CHAPTER 27-MALL AND CLONE
Maximus continued to go toward the mall with ease an calm look on he's face.
Ten minutes later, he arrived.
If a normal human were to cover this distance, even at full speed, it would take hours before they got here. But Maximus? He arrived in just ten minutes.
Stopping in front of the building, he scanned his surroundings.
His eyes swept over the massive structure.
Its size ranged from 50,000 to 200,000 square feet, with a third floor towering above.
"Hmm… There should be a clothing store here… and probably other useful things." Maximus muttered.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Well, while I explore this place and pick my clothes…"
A grin slowly formed on his lips.
Thinking bout he's clone
"How much of my strength can my clone inherit now?"
--
Without wasting time, Maximus summoned his first clone.
A ripple of energy spread outward—
Another him appeared.
DING!
[MP -500]
The clone stood there, unmoving.
It was identical.
Same posture, build, and height. Even the long, slightly unkempt black hair was perfectly replicated.
Curious, Maximus stepped forward.
He leaned in closer, studying its face.
"Hmm… Is this really me?"
He frowned slightly.
The jawline was sharp, the nose slightly upturned, and the eyebrows fierce—
But the eyes…
Golden—but in the center, a faint red glow flickered.
Maximus blinked.
"The hell… I can't even recognize myself."
For a moment, he just stood there, staring at his own face.
Then he sighed, shaking his head.
"Tch. Enough admiring myself—I might start liking my own reflection."
He shoved the thought aside, refocusing.
---
"Hmm… 500 MP?"
Maximus' fingers twitched.
Not bad.
But now, for the real test—
He extended his consciousness, linking to the clone.
It felt very easy because now he's soul have become powerful so
Controling it now felt… easy.
There is no resistance. No awkward delay.
He could command it like a second body.
He made the clone lift its arm—
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening shockwave erupted as the clone swung its fist forward.
CRACK!
The air shattered, the ground trembled beneath the sheer force.
Maximus narrowed his eyes.
"…100% of my physical strength?"
His smirk deepened.
This is good and it only cost 500mp.
---
Now, for the next step.
"Copy Fire Talent."
A surge of energy built up from my body—
Only to collapse inward.
DING!
[INSUFFICIENT MP!!]
Maximus frowned.
"What?"
His golden eyes darkened slightly.
His MP wasn't enough?
"When I copy talents for myself, it barely costs anything," he muttered, his brow furrowing.
He decided to try again—this time with Runner (D-Rank).
Then he's energy surged outward after the mp change to different energy only unique to him—
DING!
[MP -1,500]
His MP instantly plummeted.
[MP: 1,225 / 2,725]
Maximus clicked his tongue.
"…1,500 MP for a single D-Rank talent?"
His fingers curled slightly.
"When I copy talents for myself, the cost is almost nothing… but for a clone, it's insanely high."
His expression darkened.
This is Something to take note of.
---
Maximus controlled the clone again.
"Run."
FWOOOSH!
The clone vanished, covering several meters in an instant.
Maximus observed carefully.
"…It really works."
His smirk returned.
Not bad.
---
Now, one last test—
How many clones could he summon?
Technically, there was no fixed limit.
As long as he had enough MP, he could create as many as he wanted.
But there was another problem—his soul.
If his soul wasn't strong enough, there was a risk that some clones wouldn't obey his commands.
His gaze flickered.
I need to strengthen my soul if I want full control over more clones.
For now, he let the thought sink in the back of his mind.
Right now—
Recovering MP came first.
---
Maximus exhaled.
"Activate Bloodline."
DING!
[Activating Bloodline…]
BOOM!
A surge of energy pulsed through his body.
Strengthening he's mp recovery in the sorrounding mana continue to surge towards invisible in the naked eye
His MP regeneration skyrocketed—10x faster.
A smirk crept onto his lips.
While he's mp is recovering.
Maximus walked toward the mall.
The glass windows were shattered, leaving jagged edges clinging to the frames. Inside, ruins and debris covered the floor.
"This place didn't have it good, huh…" he muttered.
It wasn't surprising. In an apocalypse, malls were the first to be raided. Food, supplies, clothes—everything would have been taken by desperate survivors.
He proceeded forward, stepping carefully over broken glass and scattered remains of what once were fully stocked shelves.
---
Minutes later, he spotted it—a sportswear clothing store.
He walked inside.
The shelves were still lined with clothes, though many had been pulled down and lay scattered across the floor. Crumpled shirts and pants were strewn about, a clear sign that people had already looted this place.
"Looks like others had the same idea," he muttered.
Ignoring the mess, he began searching.
---
Ten minutes later—
Maximus finished picking out his clothes but didn't put them on just yet.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward the bathroom.
He see earlier so he go towards it
---
Earlier, he had sensed movement in that direction.
But now?
Silence.
Some zombies had already fled, reacting to his overwhelming aura. The rest—those trapped inside—had been eliminated by his clones.
With that in mind, he walked in.
The sound of the shower turning on could be heard
--
Then the sound of water filled the air.
Droplets splashed against his skin, washing away the grime and blood from his past battles.
The apocalypse was relentless, but in this moment, at least, he could feel a brief sense of freshness.