Chapter 24: Episode 24

Chapter 24: Episode 24 Episode 24 Kim Do-hyun (김도현) leaned forward, resting both elbows on the edge of the polished desk. His eyes flicked toward the clipboard filled with contract sheets and itemized hunting permits that Han Jin-woo had just set down. Yet, despite the businesslike atmosphere in the quiet office of WN Agency, there was something bubbling inside him. A question. A simple one. But one that didn’t feel so simple anymore. "So... if I were to, let’s say, hunt in multiple places at once," Do-hyun asked, voice low but steady, "Would that be a problem?" Han Jin-woo blinked. His mind was still half-wrapped around the fact that the young man had just casually signed a contract using what looked like a second version of himself. The ink was barely dry. Jin-woo could still hear the sound of the stamp hitting the paper echoing in his ears. And now, this? He took a moment to lean back in his chair, fingers threading together above his stomach. "Multiple places at once?" he echoed slowly, tasting each syllable like they were foreign. Do-hyun gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I mean, technically it’s not me... It’s my clones." He lowered his hand, then adjusted his seat. The slight squeak of the chair joined the muffled hum of the ceiling vent. Outside, through the slatted blinds, sunlight poured across the wooden floor like melted gold. Han Jin-woo folded his arms and looked at him again. This time, longer. The silence hung between them like a drawn curtain. Jin-woo wasn’t a man easily impressed. He’d seen kids bluff, Hunters lie, and worse, awakened ones who truly didn’t know what they had in their hands. But this one... this Kim Do-hyun... he carried a weird calm with him. Like he was used to strange things happening. Like he already knew where he was going. "I don’t think the Hunter Association has a rule for that, because..." Jin-woo gestured in the air like trying to draw a conclusion from fog. "Most Hunters can’t be in multiple places at once. That’s not a situation they’ve had to regulate." Do-hyun chuckled. "Guess they’ll need to update the manual." Han Jin-woo leaned forward again, resting his arms on the desk this time. His expression was different now—a mix of curiosity and calculation. "Look," he said, "We’ll need to report this to the Association. You’re doing something... new. If you’re really active in two hunting zones at the same time, the tracking system could mark it as a breach of permit or even identity theft. It might flag your account." Do-hyun tilted his head, a flicker of worry creasing his brow. "So what do we do?" "We ask for an adjustment," Jin-woo said, tapping the table. "A special status, some kind of permit extension for your case. But it needs to be official. That means your clone ability has to be registered and confirmed. We’ll need a demonstration." "Demonstration," Do-hyun repeated, his voice a little more flat. Jin-woo nodded. "You and one of your clones, side by side. I want the association to see it. Not just pictures, not recordings. In person." He stood and walked to a cabinet behind him. There, he retrieved a square black case the size of a lunchbox. With a soft click, he popped it open and removed what looked like a chrome-colored scanner. A round lens sat in its center, like a small glass eye. He placed it gently on the table in front of Do-hyun. "Scan your bracelet. This device will start your profile review and sync it with the Association’s database. I’ll send a request for a special session at the Central Hunter Center. Two days from now." Do-hyun looked down at his left wrist. The bracelet shimmered faintly, a thin strip of high-grade alloy fused with his skin when he awakened. He hadn’t paid much attention to it, but now it seemed to weigh more. With a small nod, he raised his wrist and held it over the scanner. The device beeped, a pale blue light running across the bracelet. Han Jin-woo watched closely, noting the reading. There it was. Identity: Kim Do-hyun. Awakening class: Pending Evaluation. Skill: Clone Summon [Lv. 2]. "Looks clean," Jin-woo muttered. "Now for the final step." Do-hyun blinked. "There’s more?" Jin-woo cracked a smile. It wasn’t mocking, but it held the kind of amusement only seen in people who knew how the world really worked. "We’re in the business of profit, kid. Not goodwill. I’m gonna help you with all this stuff. But if I’m sticking my neck out for you, I need to make sure you’re worth it." He pulled out a white envelope from his drawer and slid it across the desk. "Bring that envelope with you to the demonstration. It’s a certification request. If the Association approves it, you’ll get listed on the private hunter market. Means you can take contracts from our agency directly. The big money kind. Not slimes or frogs." Do-hyun picked it up, tapping it gently on the table. "Sounds like you’ve already decided I’ll pass." Jin-woo leaned back again, his chair creaking. "You summoned a second you, had him drink my coffee, signed a contract, and left without me knowing who was real. I think you’ll be just fine." They both chuckled, the tension between them dissolving. Do-hyun stood and gave a small bow. "Thank you for trusting me." Han Jin-woo nodded. "Just don’t get yourself killed in two places at once." Do-hyun grinned, already turning for the door. Outside the office, the hallway stretched with posters on the walls. Big smiling Hunters showing off monster kills. They felt like advertisements from a different world. Do-hyun walked past them, hands in his pockets. Number 1 clone was already waiting near the elevator, leaning against the wall like a bored twin. "You told him?" the clone asked. "Yeah." "So what now?" Do-hyun smirked. "Now, we get ready to make history."