My Auto Cloning System

Episode 73 – Meteor Paycheck King

Han Sen could tell something wasn't right long before anyone else noticed. His gut had that heavy, sinking weight, the kind that usually came before a disaster you couldn't unsee. He didn't even hesitate, one hand went up to his earpiece, barking into the comms like a man whose coffee had just been spiked with bad news.

"Rescue team, stay put! No hero stunts today. You stick with the survivors and keep them breathing, got it?" His voice cracked halfway between urgency and authority, and even the most stubborn hunters on the channel didn't dare argue.

The street-level chaos was already bad enough. Up ahead, things were worse.

---

Meanwhile, Kim Do-hyun was sprinting like the devil himself was snapping at his heels, which wasn't far from the truth. His boots slapped against broken asphalt, dodging debris and pools of blood that reflected the burning sky above. He wasn't running aimlessly, though; every step had that wired desperation of a man trying to outrun both danger and the voice inside his head.

That voice wasn't his.

It was the sword's.

"Stab." The whisper was low and sharp, curling in his ear like a secret.

"Kill." It was almost playful this time.

"Die." That one hit colder, sliding down his spine like ice water.

Do-hyun gritted his teeth. Damn it. It wasn't that the voice was commanding, it was that it was starting to make sense.

No. Not yet. Not him.

He flicked open his system HUD, breath ragged, and activated his dash ability. The world blurred in a sickening rush, buildings and corpses smearing into streaks of color as his body moved faster than it should be able to. His heartbeat felt like it was in his throat.

---

The scene shifted.

Somewhere else in the battlefield, a broad-shouldered hunter with a thick black mustache stood his ground. His face was streaked with soot and sweat, but his eyes stayed locked on the massive shadow in front of him. Without a word, he raised his weapon, a battered rifle reinforced with mana runes along the barrel, and slammed in a fire-imbued round.

The click was swallowed by the roar that followed.

He fired.

The bullet streaked across the air, glowing hot enough to melt the raindrops it passed through, and slammed into the side of the monster's head. The hit should've burned through most beasts, but this one…

This one didn't even blink.

The thing was massive, a walking fortress of scale and muscle, like some bastard child between a dinosaur and an armored train. Hunters were already throwing everything they had at it, spells and skills flaring in all colors, all hitting the same spot like that would somehow work if they believed hard enough.

It didn't.

A poison-user darted forward, twin blades flashing green. He got in close enough to strike, but the moment his sword hit flesh, it stopped. He pushed, cursed, leaned his whole weight on it, the blade sank barely an inch before the creature's muscle locked it out.

By now, it wasn't about bragging rights or competition for kills. Even the densest hunter in the crowd could see that. The scoreboard in their heads had been replaced by one thought: If we don't work together, we're all dead.

And then a voice cut through the chaos.

"Work together? Tch."

The crowd's focus broke instantly. Hunters turned, confused, annoyed, until they saw him.

---

Shin Hae-seong.

The CEO of Hae-seong Guild didn't walk into a battlefield. He arrived, and the world seemed to make room for him. His steps were slow, almost lazy, like he'd taken a wrong turn on the way to a business meeting and decided to watch the fight for entertainment. His black coat swayed faintly with the wind, but the mana bleeding from him didn't waver, a heavy, crushing aura that made nearby hunters' knees itch with the urge to bend.

Some recognized him instantly and swore under their breath. Others whispered like they were trading ghost stories.

"Why's he here?"

"Don't tell me he's"

"Yeah. Came for the money, obviously."

Shin didn't bother with introductions. He didn't need them. His expression stayed unreadable as he glanced at the monster, then at the hunters straining to harm it. He gave a low, amused hum, like he'd just been shown a badly cooked steak.

"I'm only here for the paycheck," he said, his voice smooth enough to make the lie sound like a joke. But there was no humor in his eyes.

Without waiting for a reply, he lifted one hand.

The sky cracked.

Above, a rain of burning light peeled through the clouds, each meteor trailing fire thick enough to scorch the air. The "meteors" weren't real stones — they were compressed mana bombs shaped to burn hotter than dragon's breath and strike harder than siege cannons. He didn't chant, didn't prepare, didn't even flinch as dozens of them bent gravity itself and curved toward the monster in synchronized arcs.

For a moment, the battlefield froze. Even the monster hesitated.

---

Meanwhile, down in the shelter…

Kim Do-hyun's father was a mess. His hands were red, slick with blood as he pressed them against his daughter's wound, his voice breaking with every plea for her to hold on.

"Stay with me, Kim Chem, stay with me!" His own breath was ragged, like he was drowning with every second that passed.

The girl's breathing was shallow, lips pale. Her mother was on the floor beside them, shaking, eyes darting toward the door as if an ambulance would burst through any second. But ambulances didn't exist anymore. Not here. Not today.

"Anything… please, anything!" the mother's voice cracked, her hands clutching at her husband's sleeve like that could make help appear.

The door sparked.

A single burning slash hissed across the metal.

The father's head snapped toward it — and his face drained of color.

Something had burned straight through the lock.

And on the other side, advancing slowly, was the same monster that had killed Number 3 and driven its spear-like appendage through his daughter's body.

It stepped inside, the shelter's light warping over its armored hide.

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