⌛ 06:51 AM – 94 Minutes Post-Integration
The System's offer pulsed in Ji-hoon's vision like a live wire:
```
[PROTOCOL: CANNIBALIZE]
» Sacrifice 1 Clone Slot (Permanent)
» Reward: Purge Target ("The Butcher")
» WARNING: Sovereign-Class Exclusive
```
Officer Kang's grip tightened on his arm. "What's wrong? Your eyes are—"
Ji-hoon didn't answer.
The Butcher was already regenerating,
its frostbitten flesh sloughing off to reveal new muscle threaded with blue veins.
---
He had three clone slots left.
Losing one meant:
- Fewer scouts.
- Fewer distractions.
- No room for error.
But the Butcher's chest-face laughed with the voice of its latest victim—
a girl who couldn't have been older than sixteen.
Ji-hoon selected the command.
```
[CONFIRM CANNIBALIZE?]
» YES / NO
```
---
His bones vibrated as the System rewrote his code. Somewhere deep in his mind,
a door slammed shut forever.
```
[OMNI-CLONE SLOT DESTROYED]
» Remaining: 2/3
» Compensating...
```
Pain erupted behind his eyes as his remaining clones glitched violently,
their lifespans doubling to compensate.
The Butcher froze mid-step.
"Sovereign—" it rasped through borrowed vocal cords.
Then Ji-hoon snapped his fingers.
---
The Butcher collapsed, its stitched-together faces screaming as its body dissolved into blue static.
One mouth—a young girl's—gasped:
"You... promised to... reset..."
Then it exploded, leaving Ji-hoon staring at his shaking hands.
Officer Kang wiped blood from her brow. "What the hell was that about?"
Ji-hoon had no answer.
Ji-hoon collapsed to his knees, his nose bleeding. The System's notification was anything but triumphant:
```
[POST-PURGE ANALYSIS]
» The Butcher was a Player (Original Name: PARK MIN-JUN)
» Last Known Status: "Sovereign Candidate"
» Final Message: "THEY LIED ABOUT THE—"
```
Before he could process it, his remaining clones screamed through their neural links.
---