One piece: I am Ragnarök

[Pind_Ala]

In a place utterly void of everything, where neither time nor matter had any right to exist, two absolute beings faced each other once again.

UUMMMMM!

UUUMMM!

They clashed! It was a collision of such absurd, overwhelming magnitude that raw noise was somehow produced in a perfect vacuum environment. How much time passed in this endless brawl? A century? An eon? It was impossible to tell before they were forcefully stopped by the absolute Will that governed them both.

Now, seated across from one another at a grand table, one could see visible sparks of pure animosity flying between their eyes. (╬ Ò﹏Ó)

"Stop it. You are not permitted to fight again," a booming voice echoed, absolute and infinitely tired.

"But-!"

"I will hear no excuses! Because of this petty conflict between you, your subordinates are clashing in every space-time continuum! I created you so you could handle a fraction of my workload, and here you are, behaving exactly like mortals. Why can't you learn from your younger siblings...?"

The Great Will sighed, sinking into himself. He had already lost all hope of making these two behave. The last thing he could do was divert their attention and hope for the best.

"Take this decree! From now on, you may compete in different things, but you are never allowed to fight directly. Disperse now!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Creation and Destruction.

Both proclaimed themselves supreme. Second only to their Creator, neither was willing to back down. Until now, they had fought endless wars over this belief. Their first few million clashes alone had destroyed uncountable space-times, leading to them being banished into this empty void where they simply continued fighting... at least, until just a few moments ago.

Now, prohibited from raising their fists, they started competing with each other in various other ways. (ง'̀-'́)ง

Their first idea was simple: use mortal creations to somehow gain victory over the other. But nothing worked. Perhaps it was the unwritten rule from their Creator that they could never surpass and never truly defeat each other.

This led them to a new game. They would choose their mortal warriors and let them gain honor from their victories.

But sadly, even this somehow evened out. It was a matter of logistics. If a warrior from Creation's side won a battle, he would mostly settle down and become a guardian of that realm. However, if a warrior from Destruction's side won, he would always move on to destroy the next place. Therefore, even though Creation gained more overall victors and saved more worlds, he simply could not suppress Destruction's relentless momentum.

It was a deadlock. They tried to solve it in all types of ways, but nothing worked. They even orchestrated massive cosmic Royal Rumbles, but those always ended in frustrating ties or with variables that neither god was satisfied with. (￣︿￣)

After an unknown amount of time, the hostility faded into something else. Their discussions shifted. Through their endless proxies and games, they began to understand everything. They even began to understand each other.

"Let us change the rules," Destruction grinned, leaning across the table. "You will choose a warrior this time, and I will choose a world. Let's see if your chosen champion can destroy my world."

Creation narrowed his eyes and agreed.

He immediately stopped all his senses. This was how they had been choosing warriors until now - using only raw intent to blindly pick their mortal representatives. Normally, when picked in such a way, they always ended up choosing the strongest being in a world with the whose ideals aligned with them. But because the world itself was chosen at random, that single variable was the core of the game. Who knows if in a random world, 'good' was fundamentally stronger, or if 'evil' was stronger? That was the thrill of the gamble.

But now, going for the total opposite? Even for Creation, this was hard.

He reached his intent out into a random universe. His hand subconsciously brushed against the soul of a woman, but he hurriedly pulled away! Under normal circumstances, she would have been his most ideal pick, aligning perfectly with his thoughts of purity and creation. But now, he needed the opposite.

However, he couldn't pick the total opposite. He realized the trap Destruction had set: although Creation was choosing the warrior, if his chosen person actually won and completely destroyed the selected universe, the loss would technically be Creation's!

I cannot pick a monster, Creation thought to himself. I must find someone who is evil, yes... but not from nature. From need.

He reached out again. His intent swept across the stars until he found a peculiar planet called Earth. A man was picked.

Across the cosmic table, Destruction chuckled. He had also chosen his stage in the similar way, hoping for something strong but not impossible. The One Piece World. (✧ω✧)

They waited. In the void, time was a mere suggestion.

"It will take some time before his mortal karma runs out and we can actually start our game," Creation noted, watching the Earth man's soul flicker in the mortal realm.

"Looks like it," Destruction replied casually.

A long silence stretched between them.

"How about we choose powers, too?" Destruction suddenly suggested.

Creation raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"The world I chose is a bit... hard. Your guy might not be able to survive in it without one, let alone attempt to destroy it."

Destruction tapped his fingers on the table. While choosing the One Piece world, his intent was correct. The evil-good ratio of the planet was almost 70-30. But, as he looked closer, he realized that a very select few individuals drove that entire one-side. While the game was supposed to judge the overall power of the world, it turned out that only a handful of mortals at the very top held all the true strength. The Earth man would be crushed instantly if found by those at start.

"Fair point," Creation nodded, seeing the logic.

"But we will choose only one power, and it must be forged with both our sides."

"Okay. So we have to create something completely new again."

"Old style?" Creation asked.

"Old style," Destruction agreed. (⌐■_■)

The "Old Style" rules were strict. They would choose a power at random, infuse it with both the attributes of Creation and Destruction, and add one limiting clause from both sides. Lastly, To make it suitable for specific game, add a condition based on it: in current scenario, the power given to the chosen warrior must have a direct counter... and that counter will be the world itself.

Lastly, to keep things fair, the power had to be degraded. Very, very much.

Their cosmic intents intertwined, creating a huge pool of cards from which one was pulled.

"Cloning!"

"Cloning!"

 

[Pind_Ala]

Krito.

An average young man with a surprisingly cheerful personality.

Growing up, he lost his family early on, becoming a tragic orphan. But, his parents had left him quite well-off. A bright, comfortable future seemed totally guaranteed for him... that was, until his own relatives grew greedy over his parents' property! (╬ Ò﹏Ó)

First, they schemed to "help" him by gaining him admission into a distant boarding school. He studied there for years, entirely oblivious to their plot. But when he finally finished his studies and went back, his home was there no more!

His relatives had sold everything, including their own properties, and shifted to another country entirely!

Seeking help from the authorities was utterly futile. The forged documents were airtight against him, and the other side did not hesitate to use the supreme power of money to silence any objections. There was no help to be found.

This betrayal left him broken.

With no money and no home, the once-cheerful boy ended up on the freezing streets as a beggar. From those very gutters, he got recruited into a local street gang, slowly getting dragged into all kinds of illicit businesses.

His whole life became one singular word: Struggle. (ง'̀-'́)ง

Growing up in the underworld, he became a charismatic leader, keeping twenty-some sworn brothers with him. Eventually, he joined under a corrupt politician and lived the rest of his life comfortably doing the man's dirty work.

He never got married. He never deemed himself worthy of starting a family after he had personally destroyed so many others.

Finally, in a violent dispute, he got shot and killed.

Such a person, a pragmatic survivor of the streets... if you asked him right now, "Have you seen Anime?" His answer would undoubtedly be: "You mean cartoons? I did use to watch Tom and Jerry when I was little." (￣ー￣)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Waking up in a completely unfamiliar environment, Krito was momentarily surprised, but not for long, as instructions started pouring directly into his brain! These instructions were meticulously tailored for him, helping him understand his task and giving him the exact motivation to strive towards it.

"You, mortal, have sinned your entire life. But the God is benevolent; He is giving you another chance!"

Krito was already kneeling by now. (O_O) He truly thought he was in the presence of some divine entity—which, indeed, he was.

"This is a sinful world deemed a failure, and you are our selected warrior. Now, the only way to gain salvation is if you destroy this world."

"Use the power bestowed upon you and destroy everything in sight. Until the world is devoid of any life."

"Yes," Krito muttered, bowing his head.

He kept kneeling there for half an hour more in the quiet forest. He was thinking deeply. Was it really worth it or not? Should he blindly go for this so-called salvation, or willingly repent for his sins in the hell?

But then, a dark thought struck him. "Maybe... this is hell itself," he pondered aloud. "And me killing children and the unborn in this place, and then having to live with that crushing burden... is a way for me to repent."

Standing up, he took in the grand sight before him. There were tall, majestic trees everywhere, with plenty of warm sunlight falling onto him in the small clearing. "This hell is not bad looking at all."

[Cloning System has arrived.]

"What was that?" Suddenly hearing a strange, cold metallic voice, he backed away a little, surveying his lush surroundings warily. (＠_＠)

[I am the power bestowed upon you.]

[Start destroying now.]

The sound returned again, and this time Krito finally understood that it was echoing directly in his head. He rubbed his temples. Although he could understand what it said, it didn't make much sense to him.

"Where is the power?"

[Start destroying now.]

The exact same thing repeated again!

"Destroy!! Will destroying my surroundings work? Let's try."

He moved up to a thick, wild shrub. Holding its base with both hands, he started exerting his strength. HHHUUUHHHH! (≧Д≦)

Only after putting his entire body weight behind it did it finally get pulled out with a loud snap, making him fall hard on his butt.

[+0.04]

Sitting in the dirt while panting heavily, he could not believe a simple plant was so ridiculously difficult to pull. It was then that he looked down at his hands and legs and noticed that he was in his teens now.

"Oh, I was too skinny in my teens. No wonder I cannot pull a simple plant."

He appeared to be around 16 years old, although he could not judge accurately without a mirror. Tossing the ruined plant aside, he stood up again.

"Hey, what was that number that just flashed?"

[Collect 1 point]

This time a blue message appeared in the same place the number has flashed before in his vision.

"One point? So, the shrub only amounts to a fraction of a point. Anyway, I just confirmed that I am on the right track." Then he looked at the towering, ancient trees near him. "If only I can destroy them somehow..."

Shaking his head, he started thinking more clearly.

"I need fire."

But he had never done anything as bothersome as igniting a fire from scratch in the wilderness. And would fire even work in this damp, green forest? He heavily doubted it.

Not letting his thoughts wander any further, he started aggressively destroying everything he could.

He stomped on patches of vibrant wild mushrooms, forcefully snapped low-hanging twigs off their trunks, peeled bark off young saplings, and ripped handfuls of tough grass right out of the soil. He even found a small patch of blooming wild vines and ruthlessly tore them to shreds. Half an hour passed in an exhausting, sweaty blur of petty vandalism.

Suddenly, his eyes locked onto the ground.

"Oh. Ants."

A wicked, childish smile spread across his face.

"Let's kill them." ()

Raising his foot high, he started stomping furiously. Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

But these were no ordinary ants, they started climbing him. Although he tried to retaliate, One of the surviving red ants after reaching his ankle delivered a vicious, agonizing bite.

"YEOUCH!" (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

Krito yelped in pure shock, flailing his arms wildly. He hopped backward on one foot, completely lost his footing on a slippery mossy root, and face-planted straight into dirt.

After picking himself up and cursing his own pathetic weakness, he stubbornly kept doing his petty deforestation after exterminating the whole colony until, finally, a bell rang in his mind.

[1 Point collected]

A glowing status screen materialized in the air before his eyes:

[Name: Krito]

[Power: Earthling]

[Points: 1]

[Actions]

[Consume 1 point to summon clone of Earthling power level]


____________________________________

[Points collected: 1]

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[Author note: Only in this chapter, did the system spoke it will not do it in any other.
The ding will only head occasionally not every time.
Lastly, since this story will have heavy numbers. I will be writing them at end. To help keep track of changes.]

___________________________________

Check out my original work

 

[Pind_Ala]

"How much time has passed? An hour? I can't even tell," Krito muttered in the quiet forest.

He sat heavily on a jagged rock, staring down at his hands. There were small, bleeding scratches all over his palms and knuckles from his frantic war against the shrubbery. But for a man who had clawed his way up from the streets, this much pain was nothing.

He looked back up at the glowing interface lingering in the air in front of him. "So, how exactly does this work?"

Clearing his throat, he tried calling out to the system. "Summon the clone!"

...

Nothing happened. (￣ー￣)

The forest remained completely silent, save for the rustling of the leaves.

"How about touching it?" Krito wondered, reaching his hand out to press the glowing text.

[Consumed 1 point]

Suddenly, something did happen! A figure stepped out from behind him, moving so naturally it was as if he had been standing there since the very beginning.

The figure was an average young man clad in the exact same clothes, possessing no special aura whatsoever. But that face... it was Krito's face! There was no doubt about it.

"So, you are my clone," Krito observed, walking a slow circle around the duplicate.

"Can you speak? Hello?"

[Notification triggered]

A barrage of new text flooded his vision:

[Clones are identical in appearance, and their power is strictly based on how many points you invest to summon them.]

[They cannot talk.]

[There is a limit to how far they can wander from you.]

[They will follow all your commands without any hesitation.]

[Remember this: since Clones are created by the points you earn through destruction, if they are killed, the actions you did to gain those points will be reverted. Meaning, the ants you killed will be revived if the clone is killed, and they will remember that you killed them.]

"Oooookay..." Krito dragged out the word, his mind racing. He finally understood the fundamental mechanics and reverting of his destruction... perhaps this was related to the world fighting back against him, actively preventing him from gaining his salvation!

"You, clone. Go and destroy all that you can," Krito ordered, pointing toward the brush.

The mute clone simply nodded and marched off into the thicket.

Krito watched from his rock as his silent double approached a particularly stubborn, thick-rooted wild shrub which he has left behind deliberately.

The clone grabbed the base and pulled. And pulled! His face turned completely red, veins bulging on his forehead, but the plant didn't budge an inch. Suddenly, the clone's grip slipped, sending him tumbling backward into the dirt, legs flailing comically in the air!

"Pfft—BWAHAHAHA!" Krito burst into roaring laughter, holding his stomach. (≧▽≦)

"Is that seriously how weak I look?! Pathetic!"

Wiping a tear from his eye, Krito stood up and strolled over to his struggling copy. "Alright, alright, get up. Let the original show you how it's done. On three!"

Together, the two Kritos grabbed the thick roots and heaved, finally snapping the stubborn plant out of the earth!

Time passed in a blur of synchronized vandalism. Except for the massive, towering trees which their puny teenage bodies simply could not tackle, they successfully cleared an area of at most one hundred square meters.

"Killing all those bugs and insects... having a clone really is incredibly handy," Krito panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "But without the lucky boost of an ant hill, it took way more time, despite us being two people."

Finally, the wait was over.

With a click, a new clone could be summoned!

He pointed at the fresh copy. "You! New clone! Go and check if there is any water source nearby. I am getting thirsty."

The second clone nodded blankly and vanished into the trees, while Krito and the first clone returned to their grueling deforestation work.

After ten agonizingly long minutes, the new clone returned. But he was not alone! Coiled tightly around his right hand, sinking its fangs deep into the flesh, was a vicious, foot-long green snake! (O_O)

"What the fuck!" Krito hurriedly scrambled backward, distancing himself.

"Your arm is already changing color! Are you not feeling anything?! Damn it, he could not even talk!" Seething with frustration at the mute idiot, Krito barked at the first clone. "Kill that snake! Now!"

The first clone immediately snatched up a heavy, jagged rock from the ground and without a shred of hesitation, he rushed over and smashed the rock brutally down onto the snake's head! CRACK!

Hurting the other clone in the process.

However, The snake writhed and went limp, killed on the first shot. But it has left behind the swealing forearm with a ting of purple.

[+0.5 Points]

"Half a point for one snake?!" Krito's eyes widened. "These clones... they really are meant for killing, and killing gives a lot more points too! Damn, I should change my ways. Deforestation is way too time-consuming, even if I attempt to destroy the trees." But the scene in front of him was getting exceedingly bloody.

"Hey, you're going to die from that poison," Krito ordered the bitten clone. "Use that rock and completely crush your arm off. Maybe it will stop the poison from spreading so you can stay alive for a while longer!"

It was a brutal, sickening sight. but, Krito watched it whole as blood gushed everywhere while the poisoned clone, with the active help of the first clone, used the sharp edge of the stone to gruesomely sever the infected arm at the elbow.

"Okay, wrap your shirt around it and lead me to the water before you bleed out," Krito instructed thoughtfully, his pragmatic underworld mentality was already taking over. "And don't let a single drop of your blood fall into the water when we arrive there. I need to drink it."

Walking for five minutes through the brush, they soon stood at the bay of a clear, bubbling stream. "It was so near..." Krito face-palmed. (－‸ლ)

"I really am stupid, doing everything without thinking first." He blamed his own poor decision-making on focusing entirely on destroying plants instead of scouting his surroundings first.

Cautious now, he ordered the first clone to carefully poke around the stream to see if there were any similar snakes hiding in the shallows before he dared to take a drink.

"Haa... well, now for food, we have a dead snake," Krito mused. "But I also need fire--"

AAUUUOOOO!

A chilling howl tore through the forest, freezing Krito's blood. "Wolves!"

Bursting from the tree line, a pack of beasts appeared! Three of them were already charging at full speed, while two more trailed menacingly behind.

Survival instincts kicked in instantly. Krito pointed his clones. "You! First, protect me! Second, it's you who invited them with your blood scent. Go sacrifice yourself and kill one or two of them!"

The one-armed clone didn't hesitate. Gripping a rock in his remaining hand, he let out a silent roar and threw himself directly into the jaws of the leading wolves!

A wolf clamped its jaws onto the clone's shoulder, while the clone viciously bashed the rock into the beast's skull, shattering it after a minute!

Meanwhile, the second wolf was already biting into his side, tearing his flesh, almost killing it, when the dying clone drove the jagged edge of the stone deep into its neck! The clone and the two wolves collapsed into a bloody heap, dead.

On the other hand, the first clone tackle the third charging wolf, wrestling the snarling beast into the dirt in a desperate grapple. But that left the two trailing wolves, who completely ignored the clones and locked their hungry eyes entirely on the original Krito! (╬ Ò﹏Ó)

He frantically pulled up the interface, just now he had gained 1.4 points from two wolfs death and the 0.6 he had before. It allowed him to summon two more clones.

"Both of you, kill them!"

A brutal brawl erupted. The clones fought like madmen, utterly devoid of fear or pain. Punches, kicks, and jagged rocks flew. Eventually, all five wolves lay dead in the mud. But the cost was also high. The first clone, who had heroically wrestled the third wolf, had his entire right hand completely bitten off. One of the newly summoned clones had also lost his leg to the snapping jaws.

While, Krito who has stood nearby only watching, nodded in satisfaction and with the point boost from the wolves, he immediately summoned two more fresh clones.

________________________________

[Points collected: 6] (This is total number of points Krito ever collected)

[Points reverted: 1] (This is the total number of points he ever lost. There is only one way to lost points and that is if a summoned clone is killed.)

_______________________________

[Author Note: I will update the daily chapter around this time. The extra chapter can come at any time though.
If you want to read ahead of schedule, you can visit my patreon. I will not put this fanfic behind any paywall. https://www.patreon.com/c/unpaid13]

 

[Pind_Ala]

"You two. Grab a carcass," Krito ordered, gesturing toward the bloody wolf remains. "We are heading back."

He didn't even spare a backward glance at his one-legged clone bleeding out on the ground. His parting instructions were simple: "Stay here. Keep destroying everything you can until you bleed to death."

There was no hesitation in his voice. Even though they had awkwardly tied a ripped piece of fabric around the stump to stem the bleeding, the crippled duplicate was a goner. Carrying dead weight has no reason if he can do the same work here.

However, upon strolling back into their cleared base camp, Krito froze. before rubbed his eyes. (눈_눈)

The shattered branches, the violently stomped flowers, and the uprooted grass, everything that was destroyed to summon that second clone was magically back! It was as if, it was never destroyed in the first place.

The world has already healed its wounds!

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Time passed.

GRRRRRRR...

"Shut up, I know," Krito grumbled, clutching his violently rumbling stomach. "Don't look at me like that. I didn't give a command, that was just my belly."

He slumped back against a sun-warmed stone, watching his eight identical copies work tirelessly. Including the crippled one left by the stream, his little gang now numbered nine.

Roughly four hours had dragged by since the wolf skirmish. In that time, Krito had tried to hunt for animals, but he only managed to spot a few wild rabbits and a deer, all of which ran terrifyingly fast upon seeing his gang.

Ultimately, his clones only managed to find a few insect nests, such as ants, wasps, and beetles. which they destroyed mercilessly.

Moreover, Krito had to make sure he did not wander too far, lest finding the water source again became a fatal problem.

He had originally tried to simply travel alongside the water's path, but he lost track of the stream after a mere hundred meters. The water was traveling deep underground, only surfacing for that small, isolated distance where his clone had luckily, and maliciously found it.

Therefore, he settled back in his original clearing, ordering the clones to clear the surrounding vegetation again. It wasn't like he was on some tight schedule. He had all the time in the world to spread the destruction.

Furthermore, instead of wandering blindly and attracting a powerful carnivore, it was far better to lay low and quietly gather more strength.

But a glaring problem had arisen. He was starving.

A fresh, skinned wolf carcass hung from a thick tree branch nearby, completely cleaned and ready to roast. but there was no sight of fire.

Only a few sticks and stones lying over a bunch of dry leaves could be seen, mocking his futile attempts.

"I can't go on like this!" Krito threw his arms around in a fit of rage. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Then, an epiphany struck him. "Hey, you! Clone, get over here."

He hadn't pointed, yet one specific clone instantly dropped a handful of weeds and marched dutifully over. "Start a fire," Krito commanded, crossing his arms with a deeply skeptical sneer. "Let's see if a mindless copy can do what I, the glorious boss, failed at."

The clone knelt wordlessly. Calmly picking up the stick Krito had thrown before, positioned it with precision, and gave his hands a rapid twist.

STTRR... FWOOSH! Within three seconds, a warm, inviting fire steadily crackled to life.

Krito stared at the flames, his jaw slightly open. The clone didn't even look smug; he just stared blankly at the fire. "What the... oh, right," Krito mumbled, his pride taking a swift kick to the gut. "Fine. If you're such a genius, start cooking for me."

The clone offered a stiff nod and immediately got to work roasting the meat.

An hour later, Krito leaned back, rubbing his swollen belly with a massive burp. "Ahhaa! It was horribly bland without salt, but definitely not bad." He had wolfed down nearly a fifth of the beast. He glanced up at the clone, who was standing obediently by the crackling flames like a bizarre statue.

"You are good," Krito declared with a grand, magnanimous wave. "I officially bestow upon you the title of Chef!" The clone simply nodded.

"Still just the nod," Krito groaned, slapping his forehead. (꒪⌓꒪)

"You guys are killing me. When I finally venture out and start slaughtering humans or whatever runs this world, I am definitely keeping a few alive for company. I'm going to die of sheer boredom otherwise!"

Chattering to himself, he mentally pulled up his interface to check the progress in the meantime. "Three points?!"

"Hey! Did you guys kill something?!"

Right on cue, one of the distant clones emerged from the bushes. He walked up and casually tossed a pair of massive, dead snakes at Krito's feet, like a cat bringing its owner a dead mouse. "Uh... well done. Back to work," Krito shooed him away, side-stepping the corpses.

With three points in the bank, Krito didn't hesitate and new clones simultaneously.

DING! A blinding, golden light suddenly erupted across his vision! (✧Д✧)

[Number of clones has reached a threshold!]

[Power level increasing!]

[New Action unlocking!]

"What?!" Krito scrambled upright, calling up his full status panel in sheer bewilderment.

[Name: Krito]

[Power: Native]

[Points: 0.2]

[Actions]

[Consume 1 point to summon clone of Earthling power level]
[Consume 10 points to summon clone of Native power level]

"Huh. So did I become stronger?!" Krito bounced lightly on his toes, throwing a flurry of quick, aggressive jabs into the air and flexing his scrawny teenage biceps. He fully expected to feel an explosive surge of superhuman energy! but there was no change.

[Notification triggered] [

Natives are not physically stronger than Earthlings. But they are vastly more durable and significantly harder to kill. Being a Native allows your body to train in and withstand powers exclusive to this specific world.]

[Note this warning: Your power level strictly depends on the total number of active clones, not the quality of the clones. If, by any means, your number of active clones is reduced below the threshold, your power will instantly decrease back to Earthling.]

Reading the floating text, Krito slowly lowered his fists, feeling a bit silly. "So I am just harder to kill now. Sweet." He eyed the intimidating new summoning option. "Ten points for a Native clone? That's expensive... but why not? I just need to farm more."

Revitalized by his sudden level-up, he decided to go get a drink.

Along the way to the stream, he noticed his one-legged clone was still dragging himself through the mud, faithfully ripping up stubborn weeds. It was both inspiring and incredibly depressing to watch.

Reaching the water, Krito awkwardly cupped his hands to drink, splashing half of the freezing stream down his shirt. "Drinking like this is so annoying," he spat, wiping his chin.

But, then his eyes widened with a brilliant idea. () "Wait! If a clone can start a fire... I can command them to build things! We don't have to live like cavemen!"

He sprinted back to the clearing, whistling sharply to call all eleven identical faces to attention. "Stop pulling weeds! We are entering the stone age. Start crafting tools!"

He needed weapons for defense, but most importantly, he needed a sturdy wooden bucket with a lid! If they could carry water, he would no longer be tethered to this tiny clearing and march out to find a settlement, and finally begin his grand carnage as the Warrior of Destruction! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

The clones moved with synchronization. Several marched straight to the surrounding trees, wrapping their arms around thick deadwood branches. Working seamlessly in pairs, they hung completely off the wood, using their body weight to violently snap the timber free with loud CRACKS.

Meanwhile, the others scoured the dirt for sharp, jagged stones. Taking the freshly harvested wood, the clones sat in a neat circle and began meticulously chipping away. They worked tirelessly, completely unfazed as their hands blistered and bled, scraping raw stone against rough bark.

One clone methodically sharpened the tip of a long pole against a rock, crafting a lethal wooden spear. Another utilized tough vines to lash a heavy, wedge-shaped stone to a thick handle, creating a brutally effective axe. A third chipped a piece of flint until it possessed a razor-sharp edge, fashioning a basic hunting knife.

Finally, four clones huddled together. Using their new stone tools, they began the slow, arduous process of hollowing out a thick log to forge the ultimate prize: a bucket.

Krito returned to his comfortable rock, leaning back with a wildly satisfied smirk. He watched his mindless army arm themselves, feeling like a true mob boss.

________________________________

[Points collected: 13]

[Points reverted: 1]

[Current Clones: 12]

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you can find the next chapter on my patreon. /unpaid13

 

[Pind_Ala]

Krito marched through the dense forest, flanked by his identical clone gang.

Walking right beside him was a single clone, struggling to carry two massive wooden buckets. Or, at least, they were supposed to be buckets.

They were just thick tree trunks hollowed out with crude stone axes! It had taken the clone gang three full hours to chop and carve them. The funny part? The overly heavy logs weighed a ton, yet they could barely carry a few cups of water inside! (￣◇￣

But with the water problem technically solved, Krito was finally traveling. He followed the path where he assumed the underground stream flowed, desperately hoping to find human civilization. However, there was no sign of water, and definitely no sign of humans.

ROAR!

The sudden shockwave made the leaves violently shake.

"A tiger?!" Krito shouted in surprise.

A massive, striped beast burst from the bushes! The clone gang did not hesitate. Gripping their newly crafted wooden spears, they charged straight at the giant cat.

It was a bloody, chaotic brawl! The tiger was absurdly durable. Even with spears stabbing into its sides and blood flowing all over its fur, it kept fighting like a demon! A swipe of its massive paw sent two clones flying into a tree, killing them instantly. The beast bit the head off a third and crushed a fourth under its weight before the remaining clones finally pinned it down and stabbed it to death.

When the dust settled, two surviving clones were heavily injured. One laid on the ground with a broken leg, while the other had three deep claw marks slashed across his face, sealing one of his eyes shut with blood.

"Ohh. That was bad," Krito hissed, checking his system interface. "Four guys got killed, but I only got +2.3 points?! It's a total loss and power level is back to Earthling!"

He aggressively rubbed his head. "Haa... if only they had iron weapons. Maybe only one would have died."

Sighing, he walked up to inspect the dead tiger. It was a massive beast, way bigger than the fancy animal rugs he had seen in the politician's house in his last life.

Even dead, it released a scary, invisible aura that made it hard for Krito to approach. But he had been a tough man in his past life! So what if he was stuck in a weak teenage body now?

"A dead beast cannot intimidate me!" Krito puffed out his chest and confidently placed his foot right on the tiger's face. His sour mood lifted a little. (¯▿¯)

"You guys, cut its tender parts to save for dinner," he ordered the standing clones. "Upgrade your spears with its teeth. Lastly, I want its hide. It will be an excellent trophy!" He waved his hand at the rest of the forest. "Start destroying the surroundings in the meantime."

The clones got to work. As usual, Krito found a comfortable stone to sit on and relax. Using the 2.3 points he just claimed, he immediately summoned two more clones, safely bringing his power up to the Native level once again.

The sun was already starting to go down. He had to find a settlement soon, or he would be sleeping out in the open forest. After half an hour, they were on the move again, leaving the clone with the broken leg behind.

After moving for a short while, Krito noticed a sudden drop in his body's durability. His power had fallen to Earthling again! "The wolves must have resurrected," Krito muttered.

The crippled clone he had left by the steam earlier must have died. He shook his head and continued on his way.

The journey continued into the night. A few more wild animals attacked from the shadows, but nothing as serious as the tiger. The sun fully set, and a bright moon became clearly visible in the sky. Yet, there was no sight of any establishment. Not even a faraway torchlight.

[Notification triggered]

[One of your clones has left your area of influence. If it does not return inside after ten minutes, it will go into hibernation mode.]

[The area of influence is related to your power level. The first two tiers, Earthling and Native, possess a 2-kilometer area of influence. Clones can hear your commands in this distance and can only stay active in this area.]

[Hibernation is a stage triggered when a clone leaves the area of influence for more than ten minutes. It stops listening to your commands and buries itself underground, only waking when it is back in the area. During hibernation, your active clone count will decrease, leading you to fall in power. But the advantage is that the clone starts healing during hibernation.]

Krito was walking calmly when the notification popped up, Making him stopped dead in his tracks.

He stood there, staring blankly at the floating text for ten solid minutes, trying to process the complex rules. (ಠ_ಠ)

"Damn." Krito finally groaned. This power or system was airtight. "This thing... it's very thoroughly thought out. Meaning I can't ever try to outsmart this, huh? As expected of a power bestowed by a god."

He continued walking, leaving a highly sarcastic whisper behind, "God, you are great."

His grand realization also came with a depressing fact. If the notification triggered just now for the clone with the broken leg, it meant Krito had only walked a pathetic two kilometers from where they hunted the tiger! And maybe three kilometers in total from the original clearing!

Walking a bit more, a cool, salty breeze suddenly graced his face. He pushed past the trees, and a huge body of water came into sight under the moonlight.

"Ocean?" Krito blinked.

"Am I on an island, or is this just a coastal area?" He asked the question aloud, but there was no answer, leading him to only gaze quietly at the moon above.

"Let's set up camp here. Start a fire and prepare a meal," Krito ordered, sitting down on the grassy cliff.

"And you, bring that bucket here. Let me have a sip of water." He drank from the cup created along with 'bucket'.

"I really am tired."

He looked around. Along the way, his gang had collected five more points, suffering only minor injuries. So, standing before him on the cliff, illuminated by the fire, were exactly thirteen clones!

Only two were currently working to cook the tiger meat. "One of you, make a bed of leaves for me," Krito ordered, pointing around.

"One of you, start improving our tools, and I want a chair! Create it somehow. The rest of you, start destroying the brush, but keep the noise low." He then thought of something and pointed down the steep cliff toward the ocean. "Right, find a way to go down there and see if you can create salt."

Everyone started working silently. Krito sat on the cliff, facing the endless sea. Despite being entirely surrounded by identical faces, a strange feeling hit him. He wondered if this was really a good power, because he felt incredibly lonely.

The next morning.

SQUAWK!

Krito jolted awake at the sharp cry of a seagull.

He rubbed his eyes, looking toward the wooden block his clone had failed to carve into a proper chair.

He was completely startled! Standing casually on the block of wood was a large, professional-looking white bird. It was wearing a tiny pilot's hat, carrying a leather messenger pouch around its neck, and staring directly at Krito like it was waiting to get paid! (＃￣0￣)

_____________________________________

[Points collected: 20]

[Points reverted: 5]

[Current Clones: 13/14] (Total number of clones is 14 but one is in hibernation. You can say inactive.)