I Gained An Ability While Surfing On The Dark Web

The darkness swallowed him whole.

Roi's breath came ragged, his body tense, his senses screaming—but there was nothing. No light. No sound.

Then—

"NEW TRIAL INITIATED."

"CONDITIONS: SURVIVE YOURSELF."

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere.

A system prompt flashed into existence, hovering in the void.

Then—the ground formed beneath him.

The darkness twisted and stretched, becoming something solid.

And suddenly, he was somewhere else.

The space around him was too familiar.

He was standing in a long, dimly lit hallway.

Walls of cracked white tile. A cold, flickering fluorescent light above him. The smell of damp concrete and metal.

A place he hadn't seen in years.

His old high school.

His stomach twisted.

No. Not here.

A single wooden desk sat in the center of the hallway.

And in the chair—

Someone was sitting there.

Roi's chest tightened.

The figure slowly lifted its head.

And stared at him with his own face.

Not distorted. Not twisted.

Perfectly him.

Except for the hollow, empty eyes.

Except for the thin, unsettling smile.

Then, the other him spoke.

And Roi felt his blood run cold.

"I've been waiting for you."

The trial had begun.

Roi didn't move.

Neither did his double.

They stared at each other—one standing, the other sitting at the lone wooden desk in the endless hallway. The air was thick, suffocating, like the walls were closing in.

The other Roi tilted his head, eyes unreadable.

Roi swallowed, forcing himself to speak.

"Did I fight you in the previous trial?"

His voice echoed in the empty corridor.

No response.

The other him just watched.

Roi's fingers twitched toward Black Ruin's handle.

"Do you… want to fight again?"

A long, unbearable silence.

Then—

The other Roi's lips curled into a smirk.

And he leaned forward.

"What do you think?"

His voice was identical to Roi's. Same tone. Same inflection.

But something about it was wrong.

Roi felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Then, the other him slowly stood up.

The wooden chair screeched across the floor.

His movements were too smooth. Too controlled.

He took a step forward.

Roi instinctively took one back.

The smirk on his double's face widened.

Then—

He lunged.

And the hallway exploded into chaos.

Roi barely had time to react before his double lunged.

He dodged, barely missing the blur of movement. His double's foot slammed into the tile where he'd just stood, sending cracks splintering outward.

Roi whipped around, swinging Black Ruin in a wide arc. His opponent ducked effortlessly, slipping under the blade and countering with a sharp, fluid strike aimed at his ribs.

Phantom Dash—activate.

Roi blurred backward, putting distance between them, his heart pounding.

Something was different.

This wasn't like the last time he fought himself.

There was no mirroring. No shared damage.

He could actually fight.

His grip on Black Ruin tightened.

"Looks like I can hit you this time," he muttered.

His double smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Looks like."

Then—he attacked again.

Roi countered. Their swords clashed, sparks flying, the impact vibrating up his arm. But his double was fast. Too fast.

Roi twisted, slashing toward his opponent's side.

His double blocked with precision, pushing forward.

For every move Roi made, the other him was already reacting.

It was like fighting someone who knew him too well.

Because he did.

But he wasn't just copying.

He was predicting.

Roi gritted his teeth, frustration creeping in.

Then, as suddenly as it started—his double stopped.

He took a step back, lowering his sword.

Roi hesitated, panting slightly. "What? Done already?"

His double laughed quietly, shaking his head.

Then—his smirk faded.

His gaze darkened, something unreadable flickering behind his expression.

"You don't know what you're getting into," he said, voice low. "You're going to regret this."

Roi stiffened.

Something about the way he said it—it wasn't a threat.

It was a warning.

A cold chill crept through him.

And for the first time, he wasn't sure if he should keep fighting.

The moment those words left his double's mouth, Roi felt the tension in the air shift.

The warning wasn't a bluff.

It wasn't intimidation.

It was something deeper.

Something real.

But Roi didn't care.

Didn't want to care.

He took a steadying breath, adjusting his grip on Black Ruin.

"Regret it? Maybe." His eyes darkened. "But I'm not stopping."

His double's smirk returned.

And just like that—they clashed again.

Speed. Precision. Control.

Their movements blurred, weapons slicing through the air in perfect harmony.

Roi struck low— his double dodged, pivoting into a counterattack.

Roi twisted, barely missing a strike to his ribs.

They were relentless.

Roi was fast.

His double was faster.

It felt like fighting a shadow—one step ahead, one second quicker.

He knows every move I make the second I think it.

But Roi had something he didn't.

Instinct.

Roi feinted left—then Phantom Dashed mid-step, vanishing from sight.

For the first time, his double was caught off guard.

Roi reappeared behind him, swinging Black Ruin in a vicious downward arc—

But his double recovered instantly.

A perfect spin counter.

Their blades clashed again, sending shockwaves through the air.

Roi barely had time to blink before his double launched forward, slamming a knee into his gut.

Pain exploded through his ribs.

Before he could even stagger back, his double twisted into a brutal elbow strike to his jaw.

Roi's vision blurred as he crashed into the ground, the impact rattling his bones.

He barely had time to react before—

His own sword was at his throat.

His double stood over him, expression unreadable.

For the first time since the fight began, Roi felt it.

The overwhelming weight of his opponent.

This wasn't just another battle.

This wasn't just another trial.

This was something else.

His double didn't press the attack.

Didn't move.

Just stared down at him, as if waiting for Roi to understand something he wasn't ready for.

Roi's fingers trembled against the cold floor.

He couldn't lose.

Not here.

Not to himself.

Move, damn it.

Get up.

The sword at his throat pressed down slightly.

His double's voice was quiet.

"Why are you fighting so hard?"

Roi gritted his teeth.

"Because I have to."

"Do you?"

His double's gaze darkened.

"Or are you just scared of what happens if you stop?"

Roi's breath hitched.

Because for the first time—he didn't have an answer.

Roi's breath was ragged, his muscles screaming in exhaustion—but he saw his double glitches.

His double stumbled back, wounds tearing across his body, glitching violently with each step.

For the first time in this fight, he was losing.

Roi gripped Black Ruin tightly, his vision locked on the flickering, distorted version of himself.

His double chuckled, a broken, hollow sound.

Then—he laughed.

Not in pain.

Not in despair.

But in pure amusement.

"How the hell did my younger self beat me?" he muttered, shaking his head. "I really am sh*tty, huh?"

Roi's heartbeat slowed.

"Younger me?" he repeated, the words striking something deep inside him.

His double's smirk wavered.

"Yeah... You don't get it yet, do you?" His voice glitched, warping. "I came here to end you. The moment before you reach the top, before you have everything—"

His body convulsed violently.

The distortion in his frame intensified, warping his form.

Roi took a cautious step forward.

His double's expression twisted, his eyes filled with something unreadable.

"I don't want this life anymore," he rasped. "So if I cut you—my younger self—then I won't have to be… I won't be… I will not… I will... I wi… W..."

His entire body cracked apart.

Glitches swarmed his figure, distorting him like a corrupted file.

Then—

A voice broke through.

"Hah! What the hell is this mess?"

Roi whipped around.

Kyler stood at the edge of the glitching space, arms crossed, grinning like a lunatic.

"Damn, did you fight your clone again? Hahaha! Why didn't the system inform me? I haven't seen this before!"

Roi barely had time to process Kyler's words before—

His double let out a final, broken breath.

Then—he shattered.

Glitching pieces of data scattered into the air, dissolving into nothing.

Roi stared at the empty space where his double had stood.

The trial was over.

But the weight in his chest remained.

What the hell did he just fight?

And more importantly—

What was his other self trying to warn him about?