Episode 32: Scaled Frogs and Forgotten Clones (Part 2)
no markdowns, no robotic tone, expanded just enough for flow and character voice. This version reads like it's straight from a webnovel platform, crafted to feel personal, immersive, and editorial-friendly:
Gunfire cracked through the air like distant thunder, rattling across the warped landscape. It echoed off scorched boulders and gnarled, mana-burned trees that looked like they hadn't bloomed in decades. Each shot came fast and sharp, the sound cutting through the tension like a blade, followed by silence just long enough for everyone to wonder if their bullet had hit something. Kim Do-hyun adjusted his borrowed goggles and squinted toward the fogged horizon, his grip awkward on a pistol that felt too light to inspire any real confidence.
The whole field looked like it had been dragged out of some half-forgotten war. Sandbag bunkers were scattered between the terrain. Automated drones hovered over gun nests, their lenses twitching with quiet precision. Veteran Hunters moved with practiced efficiency, snapping tripods into place like they were gearing up for a high-stakes tournament, not a dungeon crawl. No one really talked. Not because they were too serious but because if you stayed still for too long, the constant gunfire would start to eat at your ears. In a place like this, conversation just didn't survive. Only the sound of bullets cutting through fog, and the low buzz of comms.
Do-hyun was crouched behind a slab of concrete that looked like it used to be part of a building, now half-buried in the dirt. He checked the ammo in his pistol again. Third time. Still full. He sighed.
"This is insane," he muttered under his breath, but his words were almost swallowed by another loud crack from a nearby rifle.
Someone beside him one of the older Hunters, chewing gum like it was a job glanced over.
"You even fired that thing yet, rookie?"
Do-hyun nodded. "Yeah. Only missed three during the trial."
The guy raised a brow. "You missed three shots… on a target that wasn't moving. From five meters?"
Do-hyun cleared his throat. "Technically, yeah. But I've got great vision. Eagle-level."
"Sure, Hawk Eyes," the guy said with a smirk, switching to Korean for effect. "Just don't let those eagle eyes go blind when it counts."
Do-hyun grumbled something under his breath and peeked over the edge of his cover again. The fog was thicker now, clinging to the field like damp smoke. The whole place reeked of something acidic probably some weird mana reaction but he tried to ignore it and focused on the terrain.
That's when he saw one.
It was a scaled frog, easily the size of a small dog. Its pale green skin shimmered with black speckles that seemed to move and shift like oil. It darted between rocks like it had springs for legs ridiculously fast for something that ugly. Do-hyun's heart kicked up a beat.
He exhaled slowly. Just like the instructors taught. Calm. Controlled. He raised the pistol, zeroed in on the head, and whispered under his breath.
"This one's mine."
He squeezed the trigger.
The shot rang out but the frog was already gone, its body twisting mid-leap like it was made of rubber and caffeine. The bullet slammed into dirt, kicking up a sad little puff of smoke.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, ducking again to reload.
Minutes passed. Then an hour. Then two.
The fog never left, it just got worse, winding around his legs like it was trying to crawl up into his lungs. His arms ached. His goggles fogged every ten minutes. His ears rang. And still, not a single hit. Every time he spotted one of those frogs, it was already halfway gone before he even lifted his weapon. It wasn't just frustrating it was soul-crushing.
At some point, he realized Han Jin-woo had vanished. No sign of the slick recruiter, or the sedan he rolled in with. Other Hunters were wrapping up, laughing and cracking open drinks like this was a camping trip instead of a dungeon run.
"Unbelievable," Do-hyun muttered. "Dude actually ditched me in a swamp full of dodge-happy frogs."
But he did have one edge.
He turned around to glance at Number 1 his silent, ever-obedient clone still kneeling behind him like a statue. No complaints. No questions. Not even a breath out of place.
"You stay here," Do-hyun said, stretching his aching back as he stood. "If anything shows up, shoot. And text me every time you fire."
Number 1 gave a small nod.
"And if you run out of bullets…" Do-hyun paused, then added, "Call me."
Another nod.
With that, he pulled his hoodie tighter and trudged toward the outer checkpoint. The wind had picked up, cold and biting. He felt like a failure wrapped in fog. Even his bones were tired.
By the time he got home, the sky was already dark. Seoul's lights blinked lazily through the windows, but Do-hyun didn't even glance at them. He dropped his gear, fell onto the bed, and let the exhaustion take over.
The familiar hum of his Awakened System flickered behind his eyelids as blue text began to scroll in the dark.
[Alert: Mana stat increased by +1.]
[Alert: Reflex stat increased by +1.]
[Alert: Speed stat increased by +1.]
[Alert: Agility stat increased by +1.]
He cracked a smile, barely. Even failure had its perks, apparently.
Still, those frogs were brutal. And if those were the easy mobs, he didn't want to know what the real ones looked like.
He tugged the blanket tighter.
"Maybe Number 2'll have better luck," he mumbled, half-asleep. "I sent him out there, after all…"
Sleep hit him like a truck.
Until four in the morning.
His phone wouldn't stop buzzing. It started like a soft vibration, then got more aggressive. Over and over. Like an angry mosquito trapped in a tin can.
Do-hyun groaned and fumbled for the phone.
Screen brightness stabbed his eyes.
Forty-six unread messages. All from Number 2.
He blinked.
"What the hell…"
The messages were short. Dry. All business.
[Target spotted. Firing.]
[Missed. Target too fast.]
[Reloading.]
[Target down. Possibly.]
[Confirming kill.]
[Nope. Not dead. Chasing.]
It just kept going. Page after page of updates. Number 2 had been hunting nonstop. No breaks. No food. No water. Just raw, unrelenting effort.
Do-hyun sat up slowly. His stomach dropped.
"Oh no. I… I didn't tell him to stop."
He scrambled for the app, fingers flying across the screen, trying to recall the clone.
Error message.
[Clone active. Combat mode: persistent.]
[Manual override disabled during continuous engagement.]
"Persistent?! I don't even remember setting that!"
There was no undo. No emergency button. Number 2 was still out there. Grinding himself into the ground literally.
Meanwhile, across the city, Han Jin-woo was just waking up. He reached for his phone, groggy, and blinked at the notification.
The message waiting for him was short.
"Is the WN Agency affiliated with a Hunter named Kim Do-hyun?"
Han Jin-woo frowned.
"Yes. Why?" he typed back.
The response came fast.
"You need to get down to the Slime Field. Now. Your guy's been fighting for over 24 hours straight. He's gone off the deep end."
Han Jin-woo sat up like he'd been electrocuted, tripping over a sock on the way to his closet.
"What the hell…"
Before the next message even came through, he already had his jacket on.
"Get there now," it read. "Or there's gonna be a corpse in your agency's profile."
Han Jin-woo didn't bother replying.
Keys in hand. Door slamming shut.
He was already running.
Author's Note:
Ever fantasize about having clones to handle your dungeon runs, errands, or just sit around snacking while you binge dramas? Yeah, Do-hyun thought that too. Until Number 2 decided "breaks" were a myth. And armor? Optional. Now we're stuck watching one guy slowly become a one-man war crime.
If you're still reading this chaos, you're officially in the club. Comments, votes, and Golden Tickets fuel this madness. Unlock Privilege if you want to get ahead of the timeline.
– LittleLYTA
(P.S. Clone #2 is still out there chasing frogs with a stick. He appreciates your support.)