[Goblin Village Chieftain - Level 100 Dungeon Boss]
Sora appeared in front of the Chieftain of village. The Chieftain was a head taller than him but he was trembling from head to toe.
Manipulating mana, Sora's voice resonated through the area, shaking the ground beneath them.
"Stay out of our way, and we'll stay out of yours."
The goblins shuddered violently while some even collapsed to their knees. The Chieftain, his mouth opening and closing in fear, nodded his head uncontrollably.
Then, with shaky hands, he pointed toward the largest hut in the village, a clear invitation for Sora and his companions to take it.
Sora watched in silence, thinking. 'Smart dude.'
He ignored the leader's invitation and headed toward a corner of the dungeon.
'This is where the dungeon's core is hidden. And also where mana and all forms of energy enter the dungeon. Should be the best spot to train.'
Sora sat down, crossing his legs.
"How many alter egos do I need?" he murmured as Hiyoko and Netsu jumped down from his shoulder, shifting into their human forms.
They sat beside him, and Hiyoko immediately spoke, "A million!"
Netsu shook his head. "That's impossible, big sister..." Then, turning to Sora, he added, "It's impossible, right?"
Sora smiled, shaking his head. "I don't know. I've only used the skill once."
Taking a deep breath, he focused on his [Prestige] skill.
[Skill Option 4: Alter Ego]Description: Using 1,000 [Soul Pearls], create an alternate life form with an independent identity that can grow separately. The [Alter Ego] and the user can merge at any time, combining their power, experiences, memories, and skill proficiencies.
'It costs me a thousand [Soul Pearls] to create one, and I'd get half of them back once the alter ego is born. I need to prepare [Soul Pearls] to use it.'
Focusing on his [Soulcraft] skill, he began condensing [Soul Pearls] using his own reserves of [Soul Power], reducing his total [Soul Level].
When he finished condensing a thousand [Soul Pearls], he smiled. 'This is so much faster than before. It seems that the higher my [Soul Level] and mastery over [Soulcraft], the faster I refine [Soul Pearls]. And my Talent Level helps immensely.'
Not stopping at a thousand, he continued condensing [Soul Pearls].
When he was done, Sora sat in complete silence, closing his eyes as he focused inward.
He knew that creating [Alter Egos] wasn't just about splitting his soul—it was about ensuring they shared his purpose, his will, his discipline. If he failed, the copies might develop independent thoughts, diverging from his path, or worse, attempt to rebel against him.
There might even be other things influencing the process, but he did what he felt was right.
The first step was stabilizing his mind.
For the next hour, he did nothing but regulate his breathing, suppress stray thoughts, and refine his [Mental Power]. He allowed no distractions, no doubts. His mind had to be undisturbed and unwavering.
Every [Alter Ego] had to be an extension of himself, designed for one purpose: growth.
Only the drive to train, learn, and evolve.
Slowly, a faint aura surrounded Sora as his [Mental Power] sharpened to its peak. The dungeon around him felt distant, insignificant.
'Now… I'm ready.'
Sora exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.
He activated his [Alter Ego] skill.
A panel appeared in front of him.
[Please select your Alter Ego's facial features.]
Selecting his own facial features, he quickly moved to the next step.
[Please choose a name for your Alter Ego.]
Sora hesitated. 'Should I give them numbers? Letters? Real names?'
After a few seconds, he typed a name.
[The process of creating an Alter Ego is accompanied by excruciating soul and body pain. Are you willing to proceed?]
Sora braced himself and clicked [Yes].
A thousand [Soul Pearls] materialized from his inventory, forming a halo around him as they began to merge back with his [Soul Palace].
'This is so stupid. I extracted them from my [Soul Palace], and now I'm absorbing them again. Why not directly take [Soul Power] from there when creating an [Alter Ego]?'
Sora observed the process closely, trying to understand what made it different from [Soulcraft], but nothing stood out.
As the last pearl merged, Sora instinctively braced himself for the unbearable pain he had endured the first time. His muscles tensed, his breathing slowed, and he prepared for the worst.
But then… nothing.
Or rather, something—just not what he expected.
Instead of the sensation of his soul being violently torn apart, there was only a weak, tingling discomfort deep in his chest. It wasn't pleasant, but compared to what he had experienced before, it felt insignificant.
Sora blinked. 'That's it? No agony? No feeling like I'm being ripped to pieces?'
He let out a slow breath, relaxing slightly. The process was still happening, but the overwhelming torment he had anticipated was nowhere to be found.
'Is it because my [Soul Level] is so much higher now? Last time, I barely had 1,000, and now I've reached 1.5 million. The part I'm losing must be too small to even hurt.'
As before, the severed portion of his soul began to take shape in front of him, slowly condensing as it pulled mana from the surroundings.
Sora watched with interest. 'So, the stronger I become, the easier this process gets… That's good to know.'
The light dimmed as the figure solidified, his features becoming distinct. Once again, a young man identical to Sora stood before him.
The new being opened his eyes and took his first breath.
Sora tilted his head, observing him. "So? How do you feel?"
The Alter Ego exhaled, flexing his fingers. "Fine." Pausing when he noticed Sora's curiosity, he added, "And ready to train. Don't worry about that."
Then, as if realizing something, he frowned slightly. "And just like Alius, I feel a strange urge to merge back with you."
Sora smiled, unsurprised. "Yeah… I feel it too. Don't worry, I'll grant your wish soon."
Watching as his first Alter Ego sat in the distance, Sora returned his focus to creating more.
Two.
Three.
Ten.
Hiyoko and Netsu, in their bird forms, watched with growing excitement as their master cloned himself, whispering among themselves.
"Little Brother!! Master is creating each of them with a tiny difference!! This one has a mole under his left eye!"
Netsu sighed. "Hiyoko… Please don't point feathers at Master's brothers. That's rude."
Hiyoko, undeterred, grabbed his head and turned it toward the newest Alter Ego. "Look, look! This one has blue eyes!! The same eyes Master had when he was Ralph Eden!"
Noticing the irritation in Netsu's gaze as she held his head in place, she added with a weak voice, "I didn't point feathers…"
Netsu sighed but then smiled, his eyes gleaming. "Master is making each one unique, so we can easily recognize them. But that's not what amazes me. Imagine all these versions of Master fighting our enemies... Big sister, we're going to rule the world!"
Hiyoko's smile vanished as she smacked the back of Netsu's head. "What are you saying? Did you forget Master's goal?"
Netsu blinked in confusion before shaking his head.
"I wonder how manyAlter Egos will be created today," he murmured.
At twenty, they were grinning.
At fifty, their eyes widened in surprise.
When the hundredthalter ego formed, they were in complete shock.
They stopped watching altogether and began training on their own.
A few days later, Sora stood in front of a small army.
[One - Level 89][Two - Level 89]
...
[Thousand - Level 89]
Sora stared at their names, his expression ugly.
'Their names really are too strange… This idea sucked.'
He remained silent for a few moments before finally addressing the group.
"You were all me not too long ago, so I won't waste time explaining what I expect from you. We need to make the most of this opportunity—and avenge Kara, Salim, and ourselves."
His gaze swept over them before he continued.
"None of you have any [Supreme Skills], so you're all starting on equal footing. Except for the few who couldn't wait and already started training."
"One to Ten—you're going on a mission to explore the outside world. Bring back as much information as possible."
"Eleven to Hundred—your focus will be on [Soul Power]. If farming [Soul Pearls] through our innate ability is impossible for now, your job is to develop [Soul Power] using [Soulcraft] or any other method you can find or create."
"The next hundred will focus on Swordsmanship. The following hundred will research [Bloodline Refinement] and [Blood Essence]…"
Sora continued assigning roles, carefully splitting his [Alter Egos] into groups to cover every topic of interest.
Once everyone had dispersed, either training or experimenting with skill creation, Sora turned and walked toward the Goblin Village, lost in thought.
'Their [Soul Levels] are too low… Without my three [Supreme Skills], their power is severely lacking. I need a way to accelerate their growth, or this will be a huge waste of time.'
'If they could all reset and grind [Soul Pearls] with [Prestige], I could drastically increase my overall [Soul Level]… But I'll wait for the reconnaissance group to return with news from the outside first. Let's hope the enemy doesn't find them before then.'
Opening his [Friend List], Sora scanned the thousand new names that had appeared, focusing on the first ten.
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Hello everyone,
It's been a while—I hope you've all been doing well.
I'm not sure how to put this into words, but I'm truly grateful to those of you who stuck around these past few months. It hasn't always been easy.
I tend to be hard on myself, and sometimes that weighs me down more than I'd like to admit. I wish I had the energy to keep pushing forward all the time, but lately… I just couldn't.
This story has been tormenting me, and I've been searching for a way to tame it again. I wish the journey could be smooth for all of us—but I hope you'll stay with me, even when it gets stormy.
For now, let's enjoy Sora's adventures again.
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