "Name your price."

Murmurs spread through the group, some labeling Michael as a mercenary. "He's just a mercenary, not a hero," one whispered. "He's using this situation to his advantage. I would do the same." Another noted.

Michael, unfazed by the comments, calmly responded to Jin. "Let's just say you don't pay in gold," he said, hinting at a different kind of compensation.

He then laid out his plan. "Just use your bare hands, touch the pond and stand still. I will kill it from behind," he instructed, his voice carrying a tone of confidence.

Gaya chimed in, supporting Michael's strategy. "The doppelganger might make some moves, so you need to be fast and adaptive, and survive until we kill it from behind," she said, emphasizing the need for agility and endurance.

A dwarf, concerned about the adaptability of the doppelgangers, raised a valid point. "What if the doppelganger learns this strategy?"

Michael's response was straightforward. "Then we need to come up with a new strategy," he said simply, ready to evolve his tactics as needed.

After a while, a dwarf with a thick bushy beard and the friend of the first fallen dwarf, stepped forward with a mix of determination and resignation. "I'll go next. If I die, I'll have a hearty drink with my friend in the afterlife," he declared, a somber tone in his voice.

In response to the dwarf, Michael gave a simple nod of acknowledgment and took his position near the pond, ready for the next moment. The other adventurers stepped back, forming a loose circle around the pond as the dwarf bravely approached, throwing his battle axe aside.

"Come out, you fucker," the dwarf called out defiantly, ready to face the doppelganger.

Michael unsheathed his dark sword, and Gaya took aim with her crossbow, ready to fire an explosive bolt.

As the dwarf touched the water, it rippled, and the doppelganger of the dwarf emerged, mirroring his stance.

"Let's dance, you handsome prick," the dwarf growled.

Without hesitation, the dwarf and the doppelganger lunged forward, their heads colliding with a resounding thud that echoed through the hall.

At that moment, Gaya released her bolt. The explosive bolt soared through the air and struck the doppelganger, causing it to ripple and momentarily slow its movements.

Seizing the opportunity, Michael leaped into the air. With an acrobatic flip, he positioned himself above the doppelganger, his dark sword poised for a decisive strike. As he descended, he swung his sword with lethal precision, severing the head of the doppelganger dwarf in a clean, fluid motion while he was still upside down in mid-air.

Michael landed gracefully on the other side of the pond, his landing soft and controlled. The doppelganger disintegrated into water, its threat neutralized.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 25,000 Badass points] [Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 30,000 Badass points] [Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing a Qi Awakening Realm doppelganger. The reward is 1000 Experience points and 12,000 Badass points]

Michael couldn't help but smile as the system notifications rang in his head. Although the experience points were minimal, the amount of badass points he was getting made this worthwhile. He realized he could effectively farm these points in the current situation.

As the doppelganger of the dwarf dissipated into the pond, the water level decreased slightly again, signaling their progress.

Seeing Michael's success in dealing with the doppelgangers, the adventurers grew eager to take their turn. A clamor erupted as they jostled for position, each wanting to be next.

"I should go next! I followed him first!" one adventurer claimed.

"No, let me! I've seen how it's done now," another countered, trying to push to the front.

Amidst the growing chaos, Gaya saw an opportunity. She stepped forward, raising her voice to be heard over the racket. "Form a line, and whoever has the most gold coins gets to go first," she announced, her tone firm yet cunning.

The adventurers paused, considering her words.

"And remember," Gaya added with a hint of menace, "if he gets tired and you end up at the back of the line, your survival might not be guaranteed."

Her statement resonated with the adventurers, and a sense of urgency took over. They quickly began to dig into their pouches and bags, counting their coins, eager to secure their turn with the assurance of Michael and Gaya's support.