My Auto Cloning System-Chapter 25: EPISODE : THE ASSESSMENT ROOM

EPISODE 25: THE ASSESSMENT ROOM

Two days passed like wind through the cracks of a forgotten window—present, but too subtle to track. Nothing dramatic happened on the surface. No explosions, no system alerts, no screaming headlines. Yet underneath that quiet, the momentum had been building. Slowly. Steadily. Like pressure inside a chamber that had not been opened in years.

The world outside the Hunter Association building looked normal. Seoul’s skyline was its usual mess of concrete and glass, stitched together with noise and tangled wires. A faint haze covered the early morning sky, the sun struggling to pierce the dusty veil. Traffic was already choking the streets, horns echoing in the distance like metal insects fighting for territory. None of that reached inside the walls of this place.

This place had its own atmosphere.

The building towered like a judge—sharp lines, armored glass, and reinforced mana shielding embedded within the architecture. You didn’t just walk in here. You presented yourself. You stood under the gaze of the gatekeepers of the awakened world, and you waited to be judged worthy. Or invisible.

Kim Do-hyun (김도현) stood just inside the entrance, his hand still in his pocket, one foot slightly forward as if caught mid-step. His shoulders were loose, but his breathing was deep and measured. The kind of breath you only take when you’re fully aware of how important the next ten minutes of your life are.

Beside him, Han Jin-woo looked far less composed.

He kept glancing at the marble pillars, the polished floor, the glowing sigils humming faintly above the lobby ceiling. His fingers tapped restlessly against his folded file. He was dressed like a proper agency representative today—fitted gray blazer, clean black pants, a slim tie—but there was a nervous energy about him that gave it all away. The tie was too tight. His collar was already unbuttoned at the top, as if he had regretted wearing it the moment they stepped through the security gates.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his voice low.

Do-hyun nodded once. "This is necessary."

"I mean, yeah, but this is... not normal," Han Jin-woo said. "Dual hunting access is something only the elite even think about. Most Hunters struggle with managing one field. They’ll eat you alive in there."

"Let them try."

They walked up to the main reception counter. The woman seated behind the desk barely looked up. The place smelled faintly of disinfectant and mana stabilizers. The lights above weren’t ordinary—they emitted a soft blue pulse that calmed the nerves and suppressed aggressive auras. Everyone here was being watched. Measured. Judged.

"So you’re applying for multiple field clearance?" the receptionist asked without emotion.

Do-hyun nodded. "Yes."

"You only have one identifier registered in the central system. No guild, no contractor badge, no secondary cam link."

"I know."

She tilted her head, almost annoyed at how casual his answer was. Her fingers moved across her console. A soft beep echoed from the hidden scanner embedded in the desk, reading the device on Do-hyun’s wrist.

Silence stretched.

Then another beep. A longer one.

The screen flickered.

Without another word, the woman stood up and returned moments later with a towering stack of bound reports.

"Here. These are all real cases filed for your request category. Rare-type augmentation. Technically allowed under Article Seventeen, Clause Three, Subsection D. But enforcement requires direct approval from the Talent Oversight Division. You’ll need to undergo a formal evaluation."

She slid the documents across the counter.

"Room 7-C. Third floor. Take the right corridor. If they don’t sign off, the application dies there."

Han Jin-woo gave a half-hearted nod. "Thanks... I think."

They walked in silence toward the elevators.

The hallway past the reception desk grew narrower with each step. The polished stone gave way to smooth matte tiles that glowed faintly underfoot, responding to registered movement. Lines of magical code shimmered on the walls, barely visible to the naked eye—traces of protective spells, layered enchantments, mana detection systems, and emergency seals. This wasn’t a hallway. It was a checkpoint disguised as architecture.

Do-hyun’s footsteps were calm. Measured.

Han Jin-woo tried not to pace too close. "You sure you don’t want to turn back?"

"No."

"I’m just saying, this department doesn’t deal with beginners. They test combat and mental integrity. Mana control. Split-awareness. You mess up even once and they’ll blacklist your name."

"I won’t mess up."

They reached a reinforced door marked with a glowing emblem—seven concentric rings etched with strange symbols. A small panel scanned Do-hyun’s presence, then slid open with a hiss. The moment they stepped inside, the temperature dropped.

Room 7-C wasn’t like the rest of the building. It was cold, clinical, but charged with power. Hidden glyphs ran across the walls like veins. Floating diagnostic drones hovered in stillness above a padded floor lined with arcane channels. This wasn’t a test room. It was a dissecting chamber for abilities.

A soft mechanical voice welcomed them. "Please proceed to the summoning zone. Await further instructions."

The center of the floor began to light up. A magic circle unfurled across the ground—one layer at a time. The glyphs reacted to his steps before he even reached them, pulsing like a heartbeat, syncing with the mana signature bound to his ID bracelet.

From the side wall, a hidden drawer slid out slowly. A small tablet and remote control device rested neatly on top.

A flat voice echoed from the intercom, likely the test overseer. "You will now demonstrate your skill. Use the controller if necessary. Full summoning protocol is in effect."

Han Jin-woo whispered, "Don’t screw this up, alright?"

Do-hyun stepped into the summoning circle.

The lights dimmed. The air shifted.

It was subtle at first.

Like a breeze turning cold.

Then the room reacted.

Mana sensors activated. Rings of energy wrapped around him, scanning from feet to head, one layer at a time. The air began to tighten. Every breath now felt like it carried weight.

Do-hyun didn’t move.

He simply reached out with one hand, fingers slightly curved.

No chant. No dramatic flourish. He just focused. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Mana twisted. The glyphs pulsed.

Then the fabric of space—right in front of him—bent.

The energy inside the summoning zone shuddered, then condensed, forming a silhouette. Muscles, skin, movement—all unfolding like a figure woven from mana and memory.

And just like that...

The clone appeared.

The summoning was perfect.

Precise. Instant.

But there was one problem.

He came out completely naked.

No equipment. No outfit. No covering of any kind.

Just standing there, bare, in front of the test platform.

And the female examiner.