Chapter 13: Double the Trouble

Ning felt his drowsy head clear as his consciousness started returning back to him.

'Ugh... I feel like my head hurts quite a bit more than usual. Is this what hangover feels like?'

'I know, right? Arghh... it's killing me.'

'I know,' Ning started going back and forth with himself.

'Hmm... did I just talk to myself?' he was surprised.

'That is so weird,' he answered himself.

'What the F**K!! Am I going mad? Why do I hear myself?'

'No way. I hope I'm not going mad. That would suck.'

' ' SYSTEM, WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ME?' ' two voices simultaneously asked at once inside Ning's head. Somehow, he felt like he was two different consciousness, merged into one.

<You have unlocked Parallel Thinking>

'This is parallel thinking? I thought I was only supposed to think twice as fast. Not have a weirdo shouting in my head.'

'Hey, you are the weirdo!! Stop talking so much. You are giving me a headache.'

'I am the main mind, you are just a part of me.'

'Hey, if anyone is the main one, it's me. Stop calling yourself the main one when you are just a copy.'

'Hey, System! Tell this idiot who the main one here is!!'

'Yeah, tell this idiot his place.'

<You are both the main Ning Ruogong, yet neither of you is>

<You were both parts of the original Ning Ruogong with all of your original mental capability equally shared among yourself so you can process things faster>

'Oh, then I'm not the original?'

'Hmm... wanna call a truce?'

' I don't mind.'

'Alright'

'Btw, system. Wasn't Parallel thinking supposed to be super far away for me in terms of energy?'

'I was thinking the exact same thing? Why did it suddenly unlock, system?'

<You have completed the task>

The system didn't elaborate any further.

'Do you remember how much energy we needed to unlock Parallel thinking?'

'Should have been around 200,000 right?'

'Yeah, I thought so too.'

'How do you suppose we got so much energy over the course of the night?'

'Exactly my question. Did the hut burn down in flames by any chance?'

Both of them immediately started looking outside. Unfortunately, they had to share the same vision, so they once more struggled as to who got to be in charge of it.

'Alright, let's settle it this way. We control the body every 6 hours and change seats after that, agreed?' one of them said.

'I was thinking exactly the same thing.' The other answered.

'Alright, let's rock-paper-scissor it.'

' ' Rock-Paper-Scissor ' '

'Haha, I won!!'

'Dammit,'

'Alright, sit back and enjoy the view for 6 hours,'

'Hey system, remind us to change every 6 hours we are conscious, okay?'

<Affirmative>

'Alright, let's name ourselves too, I will be Ning A, okay?'

'Why do you get to be Ning A? I want to be Ning A.'

'Alright, let's Rock-Paper-Scissor it too.'

' ' Ready? Rock-Paper-Scissor.' '

The Ning that was supposed to take a back seat, for now, won the battle and named himself Ning A, while the Ning that was supposed to be in control, for now, got named Ning B.

'Whatever, lemme see what's happening outside.'

He looked out of the sheath and saw that everything was normal. The girl named Freya was still cultivating and the windows were open with cool air blowing into the room.

'Hmm... did she change clothes overnight?'

'What? Did you want to watch it? Hehe

'No, I just— Shut up.'

Ning B looked outside the window and saw green trees a bit far away. He was shocked, 'Green trees? Not white? It's winter, isn't it?' As soon as he said that, he realized that the air coming through the window, while cool, was nowhere near as cold as it needed to be for it to be the winter.

'No way!'

'What does it mean?'

'System, how long were we asleep?' Ning B asked.

<You were unconscious for 3 months, 11 days, and 13 hours>

' ' What??!!!! ' '

Both of the Nings were shocked.

'Why would you do that system?'

'Yeah, you were supposed to wake us up in the morning, not 100 days later.'

<Host's direct commands were 'Wake me up when the sun comes out'>

<Today is the first day the sun has come out of the clouds since winter>

'But that wasn't what I meant with that.'

'Yeah, I meant for you to wake me up in the morning.'

<This fault is on the host for not being clear>

'Man, this system is stupid.'

'I know right. How dare it say it's our fault.'

'Yeah! How dare it.'

'So, what's the next unlock?'

'I don't know. Lemme check it. Status.'

[Status

Energy: 1,128,000

Task: Collect 872,000 more energy

Reward: You gain Omni-Directional Vision

Shop: LOCKED

]

'Wait, it's still on vision?'

'What about the shop then?'

<Please gather more energy to unlock shop>

'You just keep telling that.'

'At least say something different, goddammit.'

The two of them were surprisingly like-minded when it came to things they loved or hate. Though, it shouldn't be that surprising since they were both the same person after all.

Ning B started looking at the outside once more. He started feeling a little sad that he missed an entire 3 months of winter and snow, especially after he was so excited to see it. But, he consoled himself by saying he could see as many winters as he wanted later on.

Finally, after some time, Freya stood up from her cross-legged position and fixed her dress. After that, she walked up to her swords and carried both of the Nings outside of the door.

Sun shined brightly in the sky, giving off warm heat to everything it touched.

<You have gained 100 Energy>

<You have gained 100 Energy>

Ning started getting notifications as soon as the sun rays fell upon the sheath he inhabited.

'Hmm... Maybe it isn't such a bad thing that we missed a hundred days after all.'

'We are finally inching closer and closer to unlocking shop. Hopefully, it is within the next 3 unlocks.'