Chapter 26: Episode 26 – Shadows and Permissions

Chapter 26: Episode 26 – Shadows and Permissions Episode 26 – Shadows and Permissions The sun filtered softly through the high, reinforced windows of the Hunter Association’s Evaluation Center. Warm rays of gold scattered over the spotless marble floor, forming a checkered light that gently illuminated the wide hallway. Far above, the buzzing of surveillance drones could be faintly heard, paired with the quiet hum of air filtration systems designed to remove the lingering energy residue from recent assessments. This place wasn’t just built for beauty, it was reinforced with anti-magic materials and layered with protective runes to contain rogue abilities. Still, in that moment, the entire building felt like it had paused just to acknowledge the boy who had just stepped out of Room 7-C. Kim Do-hyun (김도현) adjusted the collar of his jacket as he exited the sealed testing room. His expression was unreadable, but the faint sheen of sweat around his collarbone betrayed how intense the last hour had been. Behind him, the thick vault-like door of the assessment chamber sealed shut with a mechanical hiss. Every step he took echoed against the polished tiles, each one firm and steady. Beside him, walking a few paces ahead and still adjusting his glasses with nervous excitement, was a man in a lab coat. A senior evaluation professor—one of the elite who had seen hundreds of Awakened over the years—yet right now, he looked more like a schoolboy who had just discovered a new favorite superhero. "Truly, unbelievable," the professor muttered, flipping through a flickering holographic clipboard filled with the test’s biometric data. "Your clone’s presence didn’t just bypass illusion scans... it passed our biological verification. That means it wasn’t just mimicking your shape—it was alive. A fully embodied existence. Vital signs. Mana signature. Neural echoes. Everything registered clean." He paused, then laughed to himself in disbelief. "That’s not something we’ve ever recorded before. Not with clones." The man didn’t even realize he was speaking all this to the clone itself—Number 1. Leaning casually against the wall, Number 1 held a steaming cup of vending machine coffee, sipping slowly as if this whole thing had nothing to do with him. He glanced up briefly and offered a slight nod of acknowledgment, though his tone was cool and dry. "You’re talking to the wrong guy." The professor blinked, confused. He turned his head and saw another Kim Do-hyun walking toward them from behind, hands in his pockets, relaxed and smiling faintly. The real one. The one who had actually taken the assessment. "I’m the original," Do-hyun said calmly, raising a hand with a soft wave. "He’s mine." The professor stammered, blinking between the two, then gave a flustered nod. "R-right. I see. Well, uh, yes, you both... performed excellently." Before either of them could respond, the doors to the hallway parted with a soft pneumatic hiss. Han Jin-woo walked in, dressed in his usual sharp black jacket, holding a tablet already loaded with the test results. He didn’t waste a second on small talk. His eyes scanned the screen with sharp focus. "Verification complete," he announced. "Effective immediately, you’re granted dual-access rights. That means you can now legally hunt in multiple dungeons at the same time, as long as your registered clones are accounted for under WN Agency’s operational registry." Do-hyun exhaled quietly. That had been his goal from the start. Han Jin-woo’s eyes shifted back and forth between the two identical young men. "Still weird, though. Watching you both talk... hard to believe only one of you is real." "You should try being me," Do-hyun said with a smirk. Han looked amused. "I don’t think I could handle the pressure." In the background, some of the Hunter Center staff were sneaking glances at them. A few tried to be discreet. Others simply stared. Whispers began to spread. People had heard stories, rumors of a recruit with a bizarre power—but now they were seeing the evidence with their own eyes. It was already beginning. "Hey," Han said suddenly, tapping the edge of his chin. "Why does your clone always wear a mask? I’ve seen him in the gym footage, even walking around town. Covered up every time." Do-hyun gave a light shrug. "People are watching. Some are curious. Some are nosy. Keeping his face hidden lets me move around more freely. Besides, it keeps the mystery alive." Number 1 added, without even looking up from his coffee, "Also, I look better in a mask." Han Jin-woo snorted, laughing louder than he meant to. "Right. Of course." Just then, Do-hyun raised his hand lazily. "Oh yeah, before I forget. Number 2 is at the gym right now. I figured since Number 1 was helping me out today, he could keep working on strength and endurance." A short scene shift. Far across the city, inside the dusty and sweat-filled interior of a worn-down training center, Number 2 was standing in front of a rust-covered barbell. His arms trembled under the weight of it. Veins bulged along his forearms, and faint red cuts traced across the inside of his palms where the steel had bitten through the skin. The blood smeared across the grip as he lifted, again and again, slow and controlled. No words. No music. Only his labored breathing and the iron sound of strength being forged. Then he dropped it. The weight hit the ground with a deep metallic clang. Number 2 exhaled sharply and wiped his palms on his pants. Another drop of blood fell. Back to the Hunter Center. Number 1, stretching his shoulders, casually approached the female assessment officer who had overseen the clone demonstration earlier. She was standing beside a terminal, clearly typing up her report, but froze slightly when she noticed him approaching. He leaned just slightly closer than necessary, his voice low but smooth. "You know," he said, "I never got to thank you properly for that excellent evaluation session." She blinked, flustered. "I-it was standard procedure..." "Still," he said, eyes narrowing playfully. "I felt very seen." Her cheeks turned a shade pinker as she tried not to smile. "Your... performance was impressive." Number 1 tilted his head slightly. "Oh, you think that was impressive? I haven’t even shown you my specialty." A beat of silence. The woman’s eyes widened, and she looked away quickly, biting her lower lip to hide a smile. The nearby clerk watching nearly choked on his coffee. Before the tension could escalate, a soft tone echoed from Han Jin-woo’s comm link. He raised his wrist and looked at the screen. Then froze. His pupils narrowed. "Something wrong?" Do-hyun asked. Above them, in the far reaches of the high-vaulted ceiling, where the walls curved into arching support beams of black stone and glass, a shadow moved. A figure had crouched there silently, almost blending into the light. None of them had seen him arrive. Then, he spoke. "Ahh... if it isn’t Mr. Han Jin-woo," the voice said, quiet but sharp. "It’s been quite a while." The tone was calm. Casual. Almost friendly. But the air instantly shifted. Han Jin-woo took a step back without realizing it. His eyes fixed upward. Do-hyun followed his gaze slowly, frowning. Number 1 put down his coffee, no longer smiling. The figure above rose from his crouch in one fluid motion. Then, with no hesitation, he jumped. He didn’t fall. He descended. Every movement was exact. Deliberate. A single clean drop. His coat flared out like wings, catching the light as he spun lightly in the air, then descended perfectly—no wasted motion, no unnecessary flair. When his black dress shoes touched the marble floor, it made no sound. No echo. He landed in silence. Dust stirred softly beneath him as the long black coat settled around his ankles. The man slowly raised his head. —– Author’s Note: Hey there, dear reader! ???? If you’ve made it this far, then from the bottom of my heart—thank you. Writing this story has been an incredible journey, and knowing you’re here, reading every scene and breathing life into this world with me, means more than I can say. If you’re enjoying the ride so far, please don’t forget to Vote for the Chapter and drop a Golden Ticket if you think the story deserves to shine even brighter. Every vote and ticket helps push this series up the rankings so even more readers can find it. Got a second? Consider sending a Gift to support the story’s growth. Or, if you want to unlock future episodes early and dive deeper before anyone else, buy some Privileges to stay ahead of the curve. 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