Jay was caught off guard by the doppelgänger's sudden strike but managed to block it just in time. He crossed his forearms and braced himself, covering his chest.
The impact sent him sliding back a few meters. A burning sensation spread through his forearms, making him question whether this was truly a simulation.
He had no time to think. The doppelgänger rushed in again, throwing a relentless series of punches and kicks.
Jay didn't understand why it was attacking so aggressively instead of showcasing the║ABYSS FRAME║abilities. He wasn't going to stand still and take it, so he fought back.
He met its attacks with his own. With every move, Jay made full use of his stats. But the doppelgänger matched him blow for blow. It defended with the same level of precision, keeping the fight dead even.
Jay quickly noticed that the doppelgänger didn't use any skills, only pure physical combat. So, he held back his own as well.
Seconds passed. The clash continued at a brutal pace. Every second, they exchanged over twenty strikes, but neither side gained ground.
After two minutes straight, Jay started to feel it. His body slowed. His limbs felt heavier. A fog settled over his mind. He was surprised that his stamina was dropping much faster than it should have.
Even with his passive stamina regeneration skills, which should've kept him going for an hour, he was already losing steam. Two more minutes in, he could barely stay upright.
His muscles ached. His eyes struggled to stay open. He was running on pure willpower.
The doppelgänger sensed his condition and backed off, no longer attacking.
Jay nearly collapsed. Then a notification appeared.
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﴾ 1st Instance ended. Stamina and Spirit Energy recovered. ﴿
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He let out a long breath. His stamina returned, his mind cleared, but the toll lingered. Something wasn't right. He hadn't used a single skill, so why had his Spirit Energy also been drained?
The answer came a moment later.
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﴾ Finished practical demonstration of the passive ability,║Abyssal Drain║﴿
║Abyssal Drain║⧼Passive⧽
Allows the wielder to drain an opponent's stamina and mental energy through physical contact. This ability does not require activation, as it passively affects the target, gradually depleting their physical and mental reserves, making them weaker and more vulnerable the longer they remain in contact with the wielder.
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Only then did the pieces fall into place for Jay.
The first instance had been a demonstration of║ABYSS FRAME║'s most basic ability,║Abyssal Drain║. And that alone had nearly pushed him to collapse.
He couldn't help but wonder, 'If just the passive was that overwhelming, how powerful would the other abilities be?'
Jay tried calling out to MJ, but there was no response.
The soul connection between them was still intact, so he wasn't worried something had happened. Still, the silence felt strange. He had grown used to MJ's constant presence, the ever-cheerful voice that filled the quiet moments.
Before he could think further, another announcement appeared.
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﴾║ABYSS FRAME║Orientation – 2nd Instance Commences ﴿
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The doppelgänger didn't attack this time, and instead called upon the║ABYSS FRAME║.
Thick black energy started to leak from within its body, slowly wrapping around it. The dark substance moved like liquid smoke, swirling and spreading until it covered him completely.
It looked like armor, but not solid. It retained a shifting, fluid nature, giving it an unnatural feel.
Then, from within the black energy, a subtle chartreuse glow emerged, barely visible at first. It spread across his body like ink in water, mixing with the black substance in a captivating display.
The doppelgänger looked far more menacing now, fully clad in the║ABYSS FRAME║. Its eyes glowed with a sharper, brighter chartreuse, standing out against the dark energy covering the rest of his body.
The Black energy wrapped around him like armor, streaked with faint chartreuse wisps that pulsed and wove through the surface.
The doppelgänger didn't stay still and quickly made its move.
Every time he clashed with Jay, those wisps intensified, surging with each contact. The visual impact and the oppressive pressure they gave off made the doppelgänger seem even more dominant.
During one exchange, the energy around him spiked. The chartreuse-black wisps began to swirl and compress, and then suddenly erupted in a shockwave that expanded outward in all directions. Within seconds, a kilometer-wide radius was engulfed in that same energy.
The blank white simulation space dimmed under the effect. The entire area glowed with a faint, eerie light as the Abyss Energy spread. Everything, air, ground, even Jay, was covered in thin tendrils of the chartreuse-black substance.
When the waves struck Jay, they rebounded slightly and flowed back toward the doppelgänger, creating a feedback loop of constant energy exchange.
Jay found this fight far more draining than the previous one.
He quickly realized it wasn't just stamina and mental energy being sapped. His Strength, Agility, and Endurance attributes were being weakened. Every move took more effort. Each strike was slower, weaker.
The strange energy seemed to siphon away his very essence, rendering him increasingly vulnerable.
Despite neither side using any skills, and both having the same stats and battle experience, the doppelgänger held a massive advantage. This time, Jay didn't even last a full minute.
The doppelgänger had not even attacked him seriously; the mere presence of the chartreuse-black energy was enough to overwhelm him.
Then a notification appeared, marking the end of the second Orientation Instance.
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﴾ Finished practical demonstration of the passive ability,║Abyssal Field║﴿
║Abyssal Field║
Generates a field of Abyss Energy through the ABYSS FRAME. Each wave of Abyss Energy causes a temporary 1% reduction to all five attributes ⧼Strength, Agility, Endurance, Vitality, Spirit⧽ per stack.The number of stacks scales with the mastery level of the FRAME.
⧼ If the opponent's overall stats are twice that of the user's, the debuff will not apply.⧽
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Author Note:
The revamped version of Volume 1, 2 & 3 are now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new editions!
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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ
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