Divine Mask: I Have Numerous God Clones

Lucas jolted awake, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps as if he had just escaped from a nightmare. The room around him was dim, with the afternoon sun casting long, slanted shadows across the floor. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead, his chest heaving as he tried to steady his breathing.

"That… was too damn painful," he muttered, his voice hoarse, the words tinged with lingering frustration. But as the memories of the Thunder Spirit returned, a smirk slowly curved his lips. "At least I managed to hold out and suck that bastard dry," he added, a note of triumph coloring his tone.

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For a moment, he allowed himself to savor the victory, but as the seconds ticked by, a creeping sense of unease began to take hold. Something wasn't right. Lucas furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Wait… where am I?" Lucas murmured, his voice barely more than a breath as he struggled to piece together the jumbled fragments of his memory. His eyes scanned the room, and as recognition dawned, his gaze dropped to the familiar surroundings.

"This… this is Lucy's room," he realized, the words falling from his lips with a mix of confusion and disbelief. The fog in his mind thickened as he tried to make sense of it all. "Am I… in the Lucas Golem now?"

[You're spot on, genius,] the system's voice chimed in, dripping with its usual arrogance. [I had to transfer your main consciousness to the Lucas Divine Mask.] There was a casualness to the system's tone, as if this was all part of some grand plan.

Lucas's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Wait, what happened to Zeus? I just finished absorbing that bastard Thunder Spirit, didn't I?"

[Yes, yes, you did manage to suck that bastard dry,] the system replied, almost mockingly. [But you're not invincible, you know. After that little victory dance, you promptly collapsed from exhaustion.]

Lucas frowned, unease settling in like a heavy weight on his chest. "Collapsed? What happened after that? Is Zeus okay?"

The system sighed dramatically, as if Lucas was missing the obvious. [Oh, nothing much… just the real owner of the massive Thunder Mana Stone showing up, that's all,] it said, dripping with sarcasm. [And, in case you're wondering, he's no pushover—his power level is about 8-star.]

"Eight-star?" Lucas's voice shot up an octave, his surprise turning into concern. The implications of facing such a powerful adversary hit him like a ton of bricks.

[Yes, eight-star,] the system confirmed, its tone almost taunting. [Though you're quite the big shot yourself, let's not forget there's a huge difference between an 8-star cultivator and a 4-star one like you. Head-on? You'd be toast.]

[Now, if you were a 6-star, then maybe—just maybe—you'd stand a chance against a weaker 8-star. But as it stands? You'd be flattened.]

Lucas sighed deeply, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "I see… So what happened to Zeus?"

The system took its sweet time answering, as if relishing the moment. [Zeus Divine Mask? Oh, that's perfectly fine,] it said, almost too casually. [But—] It paused for effect. [The thunder puppet? Yeah, that got obliterated.

Shame, really.]

Lucas clenched his fists, frustration bubbling up. "Great, just great. So I lost the puppet…"

[Oh, don't sound so disappointed,] the system teased, its voice dripping with mock sympathy that only served to irritate Lucas further. [You can always make another thunder puppet. It's not like they're irreplaceable, you know.]

Lucas let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Yeah, I'll rebuild the puppet later," he muttered, trying to push the disappointment aside. But something else was nagging at him.

"But let's talk about something more important. After absorbing all that thunder mana, what's the level of my Zeus Divine Mask now? It's got to have leveled up, right? There's no way it's still stuck where it was."

[Don't get too excited, champ,] the system warned, its tone now taking on a patronizing edge. [Your Divine Mask Zeus is still sitting pretty at four-star peak.]

"What the hell? Still four-star?" Lucas's voice rose in frustration, disbelief written all over his face. "After all that? How can it still be four-star?"

The system's response was immediate, its tone turning sharp with a mocking edge. [How stupid are you, really?] it retorted, clearly enjoying Lucas's frustration.

[Did you somehow forget that your Divine Mask Zeus is bound to the Heavenly Thunder Core Divine Scripture? And that said scripture is still just a 4-star Divine Scripture?]

Lucas frowned, his frustration deepening as the realization sank in. "I knew that, but I just thought—"

[Well, clearly, you didn't think hard enough,] the system interrupted, its tone brimming with arrogant condescension.

[You can absorb all the thunder mana you want, but until you upgrade the Heavenly Thunder Core Divine Scripture to a higher star level, you're not going to see any progress beyond four-star.]

"Damn," Lucas grumbled, his earlier excitement thoroughly dampened. He slumped slightly, running a hand over his face as the weight of the situation settled in. "I totally forgot about that."

He paused, his mind racing with lingering questions. "Wait, then where's all the mana I absorbed? If my level didn't go up, what happened to all that power?"

The system's voice chimed in, dripping with its usual arrogant flair. [Oh, don't worry your little head about that,] it teased, almost as if it were enjoying Lucas's moment of confusion.

[All that precious mana you worked so hard to absorb? It's safely stored in the system's mana storage. You didn't think I'd let it go to waste, did you?]

Lucas frowned, a mix of relief and annoyance crossing his face. "So, it's just sitting there? In storage?"

[Exactly,] the system replied, its tone practically oozing with self-satisfaction. [Think of it as a savings account. You can't access the funds until you meet the requirements. So, rest easy, all that mana is still yours—just waiting for you to actually be ready to use it.]

Lucas sighed, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease slightly, though the system's smugness still grated on his nerves. "Alright, fine. At least it's not wasted."