Sora absorbed Hundred and immediately felt the changes ripple through his soul.
'I've surpassed 2.5 million Soul Level... And the variations of [Soulcraft] they developed are amazing.'
He sat down, closing his eyes, ready to focus and integrate the knowledge and techniques each of his Alter Egos had developed. However, the moment he tried to concentrate, voices echoed through his mind.
"Nineteen, you're quite lazy... The method you 'invented' is almost identical to Seventy's skill. Did you copy his work?" Sixteen's voice rang out.
"Shut up, Sixteen! Who allowed you to talk when you worked hand in hand with three others clones to create a skill?" Nineteen shot back.
"We agreed on not using that word! We're not clones, we're... BROTHERS," Seventy-Six corrected, his voice carrying clear annoyance.
Sora's eyebrow twitched, his patience wearing thin as the chatter in his head continued. Each Alter Ego had retained a distinct personality, and now, instead of aiding him, they were bickering.
"Enough!" Sora snapped, his voice booming in his mind. "Silence. Focus. Help me absorb this knowledge instead of wasting time arguing."
The voices immediately ceased.
Then, one voice spoke.
"Understood." It was Twelve. "We'll guide you."
As he resumed his absorption process, the vast knowledge of [Soulcraft] flowed through him. Countless refinements, optimizations, and unique methodologies from each Alter Ego merged into his mind. Unlike before, the integration was smooth—whenever he hesitated or encountered conflicting techniques, one of his Alter Egos would chime in with an explanation or suggestion.
"Try merging Seventy's filtering method with Twenty-Two's Soul Power compression. It'll speed up the whole process."
"The multiple channels method I developed lets you refine several threads of Soul Power simultaneously. Use it."
"I found a way to link Soulcraft to mental energy. It'll allow you to draw Soul Power using Mental Power. You should experiment with that next."
Hours passed as Sora integrated their improvements. Each piece fit together like a puzzle, strengthening his understanding and mastery over [Soulcraft] and linking it to his three [Supreme Skills].
Activating the new, improved skill, he felt his efficiency skyrocketing. The once slow and difficult refining process was now smooth and exponentially faster.
When he finally opened his eyes, his entire being thrummed with Soul Power.
'Incredible… The level of this skill is beyond anything I've ever created or perfected. Can I make it a Supreme Skill?'
The fusion of a hundred different perspectives had led to a creation far beyond what he could have achieved alone.
Sora stood, stretching as a smile spread across his face.
"Alright, are you guys ready for another round?"
He immediately regretted his words.
The ninety voices inside his head erupted into cheers, their excitement overwhelming.
'Why did I even ask…' he sighed inwardly, bracing himself for the chaos that followed.
Shaking his head, he activated [Alter Ego] once more.
One by one, the figures of Eleven to Hundred began to materialize, their bodies forming as they regained their individuality. Each of them opened their eyes, stretching as they adjusted to being separate from Sora once again.
As they took in their surroundings, some grinned, others stretched, and a few groaned dramatically.
"That was weird," Seventy-Six muttered, cracking his neck.
"Enough chatter. Back to training." Sora said.
However, when he saw the group of hungry wolves looking at him, he frowned.
"Didn't you forget something?" Twelve asked.
Sora smiled, feigning ignorance. "What?"
Twelve shook his head, "At least give us back enough to reach a Soul Level of 10000. Don't be a miser."
Seeing the hesitation on Sora's face, Seventy suggested something, "I guess we can always go on a strike..."
Sora stopped hesitating, and started extracting Soul Power from his Soul Palace and distributing it to the rebels.
----------------------------------
After a few days, Sora stood a distance away from the group focused on researching Soul Power.
He felt the changes in his body and inhaled deeply.
[Soul Level : 6'323'087]
'I've recovered all of my power. And I'm only level 89. From now on, using [Prestige] will not affect my power anymore.'
Sora accomplished the first goal he had set for himself, and was eager to push his power even further, but he couldn't spend all his time focusing on the same training.
'Time to see what the others are up to.'
Sora walked toward the second group. But as he moved, an unusual sight caught his attention.
Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven, one of his [Alter Egos], sat cross-legged in the grass, surrounded by a group of goblins.
Sora frowned. He stopped in his tracks, deciding to observe from a distance.
For the next half hour, he watched as Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven engaged in what could only be described as playing.
The goblins tossed small stones, and Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven dodged them in exaggerated motions, laughing like a child. At one point, he even started balancing sticks on his forehead while the creatures clapped.
Sora's eyebrow twitched. 'What… is he doing?'
The more he watched, the more his confusion grew.
When the creatures finally scattered, returning to their patrol duty, Sora decided he had seen enough.
In a blur, he appeared beside 777 and grabbed his ear.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven flinched, looking like a thief caught red-handed. He scratched his cheek, eyes darting to the group of goblins as he struggled to come up with an answer.
"I was in the middle of an experiment…" he muttered.
Sora laughed and answered jokingly, "Relax. You can do whatever you want."
Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven shook his head. "I'm serious. I'm studying their power system. It's nothing like ours."
Sora's smile froze. "You what?"
Regaining some confidence in front of his 'boss', Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven explained, "On the first day, I noticed something interesting, so I started observing the goblins in this dungeon more closely."
He continued, "Every goblin here has their level frozen, as if they're unable to gain experience. But then, I saw one evolve from a common goblin into a Hobgoblin, the elite monsters of this dungeon. That's when I started visiting them daily and taking notes. Here, take a look."
Sora took the notebook Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven handed him and flipped through the pages, reading the detailed notes.
"Twelve goblins evolved over the past two weeks. Most of them evolved without doing anything special. And you didn't see any sign of a cultivation technique or training?"
Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven shook his head. "I had a few hypotheses, but all of them were proven wrong."
He flipped through the notebook and pointed at a particular page. "But I noticed something interesting. See these drawings?"
Sora nodded.
"These are tattoos I saw on a Hobgoblin while he was bathing."
Sora gave him a strange look.
"What's with that reaction?" Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven huffed. "You saw their armor—it covers everything! I had to figure out the secret behind their evolution."
Sora smiled. "I was actually just wondering why goblins take baths…"
Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven rolled his eyes and returned to the main topic. "Listen! I think their tattoos are special. They might allow them to absorb Soul Power and use it to trigger a transformation. Their power skyrockets when they evolve. Isn't that amazing?"
Sora considered his words.
'This could be interesting…'
"What do you need for your research?" he asked. "I want results soon, so I'll fully support you."
Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven blinked in surprise at Sora's enthusiasm, then thought for a moment.
"I need Soul Power—my current Soul Level is too low. Also, a specialist in Bloodlines. And in the future, I might need your [Mana Eyes] and other Supreme Skills to see things we might miss."
Sora nodded and immediately sent a message to Twelve. A moment later, Twelve appeared beside Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven, glancing at him before scoffing.
"What a crappy name," he muttered, then turned to Sora. "You really did him dirty."
Facing Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven, he grinned. "What's up, little brother?"
Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven frowned. "You're going to be my assistant for a while. Any problem with that?"
Sora did his best to hold back a smirk and backed him. "He's working on an important project," he said. "I want you to help him with everything you've got. And while you're at it, make sure his [Soul Level] increases."
Twelve's expression soured, but he gave a reluctant nod.
Satisfied, Sora bid them farewell and made his way toward the next group.
'Let's see what the swordsmen are up to,' he thought.
As he approached the northern encampment near the dungeon, the air around him grew heavy.
Looking around, he froze.
'What is going on here?'
Nearly eighty of his [Alter Egos] sat on the ground, bleeding and gasping for breath. Some were missing a hand, an arm, a foot—even entire legs. Nearly a dozen of them lay unconscious, teetering on the brink of death.
Yet, despite their wounds, none of them paid attention to each other. Every conscious one had their gaze locked onto the sky above, their expressions filled with awe and admiration.
Frowning, Sora followed their line of sight—and what he saw sent a chill down his spine.
Floating high above them, twenty of his [Alter Egos] formed a circle. Their auras radiated terrifying power, each of them showing overwhelming mastery of swordsmanship.
But what unsettled him the most wasn't their strength. It was their expressions.
'They're afraid...' He noticed.
Every single one of them looked tense, beads of sweat rolling down their faces as they surrounded a lone figure at the center.
Sora's eyes narrowed.
[One Hundred One - Level 89]
His presence alone distorted the air around him, [Sword Intent] pouring from his body in waves.
Sora felt a shiver run down his spine.
'How did he become so strong, so fast?'
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