- **Clone 1**: m: 16, 17M energy
- **Clone 2**: m: 16, 17M energy
- **Clone 3**: m: 16, 17M energy
Clone 1 had been the bait, fighting Tejran, drawing his attention. Clone 2 had stayed hidden, watching, ready to ambush.
Meanwhile, Clone 3 went to the hideout. While Tejran was distracted, fighting the other two clones, Clone 3 ran through the forest, heading toward the hideout.
But then, something happened. A sensation Tara had not felt for a long time. Not in this world. Pain—just like what he had felt on his last day on earth. The sensation emerged from Clone 3's center and engulfed its body and all its faces. Clone 2 was gone. Destroyed. Consumed.
Clone 3 stumbled, processing the loss. A part of itself, gone. The shared consciousness felt incomplete, fractured. But there was no time to dwell. The mission continued. Clone 3 kept running, pushing forward, heading toward the hideout.
Minutes passed. Then it happened again. Another wave of pain, sharper this time, more devastating. The sensation engulfed Clone 3 once more, and Clone 1 was gone too. Destroyed. Consumed. Now Clone 3 was alone.
Clone 3 reached the hideout. The hideout was empty. Clone 3 moved through the rooms, first trying to destroy the cages to set the creatures free. It carefully fired small energy blasts at the cage doors.
**BOOM**. The cage door shattered.
**BOOM**. Another cage door shattered.
But the creatures didn't move. One of the humanoid creatures spoke, its voice strained, broken. "Kill. Cannot run. Bound. Life worse than death. Kill us."
Clone 3 paused. It hadn't expected this. The creatures weren't trying to escape—they were asking to die. Tara didn't have vocal cords to respond, couldn't explain, couldn't ask questions. But the humanoid's meaning was clear.
"Dark mage returns. Hurry. Kill us. Please." The humanoid's words came in fragments, each one requiring effort. The other creatures turned their heads, looking in Clone 3's direction. Some made faint sounds—whimpers, groans, desperate pleas. They were all asking for the same thing. Death. Release.
Clone 3 understood. These creatures had been bound, trapped, tortured for who knows how long. They couldn't escape—magical bindings held them in place. And this existence, this constant suffering, was worse than death. They wanted mercy. They wanted an end.
So Clone 3 gave it to them.
Energy blasts, precise and controlled. One creature after another. The humanoid first, its eyes closing in relief as the blast struck. Then the others—the twisted beasts, the mutated experiments, the magical creatures that Tejran had captured and tortured. Each one died quickly, cleanly, their suffering ending in an instant.
Thirty-eight creatures. All dead. All freed.
As each creature died, Clone 3 absorbed their essence. The energy flowed into it, massive amounts accumulating. The system processed it automatically, converting essence to EXP. Clone 3 felt itself growing stronger, leveling up.
**ESSENCE ABSORBED: 4.5B**
**EXP GAINED: 70.3M**
**LEVEL UP: 25**
**LEVEL UP: 26**
**EXP REMAINING: 20M**
**STATS UPDATED:**
- **m:** 52
- **v:** 26
- **Energy Generated:** 17,576 units per second
**ABILITY POINTS REMAINING:** 20
"4.5 billion essence?" Tara thinks, shocked. "That's... that's massive! I've never gained this much before. Thirty-eight creatures, all high-level. No wonder I leveled up twice. This is incredible!"
"I can feel myself getting larger. Not only that. I have gained my lost mass back on leveling up." Tara had started calling m and v mass and velocity respectively. "I guess this is similar to how characters regain mana/hp in games. And I've got 2 ability points and a whole choice of abilities from the creatures. I don't have time to look at all of them. But this one, I think this was obtained by the shapeshifting red wolf. This is exactly the kind of ability I need!"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
**Shapeshift
- Transform into:
- Energy cost: 10,000 units per second active
- Form properties vary by transformation type
- Can be upgraded through training or ability points
Clone 3 spent 3 ability points to acquire it, then used it immediately, transforming into a wolf.
Clone 3 activates Shapeshift, and the transformation begins. Its pyramid form reshapes itself. The geometric angles smooth out, the triangular faces curve and flow. Its form stretches, takes on new dimensions. Crimson-brown fur sprouts from its surface. Limbs form—four strong legs, each ending in sharp claws. A tail extends behind it. Its head reshapes, becoming lupine, with intelligent eyes and sharp teeth.
The transformation completes. Clone 3 is now a wolf, larger than any natural wolf, with an imposing presence. Its form is sleek and powerful, built for speed and endurance.
With that form, Clone 3 explored the hideout, using its special all-seeing eye—its 360-degree perception—to find everything of value.
**ABILITY POINTS REMAINING:** 17
Tejran's backup inventory bag. Well-concealed, but Clone 3 found it. And inside it went everything of interest—artifacts, scrolls, potions, research notes, anything valuable. Everything Tejran had collected, everything he'd worked for. Clone 3 added them one by one.
But there was one item that stood out. A book. Ancient, bound in dark leather, its pages covered in runes that pulsed with malevolent energy. The cover bore no title, but Clone 3 could sense the power within it.
Clone 3 took it along as well. Tara had thought it was better in his hands than in Tejran's.
Everything else? Clone 3 fired a single 10M-energy-blast as it left, devastating the rest and setting the hideout ablaze. The cages, the equipment, the research, the creatures' bodies. Everything. Burned, destroyed.
Then Clone 3 left, taking the inventory bag with it.
---
Back in the present, Tara is in his pyramid form. "Things really went my way. Or let us say I was lucky. I half expected 'The Twitcher' to be back before I was done with the hideout."
"But what if I lose mass again?" Tara thinks, feeling worried. "What if clones get destroyed in the future? I don't know of any mechanism as of now to restore lost mass. Leveling up restored it this time, but what if I lose mass and can't level up? I could lose it permanently."
"That's... that's not good," Tara thinks. "I need to be more careful with clones. I can't just throw them away. Weight is everything. I'm a paperweight, for crying out loud. But at least I got it back this time. All is well that ends well."
"Shapeshift," Tara thinks, reflecting on the ability. "This is an important ability. Before this, I was a paperweight who couldn't carry his weight."
"This is what I needed," Tara thinks. "This is what I was missing. Mobility. Agency. It's probably one of the most important abilities I've gained."
"Dash costs 24K units for 10 meters every 2 seconds," Tara thinks. "This? This moves me way faster, and costs less. I'm generating much more than that. Net positive."
"Enough rest. Destroying twitcher's lab should pause Twitchy's evil schemes for a while. Even assuming he thinks I'm all but gone, I should still put some more distance between us. You can never be too careful." Tara thinks, preparing. "Let's get a move on!"
Tara shapeshifts into his wolf form, and then howls as he expresses his joy and enjoys having vocal cords after so long.
*Awooooo!*
The creatures notice it, and some move into their burrows as the howl echoes through the forest in the night. The full moon hangs high in the sky, making it look like a scene from a movie.
The inventory bag lies nearby. He takes it in his mouth, gripping it gently but securely.
Then he runs. Through the forest, away from the burned-out hideout, away from Tejran, away from everything. His wolf form moves effortlessly, covering ground quickly.
Silver light paints shadows that dance between the trees, as the moon watches over the running wolf.
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