Cross Town, located on the northern side of the Snowy Highlands near Icewind Valley, is a settlement built around ten hot springs, offering some respite to the residents of *The Northlands* from the harsh cold.
Ethan and Simon braved the snowstorm, finally arriving there early the next morning.
As soon as they entered the town, the biting cold immediately vanished, replaced by a comforting warmth that enveloped them.
"Phew... We finally made it back," Simon said, shaking the snow off his clothes with visible relief.
His head was covered in bumps, and his face was bruised and battered, thanks to the Frost Dragon's 'gentle' punishment. Fortunately, the dragon hadn't killed him but merely gave him a beating.
"Hey bro, there's an inn in Cross Town. Want to rest a bit?" Simon asked, glancing at Ethan.
Even players in *Godfall* needed to rest. Prolonged sleeplessness could lower a player's mental state and affect other attributes as well.
"No need. Take me to find Roy," Ethan replied, shaking his head.
He was here to complete his quest, and the sooner he did, the better. Each day he delayed meant another 5 gold coins spent on the sled rental, and he wasn't too thrilled about that.
"Got it. I'm not tired anyway. Back in school, I once pulled three all-nighters in a row. Impressive, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, very impressive. Now hurry up and stop wasting time," Ethan urged.
"On it."
With Simon leading the way, they navigated through winding streets until they arrived near the central square of Cross Town.
There were a lot of players here, much like in Frostleaf Town, and many were selling their gear.
Ethan took a quick glance around but didn't find anything worth buying.
"We're here. That's the Icewind Circus."
At that moment, Simon pointed to a building on the edge of the square.
"Yeah, I see it."
Ethan nodded. The circus was set up with a massive open-air tent acting as its dome.
Below the tent was a temporary platform with rows of wooden benches arranged in a semicircle around it.
At that moment, quite a crowd had gathered in the circus, seemingly waiting for a show to start.
"Is there a performance coming up?" Ethan asked, curious.
"Yeah, it's a traveling circus. They'll move on in a few days, so they're performing non-stop while they're here."
Simon had just finished explaining when his eyes lit up, and he said,
"Look, that's Roy! Let's go in!"
With that, he led the way into the circus, and Ethan followed closely behind.
Entry required a ticket, priced at 50 copper coins, which seemed reasonable enough.
Once inside, the two headed straight toward Roy.
"Roy, I've completed the task."
As soon as they met, Simon began negotiating with Roy.
Ethan stood to the side, silently observing the magician.
Roy was dressed in a sharp suit and wore a tall top hat.
His face bore a constant gentle smile, giving him a refined and gentlemanly appearance.
Unable to resist, Ethan cast his *Inspect* skill on him.
But just as he activated the skill, Roy shot him a glance.
"Such keen perception!"
Ethan was startled. He realized that he'd need to use his *Inspect* skill more cautiously in the future.
Still, he got the information he wanted.
**[Name: Roy]**
**[Race: Human]**
**[Basic Attributes: Insufficient Information...]**
**[Special Attributes: Insufficient Information...]**
**[Adventurer Class: Gambler (Level Unknown)]**
**[Talent: Thousand Trick Hands]**
...
"Huh, he's not a magician? Why does his class show up as a gambler?"
Ethan was puzzled.
Gambler and magician classes were quite similar, both relying heavily on agility and spirit.
And both specialized in using various small tools and tricks.
At this point, Simon had finished negotiating his task and received his rewards: the *Mirror Image* skill book and a snow eagle pet egg.
He handed the skill book to Ethan, saying,
"As agreed, the skill book is yours."
Simon proved trustworthy, not trying to cheat Ethan, and of course, he didn't dare to.
Ethan took the skill book and glanced at it. Sure enough, it was *Mirror Image*, and he met the learning requirements, so he chose to learn it immediately.
**Ding! You've learned *Mirror Image*.**
**[Mirror Image]: You can create a clone using a mirror.**
**[Skill Effect]: Clone inherits 80% of the original's attributes. The clone cannot use skills.**
**[Casting Requirement]: Requires a mirror**
**[Cooldown]: 1 minute**
**Ding! Due to the influence of your talent 'Twin Shadows,' your *Mirror Image* has mutated into *Shadow Clone*.**
**[Shadow Clone]: You can create clones from any shadow, with no limit on the number (1 point of Spirit = 1 clone).**
**[Skill Effect]: Clones inherit 100% of Dustwalker's attributes and can use all skills and equipment.**
**[Duration]: Until Dustwalker recalls them or they die.**
**[Casting Requirement]: Shadows**
**[Cooldown]: 30 seconds**
"My *Shadow Clone* is finally here."
Looking at the newly learned skill, Ethan couldn't contain his excitement.
In his previous life as a rogue, he had learned a skill called *True Illusions*, which had also mutated into *Shadow Clone* due to his talent.
This skill was incredibly overpowered—so much so that it was practically broken.
First of all, the clones inherited 100% of Ethan's attributes.
This meant they had full intelligence, could communicate normally, and were indistinguishable from real people.
That was terrifying—borderline creepy, even.
In his past life, one of his clones had gone rogue and started dating a female player, even sharing details about their "bedroom activities" when it returned.
Ethan had been so infuriated that he immediately recalled that clone.
Next was the clone's number.
In theory, as long as he had enough Spirit, there was no upper limit to the number of clones.
Ethan currently had 14 points in Spirit, meaning he could create 14 clones.
Though that didn't seem like much now, he could create a first wave of clones, and then those clones could create a second wave.
With this method, he could infinitely chain clones, creating an endless loop.
However, there was one catch—the clones' duration.
In his previous life, Ethan had tested this. The initial 14 clones could exist indefinitely, unless they died or Ethan recalled them.
But second-wave clones could only last for an hour before they dissipated.
Still, it wasn't a big deal, especially since this was just an S-tier talent boost.
Lastly, and most importantly, the clones could receive *Godfall's* system notifications.
This meant they could join player parties, clear dungeons, and even learn new skills.
This was beyond overpowered—they were basically full-fledged versions of Ethan.
No wonder one of his clones had gotten involved in a romance with a female player in his past life.
In short, *Shadow Clone* was insanely strong and would undoubtedly become one of Ethan's trump cards.
With that thought, Ethan couldn't wait to try it out.
With a single thought, his shadow began to shift and ripple.
Moments later, another Ethan stepped out from within the shadow.
**Ding! You've created a clone. Please name it!**
"Clone One."
Ethan wasn't in the mood for fancy names, so he kept it simple.
Once named, Clone One's eyes began to sparkle with life.
It stretched and flexed its limbs before turning to Ethan.
"I've been reborn?"
"..."
Ethan was speechless.
What did he mean by 'reborn'? He was just a clone!
"Behave, or I'll recall you."
"Today, you're the boss, but you won't always be..."
"Shut up!"
Ethan shot his clone a glare. What was wrong with this guy? Why did he insist on being so annoying?
"Hahaha! Bro, your clone is hilarious! It can talk!"
Simon couldn't stop laughing after witnessing the interaction.
"You shut up too!"
Ethan glared at Simon as well. This guy wasn't exactly normal either.
"Fine, fine."
Simon shrugged, then patted the egg in his arms and continued,
"Alright, big bro, I've finished my quest. I'm gonna head back and hatch this egg. What about you? Not leaving yet?"
"I still have some things to do. You go ahead." Ethan replied.
"Alright, take care. If you need anything, just give me a shout."
With that, Simon turned to leave.
"Wait." Suddenly, Clone One spoke up. "Where are you going? Take me with you."
"Uh..."
Simon paused, staring at Clone One in surprise.
He had never seen such an independent clone. It was almost indistinguishable from a real player.
"Big bro, should I take him along?" Simon asked Ethan for confirmation.
"You decide
."
Ethan didn't mind what Clone One did. As long as the clone didn't die, he was free to do as he pleased.
Besides, having the clone out and about had its perks—any monsters it killed would still give Ethan experience.
It would make leveling up much faster.
"Alright, come along then."
Seeing Ethan's approval, Simon agreed.
"Smart choice. Don't worry, I'll watch your back from now on," Clone One said with a chuckle.
Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and turned to Ethan, holding out his hand.
"Give me some money for gear."
Ethan sighed and handed over a few gold coins.
"Don't spend it all at once."
"Relax, I'm more frugal than you."
With that, Clone One happily followed Simon, leaving Ethan and Roy behind.
Roy, the gambler, had been standing nearby the whole time, watching silently.
Once Simon and Clone One were out of sight, he finally spoke.
"Not a bad talent you've got there. You remind me of a certain god."
"Oh?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Which god?"
"Bilal. Most call him... the Prince of Shadows."