SSS SKILL: DUPLICATE

"Huff huff, I'm finally out," murmured Edgar. He just got out of the outer zone. He rushed out so he could go home before evening. Along the way, he tried his duplicate skill a few times.

He must be within twenty-three meters of the being to duplicate the skill. His eyes must look at the skill. His duplicate skill is analyzed through his eyes. The incomplete rune could only last thirty-five minutes before it burst if the analysis of the skill is not continued, even if mana continues to supply it.

"A godly skill like duplication is really accompanied by a great risk. There is no free lunch in the world. If I want to duplicate magic skills of powerful beings, I must risk my life first. The risk will decrease a lot if I were to duplicate beings that my current strength can handle. I should be patient. With my current aptitude and knowledge, I will become stronger a lot faster than in the virtual world.

Although I can't duplicate the other powerful hyperbeings yet, there is an opportunity soon to duplicate one of the 8th circle magicians in the world, St. Analyn of Italy! I can duplicate her skill safely! I should arrive in Italy before the annual event happens," Edgar murmured as he walks to something covered by dried leaves and branches. He removed the branches and leaves, then looks at the thing covered by a brown cover.

Edgar smiles as he looks at it. It accompanied him for a long time in his work and adventures. He removed the cover, and then a small white truck appeared in front of him.

"You are still here," said Edgar as he touches the truck. A white magic circle formed beneath his feet and moved up to his whole body. The dirt on his body and clothes is removed. His sweaty smell disappeared.

Edgar opened the door and sat in the driver's seat. He took his pouch from his storage space and took the key. He changed his clothes, which have holes. He took out a necklace from his storage space and wore it. He smithed it earlier with the materials that he gathered while moving from the inner zone to the outer zone. A piece of magic equipment is attached to the necklace.

The magic equiment is a diamond silver with magic runes and a red beast core at the center. Beast cores are like the mana cores of magic beasts. It was just used for the magic staffs of magicians, but master runesmiths and magic researchers found a way to use it on other devices and equipment as an alternative energy source for mana stones.

Edgar inserted the key. The engine turned on. He touched the dashboard and applied magic. Magic flashed on the truck. Edgar helped the engine warm up, then he holds the steering wheel and smiled.

"Let's go home."

In a particular facility, a staff member is looking at the monitor. There is more CCTV on the boundary of the buffer zone and public area. The CCTV detects the level of energy in humans and magic beasts. In the buffer zone, there are strongholds. If a beast is detected, soldiers and hyperbeings will be notified and stop the beast in the buffer zone. If a beast slips from the buffer zone, the CCTV on the boundary will detect it, and then hyperbeings and soldiers nearby will be notified.

The place where Edgar hunted is a restricted area. There are restricted areas in the Philippines, not just in the place where Edgar hunted. The cement roads to restricted areas have barricades. Only hyperbeings with permits are allowed to enter.

The government tried to put up a complete barrier with a lot of soldiers and hyperbeings, but it was ineffective and expensive, as beasts often destroyed the barriers before the soldiers and hyperbeings could react. They decided to put barriers and strongholds on some areas, then they created a buffer zone. The decision was effective and economical, but that resulted in non-ability users who have enough courage to enter the restricted area. Most of those people were not able to come back.

The authorities showed the danger of restricted areas on TV, and soldiers posted many warning signs on the boundary and buffer zone of the danger in the restricted areas, but some people were unfazed. When soldiers leave the stronghold, the defense of the buffer zone is affected, so they eventually stopped blocking those people. They already gave enough warning. If those people still seek death, it will be their own fault.

Edgar is driving his truck. He almost forgot how to drive while in the virtual world, but he is able to remember it quickly as he drives. He slipped from the buffer zone. He is now near the boundary, but there are CCTVs everywhere. He cannot escape the monitor. He activated the magic equipment on his necklace. His hair turned black, and his true energy is hidden. His body is only emitting the energy of an ordinary human being.

Poison Guild will definitely scrutinize every hyperbeing that comes to a restricted area. They lost a lot when Edgar destroyed the crystal of the Tier 3 world. They will not give up. They must find the hyperbeing to set as an example.

"Hmm?" The staff saw a white truck driving on a dirt road, then he looked at the energy level, which is labeled as that of an ordinary human.

The staff shakes his head.

"Another one that seeks death."

After driving from the boundary for a while, Edgar saw the public highway.

The truck got on the cement road, then went to the north. Edgar looks at the road sign: Manila, 52 km. He smiled, then accelerated toward his home.

In a particular area of Manila, there are tall buildings with apartments. Around the apartments are rows of houses. Most of those houses are rented. The house where Edgar lives with his family is also rented. He, his uncle, and his cousin share the rent, utility bills, and food. His uncle Tony is a chef of a restaurant, while his cousin Fei is a receptionist of a hotel.

Inside the house, Fei and Tony are whispering together as they prepare the ingredients for dinner. Fei is 27 years old and has long black hair. She is a pretty woman. Tony is quite chubby. He is nearly fifty years old. They look at Sasha, who is watching TV, with pity and worry.

"Dad, it's been ten days since Ed left. He did not even call us once. I'm afraid something bad happened," said Fei with full of worry on her face.

Tony also looks worried.

"The authorities had already informed the public of the dangers of restricted areas, but Edgar still insisted on going," said Tony with melancholy on his face.

"That kid understands the danger of the current world. Our lives are not only threatened by magic beasts but also by lawless hyperbeings. He witnessed the death of his parents and the crimes committed by hyperbeings." Tony paused for a while then gripped his fist.

"He said that if he waits to become hyperbeing, something might happen to us first before he could get the power to protect us. He is risking his life to get the power that could protect us. Fei, if something happens to Ed, we must do our best to take care of Sasha."

Fei nods, and her eyes turn watery.

A sound of a truck engine they are familiar with is suddenly heard by them, including Sasha, who is watching TV. She has an excited look on her face. She jumped down from the sofa and ran toward the front of the house.

Edgar jumped down and closed the door of the truck.

"Brother!!" He heard the shout of his sister. The eight-year-old girl with pigtails runs toward Edgar.

"Hahahaha!" Edgar laughs as he hugs his sister with his left hand and lifts her up. His eyes are watery. He hasn't seen her for one hundred years.

"Did you behave while I was gone?" Edgar asked while patting her head.

Sasha giggles, then nods.

Tony and Fei arrived at the door. They look surprised and happy. Tony and Fei noticed the difference in Edgar. His look is much better, and his eyes seem filled with maturity from many years of experience.

"What did he experience in ten days for him to change like this?" thought Tony and Fei in their minds. They will not ask what he experienced. They know Edgar. He will tell them when he is ready. He is a rational man.

Edgar sees Tony and Fei, and then he smiles at them.

"Uncle, cousin, I'm sorry for making you all worry."

"You-" Fei wants to reprimand Edgar, but she sighs. She knows that he is risking his life for them.

"You should call next time. We were very worried about you," said Fei with a soft tone.

Tony approaches Edgar while laughing. He pats Edgar's shoulder.

"Hahahaha, Ed, after ten days you look more handsome. You should stop risking your life and find a powerful hyperbeing as a wife."

"Hahaha, uncle, once I became disfigured, that hyperbeing might kill me herself," Edgar replied with a smile.

"Hahahaha, you make sense, but you should take a longer rest. A man I know who is an infamous bully became a hyperbeing recently and can cast fire magic. If a man like that could gain magical ability, the goddess of luck might also take pity on a good young man like you," said Tony.

Edgar further smiled when he heard his uncle.

Edgar thought to himself, "That man has magic because someone taught him not because of luck. As for me, the universe itself might have blessed me with tremendous luck. The power I got is heaven-defying, and I even stayed in the virtual world for a much longer time. It's not yet the time to tell them the truth. What I am going to do is very dangerous. I should not involve them."

"You are right, uncle. The god of luck might take pity on all ordinary people in the world and give us a way to gain power," said Edgar.

Both Fei and Tony laughed when they heard Edgar. They think Edgar's joke is very funny. They thought a miracle like that would never happen, but they don't know that the person in front of them is the one who will create that miracle.

The Rios family had a warm conversation even after dinner. At ten PM, they all went to sleep.

Edgar opened the window of his room and looks at the sky.

"I will teach magic and aura to my family once I spread it to the world. That could explain when someone asks where they learned them.

If Poison Lord knows that I became a God's Heir, he will let me choose to either join him or be his enemy. He will do everything to destroy me if I don't join him. My family will be in great danger. He cannot allow a threat to grow.

There was a heir that joined the PHA. He was assassinated. His family got implicated. The PHA accused Poison Lord, but he denied it. There was a big battle between the leader of the PHA and the top forces of the Poison Guild. Poison Lord almost got killed, but a representative of Death Guild mediated. I cannot publicize that I am an heir, at least not yet." Edgar then closed the window and curtain. He stands at the center of the room. A magic circle forms beneath his feet, then a sound blockade spreads to the whole room. He cast another magic, and then a blue shield spread throughout the whole room.

He raised his hand and opened his palm. A magic circle forms. The inner circle is orange, while the outer circle is white. Magic materials came out of his storage space and floated in the outer circle, then some materials flew over the inner circle and started to burn and melt. The outer circle rotates, and then the heat becomes lower. Some materials flew again to the inner circle, got burned, and then they combined with the melted material. Edgar keeps repeating the process as he thinks of his plan.

"The best way to spread knowledge in magic and aura rapidly while hiding my identity is the internet. I cannot let anyone do it and know that I did it. Those prominent families and powerful guilds I will offend will put a big bounty on my head. I cannot register yet with PHA.

I'm not sure yet how they prevent hyperbeings from spreading knowledge. There are definitely good-hearted hyperbeings, but they are somehow prevented. There must be something compelling them not to spread the knowledge. I cannot allow that to happen to myself.

I must learn hacking. It will take time to learn, but there is a way to make it faster, duplicating the power of Game King Oscar, the Parallel Thought! If I eradicate the Poison Guild, there must be a force that will replace it to clear the broken worlds. I will create a hidden force and call it Hidden Dragon Guards.Cultivating a powerful force requires money, I need to create a potion and runesmith company. I will teach the legacy of Aurora World to the top forces of Hidden Dragon Guards," Edgar smiles as he thinks 

"The legacy of Feiyu, Flute, Marco, Dan, Bartos, Aktor, Rey, and other top forces of the Aurora World will be carried on in this world. Their legacy that will appear on Earth is a proof of their existence. They will not just be mere virtual characters. They will be founders of legacy."

All materials on the magic circle have melted and combined. The inner circle turned white, and then the combined melted materials started molding. The mold became a mask. It has two eyes with no openings in the mouth or nose, but it can absorb oxygen in the air. Runes start appearing inside and outside the mask. The inner circle turned blue, then smoke rose from the mask. The mask is white. It has red runes on the right side of the right eye. It is a mask for disguise.

Disguise magic requires a continuous supply of mana to maintain it, but the mask that Edgar made can maintain the disguise for a long time after supplying it with mana once. Disguise magic is not simple. It has very complicated magic runes. Only a few could cast it, so some magicians buy magic equipment that could cast disguise magic, but the governments strictly ban its sale. It can be bought in the underground market, but only a few can afford it.

The mask floats toward Edgar, then he walks toward the mirror.

"I cannot show too much power because that will make it obvious that I inherited a god's power, but someone can," murmured Edgar as he looks at himself in the mirror.

Edgar raised the mask and put it on his face. The runes on the mask flashed. His hair suddenly turned long and red. Edgar smiles as he looks at the familiar figure.

"I can't, but Van Flameworth can."