Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"Alright, Finn, you'll be taking my spot. I'll keep Freya close to me. Asher, we'll need your [Item Switch] in the final round," Jett said with a determined look.

"But that skill uses an unreasonable amount of MP," Asher sighed, thinking about how disadvantageous it would be to him if he tried to use it.

"Do you really have a choice? At least it has no cooldown," Jett replied, trying to convince him.

"Yeah, but it takes 50% of whatever MP I have left," Asher explained, his curiosity piqued. "How do you know about the skill? You seemed so sure I had it."

'Because I copied it from you,' Jett thought but instead said, "I played the video game a lot, so just trust me. Besides, by the time we reach the tenth island, your MP will already be at its limit. You won't even notice the 50%."

Jett had aimed for Asher to use the skill when his MP was at its lowest since [Item Switch] didn't have a fixed MP cost but instead used 50% of whatever MP the user had left.

Even if Asher had just 2 MP remaining, it would only use up 1 point.

This loophole was something Jett discovered while using related skills that drained MP by percentage back when he was still a gamer.

"I guess not, but how am I going to use it in this situation?" Asher inquired.

"Just wait for my signal, you'll know exactly what to do," Jett replied confidently. Asher's expression, however, showed that he wasn't convinced. "You can leave the stats problem to Freya."

"Me? How?" Freya asked, taken aback.

"That restriction I gave you last time, you can stop now. When we start, you have to use it immediately," Jett reminded her with a playful smile.

"I'm guessing you already have a plan?" Freya asked, her curiosity piqued.

"It's no different from what we've been doing this whole time. The only difference is we'll be moving in pairs, so don't cluster around. One Mana user to one Aura user to avoid what happened last time," Jett said as he glanced at Aiden.

Aiden got all defensive at this. "What? It was a simple mistake."

Jett continued with his corrections. "Remember, stay alert for traps and keep your formation tight. If anyone gets separated, regroup immediately. Communication is key. Use hand signals if you have to, and always be aware of your partner's position."

The formation was set in a rush, but it was still a good one. The pairs were Jett-Freya, Asher-Elora, Matthew-Rey, Finn-Marcella, Seraphina-Rosa, Cedric-Morrigan, and Aiden-Evelina.

"Everyone move out!" Jett commanded.

Freya used [Holy Blessing], enveloping the group in a radiant light.

They all attempted the course again, but this time, thanks to Freya, most of their stats were temporarily restored just long enough for them to clear the stage.

They were able to avoid all the mines and traps until the seventh island. The gravitational pull doubled, but they moved better than before, their formation and strategy holding strong.

At the eighth island, low-level monsters started spawning to block them. Matthew took the lead with his shield and rushed forward, using [Colossal Bash] to clear a path. The others followed closely behind.

Matthew's shield smashed through the ranks of the monsters, sending them flying and creating a clear path.

Those with Aura did most of the fighting, while the Mana users took up supporting roles, using buff spells to keep everyone going. Their stats were still not high enough to be careless, so they moved with precision and caution.

At the ninth island, the low-level monsters spawned again, this time with traps from previous islands. The team adapted quickly, their formation holding as they navigated the familiar terrain.

So far, Jett did a pretty good job keeping Freya close while also advancing with the others. They had to be more cautious than before due to the traps.

While Matthew and Cedric focused on defense, the rest concentrated on clearing a path to the last island just next to the goal.

'Damn it, Freya already has that skill restricted and there's no time to find another way to even the fight.'

[Divine Insight]

Jett used one of Freya's skills, lowering all the monsters' stats, but it wouldn't last long.

'How are you using that skill? I thought Aurelia said I might be the only one with [Divine Insight]?' Freya wanted to ask, but she knew this was not the time to be distracted.

They reached the tenth island with three minutes to spare. As everyone rushed the ogre, despite how weak they were compared to it, they heard Jett's voice from behind.

"Don't try to kill it! Just make it fall from up here, it'll count as a kill!" Jett yelled.

With that in mind, both Rey and Elora went for the legs to try slowing it down.

{Vine Dance}

Rosa swiftly utilized some sturdy vines, expertly tying up the Ogre's limbs. Cedric and Matthew seized the moment, charging with all their might and ramming into the beast.

The force was enough to topple the Ogre, causing it to stumble perilously close to the edge of the island. Victory seemed within grasp, just a few more steps and it would all be over.

But then, something unexpected happened. The Ogre's eyes flared with a wild fury, muscles bulging as it entered a berserk state. With a deafening roar, it ripped apart the vines Rosa had used to bind it.

"[Fear]!" the Ogre bellowed, attempting to cast a wave of terror over them. But thanks to [Divine Insight], they were immune to its fear-inducing powers. Despite its strength, the Ogre couldn't unleash its full potential due to the limitations of their skill.

Exhaustion was etched on everyone's faces. They had depleted nearly all their resources—MP, Mana, and even Aura. Frustration mingled with fatigue as they faced the rampaging Ogre.

"Asher! Do it now," Jett commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos.

Without hesitation, Asher lunged forward, dagger in hand. His heart pounded as he aimed for the Ogre's vulnerable spot.

With a swift, precise movement, he stabbed the beast, the blade sinking deep into its flesh. In that split second, Asher made a daring decision and leaped off the island.

"Asher!!!" Evelina's scream echoed as she watched him plummet into the abyss.

Jett grabbed her arm, halting her instinctive rush to the edge. "Hey, listen to me, he's not dead, remember?" His voice was firm but gentle, trying to pierce through her panic.

Evelina struggled against Jett's grip, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief. "But Jett, he..."

"He knew what he was doing," Jett interrupted, his gaze steady. "Plus, did you really just forget we can't die here?."

It took Evelina a moment to recall the instructions for the trial: they wouldn't actually die but would instead be sent back to the starting point. Realization dawned on her, and she blushed in embarrassment.

Jett noticed her reaction and gave a sheepish smile. As the Ogre came charging at them with a full swing of its club, Jett called out, "Hello," and quickly grabbed Freya and the still-confused Evelina by their arms, moving them away from the attack. "Everyone stay away and don't attack," he instructed.

Meanwhile, below, Asher found himself falling to what seemed like certain doom. Yet, a confident smile spread across his face as he recalled Jett's words:

'Just wait for my signal, you'll know exactly what to do.' It was as if he instinctively knew what to do without being told. Despite this being his first time attempting something like this, he felt strangely excited.

"[Item Switch]!" Asher activated the skill.

In an instant, Asher and the Ogre swapped places. Asher appeared back on the floating island with the others, while the Ogre plummeted into the abyss below.

"Seems like someone thought I was really going to die." Asher smiled as he faced the group, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

*****

A series of notifications appeared before them:

[Trial 1 Complete]

[Calculating Rewards for all Participants…]

[...]

[Reward]

[All Participants shall each Receive…]

[+2 Level]

[Stat and Skill Restoration]

[+50 Stat points]

[Synchronization B]

[Fire Resistance D]

[Light Stone x1]

[Demon Blood x1]

[Shadow Cloak x1]

[Lucky Roll x1]

[Wood x2]

[Completion: 1/14]

[Would you like to proceed to the next Trial?]

[Y/N]

"Yeah right, like anyone would continue after the hell we just went through," Elora sighed, her shoulders slumping in exhaustion.

"That was a tough challenge," Matthew added, rubbing his sore muscles.

Seraphina, still catching her breath but fueled by adrenaline, grinned. "Hehe, too bad the circumstances don't align. I'd have loved to keep going."

Finn, his mind focused solely on one thing, muttered, "Where is it…?" He frantically searched for [Market Value], his favorite skill. "I thought I lost you."

"So…?" Freya chimed in, "How do we leave this place?"

"Oh, right," Jett replied, "There are two ways to get out of here. Either use a reverse summoning glitch I picked up from playing WAR BOUND or a Forced Teleportation scroll."

"You sure know a lot about this world," Rey mused, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Jett turned to Seraphina, gesturing for her to step forward. "We'll need your [Familiar] skill. I need you to mark everyone so you can summon us back to our original reality."

"I can only use that skill on eight people at a time," Seraphina explained, "And even if I manage to do what you're asking and still recover my MP, I'll still need two weeks to use it again."

"You don't need to worry," Jett replied with a reassuring smile, holding up five scrolls. "I have five scrolls already."

"It's not enough," Seraphina pointed out. "We need at least six. If we go with your plan, someone will have to stay behind until we return, which means the plan won't work."

*

*

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Wow!

Did he not think this through?