The Achievement Junkie

"Oh… So that's why I managed to meet Silas last time?" Jack asked with a nod.

"Correct. In fact, Silas has shown plenty of interest in you as well. He offered to help train you after you become a third-star, something I would beg you to accept," added Daruun.

"Seriously?!"

"That's one reason why I came to witness your first spirit replication and not Dar-seven."

"Dar… what?"

"Sorry, that's a bad habit," admitted Daruun, taking back his comment. "That's one reason why I came and not my seventh body."

"Did you just call yourself Dar-seven?!" Jack questioned with a laugh. "What's that about?"

Sighing, Daruun mentioned, "It's a nickname Gradsdum gave my many bodies… In order to determine which is which, he started calling me Dar-one and the joke only worsened after Silas heard about it…"

Chuckling without hesitation, Jack commented, "Ooohhh… But who's--"

"Either way, hurry up and open your tomb! I'm too anxious to wait any longer!"

"But--"

"Gradsdum rules District 11," Daruun quickly stated. "Now open it!"

Calming himself, Jack pulled out his crappy looking, purple ring. It baffled him to think that such a plain item was acting as the key to Jack's tomb and dormant second body. If Halmut and his subordinate gods knew about this, Jack was certain they would rush to destroy Jack where he stood.

Thanks to the ring being such a small item, Jack didn't need to slit his entire forearm. His small cut was more than enough to coat the item and allow Jack's chant to fully summon the hidden tomb. It appeared beside the spatial gate, also have small steps leading to a mausoleum-style door.

"Jack_J."

Reading the marble sign overhead, Jack took a deep breath and stepped inside. Daruun kept the women back for a moment, letting Jack get a good view of all his past memories.

The tomb itself matched the ninety-ninth floor chamber in size but it wasn't barren by any means. Assorted armors, robes, cloaks, and all manner of clothing lined the walls upon various statues of Jack, mimicking the many restarts and character alterations that Jack had gone through across his in-game journey. Countless chests filled the floor, ranging from being simple and wooden to being made out of platinum and gold. At the very center was a marble sepulcher with calligraphy etched into it, reading, "The Legend of Trodar". In front of the sepulcher was a marble coffin with its lid sealed by an enchantment.

Jack was caught up in the slew of more emotions than he could remember. It was an overwhelming sensation to see everything that he had ever earned in-game become reality, sitting in front of him to hold in his hands.

"The enchantment keeps anyone from summoning your construct."

Daruun's voice brought Jack back to the present moment. The mighty creator of Kartonia stepped inside with Jack's wives, letting them also become speechless upon entry.

"That enchantment can only be undone by one thing, your blood," explained Daruun. "At each of the separate enchantments, you need to wipe your blood across them to release the coffin's lid."

Jack understood that but still took a moment to shake his head and gather himself. He felt that all of his past achievements in-game suddenly became tangible and real. Before, Jack knew it was true according to the history books but hadn't considered them to be a part of his genuine legacy. But standing amidst the countless treasures, items, and riches that Jack had accumulated in the past, there was now no way for Jack to deny those in-game achievements as anything but reality.

Eventually, Jack moved. Jack took his time to carefully approach his own marble coffin. One by one, Jack smeared some of his blood on each of the small enchantments lining the edges of the lid. As the light faded from each enchantment, Jack's heart pounded a little quicker. After disenchanting the final seal, Jack paused as saliva clogged his throat. A moment of thoughtful hesitation passed before Jack swallowed the saliva and forcefully pushed the lid aside.

The others gathered around as well, walking fast until they reached an abrupt halt around the open coffin. Daruun was all smiles. The women had their mouths agape. Jack was in a world of his own.

Laying within the coffin was a perfect replica of Jack. Nothing was different, nothing but the clothes the dormant body wore.

"I took the liberty to alter your second body in preparation for this," Daruun mentioned, being the only one to make a sound. "I've matched your classes and subclasses already, so you won't need to worry about that. All that's missing now is this…"

Daruun walked behind Jack and placed his hand on Jack's back. He didn't push Jack or do anything, but a sudden rush of white energy entered Jack's body, startling Jack's wives.

Those two pop-ups instantly flashed across Jack's view, not letting him ignore them as Daruun forced the system to recognize a hidden function.

"Now, let me warn you--"

Blinding light suddenly erupted out of Jack, filling the room with endless specs of cloudy, white energy to the point of blinding everyone. The specs appeared in the blink of an eye, but they took their time to gradually enter the motionless body lying inside the marble coffin.

Daruun stopped his sentence, sighing with a chuckle as he and the others witnessed Jack's first spirit replication.

As more energy entered the dormant body, Jack began to feel strange. The feeling of a cold stone touched Jack's back, catching him off guard and sending a shiver down Jack's spine. But Jack's standing body didn't move. It was the body within the coffin that shifted around.

Another few seconds passed and Jack felt himself open his eyes, regaining a new perspective of the well-lit ceiling adorned in glowing, crystal chandeliers. It took a moment for Jack to blink and regain his view of the coffin in front of him. By then, the final particles of light had seeped into Jack's dormant body.