Episode 59 – Field Report
Baek Min-jae stood there in silence, the expression on his face flickering between disbelief and professional concern. His eyes moved from the Fishman’s mangled body to the man who stood beside it, chest rising and falling, black uniform torn and covered in ash, dust, and blood that wasn’t all his.
Kim Do-hyun didn’t look like much at first glance.
He wasn’t tall.
He wasn’t wearing so guild-branded armor or enchanted gloves.
He wasn’t carrying a legendary sword passed down through so prestigious bloodline.
He just looked... normal.
But Baek Min-jae had seen the aftermath of enough real combat to know when soone had been through hell and still ca out on their feet. There was a difference in the eyes. A calm focus. The kind that didn’t co from training manuals or combat simulations.
He stepped forward slowly, careful not to disturb the cri scene. "Excuse ... Kim Do-hyun, right?"
Do-hyun turned his head just slightly, acknowledging him without speaking.
"I’m Baek Min-jae from the Association. I’ll be handling the report for this incident." He tapped the screen of his tablet, pulling up the forms. "You’re the one who killed this Fishman?"
"I didn’t do it alone," Do-hyun replied, voice hoarse. "My clones helped."
Baek blinked. "Wait, you an... you’re the clone user?"
"Yeah." Do-hyun nodded once. "That was ."
The younger investigator beside Baek looked flustered as he reviewed the incident logs on his pad. "Sir, this can’t be right. The body’s riddled with bullets, but every impact is concentrated in the sa location. These shots... They’re too precise for F-rank shooting standards. The average hit-to-wound ratio on moving targets doesn’t even co close to this."
Baek looked up, interest clearly piqued. "You’re saying he didn’t just kill a D-rank monster he targeted its weak point repeatedly in the middle of a chaotic, high-speed engagent?"
The assistant nodded, lips pressed tight. "Yes, sir."
Baek stared at Do-hyun for a long second before sighing softly. "Well... I’ve got no idea how the hell I’m going to write this report."
anwhile, Han Jin-woo finally made his way over, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other still holding onto his earpiece. His eyes took in the cratered pavent, the broken periter fence, the large body of the Fishman, and then landed on Do-hyun, who was crouched near Number One’s unconscious form.
"Dude," Han muttered, shaking his head. "I... I honestly don’t know whether to call this a win or a disaster."
Do-hyun let out a dry chuckle. "I think it’s both."
Han gestured to the scene with both hands. "You killed a D-rank monster by yourself. Do you understand how nuts that is?"
Do-hyun shrugged. "It was trying to escape the dungeon. I didn’t really have a choice."
"That doesn’t make it less insane!" Han stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Listen, this kind of performance is way above what the Bureau expects from soone in the bottom ranks. And don’t get started on the political ss this is going to trigger. The mont guilds hear about this, they’ll co sniffing around like sharks."
Do-hyun didn’t respond imdiately. His eyes were locked on Number Two now lying a few ters away, damaged, torn open across the abdon, but still showing faint pulses of residual energy.
"Are they going to be alright?" Han asked, voice quieter now.
"Number One and Number Two?" Do-hyun muttered, brushing so dirt off his knee as he stood. "They’re still connected to . They didn’t vanish when they got wrecked. That ans they’re hanging on barely."
Han raised an eyebrow. "So they’ll regenerate?"
Do-hyun shook his head. "Not instantly. My regeneration skill just awakened, but it doesn’t heal clones on the spot. I need ti to recover their forms. The mana drain was brutal. I’ll have to resummon them after cooldown."
Han rubbed his face in disbelief. "Still. The fact that you even have to explain how to revive your combat clones after a D-rank boss fight says everything."
Do-hyun gave a weak laugh. "Yeah. I guess so."
At that mont, a soft chi echoed in Do-hyun’s mind. A familiar interface flared to life behind his eyes, and a flurry of notifications filled his vision.
> [Skill Acquired – Dash]
Temporarily increase movent speed by 40% for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
> [Skill Acquired – Strike]
Condense physical strength into a single powerful attack. Damage scales with strength stat. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
> [Skill Acquired – Regeneration]
Recover 5% HP per minute outside of combat. Can apply to clones over ti.
> [Skill Acquired – Projectile Focus]
Boosts accuracy and damage of all ranged attacks. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 45 seconds.
> [Stat Increase – Strength 3]
[Stat Increase – Vitality 2]
[Stat Increase – Reflex 2]
[Stat Increase – Perception 4]
"Whoa," he breathed out. The numbers flickered with faint blue light, glowing softly before fading into his subconscious. His entire body felt lighter sohow—as if the wear and tear of the brutal fight had been converted into raw growth.
His fingertips pulsed with leftover energy. The ache in his legs dulled. Even the headache from maintaining dual clone links had faded slightly.
"So... you awakened again?" Han asked.
Do-hyun nodded. "Four new skills, stat increase across the board. Looks like the system really liked going toe-to-toe with that thing."
Han made a low whistle. "This is going to make headlines. Guaranteed."
"Don’t tell anyone yet," Do-hyun said. "Please."
Han raised an eyebrow. "You serious?"
Do-hyun looked at him. "Just for a day or two. Let process all of this first. I want to check my gear, inspect the clone damage, and... think. I haven’t really had ti to think."
Han crossed his arms but didn’t argue. "Alright. But once the Bureau files hit the HunterNet, it’s out of our hands."
They both turned back toward the Fishman’s corpse as more cleanup personnel and junior agents began marking the site with spell-bound flags and containnt runes. anwhile, Baek Min-jae had already started giving instructions to the support staff. Even with an official investigation underway, all eyes kept darting back to Kim Do-hyun.
Jun-mo’s voice cut in through the comms channel in Han’s earpiece. "Hey, is the kid still alive?"
Han smiled. "Yeah, barely."
Jun-mo sounded animated. "That’s insane! A solo F-rank Hunter took out a D-rank Fishman? I an, co on! You sure this guy didn’t hide a mythical weapon in his sock?"
"Not unless that knife was from a discount rack at the academy."
Jun-mo whistled. "Seriously. I’ve seen mid-tier guilds struggle with aquatic bosses like that. Maybe the boy can start hunting E-rank dungeons now, huh?"
Do-hyun looked over, hearing the last part. He smiled faintly. "Maybe. If I’m prepared."
And then just as he was about to check his clone cooldown tir again his eyes widened.
He froze.
"...Wait."
Han turned toward him. "What?"
Do-hyun’s brows furrowed as his gaze snapped to the Fishman’s discarded gear. Most of it was still scattered across the impact site from when it collapsed. So of it was lted. So had been shattered.
But one thing was missing.
"...A short sword," he muttered, voice distant. "That monster had a little sword."
[END OF EPISODE 59]
Authors notes:
---
📢 OFFICIAL ANNOUNCENT (By Clone 31, unfortunately)
Okay, okay, listen up. Stop whatever weird thing you’re doing, put the sword down, and look this way for just a second. This is not a drill. I, Clone Number 31—yes, the one who once lost a battle to a vending machine and still has emotional scars—have been assigned a very important mission by the Real Author™.
Here it is.
The characters... are now votable.
Yeah. You heard . Votable. As in, you can scroll down—yes, all the way down past the story—past the crying emojis and conspiracy theory comnts—and you’ll find a shiny new character voting board just waiting for your glorious opinion.
Do you have a favorite? Of course, you do. Don’t lie.
Do you have a sworn enemy you secretly love but also want to slap? Yeah, we all do.
Now’s your mont. Cast your vote like the slightly unhinged but emotionally invested reader I know you are.
You don’t need to spend money. No premium currency. No shiny paywall. You don’t even need to trade your soul to so shady gacha god. Just tap. Click. Vote. Done.
It’s so easy even Clone 7 can do it—and that guy once tried to microwave a potion.
Let’s go down the list, shall we?
Wanna honor our boy Kim Do-hyun, the man, the myth, the slightly traumatized legend? Vote for him. Give him the respect he deserves before he starts talking to sewer rats out of loneliness.
Think Number One needs a hug, a therapist, and a governnt pension? Vote for him too. The guy’s been punched, slashed, electrocuted, and mildly insulted by toddlers. He’s earned it.
What about Han Jin-woo? Vote before the stress gives him permanent eye twitch syndro.
Oh Min-joo? Co on. She’s been babysitting our chaos-ridden protagonist longer than anyone, and she still hasn’t murdered a single clone. That’s willpower.
Honestly, I think even the Fishman made the list. Though, if you vote for him, I’m not judging, but I am side-eying you aggressively from the shadows.
Now, just to be clear—this isn’t just for fun. Top-voted characters might get bonus POV Chapters, hidden lore drops, questionable rchandise deals, or dramatic slow-motion scenes with better lighting.
Worst case? They just get emotionally obliterated with extra narrative flair. Either way, every vote counts.
So go. Tap. Scroll. Click soone’s na.
Or click everyone’s na. Except Clone 7. I’m serious. That dude put a cursed amulet in the office fridge. We don’t talk about it.
Alright. That’s it from . Clone 31, signing off.
I’m supposed to be doing recon right now, but honestly, I’m just hiding from paperwork behind a stack of mana potions.
But you, yes you—reader of fine taste and suspicious snacks—vote. Scroll down. Click. Vote again.
And if you accidentally vote for a sewer pipe, don’t worry. I did too. Happens to the best of us.
Peace.
Clone 31
(Sleeps in storage closets. Fights cri on weekends. Still waiting for screen ti.)
P.S. If I get ranked, I promise to never speak publicly again. Probably. Maybe. Okay, I’ll at least try.
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