My Clone Returned After Ten Years

My ability was clone summoning.

On the day I took my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠superhuman aptitude test at fifteen, I created an exact copy of myself right in front of the examiner.

Same height, same face, same voice—even the timing of our responses to the examiner’s questions was perfectly synchronized.

The examiner was impressed.

“A clone-type ability. That’s quite rare.”

That day, I received my Awakened License. Ever since the world became a chaotic mess of monsters, dungeons, and superhumans, that license had been nothing short of a ticket to a life-changing fortune.

Of course, my rank wasn't very high.

In short, it was an ability that just gave me one more weakling.

Still, I was happy. Back then, I believed. I believed that one day, I, too, could become a famous superhuman.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“What? Why? From now on, call me Master. And use formal speech.”

“Understood, Master.”

“Yeah, you listen well.”

Fortunately, my clone was obedient. It treated me with the utmost respect, just like a real master. Back then, I was full of hope. I was brimming with plans to explore dungeons with my clone and rake in the cash.

But then, one day.

My clone suddenly vanished.

At first, I thought it was just because I was tired. But that wasn't it. Literally, the clone had just disappeared. No matter how many times I tried to summon it, it wouldn't appear. A day passed, then a week, then a month—it was all the same.

In the end, the clone never returned.

I went straight to the Awakened Association. I even got professional testing and counseling there. But the answer I got was cold.

“Hmm, Mr. Kim Shin-hyuk. Are you perhaps afraid of entering dungeons?”

“What? No! I’m telling you, my ability really disappeared!”

“You’re still young, so it’s natural to be scared.”

“I told you, that’s not it! It really vanished!”

No matter what I said, the Association didn't believe me. They just looked at me with suspicion. I returned home empty-handed.

And just like that, I became a weirdo. A person who had an Awakened License but no ability. On paper, I was a superhuman, but in reality, I was no different from an ordinary person. I would have preferred to just be a normal person from the start. It felt like something had been given to me and then snatched away, and it was agonizing.

Because of this, I spent most of my teenage years drifting. I didn't go to school much, and I spent most of my daily life in my room like a shut-in.

Then, one day, I saw a superhuman streaming on the internet.

‘A superhuman with nothing better to do? Streaming, of all things.’

Was it because it was fascinating to see a superhuman streaming? Surprisingly, there were quite a lot of viewers. At that moment, a massive realization hit me.

‘Wait. I’m a superhuman, too, aren't I?’

I was a superhuman on paper. I actually had the license. From that day on, I pondered the idea of streaming.

‘Should I try streaming, too?’

I couldn't just keep living off my parents' food like this. After agonizing over it for more than a month, I made my decision.

‘Yeah, let’s do it.’

Of course, I didn't just start blindly. I contacted the headquarters of Tweeb and proved my actual Awakened License to receive the official superhuman verification mark. There was a massive difference between having that mark and not having it. And I experienced that firsthand.

From the very first day of my broadcast, the viewership was great. A whopping 200 people showed up in real-time.

200 might seem like a small number. But for a male streamer to hit 200 on his first day was incredibly difficult. As proof, my viewer count increased day by day.

200 to 400. 400 to 700. 700 to 1,000. Eventually, I even hit 10,000.

I had become a top-tier creator on Tweeb in every sense of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the word. And I had achieved it in a very short time. Surprisingly, I had a talent for broadcasting. Combined with the fact that I was a superhuman, it led to great results. Thanks to my success, the number of superhuman streamers on Tweeb actually increased significantly.

Anyway, it was a pretty happy time. Maybe because I was making money easily, the world even started to look easy.

But nothing lasts forever. Problems started to arise. Viewers who doubted me began to appear in the chat.

At first, I just laughed it off.

“Ah, my ability isn't the kind I can just show off on a broadcast.”

Of course, it was a lie. Still, it worked well enough. In the early days, there were so few superhuman streamers that I could get away with it. But as more and more superhuman streamers appeared—partly thanks to my own success—my position grew narrower.

I felt increasingly anxious. On top of that, my viewer count was dropping. There was no reason to watch my broadcast when there were other superhuman streamers actually showing off their powers. Eventually, my viewers dropped below a thousand. That was exactly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ten years after my clone had disappeared.

Still, the good news was that I could at least make a living. That’s why I could hold on. But they say there’s a basement beneath the floor, right? One of the big Newtubers targeted me. He called me a fake superhuman and claimed my license was forged.

From that moment on, it became impossible to continue broadcasting.

The chat was filled with attacks. I couldn't broadcast properly in this state. As I endured all sorts of ridicule and suspicion, my viewer count plummeted further. Eventually, my real-time viewers dropped to 100. Honestly, it would have been reasonable to give up at this point. Most people would have quit.

But I didn't quit until the end. Why? Because if I quit, it would be an admission that I was a fake superhuman. I hated that, so I stubbornly endured the ridicule and kept broadcasting.

Then, one day, someone sent me a huge donation.

Ding.

It was a 3 million won mission. I was short on money lately, so I accepted it. Of course, I couldn't actually show an ability. Naturally, the mission would fail. But even if I clicked "Mission Failed," I could still take 10 percent of the 3 million won. That alone was 300,000 won.

‘Let’s just pretend to show my ability and then make an excuse that it failed.’

In reality, ability activation didn't always succeed. If your condition was bad, you could fail. I spoke to the viewers.

“Is it finally time to show my ability? Well, for 3 million won, I have no choice.”

I made a fuss for the first time in a while. I was happy at the thought of earning 300,000 won. Naturally, the viewers went wild.

The chat was moving faster than it had in a long time. I laughed as I watched it.

“Yes. I’ll really show you. Look forward to it. Ah, before that, I need to use the bathroom.”

I actually needed to pee, but there was another reason. I headed to the bathroom. While peeing, I plotted my strategy.

‘The acting after the failure is important. I have to act as disappointed as possible.’

I planned to fail spectacularly(?) and then walk away with the 300,000 won. I washed my hands thoroughly and returned to the living room.

“Did you all wait long?”

It was time to show my ability. It wasn't good to drag it out too long. But there was one thing I hadn't considered.

‘Huh?’

My eyes widened. My viewer count had suddenly surged tenfold. Anyone would be surprised. It seemed someone had spread the news. That’s why the count had skyrocketed. The chat was also moving incredibly fast. Just looking at the chat activity, you’d think there were 5,000 people there.

‘Wait, this is bad…?’

It was actually worse. If I faked a failure in front of a hundred people, it wouldn't become a huge issue. But over a thousand was different. It might even end up on a community board. Then I’d be cursed at for a while again.

‘Sigh, I should have just done it right away…’

I shouldn't have gone to the bathroom. If I’d known this would happen, I would have tried it right then and there. Regardless, I couldn't just wallow in despair. I had to at least earn the money. I slowly reached my hand forward. My hand was clammy. Sweat was dripping down. But I had no choice. I reached out and slowly opened my mouth.

And with a dying voice, I said,

“Summon.”

I closed my eyes tightly after speaking. I was embarrassed and worried, so I couldn't bring myself to open them.

“…”

Of course, there was no reaction. My hand just hurt from being held out. I sighed and opened my eyes. I was worried about how many viewers would be left if I fell any deeper into the abyss.

But something was strange.

The chat was strange. It was moving at an incredible speed, but the reactions were different from what I’d expected. I glanced at the broadcast screen. I had no idea what was happening to cause such a commotion.

‘No, what on earth… Huk!’

A sight soon entered my vision.

“…!!”

My eyes widened instantly. I was so shocked that not even a sound came out. Behind me, a space split open in a violet hue. The crack was flickering like a wound in the sky. Furthermore, various objects were flying around the crack—paper, cups, knives, dishes, pillows, chairs, and so on. It was absolute chaos.

I stared blankly at the scene for a moment. My house was being destroyed in real-time. Yet, I didn't feel angry at all. I was just stunned.

Then, a breeze blew from behind me. Even though the window was closed, a chilly wind brushed against the back of my neck. And a very unfamiliar scent wafted over. A strange smell that was like blood, yet also like flowers.

At that moment, the crack widened.

And from it, a woman walked out.

Thud.

Thud.

A black robe. Long, red hair reaching her waist. Pale skin. A beautiful face. Arrogant, calm eyes that didn't seem to see a person as a person.

As soon as she appeared, she looked around the room. She looked at the camera. She looked at the monitor. And finally, she looked at me.

My heart sank. A sense of fear washed over me automatically.

‘Wh-who are you!’

A strange woman had suddenly appeared from the crack. Anyone would be shocked. Then, she did something incredibly unexpected. She slowly knelt on one knee toward me. In that position, her lips parted.

“I see you after ten years.”

“Ten years…?”

I had never seen a woman like that before. I had no idea what she was talking about. But as if she didn't know my confusion, she spoke in a beautiful voice, saying something unbelievable.

“Master.”