I'm going to start using some of the characters you've commented on from the next few chapters.
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There were a lot of notifications, but I had to read all of them carefully. The first one said I could now create 16 clones. "Every time the skill ranks up, the number of clones I can create doubles."
There will come a point when I'll have more clones than most Familias have of members. That's fun.
The second notification informed me I had gained two new skills. The first one is called Senses, and it has no level. It's quite an interesting skill—a weaker version of NeuroLink.
The Senses skill is simple:
[ The user can use the senses of a chosen clone. The user will not lose control of their body while using this skill. ]
From now on, I could see through the eyes of any clone I chose. Not only see, but also smell and hear. It's a great skill. "Still, I prefer NeuroLink."
The second skill is a high-level one that also involves clones. It's the reason I felt my body fill with energy.
[ Shared Status LV1 ]
[ The user receives 1% of the total stats from all his clones ]
This skill is on a whole other level.
"It's so OP it's scary."
Basically, it adds up all my clones' stats, and I receive 1% of the total. That's why my stats increased! That's exciting.
And this is only level 1! The higher the level, the higher the percentage.
If that percentage ever reaches 100%, I'll become a god. Literally.
"Alright, let's calm down and check the other notifications. Is this another skill? Why wasn't it included with the others?"
[ Mask ]
[ The user can make edits to his own body ]
Another skill with "Mask" in the name, but this one is unique to me. When I read the description, I was quite pleased.
It's identical to the "Creator's Mask" skill, but with this one, I can edit my own body. It's a useful skill, but not something I'll be using for now since I'm not leaving the house.
"Hmm... But I think I should make some changes. Ottar saw the face of one of my clones, and back then, all clones looked exactly like me. Yeah, I should make some changes."
I'll do that later.
Now, the last two notifications I received from the system.
The first one was also a new skill.
"Transport..." What?
[Allows the user to transport as many clones as they want to their side at once.]
[ Can be used in emergencies ]
"Ah, I get it now. I can summon clones to my side when I'm in danger. It's a useful skill, but I could already do that by dismissing and summoning them again. And the next skill is... Swap?"
[ The user can switch places with a clone at will ]
"Oohhh, it's like that skill from the Solo Leveling protagonist—he could switch places with his shadows. This skill's only really useful for escaping, though."
There's no reason to switch places with a clone if I can control them.
But if I'm in danger, I can swap places with one that's far from the trouble.
Well, thanks for that. I'm not using these skills much at the moment since I'm focused on evolving and gathering strength, but I'm sure I'll make good use of them later.
"No doubt about it."
####
After reading all the system messages, I got a message from two of my clones. Ken and Lee contacted me asking to evolve. So, I put on my armor, masked up, and grabbed my sword.
Then, I activated NeuroLink and took control of Chen's body.
As soon as I arrived at the dungeon, I dismissed the clones and summoned them again in front of me. When Ken and Lee saw me, they both bowed and removed their masks.
"No need for that," I said. "Put your masks back on. Alright, you first, Ken."
I placed my hand on Chen's head, and system messages popped up.
[ This clone can evolve ]
[ This clone will evolve into a "Second Class" clone ]
[ The clone's level will reset, but its stats will double ]
[ The bond between the user and the clone will become stronger ]
[ You will gain 50% more EXP from monsters killed by this clone ]
I confirmed his evolution, and just like with Chen and Zen, his body glowed and evolved. Once it was done, I opened his status window to check his current strength.
[ Ken ] – LV1
Second-Class Clone
Strength: 134
Endurance: 112
Agility: 104
Dexterity: 110
Magic: 96
Skills:
Thrust LV9
Fragmented Clones LV4
"He's strong. If I hadn't gotten the 'Shared Status' skill, his stats would be pretty close to mine."
Then I did the same with Lee, and his stats turned out similar to Ken's. One thing I noticed is that clones never have identical stats. Some are stronger, others faster, etc.
I wonder why that is.
Once I finished evolving them, I was about to deactivate NeuroLink, but I remembered the unnamed clones. Plus, I still had eight more clones to summon.
Just thinking about it gave me a headache.
First, I'll name and edit the appearance of the four unnamed ones. Then I'll deal with the new ones.
I'm already starting to lose my mind. Just imagine when I have 100 or even 200 clones.
####
The four unnamed clones appeared in front of me, and I sat down on the dungeon floor while staring at them. "Hmm…" I thought for a moment about what to do and decided to make things easier.
Since I suck at naming and can only come up with generic looks, I decided to use characters I already knew!
They won't have the same personalities or powers, but this will still be fun. "There are plenty of beautiful female characters I can use. And male characters with intimidating looks."
Having some clones that inspire fear is a good thing.
"Alright, clone number five." Clone number five stepped forward, and I opened their status. They were close to level 20, almost ready to evolve despite being summoned recently.
They leveled up pretty fast.
All of them were between levels 16 and 18.
"Okay, clone 5. From now on, your name will be Akame."
Hearing the name, the clone bowed.
'System, can I change the clone's voice?' If I can't, things might get tricky. Still, I went ahead with the edits. I did my best to copy Akame's appearance.
Akame from Akame ga Kill.
Why her? Because she's a swordswoman and a strong, beautiful character.
"Also, she was the first female sword user that came to mind." I smiled and continued the changes—hair, eyes, body.
Everything changed according to my commands.
When I saw the chest growing, I started to feel a bit awkward.
I cleared my throat and walked around Akame to inspect her appearance. You'd never guess she was one of my clones. 'Looks perfect. I can't change clothes for now, but this is good. I'll update the outfit later.'
"Akame, try saying something," I asked the system to modify her voice to match Akame's.
"What should I say?" she said.
Her soft voice reached my ears, and I nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, that's great. Put your mask back on and start hunting. Reach level 20 and contact me after."
"Yes, Master."
Once Akame walked away, I started editing clone number 6.
"Which character should I go with next?"
####
After a few minutes of picking characters and making edits, I was done. I created another female character and two male ones. The female was Frieren.
Her appearance turned out perfect.
Why Frieren? Because I think it'll be interesting to use this clone as a mage in the future. The same goes for the male character I chose—Natsu from Fairy Tail.
I'm not a huge fan of his, but he has an interesting look.
Since I wanted one male and one female "mage" type, I picked those two. Thankfully, clones don't inherit the characters' personalities. I think that's the part I dislike most about Natsu.
The other male character I chose was Zoro—a cool character and an exceptional swordsman. I'll admit I just went with the first ones that came to mind.
Popular characters from before I came to this world.
Frieren, Zoro, and Natsu stood in front of me, waiting for orders.
"These outfits don't suit you. It's weird seeing Frieren and Natsu in armor. And it's ridiculous seeing Zoro in armor without a katana. I'll have to fix that soon."
I told them to put on their masks and start hunting.
It was funny seeing Frieren, with her silver hair, running around with a sword.
While I was enjoying myself, I took off my mask.
"Now what should I do? Go home and let the clones farm XP for me?"
I stood up, put the mask back on, picked up the sword I had left on the ground, and then heard footsteps behind me.
I turned around slowly, and through the mask's eye holes, I saw some people.
My eyes widened—I wasn't expecting to run into them here.
####
From chapter 23 onwards, I'll be focusing less on the protagonist's evolution and the clones will start leaving the dungeon to cause a bit of a mess. I guess this is where the fun begins?
Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/ZhangYe
Next chapters: Chapter 20 - Questions without answers. / Chapter 21 - Imposters? / Chapter 22 - Find the original body.