Chapter 2: The Clone Appears
Suddenly, a loud bang! rang out across the room. A big guy in gym clothes had just punched the air and yelled, "Let's goooo!"
Everyone looked his way.
He laughed and shouted, "Show off your skills, people! Let's see what we're working with!"
The crowd chuckled. A few people started showing off—little sparks of light, glowing fists, even one guy with levitating rocks.
Do-hyun shrunk back.
He hated crowds.
He hated being watched.
He especially hated being asked questions.
No way he was showing anything here.
He turned to leave.
"Wait, we still need to do your compatibility scan," the staff member said, holding up a small round device.
Do-hyun groaned and stuck out his wrist.
A soft beep. Then another screen appeared.
> Mana Affinity Score: 73%
Potential Future Skills: POSSIBLE
Secondary Awakening Chance: HIGH
The man blinked again. "Huh. That's actually… not bad."
Do-hyun tilted his head. "So I might get another skill?"
"Could happen. Maybe even more than one. You've got potential," he said. "You're just unlucky now."
Unlucky.
That was a good word for Do-hyun's life.
He was sent home with a silver bracelet around his wrist—the official mark of an awakened person. It glowed faintly, syncing with his body's mana.
But to the world, Kim Do-hyun was now just another low level Awakened with a useless ability.
He rode the bus home in silence.
He didn't cry.
He didn't curse.
He just leaned his head against the window and whispered…
> "...How can I make this work?"
---
The door creaked as Kim Do-hyun stepped into his apartment.
Silence.
The same old mess greeted him—half-empty soda bottles, tangled wires, a lonely sock on the floor that might've evolved into a creature by now.
He dropped onto his computer chair with a heavy plop.
"Cloning," he mumbled, spinning slowly in the chair. "A power that lets me summon… myself."
He leaned forward, staring at his triple monitor setup. One screen had a farming bot running in a dead mobile game. Another was paused mid-anime. The third was off—just his reflection, staring back at him.
A chubby face. Sleepy eyes. Hair like a bird's nest.
He reached over to his energy drink, cracked it open, and took a long sip.
pffft
"Worthless, huh?" he said to no one. "Then let's test that."
He stood up, stretched his back until it popped, then took a deep breath.
He didn't know how to summon his clone.
There was no guide. No tutorial. No flashy HUD like in the movies.
But maybe if he focused hard enough—
"Come out… other me?"
Nothing.
"Clone… assemble?"
Still nothing.
"Summon Fat-Me.exe!"
Nothing.
He groaned and rubbed his temples. "Think, Do-hyun… how do you get a clone to appear?"
He closed his eyes.
Tried to feel inside.
Like, really inside.
There it was.
A tiny little buzz. Like a second heartbeat. A faint echo under his skin.
He reached for it—not with his hand, but with his mind—and pulled.
BOOM.
A puff of smoke exploded from the floor.
Do-hyun coughed and fell backward, eyes wide.
From the smoke, a figure stepped out…
Chubby. Shirtless. Confused.
He looked around like a lost puppy. His belly jiggled slightly as he took his first breath.
Do-hyun's jaw dropped.
"…No freaking way."
The clone looked up at him. "Yes, Master?"
Do-hyun screamed.
Kim Do-hyun stood frozen, mouth open, eyes twitching. The clone stood calmly across from him, hands by its side like a good little soldier.
It looked exactly like him—same soft belly, same messy hair, same "I-stayed-up-till-4AM" dark circles.
The only difference?
This one wasn't breathing heavy like he was.
"You can… talk?" Do-hyun whispered.
"Yes, Master," the clone replied. Calm. Polite. Like an obedient assistant who just came out of a microwave.
Do-hyun walked around him slowly, still unsure if he was dreaming. "You're solid," he muttered, pressing a finger into the clone's shoulder. It didn't pass through. It wasn't a ghost.
It was warm. Sweaty.
Real.
"I thought you'd be some floaty spirit or hologram or something," he said. "But you're… me. Like… all the way me."
"Yes," the clone replied again. Always the same tone. Like a robot wearing his skin.
"Okay. Uh…" Do-hyun scratched his head, then got an idea. A stupid one.
"Squat."
The clone obeyed instantly. It dropped into a squat without a word.
Do-hyun's eyes widened. "Stand."
It stood.
He grinned, heart pounding now. "Okay… now do squats. One thousand."
The clone began. "One."
"Two."
"Three."
Do-hyun watched in stunned silence as the clone kept going, beads of sweat forming on its forehead by the fiftieth rep.
That's when it hit him.
Harder than a truck in a manhwa.
This thing works.
He sat back down, mind racing.
"What if… you train while I chill? I don't have to work out. I don't have to move. I can just—command."
His phone buzzed. A text.
> Joon-ho:
broooo did u awaken yet
bet you got like… pillow summon or something lol
Do-hyun replied, barely thinking.
> Do-hyun:
nah. something worse. I got "slave-me"
Another buzz.
> Joon-ho:
LOL
sounds like you
He put the phone down. The clone was still squatting.
Sweating. Struggling.
And then—ding.
A soft noise in Do-hyun's head.
> +0.001 Stamina increased.
[Stamina is now 4.1]
His eyes locked onto the floating text.
"…Wait."
He hadn't moved.
He hadn't lifted a finger.
But his stat had gone up.
He leaned back, stunned. "No way…"
He opened the system menu again, staring at the numbers.
That small boost—it was real.
And it came from the clone's effort.
His clone trained...
And he got stronger.
Do-hyun stood slowly, the glow of realization creeping across his face.
A chill ran down his spine.
He looked at the clone, still panting on the floor, halfway to death.
"Hey," he said, grinning wide. "We're gonna change the world, buddy."
The clone just nodded, too tired to answer.