Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

John's voice cut through the tense silence like a blade. "But I have an offer for you."

Jett blinked, momentarily caught off guard. He tilted his head, his confusion deepening with each passing second.

'An offer huh? What kind of twisted trial is this?' he wondered, his frustration evident as he exhaled sharply. 'This was never part of the story. Guess that means I'm really changing the narrative.'

John smirked, crossing his arms as he gestured to the guard. "I'll give you a chance to prove you're not one of those Laxen bastards."

The guard, without hesitation, began unlocking the cell door.

Rey let out an audible sigh of relief, his posture visibly relaxing. "Finally," he muttered, stepping closer to the bars. "You'll see he's not with those guys." He turned to Jett, his expression a mixture of encouragement and urgency. "Come on, dude, get out of there already. They're letting you go."

But Jett didn't move. Instead, he stared into the air as if distracted by something only he could see.The system notification still loomed in front of him, demanding his attention.

[[A new scenario is being created]]

[[A. Accept the incoming offer]]

[[B. Admit that you are the traitor]]

[[Reward: ???]]

Jett smirked inwardly. 'Alright, let's do this.' He selected his option with a decisive mental push, the notification disappearing as he turned to face John and Rey.

"I've made my decision," he announced, his voice calm but tinged with mystery.

John's confident grin widened as he stepped forward, extending his hand for a shake. "Good. Then let's settle this."

Rey watched with anticipation, expecting Jett to comply.

But Jett didn't reach out. Instead, he took a deliberate step back, his smirk growing.

'Alright, you shitty luck,' Jett thought, his voice laced with playful defiance, 'I'm making a big gamble here.'

His next words hit like a thunderclap.

"I'm the traitor."

The room fell into stunned silence, the weight of his declaration hanging in the air.

"Huh?" Rey's voice broke the stunned silence, his face a mix of disbelief and confusion. "You're kidding, right?"

Jett's calm attitude only deepened the shock for both Rey and John.

John blinked, his brain scrambling to process what he'd just heard. "What? You're not even going to deny it?" he asked, his voice tinged with frustration. His mind raced, trying to decipher Jett's motives.

'Damn it, what does this mean?' John thought, momentarily frozen in place, his hand still hanging in the air from the aborted handshake.

Meanwhile, Jett stood unfazed, a small, knowing smirk playing on his lips. 'The trial about staying here hasn't ended yet,' he grinned. 'I've already stuck around this long, so why not play the villain for a little longer? We are roleplaying, after all.'

His smirk deepened as he thought,

I sure hope I don't regret this.

Just then, a new notification materialized in front of Jett.

[[B. Admit that you are the traitor]]

[Reward: One of your initial skills [Checkpoint] has been revaluated.]

'Revaluated?' Jett's eyebrow arched as he focused on the word. 'That's a thing here?'

*****

In WAR BOUND, "Revaluation" was a term used by the developers to indicate adjustments to a skill or item. These changes, whether buffs or nerfs, were announced in patch notes and were exceedingly rare. Players debated these updates endlessly, as they could drastically alter playstyles. For Jett, this was the first time he'd seen it happen since arriving in this world.

*****

Before he could reflect further, another message appeared.

[[Revaluation Complete!]]

[[New Description and Terms Added.]]

[Checkpoint Lv. 2]

[Save:

Create checkpoints for quick transportation. Usable once a week.]

[Load:

Appear at one of your saved locations.]

[Cooldown:

1 hour.]

[Swap:

Swap places with a marked target. Requires physical contact to mark a target.]

[Uses:

1/1.]

[Cooldown:

24 hours.]

[Transport (Locked):

???]

Jett's eyes widened slightly as he read the updated skill description. 'Oh wow,' he thought, his smirk returning with renewed confidence. 'You never fail to surprise me.'

He closed the notification with a flick of his mind, already formulating his next move.

'Alright,' Jett thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as a glint of excitement crossed his face. 'I know exactly what I need to do next.'

The pieces were falling into place. Now, it was time to execute.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I meant what I said." Jett's voice broke the silence, cool and deliberate, as he clasped John's hand in a firm handshake.

Rey's irritation boiled over at Jett's nonchalance. His hand shot out, gripping Jett by the collar and yanking him forward. "Stop joking around, man! What the hell are you talking about?" Rey growled, his tone sharp and laced with frustration. "Are you even thinking straight? Yeah, that's gotta be it. You've been in here for too long!"

"Let go of me," Jett snapped, struggling briefly against Rey's grip before leaning in closer and whispering into his ear, "It's part of my trial."

Rey froze, his fingers loosening slightly as the realization hit him. His frustration simmered, but he pushed it down. "We need a moment," he said, turning to John with forced calm.

John raised an eyebrow, his suspicion evident. "Five minutes," he relented curtly. "And my men stay with you." He pivoted on his heel and began to walk away. "Your judgment is coming soon," he added without turning back.

As John disappeared down the corridor, Rey rounded on Jett, his voice lowered but still laced with annoyance. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Jett smirked, unbothered. "A little," he admitted, his tone casual.

Rey clenched his fists, frustration etched across his face. He wanted to say so much but was acutely aware of the guards still watching.

'Crap, what am I supposed to do about these guys?' Rey thought, his mind racing.

*****

Jett's sighed as he activated

[Tactical Mirage].

Although nothing seemed to change visually, the guards' postures relaxed slightly, as though they'd just overheard something mundane.

"Alright," Jett said under his breath, his voice steady but carrying a hint of strain. "Say what you want to say. I've masked our conversation, so they'll be hearing something different. But no sudden movements, maintaining this skill right now is taking a lot out of me."

Rey blinked in surprise. "You have an illusion skill? Since when?" he asked, keeping his voice low. "That… actually explains a lot."

Jett shrugged, leaning casually against the wall to conceal his effort.

"But how the hell are you even using your skill so well in here? Isn't the dampener supposed to block that?" Rey's voice betrayed his disbelief as he tried to process the sudden wave of revelations.

"Good question," Jett replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying the look on Rey's face.

Rey shook his head, exasperated. Each passing moment with Jett seemed to hit him with something new and unexpected. "This is insane…" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

*

*

*

He probably feels like Jett's the main character.