I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Faced with so many questions, there was very little he could do. One thing, however, that settled in his mind early enough was that he couldn't continue to stay in this place.

Or the kingdom of Red Mine.

Northern instructed his clone to search the surrounding area and search for paths that would lead to a successful escape.

He watched silently as the other him raced to the entrance, disappearing for the next few minutes.

In the absence of his clone and during the expectancy of its report, Northern wondered for a second about the amount of fragments he had received.

Just how many did he kill for him to be so close to one thousand fragments?

He sighed.

'I don't know if I should be happy or disappointed with myself?'

Having his mind bogged down; managing to survive through it. One was worthy of praise… but the other…

Northern couldn't even find the words to express how disappointed he was at himself.

If there was anything he prided himself on, it was his strong mental fortitude.

But it had only been his first rift and he was overtaken by the madness of the war bred by the crazy rift.

Northern had always known that rifts were dangerous and unpredictable, but witnessing it himself hit differently.

The reality was tremendously scary.

He shook his head and exhaled his disappointment away one last time.

This time, he had learned not to overestimate himself.

'I'll be more careful next time… Crap! Fool, what do you mean next time?

Gruuu

Northern paused, blinking as he heard a weak but every growl in the darkness.

'What was that just now…'

The growling came again, a bit tired and strained.

Now, it registered in Northern's head clearer than before. He swung his head back and traced where the growling came from.

Luckily, the growling came forward again, making it easier to trace it through the darkness.

Northern found himself back at the platform he had broken free from, then a few steps to the side there was another platform.

And on that platform… there was another monster.

Northern couldn't see completely through the darkness, but those eyes he would recognize anywhere… even though now, they burned weakly, almost with no life.

"Night Terror?"

His eyes widened as he stared at the figure chained to the platform… in a horrible state.

Red crystals protruded from his skin, spreading disgusting red veins throughout his body.

The platform was bathed in its blood, and a stream of channels connected a pathway from the platform to the base of several cocoons, where the red crystal was cemented along with the stones that held the foundation of the slightly transparent cocoons.

A frown creased Northern's brows as he observed the pathway which he never noticed until now. Lost in focus, he followed each path.

Walking in between cocoons, he saw that the blood was not flowing through the pathways, but the dried and black-red stain proved that it had once flowed.

Maybe a long while ago.

And then…

Northern raised his head to the cocoon standing before him.

A few of them had been torn down, but this one still held a figure inside.

And it had a striking resemblance to Night Terror.

The two that attacked him, and the one that was brought back to the battlefield.

Because of his odd bond of vengeance with the monster, he was able to tell that it wasn't the one he knew. But his unstable mental state had gotten the better of him.

Northern brought his mind back to his present situation; his kidnapping.

A suspicion sank into his mind.

And he shook his head with wide eyes.

'It can't be… that would just be very crazy… right?'

Even though he didn't want to accept it, he didn't see any better answer to the situation.

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that Night Terror was the ultimate soldier of the Kingdom of Red Mine, and the reason why so many battles were won.

However, he got wounded and disappeared, and a few moments after that, a mass of Night Terrors was created.

During the disappearance of Night Terror, he rose to become a formidable general.

Leading the monsters to the heart of victory with every battle and becoming another ultimate battle warrior.

But he never got wounded… he wasn't even weakened… maybe in a way he proved himself to be an even greater ultimate soldier than Night Terror was.

Then he was brought here and tied to a platform so they could carry out the same plan.

Just like the few crystals pierced into Night Terror, one was stabbed into him too.

However, because of that pain… his mind was liberated, he regained his sense of self, and he was able to break free thanks to his clone.

But there was no way for Night Terror to escape.

Northern's face paled, the crease on his brows burrowing deeper, drawing lines of terror on his facial features.

'So… if I had not escaped… would I have been subjected to an experiment to multiply me…'

Monsters would have played around with his body.

It was a scary idea, but at the same time, it was also the wildest shit he had ever thought could happen to him.

His lips opened to let out a terrified laughter, but no sound came out; as funny as this was… it was tremendously frightening.

Chills ran down his spine at the thought of it… what if he didn't have the Cloning ability or wasn't strong enough to break through the chains?

Night Terror's weak growl rolled across the darkness, retrieving Northern's attention from his thoughts.

It was obvious that the dying monster was seeking help.

Hurrying towards the monster, Northern raised his hand; a black blade materialized within it, and he brought it down.

The shackles binding Night Terror shattered. After breaking all four shackles, Northern helped the monster up.

'I hope I don't end up having a soft spot for monsters after this…'

It was very infuriating that the vile creatures he wanted nothing more than to slaughter himself and enjoy the act while doing so were being left at his mercy.

He questioned if he was doing the right thing.

But at the same time, Northern knew what he was doing.

There was a question at the root of all these strange events.

Northern's eyes gleamed coldly for a second as he thought about it. At the same time, tendrils of fear tingled across his skin.

Who was behind this operation? Who could have commanded that Night Terror should be taken… who would have dared to order for him to be kidnapped too…

There was only one answer.

He knew it was an unavoidable fate, but the thought of it made him wish there was another alternative.

He bit down on his lips painfully.

How in the world was he supposed to fight a monster that even this Night Terror couldn't face?