Dante was left stunned for a few seconds, seeing how the ridiculous and silly scenario he jokingly proposed was correct. The alternative's voice cut through the haze of incredulity, steady and unperturbed. "Good and bad luck... I met a guy and a girl who were extremely powerful. The guy used Qi as his weapon, and the girl used something called 'Concept erasure.' Those two players shared the role of leader, but let's focus on the guy; his name was Tian Jiao Fang Shan and... I don't have to say that I was beaten almost to dead."
"The thing was, they just killed a 'Priestess,' which cost them a lot more than they expected because of a suicide technique that killed an enemy and herself; they lost one member in the process, and now they needed one more to fill their last space."
The alternative's gaze grew distant, recalling the pivotal moment, "I just happened to fight the role they needed and after seeing that I could slightly alter reality with 'Hate' the guy wanted me to get in his group... tho the girl seemed to be against it, saying that they didn't need another concept breaker, after a heated discussion between those two I was temporarily allowed, I needed to prove my worth and sign a REALLY extensive contract."
Dante's eyes widened, fully immersed in the unfolding story, "Fast forward, I became a permanent member working on a usual basis, then one day, I saw the girl that was our leader yelling to the heavens for hours; I asked why then she replied me that she had been searching for certain rare materials when she told me their names I laughed my ass off."
Dante was genuinely engaged in the story, so he asked curiously while leaning closer. Only now did he begin to wonder what kind of events led to the creation of his previous version. "What was it...?"
The alternative replied with a chilling answer that sent a shiver down his spine, "The body of an alicorn... and a few others bodies that I don't remember. I told her that it was in my skill tree, but it was impossible to get it now. She felt like destiny was playing a joke, time after, she finally found an equivalent, it was the body of I don't recall her name, but it was of a weird name, but it sufficed her, she was quite angry that she couldn't get the best upgrade possible of her item, but still she was happy."
"With that finished, she left the group and began to advance to the LVL's 150, she repeated the process: joined the limit breakers and got as strong as she could, then went again to 200 ceilings." The alternative's voice grew quieter, almost musing to himself. "If my memory serves me right, she's stuck now at the LVL 200 ceiling with Fang Shan, who used the same strategy."
He paused, his gaze shifting back to Dante. "I was going to do the same, but I preferred it here. It's simpler, you know? The most complex thing I need to battle are players with funny spells that use a bit of science to empower themselves. But up there in the 400s ceiling they have, I can cut the universe and reality in half... but I have a shield that uses the great dao of fate to protect me... Super high levels of overpoweredness, planet-breaking abilities."
"Wait..." The alternative's eyes widened as he searched through the inventory and popped some weird pills, "I almost forgot about this, but why the fuck do you want to change your new body for your original one?"
"Uh?" Dante's face twisted in confusion; what did he mean by that? Of course, he wanted his old body; even his voice and expression could only muster confusion at this inquiry.
He explained and even changed his tone as if he was talking to one of his companions, "Like if your race was in insect one, I would understand it... 90% of the time, female insects are superior to male ones... So whenever you see a male insectoid and a female insectoid from any race, you always place the female with higher threat levels. Still, in humans, most of the time, the male is the dominant one, so when you see a woman and a man, you place in higher threat the man than the woman, changing your gender will take away this small advantage, and also you have a smaller hitbox, which is always better."
Dante was slightly confused as the cold tone disappeared and showed the demeanor of a leader reproaching his lackeys for their poor choices. Dante said calmly and confusedly, "What... Are... You... Talking... About...?"
The alternative pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a flick of his wrist. He took a long drag, his eyes narrowing as he exhaled. "What not leveling up does to a motherfucker..." He sighed, continuing, "If you become a limit breaker, you'll understand it. Any small advantage might be the difference between living and dying. You've gotta psycho-analyze every person, and whatever works to disturb their efficiency, you do it."
Dante's curiosity flared, and he asked, thinking about the psychological advantages, "Then why are you still in that body if it's so good?"
"Because I'm the main fighter? Because I need to call all the attention possible?" He sighed heavily, frustration creeping into his voice, seeing how this version really didn't know anything about the art of war, "Battered clothes signal a lack of money, so I become a priority target for being weak, thus drawing more of their attention. If I were to wear extremely shiny clothes, they'd think, 'Oh, he's like the boss or something!' Because the second they realize I'm the strongest in the team, their tactics change, and now I'm the last priority. And there are so many more small details that you'll forget, so there's no point in wasting breath."
He took another drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling around his face. "I recommend you take care of those tiny details in fights: how sharp your sword is, the psychological effects of your clothes, or understanding race cultures and how they affect behavior. For example, Elves are more prone to being long-distance fighters and can be easily taunted thanks to their pride. Orcs always fight close quarters and a good chunk of them keep their word if you perform a ritual. Insects have incredible cooperation, and if there's a hive queen, forget all kinds of mental attacks. These are just a few things out of many you can learn out there."
The alternative, after finishing speaking, he lifted his shirt sleeve, revealing a vintage watch. He glanced at it and then back at Dante, "Also... time's up!"
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Authors note:
This chapter was quite short, and I had to change my schedule because of school so there is a chapter tomorrow!