Chapter 1
In the depths of New York, a city perpetually entwined with crime and ever-evolving chaos, inside one of many Stark Industries buildings, a man in his mid-twenties with blond hair and bright eyes, standing at 6 feet 4 inches—well, he was currently sitting inside one of the many offices in the building. He appeared confused for a second before memories came flooding in, memories of the current body he occupied after its previous owner died of a heart attack, allowing one of Goldie's champions to take over.
"Hm, guess I’m lucky for getting a body with a well-paying job, a nice house, and a car," thought the new soul as a floating screen appeared in front of him.
[ Name: Nate ]
[ Stats:
STR: 44 ]
AGI: 42 ]
END: 45 ]
CON: 40 ]
SPR: 1 ]
[ Skills:
Clone: The user can create a perfect clone which possesses the user's memories and will gain a single trait upon creation. The clones will obey the user no matter what. To create a clone, the user needs a drop of their blood and must meditate on the blood for 1 hour, creating a blood egg. After 5 hours of incubation, a new clone is created. If the clone dies, it will be summonable again 24 hours after its death, and the user will gain all of its memories.
[ Current Clones: 0/1 ]. LV.1 (0%) ]
"Of course, I’m an orphan with no lover or friends despite being successful. What a perfect vessel," thought Nate sarcastically before he yawned. He then looked at the only skill he could ever have, which made him sigh as he thought, "And I’m supposed to become a god with this skill? It shouldn’t be impossible as long as I get a clone with a good trait, then absorb all the clones at the end to gain all their traits and memories." It sounded simple, but he would come to find out later just how difficult it was going to be.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
For now, though, he just got up, shut his computer, and left his office without saying anything to anyone. After leaving the building, Nate got into his silver Jaguar and drove home, which was situated in the richest part of the city, among millionaires and billionaires. Nate himself was a millionaire. After parking his car in his garage, he entered his 4-bedroom home, which was as luxurious as a 5-star hotel. He took a bath and ate something before heading down to a secret room where he kept his most prized treasures, like expensive paintings, artifacts, and the like.
"Alright, first-ever clone," he muttered to himself as he created a small wound on his hand, allowing blood to drip into a large metal bowl. He then sat in a lotus position and began to meditate, setting a timer. He controlled his breathing, got rid of all distractions, and tried to focus on the rhythm of his chest. After what felt like an eternity, the alarm rang. Once he opened his eyes, in front of him, sitting in the large bowl, was a blood-red egg.
"Hm, it should continue to increase in size over the next 5 hours," he thought as he recalled the knowledge shoved into his mind by the system. He got up and stretched his legs, which were cramped from sitting in that position for an hour, before placing the egg in the bathroom and waiting for 5 hours.
He periodically checked on the egg, and each time he noticed that it had increased in size, which made him smile. While waiting, he scoured the internet for useful information about this world, a world full of magic, superpowers, and aliens—a lot of them. Not only did he have to live in it, but he also had to survive and thrive. Just as it hit the 5-hour mark, Nate, who had been watching the egg, noticed it shaking. His head started to hurt, like someone was splitting it with an axe. In reality, a piece of his soul was being stripped and placed into the clone, which finally broke free from the blood-red egg, emerging naked.
Meanwhile, Nate stopped clutching his head, which still hurt but not as badly. He looked at the clone, which had red blood-like lines covering its body, and instantly, he felt a hive-mind connection forming. He could feel exactly what the clone was feeling: disgust from the blood-like lines on its body and the coldness of the air. A floating screen appeared in front of Nate, who mentally named the clone "Number 1."
[ Clone Name: One ]
[ Stats:
STR: 44 ]
AGI: 42 ]
END: 45 ]
CON: 40 ]
SPR: 1 ]
[ Clone Trait:
Accelerated Growth: This clone’s growth is accelerated, increasing stat gains from exercises. LV.1 (0%) ]
"Hm, the same exact stats as me, but that trait..." A huge grin formed on Nate's face as he read the trait of the clone. "Increased stat gain from exercises." The reason Nate was happy was that he could increase his stats either by exercising or by having the clone exercise, and he would gain the stats it earned. If this particular clone could gain stats at a faster rate, it meant that so could he, which was why he was smiling.
"Take a shower and put on some clothes," Nate said as Number 1 looked at him.
"I’m going to be the hamster on the wheel, aren’t I?" Number 1 asked as Nate smiled.
"Well, you’re the one with the accelerated growth rate," Nate replied, making Number 1 sigh as he got up to take a shower. Meanwhile, Nate continued researching the dangers of this world—from super serums to failed experiments to superstitions—everything. And just like that, 2 hours passed before he suddenly got a notification: [+0.01 STR, END (from Number 1)], which made him smile.