They say in the vast and endless parallel worlds, each person has the same perfect replica of themselves, yet existing with different lives. It's like the one who made the universe just copy pasted everything due to indolence.
Most worlds, can overlap seamlessly with one another bearing no consequential effects, as their planes are separated by the fabric of space.
Imagine a circle representing a world, you copy it as much as you want, plotting them all in a Cartesian coordinate. Viewing in the X and Y axis that represents the horizontal and vertical distances, these circles are all colliding chaotically with one another.
A domino of world ending events will occur.
However, if you add another direction of symmetry which represents the depth, let's call it the Z axis, the imminent destruction is averted with the countless worlds now have seamless gaps between each of them, preventing collision. This means that every world does not abide no longer by the same plane, as they are all scattered between space and time. That is the reason why we can only perceive our own reality in this world.
The gaps are called the Void, where there's no living within and beyond its expanse, devoid of light and no concept of time. Although, beings who devolve to nothingness find this space their very own domain.
To traverse between worlds, one must gain something beyond the laws of physics and conceptuality placed in the universe that transcends above the creation itself.
By emitting large quantities of cosmic energy, one can tear a hole from one world to another. The Void will inadvertently draw all existence within its proximity from the moment the gap is opened and will expel the foreign objects once the other side of the fabric of space is breached.
"I still have an hour left before I can use my skill to open the Void again." Talking to myself while exploring the vast labyrinth. The small cave, where I initially thought to be a small burrow, happens to be a complex underground system of canal and tunnel, but seems like unnaturally made with fine carvings clearly seen in the pathways.
As I tread my way on the hard stone floor following the faint breeze of air, I began to think about my mother and the people I have been with, worried that they might not survive these kinds of monsters spawning endlessly. While the guide says that everything from my world, Earth-3 million, was transported to the nexus world called Earth-Zer0 which is located at the very heart of the cosmos, to reach that place, I need to brave countless worlds full of void swarms before reaching it. Pitifully, my cosmic energy is not yet enough to pierce a gap all the way through.
The guide also explains that all parallel worlds, except a handful of lucky ones, have already succumbed to darkness. Devolving existence to monstrosities.
"I need to get stronger..." Quickly pacing myself when I spotted a group of glowing dark red cone snail near a wide cavern, a foot size each with a head of a bald bird and a body of a slug, eating the plants I previously seen from the cave I've been to not long ago. Cautiously approaching and analyzing, I promptly used my interwave to check its stats.
[Vulture Snail Lvl 1]
Pawn-Rank Aberrant
Health: 5--------Mana: 20
Str: 2-------------Int: 7
Agi:1--------------Vit: 1
Def:15------------Mor: 0
Looking around and confirming that there are only 37 aberrants in total within the area, all busy munching weeds. I plotted my plan to kill them one at a time. As they seem unbothered and still a yard or two away from one another, I can definitely pull this off. All I need to do is exterminate them before they can react.
With the pieces coming together, I shoved my doubts and resolved myself. Now fully committed, I called forth my flesh-made weapon with full authority, engulfing my fists inside and out forming a metal-like gauntlet.
"Tiny Terror, don't let me down."
A swift and heavy dash is all it took to close the distance between me and my first victim. Feeling an unseen death drawing near, the snail suddenly stopped eating trying its hardest to turn its head to run, yet too slow as my punch landed square straight towards its bald head. Thanks to the gauntlet taking the impact, I don't feel any pain from the recoil every time I send a punch packed with all of my strength.
Pwuaaak!
A loud crunch reverberated the open cavern, its skull got squashed immediately and its mushy brain scattered across the floor. This alerted the remaining birdies. Unfortunately for them, their bodies are so slow to react from what's coming.
Ting!
[You earned 3 experience points]
Within a split second, a brisk turn of my feet, pumping force between my hind legs and footsteps leaving deep cracks, I launched myself towards them at full speed, a sweeping carnage.
"One, two, three, four, five.." I systematically brought death first upon those who are closer to me and are trying to flee. My blood covered fists are flying faster towards the flightless birds-- breaking their shells, snapping their bodies in half and squashing their skulls to pieces. They couldn't do anything as much as they wanted at how I'm weaving my way to them with breakneck speed.
Might be in such a way that I'm slowly devoured by madness--without realizing, I found pleasure in killing these helpless creatures. I laughed maniacally as the one-sided slaughter continues, unhinging myself to rationality.
Phew!!
Shhhhhhhh!!
Delivering a wind screeching blow aiming to one shot the crawling abhorrence, I carelessly disregard the spitting motion from the monster behind me. With no time to dodge, my back was fully covered by a thick slime. The spit turns out to be acidic, burning my back off as my skin sizzles from bare shoulder to waist, injuring my hp by 10.
Ting!
[You have been afflicted by a DOT effect from Decaying Acid skill. You will take 2 health damage every second]
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I only have 20 HP left, so I only got 10 seconds left before flopping to the ground and be the main-course meal for these slugs. There are still 21 aberrants left.
Another barrage of spit is sent flying towards me, I hastily evade and proceed to hide behind a thick stalagmite. I contemplated, worrying with the fact that I don't have any cores to heal myself while my eyes try to shift its gazes from the ongoing salvo of saliva aiming to kill me.
[You have taken 2 hp damage]
Submerged again in desperation, an idea dawned on me, taking a glimpse upon the dead birds laying around.
[You have taken 2 hp damage]
I bolted like a madman and bit one of the torn bodies on the floor, dragging and chewing it by mouth, and resuming the bloodbath.
[You have taken 2 hp damage]
Chomp! Gulp!
[You healed 2 hp]
Now evading the projectiles and running constantly in circles closing the gap, I wantonly eat while I beat them one by one to death. Making food by hand, and picking piles of them by mouth.
[You have taken 2 hp damage]
Chomp! Gulp!
[You healed 2 hp]
[You have taken 2 hp damage]
Chomp! Gulp!
[You healed 2 hp]
The remaining 8 didn't even bother to fight and just tried to escape again realizing perhaps spitting doesn't help anymore. But with a ruthless plunge and clenching hard, both my fists went straight, booming sounds they created. Like a truck speeding, the force ram them to chunks, sending their heads flying granting they should be like the birds they are.
The aftermath left the untouched ground with wide cracks and deep holes. The floor is littered by lumps of meat oozing green blood. My weapon retracted unto my flesh hiding beneath my skin. Being exposed to acid over and over again, my body developed resistance nullifying the ticking damage.
[Acid Mantle]
Passive Skill
Whenever your skin is touched by any acidic substance that can cause damage, there's a 100% chance to resist acid-related debuffs.
"...Hoo...I can't believe I survived that." I blurted as I slumped my back, lying on the edge while trickles of water pokily washed away the blood stains that painted my face. Checking my status window, I gained a lot especially my [Transcended One] and [Ungodly] trait, with 309 and 459 points respectively. My total experience is already at 126 points, still far from 1000 points to level up.
"...Just as I imagined, I'll progress much slower. But this will benefit me in the long run." I deduced, the guide clearly phrases that the higher the difference in level, the lesser the points I will receive, gaining nothing if the level difference is more than 10.
"My only way to get stronger is to evolve my traits and skills, and forge top-tier equipment knowing there's no level requirement needed for me to use such items."
After some duly-deserved rest, I picked up and gathered the remaining leftovers that I could find. Using my skill [Truthseeker] I quickly discerned each location of their soul cores, which are all inside their rock hard-like shells. If they were still moving, trying to search for the core points within their body is nigh impossible. Their brains emit interwaves naturally, cloaking their core. The residual soul imprints beyond the cloak is what my skill could only analyze. As long as their brains were still active, their cores could be anywhere inside their bodies, but now they're just meat. This is also a good way for me to verify if they are alive or not because the brain can't play dead.
There were 37 snails and only 24 shells were intact containing cores, the other 13 were pulverized to chunks but still usable. I can feed my bio-weapon with these shells to upgrade its stats and level.
[Soul Core (Vulture Snail)]
Lowest Quality
Qty: 24
By consuming this item, you will earn 5 experience and 3 points to the corresponding skill immediately. Subsequently, you'll be able to recover 5 HP after consumption. Due to low concentration of soul energy, you can't use this as a main component but this can be added as a supplementary material to level up your equipment.
"I'll just upgrade my weapon then, and save the rest of these cores in case I need them later. I am already in full health just by eating tons of these jiggly meat and glowing weeds."
Standing in front of the remains, I opened the [Bio-Forge] panel and chose the equipment upgrade. I then raised both my hands feeling the familiar pain rising. The gauntlet emerged and my numbing fingers became a myriad of gooey black tentacles, nabbing the carcasses first, then the rest of the shells, and lastly 15 soul cores all compressed with such force, sucking the tightly packed pellets all at once.
Ting!
[Upgrade Complete]
[Tiny Terror Pads Lvl 2]
Pawn-rank Bio-Gauntlets
Uncommon Quality
Atk: + 30
Vit: + 2
Int: + 3
Def: +10
Effects:
Each attack is coated with a slimy film that can cause -10 acid damage and has a 15% chance to inflict acid DOT effect (2 HP damage per second).
With faint greenish glowing plates and much more refined intricate designs, the upgrade made my weapon more powerful that comes with an elegant appearance. Checking my stats, I became optimistic at how high my overall attributes rose up.
Point Allocation: 0 Pts
Health: 100 ------ Mana: 50
STR: 4 ------------ INT: 5 (+3)
AGI: 5 ------------ VIT: 9 (+2)
DEF: 11 (+10)----- MOR: -5
"...Clashing against those three aberrants above won't be a problem for me anymore, I might be able to fight head-on that monster with six arms..." I blithely said, stretching my arms and legs before moving towards the only exit.
The track became more and more defined like being chiseled to shape, the ragged floor progressively turning into stone pavements and reaching the very end. And there it was, a narrow staircase catered with sophisticated designs, alluding to sinister intentions.
Drawing closer, I could clearly see the stairs pointing upward to the enormous door made out of human skulls. Buckets of sweat promptly drenched my entirety as the door slowly opened, emanating a tremendous pressure of horrific aura.
"Come, Jin..." A soothing familiar voice faintly called me, stirring the memories of my childhood and filling me with pure ardency.
Rushing my way to the source, my heart beat grew louder with anticipation. This nightmarish situation I plummeted into had robbed me of warmth, of safety, of home! I blindly ignored the emanating terror surrounding me, searching and hoping to grasp the only sliver and manifestation of what I was familiar with once, back when life was normal. Now standing in front of the half shut door, trying to open it widely as decorative skulls cracked by my forceful entry. I grit my teeth, pushing the lumpish door.
The room is very wide almost like a gymnasium, painted in creamy white pearl color. Lavish designs chiselled all over the whitestone cornice and a 10 meter high ceiling with a wide gaping hole as high as the eyes can see. The flooring is made out of pure marble with a greyish tone. Red roses planted on pots made out of porcelain, neatly scattered across the room. At the center surrounded by white candles encased in human skulls, perpetually illuminating the area. A wide fluffy bed with subtle design of ambiguity due to its massive size settled alone just below the hole.
And there she was, sitting comfortably at the center with her body being sideways.
"...Mom..?" I called her out, my voice shaking.
"Jin, it is you.. right? I've been looking for you for eternity.." She claimed while smiling. "Come here Jin, let me see you.."
With my doubts dissolving I ran immediately towards her opening my arms to hug my mother tightly.
But.
Something's off.
The closer I get, the more nauseating stench I can smell from her. The obnoxious scent of a hideous monster seeping into my nose, forced me to throw and puke. I stumbled and stopped midway as the scent grew insufferable.
"Why are you not moving? Come closer Jin." my mother's tone became eerily cold.
"Mom... I can't go on any further, can you come here to me instead... Please?" I pleaded to her.
"Jin..."
"You.."
"YoUU.."
"YOU... USELESS PIECE OF SH*T!!!!!!!"
Accompanied by a thunderous cracking voice, the whole room greatly trembled by a sudden scream that pierced through my head, blood burst outside my ears and nose due to the extreme pressure.
"You're just like your FATHER!!!" She added, her voice started to alter, becoming wrathful. She started to get up and faced me, turning her head revealing what was left--half of her skull is now visibly seen.
[?Mater Mala Lvl 7]
Rook-rank Aberrant
Health: 300-------Mana: 120
Str: 5---------------Int: 10
Agi: 14--------------Vit: 14
Def: 28-------------Mor: -50
A red skull before its name, signifying unfettered dominance beyond me.
"You shitty brat! Prepare yourself to be disciplined!" She shouted jarringly, her bones popping with every erratic motion she made.
"Mo... Mom... No..." Horrified, I questioned my sanity as the silky bed she used to sit in was just a veiled skirt to hide what's underneath.
Three pairs of legs with apparent stitches sewn in together below her body appeared beneath the white blanket. Both her arms seemed to have been amputated. A murky goo covers her upper body lodged with numerous iniquitous eyes fixated at me. Her tepid expression turned to rapacious glare, showing her true intention.
To feast on me.
