Episode 82: Split Personality!

Upon entering the arena, he encountered Split—a Barbarian Elemental Shaman. Yet, he bore little resemblance to the other Barbarians; his frame was noticeably leaner, and his face twisted as though starved, betraying the toll his unique ability had taken. It was easy to imagine the side effects that split personality had inflicted on him. Mornwind surmised that his body rarely found true rest—when one persona slept, the other awoke, leaving scant opportunity for genuine repose and resulting in his current state.

Perhaps things fared better within the game than in reality; in the real world, his condition might be even worse. Here, the game could at least mitigate some of the physical harm: when he played, the alternate persona allowed his body more chances to rest, reducing the time each spent in control.

“There he is—Duan Mornwind. His equipment seems top-tier, especially that magical ring!” a voice echoed in Split’s mind.

“Shut up!” Split responded, clearly at odds with his alternate self. To have his own body commandeered by another was deeply unsettling—his current frail state, he believed, was mainly the result of this. Split despised his ability; he’d chosen the name “Split” in hopes of distinguishing himself from his other self, but the game made such separation impossible. Here, the only benefit he’d discovered was a unique quest that granted him the power to create duplicates.

[Body Split]: Hero Skill. Creates 1, 2, or 3 duplicates. With 1 duplicate: the copy has 100% of the user’s attributes, and takes 120% damage. With 2: each has 90% attributes, 130% damage taken. With 3: each copy has 80% attributes, 140% damage taken. All copies share skill cooldowns with the original; with 3 copies, they share a universal 0.5-second cooldown. If any copy or the original dies, all perish. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Cost: none.

For now, Split dared only create a single duplicate—any more, and he feared he’d lose control. He wasn’t even sure how many personalities dwelled within him, though he sensed at least two, with one possessing a much stronger hold on their shared body. If he were to attempt two or three copies, he doubted he could manage them all. Even controlling his own body was a struggle.

“It seems you’re quite strong! If I’m not mistaken, you must possess the split personality ability—it’s an exceptionally powerful trait, especially in a game,” Mornwind observed. He knew what Split was capable of; if Split ever learned to control three bodies at once, he would become truly formidable. In solo matches, four attackers focusing on one target would be a massive advantage—but such mastery required long, arduous training. Managing his other personalities would be an obstacle in itself.

“You know I have split personality? It’s not as powerful as you think, though,” Split replied, surprised that Mornwind could deduce his ability so easily.

Mornwind smiled. “I know a bit about these abilities. Your physical state bears all the hallmarks; if you can’t control it, you end up like this. But if you master it—especially in a game—your health will improve and you’ll achieve greatness. The key is learning to coexist with the other persona in your mind.”

“Since the ability exists, you can’t rid yourself of it. All you can do is control it, minimize its drawbacks, and harness its power,” Mornwind advised. He wanted Split to understand both the dangers and the potential—the ability to control multiple characters at once was one of the three most challenging feats in gaming, something even professionals struggled with. Yet for someone like Split, it came naturally, and with it, the chance to surpass everyone else.

In real life, Split had few friends. He was reclusive, rarely speaking even to his parents, and dreaded people discovering his multiple personalities. No one believed in him—they all dismissed him as useless. Only when he entered this game did Split begin to sense his own worth. Perhaps, as Mornwind said, even the most seemingly useless abilities had their value.

“Let’s spar—I want to see your strength firsthand,” said Mornwind, eager to test the limits of the split personality ability. Of all the abilities, it came closest to his own Soul Split. To truly understand it, he needed data.

“All right!” After a brief exchange with his other persona, Split and Mornwind entered the simplest grid map.

Body Split!

Two Barbarian Elemental Shamans! Mornwind hadn’t expected Split to unlock his hero skill so quickly. With only one duplicate, it was obvious Split was still unfamiliar with his power and dared not create more.

Charge!

Thunder Stomp!

–200

–240

Two distinct damage values—the duplicate took 120% of the damage, letting Mornwind quickly identify it. Seizing on the one-second stun from Thunder Stomp, he activated Bloodlust, then unleashed a free Gale Strike, nearly wiping out the duplicate in a single burst.

War Stomp!

A two-second stun froze Mornwind in place. Both Split and his copy retreated, keeping within the eight-yard range. Split hurled Flame Shock and Lava Burst while the duplicate started healing himself.

Shockwave!

The duplicate was stunned again. Mornwind triggered Wind Step, closed the distance, and after two more skills, left the copy on the brink of defeat. He stopped there—there was no need to finish him off.

“Seems your other persona is a bit useless,” Mornwind remarked, glancing over the copy. He hadn’t expected to nearly defeat it in just a few moves.

“He is rather useless! No way he’s as good as me,” Split agreed with surprising candor. He truly felt his alternate was utterly incompetent.

“Useless? I’m taking more damage than you by 20%! And you keep targeting me! If I didn’t take extra damage, you wouldn’t have had it so easy,” the other persona protested. Mornwind always went for him first.

Mornwind sheathed his Brotherhood twin blades, shrugged, and said, “You know you take more damage than the original, right? Why try to match his burst damage? In the arena, if I know your weakness, of course I’ll target you first.”

The alternate persona was, in some respects, superior—while Split slept, it was he who leveled up and completed quests. In many ways, the alternate was more skilled. If Mornwind hadn’t targeted him specifically, the fight’s outcome might have been different.

The alternate persona mulled over Mornwind’s words. Mornwind added, “What you should do is try to keep your distance and survive as long as possible, leaving the burst damage to the original. If either of you falls, you both lose. You’ll be focused first, so you need to master dodging and parrying.”

He continued, mentor-like, “Split, if you could have a separate alt for your duplicate, that would be best. Then your other persona could have its own character, or you could enhance your skill to let your duplicate gain an additional class.”

Mornwind himself had separate racial alt characters and could control them simultaneously, but it was extremely taxing. Controlling two characters and managing an alt were worlds apart, and you couldn’t use dual alts in the arena. He had little practice in this area, but might improve later.

If Split could develop a separate alt for his duplicate, or further enhance his hero skill, he’d become yet more powerful. But such progress was no easy feat. Mornwind believed, though, that since Split had received a quest to improve his skill, he’d eventually succeed.

“The next part of the quest is tough. I’m not sure I can get the duplicate alt you’re talking about, but I’ll try!” Split replied, feeling as though Mornwind knew everything. In the game, Split had no friends—Mornwind was the first to add him.

“For now, focus on your quests. If you need anything, call me! When you get stronger, I might invite you to join my team—then we’ll dominate the entire game world.” Mornwind decided to keep Split close; if he joined the Windrunner team as in his previous life, things would get complicated. The Windrunner team was already searching for him; adding Split would only cause more trouble.

“Sure!” Split was thrilled at the prospect of joining Mornwind’s team—maybe he’d even get the first kill on some boss and become famous. The feeling of being recognized was exhilarating; the game was becoming more enjoyable by the minute.

Suddenly, Split’s other persona piped up, “Duan Mornwind, do you have any gear suited for Elemental Shamans? We’re still missing some skills—especially control abilities.”

Clever move. The alternate persona knew Mornwind was recruiting, so he figured he could ask for some benefits.

“I’ve got all the skill books you need, but no suitable gear yet. When I get any, I’ll save it for you! Come with me to my storage—whatever skill you lack, I’ll supply it,” Mornwind replied. Skill books were the one thing he had in abundance; he’d amassed a pile in storage, mostly gathering dust.

After handing Split the skill books, Mornwind logged off to go for a run. He needed some exercise—and time to plan how to use Yu Qingyun against the Cobra Organization.