Is it Wrong to Copy Abilities in Apocalypse?

[{Star Sponsor Quest - The Certain God.}

Quest Category: Sponsor.

Difficulty: A+.

Clear Conditions: -

→ Clear a level 20+ zone.

→ Clear a level 25+ zone.

→ Clear a level 30+ zone.

Rules: -

→ You cannot heal your leg.

→ You cannot run away from the zone you enter.

Duration: 3 days.

Reward: A leg made for you with the muscles and bones of a Stormrazor Wyrm.

Penalty: --

]

This was the quest that Alex had received from the 'certain god'—it was not an easy one.

Alex would've been fine with the quest, and he would've even cleared the quest without much problem—that was if he had his leg healed.

The moment Alex read the clear conditions, the first thought that came to his mind was to clear another random quest to heal his leg and then clear this one, but that thought was only momentary.

The moment his eyes landed on the rules, he realized that this wasn't going to be an easy quest, but the reward was something he felt like he shouldn't push away, so he just took a deep breath and accepted the quest.

He now had to clear 3 zones, a level 20+, which wasn't going to be that hard as he could just kill the beasts from afar, especially with the new arrow he had.

Then, it was a level 25+ zone; for that, he would have to upgrade his stats to level 27 or 28, at least.

But just then, the image of the Gigglewraths flashed in front of his eyes, reminding him of the fact that there were beasts who were stronger than they were supposed to be in this world.

If he were to enter one such gate—a demonic gate—then he wouldn't be able to survive like this.

That was why, he decided to get more coins, and upgrade his stats to level 30; only then would he try the level 25+ zone.

There was a rule saying that he couldn't run away from a zone that he had entered. powered-by-MvLeMpYr

So, unlike before, when he had rushed out of the zone, he couldn't do the same right now.

If he were to enter a zone, then he would need to clear it as well—there was no other way.

If he were to run away, he would fail the quest.

If that was not enough, he couldn't go anywhere right now because he had to clear the second scenario before even starting to think of upgrading his stats above level 20.

So, all he could do at this moment was wait for the remaining hours of the quest to run out. He didn't really need to clear more rooms as he had more than enough items required to clear the scenario.

He could still clear some low-ranked rooms, but he didn't think it was worth it; he would rather stay on the spot, and keep using 'corporeal heal' on his leg, getting it better slowly.

The low-ranked rooms wouldn't get him satisfactory results, and he didn't need to put all of his effort into only getting some common or uncommon-ranked item.

But just as he was resting his back on the wall, a new message flashed in front of his eyes, and it was not the system, it was the AI.

<Alex, I have a sudden upgrade option coming up.>

The AI's voice sounded a bit surprised and curious, as if it didn't know that something like this would happen.

This, however, caused Alex to turn his vigilance up.

If it was something the AI had an idea about, then it would've been fine, and he would've considered thinking about it, but right now, he wasn't sure about it.

'What kind of upgrade?'

He questioned, caution audible in his voice, making the AI realize its mistake.

<It is an upgrade that could make things easier for you.>

This time, the AI sounded confident, causing Alex to frown.

The AI knew about Alex's nature, so it hurriedly changed its tone; it knew everything about the upgrade after all.

It knew what benefits it could bring for Alex, and it knew what problems it would get for Alex; it was just a bit surprised for a moment when it found out that it could be upgraded as well.

'Who is responsible for upgrading?'

Alex, on the other hand, had his own issues.

Nothing can be upgraded on its own; even he had to use the system to get an upgrade, so the upgrade this AI was receiving, must be sent by someone as well, right?

Or so was what Alex thought.

<I didn't receive this from anyone, it was something inside me, I just didn't know about it.>

The AI, which could understand Alex's concern, gave a clear-cut answer instead of making things complicated.

The AI knew that Alex feared that this upgrade could be sent out by the one who gifted it to him, but that was not the case.

This upgrade was something it got on its own.

But it also knew that although Alex didn't have much suspicion about the connection between itself and him, there was always a small doubt about it in his mind.

'How are you so sure?'

Alex questioned the AI again.

He wanted the detailed information related to this situation.

<It is from within me; that's why I know.>

The AI, however, just repeated its words, and before Alex could speak again, it added.

<Just like how humans grow healthier and stronger by training certain things and doing certain sets of exercise, I can grow as well—that is what's happening right now.>

It explained, causing Alex to go silent, a frown still present between his brows.

The AI was telling the truth and was confident about it—Alex could easily tell that.

'What do you think I should do about this upgrade?>

That was why, instead of making the decision himself, he questioned the AI, asking for what it thought.

If there were a change in someone's body, then they would be able to tell if it was better or worse, right?

<You should agree to the upgrade.>

The AI answered simply, not speaking further, causing Alex, who was waiting for more, to have his brows creased again.

'What is the upgrade about, and why do you think I should agree? Tell me.'

He questioned, wanting to inquire more about it, but the AI didn't answer or couldn't answer his questions.

<I can't tell you much about it other than the fact that the process of copying abilities would get shorter.>

The AI replied.

'Why can't you tell me about it, right now?'

Alex, however, wanted to know what he was walking into before he took the wrong step.

<Because this is a random upgrade, and other than a few fixed things, I can't guess what would happen.>

The AI's answer just turned Alex's vigilance higher.

'So, there is a risk...'

But before Alex could even complete his words, the AI began.

<There is not; I am your helper, so anything that happens to me would be to make things easier for you, and not harder, so you don't have to worry about there being any risk.>

These words caused Alex's frown to loosen a bit before he started to think deeply about it.

This decision was going to change the cheat he had into something he didn't know about, and although it looked like an easy decision, it wasn't for Alex.

After a while though, Alex finally made his decision...