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[A Clone's Life]
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| Clone's POV: |
…
'Haha, so easy!' I thought, a wide grin hidden behind my mask.
I turned and saw a huge cavalry of cops tailing me, two or three helicopters overhead, and a convoy of cruisers below, sirens wailing. Normally, I'd be panicking, knowing escape was pretty unlikely, and especially so at the speed I was going right now... But I was a clone, and I could return to the original whenever I wanted.
There were no stakes here, no worries at all.
Right now, I felt invincible!
'—Although I hardly am.' I thought, giving my clony status a look.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE] (CLONE)
▸ Strength: 40
▸ Defense: 40
▸ Aura Projection: 275
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Total Aura (20% of the original): 355
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Skills:
▸Clean
▸Trouble Radar
▸Connoisseur
▸Pain is Just a Feeling
▸Innamovible Object
▸True Speaking
▸True Breathing
▸True Walking
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
I still had my skills, but my stats sucked. I could barely keep myself afloat right now with those two hundred aura points.
But, well, it didn't matter. All I needed was to distract the police long enough so the original could bail. Thus, escaping wasn't necessary.
I just needed to keep them on my trail.
'Hahaha, yeah, keep following, you bastards!' I smirked as I observed the army following behind from the corner of my eye, hands in my pockets like I was cool. Nothing said I couldn't aura farm while acting as a decoy, right?
I grinned behind the mask and turned back ahead, worried that since I wasn't looking to the front, I might crash into a building.
Then my grin died.
"Huh?"
A figure stood on a tall building up ahead, arms crossed as if waiting for me.
For a moment, I wondered if it might have been someone who wanted to see the show from close. But as I got closer, I was able to discern his appearance better.
That ridiculous costume, that cocky smirk, that blonde hair… it all had a tinge of familiarity that I—Hold on, why is that guy here?!
My eyes widened as panic hit. I skidded mid-flight, ready to change direction and bolt, but I'd already screwed up. I should've reacted the instant my eyes settled on him.
Before I could get away, the figure leapt from the roof, did a mutherfucking flip, and latched with his tail onto one of the helicopters following me, hanging just a few meters away from me.
"Why in such a hurry?" the bastard called.
I poured most of the stats I had into aura projection and tried to speed up, wanting nothing to do with this fucker… but it was too late.
Trouble Radar flared, warning me of incoming danger, but with this weakened body, I just didn't have the speed to respond.
By the time my head snapped up to lock onto the threat—he was already dropping on me with a kick aimed straight at my back.
'Damn.'
In one last desperate move, I moved my stats from AP to defense.
"Let's talk down at street level." It's what he said. Moments later, I felt his foot connect with my poor back.
-Bam!-
"Argh—!"
Sadly, with the amount of aura I had as a clone, it merely stopped my bones from breaking on impact. But I was still sent like a bullet to the ground.
-CRASH!-
Seconds later, I hit the pavement like a meteorite.
I tried to cushion the blow by moving half of my aura to AP again at the last second, but I still ended up taking a nasty hit despite my efforts.
The bastard, on the other hand, had used his kick on me to launch himself off my back and not fall along with me.
"Ugh…" I groaned as I rubbed my ribs and forced myself up. The asphalt had cracked slightly where I'd landed, proof of the hell of a force I had been slammed onto the street.
'This guy doesn't hold back at all.'
I pushed to my feet and turned around. Soon, I was able to see the bastard as he slid down a gutter from a nearby building and landed on the street, still looking cocky as hell.
As he hit the asphalt, he slammed his fist onto his palm, looking at me with a grin.
"You made quite the mess today, 'Mysterious Guitarist'. They even called me—the best hero in this city—to handle you, and I was enjoying a peaceful rest!" he crowed.
I said nothing, so he just kept talking.
"You've been causing a hell of a lot of trouble lately—attacking a villain, hitting heroes, wrecking private property… what were you thinking?"
"The damage to private property is on the hero who sent me flying with a giant hammer," I answered, warping my voice with my newfound talent thanks to True Speaking. This guy had sharp ears, so I didn't want to risk him recognizing me.
Though on hindsight… Maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all.
"Hmm?"
'Urgh… why is he staring at me like that? Did I actually screw up?' I winced when he tilted his head and gave me an interested look.
He didn't call me out, though. He just smiled slyly.
"Yes… You're right on that. She'll get chewed out by the brass later… But for now, I think you should focus on yourself."
I swallowed hard, sweat beading down my cheek. "Yeah. I suppose I will."
Without hesitation, I shifted all my aura into my physical stats.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE] (CLONE)
▸ Strength: 40→177
▸ Defense: 40→178
▸ Aura Projection: 275→0
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Total Aura (20%): 355
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
With the little amount of aura I had, keeping it on AP was useless. He was too damn fast and strong for me to do anything with it properly. My aura projection would be nothing more than a small inconvenience for him.
Like he had said, he was indeed the strongest hero of this city. I didn't stand a chance as I was right now. Maybe the original would, but not me.
So, since I was going down for sure, I thought I might as well make this defeat of mine as epic as possible, and actually go down by throwing hands with the strongest hero of this city.
After all, clone or not, I was still an aura farmer at my core, was I not?
So, having made up my mind, I raised my fists and took my stance.
But to my surprise, instead of jumping me, the bastard blinked, then laughed.
"HAHAHA, you're not even hiding it anymore, huh?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, keeping my voice warped by True Speaking.
He snorted. "You don't, huh? It's nothing much… I just thought that stance looked similar to one I taught my ward. Excuse me for laughing."
… Yeah, this guy knew.
"If I may ask, 'Mysterious Guitarist,' why are you suddenly eager to engage in combat when you mostly use telekinesis?" he taunted.
"Because I want to smash that face of yours with my fist," I snapped.
"Truly, what an odd resemblance." He took his stance. "Then I suppose I'll give you the pleasure of fighting me when I go serious."
"Just come already."
"Very well." He lunged. "You fared fairly well against those three heroes earlier, so let's see how long you last against the SUPER MONKEY!"
Seiji—my guardian—and the hero Super Monkey, number 69 in the rankings by decision, had arrived.
'This is gonna be hard,' I thought, and without further ado, lunged too.
Right now, I, the clone, had better physical stats than the original usually showed in training. The original favored aura projection, so his body normally stayed average—though he could swap stats whenever he wanted.
Still, this was more strength and sturdiness than Seiji had seen me use in practice.
And I was gonna make the best of it.
—Bang!—
Our fists connected with each other's faces as we both snapped back a few steps.
However, unlike me, who clenched my teeth as my face snapped to the side from the force, Seiji laughed like he had enjoyed it, still facing me.
"Hahaha! When did you get this strong, kid?!" he jeered.
"I don't know you," I continued with the gaslighting.
"Right, right." He muttered, obviously not believing me, and resumed the fight as if my strike from earlier had barely affected him. "Ora!"
—Bam!—
"Ack—!"
Another fist slammed into my face. This time, I wasn't able to give one in return.
What's worse is that it didn't end there.
—Smack!—
Right after the punch, he buried a nasty knee into my solar plexus.
"Ugh—!"
I staggered back, air escaping me as I almost buckled.
Ultimately, I managed to stay on my feet, knowing that if I fell, that would have left me even more open to any kind of attack.
Sadly, despite my achievement, it didn't seem Seiji was planning on celebrating it.
The instant I lifted my gaze back up, I saw him lunging at me like a tiger.
I tried to fend him off, but my combat skills were still too lacking compared to his.
By the time I realized what had happened, he already had me on the ground, locked in a chokehold, cutting off my air.
"Ugh—" I struggled to breathe, trying to hit him in any way possible so he would let go.
-Thud-
-Thud-
-Thud-
Sadly, my meager attacks barely seemed to faze him—actually, he even seemed disappointed, shaking his head as I continued to strike him.
"Still too slow, still too predictable… What have we been doing the past few months? I thought you improved."
That line pissed me off.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE] (CLONE)
▸ Strength: 177 → 315
▸ Defense: 178 → 40
▸ Aura Projection: 0
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Total Aura (20%): 355
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Reacting on instinct, I pumped most of my stats into strength and, without hesitation—
—Whack!—
"Argh, you brat—!"
I rammed the back of my head into his nose while he kept the lock.
I felt my skull crack, but ignored it.
With that blow, I managed to make him let go immediately, and I quickly popped up
But of course, I was far from done with this fucker.
While he clutched his nose in pain, I slammed my foot on the ground and, using my momentarily enhanced strength—
—Bam!—
Blasted myself like a missile toward him. Switching my stats while at it.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE] (CLONE)
▸ Strength: 345→10
▸ Defense: 10→345
▸ Aura Projection: 0
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Total Aura (20%): 355
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
With endurance boosted and momentum built from that burst of strength, I slammed my head into his gut, folding him in half.
"Urgh—!"
After connecting, I crashed to the ground while he skidded back several meters, still on his feet but definitely having gotten his air knocked.
Then, as he recovered from the blow, I rebalanced my stats to the 170s each and quickly scrambled back to my feet. Ready for him to launch his counterattack.
"How's that?! Eh?" Seeing his pained look, a faint smirk popped up behind my mask.
He stayed quiet for a moment, rubbing the spot I'd hit. Then he said, "Yeah, you've gotten strong, brat… I guess I don't need to hold back then."
"Hold ba—?"
My question died as he vanished from view, and I felt myself being lifted, suplexed into the air.
'Oh shit.'
-Bam!-
My head slammed into the pavement crudely, and the instant he let go of the suplex, I plummeted to the ground.
This time, without a comeback, nor a way out of this.
Just like that, I was out.
I lay there, dizzy, watching Seiji stand over me with that shit-eating grin. "I made sure not to give you cerebral damage, so be grateful, brat."
Sirens and the roar of helicopters filled the air. Police cars swarmed in and choppers hovered low. I was boxed in.
Seiji glanced toward the arriving officers, then back at me, his expression sharpening. "I don't know why you did this, kid." He muttered so only I could hear. "I'm your guardian, so I'll help as much as I can… but I'm also a hero. I can't stop the law from taking its course, so be prepared to face the consequences of your actions."
I stared at him, amusedly, without saying anything.
Then, only when he seemed to be about to tell the police to come closer, I sneered mockingly, catching his attention back.
"Like I've been saying so far, you're mistaking me for someone else."
"Enough, kid. You're busted." His voice turned serious.
I laughed. "Busted? Guess you're right. This is as far as I get."
"...?"
As cops sprinted closer, I decided to end the show.
"Time to go home," I muttered.
Then—
"Kid?!" Seiji knelt beside me, eyes wide as I began to vanish, growing transparent.
I used that moment. With a last effort, I threw a punch.
-Thud!-
It landed square on his cheek, making his head snap to the side for a second.
"Take that, sucker."
Then, I slumped back to the pavement, this time truly unable to move—but still not fully out.
As Seiji stared, baffled, I grinned with what little strength I had and let out a short laugh. "I don't know who this kid you keep mistaking me with is, but I'm sure he's at home right now, being a model student."
"Huh?"
And with that, I vani—
…
°
°
°
| At home, Taka's POV: |
…
Suddenly, the memories of my clone hit me.
It was weird—confusing, disorienting. But after a minute or so, my head cleared and I managed to assimilate the flood of new knowledge.
"That damn Seiji… so that's why he wasn't home when I arrived." I smiled wryly.
I was already back at my place after today's wild adventure, having stashed all the gear from my little "show" and even having changed my clothes just in case.
Now I was reviewing the recordings I'd gotten while sheltering in my room, outside of anyone's eye.
It was good. Too good. This would be gold once I uploaded it to my channel.
Not only was the audio impressive, but I also put on a little show while playing the guitar without noticing, so the video was dynamic as well.
Add the battle of the heroes against Edgehog in the lower part of the video, and that made it even crazier!
"Hehehe, my passive earnings are gonna flare up again!" I leaned back on my chair and threw my hands in the air in celebration.
The song was new, the stunt chaotic, and considering I'd managed to piss off half the city's police force, the views were bound to blow up more than ever.
'How much am I gonna get daily now? Fifteen, twenty aura per day? Hahaha, I can't wait to see my gains skyrocket!' I grinned brightly as I imagined my future prosperity.
But of course, for that, I had to upload the video first.
So, having had enough of being lost in my fantasies, I turned on the editing program and began putting my hands to work.
After that, quite a few minutes probably passed. Ten, twenty? Maybe even thirty, I don't know really. I hadn't checked the hour when I began, so checking it now wouldn't help get the answer.
The sound of clicks, and me tapping multiple keys on my keyboard filled my otherwise silent room.
I was about halfway done by then, having edited parts where the sound weirded out a bit, and adding a few effects so it wouldn't be just a raw video of me singing.
I was just about to add a skull emoji, because that's what all edits did—but as I looked for a proper image online—
-SLAM!-
The door to my room burst open.
I closed the video faster than someone caught watching porn right away.
'Phew… that was pretty close.'
Having hidden the evidence of my crime, I turned around, keeping my face as normal as possible and slouching one arm over my chair cooly.
"Hey, what's up bitch?"
Standing in the doorway was Seiji. He looked a bit roughed up, breathing hard as if he'd just finished running a marathon.
Heh, it seemed my clone had given him some trouble.
On second thought, how did he get home so quickly?
Did he run all the way back here…?
What a psycho. There were at least five kilometers between the place my clone fought him and the house.
"Huff… huff… you…"
As he saw me sitting cooly on my chair like the proper and decent person I am, he squinted his eyes, glaring at me suspiciously.
"What?" I raised an eyebrow, as if daring him to accuse me of anything.
"..."
Right away, he went quiet, scanning me up and down like he was searching for something.
I just met his gaze unwaveringly, not wanting to lose the battle of gaslighting.
"Hah."
In the end, he huffed and gave up, grinning as he threw his hands up in defeat.
"Nothing. Just try not to watch too much porn just because I'm not home, kid."
With that, he closed the door and left.
"Son of a bitch." I scowled, feeling my mood had soured.
-Click-
But with his defeat, I could finally go back to editing the video—huh?!
Damn it, I closed the editing program without saving!
'SEIJI, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!'
...
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: How was this one? There wasn't that much progress in the story, but it was really fun to make the POV of a clone and how he perished epically before returning to the original. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite aura farm since Taka is in his baby stage of growth, and thus his clones are too. But that'll be different once his power increases, even his clones will be powerhouses compared to everyone else.)