Chapter 11 [Possession]
A Moment Earlier
…
Serathul Village: A medium-sized village fortified with walls of monster bones, wood, and iron, surrounding the entire settlement. Flanked by a river, vegetable and fruit fields, and livestock farms, it boasts a bustling market and an adventurers' guild, serving as a mid-tier hub for those heading to mid-level dungeons or farming in mid-level forests.
Despite its crowds, it's still a medium-sized village because the resident population isn't large. The bustle comes from constant merchants and adventurers passing through to trade, take quests, hire help, restock, or craft weapons and armor.
It's a stroke of luck, plus my good deeds, that I get to start a new life here without starting from zero. (Well, my truly fake self is still stuck over there, isn't it?)
After resolving the situation with Triss's parents, Triss (me) requested rest after an exhausting night of travel. I'm now in a room Triss's mother lovingly cleaned for her daughter, gone for 25 years… If she were alive, she'd be around 40 now. Maybe with kids of her own…
Enough drama. While that body's held captive, it's midday. Time to level up skills and test something new, everyone! Hehe!
[Status CurseHBless]
Name: Geng, Male, Age: 8, LV.2 15%, SLV.2 15%
Stats (18990)
Str: 20000, Vit: 20000, Wis: 20000, Mag: 20000, Agi: 20000, Dex: 20000
Sub-Stats
Atk: 6000, Matk: 5000, Def: 5000, Mdef: 5000, Flee: 5000, Mflee: 3000, Hit: 5000, Mhit: 3000, Regen: 1000, Mregen: 1000
HP: 100110/100110, MP: 60025/60025
All upgraded!
Skills (1525)
[Item Box] 305
[Doppelganger] 500
[Perfect Shapeshift] 500
[Possession] 500
[Overlimit] 500[Hawk Eye] 10, [Wolf Nose] 10, [Focus] 10, [Stealth] 10
(Got Triss's skills too? Alright, let's upgrade all skills to 10 for now. But this means if I transform randomly, my skill list is gonna explode!!!)
Curses: 5
Blessings: 5
[Status CurseHBless]
Flop.
"Mmm, the sweet scent of Mom…"
Triss (me) wriggles, snuggling the pillow, drifting close to sleep…
Zooming into the body, passing dimensional layers. I find my true self standing in an open space where time seems frozen, yet I can control its flow in my mind. From here, I can manipulate the possessed body and simultaneously control the clones I've created. (Sounds layered, but trust me, friends, it's way easier than it seems!)
Alright, how do I explain this?
Let's talk about [Possession] in Triss's body. Normally, [Possession] is like hiding in someone's shadow or an object. At higher levels, it's like being a parasite, borrowing their senses to perceive the world (without controlling them). But now? It's like I'm in a whole other dimension—or another world. I can exist here, do anything, and the space stretches endlessly. I can go anywhere in this dimension just by thinking. It's not quite a dream, nor fully reality… Must be because I upgraded [Possession] to Overlimit. Something weird's happening with this skill!
This Overlimit [Possession] lets me freely control the host's body and thoughts, though it's slightly different in a way I can't explain. Let's focus on this dimensional space for now.
If this dimension is so perfect in space and time—almost paradise—combining it with [Item Box], [Perfect Transformation], and [Doppelganger] could let me build an empire where I'm the only god in this realm. I could send fake clones to handle the outside world!
Alright, what I really want to try now is something many of us wondered while watching anime with clone-creating characters: those clothes the clones copy—can you take them off and use them separately?!
[Doppelganger]
Triss 1: 10% (with Skill LV10)
Triss 2: 100% (with Skill LV20)
Triss 3: 100% (with Skill LV40)
Triss 4: 1000% (with Skill LV500)
Poof, poof, poof!
That's right, everyone! Four Trisses in simple villager clothes, exactly as I'd seen and touched.
Strip!!… Wait, I'm not that pervy! Just testing something. And Triss is basically me now, so it's safe!!!
Rustle, rustle
All four Trisses stripped to their underwear and tossed their clothes aside.
Triss 1 Villager Shirt: +Defense 0.1
Triss 2 Villager Shirt: +Defense 1
Triss 3 Villager Shirt: +Defense 1
Triss 4 Villager Shirt: +Defense 10
As expected! Even items from clones have stats based on %.
Original shirt defense is 1, so at 1000%, it's 10…
After a moment, Triss 1's clothes needed MP to stay… When I didn't pay MP, they—
Poof!
Vanished.
As I thought… But Triss 1's body, still getting MP, stayed fine.
A while later, Triss 2's clothes needed MP too. I paid MP, but it cost as much as summoning another clone at that level. Then—
Poof, poof!
Both Triss 2's body and clothes vanished?! Basically, since 100% is the max at LV.20, maintaining both body and clothes exceeded the limit, canceling the skill.
For Triss 3, when the clothes needed MP, I could pay to maintain them, choosing a minimum of 1% (better than clones' 5% minimum). But the initial stats weakened to match the chosen %, and MP costs scaled with quantity.
Triss body: 6/4 MP, shirt: 12/8, pants: 18/12, left shoe: 24/16, right shoe: 30/20. Total for 5 items: 90/60 MP—same as another clone! And if items aren't touching, they cost MP separately!
And yes, as you guessed, Triss 4's clothes stayed fine with 0/0 MP!!! If I want them gone, I can cut maintenance and make them vanish!!
This way, I can create fake premium items, sell them to shady bandits, and if they misuse them, poof—gone! Nice, huh? No MP cost, just a tiny % loss…
Alright, next up's another main test I wanna try!
End of Chapter 11
[Possession]