Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

Vond's king glared at Jett, his rage palpable as he shouted, "What are you doing to her? Stop this at once!"

Jett's eyes narrowed, his expression turning cold and menacing. He didn't bother stepping down from the spear embedded in the Earth Dragon. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, an eerie grin spreading across his face. "You know one of the best things about being a top tier gamers?" he asked, his tone casual yet threatening.

The king faltered, unsure of how to respond, 'What the hell is he talking about?'

"You get to learn things others don't. Tricks, exploits... things that others only wish they'd known. You're madness for gaming only drives you to stronger, so strong that the rules stop applying to you when you get too familiar with them." Jett said, gesturing to the dragon beneath him, still trembling in pain. He planted his foot firmly on the spear, sending another shockwave of energy through the beast.

"Skills that can be used on multiple targets are actually called glitch skills in WARBOUND." Jett chuckled darkly. "Wanna know why?"

The king stood paralyzed, forced to watch as Jett prepared to unleash yet another devastating move.

*****

>>>Flashback<<<

"Damn those bastards!" a furious voice echoed, followed by a loud smack as a headset hit the desk.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The owner of the voice stood up, her anger could be felt from afar. She was a young woman with a futuristic cyberpunk mask obscuring her face. The mask was sleek and purple, adorned with LED lights that displayed her expressions in glowing lines and shapes.

Despite her concealed features, the animated LEDs clearly showed her frustration, pulsating in jagged colored patterns.

The room around her was nothing short of a gamer's paradise. Monitors lined the walls, displaying multiple gaming setups, and RGB lighting illuminated every surface. State-of-the-art gear filled the room, custom keyboards, high-end gaming chairs, and soundproofing panels. It was the dream of any gamer, but the space felt intimate, designed for only a select few.

Opposite her sat another gamer, completely engrossed in his game. His mask was similar but crimson red, glowing faintly as he focused on the match. He was livestreaming, his rapid movements and precise commands captivating thousands of viewers online. His desk was equally lavish, with a multi-monitor setup broadcasting his every move.

"What's the matter now, Torrent?" he asked, his voice calm and deep, never once pausing in his gameplay.

Torrent crossed her arms, clearly exasperated. "They patched it again!" she growled, glaring at her companion through her mask. "The glitch. You know, the one we've been using to farm those impossible bosses? It's gone!"

The gamer smirked behind his mask, his voice tinged with amusement. "Relax, you're such a wuss. We'll find another. There's always a loophole in these games."

Ember let out a dramatic sigh, popping open a can of soda as she flopped onto a nearby sofa. Taking a sip, she muttered, "Don't call me a wuss, Ethan. You know what just happened? I wrote this killer article, like juicy stuff and it got pulled down just minutes after I posted it on the forum."

Ethan's stream chat immediately exploded. Viewers flooded the chat box with his real name, spamming ETHAN, ETHAN, ETHAN in bright, bold text, complete with emojis and GIFs of laughing and heart faces.

He groaned and clicked a few buttons to shut off the chat and mute his microphone, visibly annoyed.

"C'mon, Ember, what's your problem?" he complained, keeping his eyes on the screen as his hands moved rapidly over the controls. "I told you, don't call me that when I'm streaming. It's Torrent-02 or just T2. And you're Torrent-01, T1 for short. We've been doing this for seven years now, and you still won't get it right?"

Ember rolled her eyes, taking another swig of soda. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm not calling you that. I have bigger things to worry about." She grabbed a plush toy of Rey from the game WARBOUND off the couch and started punching it out of frustration. "I mean, I just got banned from the WARBOUND forum for a month! All because I posted something they didn't like. If they don't want people finding out, they shouldn't make it so damn obvious!"

Ethan ignored her completely, flicking his microphone and chat back on as if she wasn't even in the room. His focus returned to the screen, his gameplay flawless despite her ranting in the background.

"You're ignoring me, aren't you?" Ember said, narrowing her eyes at him.

When Ethan didn't reply, she grabbed another plush toy and hurled it at him, smacking him square in the shoulder. "Hey!"

Still no reaction.

"Oh, it's like that, huh? Plushie Attack!!!" Ember smirked devilishly and began launching plushies one after another, aiming for his head, shoulders, and back. The barrage of toys bounced off him, barely fazing him as he dodged and ducked instinctively, still engrossed in his game.

"I swear, Ember, knock it off!" Ethan snapped, finally breaking his composure as a stuffed toy hit his keyboard, almost disrupting his stream. His chat erupted in laughter, the viewers spamming PLUSHIE ATTACK and emojis of teddy bears.

The stream chat grew chaotic, the viewers relentlessly spamming demands for Torrent-01 to take over the gameplay.

"Let her play!"

"We want T1!"

"Just leave already!" Your journey continues on empire

"Sorry, T2, but we want to see that queen!"

Ethan's grip on his controller tightened, his irritation thinly veiled. "I hope you're happy now," he muttered sarcastically, shooting a quick glare in Ember's direction. "We're not even competing, but you've stolen my viewers with just your voice."

Ember's frustration evaporated in an instant, her mood shifting as a mischievous grin spread across her face. "Really?" she asked, practically glowing with excitement.

Before Ethan could respond, she hopped off the couch and onto his gaming chair, shoving him aside with an air of confidence. "Now scoot over!" she ordered, grabbing the controller with an experienced grip.

Ethan barely had time to protest as she took over his stream. Her moves were flawless—sharp, calculated, and devastating. Ember dominated the game, her quick reflexes and intuitive strategy leaving even the toughest opponents in the dust.

"Damn…" Ethan muttered under his breath, standing to the side, arms crossed. Though she'd hijacked his stream, he couldn't suppress a small, proud smile as he watched her interact effortlessly with the chat. The viewers cheered her on, her playful banter and elite skills captivating them entirely.

'That's right,' Ethan thought, a mix of admiration and rivalry glinting in his eyes as he observed her. 'You're the one I'm trying to beat.'

*****

The Present<<<

"And now…" Jett said, standing atop the stunned Earth Dragon, his voice dripping with mockery, "I'll grace you with this. Just know that this…" he gestured to the fallen beast beneath him, "…would've been you."

His fingers twitched as he activated his skill once more.

[Pain Amplification]

[Pain Amplification]

[Pain Amplification]

[Pain Amplification]

The system buzzed in response to his relentless stacking.

[Greedy Skill Stacking has been observed. Conditions have been met.]

[Target's Level is higher than yours.]

[Stun has been activated for 5 minutes.]

The cheat-like effect unfolded in real time. The colossal Earth Dragon let out a thunderous roar before collapsing, its body writhing in agony. The once-mighty creature now lay immobilized, unable to move under the weight of the stacked stun effect.

Jett slid down from its head, casually patting the dragon's massive snout as if to mock it. "Too bad," he said with a disappointed sigh. "If our levels were closer, this would've been an insta-kill. But looking at your HP I can't complain, so just become fodder for my friends."

He turned to Vond's furious king, a smug grin spreading across his face. "It's just me and you now," he said, spinning Finn's spear in his hand as he strode forward.

*

*

*

A glimpse of what his life was like before reincarnating.

¯\\_ʘ‿ʘ_/¯