Chapter 22
CloneMasterKimClone
HeavenlyMaiden leaped back, kicking off the ground.
The barrage of bullets scraped the earth, chasing after her.
Ratatatat!
Hundreds, thousands of bullets poured out relentlessly.
They came in all varieties: 5.56mm rifle rounds, machine gun bullets, armor-piercing rounds, pistol rounds, 12-gauge shotgun shells, and more.
The gunfire formed a dense net, woven so tightly that there seemed no way for her to escape.
Dust clouded the air, obscuring the situation entirely.
Yet, CloneMasterKimClone and his seven clones didn’t stop firing.
Ratatatat!
The bullet storm continued for a while, only stopping when the ammunition ran dry. Smoke rose from the overheated barrels, and spent casings littered the ground.
– Holy crap, an Awakener!
– HeavenlyMaiden!
– A clone master?
– What kind of nonsense is this?
– Isn’t that totally broken?
– Look at him, still shooting like a maniac.
– Can’t even see her health bar through all that dust.
CloneMasterKimClone grinned, waiting for the sweet system message that would soon ring out.
“This is a piece of cake.”
Having awakened his cloning ability, KimClone had rushed to the courthouse to legally change his name. Then, he stocked up on firearms and dove straight into the arena.
Unlike others who sweated swinging swords or pored over spellbooks calculating magical formulas, he didn’t need any of that.
All he had to do was use his cloning ability and shoot like crazy.
Still, he was cautious by nature, so he only stopped firing after emptying every bullet.
“…?”
But no matter how long he waited, the message [CloneMasterKimClone’s Victory!] didn’t appear.
Why isn’t it showing up?
There was no way anyone could survive that brutal barrage.
Plus, he’d meticulously woven his gunfire into a net to ensure his opponent couldn’t escape.
It was a carefully crafted trap.
No fish could slip through, and even if it did, he wouldn’t have missed it.
KimClone tilted his head, staring intently at the dust cloud that still hung thick in the air.
Just in case, he swapped out his magazines for spares he’d kept in reserve.
As the dust cloud slowly settled, there was… nothing.
“…?!”
KimClone jolted in shock.
This can’t be right!
If she wasn’t there, then where…
Prick!
At that moment, a sharp sting hit the back of his neck, and his entire body froze.
“Hmm… fascinating.”
A chill ran down his spine.
The voice came from right behind him, sending goosebumps across his skin.
Shoot!
He immediately tried to use his remaining clones to fire at HeavenlyMaiden, who had taken his rear, but—
Prick! Prick! Prick!
All eight clones, including himself, were subdued almost simultaneously.
It was a speed he couldn’t even react to.
– Woooow!
– HeavenlyMaiden!
– I knew you could do it!
– But how’d she get out?
– When did she escape? Anyone see it?
– I didn’t see a thing.
HeavenlyMaiden leisurely strolled behind the eight rigid clones, muttering to herself.
“Which one’s the real one?”
Step. Step.
She approached the clone at the end and snatched the pistol from its hand.
Bang!
With a gunshot, the clone at the end vanished like smoke.
“Not this one.”
Step. Step.
Bang!
“Nor this one.”
Step. Step.
“This one?”
Bang!
“Nope.”
KimClone felt a chill run through him.
As HeavenlyMaiden drew closer, cold sweat dripped down his back.
Damn it! Why can’t I move?!
Five clones vanished, leaving only three.
HeavenlyMaiden approached him, pressing the pistol to the back of his head.
Click-clack!
KimClone clearly heard the hammer being cocked, like a death sentence ringing out in an execution ground.
“Wait!”
“Are you the real one?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m the real one. So, can we just talk for a sec…”
“Not you.”
Bang!
As KimClone vanished like smoke, a new clone appeared behind her, grabbing the dropped firearm and firing at HeavenlyMaiden.
“Yaaaaah!!!”
Ratatatat!
The remaining clones beside him were hit by bullets and disappeared, but that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that he’d hit HeavenlyMaiden!
“Hahaha! I win!”
But the HeavenlyMaiden who’d been shot flickered briefly before vanishing like a mirage.
“Huh…?”
KimClone stared blankly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
What the…
Click-
The sound of a gun being cocked rang out behind him like a death knell.
“This is the real one.”
“H-How…?”
KimClone froze, even though he hadn’t been hit with any pressure point technique.
His face was painted with shock.
“Dodging bullets isn’t actually that hard.”
“That’s nonsense! How can a person move faster than a bullet?”
“Foolish talk. You don’t need to be faster than the bullet. You just need to be faster than the finger pulling the trigger.”
“What does that…”
Tap.
KimClone’s words were cut off.
Something cold—undoubtedly the barrel of a gun—pressed against the back of his neck.
“That was quite entertaining, CloneMasterKimClone.”
“P-Please, just let me go this once! I’m undefeated! I can’t let my streak end like this!”
“Undefeated, you say?”
“Yeah! I’ve never lost, all the way up to Gold! It’s an incredible record!”
“Hmm…”
Chi Yulang paused to think, then spoke.
“I’m a bit short on hands. Do you, by chance, enjoy farming?”
He’d never farmed a day in his life, but KimClone nodded frantically.
Anything was better than having his streak broken.
“I love it, of course! Farming’s practically my specialty! Didn’t you see my clones? I can do the work of eight people!”
“Perfect. Want to do a collab stream tomorrow?”
“C-Collab? Out of nowhere?”
Chi Yulang pressed the gun barrel harder against his neck.
“Don’t like the idea? Fine, forget it.”
“H-Haha, when did I say I didn’t want to? I’ve been waiting for serendipitous moments like this my whole life!”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
“Haha.”
“Hahaha.”
“Hahahaha!”
“Then let’s meet in Stardew Valley tomorrow.”
“Huh? Stardew Valley?”
Click!
“W-Wait!”
Bang!
Thud!
CloneMasterKimClone collapsed.
[HeavenlyMaiden’s Victory!]
HeavenlyMaiden blew on the smoking barrel, enjoying her victory ceremony.
[HeavenlyDemonChanDongpoMeatThief donated 10,000 Cookies!]
Down goes a Celestial Dragon! Down goes a Celestial Dragon!
[NorungjiBread donated 50,000 Cookies!]
CloneMaster? Oh, you mean that trash?
– Woooow!
– HeavenlyMaiden! HeavenlyMaiden!
– I knew you’d pull through!
– Was that Phantom Step just now?
– Who cares, she won, that’s what matters.
– This is the proper way to “invite” someone to a collab.
– New friend (slave: always welcome!
– Romero’s got a new buddy lol.
[Broadcast Stats]
– Peak Viewers: 510
– Average Viewers: 383
– Followers: 406 (+55:
————-
At the edge of the Abyss Forest, a man in a fluttering red robe swung his sword.
Nam Dusik, lost in a trance, unleashed the techniques of the Blue Sky Unobstructed Sword.
As a peak late-stage first-rate martial artist nearing the transcendent realm, his sharp sword strikes sliced through the air.
Not enough.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Slash!
Far too lacking.
Thud!
Nam Dusik drove his sword into a tree, catching his breath heavily.
“Huff… huff…”
He knew he was lacking, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.
No matter how hard he threw himself against it, the wall showed no sign of crumbling.
Not only had he lost to his elder brother, but now he’d been defeated by a kid who hadn’t even reached the level of wisdom.
It wasn’t luck.
He’d given his all, and his sword hadn’t even grazed the girl’s clothes.
It was a clean, undeniable defeat.
…Though that final blow was unexpected.
“…Damn it.”
Nam Dusik felt the absence of his master keenly.
He didn’t know how it was for geniuses like HeavenlyMaiden or his elder brother, but for him, the guidance of a master who’d walked the path before was desperately needed.
But where could he find a master who’d reached the transcendent realm?
Moreover, his sword was that of the Namgung Clan.
Though he’d abandoned the name, he couldn’t abandon the sword.
Even the old masters of Silverwood Forest hesitated to offer advice on the Namgung Clan’s swordsmanship.
Out of necessity, he’d asked how they’d broken through the transcendent wall, but their answers were all different.
Some rambled like senile old men, others said it happened when they let go of greed, and others said it came from filling in their shortcomings…
I’m going crazy.
It only made his head hurt more.
I can’t go back home either…
Boom!
At that moment, the ground shook, and a tree crashed down with a splintering sound.
“What the…?”
As he turned, his eyes met it.
Grrrrrr!
A low, guttural infrasound rumbled.
Nam Dusik’s body froze stiff.
Rank 4? No, Rank 3! At least Rank 3!
It was a massive beast.
Its skin glowed red, like a burning ancient tree.
Was it a tree that had grown into a beast, or a cursed beast transforming into a tree?
Either way, it didn’t look like a sword could pierce it.
Nam Dusik knew instantly.
This was not an opponent he could handle.
A Rank 3 threat required a transcendent master to deal with.
Why was a Rank 3 beast, something that should be lurking deep in the Abyss Forest, out here?
Had a rift opened nearby without him noticing?
As countless thoughts swirled in Nam Dusik’s mind, the massive beast, having spotted him, slowly approached.
Crack!
Trees snapped like matchsticks.
Move! Move, damn it!
He gritted his teeth, screaming silently, but his body, as if caught in a nightmare, refused to budge.
At that moment, the beast’s body tilted to one side and suddenly crashed to the ground with a thud.
“…?”
Upon closer inspection, one of its legs was frozen white.
“Bloodflower Sword, Nam Dusik?”
Startled, he looked up to see someone standing atop the beast.
It was a person wearing a silver mask.
“Leader of the Extermination Squad, right?”
He barely managed to open his mouth to respond.
“Y-Yes…”
The silver-masked figure clicked their tongue, scolding him.
“Where the hell have you been? What are you doing out here?”
“Uh… training a bit…”
“Enough. Your men are worried, so get back to the village. They can’t even get baptized because of you.”
“…Baptized?”
Baptized? What does that mean…
Crack! Crunch!
Before Nam Dusik could respond, the fallen beast shattered the ice on its limbs and rose again.
ROOOOAR!
Enraged at being knocked down, it swung its arms wildly at the silver-masked figure.
The figure dodged with uncanny grace and struck the beast’s face with a resounding smack.
The blow was so strong that the beast’s massive head reeled.
SCREEEECH!
“Now, follow me. Don’t get distracted.”
The figure then ran along the treetops, leading the raging beast away.
It was like watching someone handle a bad-tempered pet.
“…”
Nam Dusik stared blankly at where they’d disappeared.
From a distance, the sound of snapping trees and the beast’s ferocious roars echoed.
“What the…”
Lost in a daze for a moment, Nam Dusik suddenly snapped to attention.
“Wait a second.”
Realizing the direction they were headed, he chased after them.
That was the direction of the village!
What kind of crazy stunt are they pulling?!
————
As soon as Chi Yulang ended the stream, she left the streaming room without even doing her usual broadcast feedback.
Outside, the night had fallen, and a bright moon hung in the sky.
“Kkojil, where are you?”
Chi Yulang looked for Kkojil.
Glancing around, she noticed the ginseng she’d tossed to it was still untouched.
It hadn’t even taken a bite.
“You foolish thing.”
Chi Yulang clicked her tongue.
“Did you starve yourself? You call yourself a beast? You should’ve found something to eat.”
Was it not to its taste? If so, it should’ve said something.
Feeling a bit guilty, Chi Yulang grumbled under her breath.
“Kkojil, where are you? Choo! Choo! Choo!”
She wandered the moonlit clearing, calling for the fox.
Then—
Crunch-crunch-
“Hm?”
A strange sound came from somewhere.
Chi Yulang followed the noise.
In a corner of the clearing, a white fox was eagerly chewing on something.
“Kkojil? What are you eating…”
What it was chewing stood out vividly.
Even in the darkness of the night, it gleamed like a jewel.
“…A mana stone?”
Perk!
Distracted by eating the mana stone, Kkojil finally noticed Chi Yulang’s presence.
It stopped chewing the half-broken mana stone, stood up, and wagged its tail as it stepped into the moonlight.
Under the moonlight, Kkojil’s fur shimmered silver.
“You little…”
Scattered around it were small fragments of mana stones.
She couldn’t even guess how many it had eaten.
Chi Yulang started scolding it.
“How many did you eat—”
At that moment, Kkojil suddenly shuddered, and with a pop, a second tail sprouted.
“…Huh?”
