Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Second Human Replication
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The first time I ever replicated a person was purely by accident.
Back then, I had just been trying to replicate some silver coins, but when I saw Laila's hair that came along with them, I got some wild ideas and ended up replicating her by chance.
An unintended result born from what you'd call an accident.
And the second time I replicated Laila, there was a bit of personal desire mixed in—a way to vent some of the frustration from all the hell she put me through.
After replicating that version of Laila and using her body as an outlet for my lust, I didn't feel even a twinge of guilt.
Thinking back on what I'd been through, I was still a little pissed at her, and besides, no matter what I did to a replica, it wouldn't cause any harm to the real Laila, right?
But...
'Tch. Karen hasn't really done anything wrong to me...'
Unlike with Laila, where I could replicate her without a shred of conscience and use her body freely, Karen hadn't wronged me at all.
Sure, she'd beaten the crap out of me during training, but I'd agreed to that, and it was all within the bounds of instruction—not some malicious attack.
If anything, she'd seen my talent and was teaching me swordsmanship for free, so you could even say I owed her a favor.
And yet, here I was wanting to replicate that Karen...
"...Does it really matter?"
Holding one of Karen's hairs, I pondered whether to use Replication or not, then quickly shook off the hesitation.
Honestly, I wasn't pretending to be some saintly gentleman. I'd already indulged plenty with Laila's replica to satisfy my urges, so acting all high and mighty about conscience now would just be ridiculous.
'Replication is my power—something no one else has.'
While holed up in the library, piling up all sorts of knowledge, I'd checked if any ability similar to my Replication existed.
And I learned that this power was uniquely mine—no one else possessed it.
"It could just be that the library doesn't have info on it..."
At least it wasn't something everyone had.
Replicating people instead of objects was a new way to use my ability, one I'd been stuck in place with for two years.
So, whining about conscience and kicking away a chance to hone that power would be downright stupid.
Even if that chance involved arbitrarily replicating someone who'd shown me kindness.
'...No amount of excuses or self-justification in my head can deny that lust is driving this.'
And honestly, I was curious too. Aside from Laila, I'd never replicated anyone else, so I wanted to try with someone different.
From what I'd figured out so far, replicating a person required 'understanding' of the target, plus something like a strand of their hair—a part of their body.
Whether it was because understanding alone wasn't enough and needed an extra medium, due to the uniqueness of replicating people, or just a limit of my ability, I didn't know.
For that, I'd picked up a long black hair from the training ground that I figured was Karen's.
No one else seemed to use the estate's training ground besides her and me, so it had to be hers.
Now, the remaining issue was understanding...
'Tch. I can vividly recall her appearance and scent even with my eyes closed.'
Over those two weeks of engraving her movements into my eyes and body, Karen's looks were firmly etched in my mind.
Even her body scent lingered faintly at the tip of my nose, probably because she sweated a lot in her own quirky way.
I'd definitely built more understanding than with Laila, whom I'd only met for a couple of days.
But there was one problem.
"How the hell did I go two weeks without even touching her once?"
During those two weeks of sparring with Karen, I'd gotten thoroughly thrashed.
But it was all from her wooden sword whacking me or tripping over her booted feet.
I'd never once touched her bare skin.
'She refused a handshake on the first day too...'
It wasn't like I was trying to grope sensitive spots like her breasts or anything—yet I couldn't even touch her hand.
Based on how I'd used my Replication so far, no amount of visual memorization or built-up understanding would beat actual hands-on touch...
"Let's just try it."
Even though the understanding was piled up just from looking, without any touch... I decided to test one hypothesis, brushed off any lingering guilt, and attempted Replication.
'Through constant talk with Karen, I've learned her personality... and her daily habits.'
Spending time with someone inevitably reveals their speech patterns, habits, and such.
And after two weeks glued to her side, I'd grasped a good bit of Karen's habits and personality.
'Does that count as understanding too?'
The process of learning about a person—couldn't that be seen as 'understanding' Karen herself?
Replicating objects had only required grasping their texture, weight, appearance, and such traits. But would it be the same for intelligent beings?
Did grasping their personality, habits... those unique traits affect 'understanding' for Replication?
It's my ability, but even I don't know. And there's only one way to find out.
Gripping the black hair in my hand, I recalled the woman I'd spent the last two weeks close to. Then I murmured a single word softly.
"Replication."
.
.
.
.
Whenever I'd used Replication before, I'd recalled the target's appearance and 'texture.'
But I knew Karen's looks, not her skin's feel. So instead of texture, I recalled something else.
'She's dead serious about swordsmanship, shows signs of OCD, yet acts surprisingly casual, and sometimes zones out into her own world.'
Her usual speech patterns, the personality she displayed, the habits evident in her actions...
I activated Replication while envisioning the unique traits of the woman named Karen.
'Kuh...!!'
The moment I did, an unknown energy began draining from inside me.
I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but I'd tentatively guessed it was mana.
The energy skilled swordsmen used to enhance their blades and bodies, or mages used for spells.
This mysterious energy—greatly increased after my body changed and from replicating Laila—ebbed away like the tide, then swiftly began forming a distinct shape.
'It's... done!!'
Feeling a light sense of fatigue, I held back a cheer and watched the human form take shape on the bed.
Black ponytail tied back. Slightly sharp eyes. A body covered in scars but superbly trained.
And breasts that wouldn't lose to the Laila I'd replicated before. Massive breasts. Important, so I said it twice.
"Whew... So far, so good."
I'd thought the odds of even succeeding were low, but visually, it was a perfect replica of Karen's appearance.
That alone was a huge win. It meant I could replicate at least the outer form using understanding built purely from observation, without touch.
'Now, what about the skin?'
Next up: Karen's skin, which I'd never touched even once.
This body looked fine on the outside... but had it replicated the texture properly, or was it just a convincing shell?
'Probably the latter...'
Recalling Laila's replica, where untouched parts felt like wax dolls, this Karen was likely just a hollow shell with a lifelike exterior.
-Poof.
See? This soft, squishy skin texture where my finger sinks right in...
"...Huh?"
I hadn't expected much as I pressed my finger to the replica's cheek, but an unexpected sensation hit my fingertip, freezing me for a moment.
Moving it a bit more, I felt the texture of normal human skin, along with warm body heat.
'It replicated perfectly without even touching?'
An unforeseen result.
I could accept the appearance being spot-on—I could picture it perfectly in my head with eyes closed.
But skin texture and body temperature? Different story.
Parts I'd never touched, not even brushed with a fingertip—yet her cheek felt soft and real.
"Other places too?!"
After dazedly tugging at the replica's cheek, I hurriedly slid my hand down to check other areas.
I felt her taut abs with defined lines, her scar-covered arms, and even ventured to more intimate spots.
And the results...
"No, seriously, why?"
Everywhere else had perfectly replicated skin texture and warmth, but the crucial intimate area with her genitals hadn't replicated right.
Wait, I'd never touched those other places either, yet they were fine—shouldn't this be too?
'At this point, it feels like my ability is messing with me...'
A strange sense of injustice and confusion washed over me, but calmly thinking it through, this was great news.
Who'd have thought untouched parts could replicate perfectly... Did that mean my earlier hypothesis was right?
'Is it reflecting my understanding of Karen as a person?'
Not just external features like looks or skin texture, but internal aspects like personality and habits—did understanding those contribute to Replication?
'But if so, why only the genitals...?'
No, that didn't fully fit either, since only the genitals failed to replicate properly... Damn, who knows.
I didn't have enough experience replicating people to jump to conclusions.
I'd keep training with Karen anyway, and getting hairs would be easy, so I could build more understanding next time and see.
"Hm..."
Still mulling over my ability, my gaze eventually fixed on one spot.
Karen's bountiful breasts, which had tormented me for two weeks.
'...Is it really okay to do this?'
A faint remnant of conscience tried to halt me for a second...
"Gotta do what I gotta do."
The hesitation vanished quickly, and I pulled down my pants.