Ch 195.

  Matt and his true copy stepped out of the dungeon, greeted by the sight of one of their basic puppets standing nearby. Both opened their mouths to speak simultaneously, only to stop short as they interrupted each other, frowning in confusion. They exchanged glances before allowing the puppet to take the lead. “What happened in there that made you decide to create another puppet and let it grow to full size?”

  “Neither of us is a puppet,” stated one of the true Matts, his voice firm yet uncertain.

  “But we aren’t sure which one of us is the fake either,” the other true Matt added, his brow furrowing with worry.

  “So, watch over us while we sleep,” one suggested, his tone serious.

  “That way, we can confirm what happens after one of us absorbs the memories from the other,” the second true Matt continued, glancing at the puppet.

  “What happens when you both get those memories?” asked Matt’s puppet, tilting its head curiously.

  “Then we will have a real problem on our hands,” replied one of the true Matts, his expression grave.

  “Yeah, then we’ll need to conduct a whole lot more testing,” echoed the other true Matt, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

  “Hold on, let me go to sleep first,” the puppet offered, “and then you can tell me which one of you remembers seeing the two of you exit the dungeon. After all, you both might have access to everything that happened before the skill was activated.”

  “Wait, did your power increase?” one of the true Matts asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  “Only slightly,” replied Matt’s puppet, glancing down at its own form. “Hold on, oh, my stats are capped at rank C increases based on what I’m seeing. Maybe if you create new puppets, that won’t be the case, but it looks like those of us who were made before can’t be considered B ranked in any way.”

  Both true Matts exchanged frowns at that revelation, remaining silent as their puppet settled onto the ground and closed its eyes, drifting into sleep while they anxiously awaited its awakening. As time ticked by, impatience gnawed at them; after only twenty minutes, they began brainstorming alternative tests to determine whether they could both access the memories from the puppet. This led them to craft two new puppets, sending each off on distinct tasks to see if they would gather information from their fresh creations. They also confirmed their ability to access the shared spatial storage, a revelation that sparked genuine excitement in both of them. This shared space would serve as an ideal means to exchange items and resources. Moreover, it meant that if they ever found themselves in a dire situation like the one with the ball of liquid metal, they could utilize it as a last-ditch escape route with the time-freezing bag.

  Just after wrapping up this discussion, their puppet finally stirred awake. After a brief exchange of words, they instructed the puppet to find the new ones they had created and tell them to rest as well. With that, both true Matts laid down, surrendering to sleep. Each of them entered a dream state that unfolded precisely as they anticipated, but when they awoke four hours later, they found themselves filled with more questions than answers. First, they had both received detailed accounts from the puppet that had observed their exit from the dungeon. Second, they realized they had only experienced what the new puppet had done, without any shared memories from one another. Yet, a nagging sensation lingered, something felt amiss. Unable to pinpoint it, they decided to let the puppet that had witnessed their departure from the dungeon sleep once again. When it finally opened its eyes, they were ready with a single question for it.

  “Which of the new puppets did you absorb memories from?” one of the true Matts inquired, his brow furrowed with curiosity. “Both,” the puppet replied, a frown creasing its face. “Don’t ask me why, but I think my mind is being absorbed and recreated by both of you.” It paused, its gaze shifting as if searching for clarity. “However, I can already sense a problem brewing. I believe I have two consciousnesses within me that merge for your separate ones. Right now, they feel nearly identical, but what happens when the two of you become too different to be considered the same person anymore?”

  “Why would that happen?” one of the true Matts responded, his voice steady. “Even if we have different experiences, our minds are fundamentally the same. I bet we will synchronize through you and the other puppets we create.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” countered the other true Matt, his tone laced with doubt. “Just thinking while you were speaking made me wonder what happens if we do end up as distinctly different people. After all, we’re already grappling with which of us is the ‘real’ one, and there are plenty of scenarios where we could easily prioritize different things based on the situations we find ourselves in.”

  “Even then, we would understand why the other made those choices, and thus, within ourselves, we would find consistency,” the first true Matt argued. “That’s essentially how our puppets operate right now.”

  “Except those puppets are created and destroyed each time, but now we might have two distinct central identities,” the second true Matt pointed out, a hint of concern in his voice. “If that’s the case, they could drift apart like friends who live far away from each other.”

  “At this moment, we’re just debating opposite sides of the same coin,” the first true Matt stated firmly. “What we really need to decide is what we want to happen more than anything.”

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  “You mean whether we want to remain the same person or evolve into distinct individuals,” the second true Matt confirmed, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “It feels strange discussing what would normally be an internal conflict between us, yet I can’t envision us becoming different people.”

  “Exactly. At the end of the day, we’re just one person with multiple bodies and two minds,” the first Matt agreed, a sense of unity in his words. “Minds that share connections that should help them sync up.”

  “We’ll need to ensure that a few of our current puppets survive,” the second true Matt declared. “After all, if the two consciousnesses merge into one and then split each time a puppet sleeps, we should be able to use that to keep things aligned.”

  “Let’s lie down and see if we can access each other’s memories now that the puppet before us has rested.”

  “Wait, it may need to do so again.”

  “That’s right; it only combined both of our memories after waking up.”

  “Exactly.”

  Matt’s puppet furrowed its brow, contemplating the swirling thoughts that emerged after connecting with both true Matts. It bristled at the repeated insistence to fall asleep, especially since it felt wide awake and alert. Yet, deep down, it understood that resolving the current dilemma was crucial before the two Matts let their frustrations boil over; the puppet sensed that such a confrontation could lead to disastrous consequences. Additionally, it was clear that neither of the true Matts was comfortable with the notion of the other claiming the title of “real Matt.”

  “I think you both need to come to terms with the fact that you are both the real Matt,” the puppet suggested, its voice steady yet firm. “There are plenty of other pressing matters to address, like determining whether the new puppets you’ve created can surpass my capabilities, exploring the potential of Time essence, and uncovering what the tutorial entails.”

  Both Real Matts exchanged glances, their expressions darkening slightly as they nodded in agreement. They settled onto the ground, appearing contemplative, but in truth, they had turned their focus inward, mulling over the possibilities that Time essence might hold. The first idea that flickered through their minds was, naturally, time travel; however, they quickly dismissed that notion, recognizing it as far beyond their current grasp. Instead, they shifted their attention to the concept of time distortion.

  With a shared determination, they concentrated on accelerating time, but only for themselves, believing that this should be a manageable feat. They exchanged satisfied smiles when they observed their puppet’s breathing gradually slowing, indicating their success. Encouraged by this progress, they then decided to experiment further. They inflicted deep cuts upon their own skin, not merely aiming for regeneration but envisioning the possibility of rewinding the wounds entirely. They attempted to merge this idea with their regenerative abilities, hoping to rewind the damage they had inflicted.

  This proved effective, but they quickly realized that their natural regeneration was actually interfering with the skill. As soon as they inflicted wounds, their bodies would automatically begin to heal them, and whenever they attempted to rewind the injuries, that same regeneration would be undone. The process would continuously activate, resulting in a drain on their essence far greater than it should have been. Yet, Matt perceived a glimmer of hope in this challenge; while actual time travel might remain elusive, the ability to rewind or fast-forward a body seemed feasible, at least in small increments. However, he couldn't shake the nagging thought of whether rewinding a body would erase memories. If so, he pondered whether Tempormr had done precisely that to him in an effort to persuade him to join forces. But if that were true, he couldn’t fathom why Tempormr hadn’t employed the same tactic within the swirling ball of liquid metal.

  This internal conflict left Matt feeling as if Tempormr either hadn’t rewound his body or that rewinding didn’t erase any memories at all. He felt an urgent need to test this theory, but now wasn't the right moment. Instead, Matt redirected his focus toward merging his time essence with his other abilities. Scanning his mental list, he believed that fate and time should yield the most powerful skills together, yet no matter how hard he concentrated, nothing seemed to activate. This led him to wonder if the two essences simply couldn’t interact in a way that produced any tangible results. Then, with a sudden burst of inspiration, he added hope, determination, and selflessness to the mix. In an instant, a vivid vision unfolded before him—he saw himself battling a shadowy figure with Rose fighting valiantly by his side. The image sparked a thought of Spencer, reminding him that even now, the pair were likely less than a week away from reaching the dungeon island.

  While Matt understood that a confrontation was unavoidable and had complete confidence in his ability to triumph, a gnawing worry crept in—he feared that Rose might be swept up in the chaos. With a determined focus, he concentrated on envisioning a scenario where, at the very least, Rose would emerge unscathed and witness the battle unfold. As he delved into this mental landscape, only a handful of pivotal moments materialized before him, yet those fleeting glimpses were sufficient to illuminate the path to defeating Spencer and ensuring Rose's safety. The pressing question remained: was he prepared to take the necessary steps to achieve that outcome? As these thoughts swirled in his mind, all other distractions faded away, and he sensed that his other true self was experiencing the same internal struggle. In unison, they opened their eyes, locking gazes as they shared an understanding of the weight of their choices.

  Tensions hung in the air as they faced the reality of their impending argument over which role each would assume, and whether that was indeed the only path to an ideal outcome. Deep down, both Matts understood this was their best option, and they were ready to sacrifice anything to save Rose. Yet, a primal instinct for survival flickered within them, complicating matters; the vision of their choices suggested that one would have to perish. Instead of engaging in a futile debate, they opted for a brutal solution: they commanded their two new puppets to battle, with the victor earning the right to live. However, the fight ended tragically, as neither puppet lasted more than a few minutes before collapsing. As they closed their eyes, absorbing the experience from the skirmish and merging back into their primary consciousnesses, one undeniable truth emerged—they were perfectly matched in skill and resolve.

  “I think we should take turns entering the dungeon,” proposed one true Matt, his voice steady despite the weight of their predicament. “That way, we can leave it up to chance.”

  “What if the attack happens right after we step inside and Spencer manages to escape before the other arrives?” countered the second true Matt, a note of urgency creeping into his tone. “We need a way to—”

  “Our ability will alert us when the other falls,” interrupted the first true Matt, determination etched on his features. “It’s the only way to ensure Rose’s safety.”

  “I know, but do you honestly believe she’ll forgive herself when she discovers that both of us are the real Matt?”

  “Who can say? But at least she’ll come out alive after the fight.”

  “I hate how utterly clueless we are when it comes to women and matters of the heart.”

  “You can say that again.”