NOVEL NEXT Chapter 81: Three Clones
Kael ran, his equipment clanking with every step.
With his new Stats, Kael's movement had become much faster. Even without using the Speed Burst Technique from the Drakorite Tribe, he could achieve half of its effects just by running.
During his short exchange with that blue-haired woman, Carina, Kael hadn't used the Speed Burst Technique—he relied purely on his raw speed. Combined with misdirection, he managed to create the illusion of disappearing from her vision. But to the onlookers, it simply looked like he moved too fast for Carina to keep up, dodging her line of sight before tripping her with his leg.
Thinking about her, he remembered she said she would contact him through their Status Band after they exchanged connections.
As her figure appeared in his mind, Kael felt a brief surge of excitement before shaking his head, refocusing on the wailing sound ahead.
Kael kept running until he emerged from the trees, stepping into a clearing surrounded by more dead trees.
Looking down, the sight of dead earth greeted him—unsurprising, considering how many lifeless trees stood nearby.
Then his gaze shifted to the source of the wailing ahead.
Three Ghost Spectres were crying—not from sorrow, but seemingly from joy. Still, their cries could send chills down anyone's spine, especially when paired with the scene in front of Kael.
The three Ghosts held human corpses in their hands, blood dripping down to the ground, forming a puddle of red.
Bones, metal, and chunks of flesh—some of it joined the puddle while the rest disappeared into the Behemechs' stomachs.
They gnawed at the dead bodies of the three fallen Primers. The grotesque sound was like music to the Ghosts' ears.
The Behemechs floated upright, their long white hair flowing with the wind, and their white dresses now stained in red.
As they devoured their meal, they didn't notice the human watching them from a distance.
Kael neither frowned nor showed disgust. He had seen many things—things that only he, in the entire universe, had witnessed. Behemechs eating humans? That was like placing an ant in front of him and being told to be shocked by it.
Besides, he was already used to such sights. There were times—actually, most of the time—when blood and bodies covered entire planets due to war. In fact, he had literally seen that happen before.
Kael watched the three Ghosts silently, letting them finish their meal.
At the same time, he pulled out the remaining bullets he had brought, then retrieved the Energium Shard and began rubbing the bullets against it.
He took his time, and so did the Ghosts.
Once he finished, he placed the bullets back where they came from and stared ahead.
The Ghost Behemechs, who had been feasting on the dead Primers just moments ago, were now staring back at him—slowly floating toward his direction.
The Ghosts stood at least six feet tall, with the tallest among them reaching almost eight feet.
Kael didn't even have to wonder why these Primers ended up dead—it was clear they had been overwhelmed by this group.
"So these Ghosts fight in groups too," Kael muttered as he reloaded his sniper rifle.
The previous Behemech he killed had been wandering alone, but now he was about to face a group of three. Looking at them, he realized that all the Ghosts were the same type.
This meant there was only one kind of monster roaming around this Blue Fissure.
It was good news—this made it easier for Primers to adapt, since they already knew what to expect. Of course, their strength varied, and Kael suspected the tallest of the three was the leader, with power surpassing the others.
The three Ghosts floated slowly, seemingly observing the human—very different from the one Kael had just killed, which attacked the moment it saw him.
"This one's cautious," Kael muttered as he pointed his rifle at the tallest one's head.
Then, with a smirk, he raised his other hand, holding an Energium Shard, and crushed it.
The sound of the shard shattering echoed, causing the Behemechs to stop and wail angrily at Kael.
As the shard turned into dust in his hand, the particles mysteriously floated up to Kael's face, entering through his nostrils.
A cold sensation rushed through his nose, making him close his eyes. The chill spread to his head before circulating through his entire body.
Suddenly, his Status Band let out a beeping sound. When he opened his eyes and brought up his Progress Scanner, he saw his Energy Reserves had risen from 0 to 100.
Kael smiled—he could now feel the return of his Skill, a different kind of usable energy pulsing within him.
A hint of nostalgia stirred in his chest as he recalled the times he frequently used this power.
"It's time to use it," he muttered.
The moment he thought about activating his Skill, he felt the new energy surge out of his body.
Then his form began to distort and ripple—until two clones of himself emerged.
Kael glanced at the clones to his left and right. They nodded at him.
Echo Step—one of the Skills he always used in battle. It wasn't his signature move, but people knew that the White Prime could duplicate his body to the point of perfection. Even his clothes and weapons were copied.
The two clones raised their weapons, aiming at the other Ghosts. But before they could start shooting, Kael tossed Energium-coated bullets in their direction.
They caught them mid-air and smoothly replaced the bullets in their weapons.
Although his Skill allowed him to duplicate his body and weapons, for some reason, certain equipment couldn't be copied—like Energy Weapons and other special items. This included his Energium bullets, so he had to hand them out manually.
Furthermore, while the clones were perfect in form, their strength wasn't. They could only muster half the original body's power.
But Kael was confident. His clones could handle the two smaller Ghosts. After all, they shared the same thoughts, instincts, and experience.
Even without his Level Ups, Kael could kill Second Grade Behemechs. With his current Stats—even if the clones could only use half—there was no question what they could do.
"Hopefully, the Skill didn't change," Kael muttered as he stared at the tallest Ghost, its deep red eyes locked on him.
He had to test his Skill first to make sure nothing had changed. With that thought, he pulled the trigger—and at that exact moment, his clones followed suit.
Three loud bangs rang out, instantly alerting the Ghost Behemechs!
With a wail akin to a roar, the Ghosts bolted toward the three humans, not even bothering to avoid the bullets in their path.
But their arrogance was their mistake. The bullets exploded on contact with their dresses, blasting the Ghosts backward!
Smoke trailed behind their retreating forms, but they recovered quickly—stabilizing midair before charging toward Kael once more.
Seeing this, Kael raised an eyebrow. "Are they d*mb or what?" he whispered as he and his clones pulled the trigger again.
A loud whirring sound filled the air as bullets sprayed out. This time, though, the Ghosts didn't let the bullets hit them.
They scattered—the smallest darting around in tight loops while the tallest shot higher into the air to dodge the barrage.
"Ha! That's what I'm talking about!" Kael laughed as he focused his fire on the tallest Ghost Behemech in the sky.
The two smaller ones engaged his clones, who responded by using the Speed Burst Technique to keep up with their movements.
Although their Physical Stats were only half of Kael's, the fight depended on Energium bullets. The clones only needed to react fast enough to dodge the attacks and counter with their rifles.
Still, that was easier said than done.
Compared to the first Behemech Kael had killed upon entering this Fissure, these Ghosts moved with intention and coordination.
While firing at the enemy above, Kael glanced at his clones' fight. The Ghosts were faster and nimbler than expected. Though they had taken some damage, it looked like they weren't going down anytime soon.
"Strange," Kael muttered, frowning at the two Ghosts—they were the same kind he'd already defeated before.
As he studied them, his ears picked up something odd—the wailing from the tallest Ghost kept changing slightly every so often.
"Oh, I see," Kael smirked just as one of his bullets grazed the flying Ghost above.
The Ghost Behemech shrieked in pain before suddenly diving straight at Kael, apparently tired of being on the defensive.
Kael pulled the trigger—but nothing came out.
"Smart! That's why you've got subordinates—you're commanding them with your wail!" Kael shouted as his muscles tensed, exploding with strength.
His body vanished from sight as he activated his Speed Burst Technique.
A moment later, his previous position exploded in a violent blast—sending dirt and rocks flying everywhere.
When the dust cloud disappeared, the tallest Behemech was revealed, looking for the human that is supposed to be a meat paste.
Then as it turned around, the Behemech saw the human now fighting against one of it's subordinates.
The Behemech was offended so with a loud wail it charge to Kael!