"G-Glitch Skill?"
Rey's brows furled up as he stared at Esme, obviously confused by what she was asking. "What's that? A Skill that causes Glitches?"
Perhaps she meant that the Skill's name was Glitch. The answer to that was no, obviously.
"No! Like, the Skill itself is glitching. Something like showing random letters, numbers or symbols." She responded. "Did it have something like that?"
"H-huh…?" Rey didn't know what Esme was talking about.
This was the first time he was hearing of Skills like that.
Did such Skills even exist on H'Trae?
"So you didn't see it, huh? That's odd… you even look confused about what I'm saying."
Esme's response only plunged Rey into more confusion.
"Hold up. What are you sayi—?"
"I mean, I thought you would at least know of it, even if you didn't know of its existence… right?" She mumbled, mostly to herself, now pacing around the room.
"I'm not following…"
"I've only ever seen the glitch once too. And I used it as an explanation for you doing all those things you did, having such unbelievable powers despite not having too many Skills on your Status Window."
At this point, Rey grew impatient and grabbed Esme by both hands, stopping her pacing.
"What exactly are you saying here?" He stared into her eyes, pausing to look at the confused expression on her face.
"You have a glitch Skill, Rey. So I thought that if the Skeletal Dragon had one too, it would explain why it was able to resist your power."
"Eh? Really?"
This was news to Rey. He had checked his Status Window more times than he could remember, but he saw no signs of a glitch Skill.
"Yes! It's—!"
"GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Rey suddenly screamed, his body trembling violently as he took several steps away from Esme.
His body felt like he was on fire, and his brain felt like it would explode at any moment. This sudden sensation overwhelmed his senses.
It consumed him from the inside out, causing his whole body to shake immensely.
"UWAAAAAHHHHHH! GUAGHHHHHH!!!"
As if his body was being split in two, he could feel every ligament of his body straining, and every portion of senses being fried.
This felt like the most gruesome death ever—being destroyed, yet perfectly fine. It truly felt like he was dying. But no… this was a fate worse.
The overwhelming sensation, raw and pervasive, felt perpetual in its infliction.
Plus, Rey didn't even know the cause of his suffering.
Until—
[SYSTEM WARNING]
[Your Duplicate Has Been Destroyed!]
~Stats and Levels allocated to said Duplicate will be deducted and permanently lost~
~Due to your remnant connection with the Duplicate, you will experience this death, but not truly die~
~All functions will permanently plummet by 50 Percent~
[Recovery Process Will Commence As Soon As Possible]
"W-wha…?"
Rey's face, pale and lifeless, could barely move as he saw what the System displayed before him.
His tired, agonizing mind could hardly process the details.
"…EY!"
"… RE…!"
"… REY…!"
As he heard Esme's scream, it felt like she was distant, too far away to reach.
All his senses plunged into an abyss, and he found himself sinking as well—though only halfway through.
His body fell to the ground after his screech, but rather than the hard, cold ground, he found a soft cushion in Esme.
She had swiftly darted from her position and caught him, despite her own confusion on the matter. He could hardly see her worried face beyond the blurry lens that impeded his sight, despite being completely immobile, Rey was trembling inside.
Having 50 Percent of you perish had to be one of the most painful experiences; and Rey had to experience it all at once.
He had forgotten the sensation… until now.
Even now, despite the several things he wanted to say or do, only one word proceeded out of his trembling lips—almost as if he was having a severe seizure.
"W…hy…?"
Tears fell from his eyes as they began to close.
As he sank into the dark realm of the unconscious, the pain began to lose its lustre. However, in those final moments of partial consciousness, a new emotion gripped him.
—FEAR!
If his Duplicate was killed, then that meant there was something dangerous in the Capital, and that 'dangerous' thing was capable of killing a Duplicate of his.
Rey always limited his Rey standin, and the strict order it followed was not to display any power that exceeded the current level that Rey had revealed to his classmates.
As such, it was meant to act considerably weaker than it actually was.
However, even that didn't mean it was less durable and powerful. The only thing it was really restricted to was its use of Skills and optimal power.
The fact that the Duplicate was killed meant the culprit had enough power to deplete all of Rey's durability.
There were only two likely culprits behind this, and Rey was equally frightened for both outcomes.
'N-no… I have to… h-help them…!'
Whether it was Adrien or the Dragons, no one in the Capital stood a chance.
No one but him.
"… Please."
Rey fell into indefinite slumber, collapsed entirely in the crying Esme's arms… all alone in the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon.
***********
No one could have predicted this; the fact that the true calamity was not within the ancient walls of the Dungeon that they conquered.
Instead, it happened in a bustling city—filled with life, and people.
The Capital, known as a haven from Dragons, thanks to being situated South, far from the rigors of war, was now in flames.
Several buildings had crumbled under the heat, and many more crashed to the ground, sending debris flying around.
So far, over ten thousand had met their end in this catastrophe, and that number only rose as time passed.
However, other than the natives who could do nothing but cry and run for their lives, the numbers of the saviors who faced this threat had already been cut short.
Of the twelve brave champions that faced the catastrophe, their current state was thus;
Three were already dead.
Nine were severely injured.
All would soon perish.
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Thanks for reading!
Now it's time for the calamity to truly begin.
Also, I apologize if you've been experiencing a sharp drop in quality this past couple of chapters.
I'm actually sick… haha!
