Chapter 32: Episode 32: Scaled Frogs and Forgotten Clones (Part 2)

Chapter 32: Episode 32: Scaled Frogs and Forgotten Clones (Part 2) Episode 32: Scaled Frogs and Forgotten Clones (Part 2) The crack of gunfire echoed like thunder across the warped field, bouncing between mana-scarred boulders and twisted trees that had long forgotten how to bloom. Every shot punched the air with authority, a burst of noise followed by silence as tense Hunters held their breath, waiting to see if their bullets found a target. Kim Do-hyun (김도현) adjusted his borrowed goggles and squinted downrange, his gloved fingers wrapped awkwardly around a pistol that was definitely too light to feel reassuring. Around him, the field resembled a makeshift war zone. Sandbag bunkers. Gun-mounted drones. Foldable tripods clicking into place as seasoned Hunters set up sniper nests like they were preparing for a professional match rather than a life-or-death dungeon grind. Nobody talked. Not because they were serious. But because if you stayed too long in one position, your ears would start to ring from the endless rhythm of gunfire. Conversations didn’t survive here—only bullet trails and static. Do-hyun sat behind a large piece of cover, a reinforced slab of concrete half-buried in the dirt like the remains of a forgotten building. He checked the ammo in his pistol for the third time, then sighed. "This is nuts," he muttered under his breath, his voice nearly drowned by another sharp bam from a rifle not far behind him. One of the nearby Hunters, a guy in camo fatigues chewing gum like it was a performance art, glanced sideways. "You even shootin’ yet, rookie?" Do-hyun nodded. "Don’t worry. I only missed three shots during the test." The guy raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You missed three? On a stationary target, five meters away?" Do-hyun cleared his throat. "Yes... but I’ve got good vision. Eagle eyes." "Sure, 매의 눈," the guy said with a chuckle, using the Korean term for ’hawk’s eye’ sarcastically. "Let’s hope those eagles don’t go blind under pressure." Do-hyun grumbled under his breath and peered over the slab again. His eyes scanned the misty terrain. The Scaled Frog Field was a bizarre ecosystem. The ground pulsed faintly with mana, and the fog that clung to it like wet silk was filled with a chemical bitterness that made his nose itch. He tried to filter it out, focusing on movement. Then, he saw it. A scaled frog—at least half his height, its pale green skin dappled with shifting black speckles—leapt between two rocks in the distance. It moved like a spring-loaded predator, impossibly fast for its size. Do-hyun’s heart skipped. That was the one. He exhaled slowly, like the instructors taught. Steady. Measured. He raised his pistol, lined up the shot through his goggles, and aimed for the head. "This one’s mine," he whispered, squeezing the trigger with what he thought was practiced precision. Pop. The shot rang out, echoing just a half-beat too late. The frog was already gone—its body twisting mid-air in a motion that no normal creature should have been able to manage. His bullet struck empty dirt, sending up a tiny puff of smoke and disappointment. "Are you kidding me?" he muttered, already moving to a crouch to reload. Fifteen minutes passed. Then an hour. Then two. The sun dipped lower in the sky, but the fog never lifted. It just thickened, curling around ankles like something alive. Do-hyun’s ears were ringing. His goggles fogged. His arms ached from holding a weapon he barely knew how to aim. And not a single one of his bullets had landed. Each time he spotted a frog, it was already gone before he pulled the trigger. The moment he even twitched, the creatures responded with reflexes that bordered on precognition. It wasn’t just frustrating—it was demoralizing. At some point, he realized that Han Jin-woo was no longer anywhere nearby. He scanned the crowd. No sign of the sedan. No sign of the smirking recruiter. Just a few other Hunters packing up their gear or already lounging around with snacks, having filled their daily quota with ease. "Great," Do-hyun muttered. "Just ditched me in a field of dodging amphibians." Still, he had one advantage that no one else did. He turned and looked at Number 1, who had been kneeling silently behind him the entire time. The clone didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe hard. Didn’t complain. "You stay here," Do-hyun said, already rising to his feet and stretching his sore back. "If you see anything, shoot. And text me every time you take a shot." Number 1 nodded wordlessly. "And if you run out of bullets..." Do-hyun hesitated, then added, "Just call me." The clone nodded again, and with that, Do-hyun began walking toward the outer checkpoint, pulling his hoodie tight as the bitter wind whistled across the terrain. The fog was thicker now, and his body felt like it had absorbed a year’s worth of failure in just a few hours. By the time he got home, the sun had fully vanished behind Seoul’s skyline. The city lights blinked lazily across the distant high-rises, and he moved on autopilot, tossing his gear to the floor and collapsing onto the bed with a heavy grunt. Within moments, he was under the blanket, barely keeping his eyes open as the familiar buzz of his Awakened System echoed inside his mind. Bright blue text scrolled lazily across the darkness behind his eyelids. [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 blinked, smiling faintly. Not bad. Apparently, even failing had its rewards. Still, the frogs had been terrifying. If they were the "easy mobs" Han Jin-woo mentioned, then Do-hyun couldn’t imagine what real monsters looked like. He pulled the blanket tighter and yawned. His body ached in all the places that didn’t show. The bruise from recoil on his forearm. The scratch across his chin from a rock he didn’t see. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. "Maybe Number 2 will do better," he muttered sleepily. "I sent him there after all." And with that thought, he drifted into unconsciousness, the hum of the system fading into a soft lullaby. At precisely four in the morning, his phone vibrated with a relentless, digital intensity. Not once. Not twice. Over and over again until it began to sound like an angry mosquito trapped in a box. Do-hyun groaned, fumbling blindly for the device. When he finally got a hand on it, the screen nearly blinded him. 46 unread messages. All from Number 2. "What the..." he mumbled, squinting. Each message was a short update. [Target spotted. Firing.] [Missed. Target too fast.] [Reloading.] [Target down. Possibly.] [Confirming kill.] [Nope. Not dead. Chasing.] It just kept going. Do-hyun’s face paled as he scrolled. Number 2 hadn’t stopped. He had been grinding all night without rest. Without food. Without water. Without mana breaks. By the time Do-hyun sat up, the realization hit him hard. "Oh no... I didn’t tell him to stop." He swiped up his app interface to try and recall the clone manually, but the system showed an error. [Clone active. Combat mode: persistent.] [Manual override disabled during continuous engagement.] "Persistent...? Did I even set that?" His fingers flew across the screen in panic. But there was no undo button. Number 2 had been fighting nonstop since he was deployed, and there was no telling what condition he was in now. Somewhere else in Seoul, Han Jin-woo was just waking up when his own phone vibrated. He squinted, rolled over, and tapped the screen. The message was short and filled with urgency. "Is the WN Agency associated with a hunter named Kim Do-hyun?" Han Jin-woo frowned. He sat up straighter, typing back with practiced fingers. "Yes. Why?" The reply was instant. "You need to get down to the Slime Field now. Your guy has been hunting nonstop for over 24 hours. He’s lost his damn mind." Han Jin-woo stared at the message, then leapt out of bed so quickly he nearly tripped over his laundry. "What the hell...?" He was already reaching for his jacket before the next text arrived. "Get there now. Or there’s going to be a corpse in your agency’s portfolio." Han Jin-woo didn’t waste time responding. His car keys were already in his hand. "I’m on my way." ???? End of Episode 32 --- Author’s Note: What if you had your own clone? One to grind in dungeons, one to soak damage, and one more just chilling with snacks while reading novelhall in peace? Sounds like heaven—until you realize Kim Do-hyun’s clones don’t come with armor, patience, or modesty. Number 2 might be reckless, but at least he’s making sure Do-hyun doesn’t croak during frog season. If you’re still reading, you’re officially part of this insane journey. Every comment, vote, gift, or Golden Ticket breathes life into this story. Unlock Privilege if you’re ready to peek ahead. LittleLYTA Clone #2 is still chasing frogs with a stick. He says thanks for the moral support.