2. Awakening (2)

Jumper, George Lucas.

He was an American S-class ranker in his late 30s and the leader of the Enlightenment Group.

The teleporting Blink skill was his trademark, and he was the first to tackle the Odin's Tower dungeon, a feat no one else ever accomplished.

He was sitting in his office being briefed by someone.

"--- So far, 80% of the world's 3 billion people have awakened."

"I see. How long until 100% are awakened?"

"Within the next five years, based on the trend of people joining awakening programs."

"Five years---."

George looked out the office window at the city beyond.

"Not much time left."

Until that day.

* * *

The bus ride home.

Sangwoo turned on his retrieved smartphone.

For the record, he had given it away because of the risk of damaging electronics when traveling through portals.

He looked at his phone and saw a huge pile of messages.

-[kkd]: Hey, did you get any skills? I got 2 hunter skills

-[kkd]: Isn't that cool?

-[kkd]: What did you get?

-[kkd]: Hey, answer me

-[kkd]: Ugh

-[kkd]: Are you sleeping?

-[kkd]: Aaahhh

Most of the messages were from his best friend, Kim Kyung-do, and they filled with useless remarks.

Sangwoo replied without much thought.

-[Sangwoo]: I don't know

And then the message displayed as read.

-[kkd]: Why? Did you get a terrible skill or something?

-[kkd]: Quick, answer me

-[kkd]: Aaahhhhhhh!

-[Sangwoo]: Yeah

-[kkd]: Hehehehe, congrats

-[kkd]: You must have gotten a bad skill because you're always at home...

-[kkd]: You should be out and about like me...

'Ahhh annoying.'

Kim Kyung-do was a close friend from elementary school.

He was an outgoing person with an energetic personality who got along well with everyone, but he talked too much.

While Sangwoo and Kim Kyung-do were chatting, he arrived home.

It was a single room of about 25 square meters.

As soon as he opened the front door, he heard a familiar sound.

Yi Yi Ying-.

'How are my children doing?'

There were two computers with two monitors each in the room.

On each monitor, there were four windows of the same game program, 16 in total.

In the program, the game characters were automatically moving around and hunting monsters.

They picked up items, traveled to towns, and put them in warehouses, all on their own.

That's right.

Sangwoo was running macros for 16 characters.

Fifteen are sub-characters and one is the main character.

He farms (collects items, materials, experience, etc.) with the 15 side characters to improve his main character.

This allowed him to grow at an incredibly fast rate compared to players who typically only have one character.

Settling into his computer chair, he began to monitor the game in earnest.

First, he checked the amount of money and items in the main character's warehouse.

Money is almost always the same, while items are random.

But there were no rare materials or equipment in sight.

'Another bad day.'

'I didn't make much money.'

He tried selling off his miscellaneous items, but the profits didn't meet his expectations.

Dejected, Sangwoo laid down on the old mattress he used as a bed.

It had been two years since he started making money playing games.

At the height of its popularity, he could make more money than most part-time jobs just by selling in-game currency he farmed all day.

He was able to move out on his own as soon as he turned 20 thanks to the money he earned while attending high school.

But as the popularity of his games waned, his steady income gradually dwindled.

'You can't always rely on the chance of a rare item popping up.'

'I have to pay tuition. I need to find another game. But I can't be bothered making macros...'

Macros.

An automation program that allows you to automate almost anything on a computer.

In terms of doing things for people, macros fit Sangwoo's personality very well. He loves games, but he doesn't have the patience to endure the process of playing them, so it was only natural that he would get hooked on macros.

But his belly button was bigger than his stomach.

He had to learn all kinds of programming languages to create macros.

Of course, the result was that he earned an income that a typical high school student wouldn't be able to earn. As a bonus the various computer certifications he earned during his studies allowed him to enter Inseoul University.

His parents, who were initially very disapproving of Sangwoo for playing games and rarely leaving the house, were very proud of him for earning money and paying his own tuition.

'What's the point, this game is coming to an end.'

They say nothing lasts forever, and the gaming market is very fickle and games rarely last long.

That's why some games survive, and others disappear every time the trend changes.

As a result, users who make money from games must move from game to game like migratory birds, which is exhausting for Sangwoo.

'I need to find a normal, stable job. I'm tired of working... I wish someone would do my work for me in real life...'

At that moment, Sangwoo remembered the skill he had gained during his awakening.

'Cloning!'

If this technique really worked as he thought it would...

He decided to give it a try.

Sangwoo stood in the living room of his one-room apartment.

After taking a few deep breaths, as if he was going through some sort of ritual, he activated the technique.

'Summon clone.'

As he thought about it and willed himself to use the skill, he suddenly felt some energy that he hadn't realized was inside him coursing through his body and then escaping.

It was probably mana, the unknown energy that pervades all things in the world.

The tiny trace of mana that escaped from Sangwoo's body soon merged with the mana around him and grew in size.

The mana began to glow and become visible to the naked eye.

Soon, the mana grew to the size of Sangwoo's body, growing into a holographic blur.

Gradually, it became clearer and clearer.

"Is that me?

Naked, about 175 centimeters tall, with a moderately chubby body, big eyes, and a round face.

It was exactly how he looked.

"Uhhh"

"..."

"Are you my clone?"

"Yes."

Even the voice was slightly low and bassy.

It was like listening to a recording of his own voice.

This situation gave Sangwoo the creeps.

It reminded him of a German superstition he'd heard before.

<If you see your own doppelganger, die>.

It was an urban legend that if you see someone who looks exactly like you, you will die.

This scared Sangwoo for a moment.

But then he gathered his courage.

'I heard that people die when they see someone who looks like them - but this is my clone, so it's okay.'

Then, he examined his summoned clone carefully.

He was naked, with nothing on, so he could see his round body, his belly, and his genitals.

It was the same image he saw in the mirror when he showered.

The difference was that the doppelganger was also looking around, moving slightly.

"Hey, can I touch you?"

"Yes. Master."

It replied.

Sangwoo listened and touched his doppelganger's body.

It felt just like human skin.

'But why is my body so unhealthy?'

For a moment, Sangwoo felt self-deprecating, but as he adjusted to the situation, he became curious and inquisitive.

"Can I command you now?"

"Yes."

Unsure of what to ask, Sangwoo thought about a simple sit command.

Then, as if on cue, his clone squatted down.

"Oh, I can control clones with my mind."

Sangwoo was impressed.

It's even better when you don't have to verbally command it.

"Lie down."

The doppelganger lays down on the spot.

"Stand up."

The doppelganger scrambles to his feet.

"Repeat. "

The doppelganger repeatedly lays down and gets up.

But after no more than ten reps, the doppelganger began to gasp for air and sweat profusely.

'It's my clone, and he's in pain.'

Still, Sangwoo kept watching because he wasn't tired.

He was curious to see how much his abilities were related to his physical strength and how much endurance he had.

And then it happened.

After watching it move for about 10 minutes, a message popped up.

[Stamina increased by 0.001].

'Hmm? What is this?'