Chapter 80 The Other Side Of The Coin

"Damn..." Dante muttered under his breath, quickly retrieving another ticket from his inventory and bidding adieu, but not before appropriately thanking him for the information and the cooperative mindset.

While he performed this motion, his mind wandered to the upcoming meeting. 'Ha, I just met the most radical version of left and right. Left decided to embrace it, cynically abusing love and friendship. As for the right, he decided to deny it, instead opting to reforge what the system offered into something malleable for him.

But what I did is reforge myself into accepting and following the path the system carved for me...' This small epiphany settled in, a somber ambiance filling his mind. "Hell, I'm closer to the crazy psychopath than the normal version of myself."

With a defeated sigh, Dante tried to shake off the unsettling conclusion he had come to. "Let's see what meets me at last," he said aloud, trying to muster some resolve.

He took his first step, officially acknowledging that he had teleported. However, the overwhelming brightness of the sun caused his eyes to flinch. The sunlight was harsh and glaring, providing a stark contrast to the dark world he had just left behind. In that world, everything was painted with a dark theme, and the sunlight did not bathe the ground with its rays.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he found himself standing in the middle of a typical suburban neighborhood. The streets were lined with neatly trimmed lawns and colorful houses, each with its own unique character. Children played in the yards, and families walked their dogs along the sidewalks.

The sound of lawnmowers and birds filled the air, creating a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere. Dante could see the local grocery store and a small park nearby, where people of all ages gathered to enjoy the outdoors. It was a friendly and familiar scene.

The architecture of this world was a blend of modern skyscrapers and historic buildings, creating a unique and diverse cityscape. Unlike the earlier worlds of his alternatives, this place showed a great amount of gambling, art, and places to find entertainment in excess.

Dante turned around to see street vendors, artists showcasing their work, and performers entertaining the passersby. The aroma of sizzling kebabs, fresh pastries, and exotic spices wafted through the air, creating a wonderful atmosphere.

But, Apart from the excess of recreational places... this was too normal... He would have freaked out like the first time, but this place didn't seem to carry a hidden meaning.

The first alternative world carried a strong smell of burning plastic that caused nausea, the second alternative world carried a smell of acrid bleach, with the looming sensation of a bad omen, and this one had an exotic and costly scent of perfume, feeling more like a drink that made anyone's head swim with an overwhelming rush of euphoria and unease.

If he ignored the sensation of costly perfume, the place looked so ordinarily common that it seemed abnormal, giving goosebumps across his body. "Where is..." Dante mumbled out loud, slightly scared of what to expect.

A voice echoed in the distance, dazzling yet not quite matching the ethereal allure of the love version, which was the literal embodiment of beauty. "So you are my alternative, huh?" the unknown female voice said, slightly disappointed.

Dante turned his head toward the source of the voice, wondering what kind of peculiarity would accompany this new version. Instead, he saw a striking girl with flowing yellow hair and simple pop-star attire. Confusion painted his face, and he didn't bother to hide it.

The alternative, with her golden yellow hair catching the light and shimmering as it swayed with the wind, she crossed her arms and cocked her hip to one side. "Do I have something on my face?" she said, dripping with sarcasm.

Dante, with the usual high-pitched voice of Pinkamena, replied, "Just wondering what route you took. The other me's were quite radical."

The alternative scrutinized the pink-haired girl from head to toe and quickly replied in a casual manner, "You are a Pinkie Pie, so you probably took pony supremacy. That should be our deviation."

"Yeah..." Dante's voice trailed off as he vividly recalled all the interactions. "One of my versions enslaved Daniel as his own 'sweet unwitting living battery,' and the other didn't even know him because he died. There should be more."

Hearing the name, the alternative's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Daniel? I mean, he is my friend, but we only go on certain missions from time to time. Most of the time, I spend in other dimensions, chilling around and having the time of my life."

After hearing this explanation from the version who also appeared to have super high levels of charisma, Dante said, "Ah... so that's the difference. That is probably why you bought Adagio."

The alternative had misinterpreted the reason for unlocking Pinkie Pie, and her initial disappointment soon disappeared. She was slightly glad that the difference was more than just a simple discrepancy in an upgrade, so she asked in extreme bewilderment and curiosity, "You don't do that!? But what do you do then-"

Dante interrupted her, "I do it, but from time to time. I need to get stronger. Going to worlds to pass time isn't gonna help me, and killing players doesn't give much experience... to not say none!"

The alternative already processed that this version of herself was more different than she initially expected, and now curiosity overtook her. "It's a big load of not my problem, but why do you want to get stronger?"

Perplexed, Dante blinked, momentarily thrown off by her question. He interjected with a faint, almost bewildered tone, "Huh..? Because that's why we are here, to grow stronger with each level, and fight against stronger enemies?"

"Nuh-uh."

...

...

...

Dante took a deep breath and, imitating the edgy tone of his earlier alternative version, coldly said to the girl with his eyes locked onto her, "The fuck do you mean by 'Nuh-uh'?"

In a matter-of-fact yet joking tone, she replied, "Used in writing to represent the sound that people make when they disagree with someone." She finished mocking her version and shifted to a more serious tone. "There isn't any point in getting stronger." Her nonchalant tone continued to grow as she spoke. "Just get a pretty body and a dazzling voice..."

She laughed and explained the joke. "Not literally because, you know... you can't. You took pony supremacy, so you can't be Adagio," she continued, her tone abruptly changing to a curious one. "Or maybe you didn't, and for some weird reason, you considered Pinkie Pie to be a reasonable upgrade, even if you can't unlock the enhanced version of the system, being left only with the basic version of Pinkie Pie. Frankly, base Pinkie isn't that good. You have better options, like Sunset Shimmer-"

As she spoke, Dante's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her every movement. Her light-hearted laugh, the casual way she held herself, and the confidence with which she wore her pop-star attire all conveyed a high level of charisma.

This alternative exuded an effortless charm, much like the stunning love-maniac version he had encountered earlier, but at the difference of the love version, this one seemed to be forced, instead of appearing natural.

Her demeanor and behavior were carefree, almost indulgent. She seemed to enjoy the simple pleasures of existence, her laughter was infectious and her mannerisms relaxed, but they weren't nothing like the aura he gave when Pinkie Pie took control over him.

the wind continued playing with her golden hair, making it shimmer and dance in the sunlight, adding to her enchanting aura, and after a few seconds, Dante finally found the word he was searching for.

Hedonism.

----

First of!

Sorry for not updating!

I got sick.

It wasn't anything serious I had just a simple infection, I vomited a few times... and a few more things that I won't speak...

Second

My HDD died! (This was the main reason why I didn't update, and also because I had to recover the password.)

Again...

So what did I learn from this?

Always have a backup

AND!

Don't buy cheap stuff, it's gonna cost you more in the long run.

Also, my Grammarly just died and I am saving to buy the yearly version.

Now the shit that I was gonna write in this author note:

"A war crime is only a war crime if you lose the war, otherwise, you can repaint history and paint yourself as the good guy" -Egdy Dante

Yes... that's what I call them

Edgy D

Love D

Normal D

Hedonist D

(Just in case you wondered)

What was I doing this entire week without pc?

Half of it, writing possible ideas for a new original novel and playing war robots...