Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

Jett blinked, expecting to see the shrug still lingering on the screen but it was gone, as if it had never been there. He stared, unconvinced. "Nope, I'm pretty sure you just shrugged at me," he muttered, trying to reassure himself. "I haven't stayed here long enough to go crazy."

One of the guards overheard and snickered, calling out, "You sure about that!?" His laughter echoed down the hall, and the other guards joined in, thoroughly entertained by what they assumed was Jett's slow descent into madness.

'Right,' Jett sighed to himself. 'I'm talking to myself.'

Shaking his head, he turned back to the screen. His gaze sharpened as he analyzed the options. 'You never intended for me to choose Lumix,' he thought with a subtle smirk. 'If you're toying with me, I'll play along.'

With newfound determination, he selected Aura and Mana. Instantly, a new notification blinked in front of him.

[[Congratulations]]

[[You have chosen Aura and Mana]]

[[Dropping the technique. Please hold…]]

Before he could react, a scroll appeared, hovering in the air before him. His excitement dimmed a little at the sight. "A scroll? Really?" he muttered, rolling his eyes as he reached for it. 'Alright, let's see…'

The screen pulsed with another notification just as he began to unfurl it.

[[The technique has been tailor-made for this user.]]

[[Just read it. No need to memorize.]]

"Huh." Jett let out a sigh of relief. "So you're just spamming me with messages today, huh?"

As soon as he opened the scroll, a brilliant, blinding light burst forth, engulfing him entirely. He didn't even have time to process what was going on before his vision went dark, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

*****

"Ugh… my head." Jett groaned, clutching his temples as he slowly blinked awake, feeling as if a thousand needles were stabbing through his mind. The pounding was relentless, but as he tried to shake off the pain and sit up, he froze, suddenly aware of his surroundings.

Everything around him was an endless void, an expanse of nothingness stretching as far as he could see. It was hauntingly familiar, this was the same empty space he'd somehow stumbled into last time by mistake. And now, inexplicably, he was back.

"How am I here again? Did I… die or something?" He rubbed his face in frustration, groaning at the realization. "If I'm here, then… that bastard's also here."

"You're finally awake, huh?" came a low, almost amused voice from behind him.

Jett stiffened. 'Crap, it really is him.' He tensed before slowly turning around, not thrilled to face the man again.

There he was, holding an ancient scroll, eyes skimming across its lines. With a small sigh of relief, the man rolled the scroll up and fixed his gaze on Jett. "So, it's this one, huh? Come here, child."

Jett raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms defiantly. "Why? So you can one-shot me like last time? No way." He backed up a step, wary of the man's intentions.

He scanned the emptiness around him, though there was truly nothing, just the two of them floating in this vast, empty void. No escape, no landmarks, just an oppressive, silent expanse.

"Where am I, anyway?" Jett muttered, glancing back at the man.

"My sanctuary. Now come closer," the man insisted, his tone darkening.

Jett's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, right. You probably want me closer so you can get a clear shot."

A spark of irritation flickered in the man's gaze. "I don't need you any closer for that," he replied, voice sharp, clearly growing frustrated with Jett's stubbornness.

The tension between them thickened as they continued to argue, Jett crossing his arms defiantly. "You want me closer so you can do something worse than last time," he muttered, eyeing the man with suspicion. "Whatever it is you're planning, I'm not falling for it old man"

A vein seemed to pulse on the man's forehead, his annoyance visibly building. "If I wanted to get a clear shot, as you so eloquently put it, I wouldn't need you to take another step closer," he replied, his voice dangerously calm.

Jett huffed. "So… what do you want from me, anyway? Last time I was here, you actually tried to kill me. I'd say that's reason enough to be at least this suspicious of you."

The man looked up from his scroll, raising a brow with an almost amused look. "I didn't try. I really did kill you," he said, his tone casual as he returned to his reading.

"Yeah, right. You're even more senile than I thought." Jett shook his head, exasperated. "I'm still standing here, so clearly, you didn't kill me."

The man rolled his eyes and exhaled in exasperation. "There are only two ways you can leave this space: either I wish it, or I kill you. And yes, I did kill you here last time so you'd wake up in reality."

"You said you could've just sent me back if you wanted to so why kill me then?" Jett wondered.

"I didn't like you at all and I wanted to test something." the man replied.

Jett scoffed, smirking slightly while giving him a judging look. "Sounds like you've got some serious issues, old man."

"Why, you little...!" The man clenched his fist, his face contorting with irritation as he raised a hand to smack Jett.

Jett ducked instinctively, bracing himself with his arms over his head, only to peek out and see the man pausing mid-swing. The old man gave a small, indignant cough and lowered his hand, struggling to compose himself.

"Anyways," he said, clearing his throat as he steadied his tone, "do you feel a slight headache?"

"Slight?" Jett retorted, rubbing his temples. "I feel like someone detonated a bomb in my skull!" He let out a groan, his frustration obvious.

"Wow, is that so? You really are talentless," the man said, his face twisted in utter disappointment.

Jett felt a pang of irritation at the comment, his jaw clenching. For a moment, the words stung, the weight of the insult settling in. 'Talentless?' He bristled at the accusation, but quickly masked his frustration with a forced, casual shrug.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jett muttered, pushing past the insult as he glanced around, searching for his sword. "If that's all, then…"

The man raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for my sword," Jett replied, pointedly avoiding eye contact.

"Why?" The man's confusion was apparent.

A smirk crossed Jett's face. "You said if I die here, I'll be sent back, right?"

The man sighed, shaking his head with a look of pure exasperation. "Wow. Talentless and dumb. Could you be any more disappointing?"

Jett rolled his eyes, muttering, "I'm not even going to reply to that." Then he noticed the scroll still in the man's hands. 'Right,' he thought, 'that scroll. He was able to read it without any issues.'

His headache throbbed anew, like a relentless drumbeat behind his eyes, but he pushed through it, focusing on the possibility. 'I guess I have nothing to lose. What's the worse that could happen?'

Jett activated his skill. "[Copy Skill]!" But then a message appeared, echoing in his mind.

[Notice… Notice… Skill Copy has been temporarily restricted.]

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What just happened? (●__●)