Matthew Atkinson & Natalie Russell
Fourth Layer of the Supernatural Realm
Natalie was stunned by Matthew's question.
Besides buying a second, and likely another, Legend-level Hero Template Card, was the hero that Matthew envisioned a Kryptonian?
"A Kryptonian Hero? Is the hero you've transformed into a Kryptonian Hero? Just like the Kryptonian Bloodline on the ability card you merged?" Natalie asked.
"Yeah," Matthew said.
"Do Kryptonians have heroes? And more importantly, how do you know these, Matt?" she asked.
"You probably won't believe me, but to briefly explain, I have a kind of sixth sense about certain things, and sometimes memories of certain stories and heroes pop into my head."
"Before merging with the Kryptonian Bloodline, I only had hunches, but after merging with the ability card, these hunches strengthened, and I started to gain information from time to time. Sometimes it's a dream, sometimes it happens suddenly while I am walking."
"I can't say I know exactly why this is happening, but I think it's related to the Supernatural Realm."
"As for the details, we need to leave that for later. Let's finish our preparations for the Battle Royale first, then you can ask whatever you want."
At the moment, Matthew had no other way to explain the situation.
After all, he couldn't tell her that his consciousness from the future had returned to his body in the past, but that this body was in an alternate world.
When he made such a claim, everyone would think he was crazy or mentally ill. At least, that's what Matthew would think of anyone who came to him with such a claim.
But Matthew was hiding a lot from Natalie, and he didn't like that. He didn't want to keep his knowledge from her.
That's why he chose to explain his situation this way.
Moreover, what he said wasn't exactly a lie; he had just slightly distorted the source of the facts.
After all, he had many stories and pieces of information in his mind. When he didn't have definitive information on these matters, he acted on his educated guesses.
Just like his intuition that the Kryptonian Bloodline could be strengthened under artificial sunlight.
He didn't have definite knowledge of this, but based on what he knew, he felt his plan would succeed.
"Okay. We can postpone this conversation until later. But keep in mind that I have a lot of questions," Natalie said seriously.
"No problem. I'll give you all the answers I can. Now, give me a few minutes so I can prepare your Hero Template Card."
Natalie nodded in agreement, and Matthew chose to use the Hero Temple Card for a second time.
And the words "[Imagine a Hero]" appeared on the panel in front of him again.
Matthew closed his eyes again and began to visualize Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl.
Matthew knew less about Supergirl than he did about Superman. However, he still started thinking about all the works and all the information he could remember about Supergirl from the comics.
The character he based this hero on was Kara Danvers, played by Melissa Benoist.
But instead of imagining her in her skirted costume from the series, he preferred to imagine her in the outfit worn by Supergirl in The Flash movie.
Then Matthew entered a trance, just like before, and all the information, thoughts, and feelings about Supergirl began to pass through his mind one by one, and after what felt like several hours, he came back to himself.
The blank white Hero Template Card he was holding transformed into a card featuring Supergirl.
And just as he had imagined, Kara Danvers, wearing a one-piece suit, represented Supergirl.
At that moment, another notification text appeared on the panel.
[Your knowledge is lacking, but your understanding of the heroine you envisioned is at a high level. The Hero Template Card was created successfully. Please review the card for details.]
Was his knowledge lacking?
Matthew wasn't exactly surprised by this, but he hoped that as someone with Kryptonian powers, his understanding of these powers would fill any gaps in his knowledge.
Matthew quickly checked the information on the card in his hand.
Fortunately, Matthew's understanding of Kryptonian powers prevailed, resulting in a 100% match rate for the card.
Without further delay, Matthew handed the card to Natalie and said, "The card is ready. Luckily, this one also has a 100% match rate. Here."
Natalie took the card from Matthew and began examining the information on the small panel that opened in front of her.
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[Supergirl Template Card - Legend]
[A Heroine Template Card that grants the user the powers of Supergirl, a Kryptonian.]
[This card has a maximum match rate of 100% because the creator has a high level of understanding, even if his knowledge is somewhat lacking, of this Heroine.]
[Basic Heroine Powers: Flying, Invulnerable Body, Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Mind, Super Hearing, Super Vision, Heat Vision, X-Ray Vision, Super Strong Cold Breath, Bio-Electric Aura.]
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Besides the card having a 100% match rate, as Matthew had said, what caught Natalie's attention was the sheer number of skills this Kryptonian heroine, Supergirl, had.
Moreover, these skills were versatile, not focused on a single aspect, such as attack or defense.
At that moment, Natalie remembered Matthew saying he was an all-rounder when she asked him in the second layer if his powers were strength-based.
She didn't know which of these skills Matthew possessed, but now she understood better why he had said that.
"How much longer do you plan on looking at the card?" Matthew asked.
"Do you possess all of these skills? I mean, with your actual body."
"Nope. I've only awakened two Innate Skills. One is Steel Body, which triples my defense and gives me high defense, and the other is Super Strength, which triples my attack power. I still need time to awaken all of them." He explained.
"Oh..."
"You'd better use the card soon. Afterwards, I want to get a few skills from the Panel and try them out with Kryptonian skills. We need to get used to these powers and also discuss the plan before joining the Battle Royale." He said.
"Okay," Natalie said, then used the Supergirl Template card to transform into the Supergirl on the card.
After scrutinizing Natalie's new look from head to toe for a long time, Matthew, thinking that her decision to replace the skirted costume with a full bodysuit was the right one, said, "You look pretty hot in that outfit, Nat. We should order a custom-made one for you when we get back to Blue Marble, what do you say?"
Natalie's face turned bright red at Matthew's words, and to change the subject, she hastily asked, "You mentioned other skills you wanted to buy. What do you have in mind?"
Matthew knew she was trying to change the subject, but Natalie's lack of direct opposition gave him some hope.
He first took three Extra Life Coins from the Panel for himself. He didn't want to risk forgetting them.
Then, turning to Natalie, he said, "The Kryptonians' weakness is their resistance to magic. Therefore, I think we should first get the Ultimate Magical Energy Shield armor. And then, two skills for both of us: Healing Factor (Super) and Denger Sense (Super)."
Natalie quickly found these items on the Panel and read their descriptions.
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[Ultimate Magical Energy Shield: Provides the player with 50% absolute defense against all magic and energy-based attacks. If the player's level is above level 50, they gain an additional 1% defense for each level. Alternatively, the defense level can be increased by spending 1,000 Currency Coins per level. Maximum armor protection rate is 100%.
Price: 750 Attribute Coins
Note: If this armor is equipped, the player cannot equip any other armor and will have to bear the full effect of physical attacks.]
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[Healing Factor (Super): Grants the player a super-fast healing ability.
Price: 250 Attribute Coins
Note: This ability does not grant the player immortality or other attributes. It will not protect against lethal attacks. But it can regenerate severed limbs, excluding the head.]
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[Denger Sense (Super): Grants the player a super-level danger detection ability. This level allows the player to sense a life-threatening projectile even just before it is fired.
Price: 250 Attribute Coins
Note: While this ability provides information about the direction of the danger, it does not provide definitive information about what the threat is.]
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After reading the information about the three items, Natalie asked, "Do we need the Healing Factor skill? These Kryptonians have the Invulnerable Body skill, right?"
"Yes, but I don't want to leave anything to chance. This isn't the real world; it's a game world. There might be skills or weapons that bypass other skills. Danger Sense is also important for this reason. The highest-level skills, Ultimate Level, would be unnecessary for us and very expensive. But I think we'll need these two skills at the next best level, Super Level."
"Okay. But these three skills are worth 1250 Attribute Coins in total. After buying three Extra Life Coins, I don't have enough money to buy all of them," Natalie said.
"Just get the Ultimate Magical Energy Shield and Healing Factor (Super) skills. I'll get the Denger Sense (Super) skill for you."
"Hmm..." Natalie said, and as Matthew suggested, she spent 1000 Attribute Coins to buy the two skills.
Meanwhile, Matthew also spent 1500 Attribute Coins to buy two Danger Sense (Super) skill cards along with the two other skills.
Then he gave Natalie one of the Danger Sense (Super) skill cards.
"What now?" Natalie asked.
"Now we need Unlimited Ammo and Anti-Scan Module items. And just in case, let's look at a weapon for use in Battle Royale for each of us. Yes, an anti-personnel ordinance cannon and a railgun will do the job. And... Holy Hand Grenades. 10 Attribute Coins each. Really, it is a steal. I'm taking ten. Natalie, you should take ten for yourself."
Natalie was a little taken aback by Matthew's rapid item shopping, but she decided to do as he said and buy 10 Holy Hand Grenades for herself as well.
Frankly, after merging with Hero Template Cards and acquiring the armor and two other skills, the other items didn't mean much to Natalie anymore.
In this Battle Royale, their battles would be based on Kryptonian abilities.
But she still listened to Matthew and bought what he suggested.
Meanwhile, Matthew got what he wanted and gave Natalie a Railgun weapon along with Unlimited Ammo and an Anti-Scan Module.
Then Matthew turned to Natalie, smiling mischievously, "Nat, I still have 1653 Attribute Coins left; I saved them for a plan. I'm thinking of using them to buy this item, what do you think?" he said, pointing to an item on his Panel.
Natalie approached Matthew's Panel and looked at the item he was showing.
At first, the item's price of 800 Attribute Coins made her raise an eyebrow, but after reading the description, she froze, speechless.
After a moment, recovering from her shock, she turned to Matthew and said, "Matthew, using this item is completely insane... even for you."
"Don't say that, Nat, if the plan works, our SSS-grade is practically guaranteed. I'm thinking of buying two."
"Two? But wouldn't this item cause us…"
"Don't worry, Nat. Besides, we can test this item before we buy it. This will also give us understanding about the durability of our current Kryptonian body," Matthew said.
Then, without waiting for Natalie's reply, Matthew pressed the "test" button on the item, and the white room they were in instantly transformed into Planet Doom itself.
Approximately 5 minutes later...
After the item's test was complete, Planet Doom returned to a white room, and Natalie waited there, her eyes dim.
Then she turned to Matthew and said, "You're really crazy, you know?"
"Uh... I have to say it's more effective than I expected. But the plan worked, right?"
"Yeah..."
Then Matthew, grinning mischievously, immediately bought two of the items they had tested, spending 1600 Attribute Coins.
He gave one to Natalie.
"I still have 53 Attribute Coins. What about you?" Matthew asked.
"36," Natalie replied.
Matthew immediately started browsing the Panel, looking for other items they could buy, and one caught his attention.
"Oh... Chucky. It costs 10 Attribute Coins per one. I'm taking 5. Natalie, you take 3. This is a Killer Baby. Literally. You can buy other small things you like with the remaining coins."
Natalie, as Matthew suggested, bought 3 Chucky and then used the rest to buy other small things she could find.
Leaving any unspent coins wouldn't benefit them.
After spending all their Attribute Coins, Matthew and Natalie began testing their Kryptonian powers and the skills and items they had acquired.
The White Room was transformed into whatever form they needed.
And after 5 hours of preparation, testing, and planning, Matthew and Natalie teleported from the White Room to Planet Doom, the Battle Royale area.
As soon as Matthew arrived at Planet Doom, he pulled out the item Natalie called the "Crazy Item" and activated it.
And at that moment, a notification message appeared in front of the 1 million players on Planet Doom, along with a notification sound that echoed in their ears.
Although the players didn't fully understand what was happening, many NPCs seemed to know what the notification meant, and they all started cursing.
The most common curse was, "Who is this crazy motherfucker?"
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.122: Get Ready!
Ch.123: Mini Bosses
Ch.124: Planet Doom Frenzy