Suddenly, Alex's surroundings shifted. The noise of the arena faded, the beast's growls became distant, and he found himself standing in a strange, dark space.
There was no floor beneath him, no walls around him—just an endless, empty void. In front of him, floating in the darkness, was a shimmering, translucent screen. Words began to appear on the screen, glowing softly.
[System Activated: Clone Lust Nexus]
[Welcome, User.]
Alex blinked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. The screen in front of him looked like something out of a video game. A system? But this wasn't a game—it was real life, wasn't it?
"What is this?" Alex asked, his voice shaky.
"This is your key to survival," the voice replied. The system will guide you, help you grow stronger. With each battle, you will gain power. With each enemy you defeat, you will level up."
Alex's eyes widened in shock. Level up? This really was like a game. But how was that even possible? And what did it mean for him?
In an instant, Alex was elsewhere. The din of the arena faded; the snarling of the beast receded. He stood in a sort of dark room.
There was nothing under his feet, nothing against which he might lean-just endless, bottomless space. Before him, a glowing screen of transparent material floated in the middle of the air. Words began to burn onto the screen in letters of light.
System Activated: Clone Lust Nexus
[User Welcome.]
Alex blinked hard, trying to make something out of what he was looking at. The screen in front of him looked something out of a computer game. A system? But this wasn't any kind of game; this was real life, wasn't it?
"What is this?" the shaky voice of Alex asked.
"This is your key to survival," the voice responded. The system will instruct you through it, help you grow stronger. You will gain power from each battle fought. For each of your fallen enemies, you will level up.
Astonishment was written all over Alex's widening gaze. Level up? This really seemed like the scenario of some game. But how was that even possible? And what did that mean for him?
It went further, "Do not be afraid, as you are no more tied by those trash stats. With me, you shall evolve. Your potential is endless."
He turned to the screen again, where new words had now appeared:
[Mission: Defeat the Beast.]
[Reward: Clone Ability Unlocked.]
Clone ability? Alex's mind was in shambles. What kind of power did this system offer him?
"You will know in due time," it said, as though it was reading his mind again, "but for now, you must live."
Once more, Alex was thrown out into the field. The beast charged right at him, the razor-sharp claws up high and coming down to get him. This time, though, Alex was ready.
He could feel the power build up inside him, and for the first time since he had been taken to this world, he felt no fear.
The strength now surging through him, in a move that was nick of time, Alex rolled out of the way as the beast's claws pounded into the ground where he had been but a moment before.
He moved with fluid quickness, his body easily following his commands as if the fog in his brain had finally cleared and everything was crystal clear.
Gasps of surprise exhaled from the crowd; even the demon king, looking on from above, looked taken aback for a moment.
Alex had wasted no more time. He clasped his sword tightly and faced the beast. The animal snarled at him, his eyes ablaze with fire, and Alex did nothing to back down.
"You want a fight?" Alex growled to himself. "Fine. Let's fight."
This time he was ready.
Alex's heart was racing, his fingers clasping onto the sword in a tight fit. The weight felt lighter in his hands now, more responsive than ever.
He could feel the energy from the system course into his very being, urging him further and giving him so much of that boost of confidence he had never had.
The beast growled. His huge, all-muscle body readjusted, ready to charge again. Its razor-sharp talons chafed on the stone floor flying off sparks.
For a moment, Alex stared into the animal's eyes, and something inside clicked. Suddenly, he was not afraid anymore. This was not some desperate struggle for life; it was the chance to prove himself-to prove that he was not a helpless nobody, as everybody thought.
The jeering and laughter of the mob died off; it even seemed that they could feel the shift in Alex. The king of demons, seated upon his throne, arched an eyebrow in interest.
The beast roared and charged. Heavy footsteps pounded against the ground. But Alex didn't budge. Instead, he planted his feet wide, bracing himself, waiting for the right timing.
Time froze as the creature closed in, its claws raised. Now, Alex was thinking clearly; his instincts were more alive than ever.
In that moment when the beast would have reached him, he dodged to his right, barely avoiding the strike. The creature swiped its claws through the air, inches from his face.
One powerful swing, and Alex struck deep into the beast's side. His sword sliced through its fur as if through paper, revealing a wound in all its depth. An earsplitting yowl of pain was let out by the animal as it wheeled around and made off, its blood falling onto the sand.
This bewildered the audience; oohs and aahs ran around the arena. They had never seen Alex fight this way. No longer was he just surviving-he was winning.
It wheeled around to face him again, its eyes aflame with anger. It was hurt but no way down.
It plunged at Alex with furiously renewed strength, jaws snapping wildly a bare centimeter off his face. But Alex was ready. With ease, he dodged it, then delivered another slash with his sword this time against the beast's leg.
It roared once more, its movements becoming slower, sluggish. Alex could see the weariness set in, weaken—just like he had, not all that long ago.
But now, it was the other way around, and that second wind had the Clone Lust Nexus crawling through his veins.
"I can do this," Alex thought, more confident with every successful hit. "I can win."
But just as he was to strike once more, something weird happened. The energy within him pulsed even stronger, and all of a sudden, a new screen appeared in front of his eyes.
[Skill Unlocked: Clone Ability.]
Alex's eyes widened with surprise; for a moment, his attention was taken from the fight. Clone ability? He didn't have the time to contemplate it, but the system seemed to indeed be offering something new, something powerful. Words on the screen changed once more.
[Activate Clone Ability? Y/N.]
Alex immediately responded mentally with "Yes."
As he did, a strange feeling washed over him: his body felt lighter, the air around him seeming to ripple. In the blink of a second, another clone of himself had appeared beside him, an exact double with the same sword, the same armor battered in precisely the same way, even breathing the same.
Alex stared aghast. Whatever his clone did, it moved in perfect sync with him. This wasn't an illusion; this was real life. He had just created a full-on, real-life duplicate of himself, and ready to battle on his behalf.
The beast was startled for one second as it seemed to hesitate because of the sudden appearance of another Alex. But Alex did not give it time to recover.
Together they sprang upon it, felt their movements as one. When the beast swiped its claws through the air at them, they dodged together and circled-one to attack from one angle, one from another.
Alex hacked at the beast's left side, and his double came in hard from the right. A pained howl loosed from the monster as its huge body jerked with the impact of the doubled assault. It tried to defend itself but was no match against the combined fight.
It was now an utterly one-sided fight that was completely his. Every strike that the beast launched, instead of one opponent, had to deal with two. For each strike it missed, Alex and his clone hit back, blow after blow.
The bloody murder was suspended in their agape mouths as they couldn't believe their eyes. Even the demon king inclined in his chair, his eyes set on Alex with a newfound intensity.
After a few more brutal exchanges, it fell to the ground, too wounded to take anymore. A pitiful growl left its mouth before it stilled, its eyes dulling as the last of its life ebbed away.
Alex stood over the fallen beast, his chest heaving with exhaustion. His clone stood next to him, just as exhausted but still strong.