DISCLAIMER/WARNING: I don't think it is necessary but I will leave a warning anyways, there will some issues and topics portrayed in this story, and they do not represent my views or how I think, everything is done for entretainment purposes nothing more.
As I place the tablet back on the desk, it vanishes into thin air, leaving no trace behind. For a moment, nothing happens, and I'm left sitting in silence, contemplating the weight of my choices.
Leaning back in my chair, I find myself staring at the imaginary ceiling, lost in thought. The exhaustion of the whole ordeal begins to wash over me, and my eyelids grow heavier with each passing moment. It seems that the effects of this transformation are finally starting to take hold.
Before succumbing to sleep, I mutter softly to myself. "Good luck to me..."
[...]
[...]
[...]
My eyes snap open, and I immediately regret it as a searing, blinding light pierces through my vision. I shield my face with my hand, my eyes burning from the intensity, and wait for my vision to gradually clear.
I rub my eyes with my free hand, trying to make sense of what's happening.
As my sight returns, I realize I'm in the middle of nowhere. I lower my gaze to inspect myself and notice I'm clad in a black skin suit with a white number 2 printed on my chest. Lifting my head, I see the same bright light above me, illuminating only me, while the rest of the surroundings remain an empty, darkened void.
This…
Did something happen?
I was supposed to wake up as Adam Taurus, not whatever the fuck this is!
I try to move, but quickly realize my legs are strapped to a chair. My arms remain free, but my attempts to stand are futile.
I struggle several times until the strange ground shakes violently beneath me. The shaking continues, and then a platform begins to rise from the ground, lifting me upward.
"IT'S TIME FOR OUR NEXT CANDIDATE TO SHOW ON THE STAGE!"
The voice booms, but I don't have time to make sense of the words before the platform rockets upward at incredible speed. A rush of adrenaline causes goosebumps to ripple across my stomach as the platform ascends.
It comes to an abrupt stop, revealing a completely different scene.
A flood of bright lights illuminates me from every direction, revealing that I'm at the center of a massive amphitheater. Surrounding me is a crowd of faceless spectators, yet each one wears a simple white mask with a mischievous smile. The crowd's unblinking gazes lock on me, sending a chill down my spine.
I swallow hard, my hands trembling uncontrollably. I grasp one hand with the other, but it does little to calm the tremors.
What the hell is going on?
As if on cue with my thoughts, the lights in the amphitheater abruptly go dark, leaving only the stage bathed in light. I'm now unmistakably the center of attention.
"Smile for the camera, dear."
Oh, no...
I freeze as a pair of long, cold hands grip my shoulders firmly from behind. I dare not turn around as a cold breath brushes against my neck, my heart racing so fiercely that it hurts.
"Oh? No, no, my dear. None of that here."
Whoever is behind me places his large hand on top of my head, and suddenly everything goes quiet. My heart rate slows down, returning to a calm, steady beat.
"Much better. Now…" His grip tightens on my shoulders. "SMILE."
And I do.
"Good."
He releases me and strides forward onto the stage; the lights following his every move and finally revealing this imposing figure to me.
"APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAYS, MY BEAUTIFULS!""
The host's skin is a vibrant, almost glowing blue, with a face that blends humanoid and insect-like features. A shiver runs down my spine as he slowly turns his enormous head toward me. His eyes are comically large and yellow, with slit-like pupils, but their gaze seems to pierce through me effortlessly. His wide mouth is filled with sharp, curved teeth that form an unsettling grin.
The monstrous host skips toward me and waves his hand, causing a giant tablet to materialize in his grasp. His other hand forms a pair of comically large glasses, which he puts on as he reads.
"Our newest candidate is... OH?" He dramatically throws the tablet and glasses off the stage, making me flinch. "HA! A SECOND GENERATION IS WITH US!"
"ISN'T THAT GREAT?!"
But the amphitheater remains silent, and instead of applause, the white masks flash with an array of chaotic colors, resembling a wild, unpredictable party of lights.
The host abruptly turns around and bows deeply to the faceless audience. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU! ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO ENTERTAIN YOU ALL!" He straightens up and waves his right hand, prompting the flashing lights to intensify.
It's as if they're laughing... no, they are laughing. I can hear their eerie laughter echoing in my mind.
"SO, SO, SO, SO, IT'SSSS TIME FOR THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE!"
As if on cue, his announcement prompts the floor to open, revealing a giant, colorful spinning wheel emerging from below. Each color on the wheel contains a mysterious set of jumbled symbols that I can't decipher, no matter how hard I try.
"TIME TO VOTE! GENTLE OR ROUGH?"
A live counter appears next to the wheel as the votes start pouring in, while the monstrous host begins dancing. He flails his arms and awkwardly moves his legs in a weird way that… it's the fucking Fortnite default dance.
What the fuck?
"VOTES ARE IN!" he exclaims, removing his hat and pointing at the counter, revealing that the 'Gentle' option has won the voting phase.
"A GENTLE PUSH IT IS!"
He gives the wheel a gentle spin, watching it rotate slowly before it finally lands on a green segment covered in unrecognizable symbols.
"HA, OUR WINNER IS HERE!"
A light shoots out from the wheel, striking the host. Instead of harming him, the light bends and morphs into a large card that he holds up triumphantly.
"OH, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT? WHAT LUCK FOR A SECOND GENERATION CLONE!"
Wait, what?
Clone?
AM I A CLONE?!
"THE WINNING BUILD IS FOR THE WORM UNIVERSE!"
I shake my head, trying to push aside the earth-shattering realization of being a clone and focus on the monster's announcement.
Worm.
A grim-dark universe that is edgy and grim, everything is fucked and everyone is fucked.
Memories of creating my Worm build come flooding back, and a wave of relief washes over me. Unlike my RWBY build, I crafted the Worm build to be as overpowered as possible to make that run a breeze in the park.
Despite barely knowing much about that universe besides some important faction, the ultra depressed bootleg Superman and a bootleg Joker that convinces said Superman to genocide the entire world and who could forget the giant monsters that will raze the world to the ground first. I created my build to actually survive everything that said universe could throw at me and then steam roll it within weeks after some preparation.
I couldn't help but smirk at the thought. It will be easy. Ignoring the fact that I'm a clone, this won't be too bad, maybe even lucky, since I won't be facing an even worse RWBY world.
"UMMM? WHAT'S THAT? TOO EASY? YOU WANT TO FIX IT? WHO AM I TO ARGUE!"
What?!
"PLACE YOUR BIDS!"
I attempt to stand up and somehow intervene, but my restraints remind me of my helplessness. All I can do is watch as the audience begins a bidding war.
Each section of the crowd places bids, and the competition intensifies for a while before gradually slowing down. The bidding becomes less frequent until only two sections remain, each trying to outbid the other.
Finally, after one last bid, one side concedes.
"WE HAVE A WINNER!" The host points dramatically at the winning bidder, who sits far in the right corner. "MY DEAREST PATRON, PLEASE FIX THIS BUILD TO YOUR LIKING!"
I watch as the winner takes my carefully crafted build and begins to manipulate it to their desire. All I can do now is hope and pray that this mysterious patron doesn't ruin everything or fuck me over for shits and giggles.
Shit, who am I trying to fool? Of course, that bastard will fuck me over.
"FIXES DONE, PLEASE LOOK AT THE NEW AND IMPROVED WORM BUILD!"
The host reveals the altered build, though I can't discern what changes have been made. Anxiety builds within me, and a pit forms in my stomach as the crowd's sadistic laughter echoes through the amphitheater and in my head.
"YES, YES, IT TRULY FILLS ME WITH JOY THAT YOU, MY DEAR SPECTATORS, ARE ENJOYING THIS HUMBLE SHOW!"
The host pulls out a handkerchief seemingly from thin air and begins dramatically wiping his eyes, pretending to cry. He exaggerates every gesture, wiping fake tears and blowing his nonexistent nose, then discarding the handkerchief with a flourish.
"ANY MORE CHANGES? NO? THEN LET'S MOVE TO THE MODIFIERS!"
Another bidding war starts, but unlike the first, very few participate. I could count them on one hand and still have fingers left over.
"FANTASTIC!" The host points at a mysterious patron in the second row. "YOU GET TO MODIFY JUST A LITTLE TINY BIT, AND—Oh, you're done."
The room falls silent, an awkward stillness enveloping everyone involved. The silence is broken by the host clearing his throat.
"THE BUILD IS OFFICIALLY FINISHED, THEN."
He turns on his heels and points directly at me, his grin wider than it should be. "IT'S YOUR TURN NOW!"
A tablet materializes in the host's hand, and he flings it at me like a frisbee so I can finally know what they have done to my original build. I attempt to catch it, but I fumble, struggling to keep it from slipping through my hands.
Eventually, it lands on my legs, and I carefully pick it up, relieved to find it undamaged. Glancing up, I see the host's piercing yellow eyes still fixed on me.
I swallow hard and then look down at the tablet to read my modified Worm build.
And my heart breaks.
That person has completely ruined my carefully curated and planned build, designed to steamroll Worm with minimal resistance. The bastard wasn't even merciful to leave at least one waifu in my retinue. And to make the matter worse, limiters have been added such as [No Bindings] which already is a fucking nightmare in a world like that. And also changed my Heritage pick, no longer the Mastermind heritage, perfect choice to outmaneuver everyone and counter every thinker or Master, but now my heritage has been changed to a Dragon.
Checking my heritage a little more, now I am supposed to be the Dragon of Justice. What the fuck does that even mean?
I scroll down and find the modifiers.
Clash of worlds [+50]
Subsidized/Sized assets [0]
Crippling Cape speech [0]
Get fucked lmao [-1]
Meta is for pussies [0]
Okay, fuck you too. It would have literally cost you 0 credits to NOT do that.
Whoever did this is a fucking asshole.
I quickly scroll through the tablet, searching for the most crucial aspect for surviving in the Worm universe: the company defenses. My heart leaps into my throat as I realize I'm missing several essential defenses, ones that are vital for lasting even a second once I'm dropped into that world.
"SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK, LUCKY NUMBER TWO?!" the host shouts.
"I want to change something, at least!" I call out desperately.
"OHO, SUCH A DEMANDING CLONE! BUT WHAT DOES OUR BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC SAY?!" he bellows, leaning back with one hand cupped over his long ears as if trying to hear better.
The audience's response is nothing but laughter.
"NO REFUNDS!"
Fuck fuck fuck fuck shit SHIT!
"SOOOOOO IT'S TIME TO SEND YOU ON YOUR WAY!"
As those words leave his enormous mouth, a metallic box with a big red button materializes in his hand. He slowly hovers his long fingers around it, and my heart pounds wildly against my chest as he inches closer to pressing the button. My mind is screaming at me to do something, anything, to stop him.
Anything...
"A LOAN! I WANT TO TAKE A LOAN!" I shout desperately, my last gamble to salvage the situation. It's risky and a terrible idea, but it's all I have left to save my sorry ass.
Much to my short-lived relief, the host pauses, his finger hovering above the button. He fixes his piercing yellow eyes on me, his grin now replaced by a curious, puckered "o" shape.
"OOOOOOH, A LOAN! MY DEAREST PATRONS, THAT CHANGES THINGS!" He tosses the button away with a dramatic flourish, then extends his arms wide toward the crowd. "WHO WANTS TO TAKE THE LOAN, MY GREEDY GUESTS? COULD IT BE YOU? OR MAYBE YOU? YOU, WITH THE BANKER LOOK!"
Despite his theatrical attempts to sell the idea, the crowd remains indifferent to my plea, leaving me sweating in fear. If no one accepts, I'll be sent to that death world without proper defenses and end up as a fucktoy to a psychopath or a guinea pig to some shadowy organization.
Then, just when I thought all hope was lost, a single patron accepts the deal.
"SOLD!" the host shouts triumphantly, pointing to the successful bidder with a grand gesture. The crowd erupts in chaotic applause, and the lights flash wildly as the deal is sealed.
As soon as they are done, my balance is increased by 150 credits. It's not the maximum I could have hoped for, but it's also not the minimum, it's a lifeline.
With no time to waste, I immediately navigate to the Defense tabs and purchase the essential protections that were missing: fatality, paradox, and polymorph defenses.
After securing the crucial defenses, I'm left with just 5 credits in my account.
I exhale a loud sigh of relief, sinking back into my chair as the weight of the situation lifts from my shoulders. These last-minute purchases have ensured my survival in Earth Bet, or at least, they've secured me a fighting chance to avoid a horrible death on my first day.
That should count for something… right?
"IS NUMBER TWO REEEEEEEADY?"
The host's booming voice snaps me out of my thoughts. Before I can respond, he casually snatches the tablet from my hands.
"THE SHOW MUST GO ON!" he declares, then melts the tablet in his hands. The molten liquid reforms into the same large metallic box with an oversized red button.
With the device in hand, he starts skipping across the stage, gleefully showing the button to the audience as he completes one full lap.
"COUNTDOWN STARTS!"
"ONE."
I swallow hard, trying to steady myself.
"TWO."
I end up hugging myself, bracing for what's coming.
"THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The show host pushes the button with a flourish.
The floor beneath me opens up, and I plummet into the darkness, not even given a chance to scream before the abyss swallows me whole.
I wake up with a loud gasp, my eyes fluttering open as I blink rapidly to clear away the blurriness. My hands instinctively reach up to rub my eyes, and as I come to my senses, I realize I'm lying in a heap of sharp, jagged trash. The night sky above me is shrouded in darkness, with only a sliver of the moon visible, a familiar sight in a city sky.
I look down, unable to see my lower body as it's buried in the mound of trash. I reach out cautiously, trying to pull myself free, but I overestimate the stability of the debris and end up sliding further into the mess.
"Shit," I mutter as I tumble and roll down the heap, crashing to the ground with a thud. Surprisingly, the fall doesn't hurt. As I push myself up, I grab hold of something sharp and dangerous without even realizing it. Instead of feeling a deep cut in my palm, I hear the object crumble.
Confused, I inspect my hand, expecting the worst, but find it perfectly fine, just covered in dirt and dust. I brush it off and finally take a moment to look at myself. My clothes are in tatters, barely hanging onto my large frame, but I can't see much beyond that without a mirror or any sort of reflective surface.
A sudden pang of pain shoots through my head, prompting me to clutch it with my hand.
Right, the extra origin.
Now I remember.
My name is Daniel… just Daniel because I'm another orphan with no known family and the orphanage didn't bother to give me a last name.
And the reason I am in a dumpster is that I tried to take my own life by jumping off from the top of a construction site, the workers probably wanting to avoid the problem of having somebody die in his work area they must have thrown my body in the trash and let the pickup truck take care of it. They threw my body into the landfill.
That's pretty fucked up, but it makes sense.
And why did Daniel, now me, want to take his own life? Besides, how fucked up this world already is, which in my honest opinion is a good enough reason to already not want to live in Earth Bet?
Because of an extreme and unhinged case of bullying.
Daniel's only friend in this world hanged herself out of despair as she couldn't take the abuse any longer, leaving him all alone and in despair as he had truly nobody else and specially more than he has been blaming himself for her death, he was felt responsible for his friend's death because he couldn't defend her or do anything but watch.
And thinking back on what the two were enduring, I cannot even call it bullying because it was sadistic, as if straight out of those edgy movies. Like, seriously, burying you alive, burning cigarettes on our bodies or forcing to lick clean a toilet, I cannot help but gag at the fucking memory. It is honestly disturbing that this has been happening, but I guess this is the norm because it is Earth-Bet after all.
So this attempt on my life was enough to cause a trigger and my moment to take over.
I pity you Daniel, I truly do, and I swear that you and your friend can rest easy because I will get your JUSTICE.
"You heard that?!"
"Some tinker must be stealing our shit!"
"Fucking get that bitch!"
Distant voices catch my attention, causing a knot of worry to form in my stomach. It seems that the commotion I caused moments ago hasn't gone unnoticed, and from the sound of their voices, these newcomers are very likely bad people judging by their tones.
I glance down at my body again, noting once more that most of my clothes are in tatters. However, my boxers are still intact, albeit a bit snug. I suppose that's what happens when you undergo a sudden growth spurt. Daniel used to be around 1.65 meters tall, but now I must be close to two meters, with a much broader frame compared to the lanky arms and legs I used to have.
Not that I'm complaining about the full body transformation, except for the ruined clothes, which I can replace easily enough. Oh, right! My pocket apartment should have a closet stocked with fresh sets of clothing. That will certainly come in handy now.
"THERE!"
Ah, I forgot about them.
"Oi oi, he is too big."
"Look at his clothes!"
"Is that a fucking trigger?!"
"A new cape!"
"Shit man, call Mush!"
"JUST FUCKING SHOOT HIM"
Oh, they have guns.
Oh fuck, they have guns!
Before I can even react, a deafening bang reverberates through the landfill and strikes me square in the chest. My heart races as I wait for the pain to hit, but there is nothing. No hole in my chest, no blood, not even a scratch. Instead, I watch in disbelief as a surprisingly large bullet tumbles to the ground, harmless against my new, improved body.
Turning back to face the group of gunmen, I see them all raise their weapons and fire in unison. It should have been a death sentence, a hail of bullets tearing through flesh and bone. But instead, I feel an odd sensation spreading through my body, almost like someone tickling me. Glancing down, I see that my clothes have been reduced to mere shreds by the barrage of bullets, yet my skin remains unscathed.
Suddenly, it hits me. This must be the result of the power swap with Uiho Jeong, also known as the Iron Arm. Known for his virtually immortal status and imperviousness to harm, only a direct hit from a nuclear weapon could possibly injure him.
As the gunmen realize the futility of their actions and stop firing, I can't help but smirk at their stupidity. They never stood a chance against me now.
"HOW?! This shit is tinker tech!"
"A brute?!"
"I will make Squealer squeal for this fuck up!"
Yeah, they are clearly scared now.
With a self-satisfied smirk on my face, I look down at my hands and clench them into fists, feeling the surge of power coursing through me. A primal roar builds in my chest, begging to be released. Turning my attention back to the armed hobos, I see that they are now frozen in shock, their tinker tech weaponry rendered useless against me.
And then I raise a pointed finger towards them.
"I see villains before me!"
Wait... Did I really just say that?
"As the embodiment of justice, I cannot allow this injustice to go… UNPUNISHED!"
No, seriously, what the fuck am I saying?!
"FEEL MY GLORIOUS JUSTICE!"
Oh god, please make it stop!
"SHOOT HIM SHOOT HIM." They all hopelessly shoot at me again, following their leader's futile orders, but their bullets only bounce off my body.
Whatever, I will figure it out later. Now I must deal with these fuckers.
Ignoring the surrounding chaos, I take one step forward and then burst into a sprint towards the center of the group. My eyes lock on the man who seems to be better armed than the others, determined to take him down first.
But just as I close in on my target, he pulls out a fucking grenade and hurls towards me in a desperate attempt to stop me. Without hesitation, I snatch it out of the air and crush it in my grip, ignoring the explosion that follows as I continue my charge towards the group.
"JUSTICE PUNCH!"
My voice involuntarily roars as my fist connects with the leader's chest, sending him flying several meters back before crashing against another tower of trash that collapses upon impact.
"JUSTICE HOOK!"
My other fist strikes a second assailant, sending him hurtling through the air until he crashes into another hobo, both of them knocked out cold by the force of my punch.
"Oh, fuck!"
"Run!"
"Mush, where is Mush!"
Huh, just taking out three guys was more than enough to send the rest scattering like rats in every direction, dropping their weapons as they fled.
Well, I should finish what I started.
"NONE SHALL ESCAPE MY GLORIOUS JUSTICE!"
Oh god, why can't I control my mouth?!
"JUSTICE RUSH!"
AN: I decided to cross-post another story of mine here in FF and see what is your opinion as it has gotten quite popular in QQ and yes it is WC sue me, BUT with not really the elements that discourage most people from reading.
You can head to QQ and read it there along with the image galley that it has if you want.
AN2: Waifu Catalog Full text build because images are impossible.
Starting World: Worm
Starting budget 590
Took a loan for 150 credits
Intensity [6.25]
Immunity 0
Standard 0
Me and My Girlfriend(s) (PvE) 0
Standard 0
Standard 0
Standard 0
No Bindings 3
Legacy Difficulty 0
'Extra' with 1 additional cost -1 [739]
Power Swap to Uiho Jeong(T8) 199 [540]
Heritage
Dragon Heart[Fire] -80 [460]
Dragon Scale[Justice] -95 [365]
Treasure Hoard -20 [345]
Lures
Zenryoku Zenkai -20 [325]
Home Perks
Pocket Space -5 [320]
Pocket Apartment x2 -20 [300]
Stay in touchᵈˡᶜ -5 [295]
My House, My Rules!ᵈˡᶜ -10 [285]
Home Securityᵈˡᶜ free [285]
All Roads Lead to Home -10 [275]
Talents
Everlasting free [275]
Body Tune-Up free [275]
Athletic free [275]
Martial free [275]
Wild free [275]
Soul free [275]
Defenses
Body x2 free [275]
Wild x2 free [275]
Environmental x2 free [275]
Stress x2 -10 [265]
Addiction -10 [255]
Mind x2 -50 [205]
Fatality -50 [155]
Trace -50 [105]
Paradox -50 [55]
Polymorph -50 [5]
Wyldscape -50 [-45]
Defenses discounted for retinue members +12 [-33]
Misc Perks
Universal Calibration -10 [-43]
Appearance Changeᵈˡᶜ -1 [-44]
Specific credit modifiers +49 [5]:
Clash of worlds [+50]
Subsidized/Sized assets [0]
Crippling Cape speech [0]
Get fucked lmao [-1]
Meta is for pussies [0]
Mission Rewards 0 [5]:
Classic dragon hunting in Worm
Other []; Free Gray-Boy's Victims in Worm.
Other []; The End-Survivor in Worm.
Other []; Long Awaited Justice in Worm.
Other [];