Episode 5 – The Clone Who Ran
The early sun painted the sky in soft oranges and pinks, casting long shadows over the park paths. Trees rustled gently in the breeze, their leaves whispering secrets from a world where nature still rembered peace.
And through that park, a figure ran.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Shoes smacked against the paved path with steady rhythm, not hurried but firm. A wide, round man with sweat sticking to his shirt sprinted down the trail. Or so it looked, until you realized sothing felt... off.
It wasn’t Kim Do-hyun (김도현).
It was Number 1. The clone.
His steps were too perfect. His eyes too empty. Not robotic, but focused. Pure will. A body pushed to its absolute edge, but a mind that didn’t care about rest.
Two old n sat on a park bench nearby, cracking sunflower seeds and watching him jog past.
"That guy again," one said, squinting under his cap. "You see him? That crazy one. Cos here every morning. Runs till sunset like a machine."
The other grunted. "No one runs like that unless they’re running from death. Or chasing it."
Further down the path, a short old lady waved a hand, smiling gently.
"Boy, wait! Here, take so water. You’ll collapse if you keep pushing like this."
She reached into a cloth bag and held out a small plastic bottle. Her fingers shook a little from age.
But the clone didn’t break stride.
He turned his head slightly, just enough to make eye contact.
Then he frowned. Not with anger. Just... disinterest. He ran faster.
Leaves flew up behind him.
The woman stood frozen, water bottle still held out.
"That one’s strange," she whispered.
Back ho, in a second-floor apartnt stacked with ga posters and half-eaten ran bowls, the real Kim Do-hyun (김도현) stood shirtless before a mirror.
He stepped on the digital scale.
Beep.
The numbers glowed.
92.3 kg
He blinked.
He stepped off, rubbed his eyes, stepped back on.
92.3 kg
He blinked again.
"No way," he mumbled. "That’s twenty kilos... gone?"
His fingers pinched at his belly. The soft rolls had shrunk. His face looked slimr. His neck wasn’t swallowed by fat anymore.
He raised his arms. They looked... stronger. A bit of tone, not just marshmallow.
And he hadn’t moved in weeks.
He grinned.
"This... this is the life."
A blue window popped up before his eyes.
[Stats Updated]
[Stamina 0.1]
[Reflex 0.1]
[Agility 0.1]
He whispered slowly, like tasting fine candy.
"Plus point one... for free."
He tapped a finger to his forehead.
His clone was still out there. Still running.
And everything it did ca back to him.
He threw on a hoodie, slumped into his gar chair, and scrolled open the skill logs.
His talent had rules.
He had spent the past few weeks testing and observing, watching his clone from security cams, tracking its patterns, even attaching a smartwatch to check heartbeat and GPS.
Now, he understood a few things.
One: The clone’s pain and exhaustion didn’t transfer back to him. Not even a whisper of soreness. It could collapse from heat stroke, vomit from fatigue, pass out from overwork — and Do-hyun would be eating potato chips, watching cartoons.
Two: If pushed too hard, or left with zero energy, the clone would vanish in a puff of smoke. Not violently. Just like steam eting cold air. Silent. Gone. But it could be summoned again after the cooldown.
Three: The clone’s body changed with him. As Do-hyun got in shape, the clone did too. It mirrored him exactly. Fat lted off both. Muscle started to show.
Four: Distance didn’t matter. Do-hyun could send ntal commands from across the city. He once tested it during a bathroom break and watched the clone stop mid-sprint, kneel, and start praying beside a lake. It freaked out a couple walking by.
And five: A clone could never summon a clone.
He tried it on Day Ten.
The clone tried to mimic his own summon pose.
It failed.
Error ssage.
Blue light flickered. A buzzing sound. Then reality rejected the action like a virus.
[Illegal Command. Clone-summoning cannot stack.]
He had stared at that line for a long ti.
If clone-summoning could stack, he thought, it would break the world. One man becos two. Then four. Then eight. Then sixteen. Infinite copies of one mind, all doing different tasks. Reality would collapse.
He had laughed. Then cried. Then ate more ran.
But now?
Now he felt powerful.
His phone buzzed.
A ssage from Park Joon-ho (박준호).
Yo. Did you really lose twenty kilos or are you lying to your mirror?
Do-hyun replied:
Mirror’s scared of now. I look like a proper main character.
Joon-ho responded quickly.
You an a background character who glitched into the main role.
Do-hyun chuckled.
He sat back and looked at the ceiling.
Then said in a low voice:
"Let’s test how far I can go."
He called up the skill window.
[Talent: Cloning – Level 1]
[Type: Summoning]
[Maximum active clones: 1]
[Energy drain: Moderate]
[Control range: Global (linked by mind)]
[Cooldown: 24 hours upon dismissal or failure]
He gazed at the words. His eyes were fixed on the top.
Level 1
That was the ability to level up.
The clone’s physical activity increased his stats. Perhaps other activities would increase his magic stat. Or reflex. Or even unlock passive skills.
But how?
He had to experint.
Do-hyun got up and stretched.
He gazed upon the disordered room. Dirty bowls. Squashed soda cans. Worn clothes. This was a cave. A nest.
He had lived small.
But now?
He was beginning to feel large.
Number 1 slowed in the park.
The sky was orange, nearly red. The sun was bleeding into the mountains way beyond the trees.
Slowly the birds flew in the air, howard bound.
The clone’s breath was ragged. His shirt was plastered against his chest. His shoes were wet with sweat and dust.
People stared.
A little girl whispered to her mom, "Mommy, is that man okay?"
The mother smiled. "He’s fine, honey. Just... very dedicated."
The clone halted at last by a bench.
He leaned forward, on his knees.
He blinked. Once. Twice.
Then he disappeared.
A little smoke puff.
Gone.
At the apartnt, the bracelet of Do-hyun was glowing.
[Clone dismissed. Cooldown started: 24:00:00]
He smiled and nodded.
"Good job, Number 1. See you tomorrow."
The room was silent once more.
But within him a fire was kindled.
And it was not going out soon.
🧬 SYSTEM ALERT: Clone Support Needed!
Ever dread of doing nothing while your clone builds your empire?
Good. That’s exactly how I run things here.
But even clones need energy — and guess what fuels them?
Your support.
🪙 Golden ticket
🔼 Vote
🎁 Gift
👑 Unlock Privileges
💬 Drop a comnt
Every click powers the system. Every tap births a new clone.
Help build a world where you chill, and we grind.
— Little LYTA (Clone #47 out)
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