After Soji assessed his situation and finished sorting his gear and items, he took one last glance at the now-faded bridge as he clenched his hands that now trembled not in fear but from excitement and anticipation. With a deep breath, he continues forward and steps into the portal at the edge of the platform.
Soji wonders what the fourth trial will be... And how it will go on...
As Soji emerged from the portal bracing himself for another challenge. Expecting more monsters, traps, and illusions. But instead he is met with… silence.
The room he stepped into was surprisingly ordinary. A square chamber built of smooth, pale stone, softly lit by an ambient, sourceless glow. In the center lies a single, neatly made bed with clean sheets and a small table beside it with a jug of water, two pieces of bread, and nothing more.
Soji blinked. He cautiously scanned all the corners of the room, half-expecting monsters to suddenly leap out of the shadows and try to kill him. But... Nothing appeared...
Suddenly a familiar chime appeared along with an announcement.
[ INTERMISSION PHASE INITIATING... ]
[ TRIAL 4 PREPARATION IN PROGRESS... ]
[ RESTING PERIOD: 12 HOURS ]
[ TIME LEFT: 11 HOURS 58 MINUTES ]
[ WARNING: Trial 4 involves competitors from all around dimensions. It is recommended to be cautious or to socialize. ]
Soji stared at the system for a moment before taking a huge breath. He walked over and pressed his hand on the mattress—it was warm, oddly comforting. He then proceeded to lie down after everything... His experience in this tower, even when it was just a moment... It changed him.
"So I guess this is my reward for my suffering? No trial for now... Just a comfy bed."
But the last line of the system struck him.
"Soo... I'm fighting people from all other dimensions? Like those people from Murim, cultivators, spellcasters, aura users... Fuck... The real challenge might start from here now."
Soji closed his eyes; a faint smirk could be noticed at his lips.
"But goddamn those murim girl baddies, maybe even those overpowered villainesses... It would be a sight to behold if I actually saw a real one."
As the warmth of the bed seeped into Soji's body, his mind began to drift. The thoughts of towering martial artists, spell-wielding monsters, and illusions faded and were replaced by something far more ridiculous and relaxing. Soji enjoyed this moment as he quickly fell asleep.
.....
Soji is standing in a void space, unknown from his surroundings. Suddenly—the void black space turned white. A black figure can be seen. It's... Pure black. Soji wanted to speak but couldn't.
.....
"𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔥𝔬𝔩𝔡 𝔪𝔶 𝔭𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔞 𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔪𝔞𝔫 𝔴𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔰 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔠𝔯𝔬𝔴𝔫. 𝔓𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔡 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔘𝔫𝔞𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔢."
.....
"𝔜𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔶 𝔙𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔩. 𝔜𝔬𝔲. 𝔄𝔯𝔢. ▬▬▬▬."
.....
Soji suddenly woke up as he quickly sat upright, covered in sweat and panting heavily. His heart was beating restlessly in his chest as if trying to escape. He looked around. The room was quiet. The bed is still warm. The pillows were drenched in his sweat.
"What the fuck was that..." Soji muttered as he took a heavy sigh before moving on.
[ INTERMISSION PHASE INITIATING... ]
[ TRIAL 4 PREPARATION IN PROGRESS... ]
[ RESTING PERIOD: 12 HOURS ]
[ TIME LEFT: 3 HOURS 21 MINUTES ]
He stared at the system, dozing off for six minutes.
"Hoo... I still have three hours and fifteen minutes left... Man, I can't help but feel nervous; those skill upgrading cards were overpowered. I used three of them, and I already got a legendary... Now imagine those competitors having the same amount of cards as mine... I'd be dead weak by now."
Soji paused, clutching the edge of the blanket beneath him. Soji looked at his hands; he could feel the raw power before dozing off again. Then coming back to his senses.
"Alright, time to sort things out..." he muttered as Soji got up and started stretching. His joints cracked slightly as he stretched, feeling the tension in his muscles shift with a satisfying pull.
"Alright! Now, from what I have seen, my power is something strange, and it felt like a cheat skill... I'm very lucky to have this. My power could somewhat... stop anything? Whether it's a nonliving or a living thing..." He paused, narrowing his eyes in thought. Before realizing he hasn't tested his unique skill yet, which is Alter Ego.
[ Alter Ego (Unique ) - Active
- The player can switch into an alternate body with an alternate personality. This second personality can be chosen and pre-determined by the player. The player can assign how many stats and skills go to the second alternate body. Can switch to first and second alter ego anytime. Automatically activates to the strongest Ego when in sudden danger. No cooldown. ]
"Wait, so how... do I use this skill?" Soji muttered as he contemplated how and what to do with the skill.
"Alright, how about I try adding a personality first before the skill and stats..." Soji then starts tinkering while picking a personality for his second alter ego.
[ Second Alter Ego ]
[ Personality Type: ( 2 Max ) ]
[ Behavior: ( 5 Max) ]
[ Allocate Stats ]
[ WARNING: Stats will be taken from the first Ego. ]
[ Base Stats: ]
STR: 0
DEX: 0
CON: 0
INT: 0
LCK: 0
[ Distribute Skills ]
[ WARNING: Existing skills distributed will be taken from the first Ego. ]
[ Active and Passive Skills: ]
-
-
Soji then realized something... This skill is a fucking cheat...
"Holy shit! This skill is a fucking cheat! So I can just allocate stats to what I want? If yes then those random stat potions are now very useful to me?! I can just basically always use the second ego and never use the first one!" Soji exclaimed with excitement, ready to try this hypothesis out.
And... Soji was right.
[ Second Alter Ego ]
[ Personality Type: Calculated and Ruthless ]
[ Behavior: He acts cold-blooded with charisma, driven solely by survival and victory, maintaining a dominant presence while strategically and manipulatively analyzing every situation. Always observing his enemies and surroundings before making a move. ]
[ Allocate Stats ]
[ WARNING: Stats will be taken from the first Ego. ]
[ Base Stats: ]
STR: 5 ( 10 )
DEX: 5 ( 10 )
CON: 5 ( 10 )
INT: 4
LCK: 0
[ Distribute Skills ]
[ WARNING: Existing skills distributed will be taken from the first Ego. ]
[ Active and Passive Skills: ]
Physical Enhancement (Legendary)– Passive
Alter Ego (Unique)– Active
Keen Senses (Heroic)– Passive
Mental Fortitude (Epic)– Passive
Null ( ??? )
As Soji sets the second Ego, suddenly smoke comes out of his whole body... As the smoke fades, Soji felt weaker. To Soji's shock, he returned to his normal average form, in which he was average and weak. The transformation was instantaneous, and Soji felt nothing at first but realized as he saw his big muscles gone, he then felt shrunk and a little heavier all of a sudden. And even his movement have slown at a rate. Soji then quickly checked his stats.
[ Challenger Name: Soji Takashi ]
[ Rank: G- ]
[ Title: The Perilous Bridge Walker ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Condition: Perfect Condition ]
[ Active Skills: ]
- Alter Ego
[ Base Stats: ]
STR: 1
DEX: 1
CON: 1
INT: 3
LCK: 0
Soji blinked at the screen, a sharp chill running through him as he processed the changes.
"Wait... So I'm the first ego?! So if I transform to my second ego, I get my stats and skills back?"
The realization struck him like a hammer. He then smiled while grinning.
Soji now understood the true potential of Alter Ego. He could swap between his powerful form with all of his stats and skills and then instantly transform back into a much weaker version of himself, where he could pretend to be weak and maybe not catch the attention of enemies that he might encounter. Plus it offered an insane boost, which is the personality.
"This is... fucking amazing... I could pretend to be weak all the time, and that would mean stronger enemies would not pay attention to me... heh... they might even help me for looking weak..." he muttered in excitement.
"But doesn't that mean I would attract players that hunt players? Wouldn't I be an easy target for them? No fucking way I'm transforming to my second ego and maybe putting up a fight. And they might lower their guard down, giving me a big gap." He smirked while laughing hysterically.
The wheels in his head were already turning at full speed. The idea of pretending to be weak and hiding his true strength was exciting. He could catch his enemies off guard, make them underestimate him, and then strike when they least expected it.
Soji then tried transforming to his second ego. As expected, smoke came out again from his whole body, and the transformation was instant; he could feel all his strength and raw power return in one go. His big muscles are now back and active. But something feels off. He feels different. Like a new person.
"So this is how it feels?" Soji muttered in a cold tone as his glance pierced into his clenching hands while standing, his form immaculate, his gaze—like a hunter.
"I feel odd... My tone wasn't like this earlier... My voice has gotten deep..." his tone cold and calculative.
Soji then again tried transforming back to his original ego, and as always, the transformation was instantaneous.
"Holy shit... I looked fucking cool and cold as fuck earlier! Goddamn, I want to stay on that form forever..." Soji muttered in awe and excitement.
"Now I guess I should prepare for the fourth trial... I'll rest as much as I can..."
Soji then laid back on his mattress to rest as he awaited the timer for the fourth trial.
[ INTERMISSION PHASE INITIATING... ]
[ TRIAL 4 PREPARATION IN PROGRESS... ]
[ RESTING PERIOD: 12 HOURS ]
[ TIME LEFT: 1 MINUTE ]
Soji was deeply snoring until he was awoken by the sudden chime of the system and its voice. Soji's eyes snapped open and his groggy mind barely registered the announcement, but the instinct to act kicked in.
With a frustrated grunt, he pushed himself up from the bed, rubbing his eyes to shake off the remnants of sleep. The cool air of the room still clung to his skin, but there was no time to waste.
[ INTERMISSION PHASE STARTING... ]
[ PLEASE PROCEED TO THE PORTAL ]
He glanced at the bread and jug on the table, quickly grabbing both. Without hesitation, Soji tore into the bread, swallowing it whole as if his life depended on it. The water followed shortly after, a gulp that finished the whole jug, quenching his dry throat. Soji then quickly proceeded to the portal and he could already sense the weight of the upcoming trial bearing down on him.
"Now time to fool these people from other dimensions... with my ALTER EGO."