I Can Copy Curses

Chapter 328: 328. An Existential Crisis

Upon reaching the stage, the old man instructed him to gently place his hand on the monolith.

Jake's palms sweated as he nervously extended his hand and touched the monolith, causing it to glow with a green light.

"B rank talent, Berserk Strength."

A wide smile spread across Jake's face as he heard his talent. He couldn't believe he had awakened a B rank talent. Although it was just a common type, it was still a B rank nonetheless, placing him above the average who awakened C and D rank talents.

He walked back with a joyful smirk on his face.

The kids gathered around the stage were surprised that an unknown kid managed to awaken a B rank talent.

"Who is that kid?"

"Don't you know? He's Jake Foser."

"That Jake Foser who's always with Orion Stark. Those two are famous for all the wrong reasons."

"Now that you mention it, do you think this Orion Stark is that Orion?"

"He could be, but it's highly unlikely. As you know, people from Grimshore always have different names than those in the Three Domains. So, this kid is probably from the Three Domains and just happens to share the same name. I feel bad for him—such bad luck to inherit the name Orion."

Orion overheard their conversations and ignored them. He understood that he was once again unlucky, having been given the body of someone with the same name, which only made things more difficult. But he was relieved that no one had the same name as him in both the Three Domains and this world, so suspicion about his true identity was low.

'But I messed up a little,' Orion thought, recalling how he instinctively reacted to Jake's question about being Orion Darkwood. Now that he thought about it, Jake must have been joking, considering they were close friends in this world.

'Even though I trust Jake won't tell anyone, what if he does?' Orion wondered grimly as Jake returned from the stage.

"Hey, why the foul mood? You should be happy I awakened a B rank talent," Jake said, grinning.

Orion laughed wryly. "That just adds more pressure on me. I thought it'd be fine if I awakened a D rank talent, but now that you've got a B rank, the pressure's skyrocketed."

Jake smiled lightly. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Knowing who you really are, I don't think it matters even if you awaken a high rank talent."

Orion frowned. "About that—don't tell anyone about me," he said, his tone deadly serious.

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Jake slung his arm around Orion and said, "Why would I do that? Before I arrived in Grimshore from the Three Domains, I was your best friend. We've been through so much together. We've known each other for years. Why would I sell you out?"

Jake added, "Let me tell you something—these memories and the background of this body I'm in feel too real to just be a simulation. Everything I've experienced with you in this world feels real. My family, who's living in another city, and my other relatives all feel real to me. It doesn't feel like they're just memories.

It's like I suddenly gained memories of the Three Domains, not the other way around."

He continued, "I don't know if it's because I'm affected by the simulation or because I'm occupying this body, but I can promise you, I'd never do anything to harm you." His voice was earnest.

Orion nodded, smiling. "I know," he said, though inside he was in turmoil.

He hadn't given much thought to the memories he gained from this simulation before, but now, with Jake mentioning how real they felt, a deep unease settled within Orion.

When he transmigrated into the body of Orion Darkwood after dying from a heart attack on Earth, the memories of this new life had seemed just as vivid.

Then, when the sealed memories finally resurfaced, it had felt the same—those fragments of his past life seamlessly intertwined with his present self. The experiences, emotions, and thoughts of Orion Darkwood had flooded his mind, making it feel as though he had lived both lives.

Over time, he had undergone a gradual shift in personality, fully adopting the identity of Orion Darkwood. His memories of Earth faded into the background, becoming distant echoes.

He had embraced this new life so completely that he was Orion Darkwood in every sense, even though traces of his former life still lingered somewhere deep within him.

Now, standing in this simulation world, he felt an unsettling familiarity with the memories he had inherited from this place. They felt as real as everything else before them, leaving him to question how much of his true self remained and how much was shaped by the worlds he had stepped into.

'I'm going mad,' Orion thought, his head aching.

A sense of existential crisis washed over Orion, leaving him feeling disoriented and fractured. He was torn between the different sets of memories—his life on Earth, the memories of Orion Darkwood, and now the inherited memories of this simulation world.

Each one felt as real and vivid as the last, yet they all clashed, making it impossible to distinguish who the original "him" even was.

Was he the man who had lived an ordinary life on Earth, with all its mundane struggles and triumphs? Or was he Orion Darkwood, a being shaped by a world of talents, battles, and destinies far beyond what he'd ever imagined? Now, even this new simulated existence pulled at him, adding another layer of uncertainty.

He couldn't tell where one version of him ended and another began. Each life had felt true in its moment, but now, faced with so many identities, he couldn't help but wonder if there was ever an original "him" at all—or if he had simply become a collection of lives, shaped by forces beyond his control.

"Orion Stark."

At that moment, his name was called.

"All the best!" Jake said, giving him a light slap on the back, pushing him forward.

Orion sighed and stopped dwelling on the memories. He knew the more he thought about them, the closer he'd come to madness.

'Let's focus on the task at hand,' he told himself as he walked toward the stage.

Once there, the old man instructed him, "Touch the monolith lightly."

Orion extended his hand and touched the monolith with his right hand, causing it to emit a faint glow.

"G rank talent, Omni-Focus."

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