In each of my hands rested a distinct object: a delicate pendant in my left hand, its subtle glow reflecting the light around , and a tallic ring, firm and imposing, in my right hand.
Above both, a translucent screen floated lightly, gently hovering in the air, emitting a soft, ethereal glow that seed to pulse with its own energy. At first, I stood there, staring, my eyes fixed on the screen hovering above the pendant.
Pendant of Subtle Mist
Type: Accessory – Necklace
Rarity: Common
Required Level: 5
75 Maximum Mana
15 Willpower
Passive Effect: Increases the duration of buffs and debuffs applied by the user by 5%.
"Discreet and unassuming, yet made for careful hands that alter the battlefield without fanfare"
Honestly, I couldn't hide my surprise when I read the information displayed on the screen just above the pendant. It was clear this wasn’t made for —or rather, I didn’t even know how to use buffs and debuffs. If you ask , this seed like sothing ant for soone like Alice.
In fact, she’s the only person that cos to mind when it cos to this kind of magic. With a quiet sigh, I looked away, focusing on my right hand, where a simple ring, with a discreet appearance, seed to carry so hidden aning. I then lifted my eyes again, watching the screen floating softly above it, closely observing the ring’s information.
Ring of Contained Shadow
Type: Accessory – Ring
Rarity: Common
Required Level: 5
35 Agility
15 Perception
Passive Effect: Slightly reduces noise from the user’s movents and increases the effectiveness of stealth attacks by 5%.
"They say the wearer of this ring doesn’t enter combat—he ends conflicts before they begin"
The first thought that ca to mind as I held both accessories was that, at first glance, they seed relatively simple. Discreet, almost common, as if they were made to blend in among everyday items.
But, as I looked at them more closely, the subtle glow of an unknown material and the perfection of their finishes began to intrigue . Considering the rarity and questionable origins of the items, it was clear everything had been made intentionally to appear basic.
Still, I couldn’t help but be surprised at how much my stats would increase just by wearing them. Anyway, I realized the necklace wouldn’t reach its full potential with , so I carefully tucked it between the folds of my clothes, already planning to give it to Alice later.
After that, my gaze shifted back to the ring. A thought ca almost automatically: when I put the ring on, would the stats be updated only for the body wearing it... or would both bodies get the extra points? As far as I knew, my bodies shared the sa stats screen.
My soul, though unique, was split between them—two bodies, one essence. But in the end, there was only one ring for two versions of . And that was the real question: how would the system interpret this?.
Eventually, I ran a hand through my hair and ssed it up slightly, as if that could clear the confusion in my mind. I sighed softly and muttered to myself: "Anyway, thinking about it now isn’t going to get anywhere. Best to test it first and see what happens"
The next mont, just before I slid the ring onto my finger, a strange sensation washed over . I hesitated. I didn’t know exactly why, but there was sothing uncomfortable about wearing that ring on my male body. Maybe it was the design—too delicate, with fine lines and subtle curves that evoked femininity.
Sohow, it seed made for a woman. I briefly reflected on this, furrowing my brow, before making an impulsive decision. I threw the ring into the air, aiming it at Noa—my other body. Effortlessly, I caught it mid-air, as if I had been expecting that.
Although both Noa and Justin were, in essence, parts of , it didn’t change the fact that Noa was a woman in every sense. At least, it didn’t feel strange seeing her wear the ring—unlike when it was on my male body, where it seed out of place, almost too symbolic.
Anyway, with a quick motion and a bit of hesitation, I slid the ring onto her finger. To my surprise, it fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for her. The sensation was oddly comforting... yet at the sa ti, unsettling.
The mont I put the ring on, a strange feeling coursed through my body, as if sothing was being pulled from within . It was like gravity had softened, or maybe like I had lost the weight I had been unknowingly carrying.
It wasn’t exactly a feeling of strength, but sothing more subtle, like I had freed myself from an invisible burden that had been limiting until now. It wasn’t a negative feeling, just... strange, and at the sa ti, oddly light, as if my body was floating, even though it was firmly planted on the ground.
Also, personally, I wasn’t sure if it was because I had never worn a ring before, but I felt a certain discomfort noticing the weight of the object on my finger. The cold touch of the tal seed to constantly draw my attention, interrupting my thoughts.
In any case, what mattered at that mont was checking my stats to see if they were the sa for both bodies or if sothing had changed. The instant that thought crossed my mind, two system screens appeared in front of , glowing softly in the air, as if waiting for my interaction.
Status
Na: [Justin Davies & Noa Davies]
Race: [Dyadren]
Class: [Assassin – lvl 18]
Profession: N/A
Unique Skill: [Dual Existence]
[Statistics:]
Health: 42/133
Mana: 179/243
Strength: 27
Agility: 28 ( 35) Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by noveⅼfire
Perception: 34 ( 15)
Physical Constitution: 27
Willpower: 31
Titles: N/A
Class Abilities: [Silent Steps (Common)] - [Precise Strike (Common)] - [Wild Instinct (Common)] - [Basic Enhanced Senses (Common)] - [Detect Presence (Common)] - [Identify (Common)] - [Multiracial Language (Unique)]
Profession Abilities: N/A
I closely observed the two stat screens that appeared before . Both seed identical, like exact reflections of each other, which gave a strange sensation, as if my two bodies were sharing a parallel reality.
An involuntary smile ford at the corner of my lips as I realized my theory was indeed correct. The thought solidified in my mind: the effects of the accessories were shared by both bodies. In simple terms, the more accessories I acquired, the stronger I would beco—twice as strong, actually, as most people.
Confirming that the ring worked on both of my bodies, I turned my gaze upwards, carefully observing my surroundings. The scene around was desolate. The bodies of the ants were still scattered across the floor, their bodies stiff and misshapen, as if frozen at the mont of death.
The thick, sticky green blood stained much of the floor and walls, creating patches that contrasted with the darkness of the environnt. As I reflected on the scene, a small doubt erged in my mind.
(So... how exactly do I get out of here?) I thought, my gaze fixed on the surroundings, trying to find any hint of an exit.
It was at the exact mont this thought crossed my mind that, suddenly, a wave of nausea took over . It felt like my head was spinning uncontrollably, a vertigo so strong it made lose my balance. In the next mont, when I was able to react, I realized I was outside the dungeon.
The scene around was almost surreal: I was standing at the edge of a small creek, with a narrow bridge stretching toward the entrance of the dungeon. But no matter how much I looked around, trying to understand what had happened, no matter how hard I searched – the entrance to the dungeon had simply vanished, as if it had never existed.
I had no idea how exactly I had gotten out of the dungeon. From my point of view, it was as if I had just blinked, and when I opened my eyes, I was already outside. What should have been a sense of relief turned out to be nothing more than confusion, and the only thing I could do was sigh in resignation.
I tried, in vain, to make sense of anything logical in this illogical and chaotic situation, but it seed like nothing made sense. In the end, the best thing to do would be to find the others. They should be waiting for , and it was more prudent to reunite with them than to stay here.
With those thoughts in mind, I began to walk, controlling both of my bodies simultaneously, a task that required constant focus. My eyes locked onto the long, dark corridor ahead, and I followed the path where I had seen Oliver and the others walking before I entered the dungeon.
As I moved forward, I noticed that the silence was absolute, and I didn’t encounter any monsters. Or rather, no living monsters. What I did find, however, were giant rats scattered across the floor, their bodies mutilated in grotesque ways. So were pierced by sharp arrows, others had deep cuts, and parts of their bodies were simply missing.
But the strangest thing wasn’t that. What truly unsettled was the fact that the rats seed to have died just over an hour ago. However, I knew for certain that I hadn’t spent more than ten minutes inside that dungeon. Ti seed to have distorted in so way.
In the end, I made an impulsive decision and began to run, feeding on the hope of finding the others. As soon as I took the first step, I was surprised by my speed. Although I had always been fast — probably faster than most humans — that sense of agility was beyond anything I imagined possible within human limits.
As I ran, I realized that my speed surpassed any human limit. I moved with an impressive quickness, far beyond what any human body could endure without collapsing.
Even aware of this, I pushed the thought aside and kept running, focused on controlling both of my bodies simultaneously, as if they were extensions of a single will. The sound of the wind cutting through the air around was almost deafening, but nothing distracted . After about five minutes, I reached a staircase leading to a higher level.
It seed to be one of the few options available, but beyond it, there were two forks ahead, leading in unknown directions. What bothered , however, was the fact that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t see anything above , which made it impossible to know where the staircase would truly lead.
As I reflected on everything happening, my gaze shifted to the left, where a subtle marking caught my attention. It was near the entrance to the stairs and seed to have been made with so sharp object, maybe a knife or blade. It didn’t take long to associate this marking with the trio — Oliver, Alice, and Ethan — who had probably gone up the stairs before .
A final glance was cast at the tunnel ahead, that dark and damp environnt, whose shadows seed to swallow any light trying to escape. I sighed, turning towards the stairs, already knowing I wouldn’t miss that place. I climbed the steps with firm strides, the sense of relief growing as I moved further away from that oppressive space.
As I climbed the stairs, the top, once imrsed in dense darkness, slowly began to brighten. The light, initially soft, gradually intensified until it beca strong enough to force to raise my hand to shield my eyes.
In the next mont, when I finally stepped outside, the first thing that ca into my view was a landscape resembling a forest. It wasn’t so dense as to be oppressive, but it wasn’t open enough to feel desolate either.
The wind gently blew between the trees, and I could hear the soft rustle of the leaves. However, beyond the vegetation, sothing unusual hung in the air: a strange mist enveloped the area, as if creating an esoteric layer that distorted shapes in the distance.
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